Novel Rupegia

Manasong · Jan 23, 2020

Klein speaks to us from atop the carriage, "We've barely seen anything in Escanso. We could have gone to the theaters; watched the street dancers and performers; visited the public hanging gardens; walked along the wall of the castle; seen the main street of the nobles' quarter, which is extremely beautiful, by the way; dined in a dancing restaurant; visited the libraries-…"

"I thought you didn't like to read," Hana interrupts Klein.

Klein continues as if nothing happened, "played games in the taverns-…"

"Gambling would be a bad idea," Hana interrupts again and Klein ignores her.

"Elves have other games that don't involve gambling. Anyway, there's still the art galleries-…"

"Oh right, I saw them once, very pretty," Roxanne comments.

"There's the Colosseum, obviously, but there are a few other places where we can watch fighting-…"

"Is it elven fighting or normal fighting?" Hana asks.

"Normal."

"Nice."

"There are periodic costume parties-…"

"Costumes? What kind of costumes do they use?" I interrupt.

"Well… playing wereanimal is always popular. There's the body paint ones that like to walk almost naked and mimic one of the demon races with colorful designs. Then there are the novels' character copies."

"The what?"

"Uh, people who try to copy how the characters in novels look."

Elves are cosplayers!

"How interesting…" I smile and look at the girls.

We have a variety of body types here, there are plenty of "interesting" costumes that the girls could try out.

"And finally there's the brothels…"

Laertes' pointy Husky ears twitch repeatedly, but he doesn't turn to look at us.

"You know that we could only sleep with women?" Alissa asks.

"I know, but it's an elven brothel. It's worth trying out at least once," Klein answers with a shrug.

We turn around to Alissa and she gets uncharacteristically shy. "I like it more when Wolfy has sex with someone that I know. It feels so much dirtier," she says.

I shrug. "We can have some fun in Goloria, but I'm not in a hurry."

"Goldport has a wider variety of women than Goloria," Roxanne says with a wicked smile, and Klein agrees with her.

Laertes finally turns around looking very annoyed. "Is she not enough for you? You just have to get all the women you can and rub it in everyone's faces, huh?" He spews at me, his glacial eyes open wide in extreme annoyance.

"I'm not rubbing it in, we are just having a casual conversation," I defend myself.

"And it's something you could talk about in private, away from me so that I don't have to hear about your stupid addiction to sex."

"It's not my problem if you find it annoying while eavesdropping on our conversation," I state matter-of-factly and narrow my eyes.

"Which is why I said that you enjoy rubbing it in!" He hisses and scowls.

"How am I supposed to defend myself from that?! Of course, I don't!" I hiss back, controlling my voice so I don't attract the attention of the carriage of nobles behind us.

"Well, I do enjoy rubbing it in. It's not a crime," Osaria chimes in and then smiles with a little shame. "Sorry for intruding and eavesdropping," she adds.

"You are both obnoxious pricks," he grumbles and turns his back to us. Osaria merely shrugs and lays back in her seat.

"Fuck you," I growl.

"Don't push this any further, both of you," Ciel warns us.

Feeling bitter, I spur my horse forward to leave the ruined atmosphere behind.

Ciel and Roxanne appease the other girls so they don't add to the fire, then they spur their horses forward and come closer to us. Klein drops down from the carriage and walks beside Anton, who's frowning and confused in how to act.

Sure, I do enjoy it a little, but it's not my fault that he's so in love with Klein. As far as I know, she never even responded to him.

Alissa turns into a small fox and jumps off her horse, then lands on my lap.

Thinking with my dick isn't the best thing, but what else could I have done? Not going after Klein just because he can't deal with rejection is completely off the table.

Alissa's ears flop and she approaches her snout to my face. She gives me kind little licks just like a pet.

I pat her head and kiss her forehead, making her tail wag furiously.

Lately, even Ciel has been thinking with her… pussy? We might need to be a little more careful with our actions.

Ciel appeases Lina while Roxanne tends to Hana. Aoi also helps mollify Hana by copying Alissa.

The cute little fox curls up in my lap and stares at me from behind her tail with mischievous eyes.

"You really know how to be cute when you want to," I say with a warm smile and her tail wags a little.

"You haven't even seen me try yet," she says.

"Hm… I would love to see that."

"It's my weapon! If you grow resistant to it, how will I get what I want from you?"

"How shrewd." I pout playfully.

"Don't worry, I haven't had the need for it, yet."

"Wouldn't calming my heart be a good reason to use it?"

"Hm… fine."

She suddenly shows me her belly and leaves her mouth open in an almost-smile. She covers her eyes with the back of her paws and wiggles her body.

I feel compelled to pat her furry belly and succumb to it immediately. When I touch her, four paws and a fanged mouth latch on my arm and prickle me painfully.

I resist the instinct to back out and pat her belly. Her legs tremble as her body is tickled and overstimulated.

"You forgot that I used to have dogs. I know all about their tricks," I say with a smirk.

"Oh, no! You're already resistant to me!" She exclaims in a cutesy voice.

I pat her harder and she closes her eyes in delight. Then I start to slow my petting and we calm down.

She suddenly climbs up to my shoulder and then jumps behind me. After a short glow, she returns to normal and hugs me from behind.

"Thanks for this," I say and close my eyes since I'm now the one being petted. Her soft hands glide through my hair and caress my scalp. Her lips softly touch the back of my neck and send small jolts of happiness through me. She certainly knows how to give me the most pleasure.

"I felt your frustration and thought that getting angry at Laertes would just make things worse," she says.

"It certainly would."

"And playing with you would be much more pleasing than yelling at someone."

"That's a given."

I lean back into her embrace even more and relax in her arms.

I'm not a jerk, am I…?

Well, I actually am starting to feel a little bad for Laertes.

We don't have any elderly or children commoners with us, so we move at a much faster rate than before. The cries of the Weepers can just be ignored for now while the Hollys search for them.

The houses inside the gigantic trees become fewer and fewer until suddenly, they stop completely. Even before lunch, we've already left Escanso's circle of safety and entered the wilderness proper. Soon after, the number of monsters shoots up drastically.

I notice something odd and say, "You know, this place is quite a good environment for insects. Back on Earth, we would have annoying little mosquitoes that would suck blood from us and leave itchy marks on the skin. So far in this world, I haven't seen any that do that. In fact, I've seen very few bugs at all."

"Blood-sucking insects and monsters are exterminated by the temple for free," Ciel says.

"Why?"

"They tend to become very powerful since there's too much mana in the blood. And they were also used by heretics to become undead."

I open my eyes wide. "So you just… exterminated entire species of insects?"

She shrugs. "Nobody has missed them so far. The last of them were in Bestiaram and we exterminated those a few thousand years ago."

"Amazing! Fuck those mosquitoes!" I exclaim and she chuckles softly. "How did they do it?"

"Potions and incenses. It's a poison for the mosquitoes that was slow-acting and highly contagious. The Emperor ordered a sweep of the continent and after a few generations they had died out completely. We still use it in certain ceremonies to immunize the commoners from them in case they return."

Rupegia's first biological war was waged against blood-sucking mosquitoes.

Lunch comes around and Krista prepares a selection of sausages and sandwiches for us. She gives a wink to Hana, who seems lost at which sausage to eat first.

Insert dick joke here.

Unfortunately, the table's arrangement has changed. Rande and his family eat at a separate table with the nobles. Nito looks like a scared, cute little animal, completely out of his depth; Oura seems very stiff and sends repeated glances to us and Lina, likely silently asking for help that will never come; Osaria seems very calm, but doesn't participate much; Rande talks the most, a natural at this sort of thing.

On the nobles' side, it's mostly the Noblewoman Silvina talking; the other nobles show some small amount of interest, but they don't speak a lot.

The soldiers of both Rande and the nobles mingle and eat with each other without prejudice. They're just grunts who have a rather cushy job thanks to us, they aren't knights.

When we are finishing our meal, suddenly, I and the girls go quiet, attracting the attention of the others. Out of the nobles' carriage, a small, shiny black dragon comes out, perched on the arm of a servant. It's let onto the table and eats a small meal which was set out for it.

Nobleman Ento sends a few nervous glances towards us and Aoi. Our own "little" dragon observes her counterpart with curious eyes.

When the black dragon notices Aoi, it stops eating and they have a staring contest. After a few seconds, it breaks the stare and resumes eating. I notice how the other dragon has a much rougher body. Its scales shine, but they're not flat like Aoi's; they are also not arranged perfectly on top of each other, making them protrude slightly out of its body.

That dragon is a male.

We might have a problem.

"What do you think of him?" I ask Aoi.

"Looks dumb. Don't want him," she says flatly and resumes eating.

The caravan continues to move without incident. Klein returns to stay on top of the carriage with Laertes and they resume ignoring each other.

A few monsters start to appear. The usual goblins, a few orcs, small Uspidors and a single Watchful Ton creating a thick mist around a small area.

Alissa stands at the edge of the mist and holds her chin in thought. Then she turns around and asks, "Can you summon a nature elemental for me? I think that I can hit it if I have more height."

"I can cast [Fly] and carry you up there," I say.

"That spell disrupts my arrows, not a good idea."

Disappointing.

I use [Telekinesis] on myself and follow them as they climb a nearby gigantic tree. The elemental gently deposits Alissa in a small nook and I huddle up with her inside it.

She breathes in and her eyes become sharp. Her soft and calm expression disappears, and it instead becomes cold and emotionless. This side of Alissa is odd to see, it's as if she's turned into a total stranger.

Her eyes narrow and suddenly, she draws her bow and looses her arrow. She looks intently along the arrow's path. She sees something that I don't, as she clicks her tongue softly and draws another arrow from the quiver at her waist.

Her breathing slows and stops fully, then she draws her bow again and lets loose another arrow. This time she nods in satisfaction and draws a third arrow.

She waits again and I see the mist move away from us slowly. She scoffs and fires the arrow.

When the mist starts to disappear, she returns to normal and smiles adorably like always. "Got him!" She says proudly and her tail wags.

I kiss her nose and we make our way down from the tree.

"So… you didn't have sex up there?" Hana asks with a frown, as if there's something wrong with us.

"Right, the fear of heights would have enhanced the pleasure…" I say as I grab my chin in thought.

"Yeah, that shit is amazing." She smirks.

The day ends without much excitement.

During our bath time, it's Ciel's turn for affection, which she initiates without a second word. Her thick chocolate legs straddle me and she invades my mouth without hesitation. Her chest squishes against me and I moan in happiness.

Lina aims me towards Ciel and stays at the side, using her small, delicate hands to stimulate both of us.

Ciel breaks the kiss and stares at me with loving eyes.

"You are quite happy lately," I comment.

"Am I?" She questions innocently and cups her own cheek.

Oh, her pose looks perfect for this!

"Say 'ara ara,'" I request.

She leans back and looks at me oddly.

"Please," I insist.

"Ara ara," she says calmly and chuckles.

Innocent sex appeal.

Lina blinks blankly at Ciel.

"Put a little sass and warmth into it," I say.

"Hm…" She pouts playfully and narrows her eyes at me with suspicion. Then she breathes in and gets in character, "Ara ara!" She tilts her head from side to side with each word, like a mother who caught her son with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Oh…" Lina mutters.

"Again, please!" I plead.

"Ara ara!" She does it again and I shoot inside her. "W-what?" She looks at her womb with confusion.

"Ara ara," Alissa says, but the effect is small.

"Those are the wrong words for you," I say.

"Ara ara…" Hana says with a predatory smile and my cock twitches inside Ciel, who feels it.

An aggressive sexual predator.

"Ara ara," Roxanne says with a soft, sensual tone and a sharp, intense gaze. My cock twitches again and I move my hips instinctively.

Mean and sensual older sister.

Her expression quickly crumbles when she sees the reaction it had on me. "Ahahahah, what is that?"

"I don't know, those words feel like… magic?" Lina tilts her head as she tries to understand the power of the "ara ara."

"Say it and laugh softly," I request to Ciel again.

"Ara ara, a-hahah," she obeys and covers the mouth with the back of her hand. Her laugh has that perfect high pitched inflection at the end.

From Aoi, I feel strong emotions broiling within her heart. Klein looks like she's seen the light as she stares at Ciel with wonder. Alissa seems to be affected, but not very much.

"Klein, say 'onii-chan!' in a mischievous tone."

She blinks blankly and the cloud over her mind disappears. She gets up and strikes a pose. "Onii-chan!" She exclaims and smiles mischievously.

The spunky younger sister.

Hana moans, "Ooh, I see it now."

"Alissa, say 'nii-sama' with a dignified tone," I say.

"Nii-sama," she says and nods respectfully.

The perfect and dedicated maid.

"Hngh!" I feel Ciel's insides tighten.

"Lina, say a cutesy 'onii-chan.'"

"Onii-chan," she gets it right on the first try.

Imouto! Pure innocence!

Ciel's gasps and the pressure on my dick increases.

"What are these words?" Roxanne asks.

"They have a nice ring to them," Alissa says.

"Ways of addressing someone, but in a special way."

"Onii-chan!" Lina repeats and throws herself to hug me.

"Nii-sama!" Alissa hugs me from the other side.

"Nii-chan!" Aoi jumps on my face and copies Lina's tone.

I think for now that's the right one for Aoi.

"Just don't overdo it, okay?" I ask with a wry smile.

Dinner is quieter than lunch. Anton and Laertes start talking with the nobles' horsemen and the atmosphere becomes more casual. That is, until Ento approaches us with his dragon on his shoulder.

"Greetings, Helios," he says and smiles cordially. "You must be Wolf Ryder, the leader, correct?"

"Yes, I am, Signeur Ento," I respond and nod cordially to him.

"I see you have a tamable dragon of your own." He glances at Aoi and she immediately stares at him. "She seems quite… aware."

"She is and she was raised with great care by us," Hana says, a little defensively.

Ento turns to Hana for a moment and then returns to me.

"How did you come upon her?" He asks.

"We found her in a dragon's nest while on an extermination request."

"I see… possibly an evolved one, then," he says and looks at Aoi with curiosity.

If only you knew.

I retain my casual expression so I don't give away any information to him.

"What do you plan on doing when she grows?" He asks calmly, but his gaze is intense.

"At that point, we should have the resources to support her. I plan on becoming a noble," I answer with confidence.

His eyes linger on me and show a hint of annoyance.

"You are planning on becoming a noble…?" The chubby elf seems to be containing his displeasure.

"I am," I answer calmly.

"When?"

"After this job is done."

I would prefer to not tell him about this, but it's the best choice right now.

"Are you sure you will have the resources? A fully grown dragon has limited uses and requires a large amount of money to sustain."

"I will deal with it."

His jaw twitches as his annoyance increases.

"You can see that I am a tamer of dragons." He lifts his shoulder and prods the small black dragon. He uncurls and stares at us, his gaze lingers on Aoi, but yet again, he's the one who breaks the mutual stare first, which seems to agitate Ento further. "And I can say with certainty that yours is quite intelligent."

"Kweh!"

Hana smiles ferociously and crosses her arms, pushing her pillows together.

"I certainly have the resources to help her grow appropriately," he continues.

"You may, but we prefer to keep her with us," I answer and try to keep my tone as cordial as possible.

"If in her youth, she's not properly cared for, her maximum growth will be reduced."

"We are taking good care of her," I assure him.

He swallows heavily and controls his emotions. His voice shows a lot of hesitation as he says, "I will give you twenty rose coins for her."

The eavesdropping commoners and soldiers whisper about in complete disbelief. Anton, Krista, and Laertes drop their jaws.

"She's special to us, we will not sell her," I say, still maintaining my calm.

"You will never find a better deal," he says in a dangerous tone.

"We will never sell her," Hana says and glares at Ento.

Aoi nods and smiles. Ento notices it and becomes even more agitated.

"Mr. Ryder, I am giving you the deal of a lifetime. It would be wise to accept it," he says through his gritted teeth.

"Please, Signeur Ento, she means to me more than anything in the realm," I say and force some sadness in my voice.

"Dragons are extremely valuable to many people in powerful places. Are you sure that you can provide her with a safe environment to grow?" His eyes narrow in anger as his right hand grabs his belt, where his golden wand is.

The nobles' soldiers tense up and look around nervously. They are outnumbered and surrounded by Rande's soldiers, who stare back at them, also very nervous.

"I can," I answer and then increase the loudness of my voice for all to hear. "As someone aiming to become a noble, I am confident in my strength and that of all of the members of my fellowship." I scowl at Ento and curl my lips in anger. "And I will defend myself with ferocious tenacity."

"Mr. Ryder, my final advice for you is to-…"

"Signeur Ento," the mature voice of Lord Ricardo interrupts our "negotiation." "Please, do not put our protectors in such a delicate position."

Ento's face twitches repeatedly and slowly settles as he controls his anger. "Very well. You know my terms," he says with finality and turns around in a huff. He makes for his tent and disappears inside.

Everyone calms down and a few awkward chuckles escape some of the soldiers.

I look at Lord Ricardo and nod appreciatively. He nods sternly and returns to ignoring us. Rande, Osaria, and Silvina have positive expressions on their faces that gradually relax into more natural and neutral ones. Oura and Nito look pale and continue to fidget for a while.

Hana turns back towards our table and slings an arm over my shoulder, forcing my head to lean against her breast. "That was hot. You are fucking me silly tomorrow," she asserts.

"You're not afraid of him?" I ask, lowly.

"Not anymore. Not with you and the others by my side."

I close my eyes and we enjoy light conversation before we retire to our tents.

Lina works tirelessly while I softly brush her hair. Her silky black bangs are so adorable. They are carefully maintained by Ciel while I make sure that she never skips her hair care. The crate of elven products we received from Vanea for the job we did for her really was a very good reward.

I feel a very strong need to tease Lina and play with her pale and cute body, but her work prevents me from taking action.

She finally removes the gem from her workstation and raises it upwards. She puts one hand on her waist and forces a smile. "Do-don~! It's done!" She exclaims.

"'Do-don'?" Ciel tilts her head and swallows a laugh.

Lina immediately returns to her more shy demeanor and her skin reddens. "It's something from dwarven stories."

"Is it an onomatopoeia?" I ask.

Damn, even in Andraste it's a hard word to say.

"A what?" Klein asks. "Hm…" She shivers as Alissa brushes her tail.

"Words that imitate a sound," Lina answers.

Klein and Alissa switch places and my fox-girl moans softly when Ciel joins in and plays with her ears.

"And yes, it is. It's for a drum hit," Lina adds.

"Sounds very cute," I say.

"It's from children's stories." She looks down and fidgets.

"Even cuter." I lay my head on her shoulder and give her cheek many kisses.

She giggles and leans away so she can speak. "A-anyway. The gem is done, so now I need to choose a shield to enchant with [Wind Shield]."

"I think it's either Ciel or you," I say.

"Oh." Ciel's mouth breaks off from Alissa's and she looks at us. "Well, I would prefer that you have it," She says to me.

"I have enough spells to protect myself," I say.

"I'm always beside Hana, so I'm covered by her most of the time," Lina says.

"Ciel it is, then."

Lina nods and stands to look for Ciel's shield. She stops midway and looks back at me, sitting on the carpet. More precisely, she looks at my lap, where I'm left mid-mast.

"It can wait for tomorrow, if you wish."

There's not much time left before we have to go to bed.

Lina puckers her lips in thought for a moment. In the next, she scurries towards me and straddles my waist. My erection rubs against her small lips.

"Tomorrow it is, then," I say and grab her. I lay her down on the bed and spend a moment to observe her delicate, frail body. "Hard or slow?" I ask.

"Hard," she answers and smiles like an imp.

But you'd be making a mistake if you thought that she wasn't anything more than delicate and frail.

I wake up in the middle of the night. A Holly is squeaking a warning.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Noble Salty Panda.
Nobleman Lassiter.
Noble D4rk Sheep.

Manasong · Jan 25, 2020

Well, not really a warning. The Holly is crying, literally. Its vision is blurry as its single eye sheds a stream of tears.

I wish to share proprioception with the summon and can tell that nothing is wrong with its body. It's just very sad right now.

I could leave it there, but I would feel pretty bad for letting it suffer all night until it's devoured, so I unsummon it after I've memorized its position. It's quite far away, so it will take some time for us to reach the Weepers.

I go back to sleep and mentally prepare myself for tomorrow.

Today is the 19th.

Roxanne and Hana wake me up. Each of them wanted to do it by themselves, but there's only one dick, so they compromised and worked together.

We give each other our good morning kisses. When Klein gives one to Roxanne, the succubus takes the opportunity to penetrate the little monkey's mouth and make the innocent girl melt in her arms.

My dick twitches and I feel oddly at peace while watching the two.

Roxanne ends the invasion with sensual and loving little pecks on the lips. "If you think you aren't bisexual after this, then I'm a cum-hating old hag," she says. Klein shrugs and gives a last peck on Roxanne's lips.

"You're a hag already, so," Hana says and shrugs.

"You're older than me!" Roxanne scowls.

"But I'm hotter than you." Hana smiles smugly and ferociously.

I reflexively turn away and walk out of the tent while the two naked goddesses burn their glares into my back.

While we eat, Anton sends us worried glances. After Krista finishes lunch and sits down to eat, too, he decides to speak. "So, you think it was a good idea to do that?" He asks me, lowly. Krista looks at me intently, waiting for an answer.

I knit my eyebrows in confusion. "Do what?"

"Reject the nobleman's offer."

"We do not need the money and Aoi is more valuable than anything he could ever offer," I say casually.

"Aoi is family," Hana says and pats Aoi's head, who looks around in confusion when she notices the attention focused on her.

Anton goes quiet, but his surprise is still apparent.

"Be careful with that noble," Krista warns us with concern.

"We will. Thank you," Hana says with a nod.

I find it difficult to think of a single angle that Ento could use to take Aoi from us. The most he can do is try for petty revenge. The temple is not strong enough to protect commoners like us here, but the laws are.

Ento eats quietly at the other table without even sparing us a glance.

We get moving again and I call the girls for a meeting.

"So, I know where the Weepers are, and it's pretty far away," I say.

"You, Ciel, and Alissa should go. With a light elemental, nothing should happen," Roxanne says.

"Well… I was thinking of making this a psychological test."

"Psy…?" Alissa tilts her head.

"A mental test, to see how well our minds can handle an attack."

"Hm…" Ciel murmurs and twiddles her thumbs. "I think it's a good idea."

"Do any of us has any regrets?" I ask.

"No," Alissa answers immediately. We all turn to her and she looks around, confused. "What?"

"Well, she is the most depraved of us all," Hana says with a shrug.

"I like to think that I'm merely madly in love with Wolfy," Alissa says with smug pride.

"Yes, madly," Roxanne sneers.

"I don't think it's that bad…" Lina mutters.

"So, Alissa can stay with a light elemental while we meet the Weepers one-by-one," I say.

"Ooh…" Roxanne understands my idea and looks around, very worried. "I don't think I need a monster to show me that I have issues…"

"Maybe you could learn something and understand yourself a little more," Ciel says.

"No thanks, I prefer to remain a crazy bitch." Roxanne gives a phony smile.

"Maybe it's time for you to change," Hana says, showing real concern.

Roxanne frowns and looks down, then slowly nods.

I tell Rande that we will be away for a long time. To protect them, I summon an earth and a nature elemental, and one Holly for scouting. Then I send another Holly towards the direction where the Weepers should be.

"So, you are mentally masochistic, too?" Klein asks, her face tells us it was rhetorical.

"Hm, would a dark elemental bypass my [Pain Conversion]?" Hana wonders.

Ciel blinks repeatedly; her eyes do not believe the words that Hana's lips just formed.

"Dunno. But it would make torturing you easier on my body," I say with a shrug.

Alissa licks her lips.

We gallop for a few hours and the cries slowly become more clear and creepy. There are few monsters along the way because not many monsters can maintain their sanity while near the Weepers for too long. This makes it simple to avoid them, so the journey is easy for us.

At a certain point, the scouting Holly breaks down into tears again. We reach where it stopped moving forward and I unsummon it.

"So, who's first?" Alissa asks with a wicked smile.

I sigh and say, "Me," with as much enthusiasm as a cow mooing before slaughter.

"Well, it was your idea," Roxanne says.

The way forward is dark, like nearly everywhere in the High Forest, but my [Spirit Light] looks very weak right now, as if there were a cloud of impenetrable darkness in front of me.

I look back and Alissa's smile shines even brighter than the curvy light elemental beside her. I face forward and the cold darkness stares back at me.

Alissa's blessing is still active, but I already feel like my "Sanity" is back at seven again. All I want right now are my naked ladies to cuddle with.

This was a terrible idea, maybe I should just swallow my pride and go back to cry on the girls' tits.

Gih.

You are the one who keeps peeping on my thoughts, pervert.

Gih!

If you say so. I know you can stretch, but how much can you stretch? My cock is very thick, you know.

He gives me a painful peck on the neck, then pops out of existence and returns to take care of the horses.

I chuckle, but my happiness fades away as fast as it came.

I take a step forward and feel that my body is getting oddly heavy, but nothing is actually wrong with it. I take another step and feel my back begin to ache, but I'm not carrying anything heavy.

My waist hurts with the sway of my legs caused by my emerald fang sword on my belt; my leg feels like it's forming a bruise from the scabbard smacking the side all the time; my knees creak like the old joints of a hard worker; my neck feels like stone with the weight of my barbute pressing down on it; my lungs struggle to pull in air because the padded scale armor is crushing my ribs; my hands refuse to obey me, like on cold days when the joints feel sluggish and painful.

The cries of the Weepers remind me of Lina's loud cry when Hilde died; of Logan's tears when he drunkenly stalked us; of my sobs on my first day in this world; of Hana's silent sorrow when she was arrested; of Ciel's guilt when she deserted Macht; of Roxanne's wail when Mithra died; of Lily's pain when I abandoned her; of the widows of the bandits we killed; of Darean's anger when I killed his brother; of Farana's horror when I left her to be raped.

"You know very well what happened to me," the cute high-pitched voice accuses me.

"Vanea never told us," I defend myself.

"The Sin of Rape protects me from that, so I wasn't taken against my desires, no," Farana's hazel eyes pierce me with anger. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't being taken against my will, repeatedly. You know Vanea's words: every hole was filled with cock and cum."

"I didn't know that she would go so far," I turn my eyes away from her.

Her eyes stare into me from the darkness, they open shallow cuts in my skin and lick up the blood that trickles from them. "But you didn't do anything to stop it after it started. I GOT RAPED AND FILLED WITH CUM JUST TO SURVIVE! I WAS A SLAVE AND A COMMUNAL COCK-SLEEVE!"

"You messed with Vanea and I was just defending myself," I think to myself and push on into the darkness.

If I kill the Weeper, everything will end.

"THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM, WHAT IS A DAMN PROBLEM, IS THAT YOU WANTED A PIECE, TOO!" Her words crush my heart, but my rationality turns it into a glancing blow.

"Judging me for my thoughts won't work! I am what I do, not what I think," I sneer at the Weeper.

The eyes filled with anger surround me, preventing any escape. "YOU COULD HAVE SAVED ME! SHE OFFERED ME TO YOU, BUT YOU REFUSED! NOW I SUCK A RAT'S SHRIVELED COCK SO HE CAN FEED ME AND CLOTHE ME!"

I'm not here to cause a revolution and change this world's version of human rights, I say to Farana and push her away.

"Oh? I could be sucking your cock right now if you weren't such a pussy," she sensually whispers in my ear.

"Is that what you want? Fuck it, then. Suck on this!" I yell to myself.

I pull my cock out and shove it down the throat of the kneeling young girl. She scowls at me and sucks me off with anger, applying more pressure and speed to make me cum and end this faster.

She chokes, but doesn't stop. If she does, she won't be able to start again and will probably puke in disgust instead.

"Clean all the smegma, because that's your purpose, Smegma," I cackle a laugh and force her to deepthroat it.

I feel extreme amounts of pleasure as she chokes harder and tries to pull me out of her, but she's too weak to do so.

She can't breathe, so she quickly becomes desperate. I feel her teeth apply a little pressure on my cock, but she won't dare to bite it. Unless she wants her womb seared shut again.

I cum down her throat just as she passes out and goes limp. I pull her off of me and she regains lucidity. She chokes and spits, trying to get all my cum out of her body.

A hand touches my shoulder and the disgusting feeling of the orgasm is purged from my body.

"It wasn't like that!" I yell.

Alissa hugs me from behind and I freeze on the spot, suddenly feeling so disgusted with myself that I have to summon all my will to not puke.

The light elemental sends another wave of cleansing and the disgust subsides. My breath quickly calms and I wipe away the beads of cold sweat from my forehead.

"Feeling better?" Alissa softly asks.

"Yeah, I think so."

She pats my head and I can feel her love even with my barbute between us.

"Let's go back," she says and I nod without hesitation. I failed the test and the Weepers didn't even have to use Lily against me.

Farana's life isn't like that. The Weeper took something that I felt guilty about and cranked the scenario up to eleven.

I get back to the girls and they all immediately crowd over me. Cuddling is [Healing] for the mind.

Roxanne is next on the chopping block. She walks forward with a somber face, since after seeing how affected I was, she has no confidence that she will do any better.

She doesn't even get that far before she freezes on the spot and the light elemental touches her shoulder. She quickly comes back and we apply them same healing procedures.

"What did you see?" I ask and continue kissing her feet.

"Mother," she answers with a sour face.

"I saw Farana. She blamed me for not rescuing her and for lusting after her."

Ciel raises an eyebrow and even Alissa look at me oddly.

"I never really wanted her," I continue. "It was just a passing disgusting desire that I had once."

"Considering how depraved you are, I think I understand why it's so effective," Ciel says.

Hana gets ready for the pain. She goes so far that the light of the elemental disappears from view, but she eventually comes back, looking very sour.

She unties her sword belt and throws it on the ground in a huff of anger. "Fucker used my Dad. Blamed me for turning a blind eye when he was smuggling stuff. 'If family doesn't stop you from doing stupid shit, then why are you even family to begin with?'," she mimics a male voice, likely her father's.

With a very delicate soul touch, the pleasure of cuddling is taken to another level without even turning sexual.

Lina marches forward to seize the day. She walks with such confidence that she even wows Hana.

While we wait, suddenly one of the cries is abruptly cut off, catching our attention. The forest becomes a little quieter and a little less like the souls of the damned are haunting it.

Not long after, Lina comes back with Alissa, both looking very proud.

"Bite me, because I can't believe it," Roxanne says.

I grab her tail and lightly pressure the dagger-like tip with my teeth. She takes it back and sends me a glare.

Lina carries a human-looking head. It's bald and its skin is sickly pale with red bruise-like blemishes. The eyes and mouth are closed, and a black, oily substance seeps from them. The same substance drips from the neck wound. It smells like car oil and grease with a dash of piss.

"I got him!" Lina proudly announces and raises the head she's carrying.

We clap and sing her praise. Ciel discreetly takes the head away from Lina and then gives her a hug.

"You did very well," Ciel says and Lina looks up from the heavy bosom that's still squishy even through all that armor.

"I need a reward," Lina requests, unashamedly.

Ciel narrows her eyes playfully and Lina gives an impish smile.

Aoi volunteers as the next tribute. She changes size into her bigger form, which frightens Lina, and casually walks into the darkness while humming one of the elven songs that the commoners sang during the trip.

After a while, another Weeper's cry is interrupted and a moment later, Aoi returns with a wide, fanged smile.

"They didn't even try, anything with me," she says.

"She ate a whole Weeper," Alissa says, a little impressed.

"They taste like sun, dried meat!" The "little" dragon proudly pats her belly.

"'The tears make it salty!'" Alissa mimics Aoi, who nods innocently.

We look at Ciel and the dusky delight disentangles from the gloomy loli because it's now her turn to suffer.

She looks at Alissa and nods with confidence.

While we wait, I enjoy the view of Anton trying to cleave some Miasmatic Gambos with his poleaxe, who let out a horrific fart in his face every time he misses. Klein and Laertes laugh at him, purposely missing their shots. Eventually, my elementals and Rande do most of the job and the fun ends.

Soon after, Ciel comes back with silent tears running along her face.

"I still can't face him," she says as she comes back and we start the healing process.

Out in the open, we have a quick cuddle-orgy to refill our happiness meters.

Aoi's belly is tickled by Alissa while Ciel and Roxanne happily play with Alissa's fluffy ears and tail to recharge. I have Lina, who's brushing Gify's feathers, drill her ass on my lap while we are both hugged tightly in Hana's strong arms.

"Right, I forgot to tell the rest of you yesterday because of the stalkers, but we discovered that a dungeon called 'Legado' has been found recently," I tell the girls.

"Oh, nice!" Hana smiles and pulls my head harder into her chest.

"So we have our next destination…" Ciel looks happily to the sky covered by the leaves while absentmindedly rubbing her face on Alissa's tail.

"It's a lost elven tomb, so it should be filled with treasure and history," Lina says excitedly.

"And traps," Roxanne comments.

"I prefer to call them 'challenges,'" Hana says and grins.

I look at Ciel with questioning eyes. She's still being aloof while sniffing Alissa's fur, but then she notices me and becomes a little awkward. "Traps are traps. You won't just get your arm broken if you fall into one," she says.

"I know it's certainly going to be a difficult dungeon to conquer, but the mystery draws me in and I just can't not go there after hearing about it," I say.

Alissa nods and says, "As long as we are together…"

When Roxanne's hands start to slide beneath Ciel's armor and Hana's hands start to get dangerously close to my crotch, I decide that it's time to end this before we waste even more time.

"Right, let's finish them off," I say.

Wait, I just said no to sex. What's happening to me?!

Gih.

Screw being mature, I want to fuck my women!

I restrain my inner monster for tonight, it's Hana's turn.

I summon another light elemental and Ciel summons her [Holy Spirit], then we split into three groups and go hunting.

The light elemental covers me and Alissa like the softest blanket that ever blanketed and we huddle up like two lovers during snowfall. How romantic it is to take a stroll through a fantastical and dangerous forest full of monsters with the ambient sounds of the moaning souls of the damned.

The elemental uses more mana this way, so we hurry up until we find the hellspawns.

We find our first group simply standing still in the open, illuminated by the only streak of sunlight around us that pierces down through the crowns of the trees.

There are three human-looking things standing in a circle: one is pale and tall with long limbs, broad shoulders, a small head, and a shriveled penis; the second is darker and has a dwarven stature, a small ribcage, a large belly, and a penis that touches the ground; the third is a blue woman with very saggy breasts, a grey bush and a normal stature, but she's armless.

They all stand still, but their muscles spasm randomly. The disembodied cries seem to come from them, but their mouths do not move. Their skin looks blemished with red welts and bruises. Their bodies are skinny and lack muscle. Their eyes and mouths are shut while the black substance slowly seeps out of them and is absorbed by the ground, creating a dark patch of mushy, dead dirt.

Roxanne will undoubtedly collect that substance because it is heavily toxic.

I approach the dwarven one and cut his head off with a single, clean chop. He falls down on the ground and splatters the oily substance everywhere. The others do not move and don't seem to make any sound in response.

I slash the back of the knee of the tall Weeper and he falls to his knees. He tries to stand up again, but he fails and stumbles, crashing on top of the woman.

She pushes him to the side and stands up again, and then the tall man crawls back to his spot and remains on his knees.

They move with lethargy and lack of emotion, eerily puppet-like.

Alissa fires two arrows into their eyes and the Weepers die, then I go back to huddle with Alissa and the light elemental-blanket.

"That was fucking creepy," I say.

"At least it's over."

The other girls reach their targets and the forest becomes silent once again.

"Thank the Gods, it's like a buzzing in my ear is finally gone," I say.

We return to the caravan feeling creeped out, but still rather okay, due to the cuddle-healing orgy.

"Helios, what a pleasure to see you again!" Rande exclaims with a dashing smile as we gallop back.

"Our mission is complete," I say and return a dashing smile of my own.

"Much appreciated," Lord Ricardo calmly says and nods respectfully from the window of his carriage, then the huge glowing crystal on top of the nobles' carriage turns off.

Silvina appears in the other window and waves. "Thank you, this saves a lot of my mana," she says.

Ento shows no sign of appearing, so we return to the front of the caravan.

"So, how was it?" Klein asks from atop her carriage.

"Horrible!" Roxanne answers immediately. "Wolfy, that was the worst idea you've ever had!"

"What?" Klein asks and her tail scratches her temple.

"We went towards the Weepers one-by-one and alone to test our mental fortitude. We had Alissa and a light elemental to save us from being devoured."

Osaria, Oura, and Krista peek from out of the carriage and even Anton looks surprised.

"You what…?" Anton asks.

"Well, you heard her," I say with a wry smile.

"I managed to kill one by myself," Lina shyly lifts her hand.

"Me too," Aoi says from Alissa's shoulder.

"Wow…" Oura mutters with wonder and astonishment. "I once read a book about a real report from a lone traveler. You shouldn't play around with these monsters."

"It's an opportunity for growth," Ciel says. "Even I, with nineteen 'Sanity,' was affected by them."

"They know how to play with your mind; they aren't the usual illusion that you can resist just with 'Sanity.'"

"Exactly, and now we know our mental weaknesses." Ciel smiles brightly and nods.

"Well, that's a noble goal, but it's still half-insane," Anton says.

"'Everything works, you just have to find out what for,'" Hana quotes the God of War.

Anton scoffs and turns away.

We missed lunch, so we gallop forward and have our own, private meal in our tent. Krista saved us our share and we enjoy a not-beer-based beef sauce with simple browned veggies.

The monsters we encounter today are more simple trash: another group of Miasmatic Gambos catches our scent and are used as target practice; a Giant Centipede approaches us and is also used as target practice; a few old Wood Goblins cross our path and are used as additional target practice; a small horde of Corpse Stealers comes too close and are used as even more target practice.

Night comes and the plants' luminescence changes into the usual purple glow. This means that it's time for our bath and also time for me to fuck Hana silly.

She casually brings one leg into the bath and once she swings the other in, I grab her waist and force my cock deep into her pussy.

"Hm…!" My strawberry with caramel grips the edge of the bath to steady herself.

I pull out the belts and use two to tie her arms behind her back. I pull out the gag that's still wet with Alissa's saliva and shove it into Hana's mouth, then I use a third belt to secure it. I pull out the last belt and wrap it around her neck, then use it like a horse bridle.

I pound her pussy without mercy; the lack of lube hurts me at the beginning, forcing me to use [Heal] on myself so that I can endure it. But soon, Hana's pussy drips with wetness and the pain subsides.

"Wow… wait, was that magic? He didn't chant," Klein comments.

Hana grabs the belt at her neck, trying to loosen it so that she can breathe. Her back arches, making her ass look even sexier.

I push my soul out through my dick and Hana immediately orgasms.

"There it is! What is that? It feels so good, but it made me go silly," Klein questions.

"His best secret," Roxanne answers and licks her lips, savoring the sight of Hana being put in her place.

"Boo! Another secret!"

"Maybe it's time to tell her some of them. It's annoying to keep all these secrets when she's around us for so long," I say and give Hana a small breather.

Before she can fully catch her breath, I choke her again and resume hammering her pussy.

"Oh, oh, oh! Yes, please!"

"Let me enjoy this," Alissa says and returns to fingering herself.

Klein pouts, but then she returns to watch us with fascination.

Hana chokes and coughs, clawing at belt, trying to breathe. Her eyes go white, rolling up into her head and her muscles lose strength. Her legs begin to shiver and buckle before she finally collapses at the edge of the tub.

I loosen the belt a little and she suddenly gasps for air, nearly swallowing the gag. She desperately manages to remove the belt from over her mouth and spits out the gag. After she coughs a little, I tighten the belt again and resume my pounding, giving her another long orgasm.

My shaft goes white with her cream due to the cycle of choking her until she passes out, then giving her a small breather, causing her to orgasm repeatedly. I let out shot after shot inside her, taking delight in the desperation she has to breathe and her own enjoyment of the pain I give to her. Her womb overflows and spills down into Alissa's open mouth. Aoi comes up beside Alissa to get some of the cum too, making Klein's mouth hang open in surprise.

Klein looks at us with fear, but Ciel manages to calm her down. With the occasional [Heal] and [Regeneration], Hana will have zero medical issues after I'm done with her.

I [Clean] her asshole and shove three fingers into it all at once, making her plunge back into an orgasm state, which she had just recovered from. I use all of my strength to stretch her until she bleeds, and then I cast [Heal] so that I can stretch her even further without tainting our bath water with blood.

I have to remember to cast [Regeneration] on her asshole so it goes back to virgin-levels of tightness.

This gives me an idea. During the next breather, I cast [Regeneration] up inside Hana's pussy, rapidly rebuilding her hymen.

"W-what?!" Hana turns back and looks at me in surprise.

"You enjoyed the pain of losing your virginity so much that I think it's time for you to lose it again," I smirk evilly and shove my cock inside her. I feel a strong resistance and Hana moans loudly. Suddenly, it breaks and Hana orgasms again.

Alissa [Clean]s the small trickle of blood that leaks out and resumes waiting for my cum like a fly trap plant.

"Holy shit…" Klein mutters.

"Eh, they are having fun," Roxanne shrugs.

"No one else would be able to satisfy her the way Wolfy does," Lina says, watching the dragon being tamed with fascination.

"No one else would be able to satisfy Wolfy like she does," Ciel says and shrugs.

"You made me like this!" I complain.

"You chose your own path," Roxanne says with a smirk.

"'Have no shame in putting dedication into making someone else happy,'" Ciel quotes the Goddess of Love and Alissa gives her a thumbs up.

"Is [Pain Conversion] really that fun?" Klein asks.

Hana gives Klein a quick thumbs up and then returns to trying to not suffocate.

I slap Hana's ass repeatedly until the caramel of her skin is a vivid red.

"Make sure you never forget who owns you!" I yell and slap her one last time, then I toss her in the water.

This time, I quickly fish her out so that she doesn't drown. I deposit her gently on the floor of the tub and apply small [Heal]s to her throat and lungs so that she can at least speak and stop coughing.

We soak in our bath a little more, but the smell of dinner calls to us.

Hana struggles to walk, requiring Ciel's help. She smiles proudly and giggles randomly, drawing the attention of the others.

When she winces as she sits on the bench, the others understand the source of her problem. Rande chuckles while Osaria looks at Hana with intense curiosity. Their reactions cause the nobles to notice Hana too: Ento frowns and looks surprised, but quickly returns to playing with his black dragon; Ricardo raises an eyebrow and looks at me in disbelief; Silvina giggles a little, but quickly regains her composure and returns to her prim and proper demeanor.

I see that Ento plays with his dragon in a rather similar way to how we play with Aoi.

I sit and eat calmly, ignoring the stares aimed at us, but controlling myself so that I don't smirk and gloat.

Anton and Laertes ignore it, perhaps truly learning some form of awoken meditation.

Krista looks at her daughter with concern. "Are you really doing fine?" She asks.

Klein chokes on her food and glares at her mother. "Of course I am! What kind of question is that?!" She hisses.

"Okay," Krista accepts, but still looks worried.

"You sure you are fine?" I ask Klein, mockingly.

"Ahn…! Stop it!" She moans and pouts.

I pierce her brown lips with my white rod and smile evilly. "Your mother is concerned if you can survive my attacks. Maybe you should tell her how I'm gentle and loving with you and describe how well-thoroughly beaten Hana is."

She sinks her nails on my arm and scowls, but her pussy tightens.

"Alissa's nails are much sharper than yours; she can even draw blood," I whisper in Klein's ear and chuckle evilly.

"You are a monster," she says and moves her hips so that she can impale herself harder.

"And what are you?" I aks.

"His slut," Lina answers for her with a smirk.

After Klein is satisfied, we have another cuddle-orgy, but naked this time.

The little golems are let out and immediately deposit themselves on my lap.

"So, why me?" I ask them.

"You enjoy, touching," Ted says.

"We will touch, to improve your, mood and serve, you better," Suzy says.

"Touching the girls also makes me happy," I say.

They spend a few moments thinking and I could almost hear the gears grinding inside their little heads.

Ted goes to Ciel and Suzy goes to Lina.

Alissa and Klein groan.

"Why them?" Klein asks.

"Only temporari-ly," Ted says.

"We must be, shared," Suzy says.

"Gihih."

"Yeah, they sure are Wolfy's children," Roxanne says with a chuckle.

We go to sleep soon after, but I'm awoken yet again by the Hollys. This time, two of them are squeaking a warning and they are in opposite directions of each other.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Noble Salty Panda.
Nobleman Lassiter.
Noble D4rk Sheep.

Manasong · Jan 28, 2020

There are four men and two women in two groups, both sprinting towards us. They are dressed in the same "ninja"-like black clothes as the invisible assassins that Darean hired.

"Get up! Something is happening!" I yell.

"Whaa… Wolf-…" Roxanne complains in her cutesy voice.

"GET UP!" I yell and no more complaints are raised. The girls immediately notice the seriousness of the situation.

We sleep in our leather armor, so we only have to make some minor adjustments and help Hana put on her metal armor.

While the others prepare themselves, I store the golems inside my "Items" and dart out of the tent.

"Someone's coming!" I yell.

I dart straight to Rande's carriage and burst it open. I see Osaria, Rande, Oura, and Nito all cuddling together naked in a sight very familiar to the one I wake up to everyday. I immediately turn around and yell, "Someone's coming! It's suspicious! Get ready for an ambush!"

I hear them all scramble and I close the door.

Next, I approach the nobles' carriage. There's a guard in front, but even without him, I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. I warn the guard, who turns around and knocks, then yells my information.

The girls start to come out of the tent, so I store it in my "Items."

The gigantic tree to the west of us has a double-helix pattern, just like DNA, which makes for a perfect overlook.

I cast [Telekinesis] on myself and jump. With a few adjustments, I land on the tree a good two dozen meters up. I pull out Ted, Suzy, the crossbows, bolts, and the rest of the rocks.

"Listen to this order. Use these weapons and attack anyone that does not belong to this caravan when I yell 'golems, attack!', understood?" They nod. "Also, try to focus your attacks on the person that I point at after I yell 'golems, focus!', understood?" They nod again.

"Remember: pretend to be normal, unmoving dolls in case someone tries to come up here." With this last point, I jump down from the tree and land in front of the girls.

Rande comes out of the carriage, Oura and Nito trailing behind and hurriedly putting his scale armor on him.

Lord Ricardo bursts out of his carriage with a servant behind him, desperately trying to tie his glossy wooden armor to his body.

"Ryder, report," Ricardo orders.

"Six people, fully clad in dark cloth, are silently sprinting towards us in complete darkness."

"How far?"

"A minute or so before they reach us."

"Then we meet them before they can do anything."

I nod in agreement, but then I freeze. The approaching ninjas suddenly stop and a familiar black circle appears in front of them. A dozen men in metal armor, mages in robes, and archers in leather emerge from each circle.

"Fuck! They just used [Gate] to teleport actual soldiers! From two sides!" I point to the two directions perpendicular to the road.

"Pincer?" Rande asks.

"Yes!"

"We have to split up."

"I can take care of a side on my own, so Rande, Anton, and the nobles can take care of the other side. Split the foot soldiers between us," I say.

"Weeper's nightmare, boy, can you really fight obviously trained soldiers on your own?" Lord Ricardo asks with a glare.

Rande turns to Ricardo and scowls. "He's reliable, I trust him."

Rande's opinion is regarded highly, because after a single glare towards Rande, Ricardo accepts our arrangement. "Fine," he grunts. "I'll send the horsemen away to attack them from behind."

He pulls out an Emergency Ring and approaches his two horsemen, who are getting ready to fight. He gives the Ring to one of them. Then they gallop west, down the road.

Coming towards us are ten spear/sword and shield soldiers, one greatsword user, five mages, four archers. On each side.

We have only ten foot soldiers and a few inexperienced Space mages for each side.

After I tell them the numbers, we all nod solemnly and continue our preparations.

I approach the girls and get close to Klein. "This is the first secret, don't ever tell anyone what I'm about to do," I whisper and she nods glumly.

"Become stronger," I say in the [Godly Language].

Her eyes bulge as her muscles get slightly bigger.

Gify turns on his "massage" and our minds are briefly linked, making each of our hearts burn bright with determination to protect one another.

"Wo-wo-wo-wow!" Klein staggers as she's also included in the link.

"Roxanne, elixirs," I order.

She pulls out one for each of us and we all drink it.

I feel so strong that I believe that I could split a rock with a single slash. This overconfidence is a bad sign; maybe I should have used the [Godly Language] differently.

There's no time for regret. Fortune favors the bold. Fear is the mind-killer. Hesitation is the kiss of death.

I look at Ciel. "[Wind Shield]?"

She activates it for a moment and my view of her becomes blurry. "Ready."

"Good work, Lina."

The little dwarf nods with confidence.

"Aoi, with me, I have a plan." She gives me a toothy smile and jumps up onto my shoulder.

"Alissa, if you get me behind their shields, I can blow them all up," Roxanne says, her eyes have a special glint to them.

"Can't you use [Heart of Fire]?" Alissa asks.

"That would be dangerous to chant in front of the enemy, and I would also be left vulnerable when I land."

"Hop on," Alissa says and changes into a large fox. Roxanne awkwardly mounts Alissa, but maintains her resolve. They dart off to the east, dashing down the road.

We pull out a variety of barricades, which will allow our archers and mages to have some cover that they can switch between. Klein and Laertes stay on top of Rande's carriage, which is reinforced to last through a battle. A sacrificial wagon shields their backs so they won't get shot from the north.

The civilians and the rest of the wagons are taken to the inside of the double-helix tree. I think the elves make them hollow specifically for situations like this.

We face the north and a wagon covers our backs. Rande's carriage is south of that, with Klein and Laertes on top. Ricardo and the others are beyond the carriage to south. To the west, the gigantic tree covers our flank, but our eastern flank is left exposed.

I leave only two Hollys summoned; I need the mana for my spells.

Our magic growth seems to have slowed down as we trained with Kyros' MP training routine, but after we left Rabanara, it stagnated completely since we didn't have enough time to do it at all.

My MP increased by 480 (now 1650) and my "Magic Power" increased by 240 (now 680).

Alissa's MP increased by 405 (now 980) and her "Magic Power" increased by 210 (now 480). She trains the same amount as me, but her affinity with magic seems to be lower than mine.

Roxanne's MP increased by 720 (now 2630) and her "Magic Power" increased by 400 (now 1090). She is the only one of us who did some regular MP training after we left Rabanara.

Hana's MP increased by 310 (now 825) and her "Magic Power" increased by 180 (now 385). Even less growth than Alissa due to her focus on maintaining her sword skills for this job.

Ciel's MP increased by 505 (now 1685) and her "Magic Power" increased by 300 (now 700). She's had more opportunities to fully spend her mana with [Heal], so she experienced better growth.

Lina's MP increased by 430 (now 1100) and her "Magic Power" increased by 220 (now 495). She's working hard on her enchanting, so her MP grew more than normal.

My skills and the girls' are like this:
(There's a new section called "Extra Spells").

Wolf Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sword Use 12+9 Dodge 4+5 Parry 4+5
Block 1+8 Shield Bash 0+1 Battlefield Perception 1+1
Muscle Explosion 1+1 Ekrano Style (creator) 1
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sense Mana 0+6 Mana Control 0+14 Mana Recovery 6+0
Mana Efficiency 0+7 Reduced Mana Cost 0+7 Mana Overuse Resistance 0+3
Fire Magic 0+4 Earth Magic 0+3 Water Magic 0+1
Wind Magic 0+2 Electric Magic 6+14 Light Magic 2+8
Space Magic 7+23 Summoning Magic 13+24 Blessing Magic 8+22
Nature Magic 3+17 Conjuring Magic 0+1 Spirit Magic 0+1
Illusion Magic 0+2 Golemancy 0+9 Redirect Mana (creator) 3
Sense Soul (creator) 4 Godly Language 30+0
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Cooking 0+4 Andraste Language 4+6 Dismantling 0+4
Massage 0+1 Enhanced Semen Recharge 0+9

Personal Information
Name Wolf Ryder Age 16 Race Human
HP 100 MP 1650 Magic Power 680
Level 24
Stats
Strength 11 Endurance 13 Dexterity 11
Speed 12 Intelligence 21 Wisdom 16
Willpower 17 Charisma 12 Piety 15
Perception 16 Sanity 11+4
Other
Status Effects NONE Titles nickname "Good Luck", Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge, Golemancer, Scholar of Rabanara
Affiliations Helios (Fellowship), Alissa (Blood Slave, Fiancee), Hanafuria (Blood Slave, Fiancee), Roxanne Succubus (Fiancee), Lina (Slave/fiancee), Ciel (Fiancee)
Companions Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina
Crimes NONE

Alissa Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sword Use 9 Bow Use 28 Parry 4
Dodge 2 Sense Presence 6 Hide Presence 4
Enhanced Olfact 5 Enhanced Hearing 3 Hawk Eyes 4
Muscle Explosion 2 Quiet Steps 4 Quiet Action 2
Enhanced Stamina 1 Enhanced Reflexes 4+1 Tracking 2
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 3 Fire Magic 1
Light Magic 1 Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1
Illusion Magic 4+6 Fox Transformation (innate) 5
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Housework 3 Cooking 4 Cleaning 2
Washing 5 Riding 2 Oral Technique 4
Pain Resistance 2 Hand Technique 2

Personal Information
Name Alissa Age 16 Race Fox-Type Wereanimal
HP 100 MP 980 Magic Power 480
Level 31
Stats
Strength 12 Endurance 18 Dexterity 22
Speed 20 Intelligence 12 Wisdom 14
Willpower 16 Charisma 13 Piety 15
Perception 17 Sanity 15
Other
Status Effects NONE Titles Blessing from the Goddess of Love, Blinding Arrows
Affiliations Wolf Ryder (fiance), Blood Slave (Owner: Wolf Ryder), Helios (Fellowship)
Companions Wolf Ryder, Roxanne Succubus, Hanafuria, Ciel, Lina
Crimes NONE
Extra Spells Ghost Lights (instant), Double Image (instant), Ignorance (instant), Loosen (instant enchantment)

Roxanne Succubus Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level
Dagger Use 2
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sense Mana 3 Mana Control 27 Reduced Mana Cost 3
Mana Efficiency 9 Mana Overuse Resistance 1 Fire Magic 25
Water Magic 4+23 Light Magic 1 Space Magic 8
Conjuring Magic 5 Alchemy 3 Potion Brewing 11
Poison Brewing 2 Redirect Mana 1
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Housework 1 Cooking 1 Cleaning 1
Washing 1 Riding 1

Personal Information
Name Roxanne Succubus Age 21 Race Succubus-Type Demon
HP 100 MP 2630 Magic Power 1090
Level 34
Stats
Strength 9 Endurance 9 Dexterity 12
Speed 9 Intelligence 18 Wisdom 18
Willpower 14 Charisma 15 Piety 10
Perception 11 Sanity 12
Other
Status Effects NONE Titles NONE
Affiliations Wolf Ryder (fiance), Helios (fellowship)
Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Ciel, Lina
Crimes NONE
Extra Spells Explosion (instant), Melt Skin (instant), Ice Lance (slightly weakened/instant), Heart of Fire

Hanafuria Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sword Use 20 Spear Use 14 Bow Use 9
Two-Handed Sword Use 9 Polearm Use 6 Dagger Use 4
Shield Bash 6 Block 8 Parry 6
Dodge 4 Tatesomu Style 5 Muscle Explosion 4
Battlefield Perception 2 Taunt 3 Intimidate 2
Enhanced Reflexes 2 Enhanced Stamina 4 Enhanced Strength 2
Enhanced Endurance 4
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 1 Fire Magic 1
Earth Magic 1 Light Magic 1 Space Magic 1
Conjuring Magic 1 Illusion Magic 4
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Housework 2 Cooking 1 Cleaning 1
Washing 1 Riding 3 Massage 1
Pain Conversion 1 Dismantling 4 Oral Technique 1
Fire Breath (innate) 5 Summon Wings (innate) 3

Personal Information
Name Hanafuria Age 24 Race Fire-Type Dragonkin
HP 150 MP 825 Magic Power 385
Level 37
Stats
Strength 19 Endurance 24 Dexterity 10
Speed 13 Intelligence 11 Wisdom 12
Willpower 19 Charisma 16 Piety 11
Perception 10 Sanity 17
Other
Status Effects NONE Titles NONE
Affiliations Wolf Ryder (fiance), Blood Slave (Owner: Wolf Ryder), Helios (Fellowship)
Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina
Crimes NONE
Extra Spells Double Strike (instant enchantment), Double Image (instant), Wind Shield (instant enchantment)

Ciel Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Glaive Use 15 Sword Use 5 Parry 8
Dodge 6 Block 4 Imperial Hasterrum Style 2
Muscle Explosion 2 Battlefield Perception 1
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sense Mana 2 Mana Control 6 Reduced Mana Cost 1
Mana Efficiency 4 Wind Magic 2+17 Fire Magic 1
Light Magic 26 Space Magic 3 Conjuring Magic1
Diagnosis 7 Redirect Mana 1
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
First-Aid 3 Housework 3 Cooking 2
Cleaning 2 Washing 1 Riding 1
Washing 1 Riding 3 Massage 1

Personal Information
Name Ciel Age 21 Race Human
HP 100 MP 1685 Magic Power 700
Level 33
Stats
Strength 14 Endurance 13 Dexterity 17
Speed 18 Intelligence 15 Wisdom 19
Willpower 14 Charisma 17 Piety 21
Perception 13 Sanity 19
Other
Status Effects NONE Titles NONE
Affiliations Wolf Ryder (fiance), Helios (Fellowship), Templar Knights (Honorary Member), Temple Priestess (Former Member)
Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Lina
Crimes NONE
Extra Spells Wind Storm (slightly weakened/instant), Judgment (weakened), Holy Spirit, Wind Shield (instant enchantment)

Lina Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Hammer Use 10 Axe Use 4 Throw 2+2
Parry 2+5 Dodge 2+4 Block 1+6
Muscle Explosion 2 Shield Bash 1 Battlefield Perception 2
Dwarven Pride Style 2 Enhanced Speed 5+0
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 5 Mana Efficiency 1
Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 3+7 Light Magic 1
Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1 General Enchanting 9
Magic Tool Carving 1
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level
General Blacksmithing 4 Sewing 4 Housework 1
Cleaning 2 Washing 1 Math 4
Riding 1 Stonebody (innate) 4

Personal Info
Name Lina Age 15 Race Dwarf
HP 100 MP 1100 Magic Power 495
Level 24
Stats
Strength 8 Endurance 8 Dexterity 13
Speed 12 Intelligence 16 Wisdom 13
Willpower 17 Charisma 10 Piety 12
Perception 14 Sanity 12
Other
Status Effects NONE Titles NONE
Affiliations Wolf Ryder (master, fiance), Helios (Fellowship)
Companions Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel
Crimes NONE
Extra Spells Manipulate Metal, Double Strike (instant enchantment)

Everyone's [Earth Bullet] hits like a truck now.

Alissa prefers having more points in [Enhanced Reflexes] instead of [Bow Use] because it has better cost-effectiveness. Too much [Bow Use] is useless if you don't have the stats to use the increased skill with the bow.

Lina prefers [Enhanced Speed] so she can keep up with Hana's repositioning and support her better.

Flaming ghosts with cute round eyes appear floating beside the shoulders of the enemy mages.

"Fire mages! Get ready for Fire mages!" I yell.

Suddenly, all twenty men turn into balls of fire and rush towards us at frightening speeds.

"[HEART OF FIRE]! GET WATER MAGIC READY!" I bellow.

I split the ten nervous foot soldiers in two groups, five covering each of our sides. Four mages lower themselves behind the barricades and start to pray, erm, chant.

In the next moment, the balls of fire appear from behind the gigantic trees in the distance, from both the north and the south.

"[Inspire]!" Ciel casts the spell and we all feel courage filling our hearts and spreading through our blood.

That'll have to be enough. There's no time for speeches or calming the men. I barely even had enough time to fasten my armor.

"RELEASE WATER MAGIC!" I hear Lord Ricardo yell.

"[TORRENT]!" I yell the spell to aid me in controlling it.

My jet of water flies towards a ball of fire faster than any other. The ball jerks to the side and nearly gets completely snuffed out. A good chunk of that man's mana just evaporated along with part of his "fire body."

Unfortunately, that's not enough to kill him. He dismisses the spell and rolls along the ground, his metal armor clanking as he tumbles.

Another ball of fire lands in front of him and a metal soldier materializes as cover in front of his fallen comrade. I see the characteristic blurring of [Wind Shield] and try to aim a [Lightning Bolt] at them, but my "target" is being pushed away from the soldier.

"[WIND SHIELD] AND [DEAD ZONE]!" I scream and hear Ento yell the same.

The rest of the balls of fire dodge the [Torrent]s and land very close to us. Eight metal soldiers stand in a line with a good distance between one another, though I can see that there's no way to pass between them due to the enchantments on their shields. A man with a greatsword stands behind the front line. The two stragglers dash at frightening speeds to catch up.

The enemy mages and archers spread out, still completely shielded by the front line, but also blocked from attacking us.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" I bellow.

No response comes from them.

"Alissa, come back," I say through the [Bind].

"Understood."

I have to kill these mages.

Suddenly, the [Wind Shield] wall seems to lower and a barrage of spells and arrows from the enemy come whistling towards us.

The spells are blocked by our shields. A fireball harmlessly dissipates when it approaches my emellanat-lined shield, but the others defending us aren't so lucky, the simple wooden kite shields of the footmen take a battering and a few are already cracking from the explosion concept which was added to the [Fireball]s.

Then the arrows hit the shields. I notice how the arrowhead is barbed and there's a thick package wrapped around the shaft. In the next moment, they explode.

Three foot men are immediately taken out. One has shrapnel in his face and eyes, the other two had their shields crack apart completely and their arms were blown off.

I have to kill everyone!

"DODGE THE ARROWS! Hana…! BREAK THROUGH!" I order.

"Spread your legs! My spear is here to turn you into women!" Hana taunts. Then she summons her wings and charges towards the line of metal soldiers. They intensify their [Wind Shield]s and hold her off in the air, but that's also draining away their mana like water.

Lina casts [Earth Wall] under the feet of the female metal soldier in front of Hana. She rises up above Hana, but keeps control of the [Wind Shield] holding Hana back. Then she loses her balance when the enemy mages dispel Lina's control over the wall and it crumbles beneath her feet.

Hana's spear finds an opening beneath the right armpit of the soldier and she drives her elven spear into her. She yells in pain and they both crash into the greatsword user behind her.

Alissa comes into view and starts to circle northwards, around the spread out archers and mages. Roxanne points her staff at an archer that was aiming at her and his head suddenly explodes.

The two straggling metal soldiers notice Alissa and stop in their tracks, they turn towards her and start charging.

"CHAARGE! MAKE THEM WASTE MANA! GOLEMS ATTAAACK!" I order. I cast [Rush] and cross the opening in their line.

Ciel casts a [Wind Storm] on one of the metal soldiers. The spell doesn't touch him, but it does mess with his [Wind Shield], forcing him to use so much mana that it must be dropping like a waterfall.

Alissa finds a mage taking cover behind a barricade. Roxanne points her staff and the mage's head explodes like a watermelon.

The greatswordsman tries to skewer Hana, but she flies backwards instantly and dodges the attack.

The other metal soldiers try to converge on us, but the footmen, Lina, and Ciel prevent them from turning their backs to us.

Before the wounded metal soldier at the greatswordsman's feet can get up, Hana and I each fire a heavy [Earth Bullet] directly at her face, causing her helmet to cave in and she (seemingly) passes out.

I rush past them and move to the northwest, finding my first target.

A barrage of bolts and a few rocks lands on the enemy archers and mages, forcing them to take cover and ignore me.

I dive across the barricade in front of me and use [Telekinesis] to glide through. My sword slashes downwards, slicing through both fabric and leather like butter, but it doesn't reach the skin.

I use [Telekinesis] to force myself to land a meter behind the enemy mage.

A cute [Fire Spirit] stares at me and adorably coughs out a [Fireball]. It harmlessly dissipates close to my shield and I feel the emellanat get very hot.

"Aoi, crush," I order her with [Bind].

She grows herself into her larger form and both of her arms slam into the back of the mage's head, which then hits a wooden root on the ground and he immediately goes into a decerebrate posture. Aoi slices his throat and with her tail, she slams the Spirit, making it disappear in a puff of smoke. She reduces in size and glides towards my arm.

"GET HIM!" A man yells. I glance at him and see a metal soldier pointing at me.

No, I get you, Mr. Commander.

I feel "death" coming, so I dive again past the barricade and see arrows and [Fireball]s fly over my head.

Hana duels the greatswordsman, she has the advantage of reach, but he has the advantage of having nearly impenetrable armor. Her spear suddenly disappears with a *poof* and she draws her war hammer that was hanging at her waist.

Her arms turn into three and the man luckily parries the right one. A ghostly arm repeats the blow while she swings again and repeats the illusion. This time, the man feels the overwhelming strength of two attacks from a roided-out Hana and goes on the defensive. Hana repeats the combo and keeps pushing him back.

A lobbed arrow lands on top of Osaria's barricade and explodes near her face. She falls down and doesn't get back up.

Fuck!

I turn to Mr. Commander and cast a large [Gravity Crush] so expanded that it even affects the air outside his [Wind Shield] and crushingly pressures down on him. I cast [Rush] and wince in pain as my brain struggles to maintain both spells at once.

Through Holly, I see Alissa get near an enemy archer while aiming for another mage. The archer fires an arrow.

"What? Dodge!" I yell through the [Bind].

"Huh?"

The barbed tips are slightly deflected due to Roxanne's [Wind Armor], but it still lodges itself in her neck, near her collarbone. Suddenly, her skin bursts into flame and a rainbow color flashes as [Rainbow Shield] activates. She shrieks and wheezes while desperately casting [Conjure Water] on herself to put out the flames. Alissa immediately stops in her tracks and doubles-back to help her.

I stop my spells, then I summon the Masked Aberrant. It's smaller than the original, but a murder machine is still a murder machine.

KILL THEM ALL!

I cast [Rush] again and cross the battlefield as fast as I can, aiming to reach Alissa.

Aoi jumps off my shoulder and lands on top of a mage, butchering him over a few seconds.

"RAAAH!" Hana yells in anger, wisps of fire escaping from her mouth. She fires an [Earth Bullet] after each [Double Image], pounding the greatswordsman into the ground while his very resistant armor finally begins to bend from the punishment.

Klein's leg is nearly blown off by an arrow that lands near her, but she continues lobbing arrows. Laertes is luckier and only gets singed.

Osaria is healed by Oura and wakes up, but yells in pain due to the burns on her face.

A mage is crushed instantly by the Aberrant, who turns around and fires another large block of stone at the last mage, then he aims for the straggler metal soldiers.

Alissa finds a safe area behind a large root and deposits Roxanne, who has finally managed to put out the fire, but she's still wheezing and struggling to breathe, with a large hole in her throat still preventing her from speaking.

Alissa desperately pulls out a bunch of HP potions and splashes them on Roxanne's wound, making her choke with the sudden influx of fluids down her airway. The arrow was just ripped out; there was no better way to go about it.

I finally reach Roxanne and immediately cast the strongest [Heal] I can on her neck. My world spins as the mana overuse starts affecting me. I look at her wound and see that it's still a gnarled mess of skin and muscle, continuing to bleed due to the unfinished heal.

Damn! Ciel! Help me!

Tears run down my face as I whimper and scramble through my thoughts, trying to remember how to [Heal] properly.

Redo the skin, the muscles, the bones, the nerves, the veins and arteries. Redo, redo, redo!

I cast another [Heal] and my sight goes completely dark as the overuse intensifies.

I suddenly feel mana coursing along my skin as Alissa casts [Ignorance] on both of us.

"Wha…?"

I suddenly notice through a Holly that the sneaky archer from before has crept his way towards us.

Alissa fires an arrow and dodges. Her arrow narrowly misses the archer while his lands where she just was. I feel a wild amount of mana escape the arrow so I immediately throw myself on top of Roxanne just before the arrow explodes.

Heat and pain hits the side of my face and flank, then my ears start buzzing from the explosion. I grunt as my skin burns and sticks to the padding of my armor.

"[Firestorm]," Roxanne mutters with a hoarse voice.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" The man shrieks in a chilling high-pitched voice. He doesn't die quickly and spends many long seconds screaming in pain.

I cast a small [Heal] on my ears.

"AH!" Alissa yells shortly in pain and grimaces.

I can see that Roxanne's wound is now healed, but she looks like she's in a stupor.

I try to rush over to Alissa but I trip since I can only see through the Hollys right now. Her tail is half-burned and her right leg is sizzling while the skin burns. [Rainbow Shield] flashes, reducing the damage to her skin.

I crawl my way towards her and try to grab her leg, only for her to bat my hand away.

"You can use your mana better!" She chastises me.

"I'm blind, overuse," I say weakly. The pain in the side of my body is starting to intensify.

"Shit…"

"I'll use [Redirect Mana]. You and Roxanne get out of here."

"What about the other enemies?"

"Aoi got them and the Aberrant is clearing out the line."

"Aberrant…" She grimaces, then grabs my hand and holds it on her burning skin. "Do it."

I cast another [Heal] and feel my mana drop to dangerously low levels.

"Roxanne?" I turn to her and ask.

"Okay…" She mutters weakly. "I can fight…"

"Go!" I yell to Alissa.

While grimacing heavily, she grabs Roxanne and gives her a piggy-back ride. Then she turns into a fox and dashes away with Roxanne sitting perfectly on her back.

"Ignore me and continue fighting," I tell Aoi through [Bind].

"What?!"

"Trust me."

"Okay!"

That was easy.

There's only three remaining metal soldiers on our side now, so I unsummon the Aberrant and cast [Heal] on myself. The growing pain in my side nearly disappears, but the overuse stacks up again and I lose my hearing.

Suddenly, a ball of fire impacts the overlook where Ted and Suzy are. The two dolls are playing dead while the mage searches the area for the pesky sharpshooter.

Frustrated at finding nothing, he throws a [Fireball] at the crossbows, blowing them all up and throwing Ted and Suzy off the overlook.

He turns around and starts chanting something I have never heard before. Something… evil.

Chants aren't supposed to be chilling, but "hellfire" is the least horrible word he's using.

The mana all over the battlefield goes wild. The soldiers on our side, who were doing a short cheer, suddenly stop. Even the side of the nobles, who are in a difficult battle, stop completely.

All of our mages desperately try to undo the spell, but we are all too far away and the mage is too powerful.

You know what? FUCK YOU!

I sit down and concentrate. I spread my soul far and reach towards the maelstrom of mana that's forming above our camp.

Redirecting mana to myself involves "willing" it to come to me, but what if I will it to do something else? Wait… isn't that like casting a spell? Instead of casting where my body is, I can try to cast it where a part of my soul is.

I have no time left to test this, so the brute-force method it is.

I completely wrap my soul over the maelstrom. I see Roxanne chanting [Heart of Fire], but she'll put herself in a dangerous position if she charges at that mage. Hana is catching her breath, I have to finish this before she tries to attack.

Stop this! I don't want you, I don't need you, you should go away! This mana is a tainted, filthy, disgusting piece of shit! I hate you, I wish you death, I wish you pestilence, I wish you chaos, I wish you pain, I wish you cold, I wish you darkness, I wish you to go to hell!

"And I'm fee~ling good!"

The hit drops and the music gives me goosebumps.

"Ahahahah!" I laugh and fall on my ass.

A bright pink fairy slaps the baddie mage on the cheek with such strength that she rips his jaw off and twists his neck. Then he's sent flying off the overlook.

The wood turns to sand and a huge hole opens up in one side of the helix tree.

The fat man burps towards the sky and lights his own gas on fire. It shoots up fast and reaches the leaves of the trees. The fire quickly consumes the branches, making it rain flaming leaves, which then burn slower. But fire consumes everything, so the flaming rain changes midway into flaming snow.

The men down below yell in pain as the flaming snow lightly sears their skin and immediately fizzles out, leaving a wet welt on each spot. The commoners panic as the double helix tree creaks and buckles, but doesn't come crashing down. The children laugh as the leprechauns all come out of the holes in the tree to gasp and faint in surprise at what has been done to their home.

"Oh no! Don't laugh! Poor lepries!" I gasp and cover my mouth with my hand.

The adorable woodland creatures rush to the battlefield and swarm over the evil men. Their cute, serrated pincers inject venom into the blood of those who dare to struggle.

As fast as it came, the bent reality warps back into its normal shape and the battlefield turns to a standstill again.

"FUCK THAT! I STILL GOT DICKS TO CASTRATE!" Hana taunts while raging and flies towards the front line on the nobles' side. The battle quickly resumes after that.

Wait, what the fuck just happened?

Gih.

Fuck me, did I almost break reality?

Gih.

Raw mana manipulation is really dangerous…

Gih!

Okay, sorry, I…

Anger flares again as a Holly notices a group of fifteen horsemen galloping down the road from the east. They are carrying lances and seem to be armed for battle.

For fuck's sake!

I crawl out from my cover and tumble my way towards the road.

"Alissa, get Roxanne to pull out the flaming oil flasks and bring Lina with you. More enemies are coming from the east," I say through [Bind].

"Understood!"

"And come find me."

A horrible headache starts to pound in my skull. I grit my teeth and let the anger flow through me.

You are all still underestimating me, which is good, but still so damn frustrating.

Alissa appears beside me with Roxanne, who is recovering from her stupor, and Lina on top of her. Roxanne clinks the dangerous flasks and giggles evilly.

We hear the trotting of the horses and soon they appear down the road. The still living metal soldiers on the other side cheer at the sight of them.

Through Alissa's ears, I hear her ask, "What are you going to do?" She seems slightly nervous about my deteriorating mental state.

"Fuck them the only way they deserve."

I can't see, so I cast a very long and wide [Warp Space] where I think they are going to pass through and hold it there. I force the space to be very deep, which makes the rest of my mana rapidly empty out of my body.

Meh, I have enough left.

I unsummon one Holly and exactly what I wanted happens: the horses enter the area of my [Warp Space] and their hooves desperately try to find the ground, only to suddenly discover it when they finally accepted that they were falling into a hole. This makes the first horses immediately crash to the ground, which causes the ones behind them crash onto the first, and a domino effect ensues. Those who try to avoid it and move to the sides, also fall into the warped space and crash on the ground, too.

Once they are all down, I finally dispel the warped space.

"I can't see, so you'll have to do it, Lina."

Roxanne giggles evilly and gives the flasks to my adorable little girl. Mana courses through Lina's body and she hurls the flasks. They perfectly hit the horsemen and splash most of them with the sticky, highly flammable, oil.

After one last giggle, Roxanne casts a spell.

"[Fire Storm]."

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Noble Salty Panda.
Nobleman Lassiter.
Noble D4rk Sheep.

Manasong · Feb 10, 2020

The oil makes the fire spread instantly and aids the hellfire in consuming the men. Their screams bring the battlefield to a stop as they can only watch in horror while both man and horse become charred corpses before their eyes. The smell of burnt meat had already begun to spread, but now its new strength fills our nostrils with dread.

Once their screams finally cease, Roxanne ends the spell with an angry snarl on her face.

Soft clanking can be heard when the enemies drop their weapons. We have no mana to spare to heal their wounded, so Hana finishes off the dying man in front of her, and an archer is finished off by a grim-faced foot soldier. The surviving count is six metal soldiers, two archers, and three mages.

"Cut off their hands!" Lord Ricardo commands. It seems that all of the enemies know some magic, so it's a risk we just can't take. As a single act of mercy, their hands will be stored inside Ento's [Item Box].

I grab Roxanne's hand and help her off of Alissa, then I carry her like a princess. Lina tries to dismount and dangles her little legs before Alissa lowers herself a little.

"Thanks," Lina says shyly.

I turn to Alissa and say "Get Hana, there's still three spies that we have to deal with."

She nods and darts away.

I summon a small bird and keep it on my shoulder as my eyes and ears. Then I turn around and walk towards Ciel with the help of Lina, who steadies my steps. The Brown Angel is already starting the emergency healing along with Oura.

Little Aoi finally comes back while licking her lips. She [Clean]s the blood from her mouth and crawls up onto my shoulder. She ate an entire mage, something that I only glimpsed through [Bind] and then let her do as she pleased.

"And thanks for that! Humanoids have so much mana in their bodies, they are delicious!" She says inside my head.

"Stop peeping into my thoughts," I chastise her.

"Hehehe, sorry!"

I lay Roxanne on the ground and pull out a sleeping bag, then I pick her up again and gently lay her on top of the bag.

Ciel notices us and hurries towards Roxanne.

"What happened to her?" She asks as she inspects Roxanne's neck.

"She got an enchanted arrow through her throat. I had to use so much mana to heal her that I got hit with overuse."

Ciel turns to me. She notices how my eyes are without focus and then looks at the bird on my shoulder. Then she realizes how bad my overuse is and lets her mouth hang open. "W-well, she's fine now. She only needs a little [Regeneration] later, so I'm going to return to the others."

"I'll go hunt down the last three spies. I'll be back later."

"Please be careful," Ciel says worriedly and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

I nod and crouch to kiss Roxanne, but she throws her arms around me and hugs me tight. Once she's had her fill, she loosens the hug and plants her lips on mine. "Love you," she says with a hoarse voice and a shy smile.

"I love you, too," I say with a pained smile and pat her head.

Stupid, reckless tactic. I should've never allowed her to do that.

"Uhm. Wolfy, I'm going to strip the dead of their armor and collect the shields of the men we killed," Lina says.

"Please do. And get their magic arrows, but be careful with them, I don't want them to explode in your hands," I answer.

"I-I will." She gives me a peck on the lips and walks away.

I meet with Alissa midway and Hana pulls me up, setting me in front of her in a very comforting hug. She smells of blood, but it's likely not hers.

I pull out the [Gate] "scrubber" and turn it on, then we dash towards the north and I motion to the Holly flying above us. She approaches us and I give her the command to scout ahead.

It takes less than a minute for Holly to find the "ninjas" hiding under some form of ghillie suit.

What are they doing…?

I slow down and point out where they are for Hana and Alissa.

"Hana, kill that one; Alissa and Aoi, kill the one over there; the last one we will interrogate," I order.

Hana jumps off of Alissa and flies towards the first.

Suddenly, they all bolt out from below their camouflage and sprint off in three different directions.

Alissa shoots a [Fireball] and Aoi coughs her own fireball at the second ninja, making him tumble to the ground. We catch up to him quickly and Alissa instantly snaps his neck with her jaws. These clearly aren't combat soldiers.

The last one is a woman and we easily gain on her. Hana flies back to us with her emerald sword bloodied.

Suddenly, the woman trips and rolls on the ground. Once she stops, she curls into a fetal position and yells, "Please! Mercy! I surrender! I'll tell you everything!"

Hana jumps on her and ties her arms behind her back with a rope. In only a minute, the woman is completely bound and held with a dagger right over her neck. She stops pleading for mercy and now only whimpers.

I dismount Alissa and she returns to normal. I'm steadied by Alissa while I walk towards the ninja woman. Her clothes are simple, baggy, and pure black. They are made solely for the purpose of soundless movement. She carries no weapons that we can see.

Hana unmasks her and we see golden wavy hair, a freckled, pale oval face, and the pointy, flexible ears of the elves. Very pretty, around Hana's age. She's slender and tall.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Loria," she answers immediately, her voice wavers with fear. She looks at me oddly as my eyes are not focusing on her.

"Who do you work for?"

"Dawn of Fire mercenary circle of magi," she says without hesitation.

We three look at each other with raised eyebrows.

That Dawn of Fire, the one that stalked Roxanne in the past?

"What were your orders?"

"I-I don't know, I'm only a 'ferry.'" She shifts her eyes and avoids looking me in the eye.

"Make a guess."

"Capture the nobles and the dragons."

"What about the rest?"

"I don't know. They could be spared, Goloria is close enough that they could walk back."

"Didn't you know that I had a 'scrubber'? Why didn't you run before I started hunting for you?"

"We did, but we were hiding underneath an enchanted camouflage! How did you even you find us?!" She asks, completely bewildered.

Hm? We'll have to collect that, then.

I turn to Alissa and she shrugs. "Even I couldn't notice them."

"Well, their heat signatures were obvious to Holly. Anyway, where were you going to teleport the people you kidnapped?"

"Close to Escanso. One of our hideouts."

"Point on this map where you guys have hideouts."

She only knows of two: one close to Escanso, and one close to the Grand Delta of Glorampina to the northwest, near the border of the High Forest.

"Name all the people that work above you."

She starts listing names and Alissa writes them down.

"There's a handsome blonde guy that's mysterious and meets with the old mages all the time. But I don't even know what he does and I've never heard his name."

"Describe him," I say.

"Manly face, scraggly blonde-hair, long beard, sullen and tired eyes, tall and thin body."

"That doesn't sound very handsome," I say with a frown.

"He looks like he's not doing very well, but if he cleans up he would look very handsome, all the women say so." Loria lowers her head in embarrassment.

Is that Darean?

"Do you have any more information about the circle?"

She spouts random facts on how they operate. It's a shady circle that compartmentalizes a lot of its structure, she hears very little about anything outside her department.

"I have nothing else. Please, don't kill me! I'll be your slave or even a Blood Slave, I'll accept any power you want over me. I'm single, you can use me in any way you want and I know how to please men," she begs me with teary eyes.

Blood fills my dick and I get an erection looking at her grovel in this way. The idea of fucking her and taking out my frustrations on her wet pussy makes my head spin with excitement, but also renews my anger at this circle of magi for fucking with me.

This isn't even how slavery works, the empire doesn't allow you to force other people to become slaves.

"Are you okay, Wolfy?" Alissa asks through [Bind], worriedly.

"The frenzy of the battle is clouding my mind."

Anger supersedes my disgusting sadism and rape fantasies, allowing me to regain some of my rationality.

I approach Loria so the girls aren't affected by my [Godly Language] and ask, "Did you ever lie to me?"

"Yes.

"What was the lie?"

"I've sent a small written report about the fight back to my boss… wait, what did you do to me?! I'm sorry! I didn't want you to get angry at me!" Her eyes open wide in fear and tears run along her cheeks.

"Are all your comrades as agreeable as you?"

"No. The foot men, maybe, but the archers and mages are freaks. Ugh, this feels so weird!"

Now that the interrogation is over…

I hold back a tired sigh trying to come out.

To make her my slave would first require her to be judged and officially considered a criminal, then she would be sold as a slave, but no sane slave trader would ever sell a slave to her former enemy.

For her to be judged would first require a thorough investigation, which would likely call for imperial lie detectors. Two nobles and a Lord were attacked so blatantly, after all.

There's just so much that could go wrong for us with this investigation… I'm sorry, Loria.

"Alissa, I still can't see, so I'll use your body," I say through [Bind].

"You can just ask Hana."

"I want to do this myself."

"If you say so… well, I'll always be yours, use me," she says solemnly.

I grab Alissa's "string" and receive her senses as I assume full control of her body.

I sneak closer to the side and silently draw Alissa's dagger. I approach Loria from behind and grab her head, then I shove the dagger in with all of Alissa's strength.

"Geh!" Loria whimpers and then spasms. After a few seconds, she stops moving and dies.

Hana lets Loria lay back with a frown. "What a waste, she was so pretty," she says.

I frown. I dislike seeing her as only a potential sex slave, but I also can't deny Hana's words.

We gather the three corpses, recover the bounty plates for them, and burn them into ash with Hana's fire breath. Then, Hana opens a hole with her [Earth Bullet] and we bury their ashes. This way, nobody will know that we ever met these "ninjas."

Their bounties had no crimes listed, they were legal [Gate] mages.

We find the enchanted camouflage they were using. It's a ghillie suit enchanted with [Ignorance], some other spell that seems to mimic [Hide Presence], and an anti-scent spell. I'll have to research those last two.

We finally return to the caravan and see Ciel finishing up her emergency care, then she starts to heal the stumps of the captured mercenaries. Hana dismounts and Alissa acts as my wheelchair while I direct her through [Bind].

I see Anton laying on top of a sleeping bag with Klein and Krista beside him. He's alive, but his belly is heavily bandaged. Krista is holding a glowing smoky quartz, likely a [Regeneration] magic tool. Klein has a makeshift crutch beside her, her wounded leg is completely covered with bandages and red with blood.

"Klein? How's your father?" I ask as Alissa approaches. I can feel her unease through [Bind].

"He took a flaming arrow in his belly, but he couldn't pull it out properly due to the barbs so it opened a hole in his stomach," Krista answers for her, her face looks grim.

"Ciel said he will live, but… we can't let him wake up," Klein says, before her voice cracks as she starts to sob.

I pull a gnomic [Regeneration] magic tool out of my "Items," then I lean over and offer it to Krista. "Use this one, it's better," I say and hand her the shining green gemstone.

Both of them turn to me with surprised faces. Krista doesn't hesitate any longer and quickly takes the stone from my hand. "Thank you," she says, her voice also starting to crack.

"How's your leg, Klein?" Alissa asks, softly.

She wipes the corner of her eyes and says, "I'm fine, it's already stopped hurting. I can march with crutches… Uh, are your eyes okay, Wolfy?" She finally pays attention to me.

"Blind and deaf from mana overuse, this bird is a replacement for those senses," I say.

"Oh… uhm… thank you for protecting us. The men are talking about how you crushed the fuckers," she grits her teeth, seething with anger as she refers to Dawn of Fire.

"But you fought too, and you sacrificed more than us," I say.

"But you killed many more," she shoots back, grimly.

I stay quiet and just nod, then I notice that Osaria is set down beside Roxanne. The dark elf woman has half her face bandaged, but she still seems rather fine, though she seems like she's high on anesthetics. Roxanne looks at the woman with concern in her eyes and holds a glowing [Regeneration] magic tool over her face.

Rande is beside them. He checks on his mother before he returns to barking orders to the still able-bodied survivors. He has a nasty burn on his shoulder that melted some of his armor. The armor was cut out and the wound was partially healed. There's a piece of cloth wet with red liquid tied down to his shoulder, likely an HP potion.

"Use your [Regeneration] tool on yourself," Alissa says to Klein.

"Oh, right, good idea."

"Wolf!" Rande calls to us and comes marching fast.

"Yes?" I turn to him and he looks at me oddly since I don't look him in the eye. "I'm currently deaf and blind due to mana overuse, so I'm using this summoned bird as my senses for now."

"Oh… well, anyway, I want you, Hanafuria, and Alissa with me while I talk with the nobles," he says, his expression is stern.

"Hm?" Alissa lifts an eyebrow at him.

"A slight show of force and displeasure. Everyone is talking about how you summoned a large monster that killed a dozen enemies by itself. I just want the nobles to sweat a little."

"Sure," I answer.

We find Ento using a [Regeneration] magic tool on one of the men. Silvina is nearby, watching over the new prisoners with an arrow nocked in her ornate green longbow, which looks to be enchanted with three gemstones.

Lord Ricardo chops a hand off with his glossy wooden sword and Oura heals the stump of the man.

"Lord Ricardo!" Rande calls out.

He chops the last hand off and turns to us. His grim eyes and his dark armor makes him look rather frightening, but the flowers in his beard ruin the image.

"Yes?" He asks.

"A quick word," Rande says.

Ento waves and we, Silvina, and Ricardo all converge to him.

Once we form a circle, Rande gives a phony smile. "You three look well," he says.

"We are…" Ricardo says, calmly.

"I don't think I saw them attack you three even once," Rande continues and his smile becomes strained.

"What are you implying?" Ento asks and gives Rande a tired glare.

"What do you think?!" Rande hisses at Ento. "I didn't offer to escort you all just to be dragged into your petty fighting!"

"We didn't expect Lord Este to be so brazen," Ricardo says, still calm.

"The Hands of the Emperor must have scared him too much," Ento says.

"I don't think Dawn of Fire works for him directly," Silvina comments.

"So you know who they are?" Rande asks.

"Those exploding arrows are their specialty."

A handless silver elf man is dragged over to us by one of the nobles' men.

"This is one of their commanders, we will interrogate him," Ricardo says.

"I demand to participate," Rande immediately says and sends me a glance.

"Suit yourself."

We take him far enough away from the caravan that his screams won't bother the rest of the caravan too much.

Ento draws his golden wand and touches the commander's forehead with it.

"Now… you will answer some questions, and if I detect even a hint of a lie, you will suffer, understood?" Ento asks, his tone turns completely emotionless.

The commander glares at Ento. "Fuck y-…"

"[Pain]," Ento casts immediately.

"AAAAAH…!" The commander screams from the top of his lungs.

A long minute passes before Ento stops the spell.

"Again, you will tell no lies, understood?" He asks again without emotion.

The commander chuckles and says, "Fuck it, understood."

"Who do you work for?" Ento asks.

"Star Worshipp-…

"[Pain]."

"AAAAH…! DAWN OF FIRE, I WORK FOR DAWN OF FIRE! PLEASE, STOP!"

But Ento doesn't listen and another full minute of torture passes before the spell ends.

"What was your goal?" Ento continues.

"Capture the nobles, capture the dragons, capture any mage that surrenders, and kill the warriors."

"'Kill the warriors'…?" Rande asks, seething with anger.

"Yeah… anyone with a weapon needed to die."

Lord Ricardo and Silvina look at Rande, and the three frown at each other.

"What about the commoners?" Rande continues.

"Let them go."

"Why kill the warriors, then?"

"I don't know, that's the order that we had. I didn't want any more Wicked among us, so I might have spared those who surrendered."

"Sounds like someone wanted you dead," Ricardo says to Rande.

No, they wanted us dead.

"'More Wicked'?" Silvina questions.

"The fucking mages are insane, most of the artillery archers are like that, too. You can see how burning people to death can push someone over the edge, right?" He looks at us flippantly.

"Why do you work with them, then?" Silvina asks, stern.

"Have to make a living somehow…" He looks down.

"You still chose to kill alongside Wicked," Rande says and spits on the ground. The commander grits his teeth and keeps his head down.

"Did you have any information on us?" Ento continues.

"Yes. Quite a lot, especially that boy," he says and looks at me with anger. "You killed my men, right? None of the second squad seems to have survived."

Rande growls. "Do any of you work with gangs of elven thieves?! With poor villagers that have to turn to stealing to survive?!"

"I-I don't know, I'm just a grunt that keeps his men alive!" He lifts his stumps and glares at us in anger.

"Make a guess," I say, coldly.

"We might." -He shrugs- "Most of our info comes from the clients, so it might have been someone with a grudge who showed us an opportunity to attack. Fucking got my men killed, too, so I hope that fucker gets stabbed by the Captain."

"Do you know that I am a Root Lord serving under Crown Lord Confiel Rincipio?" Ricardo asks.

"Yeah. I guess that the old mages want to cozy up to Lord Este," the commander says with a shrug.

Rande turns his frown to Ricardo. "You are working against Lord Este and you still spent that long in Escanso?"

"We are spies in plain sight. Lord Este would never outright kill us while inside his town, that would spark a war," Ricardo answers calmly.

"But you still dragged us into your petty fighting," Rande scowls at him.

Ento turns to us, his emotionless facade is broken as he looks at Rande with disgust. "We are fighting for a cause. Don't forget that the High Forest will be greatly improved once Lord Este is replaced."

"Tell that to the widows of the men who died today. They never pledged their lives to your cause," Rande shoots back.

"For that, we apologize," Ricardo says and bows lightly. "We will pay for the cost of [Regrowth] and send compensation to the widows of your men."

"That will be expensive," Silvina says with worry.

"If not for them, we would be captured by now," Ricardo says and sends me a glance. Ento also glances at us with gritted teeth.

Ento squeezes more information out of the commander, but compared to my own info, he's hearing a lot of lies. Ento has no way of verifying any of it, so to begin with, the info has dubious veracity at best.

We return to the caravan and the death toll is taken.

On our side, six foot soldiers survived with minimal wounds, two are in grave condition, and two are dead. Of the mages, two survived without wounds, and two died. Those are Space mages, so a lot of perishable goods, like ready to consume food, are left behind after their deaths. The food is distributed among everyone and eaten promptly.

On the nobles' side, two foot soldiers survived with minimal wounds, one is in grave condition and two died. Of the mages, two are in grave condition and two died.

Of the nobles' men, two foot soldiers survived and three died. The two horsemen also died with their horses.

Klein can walk with crutches; Anton is going to be sleeping for a while; Osaria can only walk with assistance because she's as high as a kite; Laertes only had some small burns and got some skin cream to ease the pain; Oura has no wounds.

The wagon on our side is wrecked and the cargo of metals survived, but it will have to be buried nearby and retrieved later. Rande's carriage is still holding strong, though the ceiling now has a hole in it where the arrow that hurt Klein and Laertes went off.

Both carriages are now being used for transporting the wounded. The Nobles' carriage is enchanted with [Warp Space], so it carries most of the wounded.

My wound is now mostly healed, and with an HP potion, the rest of the damage will go away in a few hours. Alissa's wound was fully healed by me and the fur on her tail will regrow with an hour of [Regeneration]. Roxanne is using a small [Regeneration] stone on herself, so her voice will fully come back in another hour. Lina, Hana, and Ciel have no wounds.

Alissa recovered Ted and Suzy for us. They received some light burns, but their stuffing is visible. Apparently, they can control the stuffing like they do with their locomotion, so at least it won't fall out.

Now I have to think of a means of healing them, and apparently neither [Heal] nor [Regeneration] seem to work. Their bodies don't have the elementals' fake mana cells, so they are also unable to heal themselves by using mana.

Lina recovered the metal armor for us. The plates are almost all bent or outright crushed thanks to the Masked Aberrant, so we will have to reforge all this steel if we want it to be of any use to us. The shields are all functional, so we now have a shield enchanted with [Wind Shield] and [Dead Zone] for each of us.

She also recovered a lot of arrows for us. The exploding ones are difficult to aim properly due to their extra weight and thick shafts, so they can only be lobbed with poor accuracy. We still need to properly understand how to use them. The other arrow is a magical design that produces a ridiculous amount of flame and heat. This is the one that hit Roxanne and Anton. It's as easy to use as a normal arrow since the arrowhead is simply enchanted with a crude spell.

"It's just one big fire attuner on a delay. I think they use a different 'code' so it's much more efficient," Lina says.

"'Code'?" I ask.

"It's what we use to visualize the components of the enchantment so we can convert mana that passes through the component more efficiently."

"Okay, you need to explain enchanting for me from the beginning."

Rande offers our horses to the nobles, but they refuse. The wounded are all inside the carriages, so we mount them and start to relax a little. This forced march in the middle of the night will be tiring, but we might reach Goloria by dusk tomorrow.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Noble Salty Panda.
Nobleman Lassiter.
Noble D4rk Sheep.

Manasong · Feb 1, 2020

We don't make any gravestones for the dead, but the mages do grow a small memorial for them from the roots of the double helix tree and carve the names of their comrades on it.

We share a minute of silence, watching the pyre burn with the corpses as Roxanne's fire quickly consumes the bodies. With a little help of [Wind Magic], these ashes are buried in a hole, while the ashes from the Dawn of Fire soldiers are left in the open for the wind to scatter.

For the elves, they wish to be buried near a tree, so that they can be a part of it after their deaths. To leave the ashes in the open means they will be spread so thin that their contribution to the High Forest won't be noticed. It's not the worst of fates, but it's still one that's undesirable for most.

"I'll advise for a Spirit mage from the temple to come here, in case any malicious spirits remain," Ciel says, solemnly.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her.

She turns to me and smiles warmly. "I'm fine, how are you feeling?"

"This headache is still killing me."

She pairs her horse with mine and takes my barbute off of me, then she caresses my head with her delicate hands.

"I want some, too," Roxanne says with a weak voice and a cheeky smile.

"Hop on his horse," Ciel says.

Roxanne caresses my head while Ciel caresses Roxanne's.

"You saved me again, Wolfy. Do I get to marry you twice, now?" Roxanne asks with a sultry tone she has to force due to her weak voice.

"We will remarry every year. Let's celebrate our love," I say and she giggles softly. Then she sighs and kisses the top of my head

Her pale, thin fingers run through my hair. Her delicate, loving touch puts my mind at ease and I notice how tense my whole body has been. I stop sharing my sight with the bird and simply sink into the dark abyss of my mind.

But just as the physical tension fades away, the mental guilt comes rushing in. The image of her neck being scorched by the arrow; the sound of her shrieks; the smell of her burnt flesh; the rough texture of her burned skin. I'm tormented by these senses that wrack me with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Roxanne. Allowing you to go with Alissa was too reckless," I say and feel my words almost get stuck in my throat.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," she whispers softly in my ear.

I pull her hand up from my waist and kiss it repeatedly.

Although, I can't say that we will never do that again. We are warriors, risking our lives is our destiny, but next time I'll do better, much better!

"Stop being silly!" Hana exclaims a distance behind us.

"I can still walk!" Klein protests.

"Doesn't mean you have to!"

"You're still bleeding, Klein. Just accept it," Ciel says.

I make the bird look back and see Hana pulling Klein up to her horse, crutches and all.

Klein winces but soon finds a comfortable position sitting side-saddle instead of astride.

Hana hugs her tight and deposits her head on the monkey girl's shoulder. Klein turns to face her and kisses Hana's cheek, then allows herself to be completely enveloped by her embrace and closes her eyes. But Hana doesn't smile, she looks just like me, filled with guilt. She looks at my bird and bites her lip in anxiety.

Half of the footmen are inside the wagons, trying to get some sleep, while the rest are in front of us, marching with stern faces and weapons drawn. The three nobles are in the middle of them, completely solemn. In front of them, the handless mercenaries walk with drooped heads and dead eyes.

The soldiers whisper amongst themselves and glare at the mercenaries with murderous eyes. A single word of a chant and they'll butcher them all. Cutting off the hands of a mage stops most direct spells, but some, like [Heart of Fire], don't need hands for casting them, though they still aid the spell.

If during the day the High Forest is rather dark, things get even gloomier after nightfall. The weak purple glow gives an odd air to the environment. The cute and colorful luminous plants look dangerous and unwelcoming at night.

Tiredness sweeps over us, and Roxanne and I almost fall asleep on our horse.

"Wolfy, you should sleep. You need to recover from the mana overuse," Alissa says.

"I'll hold you and control the horse," Roxanne says and pulls out Gecynd's Christmas wreath that allows her to talk to the horses.

"Okay," I whisper and black out.

Today is the 20th.

I'm awoken by Gify's "massage" and the soft moans of my women.

Wait what…? I said I wouldn't be NTR'd by my own pets…

Gihihih!

But then, I notice that he's only massaging their shoulders. He nibbles my cheek lovingly as an apology.

Gih!

Don't lie. I could feel the love coming through that nibble. You are clearly apologizing for messing with me.

He stops the "massage" only for me.

Noo, meanie!

Gih!

Never!

Giih!

F-fine. But if I apologize, you won't get dinner.

Guh.

He turns on the "massage" again. It was the best decision for both of us.

I can finally see and hear again, so I summon another Holly, two light elementals, and a nature elemental. Then the headache starts up again, so I leave it at that.

The nature elemental turns into vines and wraps herself around the throats of the prisoners. Now there's no way they will be able to cast a spell without being interrupted.

Klein's leg stopped bleeding and recovered some muscle mass, but she will need [Regrow] for any more than that.

Most of the men who lost limbs have had them reattached, but there are still plenty of parts missing, mostly fingers.

Ciel looks horrible; she used [Redirect Mana] twice, so she's suffering from overuse. Alissa hugs her from behind while she sleeps, tenderly caressing Ciel's silky black hair.

Krista hands me a cup of steaming hot tea. "Thank you for your hard work," she says with a strained smile.

"How's Anton?" I ask.

She looks down and smiles shyly. "Still sleeping. Ciel closed the wound, but it still looks nasty. Your elementals might help."

"Yeah, but it'll be slow."

She nods and climbs up onto Rande's carriage, where she's cooking some soup.

The smell soon awakens Ciel and we have a 4 AM meal.

I switch with Roxanne and hold her in my arms while she tries to sleep. I use [Regeneration] on her to complete the recovery of her throat.

The mangled, scarred skin slowly fades away and only her beautiful pale skin remains. She moans cutely from the pleasure my spell gives her.

"Do you want me to heal the scar on your belly, too?" I ask.

Her eyes immediately open wide and she grabs my spell hand. "No!"

"Okay…" I say, feeling a little awkward.

She relaxes in my arms and closes her eyes again. "Sorry, Wolfy, but consider that scar as the symbol of your marriage proposal. It's special, like the ones on your neck and wrist."

"Your skin is perfectly smooth, except for the scar received when we fought together and nearly died. That is what you consider to be the symbol of our marriage?" I ask with a wry smile.

Her horns shine, showing rigidity and sharpness.

"No…" She turns around and sends me an annoyed glare. "You risked your life to save me from death, yet you didn't even try to take advantage of me for that. I just want to keep this as a reminder of what you did and what I should strive to be."

"W-wow…"

That pulled on my heartstrings so hard I'm left speechless.

She nuzzles her head against my shoulder and kisses my neck softly. "Now, let me sleep while I smell your scent…"

Morning finally comes as the purple light fades away and the rainbow of colors is turned back on again. Then a few streaks of sunlight pass down through the leaves and light up the environment even more.

Osaria suddenly walks up beside my horse while using a [Regeneration] magic tool on herself. She seems to have recovered from her burns, though one of her eyes is still cloudy and she's lacking some hair on the burnt side of her head, giving her a rather sexy-punk look.

"Uh… have the red birds taken flight?" Osaria asks me.

I blink twice and stare at her blankly. "What?"

"The birds! The red cawing ones who like to make my ears buzz!" She grabs my boot and looks very annoyed.

Oura suddenly comes out of the carriage and pulls her back.

"I think the anesthetics are still affecting her," Oura says with an apologetic smile.

Osaria rolls her single normal eye and says, "I just wanted to spit at the red birds."

Ciel wakes up and Alissa switches with Lina so that she can help Krista prepare breakfast. But instead of Lina hugging Ciel, she's the one who's hugged like a vertical body pillow.

Sometime later, we stop for breakfast. Taking turns watching the prisoners, we have an energy-rich breakfast full of carbs. Krista pulls out all the cookies she has and spreads them among us, while also giving us another round of not-earl-grey tea.

Rande seems to relax from the permanent frown that he wore since the attack. He now spends his time either close to his mother and talking to her, or glaring at the prisoners.

The three nobles are still very solemn. Some dirty looks are sent their way when they aren't looking, but nobody has the courage to say anything to them. Lord Ricardo has an enchanted suit of armor; he could certainly cut his way through all of the footmen.

After breakfast, I cast [Swift Foot] again and ride with Alissa while I hold [Regeneration] over her half-burnt tail. The skin is fine, but the hairs need to grow out again. There's a way to do it by combining an aspect of [Growth] with [Regeneration], so I try to remember the chant that professor Tanya taught us back at the university.

Not long after we resume our march, we meet a Gatun patrol from Goloria. The stern and disciplined patrolmen seem completely different from the weary and frightened men from the other side of the High Forest.

They approach us cautiously. The sight of so many bound, handless men being escorted by a bunch of wounded, angry soldiers with missing limbs would make anyone become very alert.

"I am Lord Ricardo Lhorido of the small town of Colmela, far to the north of Goloria," the Lord announces with a dignified tone.

The mounted patrol comes closer and analyzes all of us.

"What's the reason for these men to be bound and left handless?" The apparent patrol commander asks. His glossy wooden helmet has a single yellow stripe on the side, differentiating him from the others.

"Barbarians! Kidnappers that aimed to kidnap me and my two other traveling companions, Noblewoman Silvina Airo and Nobleman Ento Raconio."

The commander whispers to one his men and he pulls out an Identification Crystal.

"Forgive me for this, my Lord, but we have to confirm your identity," the commander says and bows deeply.

"No offense taken."

The soldier confirms their identities and the patrol fans out, surrounding the prisoners.

"They are all capable of magic, so the nature elemental wrapped around their necks must stay," Ricardo says and the commander nods.

The commander takes off his helmet and we are greeted by a grizzly man with golden flowing hair that belongs in women's erotica. "I assume you will want an investigation?" He asks.

"Yes."

"Then we shall travel together to Goloria."

The patrol shares their healing supplies, but they don't make much of an impact since Ciel already did most of the work.

Some of the wounded are allowed to ride with the patrols, reducing the weight that the horses pulling the carriages have to bear, which increases our speed.

The patrol takes charge of keeping the prisoners under control, so the three nobles take up the commander's offer and ride Gatuns of their own. Even the chubby Ento looks dignified while riding the huge and long-limbed cat.

The twenty-man patrol separates the soldiers from the prisoners, allowing them to relax more and the tension to decrease.

The soldier that's been friendly with Ciel and Hana comes towards us. "Excuse me, Sir Ryder?" He asks politely.

"Just Wolf is fine," I say.

"Wolf it is, then," the human man says and smiles. "I and the boys would like to pay you all a round at the tavern. We know it's not much, but we would like to thank you for all your hard work."

Another human soldier comes up beside him with a cheeky smile and slings his arm over the first one. "We would've been dead more than three times already if not for you. Just what the fuck is wrong with this forest?"

"Nothing!" Exclaims an elven soldier from behind us, slightly defensive.

"It's too damp, too dark, too smelly, too wild. How have you all not gone crazy from all the Weepers? The creepy-ass goblin shlocks had been haunting us for what, a whole day-cycle?" The second soldier shoots back.

Shlock? The slang shlock?

"Felt like the whole way!" Exclaims a fourth soldier.

The first soldier turns to us and smiles wryly.

"Sure, tomorrow we should be rested, so let's meet up somewhere at night," I say and smile faintly.

"The Prancing Cat!" Suggests an elven soldier.

"Pansy Cat, more like; your sweet water won't get us anywhere!" Complains a human soldier.

"Better than Tatopa piss!"

Lina's Trivia: that's the not-potato.

"We're supposed to get drunk! Not rot our teeth with sugar!"

"If I put alcohol in my piss, would you drink it?"

"Hers, I would," the human soldier points to one of the female elven Space mages.

"And I would charge you a silver per gulp!" The mage yells with a sneer.

"Hey, that's cheap," Hana comments lowly.

"How do you know that?" I turn to her and lift my eyebrows as hard as I can.

"Got offered some coin for that a few times after a certain… 'incident,'" she says with a smirk.

The banter between the men continues on, so I turn to the slightly awkward soldier still walking beside us.

"Sorry, what's your name?" I ask.

"Julien."

"Right, Julien, let's go to the…" I turn to Klein, who's sitting on Hana's lap.

"Blurred Wheel," she says with a soft smile.

"Heyoo! Good one, Klein!" A soldier exclaims.

"That one, it is," Julien says with a smile.

The brown-haired man excuses himself and returns to staying near the few commoners we are protecting.

Most of the men here are quite handsome, so I'll have to keep my guard up when we go there.

Lunch is more lively; the patrolmen mingle with the soldiers quite well and some light alcohol is passed around. Rande, the commander, and the nobles all ignore it, to let the anger of the men be washed away a little by the booze.

"Wolf!" Osaria calls for my attention and comes up to us as we mount the horses again.

"Hey there, bird spitter, did you find the red ones that you wanted?" Roxanne says with a smirk.

Osaria stops and slowly her palm covers her eyes. "Can you please never mention that again?"

"Oh, she's back to normal," Hana says and laughs.

I can see from behind Osaria's hand that her ashamed frown is growing even deeper.

"So, spit slinger, did you find the red ones?"

"I spat at the feet of one of the barbarians, yes," Osaria says with a flat tone.

"Ooh…" Hana now realizes the meaning of Osaria's previous babble.

"Considering how beautiful you are, they might have preferred for you to spit on their faces," I say.

"It might be the last woman they will touch for a while," Alissa says with a bit of poison on her tongue.

"They can still fuck each other even if they become criminal slaves," Hana says.

Alissa and Lina wrinkle their noses at this.

"Well, uh, I have a favor to ask, Wolf," Osaria starts, she sounds serious and even a little shy.

"What is it?" I ask. My heart starts beating faster as I look at her face. It doesn't matter if she's wounded, she's still stunning.

"Can you heal my hair with your [Regeneration]?" She asks with an adorable smile and taps the bald spot where she lost one-third of her hair.

"Sure," I say and look around at the girls.

They all nod, but Roxanne seems to have a dozen emotions racing through her head. Suddenly, she taps my horse's saddle and asks with a strained grin, "Why don't you get up here and he'll heal you along the way?"

Intermission – 15

"DAREAN ARNALD! WHERE ARE MY MEN?!" The grizzly dragonkin lifts me off the floor by my neck and growls, weak flames escaping from his crooked mouth.

"Wait… you've read the… report… right?!" I force out in a hoarse voice as his hand crushes my throat and his claws dig into my skin.

"Yes! Your information got them fucked in the ass! They had more tricks under their robes than you've had cocks up your ass! Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here!" His half-burnt face gets closer to mine and his stinky breath hits me in the face.

"Well, I can still-…"

I focus on my personal [Wind Scythe] gem which was implanted just below my ribs and activate it. A small blade of wind forms and erupts out from inside of me, giving me a small cut as it does. But then the blade grows in size immediately, growing so large that it bisects Captain Hidoi in half from below his armpits.

"Fuck!" His bodyguard tries to duck but gets his forehead split open. The gray sludge of his brain spills down onto the floor when his face hits the ground.

The second bodyguard draws his sword as Captain Hidoi collapses and passes out, his two halves separating as his body collapses. The last bodyguard looks at me with surprise and fear, his eyes watching for every single twitch of my muscles.

"You can go, I won't kill you," I say to the man.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?! Do you think that you can get out of Escanso alive? Even if you stay, the Archmages will blow up any hole you try to hide in!" He spews, his hand shaking in fear.

I cackle a laugh.

Oh, damn, that really made me sound like a maniac.

I look him in the eye with a manic smile and say, "I'm already dead, but I'll choose where I die. Now go!"

He spits at my feet and walks backward. He finds the door and fumbles, searching for the handle while his eyes still stay locked with mine, then he finally manages to open the door and immediately sprints out.

I hear a crash and chuckle again. The fool even jumped out of the window.

Thanks to Hidoi, I only have one last chance at this…

I sigh and pull out a bounty plate. I dip the corner of it in the pool of Hidoi's blood and watch as the letters form.

Now… how can I get an audience with the Lord…

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Noble Salty Panda.
Nobleman Lassiter.
Noble D4rk Sheep.

Manasong · Feb 2, 2020

This chapter is not required to read to understand the main story, this is only a side-story.

This is a teaser for the patreon-only side stories I'm writing.

Each chapter has 3 parts and the first part of any new storyline I will make public as a teaser.

Like eyes recovering from blurring, I regain clarity of thought and recover from my primeval state. The senses of my physical body, or what remains of it, are slowly reactivated, allowing me to understand my own state.

Partially fused with a tree, I'm in the middle of the process of being re-birthed.

I fused too much. Shouldn't have waited so long to return.

I hear some garbled nonsense, so I focus on reactivating my ears.

Something pokes my breasts and I would physically roll my eyes if I had control over them.

Why do I even want to roll my eyes? Gecynd's quirks must be passing down to me.

I feel a nipple get pinched while the other is licked and sucked by something wet and slippery. My whole body quivers with delight; the re-building made everything so sensitive again.

I'm not disconnected from the Life yet! Let me regain my senses before you ruin my oversensitivity!

I stop trying to reactivate my ears and focus on my mouth.

"Stop…" I manage to force it out.

Pallido stops playing with me after giving me one last pinch on both of my nipples that jolts me with pleasure again.

After waiting several long moments for me to reactivate my functions, Pallido says, "You did it wrong."

"I know my body," I say with a hoarse voice.

I take a look at my soulmate and see his perfect form patiently waiting for me with a smirk on his perfect face. His face is perfectly chiseled and handsome. His perfect skin is light green and textured like moss. His perfect body is more defined than any humanoid. His perfect horse penis is the ideal size for my womb.

He softly plays with my leaf-hair and my temporary oversensitivity almost makes me moan at his touch.

Having enough of being stuck, I start to detach myself from the tree. I separate my essence from the wood and shift both my body and the tree's wood back into real matter. I reform the inner heart of the tree, and the muscles and bones of my body, then I freeze them in time, so that I don't bleed like a gutted animal.

"Well, you still did it wrong. Unless you are infected with something, it shouldn't take this long."

"Is this a competition? Why does the time I take matter?" I ask with a chuckle.

"You missed a cultural exchange."

"Who cares? You are still the best." I shrug and give him a smile.

Pallido's penis twitches in anticipation, but his face is still serious. "And now we have a druid trying to recreate Kaka's work."

My hand slips and my top-heavy body falls forward.

"Unnecessarily complex humanoid bodies…" I shift the inner muscles and bones so I can straighten myself out again without causing more damage. "Okay, WHAT?!"

"Did you not hear it properly?" His face softens, thinking I might not have completely reactivated my hearing.

"I did, I just think it's too sudden!"

"Gecynd," he says and shrugs.

I sigh and roll my eyes.

Nonsensical humanoid reactions.

I regain control of my eyes and look at Pallido, who's smiling wryly. "Did he try to make a connection yet?" I ask and continue separating myself from the tree.

"Nope. He likely has zero idea how to do it, so it's going to take a while."

"So why did Gecynd chose him?"

"Potential and the fact that he has such a pure heart that he would become a dryad too if he knew how."

I almost roll my eyes again. "How boring."

"Eh, he's actually interesting. The way he used [Weaverism] to create a sort of 'frame' of his mind and life lets us predict what he's going to do, it's quite novel."

I stop my separation again. "Hm? How does that even work?"

He lets a shrug escape him. "No idea, I just know that it sort of works. Only Gecynd and Soliana know how, exactly."

"Soliana? The small and yellow one?"

"That same one."

I smile smugly. "You had my attention, but now you have my curiosity."

He lets a shrug escape again. "He did it with just casual banter, from what I've heard. You'll have to ask her if you want to know more."

My smile disappears as I let disappointment escape. "Well… she was always weird."

"I think she's just bored and the humanoid is something new for her. He did give her a very curious trinket to play with, after all."

"Good for her, then. I thought she was going to commit suicide soon."

"Well, I'm surprised she accepted having sex with him in the first place. She seemed tired of it last time I did it with her."

I smile mischievously. "Maybe you are just losing your touch."

He snorts and becomes smug. "I made a dragonkin sleep, don't even try."

I finish separating from the tree and let myself fall into Pallido's arms.

"But you'll never lose your touch with me," I say as I look up to his eyes.

We giggle softly and rub our noses against each other as I let time resume affecting my body. We expose the nerves and the slightest touch sends waves of pleasure to our brains. Much stronger and less messy than a humanoid kiss.

"Now, help me stretch my insides again," I say and his penis instantly goes hard. It hardens so quickly that it smacks my vagina and I savor the feeling.

He aims himself up against my entrance and I make myself wet. When he sees a drop of my juice drip on the tip of his penis, he grabs my waist and pushes me down onto the entire length of his shaft.

Muscles tear and bleed, but I instantly heal them so that my insides conform to the shape of Pallido's penis. I am filled beyond capacity as his penis reaches the end of my womb and pushes further upwards, squishing my organs. My stomach deforms outwards as his penis tries to pierce me from the inside.

The surge of stimulation overloads my brain and I lose control of my entire body. My mouth just hangs open with my tongue out and I drool on Pallido's chest. Just as I start to regain control, he moves again and pulls his penis out in one go. My body goes flaccid again and a long streak of white is left on his shaft from my continuous orgasm.

Then he starts slamming into me with his penis repeatedly. I'm penetrated and used like a toy, forced to orgasm without the ability to say "no" until all I have left in my mind is the pleasure of his penis piercing me.

He grunts and ejaculates. The thick and strong stream pushes my organs back just a little more and causes me to reach the apex of pleasure.

His orgasm continues for a minute. A whole minute of a continuous stream of semen that fills me to capacity in the first second and then simply spills out continuously onto the ground after that.

He finally stops and his penis goes limp, quickly reducing in size and allowing my organs to go back to their original positions.

"Ah… the first time is always the best," I say with a wistful sigh as my mind slowly clears from the clouds of pleasure.

He pulls me forward and we rub our noses again, making us giggle.

"I'll never commit suicide as long as I have you at my side," Pallido says softly and plays with the yellow leaves in my head.

"Same." I lay my head on his chest and close my eyes.

"Oh right, no time to rest. Gecynd said that the harpies are up to something again."

I groan and look at him annoyed. "Can't we rest for a few moments?"

"Nope!" He rubs his nose against mine once.

"I'll demand double the rest time after this."

"Please do, I want it too," he says with a smirk.

"You lazy sapling." I flicker his nose softly and he frowns in pain.

We disentangle and his penis slides out of me with a wet noise. The rest of his semen drips out of me continuously, so I use my womb muscles to clean myself.

"Ready," I say and we both touch the tree that I just re-birthed from.

We spend a little mana and our bodies become ethereal. In this form, we divide our "selves" into a cloud of nearly invisibly small particles and enter the tree. Being so close to the Life allows us to easily rejoin the web and travel through it, feeding ourselves along the way.

My particles are happy to mingle with Pallido's, annoyingly forcing us to focus on our sense of self so we don't merge with one another.

A faint trail of particles crosses with ours and we stop the main cloud, then the Scouting Front of our cloud is absorbed by another dryad traveling through the Life.

Azaleu seems to be in a hurry to deal with unruly lizards trying to take over monster territory and start a war. We feel his cordial and chipper greeting as we are briefly connected when he absorbs our Scouting Front.

We remake the Scouting Front and resume our journey.

A few more times we are stopped by passing Life travelers and a few other times we see travelers waiting for us to pass.

"Busy times," the words are formed in Pallido's mind and sent to me as a few of our particles intermingle.

"Very," I send the words back.

We reach the border of Harpy territory and detach from the Life. We carefully remake our bodies, wary of any Harpy Shaman that could be watching.

In the middle of our reconstruction, Gecynd sends us information. Big constructs are threading through the forest, something new and of unknown origin.

"Oh, so that's why Gecynd sent us here," I say once my voice and hearing are reactivated.

"Secretive as always," Pallido comments.

We take a look around. We are in the Wall of Trees, a rather oppressive atmosphere with Gecynd stealing all the light and inserting a slice of her Life filled with xenophobia into the trees around here.

We ask the trees for information on the Harpies and follow their trail. They are already mobilizing because we managed to sneak deep into Harpy territory before we met the first patrol.

The trees say they haven't absorbed mana from spells, so we sneak past them with ease.

The density of patrols becomes so thick that we have to dig underground to move further. Our bodies morph into a snake-like form with spiral blades to help dig up the soil and a thin wooden plate to encapsulate us. The earth itself moves out of the way for us, but the bits that are too slow are dug up by the blades.

Everything goes without a problem, until we meet a Harpy Shaman.

The lost spirits of dead humanoids, animals, and even the nature spirits seem to be avoiding this place. The trees tell of spells that make them feel "naked," the mark of a Harpy Shaman.

We split up and try to pinpoint her location by measuring the density of spirits. It's a slow process that is slowed even further by being limited to only moving underground.

We meet up and share information. We connect our fingers and sync our minds.

"Rush?" Pallido asks through the connection.

"Rush," I answer with a smile on my sealed lips.

The earth is not fast enough to move out of the way, so we spin our blades so fast that they become a blur and we pick up speed. The surface is visibly disturbed, but no harpy is attentive enough to notice it.

The roots tell us of stinky magic being released and we are now sure we are headed in the right direction.

A faint pulse of mana reaches us, but it's too faint for the Shaman to understand what it sensed. Another, more directed pulse hits us and we decide to surface.

Five armored harpies and an old hag are perched on top of a very annoyed tree. Our target.

The seals around our body are hardened into armor and the blades are turned into weapons. We create javelins and throw them.

The first two harpies are hit in the face before they can take flight. The other three spread out and try to surround us. The shaman tries to start a chant, but the tree she is perched on is pretty happy to aid us by forming a small vine that wraps around the neck of Harpy and chokes her.

Pallido dashes forward while I stay behind and prepare for the two other harpies to come.

I take the water from my body and condense it so much that it turns into ice. I make my armor puffy and sticky, so it becomes a trap for the flying chickens. Then I raise my two javelins like spears and wait for the harpies to strike at the same time.

They fly towards me like arrows, their claws stretched out and ready to slice me.

The first one dodges my javelin and latches on my arm, her claws sink deep into the armor and even cut my skin, but then they get stuck. The other one I manage to skewer with the javelin, and she flails her arms wildly in pain and anger.

I launch the ice spears from my shoulders and both of them pierce through the throats of the harpies, leaving a visible hole behind.

I clean the blood off of the ice spears and will them to return to me. I shudder a little as my body re-hydrates itself.

Pallido simply skewers the last harpy on his javelin like a spear and hurls his last one into the face of the Shaman, killing her. He immediately turns around and sees the small wound on my arm.

"Are you fine?" He asks a little apprehensive.

"Just a scratch."

He nods and smiles faintly.

We reconnect through a finger and dash onward.

Chaos in the ranks of the harpies allows us to get close. There are more Shaman Harpies about, but they are protecting the constructs from sabotage, not espionage, so we are able to see them from a distance.

Tall towers of wood, metal, and rope; large balls of ceramic being filled with something liquid and toxic; and a few odd harpies seemingly reading something from a piece of rough paper.

We find a good observation spot so we can morph our eyes to the ones from a Striker Eagle. Pallido observes the constructs while I observe the papers.

"I didn't know that harpies had engineers," Pallido says.

"Didn't know they could even read," I answer in disbelief.

"That's a war machine, different from the ones they use in Rabanara. Seems to be made to hurl those balls of ceramic."

"Where did they even get the metal, and the paper, and the knowledge to read and write! Let alone make the plans for these constructs, because that's what's written in the papers!" I hiss lowly.

"Coprophagia…" Pallido mutters and surrenders to his instincts, rubbing his temples. "How did they even get that construct here? I don't recognize the wood and the metal is too perfectly made. I'm sure that harpies were never such good woodworkers, miners, or smiths."

"Nothing makes sense." I suppress a sigh.

"I think even Gecynd didn't believe their own senses." Pallido smiles wryly.

I turn to Pallido and stare at him, completely serious. "If Gecynd didn't see this coming, then can we really protect the tamer?"

His smile fades slowly and he turns stern. "We can only wait."

We turn around and dash away before a Shaman can find us.

We reach the Tree of Mana without a problem. Pallido immediately merges with Gecynd to relay the information while I go inside to talk with Alaraste.

I enter unannounced and the brown-haired human suddenly jumps out of her seat. Arlo turns his senses to me and calmly gets up from his chair. Both of them stand straight, then bow respectfully to me.

"Speaker, what a surprise," Arlo says cordially.

I smile at him and merely nod in response after they finish their reverence.

"The harpies are mobilizing and I bring information for Lord Alaraste," I say.

Without another word, the Space mage opens a [Gate] to the meeting room of the castle.

I finish growing my dress made of golden leaves and cross the portal.

A bright room fully carpeted and decorated with many paintings of scenes of victory for the Anara family. The room is just the kind that Gecynd loves to copy: grand, bright, and ornate.

In the middle, there's a table full of armored knights and mages, all looking at me. In the biggest chair, Alaraste is seated. He looks at me with curiosity and a small smile. Haaran and Vanea give me wide smiles, which I return with a small one of my own and a nod.

"To what do we owe this urgent visit, lovely Camassia?" He asks. His special eyes pierce my heart and I have to push away the need to reminisce that starts to cloud my mind.

"Information on the harpies, something for which even we have some problem in understanding all the ramifications," I answer in a cordial, but dignified tone.

A servant brings me a simple chair and I sit between Alaraste and Giana. Both of them lay their hands on top of mine and the newer knights understand the implication.

I retell what I saw and everyone at the table takes quite a long moment before speaking again.

"Those are trebuchets…?" Giana questions in her usual adorable tone.

"I do not know what they are," I answer.

"Your description is detailed enough, those are trebuchets," the elderly Werner says.

"Who would be insane enough to aid the harpies?" Alaraste asks and the coldness in his voice makes the whole table go silent. Even I feel very uncomfortable at his words, both because of the literal meaning and because his own power is seeping into them.

He looks at me with such anger that the Life inside of me trembles. I shake my head and he turns back to the war plans on the table.

"Destroy the trebuchets and steal the plans. Larana, can you do it?" He says, his voice still dripping with power and anger.

The stoic werecat woman nods and says without emotion, "It shall be done."

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Noble Salty Panda.
Nobleman Lassiter.
Noble D4rk Sheep.
Noble Michael Erwin.

Manasong · Feb 4, 2020

I look at Roxanne questioningly and she merely glances at me with her strained grin and taps the horse again. I shrug and quickly scan the girls to see if anyone is discontent. I notice that they're mostly just confused.

"Lay down," I tell my monster of a horse.

It scoffs in annoyance but obeys. I mount it and extend my hand to Osaria so she can mount it, too. The horse realizes what I'm doing and neighs a mocking laugh.

Osaria sits in front of me while I hold her curvy body at the waist. She's giving off an intoxicating fragrance that reminds me of wine.

"Get up," I tell the horse and I can easily imagine it rolling its eyes as it obeys.

Her clothing is the usual not-bikini with a few thin strips of cloth hanging freely, which means that most of her skin is exposed. One of my hands holds her waist and touches her exposed skin, while the other cups her cheek. Her skin is just as soft as the girls', proof that she also uses the same skincare products as we do.

I cast [Regeneration] and watch her hair grow back in real-time.

"Oh, this feels so good. Can you use it on my eye, too? It feels stronger than my own [Regeneration] magic tool."

"Sure."

She moans softly and closes her eyes. She holds my arm that's currently wrapped around her waist and caresses the back of my hand. Roxanne watches us with interest and a little anxiety and Lina seems to be quite amused.

Osaria touches her budding hair and sighs, then she looks at Roxanne and says, "You make me wish that I had used one of these." She points to Roxanne's padded coif.

"Yeah, they are kind of good at protecting me, but nibbling Skritters, it looks so drab," Roxanne says pokes with her coif with disinterest.

"Oh, you don't have to tell me. It would look horrible on me, but you look quite good in it."

"Really?" Roxanne smiles and brims with happiness.

"Yes, your outfit doesn't let it stand out. But my clothes…" She grabs a strip of cloth hanging from her arm. "Do not mix well with headgear."

Roxanne becomes absent-minded as happiness clouds her mind.

As we warmly observe the airhead, Osaria notices the scar on my left wrist. "Did you lose your hand once?" She asks, softly.

"Yes. I prefer to keep the scars to remind myself to not grow overconfident," I say.

"Even the cute one on your cheek?" Her tone turns cheeky.

"That one gave me a point in 'Charisma.' I'm not gonna heal it."

"It sure gives you some charm." She tries to get herself more comfortable in her seat by driving her ass deeper into my crotch.

"Have you seen the scars on his chest? Those look even manlier," Klein says.

"Oh? You have to show them to me sometime," Osaria says in a sultry tone that turns softer. "But what caused them? Certainly nothing good; you look far more experienced than your face shows."

"That was the Symbol of Hate," Alissa says.

Roxanne cringes and touches her belly.

"I don't think I'm familiar with it," Osaria says.

Alissa recites our battle with the creature.

"My, oh my. You are all full of surprises," Osaria says with a chuckle.

Oh, please say "ara ara."

"I can attest to that," Klein says.

Her silky silver hair starts to bunch up in my hand, allowing me to feel its texture. It's just like Roxanne's or Ciel's, but it's less shiny due to the lack of hair products, a small shame.

She softly guides my hand so I don't hold her waist so strongly anymore and she slowly inches it upwards. She then leans back onto me more and our heads touch.

"If not for Ciel's healing, I would still be unconscious and drowning in anesthetics. I owe both of you quite a lot. You can ask me for anything," she says.

Ciel waves her hand and says, "It's nothing, we are ju-…"

"Anything…?" I ask in a whisper.

Ciel rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but smiles.

"Oh, my, Mr. Ryder. What are you thinking of asking of me, a pure, innocent, and kind widow?" Osaria asks in a sultry tone.

"There are a few things that I want, Osaria. If you wish to truly repay me, surely you can imagine what they are," I answer in the same tone.

Her tone turns overly dramatic. "You save me from pain just to inflict it again?"

I go ham on the cheesy "seducer." "Is it really pain if you will enjoy it thoroughly?"

"You think too highly of yourself."

"I made Klein and Hana weak in their legs with pleasure. I can easily do the same to you."

She gasps and her tone turns fearful. "So you really want to defile me."

"What else would a man like me want from a woman like you? It is a Sin to not defile you."

She gasps again and Lina stifles a chuckle.

"Is that what you do to women, Mr. Ryder? Defile their bodies and consume their purity. You use them like sex toys and make them addicted to your thick rod, just so you can throw them away. Then you wait until they come crawling back, begging for more?"

That's a little too specific.

I look around and notice that Lina and Klein avoid looking me in the eyes. Alissa, on the other hand, is staring at us with a manic smile.

"He does that to me all the time. Use me, then abuse me. But I'm a slave in body, soul, and pussy. I belong solely to him," Alissa says, almost fanatical.

"Do you see how happy she is about being my fuck toy?" I ask and point to Alissa. "I can give you so much pleasure that no other man could ever dream of getting close."

"After how savagely he took me for my first time, I would willingly choose to become his slave if I was free," Hana says.

I'm not sure how much is role-play and how much is honesty.

"You make it hard to say no to you, Mr. Ryder… or rather, Enemy of Women," Osaria says in a sharp tone. She turns to the side so she can stare at me narrow-eyed

Oh please, no! Even if we are playing around I don't want that title.

I scoff. "Enemy? Why would I be an 'enemy' when women willingly shackle themselves to my cock?"

"You are asking for my dignity, Mr. Ryder. Besides Rande, it's all I have left."

"Give me your dignity and I will give you happiness."

"Is your cock that magical?"

"Literally."

She chuckles in a lady-like way. "I don't think that was a joke."

I kiss her neck and push my soul through my lips, making her get goosebumps.

"How else do you explain so many women gathering around me? If it's not magical then call it 'miraculous,'" I say in a low whisper.

Her single red eye stares at me with mischief. "How will I punish you if you lie to me?"

"You can tell everyone I have a small dick, which would be a lie, by the way."

She chuckles again and slaps my cheek softly. "But then you would have already defiled me."

"It is a risk you will have to take."

She pushes my hand up and I cup her juicy breast. Not as soft as Ciel's, but a delicious feeling nonetheless. I look at my brown angel and give her a cheeky smile. She pouts and pushes up her chest more, though, it's not very effective due to her armor.

"Make me scream your name," she says in a serious tone.

I push my soul out a bit from my hand on her breast and she inhales deeply.

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's the minimum I ask for. If I wanted another failure, I would lay with the caravan guards."

"If I'm the kind that fails, Hana would have already left me."

"I know you're not serious b-but that's not true…" Hana says shyly.

"I would at least not be surrounded by women."

"Should I call you Magic Cock, then?" Osaria asks in a mischievous tone.

"I prefer Master of Women," I say with pride and kiss her neck again with a touch of my soul.

"How arrogant." Osaria laughs in a lady-like way.

"And after I defile you, I demand to be called God of Sex."

Osaria turns to Ciel, who looks away and bites her lip to stifle a smile.

"She recognizes me as her God. She's an Acolyte, a worshiper of my cock."

Osaria chuckles. "I'm in danger."

"They are all predators," Klein says.

"No, I'm not," Lina protests and pouts.

Klein looks at Lina with dead, lifeless eyes and says, "You are a trap. You play the adorable little victim, but then you trap us with your eyes, stopping us from leaving and allowing you to suck more from our hearts with your cuteness." Then she shows her tongue.

"Don't even try to deny that one," Ciel says with a knowing look.

Lina puckers lips and shrugs.

"But keep in mind that if you accept me, then you accept everyone," I say and look at Roxanne. "I don't think I'm the main target, after all."

Osaria's smile turns predatory and she looks at Roxanne. "So, I'm to be passed around by everyone?"

"We share everything."

Ciel scans over Osaria's entire body. "All we want is to enjoy one another," she says and I detect a hint of desire.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Osaria says calmly.

Roxanne's smile strains and she sends me a glance.

"You two were badly wounded this time, so we should all focus on rewarding both of you with extreme pleasure." I smile sadistically at Roxanne, making her smile strain even more and her tail wrap around her waist.

"Only us two?" Osaria asks and reaches behind her. She touches the gnarled mess of burnt leather and padding of my pants and says, "I can see that both you and the foxy girl also got wounded."

"My reward is watching Wolf enslave you," Alissa says with a smug smile.

"My reward is making you bend to me," I say in her ear and push my soul out to give her a light touch.

She chuckles a little nervously as her composure starts to crumble a bit.

I release her breast and lower my hand until it's just above her not-panties. I push my soul out just the smallest amount possible to gradually arouse her.

She moans softly and bites her lip sensually. "You have to teach Rande whatever you are doing to me."

I've seen that hentai before…

As I play around with Osaria's body, her hair finally reaches its previous length, so I switch back to the standard [Regeneration].

The guards and patrolmen send us the occasional nervous glance, but don't stare for too long.

Rande notices us and guides his horse towards us with a wide smile. "I see you are getting along well," he says.

Osaria smiles and rubs her juicy ass on my crotch again. "Oh yes, he's got a gift with his hands."

He raises an eyebrow and his glacial eyes look at me with interest. "Hm… so will there be some trading?"

"He's got no sheath," Osaria says and Rande shows some displeasure and disappointment. He calmly turns his horse around and clicks his tongue.

Wait, was that a euphemism?

I look at the other girls and they show a little surprise.

After feeling Osaria's heartbeat quicken, I lower my hand further into her not-panties. I brush over some neatly trimmed bush with my fingers and edge around the opening of her labia. I slowly continue my search until I feel where her clitoris might be, then I keep my hand there to arouse her even further.

Her breath quickens and she closes her eyes. She bites her tongue so she doesn't moan out loud as she struggles to keep herself contained.

She starts to rub herself on the saddle and I feel my horse wanting to roll its eyes.

The rubbing continues until her whole body tenses up and shivers. Then the smell of pussy starts to leak out of her, which she promptly removes with a quick [Clean].

She chuckles softly and says under her breath, "You made me orgasm without even rubbing me. Just what is that hand of yours?!"

"A miraculous touch," I answer with a cheeky grin.

"If you weren't blessed I would complain of blasphemy."

I remove my hand from her not-panties and lick off the small amount of juice she left on it. Then I give her one last kiss on the neck.

As our emotions settle, we observe the environment change: the streaks of light become more common, illuminating the dark forest; the dark bark becomes light brown and slowly shifts to light yellow or pure white; grass starts to appear, making the soft, mushy terrain become much more firm; the "tree-knitting" becomes wild, and abstract patterns become much more common.

Suddenly, a prisoner mage starts to chant. The nature elemental squeezes his throat shut but he still forces the spell, creating a vortex of wild mana due to his lack of control.

Silvina draws her bow even without an arrow and it starts to glow. She releases the string and an arrow made of light strikes the head of the prisoner. He yells for a moment but stops as a hole is burned through his skull.

The arrow continues on and starts to burn the earth until Silvina does something with her bow, then it stops glowing and the arrow dissipates into nothing.

The patrol commander clicks his tongue and says, "If any other Wicked wants to run, give us a warning now and we will make your death quick and painless."

The zombie-like prisoners nod weakly and continue to march forward as if nothing happened.

A patrol soldier casts a spell and we don't even stop as the body burns into ashes.

Soon, we start seeing commoners living inside the gigantic trees and the strange sight of our caravan attracts attention.

They start whispering among themselves, so I discreetly put points into [Ingua Language] and [Enhanced Hearing] so that I can hear them. They comment on just about anything and anyone, but Hana seems to be their preferred target with her fiery hair and a personal dragon which make her stand out.

The guards also whisper between themselves. My stunt with the Masked Aberrant was definitely noticed, but they seem to be thinking that I made an earth elemental instead of summoning a real monster. The stone "scales" of the Aberrant give me a plausible excuse for what I did there.

I leave a [Gate] "coordinate" on the road. Unfortunately, I can't hide it due to still riding double with Osaria.

Then we finally reach Goloria.

The road reaches a very wide lake and continues on. We walk along the suspended bridge and look down to see the crystal clear water where plenty of fish and other weird things swim about.

Our view becomes completely surrounded by water and reflected light as we go deeper and deeper. Then the light fades out as the bark shield wall covers the sky. Crystals light the way and reflect off the water, giving us a breathtaking view of uncountable numbers of little dots of light as if the night sky completely surrounded us.

We start to hear the bustling of people as we reach the Pillar: the main entrance to Goloria.

The roads from all directions meet on the Pillar and a very wide spiral takes us upwards. Caravans from all other parts of the High Forest (except the west, where we came from) meet up here and we slowly make our way upwards.

The patrolmen start to bark orders and open a way through the middle of the wide road. The patrol commander whispers something to Lord Ricardo and we follow behind the patrol, effectively cutting the line.

We reach the same familiar killing-corridor, but this time it's pure white and decorated with golden inlays and fake columns, baroque style.

We pass through the huge, thick, heavy gate and are greeted by the clear blue sky. It's about an hour before dusk.

The caravan guards cheer and laugh. They are finally safe after surviving a harrowing encounter.

We are taken to the side of the road and the usual procedures for customs begin.

Rande approaches us and says to his mother, "I'll be going with the nobles. You and Oura take care of the caravan while I'm gone."

"Understood, my love," Osaria says softly and nods.

Then he turns to Klein. "You should stay here, the healers will come to see you and the other wounded soon."

Klein's perks up with excitement and nods repeatedly.

Rande turns to me and continues, "We are staying here for three days. Meet us here on the fourth, same time."

I nod and we dismount. Osaria turns to me and hugs me tight. I drown in her dark breasts and feel the pleasant scent of her perfume waft over me with a hint of sweat.

"I would love to continue this, but I have to work. So, how about we meet up tonight and have some dinner?" She says with her usual sultry and happy tone.

I regretfully regain the ability to breathe and glance at Osaria. I notice that her wounded eye is less cloudy and a faint red of her iris can be seen. Then I look over at Klein.

"The Canto Ornado is a good restaurant for dinner," she says and smiles softly, but it quickly fades. "I'm sorry, but I'll stay with my dad tonight."

"I'll come to see you in the morning," I say and give her a kind smile.

Klein's tail undulates faster with excitement and she smiles shyly. "Thank you… ah! Go to the Levesomno Inn, it should satisfy your, uh… preferences." She smiles again and awkwardly scratches her monkey ear.

Osaria seems a little surprised and happy at the fact that we can afford Klein's suggestions.

Hana grabs Klein and gives her a kiss on the lips. "See you tomorrow," she says in a slightly sad tone.

Klein nods and becomes more chipper. "You bet! Tomorrow we should all explore the town!"

I give Klein a gentle kiss too and we start walking away, but then I hurry on with the girls. The sooner we make ourselves scarce, the better. The guards will likely be questioned and the worst thing that could happen to us is if someone gets suspicious and orders us to answer questions under a Seeker of Truth. A single question could fuck us up, which is why most nobles avoid these Agents, but also why they rely on them in times of need.

"So, who has the better breasts?" Hana asks with a smirk.

"Yours are the best to use as a pillow, Ciel's are the softest, Osaria's are definitely delicious, but I can't rank them above either of yours," I say.

"Without any hesitation," Roxanne comments.

"He knows his breasts," Alissa says with a chuckle.

Lina feels like she wants to comment but ends up keeping quiet while her ears turn red.

This town was the first settlement ever "grown" by the elves. While the other towns prefer grid planning and simple buildings, Goloria is as creative as it gets with many ramps up and down; patches of levels at different heights; crooked buildings; abstract buildings; random public parks sprinkled everywhere; snaking roads; and labyrinthine urban planning.

It's beautiful, but it's also a pain to navigate around.

Gih!

Snob.

I soon realize that the elves are spying on us again. Without the mist, they have to resort to spying on us behind our backs. Through Holly, I see that they are very curious about the ruined leather on mine and Alissa's pants.

We reach the Levesomno Inn as the sky turns orange. A dark blue circular building dotted with small crystals that give off a faint shine, mimicking the view on the way to the Pillar. The overall shape kind of looks like a huge wooden mushroom with the way the upper floors are bigger than the lower ones.

A proto-butler elf greets us neutrally. The jingle of a few gold coins is enough to make him become very friendly.

We immediately head to the bath. Once we enter, we hear the instantly calming sound of running water. Large glass tubes come out of the ground like huge roots and glow lightly as the water flows through them.

After I lower myself into the water, I'm suddenly lifted up and sandwiched between Roxanne and Hana.

"I'm gonna fuck both of you, real hard," Hana says with a low growl.

Roxanne smiles mischievously and says, "That's her way of saying 'I love you.'"

"No, that's my way of saying 'I'm gonna fuck both of you.'"

"You are only this aggressive because we got hurt," I say.

"Well, yes."

"And you like to fuck those you love," Roxanne adds.

"Yes…" Hana pouts in annoyance at us.

"So you know what this means."

"I got worried and now I want some skinship…" Hana admits with a sigh.

"You also looked very guilty when you hugged Klein," I say softly.

"Hard not to, considering how wounded Anton and Klein got."

"It's not solely our fault, Hana. Someone fed information to Dawn of Fire about us, but the main targets were still the nobles," Ciel says.

"I know…" Hana looks down and sighs. "But I still feel really bad. People died, and Klein is not like us; she doesn't want any of that bullshit with nobility or to get involved with our 'destiny.'"

I get an idea. "After this is all done and we become nobles, do you think we can have Klein retire and serve us? Not like, follow us into danger, but just be a guard in our estate or something when we buy one."

Hana lights up. "Oh! She could marry my brother and they could both serve us as something like knights."

I cringe a little. "Wouldn't it be too awkward to have your brother marry a woman I dominated like that?" I ask.

I was preparing myself to take responsibility for my relationship with Klein.

Hana scoffs. "He can suck it if he doesn't like it. We can even train Klein to become his little personal cum extractor, so he won't have anything to complain about."

"If they're happy, then it's fine. Maybe we can even have Wolfy show him how to properly break a woman," Alissa says and smiles.

"Uh… I'm not letting him see any of you naked," I say.

"It doesn't have to be one of us. You can still fuck Klein," Hana says.

I raise my eyebrows as high as they can go. "Fuck his wife in front of him?"

Hana chuckles. "Maybe you can double-team her together. It would give her something to brag over us."

"You are serious?" I turn to Hana so I can look her in the eye.

"What? Is it different on Earth?"

"Yes…"

"Is my fetish that unusual?" Alissa asks innocently.

"Kind of." I cringe again.

"How boring," she says and blows some bubbles.

"I may be wet with water but I'm getting dry down there," Roxanne says with an annoyed pout.

"Right, time to break you," Hana says with a snort.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Noble Salty Panda.
Nobleman Lassiter.
Noble D4rk Sheep.
Noble Michael Erwin.

Manasong · Feb 6, 2020

23/01: I'll start standardizing the number of sex scenes so they don't fluctuate wildly anymore and take up too much space from the rest of the story.

"W-wait, we have to meet up with Osaria tonight," Roxanne says with a strained smile.

Hana glares at her and growls. "Tomorrow will be worse, then."

I look at Alissa and she grabs Ciel's and Lina's hands. "We'll deal with it, together."

"Good," Hana says in a low growl and the two other girls look each other in the eye.

"I can help!" Aoi says and raises her little claws.

"Even better! Let's see how long an original dragon's endurance lasts." Hana's eyes burn with fire.

"Aoi has already admitted to being under you, in more ways than one, so you should really focus on 'training' her," Roxanne says, completely jumping on her way out of this situation.

Hana rolls her eyes. "Well, I wanted to break you, but if you are that unwilling to have some fun with me, then I'll go for Aoi." Her tone turns dramatic and her mouth distorts in annoyance.

Roxanne pouts. "I love you," she says and Hana's farce melts off of her face.

They kiss while I'm still between them, making me feel like a third wheel.

"So… are we doing it?" I ask once they break apart.

"Gently," Roxanne says and starts to intoxicate me.

I get out of the bath while still hard and start drying myself to the sounds of Hana and Aoi "wrestling."

"What got you to change your mind about Osaria?" Ciel asks Roxanne, who immediately turns awkward.

"Well, I… thought that she didn't seem like a bad person, so why not?" Roxanne plays with one of her horns awkwardly.

Lina goes over to the ice box near the bath and pulls out a small yellow drink.

"You are still uncharacteristically uncertain about this." Ciel smiles smugly.

"She's too prideful to admit that she likes Osaria," Alissa says and smirks.

"Of course I like her. She's a fun person," Roxanne protests.

"Ahn! You are breaking, me apart!" Aoi yells.

"Do you want me to stop?" Hana asks.

"No! Harder!"

Now that is a sight…

"Yeah, but you were completely frigid to her flirting," Lina says.

"Even you…" Roxanne glares are Lina who returns a smile for a moment. "I'm rather suspicious of such aggressive flirting, so I didn't give her much attention. But then I saw her wounded and I realized that I couldn't hold back those feelings."

"So, what do you feel about her?" I ask.

Roxanne becomes a little awkward again. "I wouldn't mind if she were to join us."

We sit near the edge of the stone bath; the stone is heated, so it's quite comfortable.

"She seemed to be looking for something casual," Alissa says.

Roxanne shrugs. "It would still be fun to have her around."

We go silent and calmly watch the definitely-not-calm rough dragon-on-dragon sex.

Lina dangles her legs adorably at the edge, splashing the water with her cute little feet. I'm starting to think that some of the things she does are deliberate; she's far too cute for it to all be natural.

I look at Alissa and she smiles mischievously. She goes down on all fours and prowls towards me like a cat. Then she deposits her head on my lap and looks up at me with expectant eyes.

"Have you taught Lina those moves?" I ask.

"I only taught her how to be so cute that you wouldn't ever think of abandoning her," Alissa answers with a smug grin as her tail sways wildly.

"Eh?" Lina turns around and looks at us with uncertainty.

"Seducing Ciel was a nice side-effect of my 'coaching.'"

"I'm not one to complain," Ciel says.

"Me neither," Roxanne adds.

The two stare at each other and a few sparks fly between them.

"Learn to share," Alissa says and the situation calms down again.

Aoi finally collapses and lays on top of the water, using her wide wings to help her float. Hana sends our "little" blue dragon towards us and I cast [Heal] and [Refresh] on both of them.

"We have to be careful to not get hurt," Ciel suddenly says.

"From…?" Alissa looks at her questioningly.

"Klein and Osaria. I know we have been spending too much time with Klein, so much in fact that I think that saying goodbye to her now would be very hard."

"Oh… I didn't think of that…" Hana says and her expression turns pensive.

"That's nothing new," Roxanne comments.

"I just let my desire flow…" Hana ignores the insult and climbs out of the water.

"We all kind of did…" Ciel says with a cringe.

Hana becomes so dejected that I grab her arm and pull her into a hug. Alissa gets out of my lap and hugs her from behind.

"I know you like her as a friend and maybe something more, but we will deal with it, together. I'm also starting to get affected," I say.

"Group hug!" Roxanne exclaims and Aoi jumps out of the water to join in.

Gify turns on his "massage" and the mood becomes a little better.

We get ourselves dressed up in our best clothes and start making our way towards the Canto Ornado. The elven attendant is extremely helpful in giving us directions now that he knows how much money we have.

A few taverns closed off parts of the small roads so that they can have some open-air music and drinking, a custom that starts in the last month and lasts until the Turn of the Wheel.

"The bards are better over here," Hana comments and even Aoi nods.

"They are a little boring, though," Lina says.

We turn to her and look at her oddly.

"There's no party like a dwarven party," she says and smirks, making Hana scoff. "Have you ever actually seen one?" She adds and glares at Hana.

"No, but it's hard to imagine a bunch of cute little dwarves reaching the same level of debauchery as a true dragonkin party."

"I'll show you how cute we can be," Lina says, threateningly.

"I would actually love to see that," I say and we have a light chuckle.

The Canto Ornado takes the baroque pompous architecture and turns it up a notch. The building literally shines due to the gold on the walls. Every single surface is so overly detailed that my eyes get tired just from looking at them for too long.

"Are we sure this isn't one of the emperor's houses?" Roxanne asks.

"The Throne of Ascension isn't covered in gold, that's just a tale," Ciel says in a tired tone.

"If it is, wouldn't that make it even better that we're going to dine in here?" Alissa asks.

"Yes!" Aoi exclaims happily.

"Don't bite the walls," I warn her with a smirk and she puffs a small smoke cloud.

We head inside and get a table, then we wait a little bit for Osaria to arrive while eating some croutons and drinking not-wine as a snack.

"Well, it tastes nice, but this is juice," Roxanne says and Lina nods.

"A few more cups and I bet you'll get drunk," Hana says.

My heart nearly stops when I see Osaria come in. She's wearing a silver not-bikini so thin that it seems like her erect nipples could poke right through it; the top is a vertical strip of cloth that lets her breasts hang freely, and if it were any thinner, you would see her black areolas; the bottom is so small that she needs a small flap on the front, but it still lets us peek underneath at a small hint of silver when she walks; the back part of the hanging cloth is so long that it touches the ground, giving a cape-like feeling to it; her silver high heels are needle-thin and laced up, and they make her calves and ass look even juicier. Her silver hair is tied up in a braid that wraps around her head, giving her a very dignified look; she's wearing purple eye-liner that darkens the corners of her entrancing red eyes, which are now fully healed; her breasts jiggle so much that even Ciel looks down at her own and tries to make them jiggle the same way.

She's a work of art.

"You have to take off your sash," Hana says, noticing Ciel's slight frustration.

"Oh, I wish I had more makeup," Alissa casually comments.

"Your wish is my command," I respond without thinking.

"Oh, wait! It's not a necessity," Alissa tries to take it back.

"Too late, we are buying you makeup."

The fragrance of the girls' perfume is overwhelmed for a short time when Osaria comes over to us smelling like a goddess.

"Good evening, Helios," Osaria greets us and smiles sensually.

"H-hello," Lina absentmindedly responds.

I manage to retain enough composure to get up and pull out a chair for her, right between me and Roxanne.

As Osaria sits down, I draw the curtains for our table and we become isolated from the world.

Klein really understands what we like.

We touch the gem on the table and a waitress comes to deliver the menu to us.

As we choose what we're going to eat, Ciel starts up the conversation, "How's the healing? I can see that you recovered your eye."

"We went to the temple and had to call on every priest there to heal us. They even had to use [Mana Transfusion] to feed the healers more mana, such was the cost of healing us all," Osaria answers.

Lina's Trivia: that's [Nature Magic]'s level 35 spell.

"How's Klein?" I ask.

Osaria chuckles. "Literally jumping around, the priestess that healed her almost lost her mind."

"Understandable. Klein, I mean, not the priestess," Hana says with a small smile.

"Then Anton woke up and started doing push-ups. The priest that healed him started groaning out loud."

"Oh, I know what that's like," Ciel says and sends a withering glare to Hana. "It's like people don't want to rest. They only make things worse by exercising right after being healed."

"In this line of work, we trade our health for coin. If we can move, we can fight," Hana says.

Ciel starts to pout. "Maybe you shouldn't literally trade your HP for coin. Take it easy sometimes."

"I'll rest when I'm dead," Hana says.

"That's exactly what Anton said," Osaria says with a smile.

"He's the one who told me that." Hana winks at Osaria.

"I didn't think Anton was that eager to fight again," Alissa says.

"Eager to work, not to fight. He doesn't want to be pitied."

"It's why we love him so much," Osaria says and smiles suggestively.

Hana turns to Osaria and looks at her curiously. "You like to play with fire, don't you? There was a moment when I thought that Krista was going to stab you."

Osaria hides her mischievous smile behind her hand. "I adore Krista, but she's so selfish. A big boy like Anton would benefit from getting more experience."

"Maybe he doesn't need to. Krista might be much more flexible than we give her credit for."

"Well, Klein did inherit her 'endurance' from someone," I say and we three smirk.

I'm pleasantly surprised by the wide selection of pastas with not-tomato sauces. I order a nutty salad mix and a pan-seared minotaur ribeye steak to accompany my sweet and mild taglierine sauce.

"I hardly ever see you drinking," Osaria says to me as she sips her not-wine.

"Imagine if I got into a drunken brawl," I say.

"He would kill me in bed, he nearly does when I ask him to go hard," Hana says.

"If we both got drunk, I could end up dead," Alissa says.

Osaria seems a little impressed. "Clearly you do not go easy on each other."

I smile warmly, "I'm willing to do anything to make them happy. I, myself, don't even enjoy it that much."

"Uh huh." Roxanne says. Ciel and Lina look at me with doubt.

"I see… but you could still drink a little," Osaria says.

I smile bitterly. "I just don't really enjoy drinking."

The conversation switches to clothing after that. I give my humble opinion on my preferences.

Osaria gushes a little and says, "You are all so cute. I wish I had someone that would dress me up like that. Rande isn't much help in that regard, Nito and Oura are too girlish for that, and… my husband never took interest in those things."

"You co~uld dress up for us," Roxanne says, tentatively.

Osaria smiles endearingly but shakes her head softly. "After this is done we might never see each other again. It's best to leave it that way."

"We would rather enjoy ourselves as much as we can before separating," I say.

"You may have the energy for it, but I can't handle anymore of that… pain. Tonight is all we have." She smiles bitterly.

"Then I'll make it worth it."

She sends me a sharp glance. "You'd better."

We finish the main course and call for desert. Osaria lays her hand on my thigh while we wait.

"You know, these cakes are a little too sweet for me, I prefer something a little more… bitter," she says and smiles mischievously.

Her hand glides upwards and reaches my crotch. Dexterous and thin fingers trace along the shaft of my penis. The thin fabric of my pants allows me to feel her touch quite well.

I smile at her and open my legs, allowing her to touch it more freely.

Osaria's other hand finds Roxanne's thigh and rides up along the opening at the side of her dress.

Roxanne breathes in deeply and everyone looks at her oddly. Soon, she has to hold her head and fidgets in her seat while Osaria plays with her pussy. The girls finally understand what's happening and smile wryly.

The waitress comes and gives us a large cake for us all to share, then immediately leaves without even sparing a glance at Roxanne. Ciel and Lina start cutting slices of cake for us.

Osaria's hand immediately reaches inside my pants and pulls out my dick. She starts stroking it with delicacy but also with speed. Her touch rivals Alissa's, but her technique is flawless.

"Oh, a handjob…" Aoi comments and looks sadly at her own sharp claws.

"You may be able to do it if you are careful enough," Alissa says and pats her back.

"I'm sorry?" Osaria asks while smiling and confused, but still continues working with her hands.

"Aoi is a breeder-type and in love with Wolfy," Ciel says.

"Yes!" Aoi gives us a toothy smile.

Osaria gasps. "So that's why you didn't sell her…"

"Our 'little' dragon is loved by us in more ways than one," Hana says.

"Hm… I would love to have a male dragon lover for myself…" Osaria says and closes her eyes.

"I know! It would be incredible!" Hana slams her hands on the table in excitement.

Osaria takes her hand out of Roxanne's pussy and licks the faint wetness from her fingers. Roxanne sighs in relief but looks a little disappointed.

Osarai grabs one of the plates of cake and lowers it to my penis.

"Cum for me," she whispers in a very sultry voice and I groan in response.

"Say 'ara ara,'" I tell Osaria.

"Ara… ara…" She obeys in the most sensual tone she can whisper in my ear.

I cum instantly and coat the slice of cake with my cream.

Osaria smiles, pleasantly surprised. "Ohoh… you are still hard. Do you have a sex skill?"

"[Enhanced Semen Recharge]."

"The best one, I see."

She gives the creamed plate to Roxanne and positions another in front of my dick.

"Who else wants some?"

Hana and Aoi raise their hands. Lina shyly raises her hand after that and Ciel looks away.

I look at Alissa oddly and she smiles. "What? I can get it anytime I want. I love the taste, but sometimes you need something different."

"Is there a skill that makes it taste different?" I ask.

"Not that I know of," Osaria says and shrugs.

I coat the portions for the girls and we all eat our cake silently.

"It actually tastes better with it," Roxanne says, impressed.

"It's not just a perversion. Sometimes, you can have too much sugar," Osaria says and giggles.

"No, you can't," Ciel says and scoffs.

The cake soon disappears and we lay back in our seats, our stomachs filled to the brim and my dick still hard. Osaria continues to play with it, seemingly very amused at how long I can stay hard.

"I think it's time for us to go," I say.

With a little giggle she tucks it back into my pants.

We walk out of the restaurant in an eye catching procession. Osaria is on one arm and Roxanne is on the other. The other girls are walking closely behind us.

This town is much more lively than the others we've been in, so Hana ends up having to walk in front alongside an earth elemental to keep the way clear for us.

We enter our light blue cozy room and Osaria raises an eyebrow. "Are you all going to sleep here?" She asks.

"Together, always," Aoi says.

"Ara ara, how adorable."

Oof.

Lina is heavily affected too and I see her smile brightly at me.

We make our way through the beds and sit down at the edge. Roxanne immediately straddles Osaria and they lock their gazes on each other.

The other girls spread out on the beds and look at us expectantly. Alissa's tail sways wildly while I feel her excitement through the [Bind].

Osaria hugs Roxanne and the two kiss; their tongues immediately intertwine. Roxanne is hungry, but cedes control to Osaria, who carries her in a hug and deposits Roxanne on the bed.

The thin straps that hold up Roxanne's dress fall away and expose her pale perky breasts. Osaria licks her lips and goes back to kissing Roxanne.

I slowly undress myself and savor the sight. They are just passionately kissing, but there's something special about that, something pure.

Osaria undoes the ties of her not-bikini and multiple strips of cloth fall down along with her top.

Lina pulls out Ciel's breasts and compares them to Osaria's. Ciel's skin is lighter, but their nipples are the same dark color. Ciel's nipples are big, whereas Osaria's are small and inverted. Ciel's breasts are round with a little sag, while Osaria's spill out more to the sides.

They break off the kiss and Osaria pulls down the rest of Roxanne's dress, leaving her completely exposed except for her stilettos.

They stare at each other with wonder. Roxanne's pale hands glide along the dark skin of Osaria and feel up her curves, only stopping to cup her breasts.

Osaria lowers herself so that Roxanne can suck her nipples and pull them out. Meanwhile, she undoes the ties of the lower part of her not-bikini, exposing to all of us her round ass and dark pussy lips with a silver trim.

She grabs her ass cheeks and spreads them. "Fuck me, Wolf, fuck me like you have never fucked before."

I stand up and position myself behind her. Her glistening pussy is already wet, but I first shove two fingers in, one in each hole.

"How much has your asshole been spread?" I ask her.

"Not enough."

I shove another finger in and cast [Clean], then I put on my "Sex Maniac" build and penetrate her.

Roxanne lets loose her "charm" and the two women give me an overload of sensuality.

I slam my crotch against Osaria's ass, making lewd sounds as her cheeks jiggle from the impact. I force my fingers in to spread her wider and she holds Roxanne up so that she can eat her pussy.

A small train is established while we three grunt and moan. I hug Osaria from behind so that I can cup her breasts and breathe in the sweet smell of her hair.

I shoot inside her and they roll around so I can fuck her in missionary while Roxanne sits on her face.

Roxanne leans over and I kiss her. My awareness dims to solely these two women while my energy flares and I orgasm again.

I play with Osaria's clit and spread my soul over the two of them. They immediately start shivering with orgasms and their voices fade.

As the amount of lube I produce increases, I pick up speed.

With the fourth shot, I switch and let them have a 69 while I fuck Roxanne from behind.

I grab Roxanne's tail and rub it, but even after that she goes into a state of constant orgasm and barely has any more control over herself than Osaria does. All she can do is wrap her mouth over Osari's slit and suck my dripping cum out of her womb.

Osaria's tongue rubs along my shaft as I thrust in and out of Roxanne's entrance. She plays with the pale clit and tries to nibble on it.

I shoot inside Roxanne and let it overflow. I slow down so Osaria can use her tongue to lick around my shaft and Roxanne's lips, drinking up all the cum that she can.

Then I switch back to Osaria and make her ride me.

They kiss while pulling more of my cum out of themselves so they can share it. The energetic bouncing makes the bed creak and the world slows down as I take in every detail of this erotic painting.

Osaria's strong legs move her waist up and down and I slam my crotch against her in sync. Soon my shaft has more cream on it again, this time coming from Osaria's orgasm.

I turn into a monster whose sole purpose is fucking. Roxanne directs me and I obey. My cock rubs on their g-spots and my cum is mixed with their white cream.

The smell of their perfumes mix with the smell of my cum, making the air become heavy with sex and desire.

The other girls start moaning too, as the atmosphere we're creating is too heavy for them to not get in the mood.

Hana fucks Alissa wildly, who has her eyes glued on us and extreme pleasure leaks through her [Bind].

The cycle of fucking, orgasm, switch continues on and my mind clouds with the constant pleasure.

We both start focusing solely on Osaria, intent on breaking her mind with pleasure. Roxanne's tail invades Osaria's asshole, her pale hand sinks on one of the massive breasts and plays with the nipple, and her mouth glues to the other dark nub.

"FUCK ME! HARDER! FUCK MEE!" Osaria yells in pure ecstasy.

I push Osaria down and have her lay on her back. Then I spread her thick thighs wide so we can all get a perfect view of her precious place.

They never took their heels off and my foot fetish starts to amp up as I lick Osaria's feet.

Our bodies become sweaty and it mixes in with our sex juices.

Soon, Osaria stops responding and we give her a breather by focusing on each other.

Roxanne is hungry; her insides wring out a continuous stream of cum from me until I start to lose strength in my body. My dick protests and my body heats up as it works overtime to draw out enough energy for my balls.

Roxanne finally leaves me and goes over to Hana to continue the draining.

After a few minutes, Osaria seems to be regaining some strength, so I mount her and [Clean] her mouth.

"Is that enough for you?" I ask with a smirk.

"No… fuck me harder…" She says in a hoarse voice.

I seal her mouth with mine and start to move myself inside her. She hugs me tight and wraps her legs firmly around my waist.

"Breed me," she says and I obey.

I spread my soul out through my dick and lips, and soon she's screaming my name again. There's only me and the "ara ara" to end all "ara aras." The only person who could ever hope to top Osaria is Ciel when she gets older.

After I fully drain myself inside her, Roxanne comes back to Osaria to make her scream until she loses her voice.

Today is the 21th.

Four dark bags filled with happiness squish my oiled member and make me shoot upwards, only to coat the chins of Ciel and Osaria as they kiss.

They giggle softly and use my seed to aid them in their kissing.

A gentle breeze flows in as Lina opens the windows to let the smell of sex vent from the room.

"O-okay, that's enough," I say and commit the Sin of removing my dick from between their breasts after the second shot.

They stop kissing and Osaria says, "So you do have a limit. I've never seen so much semen before; I almost thought that you were without limit."

"All good things must come to an end," I say and sprawl out on the bed again.

The aftermath of the battle is horrible. Every single sheet is stained with semen, pussy juice, and sweat.

"Let's leave this for the maids to clean up. We are going to be staying here for a few days anyway," Alissa says, reading my mind, literally.

"I think we should go down and eat breakfast at the restaurant," Lina says and we all agree.

Osaria pulls out some spare clothes and tries to stand up, but her legs wobble and she collapses back onto the bed. "Hahaha, I can't walk! We did it so much that I can't even walk!" She exclaims and sighs in satisfaction.

"[Refresh]," Ciel casts.

"[Heal]," I cast.

"Ooh…" Osaria moans sensually and grabs a breast. "Oh my, I've never felt so much pleasure before, and I really needed that. Staying out of town for so long without a proper man beside me isn't easy, you know."

"We are always available," I say with a smirk.

"No thanks, I won't be thinking of sex for a day-cycle, at least."

Hana snorts and says, "Yeah, right."

For the first time in the last two days, I take a look at the girls' stats: Hana leveled up to 38 and increased her [Tatesomu Style] by 1 (now 6); Lina increased her "Sanity" by 1 (now 13); Roxanne increased her "Endurance" by 1 (now 10); and I increased my [Nature Magic] by 1 (now 3+18).

I feel very hungry, so I end up sampling one of everything from the extensive selection of fruits for breakfast.

Alissa glows with happiness and clings to me like glue. I use the [Bind] to guide her so she can feed me properly, which just makes her even happier.

With our bellies full, we stretch and laze around for a little while.

"I think it's time for me to go," Osaria says with a slightly sad tone.

"Oh, okay," Roxanne says, lowly.

"Maybe when we reach Goldport we can repeat this, but don't count on it. You're all so 'energetic' that I'm starting to feel old," Osaria says and smiles wryly.

"We are just abnormal," Ciel says.

"That much was obvious since the first time we met."

Roxanne and I kiss Osaria's hand and she takes her leave.

Once she's gone, Roxanne visibly deflates and looks at her plate with disappointment.

"You liked her that much?" Alissa asks.

"I… uh, I don't think so. I just… feel a little disappointed that she left," Roxanne answers, lowly.

"We always knew that was going to happen," I say.

"Yeah, but… I still feel disappointed. It was good, really good, but I still feel… disappointed." She shrugs in frustration, not able to find the words to express herself.

"I don't think you have a good mindset to fully enjoy casual sex," Ciel says and pats Roxanne's back.

"Yeah, I guess… It does remind me of the time I was alone and had casual partners, but it's not really a pleasant memory…" Roxanne hunches over and awkwardly touches one of her dark horns.

We work a little to cheer her up again and then head to the temple to meet up with Klein.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Noble Salty Panda.
Noble Michale Erwin.
Noble Cidant.

Manasong · Mar 11, 2020

As we walk, I notice how the number of halflings running about seems to be even higher here than it was in Escanso. I knew that they were hiring halflings to improve the yields of the farms, but the percentage of halflings here must be close to that of the humans.

The cute, thin little men and women are very similar to dwarves, indeed, but they seem more manic in their behavior, while dwarves are more boisterous. There's always exceptions, like Lina, but they are just that, exceptions.

We end up finding the main road and move east towards the temple. At the center of the town is the castle, a twin of Escanso's castle with a rather similar engraving of the Lord's family: A man with thin eyes and an oval face in the middle, Lord Confiel Rincipio; two similar-looking women with cute eyes and round faces on each side, his wives; below his portrait are two young boys with soft features, one seems to be my this-world-age and with a pompous look, and the other seems slightly softer due to his younger age.

I miss the flag that Rabanara keeps atop its castle. The lack of heraldry here makes me feel like something is missing. The elves don't seem to show heraldry that often; aside from bodyguards and knights, you rarely see someone displaying any sort of house symbol. Sneaking around in the dimly illuminated forest is rather easy, so going around wearing colorful clothes and waving banners doesn't seem very smart most of the time.

The inner ring around the castle is where the nobility lives. Our inn is in the outer ring, so we move east and enter the last ring, the residential area. The number of non-elves drops off drastically as only elves are allowed to buy residences here.

Since we are wearing traditional elven clothing, the residents mostly ignore us, except for those who are spying on us and a few of the more xenophobic elves who give us annoyed looks.

The buildings become small and adorable, like the plump tree-buildings we saw in Goldport. The holes in the middle of the road disappear, and even Lina starts to feel more comfortable and ignore how high above ground we are.

We finally reach the temple and see the familiar four clock towers pointing to the base cardinal directions. After the small gate and the low wall, we see a rather small half-sphere of white marble, the temple proper. The size of it is clearly smaller than Rabanara's, but the priest quarters and orphanage are of the same size.

Right outside the orphanage, we see Klein monkeying around with the children, a sight very similar to the one of my own orange fox. Anton and Krista are sitting on a bench and watching them while leaning on one another. I recognize a few of the human soldiers of the caravan also playing around.

Krista and Anton notice us and wave. Klein stops in the middle of the field and gets hit on her back with a heavy leather ball that they use to play something similar to american football.

Klein quickly recovers from the hit and comes to us, bouncing around. "Look, look! I feel even better than before!" She exclaims happily and stops in front of us. She pushes her short up so we can stare at her athletic-looking leg. The skin looks absolutely perfect, as if she'd never lost a chunk of muscle from the exploding arrow.

"It will be better than before if you give the new flesh time to adapt to your body," Ciel chastises and narrows her eyes at Klein.

"Hehehe, sorry, sorry, but I'm far too happy to stay resting." She scratches her cute monkey ear.

"She's always been like that," Hana says and taps Ciel's shoulder.

Klein comes to me and gives me a quick kiss as a greeting, then Hana; the rest of the girls each receive one, too, but it's a little more awkward. Aoi and Gify get a pat on the head.

Krista and Anton whisper to each other as we come to greet them.

"How are you, big man?" Hana asks with a grin.

"Couldn't be better, I think they even took out some of my fat that was building up! HAH!" Anton answers and laughs out loud once.

"He's trying to convince me that getting wounded was a good thing," Krista says in a tired tone, her tail seems to rubbing her temple in annoyance.

"If we benefited from this whole ordeal, then isn't it a good thing? For us, I mean, not for the people who died," he says and cringes a little.

"Considering how much grief we suffered while you were unconscious, you getting thinner wasn't very beneficial for my soul."

"Oh…" Anton puckers his lips and his permanent frown increases in strength.

"Da' is just being silly," Klein says and shakes her head.

Anton's huge hand sneaks behind Krista's back and grabs her shoulder, pulling her into a much tighter hug than normal. "Just trying to see the golden inlays for what they are," he smiles awkwardly and cringes again.

"So, I'm going to leave now," Klein announces.

Krista smiles wryly and Anton rolls his eyes.

"Don't let yourself get hurt," Krista says with a slightly teasing tone.

"I won-… right, yeah, I'll…" Klein seems to fail at finding a comeback for that. She cringes and decides to let that one go. "Anyway, let's explore the town, hm? We have three days to enjoy it!" She raises her arms to the sky and grins.

"We have to restock and repair some of our equipment, and fit metal armor for Hana, but that can wait until tomorrow," I say.

"Let's go for a boat ride!" Klein suggests.

I look at the girls and they all shrug.

"Sure."

We enter a [Gate] booth and Klein asks for the mage to take us to the Marina do Rei. We exit at the ground floor and the first thing we hear is the soft swish of water.

We are right at the twilight zone, the border where the environment starts to turn dark due to the town's shield bark wall above us. On the dark side, you have a romantic atmosphere with hundreds of little lights tickling your eyes and flower petals floating about; on the other side, you have a much more vibrant and calming view with the colorful plants sticking to the white "knitted" tree-pillars, and visible colorful fish swimming in the surprisingly shallow water.

Ciel seems particularly dazed by the view of the light side.

Klein turns to us with a proud smile as she sees us all admiring the amazing view. "So, which side?" She asks.

"That one," Ciel is the first to respond.

"Are we going to just float around or is something else going to happen?" Hana asks.

"You can take your pick and mix them. There's also dance; music, either calm or upbeat; food; alcohol; elven dancers you can hire; elven, uh, prostitutes; or just get a large one with a comfy bed so you can read or do something… else." She finishes off with a wry smile.

"We could have brought Osaria here," Hana comments with a grin.

"The whole marina would have heard her screams," I say.

"That would make things even better."

"Calm music and food," Ciel interrupts.

"Bed and dark side," Lina suggests. Ciel turns to the gloomy dwarf and pouts. "I want to read the books that Oura lent me," she adds.

"Oh, good idea. I'll join you," Alissa says.

"Eh, might be good for some mana training," Roxanne says.

"Mana training?" Klein looks up with expectancy, smelling another secret of ours.

"Super duper secret stuff. You better not tell anyone about this," Hana answers with a smirk.

"I'll go with Ciel," I say.

"I'll go with Roxanne; I didn't get my fill of cuddling with her yet," Hana says, making Roxanne smile.

"Hana," Aoi chooses.

"Gih," Gify chooses Alissa.

"You'll be telling me all about that training, then," Klein says to Roxanne and smiles mischievously, then she turns to me. "Oh yes, ask for them to take you near the flowers, they smell really good."

We board the gondola and the elven bard at the stern motions for us to sit. "What kind of song would you like to listen to?" She asks.

"Love songs," I immediately answer.

Ciel rolls her eyes. "Corny as always, old man."

"I know you enjoy it." I smirk at her.

She scoffs lightly and turns her head to the side. "You overestimate yourself again."

I poke her ribs and she jumps, making the gravity well around her chest turn chaotic for a moment. She turns to me and glares.

I point my finger to her face and tap her nose twice, then I say, "I saw that smile. You have no [Acting], you can't hide it from my 'Perception.'"

She forces her expression to remain serious. "Your jokes cause me pain and happiness at the same time, but I'm not Hana or Alissa, so I don't enjoy the pain."

"You enjoy being teased."

"I enjoy attention."

"Same thing."

"Only because you are insufferable!" She chuckles as she protests.

I grab her hand and kiss it. "And I love you too."

She melts a little and shakes her head with her eyes closed. "Calm songs only, please," she says with finality in her voice.

The giggling bard nods and turns around to give us some privacy.

"Ready?" The driver at the bow asks us.

"Ready. Take us close enough to the flowers for us to smell them, please," I say.

"As you wish."

The old man opens his arms and I feel mana escape his body. The swishing of the waves around us increases, but then it stops and I feel the gondola start moving. The fingers of the old man wave one after another like waves and I feel the mana coming out of him synchronizing with the movement of each finger. Must be some form of [Weaverism].

The gondola itself also starts to leak some mana and I can see that the net that's tied on the underside is glowing softly. Somehow, the boat moves without making waves or swaying, as if it is perfectly gliding on the surface.

I get myself comfortable on the fake fur seat and give Ciel a hug.

"Normally I'm the one hugging you," she says.

"This time, let me be the bigger spoon."

"What…?"

"We are cuddling, like two spoons on top of each other. The bigger spoon covers the smaller spoon. So, cuddling is also called spooning."

She lays her head on my lap and chuckles. "What a silly symbolism and word to represent it."

"Hey, it sounds cute, at least in my native language." I shrug and start playing with her silky black hair.

We go quiet and enjoy the view as I apply some [Massage] on her scalp.

"There's just so much road ahead," Ciel says wistfully.

"Hm?"

"Until we can retire and grow a family."

"You'll get two children of mine, don't worry."

"What?" She asks amid chuckles.

"I've got it all planned out. With two children each, we will have ten children, not counting how many Aoi wants. We will make enough money to buy a huge estate with enough servants to help us take care of all the children."

"Do you want children or a fellowship?" She asks with an amused tone.

"Well, they might have to follow in our footsteps, so having them team up wouldn't be much of a stretch."

"That sounds oddly adorable." She smiles wryly.

"Why oddly?" I frown at her.

She looks up at me with a cute smile. "Killing monsters is a pretty gruesome job. Doing it with your children sounds like something out of a hero's tale."

I would say fantasy story, but since I'm living in one, I guess that a 'hero's tale' sounds more appropriate.

"But don't people like Anton and Klein live like that?"

"Out of necessity, not because Anton dreamed about it." She cups my cheek tenderly.

I pucker my lips and look at her a little annoyed. She cringes and gives me a phony smile. "Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't let you get too wild with your dreams.

"Okay, mom, I'll keep my dreams very down to Earth."

"That sounded odd." She raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it didn't translate that well into Andraste. But anyway, our children will be able to choose their own path, we'll make sure of it."

She lets the pouty face drop and closes her eyes. "That's all I want."

With the white trees, clear water, reflections of the light, and beautiful flowers, it's like we are in a holy garden or something. The care the plants receive is so meticulous that they could be paintings by themselves. There's a skill called [Artistic Arrangement] that I think is responsible for this. It's like the Japanese art of flower arrangement.

The fragrances actually remind me of the sweets and cakes that I've eaten before. They are strong enough to stimulate your senses, but not enough to overwhelm them or make you get sick of it too soon.

Ciel eventually sits up so she can see better. After some light rib poking, she sits on my lap so I can hug her from behind. She might be squishy, but she's a little heavy.

Gih.

If you ever tell her that I thought that, I swear that I will use [Spirit Magic] to hurt you.

Gihihih.

With the bard and the driver not looking at us, I'm allowed a little bit of fondling over the thin fabric of her not-bikini. I wish I had six hands because there's thighs, ass, and boobs to fondle, yet I only have two hands. What a shame.

We eventually ask for the bard to stop a few hours in and silently enjoy the view, entering into a trance-like state. Surprisingly, this is good training for my [Soul Manipulation], allowing me to focus on practicing it with Ciel's chocolate body and the view as good distractions to help test my control.

As lunchtime nears, we eventually end our boat ride and rejoin the other girls. Hana ended up falling asleep, but she practiced her MP training quite a lot; Roxanne taught Klein the technique, who swore to never teach anyone what she learned, even her parents; Lina looks a lot less gloomy while Alissa looks even more refreshed and latches onto my arm, still feeling the glowing happiness from yesterday's adventure; Aoi is adjusting the finishing touches of her [Fly] and mixing it with her own dragon-way of manipulating air for flight; and finally, Gify is Gify.

Gih!

We buy our lunch from the street stalls and eat the skewers as we walk along the busy streets of the Bazaar. We eat a variety of things: from meat skewers, to sweets, like honeyed not-apples, to even skewers of spicy preserved foods paired with cheeses to break up their strong flavors.

We stop in front of a shop that displays Snow Weave nightwear along with live spiders and mantises in cages.

"Uh… this is creepy," I say and the girls nod, except for Lina.

"The bugs are how they make Snow Weave," she says.

"Ooh… Oh! Ew…" I go through a variety of emotions as I learn this new fact.

"So, this is an original store for Snow Weave?" Alissa asks with a wide smile.

"Yes."

Alissa immediately hands me Aoi and Gify, then she pushes all the girls inside the shop.

I could go in too, but I prefer to be surprised later.

"Shouldn't I go, inside, too?" Aoi asks.

The image of Aoi wearing stockings is definitely not sexy.

"Maybe not yet, one day we will figure out clothing for you," I say with an apologetic smile.

"Promise?" She asks in a soft voice. Her eyes suddenly turn round and cute.

"Promise."

Did Alissa teach her that?

The girls come back giggling and we continue our shopping spree.

We eventually pass by a few armorsmiths, so we end up commissioning a full set of armor for Hana with the metal that we acquired.

"'Boobplate' or 'plainplate'?" The burly human smith asks.

"Boob," Hana immediately answers.

He pulls out a few measuring tools that he gives to his young female assistant so she can measure Hana's bust. Then he shows Hana drawings of the designs he can make.

The young girl looks a little miffed at the perfect balloons that Hana has.

The man stares a little while at the bent pieces of metal we gave him to reforge, but accepts them nonetheless. Taking the equipment of the dead is a common occurrence, but knowing what you are holding actually came from a dead person can still be a little chilling.

We find a leather worker who can patch up mine and Alissa's armored trousers. Melted leather is annoying to deal with since the worker will have to cut out a patch and replace the mangled leather and burnt padding.

"Nasty stuff. Lucky you that this padding only burnt and didn't fuse with your leg," the leather worker says.

"Dragon scales and [Blessing Magic] made it much less severe than it could have been."

"Aye."

The word he said was different, but the system still translated it into "aye."

Then we buy more burning oil and Klein visibly shudders when she sees the flasks.

"I would rather never use [Fire Magic] again, but I know that I'll have to get over it," she says.

Roxanne touches her neck and swallows heavily.

Finally, we find some thread and needles that Lina can use to stitch Ted and Suzy back into shape. But I still have to find a way to strengthen their bodies.

Dusk comes, so we go back to the inn and have our bath. Klein is getting frisky, but I'm still a little sore, so she accepts waiting a little while until I'm ready to break her.

After that, we make our way to the Blurred Wheel. A very large inn with very loud music. The architecture is plain, but there are a lot of actual plants used as decoration. I recognize one as being the same golden wheat-like plants found in the Shore of Leaves.

"They are all plants that can be turned into alcohol," Lina says and Hana nods.

Right, it's a theme.

In a corner, thankfully far from most of the loud music, I recognize Julien, Laertes, and the other soldiers and mages from the caravan.

"Yo!" A brown haired man beside Julien waves for us.

"Let's split up a bit," Hana says with a fearsome smile.

They start to make room for all of us to sit together, but Hana seats us in a spread out pattern. Ciel is put beside Julien; Lina is put between the two female elven mages, which are strikingly similar looking; Roxanne is put beside the joker man next to Julien; Hana sits between two of the burliest soldiers; Klein sits beside a soldier who's near Laertes; Alissa is thankfully allowed to sit beside me, a little far away from Laertes.

Is she trying to kill me with jealousy? I'm going to make her asshole bleed if that's her plan…

Might do it anyway just for fun…

"Klein, are your parents coming?" Julien asks in his usual soft voice.

"Nope. Rande is also too tired to drink today and Osaria is…" Her eyes drift over to me.

"Well taken care of, but also too tired to party," I say with a grin.

The men chuckle and holler while the women massage their temples with strained expressions. My girls look half amused, half embarrassed.

Julien clangs his empty ceramic mug at the table and stands up. "Before we start with the debauchery, it's time for us to remind ourselves of our comrades we lost," he says in a gentle tone.

We all stand up and hold a fist over our heart.

"Marcus!" Yells one of the soldiers.

"Hera!" Yells another of the soldiers.

"Thassos!" Yells a third.

"Felicia!" Goes a fourth.

"Vadik!" Exclaims a fifth.

"Orquideo!" And sixth.

"Abava!" Then a seventh.

"Avallach!" A female elven mage nearly chokes on her words.

"Jafari!" The ninth finishes while a tear runs down his cheek.

Julien continues, "The nobles lost most of their men, but I don't really know their names. So we shall thump our chest five times, one for each of the dead."

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

Everyone slams their empty mug on the table and sits down again.

An odd mourning tradition.

"Angel of the alcohol! We need you!" The joker yells to the barmaid.

The elven woman gives him only a small smile, but that's enough to melt his heart.

She starts taking our orders and I request a weak drink.

"You don't drink, Wolf?" Julien asks

"If I get too drunk, things might get dangerous," I answer and smile a little nervously.

"I can believe that. Seeing how fast you summoned that beast of an elemental, you could have just plopped it on top of the fucker's head and killed him instantly!" The joker chimes in.

"Didn't his dragon do something like that and squash a mage?" a soldier asks.

"I saw something, but it was too fast," says another soldier.

"It's a spell we taught her, like [Double Strike], but instead it makes her body bigger," I come up with an excuse.

"Fucking awesome! If that chubby pisser knew that, he would tear his pointy ears off!" The joker exclaims.

"It's so good to see impotent rage like that. If he knew we had an actual Agent of the Tribunal traveling with us, he would become a literal pisser, of himself, that is," a soldier says and the others chuckle.

"Let's thank Lord Ricardo for being an actually good Lord. From what I heard from Rande, he's not pushing back against Rande's demands for compensation," Julien says.

"If he wasn't that good, then the Tribunal would have bankrupted him a long time ago," Lina surprisingly joins in and then slightly reddens as the focus of everyone's gazes lands on her.

Yes, shine! Shine, my beautiful little flower! But shine on my lap…! I want to hug you so much…

"Most of the Lords are fine, it's the pissers of the nobles trying to grab to some power that are the problem," the female elven mage beside Lina says.

"Except for Crown Lord Mavel," the mage on the other side of Lina says.

"Well… thanks to him having bad aim on his pissing, we get this job!" The joker raises his empty mug but quickly clangs it back on the table. "But also thanks to him, bloody pissers made our lives hell for a short while."

Lina's Trivia: bloody pissers means someone who pisses blood, which is likely to be an undead person and the Wicked by extension. Undead pissing blood is a myth, though.

"I hope that attack was enough to make Lord Confiel hunt down the Dawn of Fart," says one of the burly soldiers.

"If he doesn't, then we will, once we become nobles," Hana says with a fearsome smile.

"Oh shit! Are you serious?" The joker asks.

"We are. We'll stay in the High Forest for a while, but after we become nobility, we will hunt down all those who hurt us," I say.

"Rah! Fuck yes! Go get 'em Helios!" A burly soldier yells and slams his mug on the table.

"Go get 'em!" The others repeat.

The drinks come and we finally start killing our livers. Then conversations split and I try to overhear things.

Hana is the usual barbarian: bragging about strength, telling tales of fights, comparing wounds, and just trash-talking each other. Considering how much stronger she is than the other two burly soldiers, she gets ahead in the game quite easily.

Ciel is giving me shivers. Julien is a sweet talker and very subtle with the way he talks, making me unsure if he's actually flirting or just being respectful. I can't even complain about Ciel, she's being perfectly faithful and innocent in her conversation.

Roxanne found a match in banter and instantly hit it off with the joker. The ginger cheery man seems completely harmless, which makes my spidey senses tingle even harder.

Klein talks casually with the men and women. Already familiar with them, she drinks freely and laughs heartily at their jokes. Laertes shyly participates and they seem to somewhat reconcile a bit.

Lina is a little awkward between the two elven beauties. They have little in common, but have taken an interest in her background and how her life as a slave is. The gem in her leather necklace is very visible, and her story might sound tragic at the beginning but it melts the hearts of the beauties.

Suddenly, Alissa picks up my wrist and pulls down the strip of cloth tied to it. "See this one? A dragonkin cut his shield hand off because he tried to create a shield with [Vine Weapon], but the bandit had an emellanat sword!" She tells the story excitedly.

The two elven beauties slowly shift their interest to hearing my story, much to the relief of Lina and the delight of Alissa.

She runs her hand along my cheek. "This scar might look charming, but you should see the ones on his chest!"

"Men and their scars," says one of the elven beauties with an amused sigh.

"Charming, yes, I know," the other says with a wistful sigh.

Alissa starts unbuttoning my shirt to show off the scars.

"Are you interested in them?" I ask Alissa through [Bind].

"Oh, yes. Elven women are incredible and these two are sisters. If we get them both it will be incredible!"

Oh boy.

Alissa's pimping slows down a little as she notices an orange werefox man looking at us. His colors perfectly match Alissa's, which means he might be from her tribe.

I take a good look at his eyes and see only interest, not lewdness, though I know I'm not infallible.

"Oh, the light side is my favorite," I overhear Julien say.

"It is, it gives such a perfect and holy feeling. I'm still feeling fluttered from the experience," Ciel says with a giggle.

"I would love to go there again one day, but I don't really have anyone to go with," Julien continues with a slight cringe.

"I'm sure a man like you could find an interested partner for a romantic boat ride," Ciel says with a disbelieving pout.

His rogue-ish looks with a small stubble and his soft voice are certainly enviable… for other men, because I feel no envy, nope, not a single bit of envy.

"Yeah, but…" He awkwardly agrees with her. "Not one of those people would be special. I miss that connection."

"Oh… I see what you mean." Ciel props up her breasts and then suddenly stops, realizing what she's doing. "I-it's hard to find someone worthy of a connection when so many are only attracted to your l-looks." She blushes a little and Julien awkwardly smiles.

NGHHH! Stop being so cute and awkward around him! That awkward face is mine! All mine!

My stupid inner rant is interrupted as Alissa's and the werefox's stare at each other intensifies.

"I'll go talk to him," Alissa says.

"Sure, I'll watch you," I say. "From the inside too."

She responds by sending a warm feeling of happiness through the bond.

Without Alissa to pimp me up, Lina turns the attention back to herself to save me from my not very effective flirting. I'm too distracted by watching the girls to properly flirt with the elven beauties.

The werefox man is also handsome, which just makes me even more annoyed. I'm not used to having so many sausages around my women, it's too unnerving. Even though I know I need to get better, it won't happen so easily.

Alissa takes a seat beside him and he flashes her a dashing smile.

Seriously! I'm not usually that jealous of Alissa since I trust her so much, but the fact that he's also an orange werefox is making me so uncomfortable!

"Have we met? You seem familiar," Alissa starts the conversation.

You are even starting with a reverse-cheap-flirt.

"I think we have. You are the Chief's daughter that was selected to become a Blood Slave, right?" The man asks, his voice is a little hoarse, instantly reducing his charm by a lot and decreasing the stress in my heart.

"Wow, yes, precisely." Alissa nods repeatedly and her cute ears flop around.

"If I remember well, we hunted some caravan raiders together," the man says and wistfully looks into the distance.

"Oh… wait, were you a mount for a Sharpshooter?"

"Yes."

Alissa smiles wide and her tail sways a little. "I remembered your presence. What a coincidence that we meet again."

"Yeah, what a coincidence." He smiles wryly.

Alissa glances at his mug and sees that he tilted it, exposing a piece of paper below.

"I only came here for a quick drink. It was nice seeing you well, young Tracker, but I must take my leave," the man says and gets up, leaving his nearly empty mug behind.

"Oh, okay, bye…" Alissa says absentmindedly, surprised by the suddenness.

She watches him leave and then immediately turns around. In barely a second, she swipes the piece of paper and discreetly takes a look at it.

"Léonne and Vanea are watching. Both of the Crown Lords have noticed Helios. If you decide to participate, go for the eastern Lord."

"Stay safe, my little Nocturna."

Holy, shit.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Noble Salty Panda.
Noble Cidant.

Manasong · Feb 17, 2020

10/02: Chpt49-part 2. Lord Ricardo mentions he's serving under Ortalez Soliar and that's the wrong name, the correct one is Confiel Rincipio. I dunno why I only used Ortalez once and forgot about it, but now I've used Confiel more than Ortalez, so I'm abandoning the latter.

"I expected Mom to keep a spy on us, but to work with Vanea and share information? That's a little surprising," Alissa says through [Bind].

"You expected her to spy on us?" I send her my raised eyebrow through the connection.

"If she didn't, Dad would end up interfering with our lives."

She gets up and walks back to the table.

"Should we be concerned about that?"

"If he did show up, then I would be very angry."

"Hm… when you become my wife in writing, will we be able to use your connection to the Low Forest?"

She sits down and goes back to hugging my arm lovingly.

"Certainly. Mom rules the Forest with an iron grip. At the very least, we will be safe from Katasko over there."

"I'm tired of being ambushed, so I have no intention to hide… but the Forest will be a good starting point. And there's also Crown Lord Confiel…"

"Allying ourselves with someone that Vanea trusts seems suspicious, but if Mom is also advising us to do it, then I trust her."

"Oh yeah, are you sure this message is legitimate?"

"Only Mom has ever called me Nocturna."

I felt no hesitation from her, so I'll trust her judgment.

The message had a very sobering effect on me, allowing me to easily overcome my stupid jealousy. Not that it went away, it just became much more manageable.

"Say, Klein, when are you going to tell us your fellowship's name?" The joker teases her.

She rolls her eyes and groans. "Why would I tell you that? You are just going to make fun of me."

"Well, yes, but we will all also have a lot of fun with it, so it's a net benefit for us all," the joker answers with a smirk.

"Wow, didn't expect you to know what a net benefit is," Klein shoots back.

"I know very well how to balance my skills and soul potential." He gives her a phony smile.

"She didn't even tell us what it is," Roxanne comments with feigned offense.

Klein scoffs. "You are worse than Lotopios. I would have to listen to your teasing every day if I told you."

"Damn, is it really that bad?" I ask.

Klein becomes a little shy and awkward. "Well, no, but…"

"Everyone wants to know," Laertes chimes in and smirks. I see his fluffy tail sway softly.

"Oh come on, Klein. I'll smack anyone who makes too much fun of you," Hana says with a smirk.

"It's only going to get worse if you don't say it," Roxanne piles on.

The entire table starts to pay attention to her and even Aoi and Gify become interested.

Klein covers her eyes with her brown tail and groans. "Fine. The name is 'No Defeat.'"

The table goes silent. I close my eyes and exhale a long sigh.

That's a pun in Andraste made to sound like "no eyes." The system translated a goddamn dad joke.

"BAHAHAHA!" Hana holds her stomach as she laughs. "That's perfect! I knew Anton had a hand in that!"

"You only need a dick and you would be a perfect 'dad,'" I say.

The joker chuckles and looks at his own empty mug. "Okay, I need two more mugs so I can properly laugh at this. Angel of the alcohol! Bring me salvation!"

"My condolences," Laertes says and reaches over the give Klein's shoulder a squeeze.

Julien and Ciel laugh softly and look around at the others. "What? It's funny," Julien defends himself while the others send them glances.

Alissa wordlessly moves on and continues pimping me to the elven sisters.

Eventually, the reality-bending experiment I caused gets mentioned. Nobody knows how that happened and they think that the mage got interrupted by an arrow or something and then got so scared that he completely botched the spell.

When Hana starts singing with her two new friends, we decide that it's time to leave. Not because she's drunk, she's only just starting, but because everyone else is.

Hana carries the drunk Klein while also giving a piggy-back ride to a very chipper Roxanne.

"I'm not a horse, you know," Hana says with a frown.

"Yah! Yah!" Roxanne slaps Hana's ass twice.

"I'm gonna throw you off!" Hana jumps once and kicks the air backward like a bucking horse.

"Hahaha, [Riding] is taking effect!"

We reach our inn and climb the spiral stairs to our rooms. The architecture is quite novel, there's a single circular corridor that we walk along to get to our almost pizza-slice-shaped room.

Ciel casts [Refresh] on the girls so we can relax.

"Oh, the sheets smell so nice," Alissa says and rubs her face on the bed.

Klein snorts and looks at Alissa oddly.

"Yesterday, Osaria and Roxanne drained Wolfy so much that the room was starting to smell a little bad," Ciel says.

"I thought it was odd that you were too tired to play around," Klein says with raised eyebrows.

"You girls are making me feel like I'm not even a humanoid anymore," I say and awkwardly scratch my neck.

Alissa pulls my hand and kisses the spot I was scratching.

"You are a humanoid, but you are not 'normal,'" she says and continues kissing.

It's too late for training, so I give Klein a little of my attention and we go to sleep.

Today is the 22nd.

Lina wakes me up and Ciel holds her hair for her while she warmly watches her little girl milk me.

I feel recovered today, so the girls will resume having their needs fulfilled.

Hana gained the title "One Thousand Strikes."

"The investigators must have spread the details of our battle with Dawn of Fire," Lina says.

"Hm…" Hana crosses her arms, squishing her balloons, and stares at nothing, likely her own "Status" screen. "I don't really feel like it's cringe-worthy, I love this title. 'Hana of the One Thousand Strikes.'" Her eyes look out of the window and she smiles fearsomely.

"When am I getting a title too?" Roxanne asks.

Lina and Ciel frown, disliking the way things are going.

"'Roxanne of the Finger of Death,'" Hana says and they smirk at each other.

"'Ciel of the Angelic Touch,'" Roxanne says and Ciel looks very conflicted.

"'Lina of the Evil Eyes,'" Alissa says and Lina looks horrified.

"W-why do you think my eyes look 'evil'?" She questions.

"Your [Cursing Magic] can be done with just a look. That's slightly more frightening than Roxanne's ability."

Lina frowns. "That still doesn't make them 'evil.'"

"It makes you sound more threatening. Just accept it," Hana says.

"We don't have to. It's not like we are getting these titles anytime soon," Ciel says.

"If I stick around I might get an embarrassing title too," Klein says with a smirk.

Hana's scales flicker in annoyance.

As we eat our dinner, a delightful pitter-patter massages my ears. Rain.

"Well, this is annoying," Klein says as she looks out the window.

"What?" Lina asks.

"What, what?" Klein returns the question.

"What's annoying? The rain?"

"Yes! I wanted to practice archery in the sun." Klein pouts.

"Hm… this is a perfect day to work. Rain helps me concentrate," Lina says a little shyly.

Klein approaches Lina and the closeness of their faces makes my little girl blush. "Don't dwarves usually live underground?"

"I lived on the surface. It's quite dry, so the rain was always a good thing. We had good acoustics so the rain made a calming hum when it hit the roof of my house."

"Ooh…" Klein moans in understanding.

"I want to visit the Academy's library, today is a good day for reading," I say.

Lina's eyes gleam but deflate shortly after. "I want to fix Ted and Suzy, and enchant all our weapons with [Double Strike]."

"Can you do it all in the morning? We can go in the afternoon."

"Yes!" She nods energetically.

I pat her head and turn to the other girls. "Right. There's some new information I have to share with you all, but first, I have another secret to tell Klein."

"Ooh…" She moans in wonder again.

"I have special abilities, like a Hero of a story," I say.

Klein's hands hit her cheeks with a smack and her mouth hangs open. "OH! Now it all makes sense!"

"So, you understand why we want to become nobles? We want to grow in power and standing while also slowly making connections."

Klein nods repeatedly, too overwhelmed with excitement to speak.

"This means that we will have a 'Hero's destiny,' so our lives won't be easy from now on," Ciel says.

Klein's excitement disappears like a popped balloon and her tail hits the ground. "Oooh…"

"It's not the kind of life that you want, right?" Ciel asks softly.

"Yeah… I… I think I'm like my dad. This job is something I do for a living, not because I like it."

"If you end up becoming our knight, we won't send you off to do dangerous things," Hana says.

Klein crosses her arms and frowns. As she thinks, her frowns deeper so much that she starts to resemble Anton.

"If I become your knight, will you… will you approve of me and Hermann?"

"I was never against it," Hana says calmly.

Klein thinks for a while and says, "It feels like I'm asking for charity. You are going to go out to fight while I stay behind and only get the easy jobs?"

Hana shrugs. "I don't think I'll ever send my brother out to die, but I also want him to grow, so it's not like we are going to be sheltering you."

She bites her lip and walks over to Hana's chair to give her a hug. Both of them are naked, of course. "I'll agree to be your knight, but I won't be a mere decoration. I'll work hard to show that I've earned the position."

Hana smirks and pulls Klein onto her lap. "If that's what you wish, I'll accept it." Then they kiss.

"Awn…" Ciel moans and Roxanne sniffs.

"Why do you dislike Wolfy's, destiny?" Aoi asks.

Her voice is improving.

"I don't think I'm ready for something like this," Klein answers.

"What is 'this'?"

"Well, in the stories, if you involve yourself too much with the Hero, you get responsibilities that you never asked for. Like saving the Hero when he's in trouble or helping lead people who flock to the hero."

"Isn't becoming a knight, 'involving too much'?" Aoi tilts her head.

"Maybe. But it's enough responsibility that I think it's worth it. Staying close to Hana and Hermann is all I want." She shrugs and smiles bitterly.

"And Mimi?" Hana asks and raises an eyebrow.

"Y-yeah, her too." Klein smiles wryly.

"Now that everything is said and done, let me tell you who Alissa talked to yesterday," I say and retell the encounter with the informant.

Lina nods her head along and says, "This is good. Even though Alissa is a Blood Slave, Léonne seems to want to keep a connection."

"But why can't she interfere?" Roxanne asks.

"It's the contract with Rabanara. I belong to Wolfy, nothing more, nothing less," Alissa says.

"Hard to believe any ruler of the Misty Low Forest would 'give' their children away so easily." Roxanne frowns.

"This is why any 'contact' is prohibited. It discourages them from even trying to interfere."

"Ooh. So you are going to live in the Misty Low Forest?" Klein asks.

"Possibly," I say.

"Anyway. Do you really want to get involved in this struggle between the two Crown Lords, Wolfy?" Ciel asks.

"Not sure. I know the eastern Lord has the advantage, so I don't think we would be betting on a losing horse, but our 'help' would almost certainly be mercenary work."

Hana crosses her arms again and thinks. "Hm… we'll have to meet him first. See how he is in person before making a decision. What if he's like Vanea?"

"What's the problem with Vanea?" Klein asks.

"She's a huge bitch," Alissa says and I chuckle but nod.

"Wow. I never heard that one before." Klein looks legitimately surprised. "They say her eyes are frightening, but then so are the rest of the Anaras."

"She's extremely vengeful against anyone who antagonizes her," I say.

Klein shrugs. "I would never have guessed that."

"It's like she wears a mask."

If she does, then what about the others around her, like Haaran, Silvane, and Nononya? She seems very emotional, but the others are much more stoic, so how much are they hiding from me?

Meh, paranoia.

"We could get an audience with the Lord through Ricardo, he owes us one," Hana says.

"You are the one suggesting we meet with nobility?" Lina questions Hana.

Hana looks a little conflicted but says, "Wolfy can't avoid the higher powers all his life. We'll need them and I'll need to adapt."

"That's good to hear," Ciel says and smiles. Hana snorts in response.

"You grew up a lot," Klein says and pats Hana's back with a mocking smile warping her face.

"She's finally reaching maturity," Roxanne says and fakes drying tears in the corner of her eyes.

Hana's glare sends fear into our hearts and blood to my dick.

"So, do we all agree on talking with Lord Confiel?" I ask.

They all nod, even Aoi.

"Any questions or comments?"

They all shake their heads.

"Then The Council has reached a conclusion and I declare the meeting adjourned."

We spend the rest of our morning casually. Hana, Ciel, and Klein spread scented oil on their bodies and wrestle naked… Greco-Roman style. Very distracting. Alissa helps me with the Soul Map and identifying skills. Lina and Roxanne work together to fix Ted and Suzy, then they separate. Lina starts enchanting all our weapons while Roxanne continues studying [Warp Space]. Aoi starts flapping her wings and messing with the ambient mana so much that Lina complains and she has to practice in the bath pool. Gify spends his time in my lap being petted while I study.

Lunch comes around and we fill our bellies again with gourmet-level food.

"I'm going to get fat…" Klein complains.

Ciel discreetly pinches her own bellies and her expression strains.

After we're done, I pull out two rain cloaks for me and Lina.

"So, we are going to the library, what about you girls?" I ask.

"We'll coach Ted, Suzy, and Aoi," Ciel says and points to Roxanne.

"I'll go visit Dad and Mom. Wanna come too, Hana?" Klein asks.

"Sure."

"Can I come with you?" Alissa asks me innocently.

"How could I say no?" I answer and pat her head, making her tail sway a little.

I pull out the armored dinghy for us to cross the town. As we fly above the streets, I notice how most elves don't use any protection from the light rain and walk around casually as if nothing was different.

We fly northwest and enter the Nobles' Quarters. Like in Rabanara, our entry isn't blocked, but we are heavily watched and our IDs are checked.

Goloria's Knight Academy is one of many imperial academies spread around the world, but in the High Forest, this one is the biggest. Unfortunately, they do not have a public university like Rabanara because the circles of magi are much more powerful and monopolize most of the magical knowledge.

A familiar dark bark wall decorated with golden inlays blocks our way.

We approach the gate and see turnstiles made of wood blocking our way. A cloaked student presses something on the top of the turnstile and it unlocks for him to pass.

We approach the guardhouse and ask how to pass. The imperial guard takes a long look at our outfits before pulling out an Inspection Crystal. We have all come with our best clothes and shining necklaces, so he shows a lot of respect towards us.

He ignores the "Golemancer" title and focuses on the "Scholar of Rabanara." He eyes me oddly but allows us to pass. Lina and Alissa are both my slaves, so he might have thought that I'm a wealthy commoner from an influential family.

We cross the gate and I'm immediately assaulted by the uncomfortable feeling of having my [Gate] blocked.

After getting over it, I see something rather similar to greek architecture: huge yellow columns supporting a red low angled roof, both made of wood but camouflaged to look like bricks; rows upon rows of statues of mages, soldiers, warriors, and naked body-builders with the "swoleness" of the statues seemingly increasing the further in we go; huge tiles with colorful geometrical patterns show the way; short green grass fills the rest of the path, but it's dotted with very visible signs of "DO NOT WALK ON THE GRASS"; behind it all, a golden castle that looks like someone stacked dozens of the huge-column-buildings one on top of another.

"It's like everything was made for giants here," I comment.

"Bigger is better," Lina says.

She puckers her lips when I give her a suggestive look but does not retract her statement.

We continue walking forward and notice that there are dueling pits spread out between the buildings. We know they are dueling pits because plenty of them are being used.

From knights in armor; barbarians in loincloths; archers using acrobatics and speed-firing (something that amused Alissa greatly); unarmed fighting; group combat; summoner battles; to mages yelling their spells and fighting with rapiers. All kinds of fighting are going on.

I also quickly notice how everyone is wearing a uniform, making us stand out like sore thumbs. It's a black coat and pants with vertical colored lines on the chest, possibly representing some form of classification of the students.

The walk to the castle is annoyingly long, almost making me pull out the dinghy.

The inside of the castle makes us feel dwarfed by the architecture, pun intended. The ceiling is so high that I think at least three floors would fit in all this empty space. Thankfully, there are magic elevators everywhere, so we don't have to actually walk up the stupidly long stairs.

A map at the entrance guides us to the library, it occupies exactly one half of the castle, the other half is purely classrooms.

"Starting from the entrance, we've been walking in a straight line for nearly half an hour. Not even dwarven architecture is this straight," Lina comments.

"That's imperial pragmatism. If you can make everything straight, why not?" Alissa imparts us with another of her tidbits of varied knowledge.

We finally pass the middle line of the castle, and suddenly our corridor changes. We enter a wide room full of desks for study, exactly the same as in Rabanara's library.

At least now the huge empty space above us is used more efficiently. What was previously a single floor is now divided into three floors and filled with rows upon rows of books. The number of floors is so high that I feel a little dizzy just trying to see the top.

"That's a lot of books," Alissa comments, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"Gih."

"That's called megalophobia. It's harmless, it's just that our primal fears are activated when we see something so inconceivably large," I say.

"So, what are we searching for?" Lina asks.

"Whatever you want, go nuts."

"Nuts?" She tilts her head cutely.

I smile at her. "Do what you want."

She twiddles her thumbs a little, then nods and gives me an adorable smile.

The building is imperial, and the students are a mixed bag, but the administration is completely elven. As if the elves would ever let an imperial military installation in their own territory run unsupervised.

We spread out and look for interesting books by ourselves. Lina goes to find some books on enchanting, Alissa searches for [Illusion Magic], while I search for something related to the soul.

I find something interesting in the index: "Using [Alteration Magic] for Soul Surgeries." It's a book that describes how Chimeric mages fix birth defects using [Alteration Magic].

What I did during Dawn of Fire's attack was a real fucking mess. I used my will to break a spell and ended up bending mana in a wild and uncontrolled manner. One of the first warnings of the book is what made me realize that: "Do not use Alteration while someone is casting a spell." Then the book goes on to describe in gruesome detail how reality broke and… shit happened. The most horrible consequences are: people fusing, exploding, warping their own souls until it is beyond recognition, or just simply dying in nightmarish ways. Other "accidents" include: noxious fumes killing people for kilometers around, dungeons appearing on top of people, earthquakes and other natural destructive phenomena, and even the Deadlands is a result of an Emperor interrupting a doomsday ritual made by a cult of undead.

He bent the mana to his will and reversed the effects of the ritual, but then all of the corruption spread around the land and made it uninhabitable for a thousand years. It's still only populated by researchers and priests who can cast [Sanctuary] because the corruption is preventing nature from retaking the land. Maybe in a few generations the first plants will finally be able to grow again over there.

The problem with bending mana that way is that there are two minds fighting over it, but what if I used Redirect on an enchantment? I must test this.

Moving past the warnings, the rest of the book is quite interesting. They bend souls using pure "Willpower" and can basically do anything.

Maybe we should visit the Chimeras soon and pay for Roxanne's eyes to be fixed, then she wouldn't need glasses anymore.

The soul itself is bent quite easily, it's just that they require extensive knowledge of the organ being "altered" so that they can recreate it perfectly. Modifying the mana organ that way is actually a bad idea, though. The Alteration will mix with the patient's mana and shit will happen, but Golemancy's [Mold] seems to not have this problem, for some reason. Another thing to test.

The most important information I learned from this book is how they can create appendages.

"Wolfy, let's eat something?" Alissa asks.

"Goodness me, look at the time. It's tea time!" I say excitedly in a low tone.

Both of the girls roll their eyes at my silliness.

We walk out of the library and move towards the gigantic restaurant.

Halfway there, a young pompous elven boy with a familiar face stops in our way and sends us a glare.

Oh boy.

Soul Info
Name: Bastico Rincipio Race: Golden Elf Level: 52
MP 350 Magic Power 100

Crown Lord Confiel's first son.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Noble Salty Panda.
Noble Cidant.

Manasong · Feb 15, 2020

The boy has perfectly combed sweptback hair that reaches his shoulders, giving him an androgynous look. His eyes are a deep, striking green and his gaze is unmistakable, he's staring straight at us.

We three share a look and stop a few meters in front of him.

"Is there a problem?" I ask, warily.

"Where is your uniform?" Bastico asks, even his voice makes it hard to say whether he's male or female.

Ah shit, here we go again.

"We are not students. I'm Wolf Ryder, a scholar from Rabanara," I say and bow lightly.

He raises an eyebrow and his face slightly distorts in displeasure. "You don't look one bit like the scholars from Rabanara," he says.

I don't contain my annoyance at his words. "If you don't mind, I have other business more important than to convince you of that."

I hold the arms of the girls tighter and take a step forward and to the side.

He immediately moves to block us again and his tone turns stern and unmistakably male. "You will not escape the duels that easily." He crosses his arms and tries to look imposing.

I almost facepalm. Another fucker who thinks we belong to the academy.

These high-class clothes and jewelry are doing more harm than good since people think we are nobility or something. Our necklaces, Lina's jeweled leather slave collar, and my (recently) enchanted emerald sword also only serve to reinforce this image.

Even the shimmering from my [Ranbow Shield] and [Rainbow Crystal] could be interpreted as us being wealthy enough to pay for a Blessing mage to buff us every day.

"We aren't students and we can easily confirm this with an Inspection Crystal," I say through gritted teeth.

He scoffs and his nose wrinkles in disgust. "Do I look like I have a Crystal at hand? This isn't the first time I've heard that lie. All your Blessings are visible, you know. And don't think that I won't find out whose house you belong to." He takes a step forward and looks me in the eye. "I challenge you to a duel."

Alissa looks at him with flabbergasted while Lina grits her teeth and clenches her fist.

This isn't a cliche novel's battle academy where the strong walk all over the weak, but dueling with all kinds of warriors is still an integral part of it.

"You know what, fine, I accept. Even though I'm not a student, I'll fight you… BUT, after that I demand an Identification Crystal to be used to verify my identity," I say and finish with a smug smile.

He narrows his eyes in suspicion, slightly unsure of himself due to my confidence. "If you think that you can bully me after the duel using your family's influence, you'll know better soon enough."

He's so damn sure of himself…

I give him a phony smile. "You'll have to explain to me how these duels work. As you know, I'm not from here."

He groans in annoyance but complies. "What's your style of fighting?"

"I'm a magic swordsman."

He eyes the small red gem embedded at the hilt of my sword. "You look like a spell warrior."

"My wife enchanted this sword for me just today," I tilt my head towards Lina. She blushes slightly and swallows heavily, then nods.

Bastico looks at Lina with a little suspicion, but then he ignores her. "Well, then. Do you want to share which spells you are capable of casting and what enchantment your sword has?"

"Is there a reason to?"

"It would make the duel more fair. But if you don't, then I'll ask for a best out of three. This way, we won't lose the entire duel just by being hit by a surprise spell."

"And you will share yours?" I point to his longsword at his waist.

He rolls his eyes and says in a flat tone. "Yes."

"Are we going to wear armor?"

"Only protection for the heart and brain. Even I don't want to waste money ruining good enchanted armor in a mere duel."

"Can I change into spare clothes? I would rather not ruin these." I put a hand over my heliodor necklace.

His patience decreases another notch. "There's a changing room beside the arena."

"So, what are the rules for the duel?"

"I don't fight until first blood. If you get squeamish at the sight of blood then you shouldn't be here. We shall fight until one of us surrenders or passes out.

"A healer is present at all times and we defer to them for stopping the battle. If you try to continue the battle after the healer has already called for the end, then you will be instantly hit with a [Lightning Bolt] enchantment."

"Fine, let's do this. What spells can you cast?"

"[Fireball] and my sword is enchanted with [Double Strike], [Double Image], and [Extend]."

[Fireball] is such a common spell that someone would only mention it when they can deal some serious damage with it. His fighting style could be similar to Hana's new style with feints and successive strikes.

"Yours?" He smirks slightly, underestimating my ability.

All? Well, I need to show some consistency regarding which spells I can cast without chanting.

"My sword is enchanted with [Double Strike] and I can cast [Lightning Bolt], [Telekinesis], and [Heal], but I won't heal myself to make things more 'fair.'" I smirk.

Bastico is taken a little aback but says nothing. He motions to a dueling arena nearby and we follow him.

As we walk, I notice that we have the attention of most of the students around us. It makes sense since there's a portrait of Bastico on the castle's wall, and it's big enough for all the nobility and higher class citizens to be able to see it every day.

The light rain turns into a drizzle and we remove our cloaks, then Gify pops onto my shoulder.

"Gih?"

"Good timing, yeah, we are going to duel."

"Gih."

"Thanks."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Alissa asks, worried.

"It's not a duel to the death," I say and squeeze her hand. "Even as the Lord's son, he would get branded as a Wicked if he tried anything deliberate. So for me, it's a good opportunity to learn something."

"Hm…" She pouts and grumbles through the [Bind].

"Give him a lesson," Lina whispers with fierce determination.

"For you, I will," I say and she hugs my arm tighter with a cute smile on her face.

The arena is a pit in the floor and its wooden walls remind me that we are high above ground level.

We go down a set of stairs carved in the ground and enter the pit, then Bastico activates an enchantment and a [Gate] opens. A temple priestess comes out of it and looks at us inquisitively.

"Are you two going to duel?" The priestess asks.

"Yes. Traditional faint-or-surrender. We are two spell warriors who use swords," Bastico responds.

We recite the spells we know and the priestess nods in understanding. She gives each of us a metal helmet with a stripe of metal that touches the spine to protect you from decapitation, and a breastplate that's tied on the shoulder and only protects the heart.

Bastico shows me the way to the changing room where I put casual clothing. Even though it's casual clothing, it's still one of my more comfortable sets, which makes it quite annoying to think that it might get damaged. I decide to go shirtless, both to show off my scars and to save this comfy shirt from being ruined.

I come out and we both stretch a little to warm our muscles. Then I motion for the two girls to come over and they each give me a good luck kiss, making Bastico even more annoyed.

Gify is taken by Alissa and gets a privileged seat by being hugged against her chest.

We draw our swords and stare at each other.

The priestess walks to the corner and clears her throat, grabbing our attention. "REMEMBER! IF I SAY IT IS OVER, THEN IT IS OVER! ANY FURTHER ACTION WILL BE INTERRUPTED WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE! UNDERSTOOD?"

We turn to her and nod. I glance at the border of the pit and see a good audience around us. Benches were laid out so that rows of people could watch. This is definitely a bigger audience than I saw around the other dueling pits when we came in.

"STATE YOUR NAMES!" The priestess orders.

"BASTICO RINCIPIO! FIRST SPELL WARRIOR OF THE FIFTH YEAR!"

"WOLF RYDER! LEADER OF THE HELIOS FELLOWSHIP, SUMMONER, GOLEMANCER, AND SCHOLAR OF RABANARA!"

Murmuring starts at full blast and Bastico now looks completely uncertain about my identity for the first time.

The priestess looks at me oddly then turns to Bastico, waiting for his decision.

"It changes nothing! We are going to duel!" Bastico announces and the priestess sighs.

"PREPARE YOURSELVES! THE DUEL SHALL COMMENCE… NOW!" She hits a gong and we act.

I immediately cast [Lighting Bolt] and his skin glows like a rainbow as his [Rainbow Shield] activates. He grunts, but the spell only makes him flinch. His Blessing is really strong.

Our swords meet and slide off one another as we measure the other's skill level. We strike each other a few times and I realize that his skill with the sword is much higher than mine.

Without using a single spell, he painfully nicks my cheek with the tip of his sword and draws blood, even though his strike was slowed by my [Wind Armor].

"Hmph," he scoffs.

Well, I would never win in a pure sword duel anyway.

Without moving my legs, I glide forward with [Telekinesis] and strike. Bastico gets surprised and desperately tries to defend himself.

His eyes are drawn to my feet and I take the opportunity to strike from above and activate [Double Strike]. I manage to nick his head and the tip of my sword scrapes his skull. I also feel my strike being slowed by his [Wind Armor].

From my shoulder, an ethereal arm appears and strikes down again.

Bastico is fully forced on the defensive and has to activate his own [Double Strike] to meet mine, yet he starts smiling like a maniac.

His arm suddenly splits in two as he activates [Double Image]. I counter with [Telekinesis] on his shoulder and one arm visibly slows, that's the real one. An Illusion enchantment is limited in how life-like it can truly appear.

I move my sword to parry his strike and cast [Telekinesis] on my own, bringing his guard down and allowing me to give him a cut on his belly.

Mana leaves his body and his sword extends, allowing him to give a cut on my shin on the way out.

We each back off slightly and prepare for another bout. He wipes away the blood dripping onto his eye and lunges.

His reach is annoying, but [Extend] makes his longsword more awkward to use.

I parry his lunge and cast [Telekinesis] on the tip of his [Extend]ed sword. Physics makes it so that the longer his sword is, the more force he feels when I cast [Telekinesis] on its tip.

The tip flies up to the sky, opening him up to a counterattack. I lunge and cast [Lightning Bolt] at the same time that I thrust at his chest.

He grunts in pain but deflects my lunge with the hilt of his sword, then points a finger at me. A [Fireball] forms and I dodge backward.

As I glide with [Telekinesis], I pivot my sword and slice his shoulder as the blade comes back.

With my free hand, I protect the side of my face as I use [Muscle Explosion] to dodge the [Fireball]. I feel my hand burn just a little and the skin shines like a rainbow for a moment as my [Rainbow Shield] takes effect.

"Your fighting style is odd. Where did you learn it?" Bastico asks with a manic smile on his face. He's just like Hana, a blood-thirsty muscle-brain.

I merely smile and return to focusing on the battle, annoying Bastico greatly.

"Fine, we can still talk after the duel."

Yes, please.

By waiting, I gave him an opening and he took it. He strikes repeatedly and uses [Double Strike] with every attack. This puts him into a sort of rhythm, a very predictable rhythm.

I focus on defending and staying away with [Telekinesis]. It's a good thing that my style involves gliding, otherwise my wounded leg would have messed with my footwork.

"Come on, attack me!" He taunts.

I would rather not. Just waste your mana, please.

He stops using [Double Strike] and we stare at each other while catching our breaths.

"Thought you for a fool for going against my longsword with your short sword," he says.

I smile and say, "I knew I had a way to negate your reach advantage."

"Can you cast [Telekinesis] during the entire fight?" He smirks as if he knows the answer.

"Yes, actually. I told you I was a summoner; my mana is high."

He narrows his eyes and considers my words.

"You are the oddest warrior I have ever fought," he says with a snort.

I smile again and start chanting [Rush], prompting him to attack.

I use [Telekinesis] to glide out of his reach and hear the crowd gasp in surprise. Then I finish my shortened chant and dash like lightning. Using the chant version hurts my head much less than using instant double-casting.

I cast [Telekinesis] again on my sword when I meet his sword to force his guard down, then I jump and cast [Telekinesis] again to make myself fly. I release [Rush] and the pain in my head instantly clears.

I let my feet go high above my head and turn myself upside-down. I enter his guard and he moves his hilt upwards to parry my slice.

I let my sword slide past his. He twists his wrist to try and slice me, but I fly past his head, where he can't reach. He fires an instant and small [Fireball] and I defend with my free hand, then I slash with my sword.

I cut his neck and slice across the metal guard at his spine.

"STOP!" The priestess yells.

Feeling a little dizzy and grimacing from the very painful burn on my hand, I will myself to spin upright and land graciously on the ground.

I think I need to add [Acrobatics] to my build.

The priestess rushes to [Heal] him and I instantly [Heal] myself. I see a glint of envy on the priestess' eyes.

She touches the scar on the spine guard of Bastico's helmet and yells, "I DECLARE WOLF RYDER THE VICTOR!"

"I ACCEPT HIS VICTORY!" Bastico yells immediately after.

The crowd cheers and claps.

With his face still bloodied (the priestess didn't bother [Clean]ing him) he approaches me with an extended hand. "I believe I owe you an apology," he says while smirking.

"Hm?" I'm taken aback at his action, so I freeze on the spot.

"If you were a student, I would have known about you and your fighting style."

"Oh, I see. Apology accepted," I say with a slightly strained smile and accept his handshake.

"Are you employed somewhere?"

Alissa and Lina come down and dress me in a spare shirt.

"Our fellowship is currently working as a freelance escort for Este Escort Company."

He raises his eyebrows in pleasant surprise. "Oh, so Rande is still leading the company?"

"He is, along with his mother."

"How long are you staying in Goloria?"

"We leave in the morning on the next day of An."

"Great. I'll pay Rande a visit, then," he smiles so softly he looks like a cute girl. "Anyway, if you ever come back to Goloria, I would like you to meet my father. Unfortunately, he's currently in that new 'Legado' dungeon, so he won't be back for a while."

Hm? How convenient.

"I see. I might come back after this job is done."

"I'll be waiting, then. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

We all share a slightly awkward nod and he turns around.

The crowd is dispersing and he quickly mingles with them. Bloody face and all.

"Awkward…" Lina whispers.

"Yeah. It went well for us, though," I say with a wry smile.

"Even the elves aren't free from the manly brotherhood," Alissa says.

"What?" I ask with a frown.

"Beating each other up as a good way of making friends."

I chuckle and Lina nods. "True," she says.

I change into my higher quality clothing and we go to the academy's restaurant to have our snack. The architecture is not grand, for once. This way there are enough tables for all the students and the waiters can come to us in a reasonable time.

We order the usual tea with sweets. This time we get some wet not-lemon cupcakes that are very sweet.

Lina happily goes over her notes and shows us a page about [Double Strike] as an enchantment.

"It was quite a nice idea to use your [Telekinesis] against his enchantment," she comments while brimming with pride in me.

"I thought that they couldn't have made a perfect Illusion enchantment. For Hana to use it that way it took her quite a lot of mental effort."

Lina nods. "It might work for a normal duelist, but [Illusion Magic] is quite easy to unveil with magic."

We return to the library without a problem and I resume my research.

[Alteration Magic] can be used to create appendages that never existed, like a malformed limb.

It is possible to recreate these appendages without creating an "organ" for it inside the soul of the person. With time, the appendage is "assimilated" by the soul due to the mana of the person mixing with the appendage. It can be accomplished even faster when blood flows through it. The downside is that magic is disrupted while the appendage is being "assimilated" and there could be problems controlling the appendage if the assimilation is not done "correctly."

Another way to recreate appendages is to "pull" the soul of the person out of their bodies and force it to create solidified mana. This is used for appendages like Roxanne's horns and tail.

The basis for this solidified mana is elemental fake matter. Specifically, a nature elemental's fake matter is the most versatile due to its putty-like properties. It's easily moldable, soft, squishy, texturable, and colorable.

I have everything I want here, I just need to learn [Alteration Magic] then.

I go back to the index and search for a book on that. I can easily put points in Alteration, but I fear what could happen if I went about it too carelessly.

I find a book called "Basics of [Alteration Magic]" and start compiling anything I deem useful.

It's strikingly similar to using [Godly Language] to alter reality, though it is much more mentally intensive than simply talking to inanimate objects.

Meditation, mantra, visualization, and motivation. These four ingredients are what comprise the basis of this magic school. First, you need to close your senses off from everything except what you desire to change; then you recite a mantra that's related to what you want to change, similar to a chant; then you visualize exactly how you want the thing you want to change to become, down to its most minute details; then you have to get yourself pumped up because matter resists change, so you need to use your "Willpower" to aid in your change. It's all or nothing, you either succeed or you fail horrifically.

This is rather dangerous… To think that I'm going to do this to myself…

The changes are also permanent. I want something more temporary.

Gih.

I see. Fuse Alteration with [Materialization]. I'll have to look deeper into that spell first before I can alter it.

Gih.

Look at that, you are useful for something.

Giih.

His cute eyes narrow in annoyance, though they don't lose their cuteness.

Gih!

Haha.

We return to our inn when dusk starts to come. The drizzle of the rain is still ongoing.

Hana and Klein came back before us. They had a nice talk about the good ol' times. Although, Hana still thinks the best is yet to come.

Aoi is managing to hover and slightly gain altitude with much effort, though that doesn't diminish her happiness.

"Kweh!" She tackles my stomach and crawls up to my face to give me a deep tongue kiss.

"Where's mine?" Alissa asks and receives it.

Roxanne and Ciel managed to teach the golems how to cast [Fireball] without burning themselves. Their [Mana Control] coaching is paying off as they can more safely try out new spells.

Surprisingly, they can also cast [Heal]. It's not a good idea to have them use it on themselves, though. Their souls are based on elementals, so [Heal] just destroys their bodies. They learned that after Ted undid Lina's stitches on his arm.

"Awn…" The cute girl moans while Roxanne and Ciel give her strained apologetic smiles.

"Well, at least now I have an idea on how to properly change their bodies and strengthen them," I say and pat her head. "I will have to alter their soul organs to represent that of a doll and then cast [Heal]."

"Well, how are those organs supposed to look like?" Alissa questions.

"No idea, but I'm sure that this is the correct way."

Maybe those books on Alteration could help me with that.

Just as we start thinking about taking a bath, a messenger delivers a note to us.

"Lord Ricardo wants to have dinner with us tonight," I say.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Cidant.
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Feb 15, 2020

"And the pleasantries begin," Alissa says with a sigh. Her fox ears droop and twitch sadly.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well, nobility loves to have parties and gatherings. It's all about socializing and making 'connections.' Even when people knew I was going to become a slave, some wanted to get closer to me in case I was sold to someone powerful, like you."

Right. Medieval networking.

"Well, for us this is a good opportunity." I shrug.

"Hopefully he doesn't introduce us to more nobility and just keeps it small. Otherwise, we will get a string of invitations from other nobles trying to poach us to their side."

"Oh, I see how that could be bad."

Alissa smiles wryly.

I wash Ciel's curvaceous body and make her giggle. As always, Lina and I have our fill of caressing her chocolate skin and meaty bits.

I slap her jiggly bum and she turns around to me with angry eyes. She grabs my waist and pulls me closer so she can reach my buttocks and give me a painful slap.

"How do you like that, huh?" She asks, angrily.

"Very much," I whisper, then I reach over and pinch her ass.

"Ow!"

I instinctively use [Telekinesis] to glide away from her and quickly soap down my own body.

"I'm a better wrestler than you," she warns me.

"Whatever method you use, I'll find a way to make it sexual," I say. Her angry face gains a hint of a smile and I smirk back.

She walks over to me and we grab each other's hands, trying to block one another from starting a grapple.

She spins her arms and suddenly my arm is twisted. I lose the grip in my hand and she wraps her arms around my body. My face is smothered in her breasts and my dick hits her lower entrance.

She pushes me down and I slip. Suddenly, there's a leg against my ear and I grab her thick thigh to support myself. The next moment, my hearing is muffled by both of her thighs and her pussy is shoved into my mouth, which I happily accept. It tastes a bit soapy as we still haven't fully rinsed ourselves off, but I endure.

"Yeah, lick that pussy," she says with a mean tone.

Amusement comes from Alissa's [Bind] and I hear muffled laughter. I focus on Alissa's senses and can see Ciel visibly cringing at her own words.

I apply my [Massage] and extend my soul through my tongue as I nibble on Ciel's erect clit.

Her meaty thighs only tighten around my face and I wonder if I'm actually going to pass out while eating her pussy.

I cast [Clean] and start playing with Ciel's other, browner entrance and her legs finally loosen. I feel her legs tremble and I stop eating.

Lina helps her lay down on the floor so I can continue eating her out. I lift her heavy waist up so I have an easier reach to both of my cock-sleeves.

I spread her wet pussy's lips and penetrate her with my tongue.

I wonder if there's a skill or spell that increases the length of my tongue. Well, just another goal for my [Materialization] research.

Her moans are soon muffled by Lina's pussy as she mounts Ciel's face.

"Yeah, lick that pussy," Lina moans softly.

This time, Lina says it with confidence and dominates her brown sex toy.

When I can taste Ciel's milky orgasm, I lower her waist and begin the main course.

Spreading my soul out of my entire body to cover both of them is easy, but it wears them out faster. No, I have to spread it faintly from my dick, so that it slowly arouses them beyond normal levels.

I rub my soul through her g-spot and she starts experiencing a continuous orgasm. It's not as intense as it could have been, but it's still powerful enough that it lasts much longer than normal.

I use my soul to stimulate Lina's pussy and her tight, virgin asshole too, making her moan even louder.

I send my pleasure to Alissa and Aoi, making them collapse in the bath and lose control of their bodies.

I prevent Alissa from masturbating again, increasing her satisfaction along with her frustration.

"I wanna feel that, too," Hana complains.

Aoi pounces on Hana and grows in size, becoming big enough so that her tail can explore Hana's cunt.

"Oh, fuck yes," Hana mutters as Aoi's tail stretches her insides.

I [Clean] Ciel's body and switch between their holes with practiced ease while repeatedly letting out my spurts of white paint on her perfect skin.

When Lina and Ciel start getting tired, I remove my control over Alissa and open my arms wide to receive her burning hot pussy on my cock.

I link our senses again and feel what Alissa is feeling. I ignore the feeling of being penetrated and focus on the pleasure, the satisfaction we have from being connected again.

My dick "belongs" inside all the girls, but it will always "belong" to Alissa's womb first.

I spread my soul over her erogenous zones and with every thrust our bodies are overloaded with pleasure. We orgasm in sync with every movement and it doesn't take long before I'm fully drained.

Aoi is lovingly held in Hana's arms, nearly passed out. Roxanne and Klein talk about random things, completely used to our depraved ways.

After Lina and Alissa clean up my mess, we finally soak in the bath and Alissa retells my duel. I tell them for the first time that Bastico is the Lord's son and they have mixed reactions.

"Well… he's an odd one, this Bastico," Klein says.

"If you want strong people on your side, what better way to confirm that than by fighting them yourself?" Hana asks.

"Well, I get what you're saying, but…"

"Yeah, Bastico is odd," Lina says with a nod.

"I'm a little surprised that he didn't turn sour when you beat him," Alissa says.

"Can't have everyone be a walking cliche, right?" I ask with a laugh.

"You really are seeing things as if we are in a hero's story?" Klein asks, her brows knit in disapproval and raised in surprise.

More like a VR video game.

"Eh, it's worked so far," I say with a shrug.

I run my hand along Aoi's sleek scales and she rests her head on my shoulder. She's currently the size of a dog and the rest of her body lays on my lap.

"Well, Bastico was surprisingly happy after being beaten. He just apologized and acted as if everything was well again," Lina says.

"All's well that ends well," I say with a wry smile.

"What a weird saying." Lina frowns.

"Eh, at least we have our ticket to meet with Lord Confiel," Roxanne says.

"Hm… everything is going so smoothly that I feel… odd," Hana says and scratches her emerald scales on her cheek.

"You're just learning how normal people become friends," Klein says and smirks at Hana.

"I think you weren't exactly born to interact with nobility. Though I can see how Wolfy's influence has made you start to get better at it," Roxanne says and also smirks.

Hana merely stares at them like they are bugs. "Right, another set of punishments will have to be dealt to both of you in bed."

"Hmhmm! I'll be waiting!" Roxanne exclaims and flutters her eyelids exaggeratedly at Hana.

"Gih."

"More like her addiction to his cock made her change," Alissa adds.

"I won't deny either of you," Hana says with a proud smile.

We prepare ourselves and fly to the address specified in the message. Thankfully, the rain has stopped so the girls won't risk getting their expensive dresses wet.

We enter the Nobles' Quarters and get a few directions from the guards. Having this large a number of perfectly dressed women in our dinghy makes the guards tense and wary of offending the "young master" that I seem to be.

We land at our destination and I put some points in [Acting]. Better safe than sorry.

Our traditional elven clothing isn't formal enough for the occasion, so everyone is wearing their best dress. Klein doesn't have one that's up to standard, so Alissa lent her one of her yellow dresses, which perfectly fits the lean monkey-girl.

The two walk hand-in-hand, like two sisters from different mothers.

We march on and the clacking of their high heeled shoes and boots is a bit loud. If Aoi starts walking on her own, then things might get even louder.

We stop in front of a very tall building formed out of the purest white tree around. A large hedge blocks our view of the lower floor, but we can see the top of many multi-colored plants peeking out above it, some of them even glowing.

The guards receive us cordially, as they were already expecting us, and escort us towards the mansion.

The soft, mossy floor massages our feet as we walk, though it is a little awkward to walk on it.

The plants all seem to bear some sort of fruit that feels familiar to me. I hardly remember all of their names, I just know that they are all very tasty.

We enter the large white tree-mansion and are greeted by a lavish interior. It seems that the elves are quite fond of intricate details and patterns. Makes sense, since they practice a house-sized version of those patterns with the tree-pillars that support this town.

Right after the grand and circular reception room, we cross a doorway and enter the dining room which has a foldable wall that's currently folded, giving us a view of the backyard.

At the table are Rande, his family, Ento, Silvina, and Ricardo. They are snacking on the same croutons and not-wine as we had at the restaurant we went to with Osaria.

Silvina rises from her seat and announces, "Helios, welcome to my home!" She opens her arms wide and smiles proudly. She looks refreshingly beautiful in a very loose elven dress that barely covers her small breasts or her sex. I pray for a breeze that exposes them to us.

But of the elves present, Osaria still remains the undisputed champion of sexiness. Oura looks adorable, but conservative. Nito isn't wearing his female clothes, so he doesn't even count.

Ento is the one wearing the most ostentatious clothing of all of us, but he lacks style. His clothes are simply made of gold and silver with a few gems embedded. They don't seem to be made to show anything else besides wealth, which is quite boring. Although, Ento is chubby, so I prefer that he shows the least amount of skin possible.

Ricardo barely seems any different from his usual clothes, though he shows off a little more muscle this time.

"It's a pleasure to be here. Your home is absolutely beautiful," Alissa says for me since I am too distracted by Silvina to respond in time. I can only smile and blush a little.

We sit in front of Rande's group and the nobles. Silvina is in the middle, Ricardo is beside her and right in front of me, and Ento is beside him.

The flowery-beard man looks quite pleased at our presence and smiles softly when we sit. "Since your assistance was so crucial during our fight, I thought that a dinner was the least we could do to repay you," he cordially says to me.

"It was not our intention to involve your fellowship or Este's company in this matter," Silvina says.

"Dawn of Fire's actions were extremely bold. You can expect retaliation once Lord Mavel is deposed," Ricardo continues.

"Do you think they will look for revenge against us?" I ask.

He looks slightly uncomfortable for a second, then returns to his stoicism. "You have two blessed people in your fellowship. If they try anything out of malice, they will certainly all be hunted to extinction by the Templars and all of the elven Lords."

That would be after we are already dead, so it's not the most reassuring thing to hear, but I can understand his intention.

"Their representative nearly licked my feet. If anything, they themselves would have imprisoned anyone with a desire for vengeance," Silvina adds.

"They tried to escalate the conflict and gambled with their Fates, but they only ended up with both sides hunting for them. Nobody there will have time for revenge," Ricardo finishes.

Now that is reassuring.

Rande chimes in, "I've never heard anything but bad rumors about Dawn of Fire. Why would Lord Mavel ever try to ally with them? They even attacked me. I know that Mavel disowned us, but still… Well, I just hope he didn't fall that far."

"I think you would be included with the people they would spare. But also, hardly anyone knows you're his nephew, so they might have simply not known," Ricardo says with a slight frown.

Or someone might not have given them all the information.

"Our decision to leave was purposefully sudden in order to lower the chances of someone plotting against us, yet they attacked us merely two days after we left. This was far too reckless; there's still more information to uncover," Ento says, slightly displeased at the current conversation.

Ricardo sighs and says, "There's always more information to uncover, but we might never know the truth."

"There's also the matter of the Warped Reality that appeared." Ento seems more interested in talking about that.

The what?

"Right, the men say that someone hit the mage with an arrow and he botched the spell," Rande says.

Gih.

Oh, that. I didn't know it had an actual name. Actually, I didn't talk to the girls about it, did they assume it was me?

"A trained mage botching a spell due to a mere arrow? Ridiculous!" Ento exclaims.

Gih.

Well, thanks for telling them.

"Well, it was a really big spell." Rande shrugs and smiles wryly.

"That… well, that's not a lie, but it's still ridiculous!"

"We were too far to interrupt or interfere with the spell, so it's the only logical explanation," Ricardo says.

Thank the Gods that nobody knows exactly how I use [Redirect Mana].

"Well!" Silvina puts her glass down on the table, making a loud noise. "We aren't here to discuss what has already happened. We are here to celebrate!"

Silvina immediately changes the topic to how the fellowship formed and we manage to avoid talking about my birthplace.

Rande's side and the girls start talking among themselves while my side of the table has a little more difficulty finding common ground.

We end up hearing about Ricardo's background. He rules a small city to the north of Goloria, near the border of the High Forest with Glorampina.

Ricardo is serving under Lord Confiel, but that doesn't mean that he has to obey his orders unconditionally. His choice to be a "spy in the open" comes with a very generous reward of a lot of equipment for his men.

Silvina and Ento are trusted allies of Confiel, who were sent as support for Ricardo. Their mistake was bringing too few men with them, but they didn't have many to spare from the beginning, and hiring mercenaries against someone who has loads more money than you is a dumb idea.

I'm surprised that they are being so open about their espionage, but what they were doing was always "in the open." It's just that normally nobody explicitly mentions it.

It's quite obvious now that they are trying to get on our good side. Even Ento seems less cold and a bit more agreeable as he tries to make a little conversation.

Suddenly, the doors swing open and I understand why the meal hasn't been served yet. Bastico and a younger, cuter version of himself come walking in and stop to scan the table.

"Oh! Bastico!" Rande exclaims.

"Rande!" Bastico smiles fearsomely and marches towards him, his younger brother shyly following behind. "You got yourself into a big mess, or so I've heard."

"Someone's been naughty," he says with a voice hinting of anger.

"It's not over yet."

"Indeed."

They share a strong handshake and Rande kisses his hand. Then he moves on to greet the rest of his family. He receives an enviable hug from Osaria and kisses her hand with a smack, playfully showing respect and familiarity, but with Oura and Nito he's much more restrained. His younger brother greets Nito warmly and the two of them immediately sit down and start talking.

Bastico turns to me and sends a wave. "We meet again, Wolf."

I smile a little awkwardly and respond, "we do."

"You two know each other?" Rande asks, incredulous.

"I thought he was a cowardly son of a wealthy house and challenged him to a duel. Then he beat me with his weird style."

The other nobles seem to already know that as only Rande's family reacts.

"I didn't expect any less from you, Bastico," Osaria says with a chuckle.

"Men…" Oura whispers and shakes her head.

Bastico smirks and turns to his brother. "Anyway. Helios, this is my brother, Ernando." He extends his hand to the boy, who blushes immediately.

"P-pleasure to meet you," Ernando says with a soft boyish voice.

"Ignore his shyness, he's still a virgin who blushes when Osaria hugs him."

"Not just blushes," Osaria comments and winks at him.

Ernando goes quiet and stares at the basket of croutons as if it murdered his family while his delicate face turns redder and redder.

Bastico sits beside Ento and smirks at us, then the conversation shifts back to us, more specifically, me, while the food is being served.

We were served several choices of bread, including a garlic bread that doesn't leave that horrible aftertaste on your tongue; sauces to put on the bread, including one made with not-tomato; a slab of minotaur meat, which seems quite popular around here; a vegetable casserole that reminds me of an eggplant casserole my Mom used to make; a variety of alcoholic drinks; and interestingly, they serve baskets of Buffalo wings and I get some amused looks from Ciel.

"So, where did you learn your style?" Bastico asks me, dead serious.

"I created it myself, it's called [Ekrano Style] and its basis is using [Telekinesis] to hover along the ground and move freely," I respond as my mouth drools from the smell of the Buffalo wings.

Thankfully, Bastico allows us to eat a little before continuing the interrogation. "And where did you learn how to cast [Telekinesis] instantly?"

"Personal talent. I'm quite good with [Space Magic]."

Ento becomes curious and bold enough to ask, "And where are you from, exactly? It's hard to believe that you are a mere commoner."

I merely smile faintly. "I'm from a faraway land."

The nobles go silent, both surprised and confused at my reservedness.

Bastico grins and his eyes scan over all my women, then snaps back to me. "Father would love to meet you."

Let's hope he really does.

"So, how was that duel?" Silvina asks.

"You are a summoner, a blesser, and an accomplished magic swordsman?" She asks, her thin eyebrows shoot high up her forehead.

"So they really are your wives…" Bastico comments softly.

Ricardo turns a little more serious as he asks. "The men commented that you summoned something that was very similar to that Masked Aberrant that had a huge bounty on it. What was it, really?"

"An earth elemental. I'm pretty good with [Mana Control] so I can make them in any shape I want. We are the ones who hunted the Aberrant, so I have a very vivid memory of it in my head," I answer, using [Acting] to keep as calm as I can.

"Oh? Could you demonstrate it for us?" Ento asks, becoming bold again.

"Please, Ento. Leave your incessant curiosity with magic for another time," Bastico says casually and flicks his hand dismissively.

The chubby man grits his teeth and forces his expression to remain neutral. "Then perhaps we should not talk about the gruesome details of duels as we eat our meal," he responds.

Bastico merely glances at Ento and doesn't respond.

With the conversation shifting to our accomplishments, Alissa tries to pimp me to Silvina with mixed results. The slender golden elf is clearly an amiable person who enjoys talking to other people earnestly, but we can't discern how far her interest in us goes.

"Thinking about you doing a noblewoman feels even more depraved," Alissa says through [Bind].

"I know. Even I am getting interested in her."

The dinner starts to end and people start to get up to observe the light show of Silvina's backyard.

Hana slings her arm over me and I rest my head against her chest while hugging her waist. Through Alissa's eyes, I see how we are a prime example of a role reversal. Even my ass looks nice in these tight pants.

I also notice how Ento sends glances at Aoi like a boy sends glances to his crush. With our connection to Lord Confiel becoming stronger, his chances of getting Aoi drop from "astronomically unlikely" to "not even in a fantasy story."

Osaria stands beside us and her delicious, sensual scent invades my nostrils. "Are you going to get involved?" She asks, softly.

"Perhaps," I answer.

"Not only are you going to go conquer a dungeon, but you will also shove yourself into a conflict between Lords? Why?" I feel a hint of restrained anger in her voice.

"I have my reasons."

"This is why I don't want to continue this. I don't want to outlive people younger than me."

"I'm sorry, but it's something we have to do," Hana says.

I look at her and see an anguished expression. She seems sad and tired, of what, I can make a pretty good guess.

"We'll do all we can to come back and see you again," I say.

"Hmph." She turns around and walks away, back towards Rande's side.

We resume watching the light show and I nearly chuckle. For a while, it dispels the sadness of disappointing Osaria. Silvina basically made Christmas lights by controlling the flow of the water, which in turn controls the blinking of the plants' luminescence.

The desserts roll in and the women moan with delight; I almost do, too. Nutty cakes and not-fig sweets that I have no idea what they are called.

I actually recognize hazelnut. I have to buy some and save them to mix with chocolate.

We have a few more casual conversations and the time to leave finally comes.

After we walk out, I exhale in relief as the tension in my shoulders subsides. Then I moan as Hana's strong hands massage me.

"Not used to talking to nobility?" Rande asks me with a wry smile.

"Yes. I dislike all the formality."

"Better invest in some [Acting]. It'll certainly pay off."

"I'll keep it in mind."

"Well then, until the next An."

"Until then."

We say our goodbyes and depart in different directions.

We enter our inn and I hug Lina to recharge. She then gives me a massage with her cute little hands, her cute little mouth, and her delicious tight womb.

We comfortably watch on as Hana deals out her punishment to both Roxanne and Klein. For the good of the other guests, I hope this room is soundproof.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Cidant.
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Feb 21, 2020

Today is the 23rd.

I wake up to Lina's gloomy eyes staring right into mine. She touches my cheek lovingly and smiles. In this exact moment, I orgasm inside Alissa's mouth.

I cast a quick [Clean] in my mouth and start my morning kisses with Lina. Her shy tongue searches for mine and we rub on one another with the same tenderness of her touch on my cheek.

I give the usual kisses to all the other girls, including Aoi, and we have our breakfast on the beds.

Hana's "Wisdom" increased by 1 (now 13).

"Yeah, I'm totally getting smarter," Hana says with a proud smile.

"So, what are we doing today?" Klein asks excitedly.

"I want to research in the morning and in the afternoon we need to get Hana's armor, then I have to give the Weeper proofs of extermination to the hunter's guild," I say.

"I… want to knit," Lina says.

Roxanne claps the tips of her hands excitedly. "I'll buy some cloth and we can fit Ciel," she says.

"Why me?" Ciel asks and frowns.

Roxanne flicks her hand dismissively. "Your clothes are criminally unsexy. You need to show off your curves more."

"Maybe I don't want to look 'sexier.'"

"Nonsense. A hungry look from any of us and you turn on your sadistic-teasing mode in a mere moment."

Oh boy. I approve of this.

Alissa picks up on my excitement and turns to Ciel. She looks at her with puppy eyes and says, "Please, for me?"

Ciel looks at Alissa a little incredulous and suspicious. "F-for you…?" She asks and Alissa nods, her fox ears and orange hair wobble along with her head. Ciel groans. "Eh, fine, whatever. Might be fun."

"Oh, yes, it will," Roxanne says with a predatory smile.

I look at Hana and Klein and they shrug. "Sounds fun," Hana says and Klein nods.

I look at Alissa. "I'll be writing Selina's adventuring diary," she says.

Then I turn to Aoi. "I want to fly. Can you show [Fly] to me again?" She asks. Her eyes have a suspicious puppy-like glint to them.

"Sure."

"You know [Fly]?" Klein asks.

"Yep. It's one of my special abilities as a hero. I don't use it because I can't properly control it."

"Ooh…"

"Here's another one of my abilities that you need to know. I can summon monsters with [Summoning Magic]."

She stares blankly at me. "What?"

"I can summon monsters."

"How is that a thing?"

"Well, it just is."

She looks at Ciel. "That isn't heresy?"

Ciel smiles and says, "Whoever invented [Summoning Magic] was a genius. Using the tools of the God of Destruction against him will never be heresy."

Klein chuckles and shakes her head. "Well, it's not like I knew how [Summoning Magic] worked to begin with."

"So, you see, I'm a little paranoid. Whenever the girls go out to do their things, I summon two monsters for safety," I say and summon a Shad and a Holly.

Klein jumps when she sees a shadow move to the middle of the bed.

"That's a Symbol of Darkness, a monster that I killed once. Think of it as an anti-assassin guard for you." I grab my little Holly and extend my hand so Klein can see it better. "This is a Beholder, a monster that has very, very good eyesight that I use to scout and have a better view of the battlefield."

She squints her eyes and gets very close to the Holly. "It's so hard to even look at this one," she says.

"Precisely. This is why nobody can sneak up on us while we sleep."

"That's just so…"

"Overpowered?" Ciel asks and sends me a knowing look.

"Well, yeah, I guess… Wait… do you think this is some kind of card game?" Klein asks and looks at Ciel in disbelief.

"Uh, no. Of course not," Ciel answers with a stiff expression.

"You are all insane…" Klein mutters and looks away.

"Anyway…" I continue, "This means that if you want to talk to me, no matter how far apart we are, you can just talk to your own shadow."

Klein pouts and crosses her arms, pressing them against her perky brown breasts. "Did you watch me change all this time?"

I smirk. "What do you take me for? A pervert?" I snort and look away, then she shows me her tongue.

I cup her cheek and push a small amount of my soul through my fingers, which makes her inhale deeply. Then I approach my face to hers and kiss her lips, sucking on her energetic tongue.

She leans into the kiss and after only a few seconds her arms wrap around my chest. I pull her closer and feel her perky nipples rub against me. I push my soul through my tongue and she moans, sending a rush of blood down to my dick.

I break the kiss and see she's already out of breath. Her tail wraps around my waist, trying to keep me from leaving; her eyes look at me with expectancy and a warm smile.

I cup a breast and smile. "Research can wait."

While Klein recovers in my arms, I pull out Ted and Suzy.

"So, we are leaving to buy some simple cloth," Roxanne announces.

"Ah!" Klein exclaims. Her long tail shoots up and even her round monkey ears twitch. "Wait for me!"

Klein jumps out of bed and hurries to put on her clothes. Alissa comes over to me to take Klein's place in my arms. She puts her journal on the pillow and reads it over while making the occasional correction.

I kiss her face and neck repeatedly, making her giggle. Her fluffy tail and legs sway happily.

"Ah, before you go. Hana, come here," I say and she dutifully obeys. "I'm going to cast [Bind]. Clear your mind and don't resist."

"Oh, yes!" Her scales flicker with excitement. She bends over the bed so I can reach her.

"[Bind]?" Klein asks. Her tail scratches her temple in confusion. Ciel starts explaining to her what we are doing.

I cast the spell and pull Hana's soul into mine. Her soul is very heavy, but it's lighter than last time when I had used [Bind] on Roxanne.

I wonder if my 'Sanity' increase is helping.

Hana's soul enters mine and I feel a light "tickling" which makes me want to pull on Hana's soul-string.

Hana frowns, "That's it?"

"Not done yet," I say.

I pull her string and her bundle feels… "intense," as if we are constantly kissing. I dive into her mind and the feeling only increases.

Wild memories and a lot of dicks flash through my mind, most of them are mine, a good part are imaginary, and there are only a few which I don't recognize.

I find her "talking" area and pull it back into my mind so that we can talk.

"Hello?"

"WOLFY!"

Immediately, her yellow lizard eyes envelop the entirety of my mind with her fearsome gaze.

"Okay, calm down a little," I say.

"I can't. It's too awesome!" Hana exclaims and her eyes grow even bigger.

I stare back at the yellow abyss of her eyes and send my own displeasure.

"Oh, no… Wolfy, I'm sorry…" Hana says and her excitement deflates. The eyes reduce in size the more I glare. "I'm sorry…"

I feel a little bad for her, so I reduce my glare and we both calm down. Happiness and comfort escape through her [Bind]. She's very content in knowing again how much power I have over her.

"You have to control your feelings, or else I'll be always reading your mind," I say.

"Eh. Not like I have anything to hide," Hana responds with a shrug. She thinks that she's dumb and that two minds think better than one.

"It helps me a little. My mind is taxed with three [Bind]s."

"Oh, I see." She thinks it's fine, she mostly just wanted to tell me all the time how much she loves me without having to use words since she's bad at being creative.

"Awn…"

Through [Bind], I have her lean on the bed so I can kiss her again. She immediately gets aroused and shoves her tongue inside my mouth, but since they have to leave, she contains her insatiable hunger.

I mean, seriously. If those memories are representative of her mind, she's really insatiable.

I wave to the girls as they head out and I'm left with only Alissa and the golems.

I "update" the golem's voice organ to match Aoi's progress. Then I continue my own research while using [Fly] so that Aoi can observe it.

Now, how do I make their soul's "physical body" organs equal to their doll bodies. Actually, just the outside needs to be doll-like. I can give them bones that will prevent them from being burned away.

The "bones" can even be just metal bars and hinges since they move simply by [Telekinesis] instead of needing muscles.

I summon a small skeletal steel earth elemental and use [Sense Soul] to observe its body. I play with Alissa's tail while I focus on my work.

Then I summon a few random monsters and observe their souls and compare their souls.

Okay, "bones" are in the same place, no matter if it's humanoid, elemental, animal, or monster. The "bone" organ in the soul itself is what differs in its "construction."

With the skeletal elemental in mind, I focus on the golem's soul and cast [Mold]. The copy is not 1-to-1 since their bodies are small, so I think I might have to make adjustments once they have their skeletons reconstructed.

Using the spell twice nearly consumed all of my mana. [Golemancy] is really expensive, mana-wise, or it's just inefficient because it's incomplete.

I grab Ted and cast [Regeneration] on his spine. [Heal] won't be able to create him a new spine since he never had one to begin with. [Regrowth] would be able to do it, but that's a level 80 [Light Magic] spell.

With the knowledge from [Alteration Magic] that a soul "assimilates" things that were grafted onto it, I hope that Ted and Suzy will assimilate their doll bodies into their soul now that they have an "original" piece of their physical bodies.

Very small and thin slivers of steel start to form after an hour of using [Regeneration] on them.

"I feel a difference," Ted says.

"Yes. Much easier to control, ourselves," Suzy says.

"Do you two feel any sort of discomfort? Like, are your bodies uncomfortable being so different when compared to what your soul is?"

"I feel 'wrong,' but it's not discomfort," Ted says.

"'Wrong'?"

"There's interference in the control, of our bodies," Suzy says.

"You didn't notice it before?"

"We didn't have a reference to compare to," Ted says.

"Interesting…"

The two little golems walk around the bed in circles, making Alissa laugh with their adorableness. They are testing their improved control while I recharge my mana.

"They are still walking a little oddly," Alissa says.

"Considering their bodies are like that, I don't think they will ever not walk oddly."

They start to dance and I notice how they have improved.

"Now, Roxanne will love that," I say.

The girls soon come back and are instantly distracted by the more energetic golems.

Ted lifts his stubby arms to Ciel, asking to be hugged, and is snatched away instantly.

"So, cu~te!" Ciel moans and smothers Ted in her breasts.

After a little while of gushing, the girls start working.

Lina wanted to knit, but Roxanne convinced her to sew clothes. They even bought paper for Roxanne to sketch the designs she wants. Of course, I gave them designs of my own, such as a proper maid, butler, bunny onesies, pajamas, sailor uniform, boob-windows, under-boobs, side-boobs, and some cosplay designs.

"Hey, that one is similar to Low Forest clothing," Alissa says while pointing at a kimono.

"Yeah, we are going to buy lots of clothes there," I say with a knowing grin.

She cutely taps her chin with her index finger. "If only I knew you liked it I would've smuggled some over. They are a pain in the ear to wear, though."

"Why?"

"They get loose easily if you don't know how to move correctly in them. They say it's so that you train your 'Dexterity,' but I think it's just so that once in a while perverts get to see someone expose themselves."

I run my hand through my hair in excitement. "Wow, that's a great idea, actually. It's like the dress knows when it's time to leave, so we get to sexy time faster."

"See? I knew it was for perverts," Alissa says while grinning at the other girls.

Coming up with designs for clothes took up quite some time, so I don't manage to progress any further in my research before lunch.

"I miss cooking," Alissa says.

"Me too," I respond.

She smiles warmly at me. "It's all amazing food, even Krysta's, but it's not the same as when you cook them yourself."

"Most likely because this food is filled with fat to make it taste better. We cook with little fat so it tastes differently."

"Is that so…?" Klein asks, looking at the food warily.

"Eh, eating this for a few days won't hurt," Roxanne says with a shrug.

"See? She's learning," I say and point to Roxanne, who smiles back at me.

We go out and collect Hana's armor. Now she looks like a proper metal soldier. We didn't ask for any decorations, so it's a bit plain, but it's something we should save on. The high-class inns are expensive, so the indulgence is over for now.

The boobplate fits her pretty nicely, though. The padded armor is still there, below the metal, so it's not like she's wearing a form-fitting armor, but it still represents what's inside quite well.

She'd do well in a Wonder Woman cosplay.

Then I notice that the peeping elves are at it again.

How did they get so many elves to spy on us? Most of them look like average commoners, so they can't all be soldiers for the Lord.

Maybe this is how Léonne and Vanea managed to get wind of their spying. They just hired a bunch of elves for this job and the news spread quickly. If they are keeping an eye on us, then it would be easy for this information to reach their ears.

I direct Hana through [Bind] so she glares at the spies and scares them off. She's much more difficult to control directly than Alissa or Aoi, so I end up mostly just telling her where to look.

I enter the guild and quickly make my way to the Dismantling Room. The guild follows a similar design to Escanso's, but it's made of white and gray wood, giving it an even more refined air.

The hunters over here certainly do look the part with their pompous looks and upturned noses. Low-level hunters aren't really necessary when the town guard and the Lord can take care of all the normal monsters by themselves, so only the more specialized hunters live here.

The Weepers give us a few gold coins each, their blood is very valuable for [Alchemy]. We could have gotten more, but I gave a good amount of the blood to Roxanne for her experiments.

While inside, the three [Bind]s start to get even more annoying and the girls notice my feelings seeping through it. I even have to control Hana's blanket again since it's so easy for her to resist the [Bind].

When I go back and feel the effects of Alissa's blessing affecting me again, the three [Bind]s return to being manageable.

"Well, now I know that my 'Sanity' affects how well I can manage the [Bind]s," I say.

"Sorry, Wolfy, I'll try to submit to you harder," Hana says, a little sad.

"I find it hard to believe that that's possible," Roxanne says with a raised eyebrow.

"If it ever gets too annoying I can just undo the [Bind]," I say with a shrug and Hana nods.

We move on to the shops closer to the castle and find a shop for facial products.

I look at Alissa and smirk. "You are getting your makeup, whether you like it or not."

She rolls her eyes and smiles faintly.

The shop smells pretty. The overly well-groomed elves remind me of the same beauty boutiques on Earth. Though everyone looks amazing and perfect at first sight, they use so much makeup that it ruins the illusion the more you look at them.

The girls put on some basic face powder and eye shadow and there's an instant change. Though Roxanne and Lina seem to benefit the most out of it and Hana comes just behind them.

Then we find a public park and have some tea under the sun while listening to the birds chirping.

For the first time, I see Gify (comically) fly around, chasing some birds, then he frolics in the grass with the other nature spirits.

He gives me a glare but ignores my jab.

After that, Hana, Ciel, and Klein go to the hunter's guild training grounds; Roxanne, Lina, and Aoi return to the inn for more sewing; and Alissa and I follow them to continue my research.

Aoi's hands are much more dexterous now, so she can even help with some things. Her ability to become very small is also advantageous since she can do much more delicate tasks that none of the girls can manage.

While observing Gify pop in and out of existence with my soul-touch, I cast [Materialize] repeatedly and follow Gify's advice in how to turn my soul completely solid so that I can grasp things.

Mana is an infinitesimal particle that has only a place in space as a physical property. It doesn't have physical substance, so I have to create the abstract concept of "mass" and add it to my mana, then I have to organize those particles of mana in a way that they fill up my soul and "attach" to it.

[Materialize] adds "sources" to my soul that emit photons, which is why it gives a glow to spirits. I have to take these "sources" and turn them into mana particles with mass.

Concepts, enchanting, and unique magic. These three things are all about visualization. Visualizing the exact effect you want in your mind and you can use mana to bend reality to your wishes.

"Roxanne, what is a Warped Reality?" I ask.

The two girls stop whispering to one another and turn to me. "Well, it's like the thing you did that made it rain flaming leaves that left a wet spot where they touched. You used mana recklessly to bend the laws of reality to your will, but that's not allowed, that's the domain of the Gods," Roxanne says.

"Wait, laws of reality? What is magic then? Is it different?"

"Yeah. Altering reality is changing how a specific object works. Altering the laws of reality is changing how every instance of that specific object works."

"Why doesn't anybody study it, then?"

She smiles wryly. "It's too dangerous and difficult to control. Some circles of magi might try some things with it, but it's always small and temporary."

"Like how I use [Godly Language] to alter reality?"

"Kind of. [Godly Language] is still more about altering reality itself than it's laws. And even then, it's like the difference between system magic and unique magic. [Godly Language] is much more controlled than what I've heard about from those circles of magi. Those who try to alter the laws of reality usually don't live long."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Well, it's actually really hard to even alter the laws in a small area. What you did was really crazy and impressive."

"Gih."

I lower my head and look away. "Alright, I'm sorry. I didn't know [Redirect Mana] could be that dangerous."

Roxanne shrugs. "Well, now you know," she says and Lina nods.

I manage to create a faint solidification. My hand still goes through it as the "mass" is not exactly "solid," so it feels like my hand is being squeezed slightly.

I play around with my blue, glowing tentacles and accidentally arouse Roxanne by touching her horn. It seems that until it's fully solid, my soul will still cause pleasure when it touches someone.

After Alissa, Lina and I deal with her, the girls come back right on time for the sacred bath.

Together, we wash the sweaty Ciel, Hana, and Klein. I don't really have a scent fetish, but Hana's was kind of "alluring." Running my sponge over her perfect body never gets old.

After rinsing some of the soap off of her, I suck on her nipples like a newborn. Then I lower to her abs, which are as enticing to nibble and lick as Ciel's thighs. Then I finally reach her lower bush and have my meal.

Not satisfied with Roxanne, I let Hana crush my waist with her pounding me in the amazon position.

We have our last dinner in Goloria and savor all we can. Salads, pies, casseroles, juices, sweets, and meat. Everything is always so delicious that it's to die for.

With a sigh, I dip my not-grape in the flavored cream and eat the last fruit.

"We'll come back to Goloria sometime, right?" Lina asks.

"Yeah. The 'Legado' dungeon is closer to Goloria than Escanso," I say.

She nods and says, "Good, I want to go to the library again someday."

Look at that, my little girl is demanding things for herself!

After dinner, we play around a little more.

I watch the girls play Civil War, it's like a mix of "Magic: The Gathering" with chess. Fun, but kind of chaotic.

Then we go to sleep since we are waking up early tomorrow.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Prince Bradly.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Cidant.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Jun 24, 2020

Today is the 24th, day of An.

Ciel wakes me up with the help of Lina, who holds back her hair and gives her encouraging words.

"My mouth is feeling oddly dry, you know. It's as if something is missing," Hana says and stares at Ciel. She manages to guilt Ciel into sharing.

My [Spirit Magic] and [Mana Control] increased by 1 (now 0+2 and 0+15). My [Sense Soul] increased by 2 (now 6). I can now see someone's "Endurance" and "Strength" stats.

But the best growth of this morning is that I can now see Aoi's HP.

Soul Info
Name: Aoi HP: 200

Aoi stands on her hind legs, opens her wings wide, puffs out her chest, and smirks. Though, she looks more comical than imposing, due to being in her smaller size.

"Diamond dragon scales…" Klein mutters and her tail massages one of her temples.

"Hey, so my increased HP really is due to my dragon inheritance," Hana comments.

"I'm more interested in her MP and 'Magic Power,'" Roxanne says with a light shrug.

"Same," Ciels says.

"Gih."

That means "a lot."

"Well, that's not fair," Hana says with a frown. "Why are dragonkin so bad with magic, then?"

"Gih."

"That's bullshit. Why do the wereanimal and beastfolk races not have the same problem with magic, then? They also have a non-human inheritance. The demon race is even more talented with magic than the average human."

"But your race is the only one that inherits from monsters," Roxanne says.

Lina chimes in, "Think about it like this: If the dragonkin were as good with magic as they are with physical combat, they would be unstoppable."

The dragonkin are the Klingons or Krogans of Rupegia. Frightening stuff.

"As if that would be a bad thing," Hana says and snorts.

"You have more energy than, even real dragons," Aoi says.

"Hm…" Hana grabs her chin in thought. "But aren't the beastfolk good with both?"

Lina smiles and pats Hana's lower back since she doesn't reach Hana's shoulder. "You overestimate them. The beastfolk are mostly rebellious and independent. The dragonkin have more raw strength."

"You know a lot about the beastfolk," I say to Lina.

"There's a lot of them living in Wideberg."

"I see…"

We get up and I sadly store the beds back in my "Item Box." Then we go down to have our breakfast.

Ciel seems so happy that she almost hums as she eats.

"Happy to be traveling again?" Lina asks Ciel.

"You bet," Ciel answers, chipper.

Lina smiles adorably and Ciel doesn't resist, patting her head during the entire breakfast.

We head outside and breathe in the fresh air. The white wooden town looks quite picturesque as it stirs awake.

We make our way to the gate and see that it will be a repeat of Rabanara. We are likely to waste an hour or so just to get out due to the number of other caravans also going the same way as us.

Then we find Rande's caravan. The commoners we have been traveling with are all gone now and a new set of commoners going to Goldport are taking the ride with us. I see that the noble's carriage isn't here anymore.

Osaria sends us a warm wave when she sees us. Roxanne smiles back, but she seems a little sour after that for a while. Anton and Krysta also greet us warmly, though Anton seems to be still feeling a little awkward about our "agreement."

The elven sisters greet us with a smile and a wave; Julien also sends one to Ciel; the two brutes and the joker send a casual "yo" to Hana and Roxanne; the rest of the guards give the usual friendly nod.

Laertes merely sends a glance at us and gets on top of the (now fixed) carriage.

We get our horses but don't mount them just yet. There's no point when we are just going to stand here and wait in the line to get out of town.

"Hm…" Lina mutters, trying to start to talk but anxiety holds her back.

"What is it?" I ask.

"C-can I go to the carriage and talk with Oura?"

"Sure. You didn't have to ask."

I pat her head and she blushes, embarrassed at her own shyness.

Alissa and Klein stay together, talking about girl stuff. Hana and Ciel are talking about Hana's new armor and testing her mobility. Roxanne immediately pulls out an [Alchemy] book and starts to read about flammable compounds.

Feeling a little needy, I get Aoi and hold her in my arms. I caress her spine and she gives me a happy lick on the chin.

"So, how's your growth?" I ask her.

"Very good. Humanoids are tasty, they gave me lots of strength," she answers.

I cringe while smiling. "Yeah… we aren't going to kill a lot of humanoids again so soon."

She gives me a toothy grin. "I know, but it doesn't change that, they are very tasty."

I get an idea. "Do you think you could drink my blood?"

Her beautiful eyes gleam at the idea. "Yes! You have tons of mana; your blood would be very tasty."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Do you actually taste the mana? Blood by itself doesn't taste good."

She tilts her head cutely. "But it does?"

"If you say so…"

"Hehe. I wouldn't mind if you, used [Slavery Magic] on me, too."

"Would it even work? You're not fully part of the system yet."

"We'll know if we try."

"What about that part of you leaving me if I ignore you? If you're my slave then it'll be harder for you to leave."

"If I'm your slave, then you have more responsibility, to keep me happy." She smiles smugly as if she has everything thought out. "And even then, if Hana can escape slavery if she wants, then so can I."

I smirk. "Confident, aren't you?"

Her nostrils light up. "Dragons are proud."

"How do you know that?"

"It's knowledge I was born with. Dragons are proud."

That's actually very convenient.

I kiss the top of her head and steam comes out of her nostrils.

"Once we are nobles, I want you to grow to your normal size and walk beside us. No more hiding your abilities. You can talk freely, too."

She grins again and licks my chin. "I'll pray lots so that I, get the system faster!"

I hug her tighter in my arms and she rubs her head against my cheek.

After having our fill of snuggling, we stare at one another again. "I know that the Gods will listen. It's just a matter of time… Ah, now that we are talking about it, how have you been praying?"

"Every night before I sleep, I ask to get another piece of, the system. I also ask to get included in, your 'Followers' Gift."

"How much do you know about the Gods?"

Her non-existent eyebrows try to knit together. "Well, I know their names."

"Right, we need to teach you more about the Gods, then."

She gives me a toothy smile. "Okay!"

The caravan starts to move and we finally get out of Goloria when the day has fully started.

We mount our horses and go down the spiral of the Pillar.

Alissa and Klein mount the same horse and flirt a little as they talk. Alissa's hands don't leave Klein's furry and long monkey tail for a single moment.

We reach the end of the Pillar, where the road splits off in all directions. We take the eastern one towards Goldport. There's some traffic in that direction, so I cast [Swift Foot] on the commoners. This way we can more easily pass the slower caravans and reduce the number of times that we have to move to the side when a faster caravan wants to pass us.

We leave the beautiful dark and light parts of the lake faster than I'd like. With some mild disappointment, we finally leave Goloria behind.

Now we are back inside the dark and damp forest of gigantic trees. It feels less oppressive this time; though, maybe I'm just getting used to it. I summon a light elemental so we can all feel more comfortable.

I discreetly leave a [Gate] "coordinate" in the forest for when we go back to Goloria. It's a really good idea to always leave a "coordinate" outside of any place we enter. We've been ambushed far too many times for that to be considered paranoia.

I whisper to Aoi and she glides towards the window of Rande's carriage. She perches herself on the windowsill and looks inside.

Through her eyes, I see Oura and Lina happily discussing passages from a book. Osaria looks at both of them with a predatory glint in her eyes, making some blood pump downstairs for a few moments.

"Li, Wolfy wants to dismantle those, exploding arrows," Aoi says.

"Oh, right! We still have to understand how they work," Lina says. Her gloomy eyes glow a little with excitement that quickly fades. "Sorry, Oura, I have to work."

"It's no problem," Oura says with a kind smile and pats Lina's head, making her blush slightly.

This girl. I'm sure she's not that innocent about her charms anymore.

Lina nods and scurries out of the carriage with Aoi wrapped around her neck.

I offer my hand to her and help her up onto the horse, then we gallop away with Roxanne following us.

I feel the annoyance of losing Alissa's blessing again, but I endure. Hana is very calm right now, making it much easier to deal with her [Bind].

We find a secluded clearing, far from any caravan or other random hunters walking through the forest.

I pull out an explosive arrow from my "Items" and carefully lay it on the ground, then I summon a spirit elemental.

"Enter the arrow," I order.

I see the insides of the arrow through the spirit elemental. There are two different liquids divided between two separate compartments inside the shaft. A potential point where the liquids could mix is in the middle of the shaft, near the arrowhead, where a small piece of glass is located. There's a small piece of wood connecting the shaft and the arrowhead, but I don't know what it's for.

I cast [Earth Wall] and create a bunker, then I summon a small glass earth elemental and order, "Open a hole there and use your body to fill it, like a window."

The elemental obeys and its body turns into a large square. It touches the wall and easily opens a hole where it fits perfectly.

Then I summon two goblins and order. "You, stay behind the window. You, go outside and hit the arrow on a rock. Turn the arrow around so you hit every part of it at least once."

They both nod and we move far away from the bunker.

The goblin starts by hitting the arrowhead against the rock. Nothing happens so it starts flipping the arrow around and hitting all its parts on the rock until the arrow breaks in half and the liquids mix together.

*BOOM!*

"Yay!" Aoi exclaims in happiness.

The guinea pig goblin instantly dies from the explosion and two-thirds of its body turns into minced meat. The other goblin behind the bunker is completely unharmed. The glass elemental receives some minor damage but it heals itself quite easily.

"First test is a success," I say and Lina nods.

I describe to the girls what happened and Lina says, "There's a priming mechanism so it doesn't blow up easily during transport. That glass piece is the key to priming it."

I summon another goblin and pull out another arrow. I use the spirit elemental to make another pass through the arrow and start drawing out a rough sketch of the interior.

The arrowhead is a little "off" to one side. The unknown small piece of wood keeps the arrowhead in place, but once you break it by pulling the arrow and the shaft apart, the arrowhead becomes loose and is able to move a little to the side, where it will fit into a slot. This slot makes the arrowhead touch a loose piece of wood in the middle of the shaft. With enough strength, the arrowhead will push this loose piece of wood backward, shattering the small piece of glass that was separating the two liquids.

"Quite the dangerous liquids. They seem to start a chain reaction that causes a big explosion just from contact," Roxanne says.

"Is that what you wanted when you mentioned that 'gunpower'?" Lina asks.

"No. This one creates too much fire, gunpowder isn't like that. Also, the mechanism to prevent them from mixing is far too complex. Bullets are a bit simpler than this arrow," I say.

"But the reaction seems to start inside the arrow without the need for air. This seems to be one of the requirements for your 'bullet' to work," Roxanne continues.

"Hm…" I scratch my head in thought.

I know how bullets work and how to engineer them, so I have an advantage for that. This mixing of two liquids will require new engineering, which would kind of negate my advantage.

"Perhaps… But we'll have to wait. If you girls don't manage to create my gunpowder then this might be a good substitute for it."

"No pressure," Roxanne says with a smirk and I shrug with an apologetic smile.

We stand inside the bunker and watch the goblin prime the arrow. We hear a click and the arrowhead visibly moves.

"It seems they prime the arrows when they draw the bow," Lina says and we nod.

The goblin hits the arrowhead against a new rock (since the last one was blown to bits) and another explosion occurs.

"Yay!" Aoi claps her claws, making clinking noises.

"Well, the secret has been revealed!" Roxanne says and chuckles.

"Now, we just need to find a way to extract the liquids," I say.

"Use a nature elemental to drill a hole in each side," Lina says.

We follow her suggestion and I summon the elemental. We give it two small flasks and order it to extract the liquids.

The first liquid comes out fine. A little oily and dark, similar to the burning oil we have. The second liquid starts to flow out of the shaft and it immediately bubbles and releases steam.

"Well, that ain't good," I say.

It enters the flask and its bubbling reduces by a little, but when the elemental tries to cork it, the bubbling and steaming shatters it.

We just observe the wasted liquid. It steams away in less than a minute, leaving small burns where it touched the rock and the elemental.

"Well, we just have to make a closed channel so it doesn't touch the air," Roxanne says with a shrug.

It's a little more difficult than that since the channel has to be hollowed out without filling it with air. Even the flask has to be turned into a vacuum by the elemental before it was ready to accept the second liquid. Its color is clear, but it's rather viscous.

"Now, let's mix together a drop of each," Roxanne says.

A little more fussing about with the bottles and the nature elemental manages to pass a drop of the liquid into another bottle.

"Waste of a flask, but oh well," Roxanne says and shrugs.

The elemental uncorks the bottle and drops the first liquid in. The drop touches the second and a small explosion happens, shattering the bottle.

"Hm. You know, this explosion is quite good, maybe we could weaponize it," I say.

"But I can see why it would be hard to make your 'bullets' with it. Maybe I could work on it to make it less unstable when it comes into contact with the air," Roxanne says.

"I'll build a workshop for you. We'll have to make a vacuumed room that's hermetically sealed."

"'Hermetically'?" Lina asks.

"Something that doesn't allow air in."

"Oh… Hm… yes, it will be difficult to build such a thing. We'll need lots of metal."

"Aren't the armor pieces we got enough?" Roxanne asks.

"No. A whole room made entirely of metal would require a lot of it. Especially because it has to be thick, otherwise if something accidentally punctures a hole in it, the pressure would blow you up, or something."

Roxanne frowns. "Erm… how?"

"It's an engineering thing. But basically the air would force itself in all at once, which could be dangerous," I say with a shrug.

I'm not certain, but you don't want to be careless with vacuum chambers.

"Not only that, but the unstable liquid could end up being exposed," Lina says.

"But we don't need to use the steel armor to make the room. We can buy cheaper metals for it."

"We'll also need to come up with a… herme, uh… a sealed suit-…"

"Hermetic suit," I interrupt.

"Yes, that. We need to make it so that she can breathe while still inside the room."

"That's actually the trickier part. I'm not really sure how to do it."

"Couldn't we use slime skin?"

"Oh, that could work. Though, their skin looks a little fragile."

"There are some tough slimes out there, some of them even resist arrows."

"Sounds perfect." I pat her head and she smiles.

We drain all the arrows and fill up half a barrel with each liquid. That's not a lot, but Roxanne will focus on identifying the liquids before we actually try to experiment with it.

After that, we pull out the enchanted Ghillie suit and observe it. The first enchantment we recognize as being [Ignorance]; the second one we have no idea what it is, we only know that it blocks [Sense Presence] after doing some testing; the third enchantment absorbs scents below it.

"I've never seen this second enchantment before, even in the books," Lina says.

"Keep it with you and study it. It would be good to know if there's a countermeasure to it because we do rely a lot on Alissa's [Sense Presence]," I say.

"So, a countermeasure to a countermeasure?" Roxanne asks and chuckles.

"That's warfare in a nutshell," I say and give her a smirk.

Roxanne chuckles again and rolls her eyes. "Oh, another of your weird references?" She asks.

I pout at her and narrow my eyes. "Ei, your idioms are also weird: 'Dwarven beard'; 'diamond dragon scales'; 'let a Glutton eat your words'; and the obsession with goblin semen."

She puts her hands on her hips in a sassy way. "Ours are more literal. What in the hell does 'in a nutshell' even mean?"

"I… have no idea…" I awkwardly scratch my head. "You use it when you are explaining something with only a few words, so maybe its origin comes from reducing something so much that it fits inside a nutshell?"

She scoffs and says, "Not only are Earthlings weird, but they are also boring."

I shrug. "Well, that's not our fault. Earth doesn't have dwarves, dragons, or goblins to reference."

"But you know what they are. You said we exist in tales and 'fantasy,'" Lina says.

"See? Earthlings are so boring," Roxanne says. She pokes me on the chest with her pale finger and Lina nods along.

"Oof, Lina, you traitor," I say and the little imp dares to smile.

We return to the caravan and spend our time leisurely. Lina returns to the carriage and Roxanne starts studying the dark liquid with her special lens that lets her see mana "signatures."

I continue my practice of [Soul Manipulation]. I can now keep my soul out with barely any mental effort, so I feel that I'm almost finishing creating the skill. There's one vector I haven't fully explored yet, which is the "soul-changing" that I can do with [Redirect Mana]. I can "change" my soul so that I can more easily attract "attuned" mana, or in other words, free-flowing mana with a "signature."

"Roxanne, can you lend me this lens for a minute?" I ask.

"Sure."

"Excuse me, I need this too." I grab her black tail and she looks at me curiously.

Since her tail is solidified mana, (aka, "fake matter"), it means that her mana has a signature. If I can change my soul to that "signature" by using [Redirect Mana], then I can use my special [Materialization] on it and gain an appendage!

I fucking cracked the code!

Gih!

"Use some magic, please," I say.

She casts a [Fireball] and throws it upwards. Some mana leaves through her tail and floats in the air.

Gimme!

I extend my soul over it and use [Redirect Mana] to "change" my soul to the same "signature" of the mana.

It's as hard as I remember, like flexing a muscle that you never used before. You know it's there, it's just difficult to use it the way you want.

But that's the last stretch for [Soul Manipulation]!

The road is a little busy. Just like on the way to Goldcross, the number of caravans and hunters roaming about makes the way completely clear of monsters for us. This side of the High Forest isn't having the same problems as Lord Mavel's territory.

Lunch comes and we savor Krysta's home-cooked meal.

"You're still the best cook out there, Mom," Klein says and Krysta returns a lovely smile.

Krysta sits beside her to eat and their tails entwine, making me envious and even more fired up to finish my [Soul Manipulation].

I turn to Aoi and say, "I think I should start teaching you what I know about the soul, too. If I can become a dragon, then you can become a humanoid."

Aoi stops mid-chew and stares at me like a statue. Her galaxy-like eyes bore holes through my soul as I feel the gears in her head turning from the mumbling escaping through [Bind].

"KWEH! YES! THAT'S AMAZING! I WANT TO BE A HUMANO~~-…!"

I cut the screaming inside my head with my mind.

I wait a minute before I say through [Bind]. "You done?"

"Hehehe. Sorry, sorry. Yes, I'm done! No, wait, I'm just starting! Teach me [Soul Manipulation]!"

"As you wish."

Gih.

He offered to help teach her.

"Thanks, Gify."

Gih!

We continue on our way after filling our bellies with roasted Dragolite and a cheesy casserole.

Holly suddenly sees a worrying sight. Thirty horsemen are coming towards us, all of them wearing red cloaks and a tabard with the yellow imperial sun on the chest. They are equipped with a mix of leather and metal armor. Most of them are soldiers, with only a few archers and mages, but there's also a lone temple priest among them.

I warn Rande and the guards tense up a little. I summon two earth and two fire elementals and position them in front of the caravan as a deterrent.

The imperials pass by a few caravans and ignore them. When they approach ours, they slow down, making us even warier.

The group of imperials stops in front of our caravan, blocking our way.

The leader, who's wearing a white cloak with yellow stripes, comes out from the middle of the group and stops a few meters in front of the others.

"Is this the Este Escort Company caravan?" The leader asks.

Rande growls and walks forward, stopping right between the two earth elementals. "Yes. I am Rande, the owner of the company," he says.

The leader's face is obscured by his helmet, but his eyes are neutral and imperative. "Is the fellowship Helios protecting this caravan?" He asks.

"Yes, we are here. I am Wolf Ryder, leader of Helios," I say.

I notice the imperials tense up and their hands squeeze their spears tighter.

His eyes glare at me with unbridled anger. He contains himself and says with a very stern tone, "I am Commander Taavi. I represent the Imperial Enforcers and I am here to take you, Wolf Ryder, to Goldcross for trial. You are accused of destruction of private property."

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Cidant.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Feb 22, 2020

My heart tries to suddenly leap through my mouth. The girls feel it through [Bind] and a wave of determined anger washes over me, helping me control myself. Gify turns on a light "massage" to help.

"W-what…? What 'private property' are you talking about?" I ask while I recollect my composure.

Taavi narrows his eyes at me and says, "Katasko's office in Goldport was completely razed. You're accused of destroying it."

Well… this ain't good.

"And how did I supposedly do that?"

"We know that you're a talented summoner. There are plenty of ways to do it."

So, they don't know how it was done? Why else would he be so vague about it when just knowing that I have [Summon Monster] would turn me into a suspect?

Aoi rubs her scaly blue head against my cheek, calming me even further.

"Why do you think that I would do such a thing?"

"That's what the trial is for. You're a prime suspect," Taavi says, matter-of-factly.

I grit my teeth in annoyance.

You're being awfully vague.

"I've never associated or interacted with Katasko before. I've only met a representative of them once, who offered me a job that I declined, which made them quite angry. So, is this Katasko admitting that they have a vendetta against me because I refused to work for them?" I add a bit of smugness to my words.

Taavi pauses and looks at one of his men. The significance of that is not lost on me. Then he turns to us and his glare is fully reignited. "Such matters will be revealed during the trial. You'll have your chance to defend yourself and turn your questions to Katasko."

I feel like facepalming and groaning, but Anton's and the other caravan guards' movement catches my attention. Anton stands beside an earth elemental, the other guards stand behind him and form a line between us and the Enforcers.

Taavi turns his glare to Rande. "Think very thoroughly about what you are about to do. We are here to take them back for trial, not arrest them, yet. And if not now, then someone else will, and that person won't be very gentle."

"You want to take away my personal guards?! You want us to die out there?!" Rande exclaims, his face flushing red with anger.

Taavi's tone turns to one of annoyance as if he's talking to a petulant child. "The road to Goldport is safe. You won't find any danger that your other guards and you yourself won't be able to handle."

Rande gets so angry that he spits saliva as he says, "Did you know that not even a day-cycle ago we were attacked by a circle of magi?! I lost eight of my men!"

This gives him some pause, then he speaks without as much conviction as before, "The road to Goldport is safe. If you do not feel safe, then we will allow you to come along. You should have looked deeper into Helios' character before hiring them if you were that concerned for your safety."

Hana glares at him with so much anger that it even scares me a little.

"Come alon-…" Rande stops himself before he has a heart attack. "I'll appeal in the Tribunal for lost profits due to imperial meddling!"

"I'll appeal in the Tribunal for a deferred trial," I say and Taavi grips his bridle tighter. He can't stop either of us from appealing. "And I also demand a suspension of your escort due to extenuating circumstances. We will report to the Tribunal after our escort job is complete."

Taavi's glare comes back in full blast. "Do you take me for a fool?! What 'extenuating circumstances'?"

I gather all of my courage to look as sure of myself as I can. "Nobleman Ento, Noblewoman Silvina, and Root Lord Ricardo were targeted by the circle of magi Dawn of Fire. We killed all of the attackers, but only because of my 'talent' with [Summoning Magic], as you yourself said that I possess."

Even behind his helmet I see Taavi grit his teeth.

I continue piling it on, taking the chance now that I've seen a way out. "The law is there to ensure justice and bring order, but what is more important: the law or the lives of these men and women? As you said, I'm no murderer, I'm only being accused of destruction of private property. So tell me this: will the God of the Sun look kindly on you when you take me away and threaten their safety?

"I'll report to the nearest Tribunal when my job is complete and my employers are safe," I finish with perfect confidence, because that's exactly what I'm going to do.

I can still get the temple or the Tribunal to protect me; there's a lot of room for me to work with.

I see approval in the eyes of Alissa, Ciel, and Lina.

Taavi narrows his eyes at me and his tone grows less confident as he speaks. "When you get to Goldport there are hundreds of ways you could take to escape the Empire. What stops you from taking any of them?"

"My fiancee and I are both blessed by the Gods; you can trust that we won't run from the Empire. And if that's not enough, I have a letter from an Agent of the Tribunal attesting to my character," I say and pull out Rudito's letter.

I summon a small bird and have it fly to Taavi. It lands on his hand and he takes the letter from its beak, slightly impressed at my display.

He reads it three times and returns it to the bird. "I have to discuss this."

He dismounts and gathers four men with yellow bands on their arms. I notice that one of the men he's talking to is the one that he looked at in the beginning of our conversation, so I focus on him.

[ttable]

Soul Info
Name:Nero GavalasRace:HumanLevel:44MP:250Magic Power:30Strength:23Endurance:22[/table]

His level is awfully high for an imperial soldier, it's even higher than Taavi's.

From under his helmet, I can see a perfectly trimmed square black beard jutting out. It seems that his skin color is similar to Hana's, the common color of the average imperial. His arms are like logs, though they are still thinner than Anton's.

The imperials talk for a few minutes, sometimes a little heatedly, while the rest of the imperial soldiers stare at us sternly, leaving us rather tense. Rande calms himself down and his skin color returns to his natural tan.

Enforcers are trained to look mean so you don't even think of opposing them.

They finally stop talking and Taavi turns to us, his glare and confidence returned to him.

"The trial was set for the next 25th. If you are not in Goldcross by then, you'll be hunted down by the Enforcers and the temple, blessed by the Gods or not," Taavi says, nearly spitting as he speaks.

"That is acceptable," I say and nod courteously.

"Do not think that hiding in Maoka will get you out of this," he adds.

I simply smile back at him, unnerving him yet again.

He motions to his men and they move off to the side of the road. Rande motions to his own men and we return to our positions.

Thankfully, I'm on horseback, otherwise, I would have shown them that I've forgotten how to walk.

The imperials stare at us as we slowly make our way. The commoners look just about terrified of the situation, and the caravan guards show some discipline by remaining calm and alert.

When we pass by the officers following Taavi, I stop in front of Nero.

"You, what's your name?" I ask him.

"Sargeant Barak," a low and gravely voice answers. The man's brown eyes stare at me intently, but his expression is neutral.

"Oh, I thought I recognized you, my mistake," I give him a fake smile and spur my horse forward.

Once the imperials are out of sight, everyone's composure crumbles in an instant.

Rande immediately turns to me, eyes open wide in disbelief. "Wolf! Did you fuck someone's wife?!" He asks.

I immediately frown at him. "No… why would you think that I did?"

"Because he did," Osaria says from the window of the carriage. "This situation is… very familiar to Rande."

"Wolf is far too kind to be a wife-stealer like you," Oura says from the other window of the carriage.

I sigh and massage the bridge of my nose. "Anyway, I want to thank you all for the support," I say and look around.

"You're all good people," Ciel adds.

"You had our backs, so we have yours," Julien says.

"Ha! That's what I like to hear!" Hana exclaims.

"Even if only temporary, we are brothers-in-arms," Rande says.

"Paying us back for the times we saved your balls," Hana says and gives a fearsome smile to Rande.

Anton snorts and says, "You can unite the beastfolk if it means pissing off some nobles."

Ciel cringes slightly at his words. That's because the beastfolk united and pushed the Empire and the temple out of Bestiaram a long time ago.

"You can consider that you made a true friend today," Alissa says, putting into words the emotions she felt coming from me through my [Bind].

Julien gives us a friendly smile, Anton gives us a neutral nod, and the rest of them give me a short salute and some smiles.

Rande gives me a sympathetic smile and says, "Well, it's the least we could do, but it's not like you're going to be in much danger of being convicted. Lord Confiel can make the accusations disappear quite easily."

"I think the trial itself is a sham. Katasko wants to recruit us, so they might be trying to use the trial to cut a deal or something," Alissa says.

Rande frowns. "Ah, I see. Katasko is run by some pretty obnoxious nobles, so it doesn't surprise me that they would use such a tactic."

"If you end up not getting protection from Lord Confiel you can come to us and we'll do what we can to help," Osaria says, and Rande and Oura nod. Osaria's juicy lips form a smile, but her slightly droopy eyes have a hint of sadness to them.

"Thank you for the offer. We'll keep it in mind," I say and bow to them.

We return to our usual mood and continue on, then I gather the girls for a small meeting.

"So, we are going to Lord Confiel first," I say.

"Our bargaining power has decreased, though," Alissa says with a small frown.

"Eh, I still think we're going to be fine. We just have a lot of power," Roxanne says.

I let a sigh escape. "I'm more worried about what they have in store for us besides the trial," I say.

"If the trial really happens, we can just put the blame on them for harassing us," Hana says.

"Then there's not much else to do besides waiting," Ciel says.

"Wait, did you actually do it?" Klein asks.

I smile at her and reach over to pat her head. "I can't say anything to you yet."

"Well… fine…" She crosses her arms and pouts. "Actually, now that I think about it, the answer is pretty obvious."

I smile wryly at her and [Massage] her tail.

"It will all depend on how amenable Lord Confiel is. If he doesn't want to help us, then we can run to the Low Forest," Lina says.

"I'm tempted to ignore the trial while we hunt for the 'Noble' title," I say.

Ciel frowns and says, "That's too dangerous."

I shrug. "If we are running to the Low Forest, then we might as well do it before going there."

Ciel insists, "I would rather not. Even though it's Gecynd's 'advice.'" And Lina nods along.

"Well, we'll make the decision when the time comes."

Klein suddenly speaks up, "Just… just promise me that you'll all be safe? That you won't try anything stupid against the Enforcers?"

Hana gives her a pained smile and nods. Her heart went up into her throat, so she temporarily lost the ability to speak.

I grab her hand and give it a squeeze. "I promise. This, I promise."

The way forward is calm as usual. Night comes and we stop to rest.

I appease Hana of her frustration about today's matter. It was too close to her own experience for her to not fear a repeat of her family breaking up.

I link our minds together and our pleasure echoes within one another. Everything about Hana is intense, even her own pleasure makes me orgasm faster than with the two other girls.

Dinner is as usual, but the guards and Rande are more friendly, then things get lively when the commoners start a small dance and song.

Alissa and Klein are the meals for tonight.

Klein entwines her long tail with Alissa's and they start cuddling on the bed. Their naked cuddling quickly turns to kisses and giggles. Then it progresses to them being on top of each other while their tongues explore their mouths. This position aligns their slits for me, giving me the choice of fucking either a pink one or a dark one.

I take it out to cum on Alissa's ass, only to have my entire dick gobbled up by Aoi. Her scaly face and dangerous fangs send a shiver through me as they lightly brush on my shaft.

Then her tongue wraps around my member and pumps me. I groan as the stimulation becomes too intense; her extra slippery tongue is just too good.

She lowers her lips and it looks like she's chomping down on my cock, but the danger only makes me more excited. The power fantasy of fucking a monster, let alone a goddamn dragon takes me over and I cum down Aoi's throat.

She swallows it all and lets my still erect member go.

"Tasty! Lots of mana, too!" She exclaims.

"Uh, oh. Hana, Alissa, you have a new competitor, now," Roxanne says and starts laughing.

Alissa stops kissing Klein and says, "We'll just take turns. If I teach Aoi how to do it right, then it'll take less than a minute to make him cum."

"He can cum more times than I have fingers on my hands and feet. He'll do fine," Hana says and returns to eating Roxanne out.

"C-can I… ahn… do it too?" Lina asks between moans.

"Uh… sure. Cum for all!" I say and open my arms wide.

I return to fucking the girls and Aoi lays her head on top of Alissa's ass, waiting for her meal.

I reach over to the side and slide a finger inside Aoi's little opening. Her pussy is far hotter and more slick than a humanoid's.

She immediately closes her eyes and breathes in, relaxing her body while I finger her.

Her juices easily leak out and I lick them off my hand. Aoi watches me with intense glee.

The idea of sex seems to be growing quite quickly in her mind these past few days.

When I'm about to cum again, I take it out of Klein and let Aoi pump it out of me.

Hm… her tongue is long, slippery, and thin…

"Aoi, shove your tongue inside Alissa's ass," I say.

"Okay."

"Huh?" Alissa immediately looks at us. "HNGH!"

Aoi's tongue helps Alissa orgasm quite a few times tonight.

After calming down, I continue my [Regeneration] of the golem's bones with both of the now satisfied girls resting their heads on my chest. Klein's soft tail brushes against my skin while I fondle Alissa's fluffy one.

"Shouldn't we make them bigger?" Hana asks.

I hum in thought and say, "Maybe. The Gnome race doesn't need big bodies to fight, so I'm considering whether it's really necessary."

"You're really thinking of keeping them in doll-like bodies just so that they look cuter?" Hana gives me a questioning look.

"Yes," Ciel immediately answers for me.

"Really?" Hana gives her a disappointed look.

"Hm… Maybe. Maybe we coould find a way to make them bigger." Ciel looks away and her dark skin reddens a little in embarrassment.

"You could create new golems, instead," Roxanne suggests.

"Let these ones be personal guards who stay with us all the time," Lina piles on and intently stares at me.

"We could use the rest of the metal we have to make a new one," Alissa suggests.

"That metal is too bent to be used again, it needs to be reforged," Lina says.

"Right, prototype living armor will be done after we reach Goldport," I say.

Roxanne teaches Aoi and the Golems [Conjure Water]. After that, she'll teach them [Torrent] and the other spells because apparently, their magic aptitude is increasing by quite a lot.

"Well, the golems do have your memories," Roxanne says with a shrug.

Today is the 25th.

A sequence is established: Alissa, Lina, Aoi, then Hana to finish.

"Okay, this is a little inconvenient. Too much stimulation," I say.

"Just learn to cum at will," Hana says and gives me one last suck, making me shiver.

"For you, nothing is impossible," Ciel says and smiles wryly.

"Become a cum dispenser," Alissa says with a giggle.

I narrow my eyes at her and ask, "And what does that make you?"

"A cum dumpster," she answers without a hint of shame.

The morning trip is very quiet and calm. We only come across the occasional caravan or average traveler going either way and they share news of the way ahead with our commoners and soldiers.

The ground starts to angle downwards and becomes a little hilly. This means that we are close to the end of the High Forest.

I spend my time playing with [Materialization].

"You're a Spirit mage now, Wolf?" Osaria asks when she notices my glowing soul. "And what's that blue thing coming out of your hand?"

"This is my soul," I respond and extend my hand to show it to her. "Gify taught me that. He's been teaching me this sort of magic."

"Gih!" He puffs his chest so much that it grows to nearly his own size.

Her mouth hangs open and she blinks blankly. "How… how are you doing it?"

"This is my secret 'touch.'" I guide my horse towards the window of the carriage and touch her arm with my soul. She shivers and her face flushes slightly.

"You… you touched me with your soul?"

"Yep…" I answer with a smile that quickly fades. "I-is that a problem?"

Her eyes start to glimmer as she says, "No. It's just so… lewd…" She looks away and breathes heavily.

"I never thought of it that way," Alissa chimes in.

"It kind of makes sense. Our souls are the most bare forms we have, it's a very intimate touch," Ciel says while she and Lina nod along, then she blushes slightly as her mind wanders.

Okay, maaybe it could be considered sexual harassment when I did that to Ciel and Roxanne before they became my fiancees.

"Bah, you romantics. It's just pleasure," Hana says with a shrug.

Yeah, just pleasure. Juu~st pleasure…

Intermission 15

Fuck me… did he recognize me? How…? His [Sense Soul] should only see my MP and "Magic Power."

Oh no! Was he observing with his summons while I surveyed the building?!

Wait… that would be risky for him; we had magic sniffers all over the street…

Maybe he just paid someone to observe the street…

Damn it! I was careless and now he knows my face!

"Attention!" Commander Taavi yells and the men straighten up. "We are going to Goloria! Formation!"

The horsemen all neatly line up behind him.

"March!"

The officers move off from the formation and start their own private discussion. I'm obviously not invited.

Commander Taavi notices them but pretends not to. I see his expression stiffen for a moment, then he sends me a glance.

That's it; I need to disappear. Fuck this disguise; it's better to destroy it than to risk being ambushed by the Enforcers. Nobody can trace the forgery back to me, anyway.

The more we march on, the more obvious the officers' displeasure towards me becomes.

They might not stop with just me, Taavi could also be investigated. And if they get Taavi, then the pissers will be angry with me, too.

I can't risk it; I need to start looking for a new occupation.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Cidant.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Feb 25, 2020

Lunch comes and we fatten up with some not-shish-kebab with not-bell-pepper, not-tomato, not-onion, and pieces of dragolite and actual cow meat.

After that, I continue teaching Aoi how to move her soul around the same way that I do. Since she doesn't have a fully-fledged system yet, I can't just give her points so she could learn how to press the internal "button" inside her mind/soul. Maybe I should start calling that "soul-space."

Aoi stays curled in my lap while I play around with my soul and [Materialization], which is fine by me. She also requests a finger from me so she can draw blood and then keeps sucking on it so the wound never clots, which is also fine by me. I do go a little ahead of the caravan so that I don't get any weird looks when the others see Aoi giving my finger a blowjob.

I occasionally cast [Regeneration] on myself to replenish the lost blood, but most of the time I keep it on Ted and Suzy so they can grow their skeletons. Actual bones would be much faster to regrow; it's because they are composed of steel that this regrowth is slowed down by quite a lot.

Aoi is having problems with moving her soul, but at least it seems that [Materialization] won't be a huge hurdle for her.

"Wolfy, give me [Sense Soul] for a moment," Alissa asks.

"Sure."

I patiently wait for her to finish her analysis.

"Your blood is speeding along Aoi's soul changes," she says.

Through [Bind], I immediately stop Aoi from biting my finger.

"Hehehe, sorry," she says in my head.

"I know you're not," I say and poke her soul, making her wince. Then I take my finger out of her mouth and her slick tongue wrapped around it slides across its length, almost making me shiver.

"Why do you wish to become, humanoid?" Ted suddenly asks.

Aoi turns to him and taps a claw on her snout. "Hm… the system is good; humanoid society is more fun than, monster society; making lots of strong babies with, Wolfy will be fun; the Humanoid Gods are better, than the Monster King; Wolfy's cheat will also be very, good for me."

Ted turns his fluffy face towards me and I swear his beady black eyes shine. "Make me into a woman," he says.

"Cast [Bind] on us, too," Suzy asks immediately after.

"Well, [Bind] will have to wait, the other girls come first," I say.

"Yes," Suzy says and nods.

"Wait… why do you want to be a woman?" I ask Ted.

"To receive your 'cheat,'" he says with a nod.

I cringe. "That would require me to make love to you."

"Make love to me."

Alissa laughs and I cough and chuckle.

"We've already talked about this…" I say and look away from his seemingly intense stare.

"Make us attractive, that's our wish."

"To serve you better," Suzy says.

"To serve you better," Ted repeats.

"I've already said that I don't wish to make you attractive to reduce my mental load."

"Having the system will be, very beneficial," Ted says.

"Lot of ease in learning, and controlling our own, spells," Suzy says.

"You do not wish to treat us, like toys."

"But we are toys."

"You…" I start but my motivation dies inside of me.

I use the [Bind] with Hana to bring Ciel over to us.

"What is it, Wolfy?"

"The golems want to be like Aoi and receive the system, and then also receive my cheat."

I look at her and her wide eyes stare at me, then at the golems, then at Aoi, then at me again, then the golems, then Aoi, then the golems, then finally stops on me.

"My priestess training didn't prepare me for this," she finally says.

"We have no feelings, only a will, a wish," Ted says.

"We are your toys, play with us," Suzy pleads.

Ciel frowns, Alissa looks conflicted, and Aoi sees nothing wrong with this situation.

"What about you?" I ask Gify on my shoulder.

"Gih."

He thinks that my moral conundrum is respectable, but he personally doesn't see a problem. He does what he wants and he has few responsibilities, so he doesn't have the need to think as deeply as I do. He knows this, so he doesn't think that his perspective would be useful.

His mind is so fundamentally different that, for him, having servants wouldn't really be useful, let alone having sex toys, which he would have zero need for (and I'm thankful for that). He follows us and enjoys eating our food, but he doesn't need any of that. His attachment to me is merely because he thinks that my life is amusing. So, for him, he doesn't fully understand my problem enough to advise me responsibly.

My brain hurts a little at the amount of information contained in that single chirp.

"You're surprisingly smart," I say and receive a pinch on my cheek. "Anyway, I'm not sure if the benefits are worth the cost. What would the Gods think of using a quasi-humanoid as a sex toy, even if they wish for it?"

Ciel answers, "Slavery is either voluntary or forced upon criminals. You basically creating subservient life is… a gray area. We'll only find the answer to your doubts if we explore this situation further."

I suck on my finger and taste Aoi's saliva while I think. "Technically, I'm not creating 'life' since I'm only creating pseudo-elementals, but if I start to give them the gift of the system, then I'm creating another humanoid race, right?"

"I think that's correct, but I'm not sure if the Gods differentiate between humanoids created by you and humanoids created by the God of Creation."

"Can they choose not to give the golems the system?"

She shrugs and sighs. "Unknown."

I pat Aoi's head and play with her scales, lightly tickling her. "I wish I could talk to the Gods directly and ask what they think about it."

Ciel also becomes conflicted like Alissa as she says, "There are the Messages, but we'll never know if we are going to receive one until it comes."

"Since it seems hard for the Gods to send Messages, then annoying them until they send one also doesn't seem like a good idea," I say and feel another sigh coming on.

We all go silent and I ruminate a little more on the issue. My mind gets so clouded and fuzzy with conflicting thoughts that I suddenly grab Aoi and shove my tongue inside her mouth. She immediately answers me by wrapping her tongue around mine and stimulating it with all of her power.

I break the kiss soon after; I'm not yet ready to reveal our relationship to the rest of the caravan.

With my mind now clear, I laugh and say, "This situation is playing with my weak spot. I value agency in a person's actions, I would only stop someone if I thought they were about to hurt themselves too much.

"The line of what I consider 'too much' is really far, and that is why I can accept Alissa, Lina, and Hana's love and slavery even with my Earth morals. I value their agency and their choices in loving me.

"But I don't know how much agency the golems really have. I don't even know how far into the 'too much harm' their request would even land us."

"What actual harm would, befall us?" Ted asks.

"It could hurt my feelings," I answer in a soft voice. "I would get attached to both of you and try to humanize you, only to be heartbroken when I eventually realize that you aren't."

"But we are trying to become, more like humanoids," Suzy says.

"That doesn't mean that you'll succeed."

"And Aoi will? Why?" Ted asks.

I know their gazes have no emotion to them, but the way they don't move while they wait for my answer is a little creepy.

"Because she's different. Her brain is closer to a humanoid's than either of you, and I don't know how to make your brain closer to hers without copying it over yours and deleting your personalities. Not to mention the psychological consequences of putting her mind in your bodies. What if she feels pain or agony from not even being able to breathe?"

Both golems go quiet and lower their heads.

"I cannot evaluate the, pros and cons," Ted says.

"Me too," Suzy says.

I turn to Alissa and Ciel and ask, "What do you two think?"

Alissa answers first, "I know that you have a lot on your mind, so I can't fully understand your perspective, but I would try to give them the system and also talk to the Gods. This is too much power to let it remain unused."

Ciel answers next, "First, I would leave it for later, for when you actually have room in your [Bind] for them. Then, I would dive into the teachings of the Gods in search of some guidance about this. I know the basics, but I was mostly just a healer in the temple and there's a lot more depth to the teachings to understand."

"Hana would say 'just do it,'" Alissa says with a smirk.

"Roxanne would say 'sounds too bothersome,'" I say and smirk too.

"Lina would definitely do it, though I've been trying to get her to be more pious," Ciel says.

"We need religion classes," I say.

"And Andraste classes. You've abandoned your grammar lessons," Ciel says and sends me a glare. I smile apologetically but don't answer. Then she continues, "If you take off your cheat, then Aoi knows how to read better than you do."

"Woo! I'm smarter than Wolfy!" Aoi exclaims and her nostrils glow for a moment.

"Har, har, very funny," I say in a flat tone.

We go quiet again for a while and I return to casting [Regeneration] on the golems.

"I think that I'll take Ciel's advice. I need to know more about what creating life means to the Gods," I say.

Ciel puffs up her chest and fidgets with a wide smile on her face, barely containing her pride.

The luminescent plants start to disappear from the trees, another sign that the High Forest is coming to an end.

When dusk comes, Alissa sniffs the air and smiles. "It's salty," she says.

"I can't feel it yet," I say.

Her tail wags slowly. "I've never seen the sea in person before, only in paintings. I'm getting excited!"

"Me too, I would love to go to the beach and sunbathe," Ciel says.

"The beach is boring," Ted says.

The girls turn to me with questioning eyes.

I smile wryly and say, "I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere."

"That's a reference," Suzy says.

I blink a few times in surprise. "Have you two been scanning my memories?"

"Yes," they say in unison.

"The way they alternate who speaks is kind of creepy," Roxanne says.

"We are very similar," Ted says.

"So similar that you could, consider us twins," Suzy says.

"Why does Ted always speak first?" Roxanne asks.

"I was born first," he answers.

Roxanne uses her tail to readjust her glasses. "Why does it matter who was born first?"

"It doesn't," Suzy says.

"But it's a simple reason to use to, base our decisions on," Ted says.

"Otherwise we would speak in, unison."

"And that would make it more, difficult to hear us."

Roxanne turns to me and asks, "Is that really how you think?"

"Kind of," I answer and smile wryly. "They need a reason to do anything, but there isn't any to help choose who speaks first and the alternative is undesirable. So, they chose the simplest reason to organize their speaking order: who was born first."

Roxanne does not look convinced. "But why split the talking this way? Why not just have one talk all the time?"

"Talking is magic practice," Ted says.

"Talking helps us practice body control," Suzy says.

"It's stimulation for us."

"And not participating would be, unfair."

"Do you need stimulation?" I ask.

"Not necessary, but desired," Ted answers.

"Why?"

"No stimulation means we are, useless," Suzy answers.

Ciel snatches Ted from my lap. "You'll never be useless. You'll always be my cuddly source of happiness."

"I… appreciate being appreciated," Ted says.

Oh? Is that some progress that I'm seeing?

Ciel squeaks and hugs him tighter.

Roxanne takes Suzy, but the cuddling session ends soon after because we stop for the day and make camp.

Lina comes back from the carriage quite happy after spending most of the day talking to Oura. More like geeking over some stories, from what I've grasped from their conversation.

I move her thin waist up and down with my hands while she tells me about her day amid moans and her insides massage my dick.

The golems float near the edge of the tub so they won't get caught in the waves that we're making. They've also learned some courtesy and keep their eyes away from us. Though I'm almost certain Roxanne would enjoy being watched by them.

After dinner, I practice some jumps with [Telekinesis] and [Acrobatics]. It seems to help me reduce the dizziness while spinning around and jumping.

One thing that's advantageous about fighting with my feet above my head is that the enemy only has the reach to attack my face and arms. The downside is that it makes me dizzy and uncomfortable pretty fast because of all the blood rushing to my brain. [Acrobatics] helps a little with that, but it doesn't change the laws of physics.

I think that I should keep at least five points in [Acrobatics] while fighting. It seems that this number has the best balance of cost versus benefit to help with the dizziness from jumping around, though I haven't developed my style very deeply yet. Also, I need to take almost all of my points out of [Mana Recovery] to fit it in my build.

It's a shame, but fighting with too many people near us doesn't give a lot of EXP for leveling up. The EXP is divided based on proximity, so the caravan guards certainly leveled up, but we didn't.

I come back and Alissa hands me a cup of Tonsel (the not-lemon) juice loaded with sugar that we all guiltily drink. It feels like we just drank a silver coin.

Then I take my clothes off and Aoi's eyes seem to be glued to my body. They scan every inch of me as I apply [Clean] on myself.

"Interested?" Alissa asks.

Their eyes meet and some strong feelings of desire escape through their [Bind]s. Alissa averts her eyes almost immediately and the feeling fades from both of them.

"I think she's ready, Wolfy," Alissa says.

"Hm…?" I hum, confused at how she reached that conclusion.

"Her 'breeder-type charm' is affecting me." She smiles and blushes slightly.

"What? How? But you're a woman," Ciel says, and approaches Aoi. She grabs her and looks deep into her eyes. "I feel nothing."

"I'm more sensitive to 'breeder-types,'" Alissa says and smiles shyly. "I think that Hana might feel it too and our love for her might be increasing the effect."

Lina's Trivia: rarely, breeder-type monsters can use their "charm" to make their victims more agreeable to them, similar to Roxanne's succubus "charm." It's generally seen in the smarter and less rape-y monsters, so it's highly unlikely that goblins or orcs will ever "charm" someone to sleep with them.

"Her 'Charisma' should be quite high," Lina says.

Hana grabs Aoi's face and stares into her eyes. My fiery dragonkin gets so excited that she even makes me get a boner as her feelings flood into my soul space through the [Bind]. Her yellow eyes open inside my mind.

"Hana… control yourself…" I plead.

"Oh. Sorry, Wolfy…" She looks away from Aoi and my soul space returns to normal, though now I have an annoying boner.

Klein and Roxanne remain quiet, their eyes spell excitement as they imagine me on top of my little blue dragon.

Aoi finally looks at me and I feel a chill. As if the rest of the world was being tuned out, all I see and hear is Aoi. Her intense stare pierces my heart and makes my erect penis twitch.

The effect starts to fade, but the initial feeling is still there. I want Aoi.

She looks away and the rest of her "charm" fades, leaving me again with an awkward boner.

She looks at me again and more blood is pumped downstairs.

She looks away again and the awkwardness comes back.

She turns to me again with a shit-eating grin and I grab her head, forcing her to keep facing me.

"You really don't want to tease me like this," I say through gritted teeth.

"Oh? What are you going to do?" She asks and bats her surprisingly feminine eyelashes repeatedly.

"What do you mean 'surprisingly' feminine?" She asks and smokes escapes her nostrils.

"I, uh… bah! You're trying to misdirect me! Get out of my head!" I exclaim and grip her head harder.

She giggles and I feel her teeth growing inside my soul space. I grab her blanket and cover it with my own "blanket," then I wish with all of my strength to cut her off from my thoughts.

"Nooo! I can't hear it anymore!" She complains in a cutesy voice and struggles dramatically against my grip.

She's like a chipmunk, her small-size voice is just so cute, but her large-size voice…

I look around and teasingly say, "Have I made a mistake? You all seem to enjoy teasing me someway or somehow."

"I don't," Ciel says immediately.

Lina seems conflicted while the rest grin, even Gify, who is the one with the biggest, most warped grin.

"That's the spice of life," Roxanne says with a soft and dramatic voice.

Aoi calms down and increases in size, towering over me. Her claws push my shoulder down and she gets on top of me.

"I want you now, Wolfy," she says in her more mature and sexy double-voice.

My dick responds again and this time, she doesn't look away.

She lowers her hips and my tip touches a hard part of her.

She grins and shows me her sharp and pointy fangs. A frightening grin that only makes me more excited.

The hard part moves and the way is open again. She lowers her hips further and my dick is wrapped in a very warm and slick womb.

"Ah…" She moans in an even more sexual voice.

She lowers herself all the way down and her entrance reaches the base of my cock. I breathe in deeply as her tight womb slides around my head.

"Congratulations! You're not a virgin anymore, Aoi," Hana says and they all clap.

"Virginity means nothing until he, gives me an egg!" Aoi growls and approaches her face to mine. She glances at my Ring of Fertility and says, "You don't want a child now, right?"

I shake my head.

"Then I'll remain a 'virgin' for, you. You're the only one, that I want."

I grab her arms that are still holding me down and squeeze them tight. Her blue scales tinkle as they are pressured against one another.

She takes the hint and lowers her face to mine. Her long tongue invades my mouth and wraps around my own.

She moves her hips up and a strong jolt of pleasure almost makes me moan. Then she slams her hips down and this time the moan escapes me.

"I feel like she's fucking him," Roxanne comments.

"That's even better," Alissa says and makes herself comfortable on the bed. She doesn't feel like masturbating and only savors the sight.

Aoi pumps her hips up and down. Her womb feels like it's deliberately gripping my whole member.

"Holy shit… this feels amazing, and different," I say to Alissa through [Bind].

"Better than mine?" I feel a hint of danger in her voice.

"No… just, uh, just different."

"Uh, huh."

I share my feelings with Hana and Alissa and they moan in satisfaction.

Aoi's "charm" is nothing but a candle to Roxanne's spotlight, but I let it intoxicate me all the same.

As the poison flows through my veins, a new feeling wells up inside me: anger. Aoi is on top of me, she's dictating the pace, she's controlling the mating, she's on top of me, she's the one fucking me.

My pride says that I should fuck her from behind, but now it's too late; her claws are already squeezing my shoulders and her "Strength" is likely much higher than mine.

I squeeze her arms tighter and start moving my hips, slamming myself against her. I grimace in anger and control myself to not bite her tongue off.

She notices it and her smug glee passes through the [Bind].

"Today, you are my toy, Wolfy," she says in my soul space.

I cum inside her and the pleasure makes her orgasm, too.

"I'll breed you and make you birth hundreds of eggs!" I shoot back.

"Yes! Make me yours! Breed me like the monster that I am!"

I spread my soul out through my dick and both of us enter a continuous orgasm. I constantly cum and fill her up.

She spreads her wings and wraps them around me. Her legs wrap around my waist and she forces my dick to stay deep inside her while I fill her long womb, which squeezes around my shaft and stops any cum from overflowing, sealing the way like a plug.

The pleasure and anger eventually fade, and Aoi's satisfaction replaces both feelings.

We stop kissing one another and she lays her large scaly head beside my cheek. Her arms wrap around my shoulders and she hugs me tight; I'm completely wrapped by her now.

My dick is still being slowly tugged and my soul is in contact with both her womb and vagina. We close our eyes and enjoy the presence of each other. I cum again inside her and she giggles, enjoying being filled even more.

Normally, the male dragon would wrap around the female and stay inside her to ensure fertilization. This time, Aoi merely wants to enjoy my presence and pretend that I'm the one fertilizing her.

"I'll give you many eggs," I whisper to her.

"I want one for each of the, wives," she says.

"What?"

Her voice is like a soft and sensual tickle in my ears. "Teach them [Bind] and have them, feel the same as I do. To be connected so deeply, that I can't imagine being without, you."

I hold back a few tears and hug her tight. Her scales are ticklish, but they are also very comfortable right now.

After orgasming inside her three more times, she finally unwraps from me and allows Hana, Lina, and Alissa to clean her.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Cidant.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Feb 29, 2020

A small horde of Corpse Stealers wanders too close to our camp, so I wake up to deal with it. Pocket-sized Aoi is sleeping on my chest, so I end up waking her when I get up from the bed. We are sleeping in light armor, so fortunately/unfortunately I don't have to get dressed.

Not wanting to scare Alissa again, I nudge her awake with the [Bind] and also use it to put Aoi back to sleep.

Alissa gets up and hugs my arm, then we go outside together.

"Shouldn't we wake up the others?" She asks, lowly.

"Nah, the summons can take care of this," I answer.

We walk towards the nearest gigantic tree and away from the bored eyes of two caravan guards standing watch. They didn't even notice us.

It seems like the night watch is getting more and more lax each day. With Holly always around, they haven't been useful even once, so I can understand their behavior.

We get behind the tree and I summon an Uspidor.

"Spit acid at the Corpse Stealers," I order.

The summon hisses and climbs up the tree.

Once it starts swinging from the branches, its vision becomes confusing and blurry as it spins around and tumbles through the air as it jumps from branch to branch.

"Ugh…" I groan and Alissa holds me tighter. My own balance is starting to get affected from sharing my view with the Uspidor.

Eventually, the summon reaches the Corpse Stealers and it perches itself on a branch, waiting patiently for the monsters to enter its range.

Apparently, it's smart enough to wait until they are all well inside its range instead of firing as soon as the first Stealer crosses into its spitting range.

The Uspidor has perfect accuracy and hits all of its shots in their chests. The Corpse Stealers quickly abandon the melting bodies and run away, but the Uspidor easily chases the slimes down and melts them to death.

"You are now level 25," says the female announcer.

Aoi wakes up a little annoyed. Lina suddenly sat up and nearly awoke the rest of the girls. Smoke escapes Aoi's nostrils as she stares at Lina.

"Wolfy said he killed some, monsters and leveled up. Go back to sleep," Aoi says at my request.

"Oh… okay…" Lina mutters and falls back on the bed. Ciel grumbles and hugs Lina again.

Alissa lays her head against my shoulder and sighs. "Perfect shots."

I rub my cheek against the top of her head and her fox ears tickle my face.

"Do you want to go back or stay like this for a little longer?" I ask.

"Both. But let's go back, we need our sleep." She gives me a light kiss on my neck that almost makes me want to stay.

When we are back in our bed, Aoi crawls up onto my chest and I use [Bind] on her to make her go back to sleep.

Alissa's tail tickles my side and Ciel's hand grabs my other arm.

The sound of their calm and light breathing is like a lullaby for me.

Today is the 26th.

Alissa, Roxanne, and Aoi manage to get their shares. Lina and Hana aren't so delicate, though, so they end up waking me up, then they quickly complete their business.

I wake up a little more groggily than usual due to my disrupted sleep. Certainly not because I orgasmed five times before breakfast was even served. Seriously, it's not that, my body doesn't even feel tired. After some hot tea, I'll feel as refreshed as ever.

Lina's "Charisma" increased by 1 (now 11) and she also leveled up to 25. I put my newly gained 4 points into [Mana Recovery] (now 6+0). Alissa is now 17 years old.

"Congratulations, let this year be better than the last," we all say in unison.

"Gih gih."

I'm the first one to give her a tongue kiss, then Hana, Aoi, Ciel, Klein, Lina, and finally Roxanne.

"You should've told us your birthday, we would've bought you a gift," I say and squeeze her hand.

"I don't care about gifts. We're all too busy with our own problems to have any of you roaming around searching for something to gift to me," she says and squeezes my hand with her other hand.

I pull her back onto the bed and fill the back of her neck with kisses.

"I'll definitely get you something," I whisper in her fox ear.

She makes herself more comfortable in my arms. "I don't need anything. Not now and very likely not even in the future."

"Just something with sentimental value, then."

"Then you'll have to give us hundreds of sentimental gifts throughout our lives."

"I'll do it."

Her tail wags and tickles my waist. "That would cheapen the sentimentality of the gifts."

"Why are you so against it?" I nibble her ear.

"Kyah! Wolfy, you…" I can imagine her pout. "They are just objects, I prefer having you at my side."

"How about a date, then?"

"Just me and you?" She turns her head and gives me a sideways glance.

"Not sure if that's a good precedent to set," Ciel says and smiles wryly.

"We are supposed to share," Roxanne adds.

"I had a date with Wolfy, it was really good," Aoi says.

"Maybe turn this into a tradition so that no one feels left out?" Lina questions.

"Sounds great," Hana says.

"Well, our boat ride was kind of a 'date,'" I say to Ciel and she holds her chin in thought.

"Eh, fine," Roxanne says and Ciel shrugs.

Alissa turns around and gives me a peck on the lips. "You owe me a date, then."

We get out and sit down to eat a breakfast that's a bit more fragrant than usual.

"Hm… smells of flowers," Alissa says as she breathes in the steam from her tea.

"Do you prefer aromatic teas?" Krysta asks.

Alissa's tail wags once. "Yes, but only the ones that smell sweet. Nothing too pungent, please."

"Then I have just the tea for you. Tomorrow I'll serve some of it."

"Thank you."

They both smile kindly at each other and my heart goes "Aww…"

The caravan starts to move again and I cast [Swift Foot] on the commoners. The older ones respond with chuckles and wide smiles.

An old ram-type demon man comes closer to us and says, "There aren't many priests in Goloria, so it's difficult for us to get these blessings. Thank you, Sir Ryder." And he bows to me.

I wave at him and say, a little flustered, "It's no problem, I have a lot of mana to spare, anyway."

He straightens up and smiles. "Even so, you're saving us from a lot of pain, so thank you."

I nod and carry on.

I continue my [Materialization] training while the girls also practice on their own; Aoi continues trying to move her soul while giving a blowjob to my finger; Ted and Suzy start trying to cast [Regeneration]; Alissa uses a nature elemental as horseback archery practice; Roxanne is trying to cast [Water Spirit], and she's nearly there; Hana abandons her horse and practices using her wings to fly while fully armored in metal gear; Ciel continues practicing [Judgment] on the blade of her glaive; Lina focuses on [Mana Control] so that she can cast [Earth Wall] on her feet faster; Klein plays around with [Fireball], discreetly testing its strength.

Laertes seems to have cast [Ignorance] on himself because after the drinking night with the caravan guards I've only noticed him once. Maybe he got laid or something and now his edge is gone.

I force my soul to come out of my temple in spirals just like Roxanne's horns. Then I cast [Materialization] on them and they become visible. Now I have faintly transparent black horns.

"Hey, Roxanne," I call her attention.

Her ball of water dissipates into mist and she looks at me. She immediately gasps and her tail stands up, completely erect.

"Wolfy, that's so hot! Can you change your skin color too?" She asks while grinning a little creepily.

"I don't know. Maybe if I blanket it with my soul. I might have to study Alissa's [Fox Transformation] to see if I can do it."

The other girls notice me and send impressed hums my way.

"Can you try fox ears next?" Alissa asks.

"That was the original idea," I answer.

Aoi takes my finger out of her mouth and her galaxy-like eyes narrow. "But I want a dragon!" She demands.

"You'll get it," I assure her and pat her scaly head, making it jingle.

My concentration slips and my soul horns become blue, though at least the spell doesn't make them glow anymore.

"I wonder why a spell to turn the spirits solid hasn't been created yet," I say.

"Spirits aren't supposed to remain in the Realm for long. Allowing them to touch things would only make them want to stay for longer," Ciel says.

"I'm sure that it must exist as a Unique Spell somewhere," Roxanne says.

The next step I have to take is to be able to maintain my soul "flex" without paying attention to it. I'll call this "flexing" soul "morphing."

It's difficult to morph my soul into anything, but maintaining the morph is not as hard. Since I've (seemingly) already mastered keeping my soul out of my body, I can visibly see progress as time passes.

The forest lights up a little and we see lights on the horizon.

"That's the end!" The joker yells.

"Tomorrow morning we should reach Goldport," Julien says.

The guards cheer and even Anton joins in.

Then we stop for lunch and eat while looking at the light at the end of the tunnel with longing.

"I kind of miss grass," I say.

Lina nods and says, "The earth is too humid and the air is a little stuffy."

"I miss the blue sky," Alissa says and most people agree with her.

"I miss the breeze touching my skin," Ciel says and Hana agrees.

We move on and the light slowly gets closer and closer to us.

The blue sky gradually becomes visible and the trees become more sparse. The canopy thins out and allows light to come in.

Ahead of us, we see the green grassland of Glorampina. The sparse normal-sized trees look a little odd to us now after spending so long with the huge "knitted" trees.

Near the horizon, we see a small stretch of the blue sea.

"Ooh!" Hana exclaims. She and Aoi seem almost like twins in the way they look ahead and from the feelings that come through their [Bind]s.

Alissa's tail sways lazily from side to side. She and Ciel seem quite content at seeing the sea for the first time.

The familiar salty smell slowly becomes noticeable. Be it Earth or Rupegia, the smell of the sea is still the same.

My concentration is disrupted a little as my mind goes blank from observing the endless blue.

I put points in [Hawk Eyes] and look at the small dots populating the sea. I can see a lot of sailing ships and only the smaller ones don't seem to have a sail, but they don't even have rowers, so I bet they are moving through magic.

Looking closer at the decks of the sailing ships, there seem to be some sailors punching the air. When we finally get close enough for me to see more in detail, I notice how the sail seems to "stretch" in sync with each sailor punching the air.

"Roxanne, how do those ships move?" I ask.

"Wind mages casting a non-combat version of [Wind Hammer]," she answers.

"Neat."

"I think we're close enough to the Everlasting Storm that the winds get a little unpredictable, so the only safe way to travel along the waters are with Wind or Water mages. I think that using a merfolk's submarine ship is faster, but they are much more expensive."

"Neat!" I exclaim again and Roxanne smiles wryly. "Wait, you said that the Everlasting Storm makes the winds unpredictable?"

"Yeah. It even gets more dangerous the further north you go."

"Also, the tides get much bigger in the north," Hana chimes in. "The shore of Sommerland regularly gets flooded and on some of the northern islands, the stilts they use reach over ten meters in height."

"Have any of you ever seen the Storm?" I ask.

They shake their heads.

"It's dangerous to get close, but I heard it's quite humbling to see the aftermath of the fight of the Gods," Hana says.

If Gecynd's vision was true, then one day we'll certainly see the Storm ourselves.

We finally get out of the High Forest and breathe in the fresh air. Everyone, except the wagon drivers, leaves the road and walk in the tall grass. It's not like Antano, so the earth under the grass is very solid and dry.

"I'm feeling itchy already but I sure did miss the grass," Roxanne says with a giggle.

Alissa turns into a fox and darts around. I feel her happiness about her freedom leaking over our connection.

Lina lays down on the ground and a satisfied sigh escapes her lips. Even with her gloomy eyes, she still looks very satisfied right now.

With [Animal Tongue], I take care of all of our horses and let them graze a little. They all seem to miss eating grass once in a while, even though they are mostly carnivorous. Seeing what I'm doing, Nito gives me such a cute smile that he could make a straight boy blush.

One thing we quickly notice is how harsh the sunlight is. We are all in helmets, so it doesn't affect us too much, and the elves don't cover their exposed skin, but everyone else does. I guess this is why "dark" elves like Osaria exist; they tan easily and their skin doesn't burn like ours does.

As the sun sets, we start turning towards the south. Far off in the distance, almost completely covered by the blue haze, we see the delta of a wide river. With [Hawk Eyes] I can just barely make out the other side of the river and the tall yellow walls of Goldport.

Once it gets dark, we stop by the road-side and I immediately clear the area of a few Grassland Goblins.

"Why aren't there any small towns being built in obvious resting spots like this?" I ask the girls during the bath.

Roxanne positions herself on the edge of the bath and opens her legs. Her fingers spread her pale pussy and she looks at me invitingly.

Ciel, who's the only one not doing anything lewd right now, answers me. "It's hard to maintain small towns. Even in fertile lands, if there isn't a very good reason for the town to exist, then it might end up being overrun by monsters sooner or later."

I grab Roxanne's waist and the back of her neck. I touch our foreheads and we both smirk at each other. I pierce her with my oiled member and she sensually bites her lip.

"I feel like no Lord has ever tried founding a new town even before I was born. Nothing ever changed in the trade route we used to travel along," Hana comments. Aoi tries to escape her grasp but Hana's fingers are very firmly lodged inside Aoi's two lower holes.

From what Lina and I know of history, even in the High Forest, very little has changed since the start of this age, the Age of the Sun. Maybe it's that "stagnation" that I once suspected…

My train of thought is lost because Roxanne's perfect face is many times more interesting than thinking about that.

Krysta cooks a special meal for us. A large amount of roasted sirloin caps with the fat still on them, fried not-eggplant, fried not-potatoes because they are still king, and leafy greens in a herby vinaigrette and coleslaw. She used some monster cream to make mayo for the coleslaw so that she didn't need to use raw eggs.

"Raisins…" Alissa says lowly and chuckles.

"What?"

"Nothing." She grins and looks away.

"Weirdo," I say through [Bind].

"And you love me regardless."

"Yep."

I continue the bath's special time with Roxanne and pamper her while she reads one of Oura's books.

I grab her sexy feet and…

Well, I guess I did develop a foot fetish, thanks Ciel.

Anyway, I remove the nail polish and reapply the glossy purple, then I get a smaller brush and paint a white flower on her toenail.

"You need to learn how to paint something else, Wolfy," Roxanne demands from me.

I merely narrow my eyes at her and continue painting her nails.

Once done, I kiss the top of her foot and continue my journey upwards until I reach her lips, though I take a little stop at her small canyon and the twin pale hills.

Once I've had enough of her lips, I pull her into a hug and read the book along with her, Radomir the Ravager. A lionfolk conqueror who is kind of this world's version of Conan the Barbarian.

Fun stuff, the writer knows how to write good action scenes and mix them with interesting sex scenes.

Meanwhile, Hana ties up Alissa on the bed and we all take at least one turn making her orgasm. We didn't give her a gift for her birthday, so we gave her this. Hopefully, she felt enough pleasure to compensate for that.

Today is the 27th.

I don't know what order the girls went in, I just know that the last one was Hana.

My [Enhanced Semen Recharge] increased by 1 (now 0+10). Lina's [Mana Control] increased by 1 (now 6).

I feel refreshed, but aside from waking up with a wet crotch and a bigger appetite than normal, I don't feel anything different.

We have a lively breakfast since everyone is happy to end this journey. Krysta's new tea lets off a thick sweet scent and Alissa feels delighted, almost like a cat on catnip.

Rande seems very pleased when he says, "Three days before the Turn of the Wheel is a good time. Without [Swift Foot] we might have come right at the time limit since we stopped at Goloria for a little while." He eyes Goldport in the distance with a gaze filled with greed.

"It might be a good idea to actually hire a Blessing mage," Osaria comments.

"Indeed."

"Even for the day-to-day, [Swift Foot] is really useful," Hana joins in.

Rande nods and his wide smile creates dimples on his face. "Hopefully, the new Lord will allow the temple to have more influence. The priests at Rabanara are always for hire, but they don't come all the way over here," he says.

The road joins with another one that comes from Glorampina to the north, so now there's too much traffic to let Aoi give my finger blowjobs or to practice my [Materialization]. Because of that, I focus on using [Regeneration] on the golems while they practice on their own.

I discreetly guide my horse away from the road and put down a [Gate] "coordinate" behind a tree and some bushes. Better safe than sorry.

The tall yellow walls of Goldport reflect the harsh sunlight, giving them a natural glow that makes it seem like the walls are made of gold.

Far behind the walls, we can see the white stone houses clumped up on the hill that Goldport is built upon.

On our side of the river, there's a smaller version of the town. There are only business and inns on this side, so we'll have to take a ferry to enter Goldport proper.

The morning passes without any events and we slowly make our way to Goldport's gates.

The view is worthy of a painting. The High Forest to our right; the sea to our left; and the delta and the golden town in front of us, hugging the end of the Drakotoicho mountain range.

This mountain range is the eastern version of the Rakontagne. It's a huge vertical wall of gray rock with snowy peaks. It dwarfs Goldport and adds a picturesque air to the landscape.

Endless blue sea, a fantastical forest of gigantic trees, a golden city, snowy peaks, and a river full of ships. Perfection.

The hours pass us by and we are filled with wonder at the humbling view. Roxanne is the least affected since she's been here before.

The walls of West Goldport become bigger and bigger, then suddenly we stop, finally reaching our destination.

Rande guides his horses to the commoners and announces, "As of now my contract has been fulfilled and you are safe, you can leave and go wherever you want."

We dismount our horses for the last time and stretch.

Journey's end…

Nah, the journey's still ongoing. This is just a milestone. One of many.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Cidant.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Feb 29, 2020

The caravan stops in the line to customs and the commoners continue on, going towards the "express" lane of customs.

Klein and I approach Rande and I say, "So, when are you leaving?"

He turns to me and smiles wide, creating dimples on his tanned cheeks. "On the second, at first light."

Osaria approaches from behind and lays her hands on my and Klein's shoulders. "We should celebrate the Turn together," she says in her sultry tone.

"Not that way?" Rande asks his mother.

"Not that way," she repeats and leans over so she can look at my face. "What do you think about seafood?"

"I like it," I answer.

"Then how about the Dansstroom?" Her droopy red eyes seem to smile on their own.

I look at Klein and she smirks. "I'm sure you'll love it," she answers.

"Well, how's it like?" I ask.

"I'm sure you'll love it."

I look at Osaria and Rande and they both smirk.

I pout at Klein and say, "Uh-huh, 'love it.' I can just imagine what kind of opinion you all have of me."

Osaria raises an eyebrow at me and asks, "A very good one?" Then she smirks again.

I fail at coming with a comeback and blush a little.

"We might want to check that they aren't already full," Klein says.

"Right. We're going to be busy, so please go check for us. We'll be staying in the Wind'he Gevee," Rande says.

I summon a small bird and give it to Rande.

"For communication purposes," I say.

Osaria steals the blue ball of feathers from his hand and starts petting it. "I know that summoners can share senses with their summons, correct?" She asks with a slight grin.

"Correct," I answer.

Her eyes narrow and give her a very mischievous air. "I bet that Oura will love to pet this little one."

Rande shows a slightly displeased face but then he eyes the bird curiously.

"I think that the bird should stay with you at all times," I say to Osaria and give her an intense glare.

"If you say so," Osaria says in a slow and fake displeased tone.

With a *poof*, Rande pulls out a bag of coins and says, "So, Wolf, your job is done, so here's your payment. If, in the future, you think about continuing in this line of work, I'd gladly hire you again."

I take the coins, shake his hand and say, "It was a pleasure working with you."

He gives me a dimpled smile again. "Likewise."

We go back and see Ciel giving her goodbyes to Julien and the others. The elven sister gives us a slightly sad wave.

Maybe I should come hang out with the guards again sometime…

Klein hugs one of my arms and Hana hugs the other while we wait in line for Klein to pass through customs.

The people around us send us curious glances, whisper among themselves, and snicker once in a while. The elves are much more discreet in their staring, when they aren't obviously spying on us, so having these embarrassed/envious stares being sent at us again is kind of refreshing.

The races that I can see here are a mixed bag. Elves still make up half of the population, but the number of demon race people shoots up drastically.

Of the most exotic of the demon race I can see here are: a wolf-like man, similar to beastfolk, though he looks more "savage"; a woman who has spikes for hair, which run down her back, like a porcupine, and also force her to wear an open-back dress that's slightly sexy; a man with peacock feathers for hair, but they also hang from his arms; an oddly thin man with bulging, beautiful light blue eyes and tufts of fur on various parts of his body; a cobra-like woman with a snake head, a long neck, and the iconic "hood" of a cobra.

Then there's the merfolk: Lamia, the half-snake people, are the most common; the Scylla, the half-octopus people, come in second; the Sirens, with their floating magic hair, come in third; after that come the Thalanthro, humanoids mixed with fish.

The Thalanthro look as if a human literally mated with a fish. They have slick and bluish or greenish colored skin, a complete lack of breasts, large webbed hands and feet, fins on various parts of their bodies, large noses, thin and tall frames, and elongated Asian-like eyes. This confirms that this isn't a game, otherwise Rupegia would've been sued out of its ass for plagiarizing Zoras and I could hardly believe that Nintendo would ever create a world as lewd as this one.

All that's missing are the mermaids/mermen, but they aren't fully amphibious so we won't meet one so easily.

I've also noticed that merfolk seem to use very little clothing. From what I know of their culture, they don't usually wear clothes underwater, only when they walk on land. The Chimeras and some beastfolk are also like that, probably because they spent most of their existence far from the Empire's influence.

"Ciel, are there any laws or teachings of the Gods against going naked in public?" I ask.

"No. But they tell us to cover ourselves and only be naked in the presence of family or those you wish to make love to."

Wait…

I frown a little. "It's okay to be naked in front of family?"

"Yes, why? It's different on Earth?"

"Yeah, it's… basically the same as here, except you don't get naked in front of family."

Hana knits her fiery red eyebrows in light confusion. "Then how do you give baths to children and babies?"

"Well, when they are at that age then it's normal to give them baths. When they grow up and start to get embarrassed with their bodies or when seeing yours then you stop. By then they should've learned to take a bath by themselves."

"Uh… then it's normal to pay for individual baths for all of the children?"

"Ah, no. The way we take a bath is different. It's much smaller and simpler. It's just piped water thrown at your head in a constant stream."

"Sounds wasteful," Roxanne comments.

"It kind of is. It's also not as comfortable since you take a shower, that's what we usually call it on Earth, while standing."

"Ooh… so that's why you love baths so much," Alissa says with a snicker.

"Earth is so prudish," Hana says and snorts.

"What's 'Earth'?" Klein asks and tilts her head.

"My birthplace," I say lowly with a sly smile.

Klein frowns and pouts at me. "Never heard of it."

"Do you know of all countries that exist in the realm?"

"No…"

"Then you'd never know about it."

She shows me her tongue and I chuckle, but my laughter quickly dies and I ask, "Anyway, so you all took baths with your parents?"

They all nod and I feel a little uncomfortable.

"I still do," Klein says, innocently.

"How do Earthlings teach children about sex?" Ciel asks.

"Uh… with books and in school. Why? Is it relevant?"

"Well, yes. Bath time is a good time to show children what sex is supposed to be like."

"What…?"

She chuckles. "What 'what'?"

"You mean, you have sex in front of children?"

"Yes…" She smirks and shakes her head. "Not everybody can buy books and they also don't show how love is supposed to be like. There's also the technical part; I know that there are some noble families that like to brag about how they know sexual techniques that have been passed down for generations."

"Oh yes, Mom taught me all about [Oral Technique]. Dad showed me how he pleases Mom, but he's so big that I don't think Wolfy can do the same things he did," Alissa comments.

"Oh yeah, Da's the same. It's more about how to not hurt a woman instead of how to please her," Klein adds.

"Wow…" I can only mutter in wonder.

"Well, for me it was perfect. Wolfy fucks just like Dad, so I knew that he would be the right one for me," Hana chimes in.

I look at Ciel with my mouth hanging open in disbelief. "And that isn't weird?" I ask while pointing at Hana.

"Oi. I may be a cock sucker, but I know that that isn't weird," Hana protests.

"Well…" Ciel starts and shrugs. "If it works for her, why shouldn't she base herself off her parents? They seem like a good example…" -her voice dies down as she speaks- "except for the whole 'getting arrested' deal… sorry, Hana."

"No problem. Dad fucked up."

"Anyway…" Ciel clears her throat awkwardly. "Why are you so appalled by this? It seems like most of the things you find weird about us revolve around sex."

I frown and pucker my lips in thought. "This is really the biggest difference between my birthplace and here. Sexuality is seen as 'dirty' by a lot of people. There's uh… there's also a lot of fear about anything related to pedophilia and putting children in sexual situations," I say.

She frowns and looks down, thinking deeply. "Hm… you don't have Gods that could punish pedophiles, right?"

"Yes."

"Wait, you're from a heretical land?" Klein asks, lowly.

"More like a land that isn't under the influence of the temple."

"Oh, I see. Makes sense."

Ciel continues, "Well, I can see why people would be afraid of those things. Here, if you rape your family or have sex with a child, then you instantly get branded as a Wicked, so we don't have much to worry about besides embarrassing your children."

Well… you're considered an adult when you reach 14-16 years old, so I know that Americans would also get a little miffed at the lower 'age of consent' here.

"It was informative, but I'd rather never see my parents having sex again," Klein comments. Alissa, Hana, and Roxanne just shrug.

I sigh and say, "Well… I guess it makes sense. Knowing the Gods are watching makes a lot of things much simpler for us… So, uh, does anybody think the Gods are perverts for peeping on us while we have sex?"

"Hah, yes, I do," Roxanne says.

"They aren't… they aren't humanoids anymore. They don't 'peep,'" Ciel says, a little annoyed.

"I bet that's someone's fetish," Hana comments, ignoring Ciel's growing annoyance.

"Isn't it yours?" Roxanne asks Hana, who ignores her.

"Do people masturbate while thinking of the Gods?" Alissa wonders.

"Some of their statues are quite attractive, I bet someone has at some point," Lina says.

I turn to Ciel ask with a cheeky grin, "Is it heresy to cover a statue of the Gods with semen? What about the Goddess of Love?"

"Can you gain 'Piety' if you masturbate to the Gods?" Hana asks.

"I'm not answering any of these questions," Ciel says while facepalming.

Alissa's tail wags and she smirks at Ciel. "Which God is the most attractive? My vote is tied between the God of Law and the God of the Sun."

"Goddess of Will," Hana answers immediately.

"You're only saying that because she's a dragonkin," Lina says.

Hana looks at Lina as if she's saying something obvious. "Yeah? So?"

Lina pouts. "Attractiveness does not mean what you think it means."

They both stare at each other with narrowed eyes.

"What about you?" Roxanne asks Ciel with a smirk.

"God of Luck…" Ciel says with a flat tone, resigning herself to her fate.

The halfling?

Klein looks me up and down. "Yeah, I think I know why."

"Wolfy, on Earth, would Ciel be a pedophile?" Alissa asks

"What?!" I feel a certain someone's glare hit my cheek.

I smirk at Alissa and answer, "Considering that she's twenty-one and I'm sixteen. Yeah, she would."

"What…?" Ciel's hand heavily falls on my shoulder.

I shrug and direct my smirk at her. "Hey, that's just how the law is."

She narrows her eyes dangerously. "Uh-huh, sure, I'm the pedo."

I point at Lina and she cringes.

"Go on… who's the pedo?" I ask with a shit-eating grin.

"Both of us…" She mutters and looks away.

Klein frowns and tilts her head in confusion.

We play around a little more and Anton and Krysta come over to chat, too. They'll be staying with Rande, and Klein wants to spend the day with them after tomorrow.

It takes a while, but we finally cross the yellow stone gates and enter the city proper. I immediately feel Rabanara's vibe because the architecture is a mixed bag and I notice some buildings that were cut in half and then "grown" back together.

This side of Goldport is often abandoned when there's a monster siege, so it makes sense that it would've been razed a few times already.

The streets are filled with vendors selling a variety of wares. Mostly fish, but also a lot of exotic products. They announce the wares out loud with their prices, trying to attract any customers.

"Tourist trap," Krysta says and we tune them out. A single look at the price of the Snow Weave products and I nod my head in agreement.

We do get a fishstick, though. Simple sardines fried in flour and seasoned with salt and not-lemon.

I notice how Krysta seems to be sending glances at the food stalls. She fidgets and then pats her stomach. Klein notices that I noticed her and she smiles wryly.

I stop and ask, "How about we get our lunch from the stalls?"

On one end of the spectrum of reactions, Roxanne pats her stomach and frowns. On the other end, Klein jumps in place and grasps her hands together, "Yes!" She says and nods repeatedly while her tail copies the movement of her head.

Krysta smiles and nods. "Sounds lovely!" She says, more enthusiastic than normal.

Anton smiles at me and snorts, then he turns to Krysta. "When someone else suggests eating from the stalls you jump right on it, don't you?"

Krysta's eyes shift from side to side. "What do you mean? It would be rude to impose my diet on them."

Klein sighs softly and says, "Mom, it's fine. Eating from the stalls is okay once in a while."

Did I misread her interest in the stalls?

Krysta continues looking around as she says, "Did I say I was not fine? Of course I'm fine with eating from the stalls."

She suddenly stops for a moment and then marches forward to a stall selling honeyed fruits.

Anton and Klein smile wryly at each other.

"One of each," Krysta immediately says when she catches the female seller's attention.

"We… have twenty types of fruit," the seller says, a little stunned.

"Yes, one of each," Krysta repeats.

We approach Krysta from behind and the seller notices us. She understands we are with Krysta and hums in understanding.

Well, this isn't too bad.

"Those are all for her," Klein whispers.

"Okay…"

"She's going to store them all in her [Item Box]," Anton says.

"W-well, it's always good to have some good desserts to remind me of the correct flavor," Krysta defends herself.

Anton smiles softly and his permanent frown lightens a little. "Of course."

But Krysta didn't stop there.

"Yes, I want all of them."

"One of each."

"Only these two, the rest I've already tasted."

"Hm… no new flavors…"

"Oh…!" She suddenly stops in front of a stall. "This one's new."

"You remember them all?" Anton asks, a little incredulous.

"You don't…?" Krysta asks, unsure of herself.

"Not really."

Krysta eyes us and we look away.

I feel a little bad for her so I say, "Ge-generally Alissa searches for things for me, so I don't go out a lot to browse the stalls, but I'm sure I'd remember them as well as you do if I did."

"I see…" Krysta smiles awkwardly.

"We don't think you're weird, Mom," Klein says and uses her tail to rub Krysta's shoulder. "We think that you're funny because of how shy you act when it comes to this."

Krysta picks on her meat stick without much enthusiasm and says, "Well, it's just not a good idea to keep wasting so much money on such simple food."

Klein rolls her eyes and Anton lands a huge hand on her small shoulder. "Your grandmother just really wasn't a good person," he says.

Krysta shrugs. "She was a good chef, though."

We eat a wide variety of exotic foods while Krysta hoards all kinds of weird stuff.

As we get closer to the port, stereotypical seagulls make themselves known, though there's something odd about their cries. They're almost… human. Like a person badly imitating real seagulls.

I notice that there's no one spying on us here, which is very refreshing. We might finally get some real peace and quiet.

We finally reach the port and choose one of the dozens of ferries going to the other side.

While we wait for the boat to get ready for departure, we take our armor off and sit down on one of the benches to relax. When I'm just about to doze off, the boat captain gives the signal to depart.

A Wind mage "punches" the sails and two elven mages use [Weaverism] to propel it forward like the gondola from Goloria.

Osaria seizes this perfect moment to start caressing the bird. Her finger runs along the spine of the bird and I feel a massage coupled with a little bit of tickling. She gives the bird a knowing smile and I smile back, even though she will never know it.

"What's up?" Alissa asks, always perceptive.

"Osaria is caressing the bird," I say.

Hana looks down to her breasts, where the back of my head currently rests. "Huh, it seems like she's getting attached to you," she says.

"Even though she said she wouldn't," Alissa adds.

"Well…" I feel a sigh coming but I suppress it. "She may be trying to not get attached, but that's easier said than done, right? And I'm getting attached to her, too. She's quite a fun person."

"Maybe we could find a way to keep Rande around after we become nobility," Alissa says.

"Only if we remain in the High Forest. I don't think he'll leave it so easily," Hana says.

"We'll see how things go," I say.

On the way, Roxanne and Ciel make friends with a traveling couple of demon race, an Angel-type and a Raven-type. The man is white-skinned with beautiful locks of yellow hair and white wings. The woman is black-skinned with dark glossy hair with a purple shine and black wings.

They came to spend the Turn here instead of in their smaller town in Maoka. They can fly, so for them, travel is much safer than it is for us, land-locked beings.

It's quite nice to hear the common folk talk about their daily life. I also noticed how our lives are now so detached from the norm that it feels hard to truly relate to their problems due to how different they are from us.

First, they paid for hunters to escort them around so they could gain levels. Then, they paid for magical training so that they could get enough mana to cast [Conjure Small Meal]. This way they can travel light and save money on supplies.

Another thing they are trying to learn is [Earth Wall] so that they can build shelters for the night with little risk of being eaten while sleeping. [Summoning Magic] is better for this, but [Earth Wall] has more uses since it also protects you from the elements.

Their work is with polishing gems for enchanting. Not a bad job, but they don't make enough to be considered "middle class," so their achievements are actually quite impressive.

At first, they thought that Ciel and Roxanne were lovers and Lina was Roxanne's sister. Boy, were they wrong, so wrong that they became very awkward for a while after Roxanne told them the truth.

We land on Golport proper and part ways with them.

The town is a mass of pure white and yellow with rows upon rows of square buildings as far as the eye can see. It all culminates in a huge mansion at the top of the hill, like a shining white throne for a giant.

The true beauty of the town comes from the public gardens, the dark green contrasts perfectly with the bichromatic buildings. Other small sources of color, like red or blue drapes covering the windows, or the drying laundry on top of the houses, give the view a very comfy summertime charm.

Jugglers, dancers, bards, and Illusion magicians populate the streets, giving simple shows to the populace every once in a while.

The Illusion mages almost exclusively belong to the demon race. They are mostly comprised of the peacock-type, called Estekabar, or Succubus-types.

"So, your race seems to be quite good with [Illusion Magic]," I say to Roxanne.

She cringes and says, "Yeeah… we are…"

I hold back my smirk because that would be rude. "But not you?"

"Nope." She adjusts her glasses awkwardly.

Hana and Klein smirk at her and their intense stares make her posture shrink a bit. "See how nice we are? We don't even tease you about your weaknesses," Hana says.

"That's your loss…" Roxanne mutters.

Sometime later, Anton stops at a crossroads and turns to us. "So, we have to split here, the Wind'he Gevee is that way."

"Right, where are we going anyway?" I ask and look to Klein.

"The, uh, the 'better' inns are that way," she answers and points down the road, still higher up the hill.

"Well, you know how to find us," Anton says to Klein and pats her head. My spine tingles when I see how much Klein's posture buckles due to the weight of his massive hand.

"I'll spend the 29th with you," Klein says and they both smile at her.

"Until then," Krysta says and gives Klein a kiss on the cheek.

We wave them goodbye and continue climbing the hill.

The buildings become more luxurious while the number of people reduces and their clothes become more lavish.

"I think just about here should be good enough. We don't want to overindulge again," I say.

"Sure. I don't know any inns around here, but I do know which ones are bad," Klein says.

We walk away from the main street and search around the hill for a nice-looking inn.

We see a few entrances to the underground portion of the city, where a rather healthy community of dwarves lives. They are in charge of the gold mining operations, so they're all quite wealthy.

"They've some dwarven restaurants over there," Klein comments.

"Do you wanna go there tomorrow for lunch?" I ask Lina.

She silently nods and smiles, making me squeak internally.

I'm a sucker for cute things and a pinkish inn with a flower garden run by a gaggle of halfling lolis is the cutest thing ever.

"Welcome to the Innocent Nymph," a brown-haired halfling woman says with the softest voice ever and bows. Once she straightens her posture, I glance at her amber eyes and feel a chill run down my spine and end in my crotch. Her "Charisma" is very high.

Ciel raises an eyebrow and slowly turns to me. "Really?"

"So… I guess this is one of those inns?" Alissa asks.

"Obviously," Klein responds.

"Hm…" Hana sends a fearsome smile to the innkeeper, who trembles for a few moments but gathers her resolve and returns to her subservient demeanor. "I like this place."

I look at Lina, then at the innkeeper, then at the cute proto-maids in skimpy outfits, then at Ciel, then at the innkeeper, then at Ciel again and say, "It sounds like a really nice place, right?"

Ciel follows my shifting eyes and sighs. "Sure."

The innkeeper grabs my arm and pulls me along. "My name is Rutina. Let me show you to your room." She hugs my entire arm and squeezes my biceps. "My, how strong you are."

"You should see his scars," Alissa says with a predatory smile.

"I would be delighted to, Mr…?" Rutina turns to me and her sparkling gems for eyes stare into mine.

"Ryder, Wolf Ryder."

The adorable Rutina sends me an impish smile that can easily rival Lina's.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Cidant.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Lord Vampmire.
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Mar 3, 2020

Alissa hugs my other arm and the two smile cordially to one another.

Rutina's faint and sweet perfume caresses the inside of my nose. There's a faint freshness to it that goes well with her seemingly energetic personality.

I feel Alissa's light amusement coming through her [Bind]. It seems that she feels only a small amount of pleasure from having "paid" women throw themselves at me.

I take advantage of the moment the two are having to scan Rutina's lithe and delicate body. She's wearing a thin green dress that's so light that it flows through the air as she walks. With my arm pressed against her chest, the form of her small breasts and nipples becomes fully visible. I can even see a hint of their pink skin as the dress stretches and turns faintly transparent.

Her sandal-like heels clack on the wooden floor and her thin legs peek out from under her green dress. Her feet are so small and cute that I feel like sucking on them like a lollipop.

Goddammit, Ciel.

Rutina notices my stare and her devious smile becomes even more smug. I feel that she could make a perfect tsundere.

I look at my "definitely-not-pedo" wife and see that her face is stiff and twitching. Lina is hugging one of her arms while a skimpy proto-maid hugs the other. The fabric of the proto-maid's outfit is the same as Rutina's, so her pink nipples are almost fully visible.

It's almost like they're wearing nothing at all.

Oh, wait…

"Aoi, can you drop down and walk for a little while? Look up their skirts and dresses," I say through [Bind].

"Okay," she answers innocently.

Other proto-maids hold the arms of Hana and Roxanne. Klein denied hers, so Hana took that one, too.

We walk towards the spiral stairs. There's a fragrant tree in the middle of the spiral being watered by a proto-maid. A glass ceiling gives the tree the light it needs to survive.

"So, what kind of room are you looking for?" Rutina asks as we approach the stairs.

"One that fits all of us," I answer.

Aoi looks up Rutina's dress and I see her transparent panties. The halfling woman has a beautiful brown bush that would serve as a perfect mustache for me. Her (basically) naked slit looks even smaller than Lina's.

She takes a look behind her to count our numbers and smiles. "We have just the room. It'll be enough for all of you and more in case you'd like some company." She whispers out loud some of the words and it causes a pulse of blood to rush downstairs.

We go upstairs and then she stops. "How do you like trading?" She asks, innocently.

I take a look at her amber eyes and swallow awkwardly. "Trading?"

"If you'd like to trade some of yo~ur…" She takes a glance back and returns to me.

"Wives," I say.

"Wives… then on the top floor we have a hall where you can trade them with our other guests." She finishes with a purely innocent smile.

"No… just no…"

I feel Hana's teasing coming through her [Bind]. It's wordless, but the image of her being filled with cocks starts to form in my mind. Roxanne smirks but says nothing, and the rest of them look a little awkward.

Hana's teasing just makes me get slightly angry and dissipates some of Rutina's "charm." I regain enough control over my emotions to start my own "seduction."

I push my soul out of my arm very faintly so that it touches Alissa and Rutina. Using [Bind], I adjust the intensity so that she won't suspect any foul play.

"Well, even if you don't, in the hall there are open rooms where anyone can join. They have hetero, homo and bisexual rooms for both men and women."

"Oh, can we watch even if we don't participate?" Alissa asks.

"Yes, it's an open room, after all."

"Nice. Let's go to the men's homo room," Roxanne says with a snicker.

Rutina looks at Roxanne and smiles. "That's quite popular with the ladies, indeed."

"It's not cheating if Wolfy participates," Hana says with an evil smile and Roxanne snickers louder.

I look back and see Klein smiling; Ciel and Lina tense up a little and look away, feeling even more awkward than before; for a second, desire escapes through Alissa's [Bind] before she can control it.

Har, har. I'm above such teasing.

"Eh, no. Only women for us, please," I say with confidence and slightly increase the soul touch.

Rutina looks at me for a second longer than normal and says, "Understood," then she turns forward again.

Through Aoi, I see the maids wearing the same panties as Rutina. I order my peeping dragon to crawl back up onto Hana's shoulders because that's too much stimulation for me right now.

We walk down the long, simple corridor and Rutina continues on, "Do you have any 'preferences' regarding the servants that will be assigned to you?"

"I don't like formality, so I'd prefer if the servants were more casual than submissive or subservient."

"It shall be done." She squeezes my arm and guides my hand to touch her stomach, dangerously close to her lower bits. "Preferences on race?"

"None."

She smiles again and my hand lowers a little bit more.

"One last thing: we do not allow rape role-playing unless it is done in a specific private room. If someone says 'no,' that means 'no.'"

"Understood," I say, a little nervous.

It's frightening how that sounded like something necessary to say to us.

Hana seems to think the same.

This "inn" is nice and cute, not lavish. The price is obviously higher than the norm for this level of luxury. We pay a little more so that we can get some "companionship" and we are left in our room.

Rutina gives me a kiss on the cheek and walks away with a smile and a wave. The proto-maids bow and leave, too.

I drop down onto the bed and let out a sigh. It's a huge dark yellow room with three huge beds that can fit us all and more. The bath is in another building, this one is only for the beds.

"I feel really tired, so I'm taking a nap," I say and close my eyes.

I don't remember what I dreamed about, I just know that it was a very happy and satisfying dream.

I wake up to Aoi's sharp and pointy fangs prickling the skin of my penis while her tongue pumps another orgasm out of me.

Alissa is beside me, hugging my arm and still asleep.

I pat Aoi's head and she "smiles," then she lets my member go and nuzzles her large head against my neck.

"How many times did you drain me? I only feel a little tired," I say.

"Four," she answers in her cutesy voice as she shrinks in size.

"Really? I feel a bit drained already, though."

"Alissa, Hana, and Lina got one, too."

"Oh, I see."

She gently bites my finger and starts sucking my blood out of it. My dick tingles since the memory of her slick tongue is still fresh in my memory.

The rest of the girls all sew (while naked) some clothes and whisper lowly, occasionally giggling. Klein seems to be the model as she has plenty of pieces of cloth tied around her body.

The bird I gave to Osaria is currently on Oura's lap while being quite innocently petted by her. They seem to be resting in one of the public parks right now.

I can see that Nito is wearing his female clothes and he reaches over to pet the bird, too.

His delicate and feminine hand traces down the spine of the blue bird and I feel a wave of guilty pleasure wash over my body, leading me to question my sexu-…

Nope.

I cut down the sense of touch just as the bird catches a glimpse of Osaria's evilly mischievous eyes staring at the bird.

That woman…

I pull my pants on and sit up on the bed. A few seconds later, Alissa wakes up and leans on me, still a little groggy. Her fox ears twitch as she tries to understand the girls' conversation.

I look out through the small balcony and see that the sun is almost fully set.

"Bath time," I say and smirk to the girls.

Now (temporarily) clothed, we use an enchantment on the wall to call for room service. A minute later, we hear a knock on the door and Alissa opens it.

Two proto-maid halflings walk in. One is dark-skinned like Ciel; her black hair is long and reaches down to her hips; her smug smirk makes me want to ask her to step on me; her sharp eyes say that she's completely confident in herself; her heeled dark boots give her a spunky air.

The other is a little lighter skinned; her white hair is short and has a cute braid on the side which is decorated with a red flower; her pouty lips give her a shy air; her dark eyes race as she takes in all of us and lay on Hana for longer than normal; all her nails are painted red and decorated with a few sparkly circles on them.

I really need to suck on some feet, it's been a while since I did that to Ciel.

By "a while" I mean less than a day-cycle.

"Greetings, Master Ryder. I'm Daiana and this is my sister, Suelen," the smug loli says as they both bow.

Nope, your name is "smug loli" now.

She straightens her pose and her smugness goes off the charts. "Rutina hopes you'll be pleased with these two sex toys that she's temporarily lending to you," she adds. With one hand, she touches her heart; and the other, she touches the shoulder of her sister, who smiles adorably and glances over at Hana again.

Hana notices her glance and gives her a fearsome smile in return, making the shy loli's knees tremble for a moment.

We chuckle at her straightforwardness while I glance at Ciel. She gives me a phony smile and shrugs.

"I appreciate your honesty," I say and nod.

"If it's not too personal to you, can you tell us if you have a sexual skill?" The smug loli asks.

"I do. Actually, I have more than one."

She laughs while the shy loli looks away.

"Well, I really should've taken that bet then. But anyway, you don't seem to have a single pig bone in your body," the smug loli says.

"Pig bone?" I ask.

"People who buy sex because they can't get it the normal way," Ciel answers me.

"Yeah, that," the smug loli smiles to Ciel, who licks her lips unconsciously.

"So, who wanted to bet on us?" Alissa asks, a little miffed but hiding it well.

"Rutina wanted to bet that you had a magical dick while I wanted to bet that you had multiple sex skills."

So my special touch actually did have an effect on her.

Roxanne laughs and says, "How about both?"

The smug loli frowns and asks, "Seriously?" Roxanne nods and the loli chuckles while the shy one lets her mouth hang open. "I'm sure your male friends cursed the Gods for being so 'fair' to you."

"He's special, so you shouldn't think too much into it," Ciel says and chuckles.

"What made you or Rutina think that about us?" Alissa asks.

"No way is money enough to keep all these women happy and obedient." The smug loli becomes smug again and gestures to the girls with her open hand. "You gotta have something special. Especially with that cute little griffin on your shoulder."

Alissa and Gify become happy and proud about her answer. Hana looks the opposite. "Y-you know, there's more to him than just his dick," she says.

"Uh, sure," the smug imp says.

"He could totally make me bend even if he wasn't that much of a sex fiend," Hana adds.

"If you say so…"

An awkward silence sets in as we all stare at Hana while she has an internal crisis.

The tanned red goddess reaffirms her resolve and gets up from the bed. She marches over to my bed and pulls me into a powerful hug, trying to suffocate me in her Grand Canyon.

"I love you, Wolfy. I'm sure that you could've swooned me if we met in another way. I'm sure of it," she says as her confidence grows with each word.

Using more strength than I'd like to admit, I open Hana's arms and bring her face towards mine.

"I love you too. Whether or not you'd have fallen for me in another realm doesn't matter," I say and pull her in for a kiss. Her energetic tongue invades my mouth and wrestles with mine.

After our messy kiss is complete, a small bridge of saliva connects the two of us for a short while before it breaks.

"So, you wanted a bath?" The smug imp says, interrupting the silence.

"Yes, please," Alissa answers for me.

"Follow us, then."

They turn and the proto-maid dress flies up for a moment, giving us a perfect view of their cute little butts.

I wish I had a [Bind] with Ciel right now.

The two lolis take us to the next building. I notice a higher than the normal number of guards both in the inn and in the bathhouse.

I catch a glimpse of the building past the bathhouse and see that it's a brothel. After that, there's a clinic from the temple.

Well… ain't that convenient.

Now that I think about it, I've never heard anything about STDs. [Purify Body] seems to be able to heal most diseases, so I wouldn't really be surprised if there isn't even syphilis in this world.

The bathhouse follows a similarly cute, but simple architecture, all made with stone. The inside has a considerable number of people, but the crowd moves quickly. The sight of the short proto-maids guiding patrons, both men and women, is a common occurrence.

We enter a private stone bath dug into the floor and Lina immediately goes to the edge to look at the two enchantments installed there. She quickly figures out that they are enchantments for a water massage and a bubble bath.

The two lolis tie their hair up with a band and raise their mini-skirts even higher, allowing us to see an under-butt as it peeks out past the edge.

"Get naked so we can start fu-, I mean, washing you all," the smug imp says and the shy loli sends a glance towards my crotch.

"Let's leave those two for last," Suelen, the shy loli, says and points to me and Hana.

"Right, the Kerasou on top of the cake," Diana says and nods.

We chuckle and undress. Ciel is up first and receives the attention of both lolis while we slow down and watch.

Their small hands sink into her breasts and play with her nipples. Their legs wrap around her arms and when they release her, both of her hands are wet with the lolis' sticky fluids. Ciel sucks on her fingers and smiles in delight.

Roxanne is next, and she warns them not to rub her tail or horns. Like a princess, she lets herself get washed by the two maids. They both use their tongues to clean certain parts of Roxanne. Suelen goes for Roxanne's mouth while Daiana goes for Roxanne's lower lips.

After a sultry moan, Roxanne stops them and gives them a slight brush with her dagger-tail along their slits as a thank you, making them shiver in anticipation. She sits down on the edge and promptly penetrates Ciel with her tail.

Hana goes next and feels very uncomfortable. Her desire to fuck skyrockets, but she wouldn't dare to take the first bite out of my meal. She wants me to fill both of the lolis' wombs first before she eats them out.

"Not really the most efficient way, but certainly the most entertaining," Roxanne comments as she produces a glass of not-wine with a *poof*.

Ciel grunts and moans as she loses herself to the intense tail-fucking while she watches Lina be molested by the maids.

The contrast in skin color is heavenly. The innocence and purity of three girls giggling while washing and playing around are holy. The growing moans from Lina as they play with her body are divine.

My little girl orgasms quite quickly and her "washing" is done. She goes over to Ciel, who snatches her and starts working on giving her another orgasm.

I start to pay attention to two things at the same time. One one side, Osaria and Oura start undressing in front of the hidden bird; on the other side, I watch Alissa moan while being stimulated solely through her ears and tail.

"Wereanimals are my favorite," Suelen says lowly and hugs Alissa's tail for a short moment.

"Dragonkin men are my favorite," Daiana says casually and glances at my exposed and erect cock. She smirks smugly and adds, "But maybe magic cocks are better."

Daiana reaches over Alissa and slowly penetrates her with a single finger. Alissa's shivering intensifies and she orgasms a few seconds later. Daiana scoops out Alissa's cream and Suelen licks it off her fingers.

The two kiss and share the small amount of cream, sending a jolt of desire through my cock.

Osaria throws her panties on top of the bird just as a naked Nito and Rande appear in view.

Even though it was short, I still got a good view of Oura's sexy, thin body. She's just like Roxanne.

Klein's turn comes and she uses her tail to play around with the other girls, almost turning it into a wrestling match. While dry, a soft rub of Klein's tail on their nearly exposed and sensitive bottoms is enough to make them moan. While wet, a slap in the face or downstairs makes them laugh and then pinch her nipples in revenge.

"You're a fun family. We wouldn't mind giving you a discount if you need us again," Daiana says and Suelen nods.

"Don't mind if we do, then," I say.

They finish up with Klein and turn to Aoi.

"And how about that one?" Diana says and points to my little blue dragon.

"Play with me, too," Aoi says and gives a (for them) frightening toothy smile.

"Oh! She talks," Suelen says as her eyes bulge in surprise.

"Well, she's female, right?" Daiana asks and we nod.

The sisters look at each other with a knowing smile and turn back to Aoi.

"Make me moan," Aoi asks.

"As you wish," Suelen says and scoops Aoi up.

They kiss and she plays with the entrance of Aoi's pussy while Daiana is the only one actually cleaning Aoi.

"Didn't know you were such a perv, sis," Daiana teases.

"Well, it's a dragon that talks and her tongue is amazing," Suelen shoots back when her mouth is freed.

"I thought people would be more hesitant about seeing a dragon sexually," I comment.

"What? I told you that being fucked by a dragon is a dream of many women," Hana says with a frown while Alissa and Roxanne nod repeatedly.

"You can bet that for many men, dominating a female, or maybe even a male dragon would be a fetish for them," Roxanne says and makes Ciel moan again.

The loli sisters look at Aoi, then at my cock, and then stretch Aoi's pussy with their fingers.

"I'm sure it would fit," Suelen says.

"Would you mind giving us a demonstration?" Daiana asks with a wide grin.

"As long as you promise not to tell anyone about this," I say.

"What do you-…"

"Aoi, grow."

"Kweh!"

My little dragon jumps and becomes big. She lands on top of me and we immediately start.

The sisters are awestruck at the sight. Her glorious wings spread and flap to dry herself off. Her scales shine in the moonlight and enchanted lights, giving our mating a holy air.

But the act itself is anything but holy.

God fucking dammit, how I wish I had a camera to take photos of these glorious moments.

I look around and see everyone furiously masturbating. A fetish indeed.

I turn to the sisters and order, "Now, wash me."

Awed by our display, they shyly come closer and start rubbing the soapy sponge all over my body. I push my soul out of my body just enough to give them subtle amounts of pleasure as they abandon the sponge to touch me directly.

They stare at my muscles and scars as if each were a painting itself. They go lower and freeze at the sight of my cock dripping semen and still wet with Aoi's juices.

Daiana thinks it would be a shame to let this get washed away and so, she decides to use her mouth to clean it. Her jaw opens so far that Lina gets impressed. She deepthroats me all the way to the base and uses her tongue to lick my balls.

I share my pleasure with the girls, and they internally scoff at the lower dick-sucking skill of the loli but admit that she's good at swallowing me whole.

My smile of pleasure brings back the smugness to the imp and I see her eyes narrow playfully.

She stays like this for a few seconds, then she takes it out and gives it to her sister, who deepthroats me, too. The shy loli is still awestruck and her dark eyes glimmer with desire. Her hands wrap around my waist and Daiana grabs her hair.

The smug imp uses her sister to skull fuck my dick and make my knees tremble as I cum in her mouth.

Suelen stops sucking me and kisses her sister. They play around with my cum just like how Hana and Roxanne love to do.

They notice my still erect cock and giggle, then they start kissing each other with my lower head in the middle.

I push my soul out just a little bit more and Daiana is the first one to stop. "I can't hold it in anymore. I'm taking the first turn," she says and pushes her sister away.

She gently grabs my dick and pulls me towards the wall, then she leans against it and pushes her ass out towards me.

"Show me your magic cock," she orders. I lift her mini-skirt and pull her transparent panties aside. I then rub my tip on her entrance and she bites her lip. "No teasing! Fuck me!"

"If you say so."

I grab her ponytail with one hand and aim my cock with the other. I push my soul out even more as I penetrate her.

A wave of pleasure washes over me as Alissa orgasms, making me immediately spurt inside the tight loli.

"How man-man-n-ny more times c-can you g-go?" Daiana asks.

"Until you ask me to stop," I say and slam into her harder.

Her moans slowly grow higher and higher until she's screaming out in pleasure.

I shoot inside her again with a grunt, then I grab her waist and turn her around. My dick slides up within her pussy and just faintly bulges out of her impossibly thin waist.

I cast [Clean] in her mouth and taste her lips. Her tongue lazily searches for mine, so I make sure that I wrestle with it and assert my dominance over her.

We break the kiss and I continue fucking her while standing. She's so light that I have zero problems with moving her waist up and down like a cock sleeve.

Her body trembles and she wraps her legs around my waist, then the orgasm hits her and her whole body tenses up. Her cute little toes curl and she grits her teeth.

After a few seconds, she relaxes and goes limp. "That's it for me, I need a break," she says in a weak voice.

My still fully erect dick slides out of her and a stream of cum flows down the inside of her leg.

Suelen appears below us and licks up the cum from her sister's leg. Her tongue continues upwards until she licks the imp's lower lips, then her mouth clamps down on the wet pussy and starts sucking.

Hana gets up and takes Suelen off of her. She grabs Daiana by the waist and raises the loli towards her face so that she can drink her share of the meal.

I push down Suelen and my cock touches her entrance. Her face shows anxiety and desire.

"Magic… dick," the smug imp says with a light chuckle, making all the anxiety on her sister's face disappear.

Suelen looks up and Hana's pussy comes down onto her face. My tanned dragon sways her hips and I see Suelen's little tongue starting to work on her. I push down her transparent panties and see an adorable white landing strip contrasting with her caramel skin.

My thick cock enters her tight slit and I see her toes curl. She's just as tight as her sister.

Suelen nearly disappears below our limbs. She's our little sex toy and she seems to be loving it since she's finger fucking Hana's pussy with vigor.

I connect all of our feelings together and instantly orgasm inside her. The feeling of her little tongue playing with Hana's clit is exquisite. Then, two more shots quickly follow from the overload of pleasure. The shy loli also orgasms once herself and her cunt overflows.

Hana finishes with Daiana and looks at my cock piercing Suelen's entrance with hunger.

I orgasm a fourth time inside her and Hana pulls Suelen off of me. She raises the shy loli up to her face and eats her up, just like she did with her sister.

With a smug smile, Daiana lowers herself down and gobbles up my cock again. She quickly draws out one last shot and goes over to Hana so that the three of them can share it.

While Hana does her thing, I enter the bath and relax. Ciel is being massaged by Alissa, too tired to participate anymore; Roxanne licks her tail clean from Ciel's juices; Klein slowly masturbates, waiting for her turn to be massaged by Alissa; little Aoi floats idly in the bath along with Gify.

With Lina in my arms and the water massaging me, I doze off again.

Loli paradise.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Lord Vampmire.
Lord Braidborn
Noble Salty Panda.

Manasong · Mar 5, 2020

My sleep is light and gets disrupted by the constant moaning.

I open my eyes and see the two (now completely naked) lolis all over Ciel, moaning and giggling while tangled in a mess of limbs.

A soft moan to the side calls my attention to Klein, who's receiving a tail massage from Alissa.

Hana, Roxanne, Gify, and Aoi are all cuddled together in a puddle. Aoi almost looks like a baby in Roxanne's arms and Hana looks like a father hugging his wife from behind. Gify is like the pet of the family, though he's on Hana's shoulder instead of sitting in front of them.

Gih.

Lina is awake and her gloomy dark eyes stare intently into mine. I look down at her and we enter a short trance as we remain staring lovingly at each other, letting our awareness drown in the seas of our eyes.

"Ahn~!"

I bring her face close to mine and our lips touch. Her tongue gives shy licks to mine and I slowly enter her mouth. I hold her head and hug her small waist, bringing her closer to me.

My slightly tired member rises up and pushes against her entrance. Her hips move along its shaft and her tongue increases its pace.

Her hips slow down as our kiss ends, then we remain embraced like this while she teases me with slow and deliberate movements of her hips.

"AAHN~!"

We look over at Ciel and see her whole body tremble while two small hands continue moving underwater. Each of the lolis suck on one of Ciel's large dark nipples while smirking at her reactions.

Daiana submerges herself, allowing Ciel to calm down, only for her to start moaning again as the smug loli plays with her feet underwater.

"You don't feel jealous?" I ask Lina.

"No. Look at how happy she is; why would I feel jealous of that?" She answers, lowly. I kiss her forehead and have her rest her head on my chest again, then she continues, "I think she's a bit like you: very loving, caring, and perverted. But unlike you, she doesn't admit that last part, for some reason."

"So you just want her to admit that she's a slut?"

"Yes. Just like how you're a manslut." Lina gives me an impish smile for a moment and then returns her expression to normal. "I also love her, so I just want her to search for her happiness, the same way she's been helping me find mine."

"You think she'll find happiness in a halfling's tongue being buried in her pussy or with her toes inside a loli's mouth?"

She chuckles and asks, "Loli?"

"Er, someone who looks like you or the halflings: barely mature, even though you're older."

"Oh, yes, definitely; she's totally going to be happy with that." We chuckle lightly and she continues, "It's not something 'noble,' but we already have enough 'adventure' in our lives thanks to our destinies."

"It's 'our' destiny, now?"

She pokes my cheek with her finger and I know she's pouting due to her tone. "Yes. The moment we decided to join you, 'your' destiny became 'our' destiny."

I lay my hand on her cheek and restrain myself to not squeeze her in a hug. "Thank you."

"And thank you for bringing all of us together."

"Awn…"

I kiss the top of her head and we watch on as Ciel is satisfied.

The loli sisters lay their heads on Ciel's soft body and relax.

"Oh, done already? Well, Ciel, you reached a new level of depravity, but you're still too weak for me," Hana comments.

"I'd say that it's not fair to compare dragonkin to other races," Suelen says.

"Our husband could do all of you and still ask for more," Daiana says and turns to me. "Though you would make his knees buckle with your magic dick."

"You have a husband?" I ask, a little surprised.

Daiana smiles and she says in a rehearsed tone, "Yes, he works mostly at the men's homo room. Yes, we have two children, and they're adults now. No, we won't tell you our age. No, we don't talk about their sex lives. No, they don't work here. No, I won't have children with them, the Gods don't like that to begin with. And finally, no, you can't have them."

We chuckle but I sweat a little.

My fetishes are becoming a little too much, even for me…

I feel Lina's entrance heat up and I can see that she's blushing. Her hips go far back and allow my cock to rise some more. She aims her slit and lowers herself onto me, moaning softly as I slowly penetrate her.

"And I thought we were depraved," Lina says with a smile. She hugs me and I feel her heart beating quickly.

"That made you aroused?" I whisper softly in her ears.

"Yes…"

She drains one last shot out of me before we leave the bath.

The maids pull out a new set of dry and clean clothes, then they turn to us and return to their more subservient demeanors.

"If you have any dirty clothes, you can give them to us and we'll wash them for you," Daiana says.

We share a look among ourselves and I shrug. We pull out the small basket of stained sheets and another one with everyone's smelly underwear.

"I can guess what that one is," Suelen says and they both smile wryly while looking at the basket filled with sheets.

"Do you mind if someone sniffs your laundry?" Daiana asks, entirely serious.

"Only if it's not a woman," I say, matching her seriousness.

The girls and Gify chuckle, except for Aoi, who doesn't understand the situation. Even Ciel chuckles, far too deep into her post-multiple-loli-induced-orgasms clarity and happiness to care.

Daiana smiles smugly at me. "Understood. We'll have it washed and dried by tomorrow's lunchtime."

"Thank you."

"Anytime." Her smile goes soft. "But seriously, anytime. We'll even go for free next time if you use that magic dick. I might have to bring two friends, though, since your family is a little too much for just the two of us."

"Uh… bring as many as you'd like," I say with a smirk.

We all turn to Ciel and she starts to get annoyed. "You know that's not funny; this is bullying."

I smirk evilly and say, "If you admit to being a pe-…"

"I'm not!"

"Yeah, right," Daiana says smugly.

Suelen looks worried and says, "You know, it's fine to admit it. As long as you always go for a halfling or dwarf of age you-…"

Ciel interrupts again and says through gritted teeth, "I'm hungry. How about we move on and go have our dinner?"

I grab Ciel's arm and give it a loving squeeze. "It's fine, I'm one too," I say, still smirking.

She covers her eyes with her hand. "Please, let's just go."

"Sure."

This inn is a little different than the usual small, snug and vertical buildings. It's long and rectangular; a mansion, really. On the bottom floor, there's a large hall dedicated to the restaurant, which opens out onto the street and even has some tables on the grass. It's the most well-decorated part of the inn because a lot of the patrons here seem to be people from the outside coming in just for dinner and to watch the shota and loli waiters and waitresses wearing skimpy outfits that leave little to the imagination. At least this time the panties aren't transparent.

For a place with such a sexually charged atmosphere, the patrons are surprisingly tame. The number of muscular guards sporting very visible shiny and spiked metal maces seems to be one of the reasons that peace reigns around here.

"We'll always be on duty during your stay, so don't be shy about calling on us," Daiana says and then smirks. "But remember that we also sleep at night, so if you call us too late at night then we'll take a while to wake up and respond."

"Sure, we understand," I say with a nod.

"And that's why you're one of the good ones." She gives me a wink.

They bow and moon the patrons behind them, then they straighten their postures and leave without acknowledging the distraction they caused.

"I knew these sexy inns were 'intense,' but this… wow. This is beyond what I ever imagined," Roxanne says as her gaze follows a very tight and small werecat ass.

"Doesn't it get tiring, though? Having sex thrown right in your face all the time?" Lina asks.

"That's the best part," I say and Hana nods. Alissa is slightly more conflicted but agrees with us.

"I think this is nice," Aoi says, scaring a cute blonde waitress passing by. "Hugging all the time is nice, having fun all the time is nice, feeling pleasure all the time is nice, and everyone looks pretty all the time."

"Can't argue with that," Roxanne says with a wry smile and shrugs.

We sit down and order a normal meal. There are few above-ground farms, so most of the options here are seafood. Even the bread is made from algae instead of not-wheat.

We all choose a mild-tasting fish soup with a silly name. The Thalanthro Holg language sounds like Klingon and it's the most commonly used after the elven Ingua, so most of the sea-related options are in Holg.

The bread that comes with the soup is white and yellow on the outside and dark green on the inside, quite novel. There's a faint parsley flavor in the after-taste. We dip the bread slices in the soup and this special flavor ends up combining perfectly with it.

Rutina comes in while surrounded by three old men and takes a seat. She notices us and smiles, then gives us a little wave with her fingers. The three men momentarily take their eyes off of her to give us a curious glance, which every single one ends up falling on Lina for an annoyingly longer moment than normal, then they return to salivating over Rutina.

She wears red lipstick and a tight red dress that looks even lewder than the outfits the waiters and waitresses are wearing.

Our table is near the opening to the main hall, so we look out from the restaurant and up towards the stars.

"Ciel, what are the stars?" I ask.

"Remnants of the fight between the Symbol of Light and the Symbol of Darkness," she answers with a hint of excitement.

"Oh? Why did they fight?"

"Well, they are literally opposites. It's hard for them not to."

"Since the Tree of Mana revives, do they also come back?"

"Tree of Mana?" Klein questions and Alissa explains our meeting with Gecynd to her while being light on the details.

"You're all being ridiculous. You met a being of legend and never told anyone about it!" Klein grabs her round ears in disbelief.

Ciel lays her hand over mine and runs her fingers along my skin.

Alissa softly pats Klein's head and says, "She did put some effort to keep her identity secret. Maybe the Lords of Rabanara know, but nobody else does. It wouldn't be right for us to spread her secret."

Klein calms down and accepts the absurdity of our lives again.

"So, going back to the Symbols," I say and look at Ciel.

"Anyways, yes, they revive. We call it a Star Burst event. Once every few years, the nights become darker because the stars fade out and disappear. Then, after a day-cycle or so, the sky is lit up with a beautiful show of lights as the Symbols fight again. Once the fight ends, the only things left are the stars created by the Symbols. The ones made by the Symbol of Darkness aren't visible to us since, you know, the sky is dark at night."

"But why is the sky dark?"

She smiles warmly and says, "Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to a child." Roxanne gives her a knowing look. Ciel ignores her and continues, "Anyway. We know very little of what's beyond the Broken Skies. It's basically the same as with the Everlasting Storm: some force rips apart any form of matter that goes too deep into it."

"But what about the Moon, the Sun, and the stars? They are still visibly out there and whole."

"They aren't made of matter, though. They are all sources of mana and power that are converted into light that we can see, almost as if they are a 'visible soul.' Also, the stars of the Symbol of Darkness can only be seen with a very precise mana detector, but they are out there."

I pull her hand to me and hug her arm. "Hm…"

I feel like telling them about Earth, but Klein doesn't know the full truth yet.

"Should I tell Klein about Earth?" I ask three of the girls through [Bind].

"I don't see why not," Hana says.

"It would make her confused, though," Alissa says.

"Oh, yeah. I can see that happening."

"Not telling is annoying. Tell her everything!" Aoi suggests.

"Well, I agree… but telling might be just as annoying," I say.

"But only once."

We end the discussion there as no consensus is reached.

"Every day, you just make me even more curious about your homeland, Wolfy," Klein says while staring at me intently.

I chuckle and stare back, competing with her.

After a few seconds, she pouts and looks at the girls. "Do any of you know the truth?"

The table goes silent and Klein immediately turns to Hana.

Several very silent seconds go by as Klein's eyes slowly narrow towards my red dragon. I lay my head on Ciel's shoulder and she runs her hand through my hair.

"What? Why are you staring at me?" Hana finally asks, a little nervous.

"I know you're a bad liar."

"Oh, please!" Hana flicks her hand at Klein.

"Oh yeah, you wanna do this? I can list all the times that we or just you got caught because of your bad lies."

"Wait, no, Dad just… Dad's just really good at investigating," Hana says, without much conviction.

"Uh huh…" Klein responds, full of sass.

"I can just not say a thing, you know," Hana shoots back with a smirk.

"Ugh…" Klein moans and pouts even more.

"Why do you want to know more about me so much?" I ask.

Her withering glare turns to me and she looks even more displeased. "Why do you think?"

I get that sinking feeling that I fucked up.

"You fucked up," Alissa says.

I glance at Ciel and she gives me that "you fucked up" smile.

Gih.

The other girls also discreetly cringe, except for Aoi, who's a little confused.

Every second that passes, Klein just gets even more displeased, bordering on anger.

I swallow my pride and say, "I'm sorry, Klein. That was rude of me. You're very important to all of us, it's just that my background is very complicated."

Her displeasure fades and turns into sadness. "I just want to know more about you," she says lowly as her cute monkey ears droop.

"Well, I think it's just better to do it after all," I say through [Bind].

"Kweh!"

"Lina, switch places with Klein so I can tell her."

She nods and gets up.

Klein looks a little conflicted. A mix of guilt and annoyance, but also excitement.

She quickly sits down beside me and I regretfully depart from Ciel's fragrant shoulder. I grab Klein's hand and pull her close, then we hunch over the table and I start talking.

"Another… realm?" She asks with her head hung low. I nod slowly at her and she looks away. "And you don't know how to go back?"

"No, not even how I got here."

"Your family?"

"They are all on Earth…" I meet eyes with everyone at the table and say, "These women, and this freeloader, are all that I have left. Without them, I'm all alone."

Small smiles, sad faces, a beak warped into a pout, and Alissa's burning determination are sent right back at me.

"I'm sorry…" She mutters, almost breaking into tears.

I turn to her and frown. "For what?"

"For being so nosy."

"It's okay. You're important to us; I should've just told you this from the beginning."

"No, I… understand why you didn't. I'm not even going to be a real wife; I'm not worthy to listen to your story."

I sigh and pull her into a hug. Just a little more and we would both start crying. I caress her head to calm the both of us down.

"What are the stars like on Earth?" Alissa asks to bring our minds to a better place.

I smile faintly at her and see her tail wag a little. "It's completely different than here. Back there, there are no Broken Skies. The atmosphere thins out the further up you go until you can't breathe, then you just float off into the nothingness and get burned by the Sun if you face it."

"Burned? Why?" She asks.

"The Sun is a source of power and heat. Even here it burns us," Ciel says.

"Exactly," I nod and continue, "The Sun is something huge, far larger than Earth, but it's so far away that we can only see a small bright circle in the sky just like the Sun over here. Between the Sun and the Earth there's nothing for billions and billions of meters. You end up burning because the atmosphere normally absorbs the heat, but without it, the sunrays can reach you at full power."

I lay my head against the top of Klein's and her monkey ears twitch, tickling my cheek.

"The size of the Sun is a little difficult to imagine," Alissa says and smiles wryly.

"How's Earth's size compared to Rupegia?" Klein asks.

"For me, it feels like this realm is smaller."

"Wow."

"Well, we don't know what's beyond the Everlasting Storm, so the real size of this realm is unknown," Ciel says.

"But from what we know, how does it compare to Earth?" Alissa asks again.

"If Earth is the size of Hana's head, then Rupegia is smaller than Lina's head."

"That's quite the image," Hana says and chuckles.

"Now, if you want to imagine the distance between these landmasses, imagine that they are just specks of dust in the opposite ends of a mansion, this should give you some perspective of the distances between things and I'm not even sure if those distances are long enough."

"Seems like there's more nothing than, uh, not-nothing," Hana says with a chuckle.

"That's about right. The scale of space is quite hard to grasp. But even though it's empty, there's quite a lot to learn from it. These landmasses, which we call 'planets,' all interact with one another even from such vast distances. Gravity, what makes things fall down, are created by these landmasses. With this, the gravity of each landmass affects all the others, and so, complex and beautiful formations are created as a result."

"We do have gravity here, too. So you think that our 'planets' are similar?" Ciel asks.

"I don't have enough evidence of that. Gravity on Earth is caused by a physical phenomenon. For all we know, gravity here could just be caused by magic."

"How many 'planets' are there?" Lina asks.

"Planets stay around stars and there are as many stars larger than the Sun as there are grains of sand on a beach. All of these grains together form what we call a galaxy. The gravity from this entire galaxy interacts with itself, and this in turn makes the galaxy always remain in motion."

Lina's eyes glimmer. "Does it ever end? Is there more than one galaxy?"

I smile softly at her. "There is. The same way galaxies are formed by stars, 'clusters' are formed by hundreds of galaxies. But beyond that, we don't really know much."

"Wow." Lina's expression softens as her mind tries to grasp the scale of things. Ciel is just impressed. Alissa and Klein seem to be totally mindfucked and have stopped reacting to things. Hana and Roxanne are almost in a "I'm too sober to understand this" state. Aoi and Gify seem to be having the easiest time understanding things, or maybe they aren't even listening.

Gih.

So, not listening.

Feeling inspired, I continue talking. "Another thing is that the moon in my original realm is completely different from the one we have here. It's just a hu~ge piece of rock, but we can walk on it. We can build constructs that fly up out of the sky and land on the moon. But first, we have to survive the trip there, a trip through what we call 'space.'

"It's the most difficult place to survive and we need insane amounts of planning just for a single person to land on the moon, but we can go there. Maybe one day, humanity will land somewhere else and colonize a different landmass, and then spread out and colonize the galaxy."

"That actually sounds amazing," Roxanne says and Lina nods.

"Any place without monsters sounds amazing," Ciel says.

I smile wryly and say, "But the lack of the Gods doesn't. Things were kind of turning bad because we were screwing around too much with the environment. The lack of magic makes things so much more difficult. We were destroying the land while extracting resources and there wasn't any magic to create new ones."

"You mean like, the mines were running out?" Lina asks.

"It's a complex situation and that's only one part of it. To extract resources and grow our food, we create waste and we can't just make the waste disappear like we can here. All that waste has to go somewhere and we need to deal with it because there's no place for it that doesn't destroy something."

Lina's Trivia: the waste management system here literally makes shit disappear.

"So you have mountains of shit?" Hana asks with her eyes wide open.

"Not literally, but we do have literal mountains of trash. Remains of food, old and used things, byproducts of… uh, creation of items, all those things that have no value and there's no easy way to dispose of them. The worst part is that they become toxic and pollute nature."

"Oh! Just like the Deadlands," Alissa says.

"Honestly, yeah, kinda, but not as bad. The Deadlands is a massive wasteland, what we have are thousands of small wastelands all over the world."

"World?" Alissa asks, tilting her head cutely.

"Same thing as 'realm,' 'planet,' or 'landmass.'"

"Oh, okay. But yeah, that sounds horrible."

"It's a mixed bag. The good comes with the bad," I say and smile wryly.

"But it's impressive that your world managed to achieve so much peace without the Gods," Ciel says.

I cringe a little. "Ye~ah… We did kill each other by the millions in a massive war, like, when my great, great grandparents were alive, so not that long ago."

"Oh…"

"To be honest, your realm sounds like it kinda sucks. You just got lucky you were born somewhere 'okay,'" Hana says.

"Isn't that true even here?" Lina asks.

"Eh." Hana shrugs. "It feels like they are trapped in a dying land or something."

I blush a little and try to adjust myself so that I can hug Klein more comfortably. "I am a bitter realist, so I don't really see the 'bright side' of things very often," I say.

"You looked rather sad when we first met, I thought you were depressed," Alissa says.

"I kind of was. Though, it was more like I was ignoring what had happened until I just couldn't anymore."

"That's when you proposed." Alissa smiles a little shyly.

"Oh? I haven't heard that one," Ciel says and Lina nods.

Klein disentangles from our hug so that she can listen to me better and see my face.

"I saved Nour, a merchant's son, from death or from at least losing his Blood Slave inside a dungeon. As a favor, he wrote me a letter that gave me some sort of discount on buying a Blood Slave.

"At the time, I was very scared, having just barely survived death myself. I just wanted a companion, someone I could trust. With all the Gifts that I have and no information on the world, I was feeling extremely isolated.

"Then, in comes Alissa." -she blushes and even I get a little embarrassed- "She opened herself up to me and yet I still kept secrets. I just didn't want to talk about or face what had happened to me. I just wanted to move on and continue with this 'destiny' of mine, but that's not… a good choice for a healthy mind…

"Eventually, when Alissa suggested marrying both her and Roxanne," -now Roxanne blushes and Hana smirks- "that's when I kind of 'cracked' and felt really guilty for not taking their feelings seriously, for not telling them the truth, and for trying to bury my past so that it wouldn't hurt.

"I hate being indecisive and letting things just stew without a resolution, so it was at that moment that I made my decision: I'll cast off my old self and stay in this world, forever; I'll give up on Lily, who I married just before being transported to this realm; I'll live with my wives as if I was originally born here; I'll hold no hope of ever going back.

"This" -I extend my hands towards the girls- "is my duty: to be the best husband that I can be for these women… and the owner of this freeloader."

"Gih."

"Thank you," I say and tip my cup to him.

"Wow. You had to abandon your wife; that is so sad," Aoi says so innocently it hurts. Then she smiles and nods, "But then things turned out fine."

"They have," I say softly and pat Klein's hand.

She pulls my hand towards her chest and looks at me with teary eyes. "Thanks for telling me. I promise I'll never abandon you."

I cup her cheek with the other hand and say, "Thanks for being there. I promise the same."

She chuckles but then looks down sadly. "You're all still going to that dungeon."

"We'll come back fine. I guarantee it," Hana says with a fearsome smile.

"We still have so much to do," Roxanne says casually.

"I still want my eggs!" Aoi exclaims a little louder than I'd like.

"Same," Ciel says and Lina nods repeatedly.

"I didn't train so hard just to die in a dungeon," Alissa says while smiling.

"I don't like to make these emotional promises, but I'm confident in our success. We'll be back," I say and kiss her forehead.

We spend a little longer observing the night sky, then Hana, Klein, and Roxanne take the armored dinghy and go to the Dansstroom to make our reservation. When they come back, we retire to our room and cuddle up to recharge our emotions after all that serious talk.

Hall of Fame of Patrons

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince Bradly.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Hope.
Lord Samuel Lim.
Lord Cody Weigel.
Lord Bill.
Lord Novgarod.
Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord D4rk Sheep.
Lord Michale Erwin.
Lord Joxsan Herrera.
Lord Enrique Peña Gomez.
Lord Vampmire.
Lord Braidborn
Noble Salty Panda.

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Wolf Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sword Use	12+9	Dodge	4+5	Parry	4+5
Block	1+8	Shield Bash	0+1	Battlefield Perception	1+1
Muscle Explosion	1+1	Ekrano Style (creator)	1
Magical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sense Mana	0+6	Mana Control	0+14	Mana Recovery	6+0
Mana Efficiency	0+7	Reduced Mana Cost	0+7	Mana Overuse Resistance	0+3
Fire Magic	0+4	Earth Magic	0+3	Water Magic	0+1
Wind Magic	0+2	Electric Magic	6+14	Light Magic	2+8
Space Magic	7+23	Summoning Magic	13+24	Blessing Magic	8+22
Nature Magic	3+17	Conjuring Magic	0+1	Spirit Magic	0+1
Illusion Magic	0+2	Golemancy	0+9	Redirect Mana (creator)	3
Sense Soul (creator)	4	Godly Language	30+0
Miscellaneous
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Cooking	0+4	Andraste Language	4+6	Dismantling	0+4
Massage	0+1	Enhanced Semen Recharge	0+9

Personal Information
Name	Wolf Ryder	Age	16	Race	Human
HP	100	MP	1650	Magic Power	680
Level	24
Stats
Strength	11	Endurance	13	Dexterity	11
Speed	12	Intelligence	21	Wisdom	16
Willpower	17	Charisma	12	Piety	15
Perception	16	Sanity	11+4
Other
Status Effects	NONE	Titles	nickname "Good Luck", Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge, Golemancer, Scholar of Rabanara
Affiliations	Helios (Fellowship), Alissa (Blood Slave, Fiancee), Hanafuria (Blood Slave, Fiancee), Roxanne Succubus (Fiancee), Lina (Slave/fiancee), Ciel (Fiancee)
Companions	Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina
Crimes	NONE

Alissa Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sword Use	9	Bow Use	28	Parry	4
Dodge	2	Sense Presence	6	Hide Presence	4
Enhanced Olfact	5	Enhanced Hearing	3	Hawk Eyes	4
Muscle Explosion	2	Quiet Steps	4	Quiet Action	2
Enhanced Stamina	1	Enhanced Reflexes	4+1	Tracking	2
Magical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sense Mana	1	Mana Control	3	Fire Magic	1
Light Magic	1	Space Magic	1	Conjuring Magic	1
Illusion Magic	4+6	Fox Transformation (innate)	5
Miscellaneous
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Housework	3	Cooking	4	Cleaning	2
Washing	5	Riding	2	Oral Technique	4
Pain Resistance	2	Hand Technique	2

Personal Information
Name	Alissa	Age	16	Race	Fox-Type Wereanimal
HP	100	MP	980	Magic Power	480
Level	31
Stats
Strength	12	Endurance	18	Dexterity	22
Speed	20	Intelligence	12	Wisdom	14
Willpower	16	Charisma	13	Piety	15
Perception	17	Sanity	15
Other
Status Effects	NONE	Titles	Blessing from the Goddess of Love, Blinding Arrows
Affiliations	Wolf Ryder (fiance), Blood Slave (Owner: Wolf Ryder), Helios (Fellowship)
Companions	Wolf Ryder, Roxanne Succubus, Hanafuria, Ciel, Lina
Crimes	NONE
Extra Spells	Ghost Lights (instant), Double Image (instant), Ignorance (instant), Loosen (instant enchantment)

Roxanne Succubus Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name	Level
Dagger Use	2
Magical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sense Mana	3	Mana Control	27	Reduced Mana Cost	3
Mana Efficiency	9	Mana Overuse Resistance	1	Fire Magic	25
Water Magic	4+23	Light Magic	1	Space Magic	8
Conjuring Magic	5	Alchemy	3	Potion Brewing	11
Poison Brewing	2	Redirect Mana	1
Miscellaneous
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Housework	1	Cooking	1	Cleaning	1
Washing	1	Riding	1

Personal Information
Name	Roxanne Succubus	Age	21	Race	Succubus-Type Demon
HP	100	MP	2630	Magic Power	1090
Level	34
Stats
Strength	9	Endurance	9	Dexterity	12
Speed	9	Intelligence	18	Wisdom	18
Willpower	14	Charisma	15	Piety	10
Perception	11	Sanity	12
Other
Status Effects	NONE	Titles	NONE
Affiliations	Wolf Ryder (fiance), Helios (fellowship)
Companions	Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Ciel, Lina
Crimes	NONE
Extra Spells	Explosion (instant), Melt Skin (instant), Ice Lance (slightly weakened/instant), Heart of Fire

Hanafuria Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sword Use	20	Spear Use	14	Bow Use	9
Two-Handed Sword Use	9	Polearm Use	6	Dagger Use	4
Shield Bash	6	Block	8	Parry	6
Dodge	4	Tatesomu Style	5	Muscle Explosion	4
Battlefield Perception	2	Taunt	3	Intimidate	2
Enhanced Reflexes	2	Enhanced Stamina	4	Enhanced Strength	2
Enhanced Endurance	4
Magical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sense Mana	1	Mana Control 1	Fire Magic	1
Earth Magic	1	Light Magic	1	Space Magic	1
Conjuring Magic	1	Illusion Magic	4
Miscellaneous
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Housework	2	Cooking	1	Cleaning	1
Washing	1	Riding	3	Massage	1
Pain Conversion	1	Dismantling	4	Oral Technique	1
Fire Breath (innate)	5	Summon Wings (innate)	3

Personal Information
Name	Hanafuria	Age	24	Race	Fire-Type Dragonkin
HP	150	MP	825	Magic Power	385
Level	37
Stats
Strength	19	Endurance	24	Dexterity	10
Speed	13	Intelligence	11	Wisdom	12
Willpower	19	Charisma	16	Piety	11
Perception	10	Sanity	17
Other
Status Effects	NONE	Titles	NONE
Affiliations	Wolf Ryder (fiance), Blood Slave (Owner: Wolf Ryder), Helios (Fellowship)
Companions	Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina
Crimes	NONE
Extra Spells	Double Strike (instant enchantment), Double Image (instant), Wind Shield (instant enchantment)

Ciel Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Glaive Use	15	Sword Use	5	Parry	8
Dodge	6	Block	4	Imperial Hasterrum Style	2
Muscle Explosion	2	Battlefield Perception	1
Magical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sense Mana	2	Mana Control	6	Reduced Mana Cost	1
Mana Efficiency	4	Wind Magic	2+17	Fire Magic	1
Light Magic	26	Space Magic	3	Conjuring Magic1
Diagnosis	7	Redirect Mana	1
Miscellaneous
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
First-Aid	3	Housework	3	Cooking	2
Cleaning	2	Washing	1	Riding	1
Washing	1	Riding	3	Massage	1

Personal Information
Name	Ciel	Age	21	Race	Human
HP	100	MP	1685	Magic Power	700
Level	33
Stats
Strength	14	Endurance	13	Dexterity	17
Speed	18	Intelligence	15	Wisdom	19
Willpower	14	Charisma	17	Piety	21
Perception	13	Sanity	19
Other
Status Effects	NONE	Titles	NONE
Affiliations	Wolf Ryder (fiance), Helios (Fellowship), Templar Knights (Honorary Member), Temple Priestess (Former Member)
Companions	Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Lina
Crimes	NONE
Extra Spells	Wind Storm (slightly weakened/instant), Judgment (weakened), Holy Spirit, Wind Shield (instant enchantment)

Lina Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Hammer Use	10	Axe Use	4	Throw	2+2
Parry	2+5	Dodge	2+4	Block	1+6
Muscle Explosion	2	Shield Bash	1	Battlefield Perception	2
Dwarven Pride Style	2	Enhanced Speed	5+0
Magical
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
Sense Mana	1	Mana Control	5	Mana Efficiency	1
Fire Magic	1	Earth Magic	3+7	Light Magic	1
Space Magic	1	Conjuring Magic	1	General Enchanting	9
Magic Tool Carving	1
Miscellaneous
Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level	Skill Name	Level
General Blacksmithing	4	Sewing	4	Housework	1
Cleaning	2	Washing	1	Math	4
Riding	1	Stonebody (innate)	4

Personal Info
Name	Lina	Age	15	Race	Dwarf
HP	100	MP	1100	Magic Power	495
Level	24
Stats
Strength	8	Endurance	8	Dexterity	13
Speed	12	Intelligence	16	Wisdom	13
Willpower	17	Charisma	10	Piety	12
Perception	14	Sanity	12
Other
Status Effects	NONE	Titles	NONE
Affiliations	Wolf Ryder (master, fiance), Helios (Fellowship)
Companions	Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel
Crimes	NONE
Extra Spells	Manipulate Metal, Double Strike (instant enchantment)

Soul Info
Name:	Bastico Rincipio	Race:	Golden Elf	Level:	52
MP	350	Magic Power	100

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