Novel Rupegia

Discussion in 'Community Fictions' started by Manasong, Oct 10, 2019.

  1. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    We have no tasks for the knights right now, so we dismiss them and retire to our rooms.

    I let myself drop onto the bed, and Hana drops down beside me. Aoi turns into a human and drops on my other side, then we all sigh together.

    "What a day…" I mumble, then I turn my head to the side so that I can gaze at Aoi's slender and delicate naked body.

    Hana immediately removes her elven clothes with haste, then mounts me. She doesn't want sex, she just wants to draw my attention away from Aoi, but of course, the sight of two naked women inevitably gives me a boner.

    Not wanting to lose, Aoi snuggles up to me and traps my draconic hand between her thighs, one of its claws rubbing against her clit.

    Osaria appears on my other side, also naked, then buries my arm between her dark cow tits with one of my claws spreading her pussy's lips.

    Lina mounts me, in front of Hana, and her bare little pussy presses against my crotch, then Hana rests her breasts on Lina's head to tease her.

    Alissa, Roxanne, Ciel, and Klein pout at the sight of this. There's no room left for them to join in, and they don't feel like just hugging a tentacle that will disappear when I fall asleep.

    "You got fucked by him in the bath," Hana coldly states, and Lina pouts for a second, then sulkily lifts herself off of me. Hana turns her gaze to Osaria and glares. "And so did you."

    The milf is replaced with my monkey girl, then Hana sees my bulge and shrugs, no sense in letting a boner to go waste. She pulls down my pants and sits on it, then she starts rocking her hips like Lina was.

    Roxanne smirks at Ciel and rushes to the bed, then a moment later, my sight is filled with Roxanne's hips falling onto my face.

    Alissa waits patiently. She'll have her turn once my dick is coated in the mixture of multiple cumshots and all of the girls' pussy juices.



    After going a round with each of the thirsty women, with Hana requiring a power-fucking so that just one round is enough for her, they release my dragonator and let me go.

    I get up from the bed, feeling oddly refreshed after so much sex instead of tired, and join Yunia on the balcony.

    Once night falls here, the Eia farms start their production of their pills, adding to the natural mist that the Eia plant produces, and the whole town gets covered in mist. This could be considered pollution, so perhaps we should introduce laws to curb it a bit, or maybe make the town's Shell impervious to the mist so that it doesn't seep in through the cracks.

    The fact that Escanso produces more Weaverism mages than any other elven town would make that measure a bit hard to actually implement. Everyone living here likes the mist, and there are no obvious health hazards from exposure to it, so eh, whatever.

    Yunia smiles faintly, with Gify on her shoulder, and her eyes on the small points of light evenly spaced all around the Shell, where our Lordsguard patrol the dark bark walls to keep us safe.

    I probe her heart and feel a fresh breeze come through our connection, as if it had just wafted from a bath and was oozing with revitalizing perfume. She's happy, content, and hopeful. A combination that hadn't bloomed in her heart for quite a while.

    I stop beside her, and she wraps an arm around my shoulder, then pulls in my head against the side of her breast while making sure that my horns don't smack her in the face. I lean against her, hug her waist with my tail, cross my arms, and close my eyes.

    "We did it," she whispers with a dreamy tone.

    "Yes, we did," I answer lazily as her fingers run through my hair, my mind being drawn away by sleepiness even though I'd just felt energetic a moment ago. It seems that my draconic side makes it quite easy for me to swing my mood around.

    We sigh softly in sync, then a rush of emotions wells up within me, waking me up from my drowsiness.

    I raise my head, then we gaze at each other. Her striking blue eyes look as soft as Ciel's, though the cold mask she so often uses is hidden just under the surface, ever ready to be worn again.

    Through her eyes, I see my own, and I do have a sort of "wild" look that's reminiscent of Hana and Aoi, though the cuteness of my young face is still clearly visible, just slightly obscured by my other features.

    She lowers her face to mine, and our lips touch, then depart a second later. Just a gentle caress, a light and brief show of love that's full of meaning.

    The emotions rush through my head, and I blurt it out, "Yulania, will you marry me?"

    "Yes," she breathes without any hesitation.

    We stare at each other for a moment as we process what we just said, then our lips touch again, this time with a lot more passion.

    I get on my tiptoes-… tipclaws? Tip-padded-claws to make it easier on her back, and she chuckles with my tongue in her mouth, then we end it soon after, but continue hugging.

    I should've asked her to marry me a while ago. I was worried that I was pushing her too hard to accept me, but looking back, it feels a bit silly. It's natural in this world for two people who love each other to get married. My Earthling sensibilities got in the way once again.

    I sigh and prepare myself again. This wasn't the only thing that we needed to talk about.

    I poke the girls to wake them up from their mild, pleasure-induced coma, and before long, everyone joins us on the balcony.

    Osaria and Klein have a curious look on their faces, unaware of the feelings being transmitted through [Bind], while the rest of the girls smile expectantly. Even the golems, our ever present guardians, approach to listen.

    I send a look to Gify, still on Yunia's shoulder, then she uncurls and stands up on her stubby legs to listen properly.

    Alissa has a pretty good idea about what I want to say, so she freezes up as fear takes hold of her heart. While she's unable to stop or interrupt me, I'll take this chance and just do it.

    I clear my throat, and start my speech, "We started this quest to conquer a dungeon just to fulfill one of the 'duties' that Alissa accepted when she became a Blood Slave: to help me achieve great deeds. But we eventually realized that becoming a 'True Noble' would only benefit us, so while the purpose changed, the goal stayed the same."

    The girls nod in agreement. It's clear that conquering the dungeon, Legado, was the best decision we've made so far.

    "Now, we've all acquire that Title, officially becoming nobility, though some of you are still slaves, and that's incompatible with the title of 'True Noble,' it's incompatible with the title of Lords, and it's incompatible with the title of 'my wife.'"

    Roxanne and Ciel grin, knowing what's about to come.

    I grin, brimming with happiness, then puff up my chest full of pride and announce, "Therefore, I release you all from service. You're all Crown Lords of the Western High Forest, and you shall rule beside me as my fiancées until our marriage ceremony makes our union official."

    I feel like three ribbons are cut inside me, leaving behind a minor wound in my heart. Our Fate bonds made through slavery are now gone, though our Threads are still completely entwined, just in a different way.

    After that small shock, which we quickly recover from, Alissa leaps into my arms, and I hug her tightly to calm her down. Her eyes water, and she whines softly in a mix of fear and happiness.

    For most of her life, Alissa considered herself a slave, so now she needs to find a new purpose to live for. She's scared, feeling overwhelmed due to the sudden freedom she now has, but it's not like she was chained to my existence before. We're just madly in love, if perhaps a bit "too madly," and the happiness from now being able to stand beside me instead of behind is making her blood rush to her head.

    Lina hugs us a moment later, smothering herself in Alissa's fluffy tail. She's also a bit overwhelmed, but she isn't anywhere near as scared as Alissa is.

    Lina stopped feeling like a slave a long time ago. She hasn't even worn her choker with her slave tag since we woke up from the trials because she's been slowly preparing herself for freedom. She wanted to be free again, but it had already reached a point at which, for her, it was just a symbolic gesture, though she wanted this moment to happen nonetheless.

    It's not like this was unexpected, though. They always knew this day would come; Alissa just forgot since she had many other, more pressing, concerns to occupy her mind.

    Hana doesn't care about whether she's a slave or not. She actually prefers the title of Blood Slave than Crown Lord because she thinks it sounds cooler.

    Roxanne is the first of the others to join in the hug, followed by Ciel, then it really turns into a group hug with everyone.

    "I love how everyone is so cuddly!" Osaria happily exclaims.

    "We've all been corrupted by Wolf's touch. It's as addictive as a drug," Ciel jokes and smiles wryly.

    "'Corrupted' is too perverted. This harem has changed us, and for the better," Yunia coolly states.

    It'd be nice to be able to breathe, though.

    The girls back off a little, and Hana pulls Lina up so that she doesn't pass out, then she sets the little dwarf on her shoulder.

    Roxanne claps the tips of her fingers in excitement. "Now you're all my wives!" She exclaims and giggles girlishly.

    "You'll always be the cum slave," Yunia taunts with a perfectly gentle smile, which contrasts against her words.

    "You'll always be under Wolf's foot, taking it up the ass," Roxanne shoots back, which makes her feel nostalgic since it seems like it's been a while since they last bantered like this.

    Yunia smiles smugly. "That's still above you," she states snobbishly.

    Roxanne grins evilly. "Tough talk for someone within cunt-fucking distance."

    Before Yunia can even process her words, Roxanne's dagger-tail's blade rubs gently against Yunia's clit, which is only protected by a very thin layer of clothing.

    Yunia feels a chill run along her spine, now perfectly understanding Roxanne's implication, and nearly resorts to using [Mask] because of the surprise.

    She quickly recovers and retorts angrily, "Tough talk from someone who orgasmed from my fingers!"

    Roxanne starts giggling because she knows that she startled Yunia, so she one-sidedly claims victory for herself in this battle of banter.

    Alissa chuckles and sniffles then dries the corner of her eyes. "I love you all," she whispers.

    "Awn…" Klein whines softly and sniffles too.

    Alissa turns around and spills her heart out, "I truly do. Nothing would be the same without all of you in our lives. You all help us so much, even if you weren't there with us all the time," -she sends a glance to Klein and Osaria- "and even if you weren't as human as you wanted to be," -She sends a glance to Ted and Suzy- "you're all an important part of this family."

    Klein sniffles again and blurts out, "Thank you for having me, for allowing me to be here, even though I haven't committed myself to the harem."

    "You'll always have a place here, regardless of who you choose," I reassure her with a serene tone. I don't need to have every woman in the world all for myself, but I'll treasure those who decide to stay around, regardless.

    Klein nods repeatedly and dries her tears.

    Roxanne pulls out some alcohol, and we have a quick drink under the moonlight to calm our nerves, then we all drift off to sleep in a pile of limbs.



    Today is the 5th.

    The first thing I see when I open my eyes is an orange tail wagging energetically, then I see a pair of black-tipped ears, followed by a set of almost orange eyes staring back at me while an experienced mouth drains me vigorously.

    Alissa grins with my dick in her mouth, then I orgasm one last time, and she lets go of me.



    Alissa, Hana, and Yunia's "Blood Slave" entries in our "Affiliations" are gone, but Lina's will remain there until we submit some paperwork declaring her a free woman. Also, Mimi's entry is in there now, which I hadn't paid attention to yesterday.

    The paperwork has been processed, and we've all gained the titles "Lord of Escanso" and "Crown Lord of the Western High Forest." If anyone doubts that we're Lords after this, we'd just need an Inspection Crystal to verify our identities.

    I remember that Mavel had the title "Protector of the Last Crown," so we still have to be recognized for that, too. It's kind of convenient that Arreira's crown is in our treasury, though.

    My [Mana Body], [Soul Manipulation], and [Dragon Transformation] increased by 1 (now 2, 8, and 2).

    Alissa increased her [Illusion Magic] by 1 (now 5+10).

    Hana increased her [Spear Use] by 1 (now 3+17), and her [Tatesomu Style] by 1 (now 2+8).



    Anton and Krysta join us for breakfast, but not Mimi. She sent us a note through a maid telling us that she already ate and that she's in the office, working.

    The note also contains a list of names, their occupations, and the very large word "EMBEZZLEMENT."

    The knights' houses all have enchantments for instant communication, so we activate them to summon everyone. They won't assemble instantly, though, so at least there's enough time for us to finish our meal.

    "Wolf," Anton calls for my attention, his voice sounding completely serious. "I'm still 'young,' and I can fight, so I wish to help my daughter with whatever job you give her."

    "That's fine by me. Pass by the armory and get a suit of armor for yourself," I casually reply, then I give him a brief grin and continue eating my toast.

    He freezes for a moment, then he shares a look with Klein, who just shrugs, so he snorts once and accepts, "Thank you, Wolf."

    A full suit of elven armor is the uniform of the Lordsguard, so we have tons of them to spare.

    I'm considering giving him a set of Bastión armor once we start spreading [Equipment System] to the rest of the world. It'll be flashy, and some of the knights might get jealous, but I don't care. I just want him to stay alive as long as possible.



    After our meal, Yunia visits Caruso.

    The dungeon is a dark, damp, claustrophobic, and uncomfortably cold place. Spending a night down there is nothing for races like dwarves or dragonkin, though the dwarves would complain about dampness, but for elves, it's a horrible experience.

    Yunia stops in front of his cell and glares through the bars. The rough, thick blanket stirs, then the old man's face pops out from underneath it.

    He looks Yunia in the eye, then recognition dawns on his face.

    "Dame Yulania!" He shouts happily, then he jumps out of his bed and falls on his knees before the bars.

    He looks up at her full of hope and happiness, but they're all almost immediately replaced with fear when he notices her glare.

    She produces an Identification Crystal and activates it, then makes sure that only the pertinent title can be seen on the tablet and hands it to him.

    He accepts it with shaky hands, then his face pales, and fear becomes despair. Even his long elven ears go limp from the immense shame he's feeling now.

    He starts begging with a croaky voice, "Forgiveness, my Lord, I just-…"

    "Just insulted my fiance, who's not only your Lord, but also the one person who can remove you from your position at the whim of a breeze," she interrupts him, not bothering to conceal the anger in her tone.

    "Your father-…" He tries again, but Yunia is so sick of his kind.

    She scowls, wrinkling her nose in disdain as she lashes out, "My father is dead, and we are the new Lords. I don't want to hear another word from you, just do your job. You're lucky that we can't replace you so easily…"

    She takes back the tablet with an instant-cast [Telekinesis], then immediately struts away, her heels clacking loudly against the damp stone floor.

    Caruso was a fool, but what we did to him is just a small, calculated step past the limit of what elves would consider "acceptable." It wasn't anything illegal since he was appointed directly by the Lordship, so it's within our rights to imprison him for insubordination, but others will see us as rather "brutal."

    It's not like we reveled in punishing him; it's about sending a message. If others try to defy us like he did, they know that we won't hold back. During this chaotic period where our power base is still stabilizing, we can't afford to hold back.



    Meanwhile, Osaria, Klein, Anton, and I meet up with the knights in the main hall. We also take our veteran Space mages with us because they have the [Gate] coordinates for where the knights need to go.

    They're all either melee warriors or hybrids, with a few archers sprinkled in and the rare unorthodox mage with an odd fighting style. All in all, not that different from imperial knights, except that everyone has [Bow Use] and a bit of [Weaverism] to help coordinate while imperials would have [Riding] and [Ritualism].

    First, I approach the oldest of the knights. Yunia describes him as a very even-tempered man with just a dash of sadism mixed in. He seems to enjoy blood-sports a bit too much, but he's reliable, nonetheless. It would be hard for him to grow flowers in his beard if he was too violent.



    ['Soul Info']

    [Name: Azador Curol | Race: Golden Elf]

    [Level: 64 | HP: 100/100 | MP: 2,205 | Magic Power: 450]

    [Strength: 18 | Endurance: 20]



    I wouldn't know which type of elf he is without [Sense Soul]. His head and beard hair is such a pure white that I would bet a noblewoman would pay gold for a wig made from his hair. The flowers in his beard are blood red, making him seem a bit creepy, though.

    I use a perfectly collected and stern tone to announce my orders, "Sir Azador. Here's a list of criminals that must be arrested." -I hand him Mimi's note- "We expect them to have all fled already, but we must seize their homes and belongings and then search everything for more evidence.

    "Take three other knights with you and a dozen Lordsguard, then spread out and start the seizures."

    "Yes, my Lord," he responds with a hoarse voice as he nods, his expression like a mask of steel, then he turns around. His eyes scan over the knights and meet three other older men like him.

    They all grin at each other and wordlessly walk away from the group, then they strut out of the castle together.

    Next, I go for a mature elven female archer. She has high cheekbones, juicy lips, short silver hair, and gentle but sexy red eyes that make me want to have her step on me.



    ['Soul Info']

    [Name: Enomosa Ludoe | Race: Silver Elf]

    [Level: 55 | HP: 100/100 | MP: 1,710 | Magic Power: 805]

    [Strength: 17 | Endurance: 16]



    Yunia says that she's pretty chaste, though she seems to get more enjoyment from having men and women chase after her rather than actually fucking any of them. Yunia doesn't trust anyone else to be able to resist being seduced by Osaria, so she's our best choice to escort the sexual predator.

    My milf won't sleep with anyone I haven't slept with first, but it's best to not let sexual tension get in the way of their duties.

    "Dame Enomosa, you'll take Signeur Caruso, who is currently being housed in our dungeon, then escort him and Osaria to his Eia farm. You're to collect their book of finances or steal it if they refuse.

    "Take as many Lordsguard with you as needed to ensure your safety; we had a confrontation yesterday and had to kidnap Caruso, so they could still be hostile."

    "Understood, my Lord," she replies with a voice that sends tingles through my cock, then she turns to Osaria, "Please come with me, Lady Osaria."

    Goddamn elves and their higher than average "Charisma."

    Osaria nods happily, and they leave together.

    Then I turn to the largest elf that I've ever seen. He's so big and muscular that if it wasn't for his long ears and golden hair, I'd have taken him for a descendant of a wereape or dragonkin.



    ['Soul Info']

    [Name: Palo Orir | Race: Golden Elf]

    [Level: 51 | HP: 100/100 | MP: 1,305 | Magic Power: 245]

    [Strength: 26 | Endurance: 17]



    His "Endurance" leaves much to be desired, though.

    He's rather young and dashing, the sort of man that would make an appearance as the "alpha" in ladies' eroticas. I'll never let him escort any of my women, though, because Godsdamnit, his "Charisma" is ridiculous, and he's famous for fucking any hole that presents itself to him. Not that he'd be dumb enough to make a move on my women, I just instinctively dislike his smirk.

    Yunia says that he's the best "muscle-type" she has ever seen, so we'd better make use of him.

    "Sir Palo, take the rest of the knights and divide them into squads, then complement your numbers with a few of the lower-level Lordsguard." -I hand him the list that the Guildmaster of the hunter's guild gave to Osaria- "Your job is to prune the monsters in these dungeons. We need the flow of monster parts to return to the Western High Forest to improve our income, so this is a very important job."

    "Yes, my Lord!" He exclaims, brimming with pride.

    At least he's the loyal type.

    The knights leave the main hall in an orderly fashion, their elven armor padded in all the right spots to reduce the noise of their movements as much as possible, and the Space mages follow them out, all but one.

    I look back to Klein and Anton. They won't be going with Palo, at least not this time.

    "Klein, Anton. I want you to take a few veteran Lordsguard to complete your squad, then go to the Orreto Pirales dungeon and level up as fast as you can. You need more power to stand as equals among the other knights, and I don't want them to look down on you just because you're close to me."

    Klein salutes and nods energetically. "Yes, my Wo-L-W-Lo… my Lord!" She shouts, then blushes in embarrassment.

    Anton smiles wryly and gently nods. "I understand, my Lord. We'll honor the trust you've placed in us," he politely responds, his permanent frown softer than usual.

    I motion to the last Space mage, and he follows the pair out as they leave the hall.



    Things are progressing well, and our situation is quickly stabilizing. It won't be long before we can truly say that we have our territory firmly under our control.

    There's no need for anything that may require my presence anymore for today, so I'll stay inside the castle until the Lordship ceremony. I have preparations to make.



    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:

    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
     
  2. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    Ciel goes to meet the Head Priestess of Escanso once again. She takes a more tough-looking scribe with her this time because the last one had been sweating cold during the whole talk, which couldn't have been healthy for the poor old elf's heart.

    She encounters Oritiki along the way, and the two women smile wryly at each other. It seems that Hihiriwa isn't coming today, citing some vague "indisposition."

    "[Ready for another round]?" Oritiki questions bemusedly in Reo, her long cow snout warped in a smirk.

    Ciel sighs and gingerly massages one of her temples, forecasting a headache from the rain of complaints that will soon shower down upon her. "[No, but it wouldn't change anything if I were]."

    They both snort and continue on, then they meet with the Chimeric translator waiting outside the dining hall, who's clearly too scared to go in alone. The nobleman immediately stands up straight and recomposes himself when he notices them, then gives them a stiff greeting, which they politely return.

    Ciel and Oritiki look at each other, then they both breathe in to gather their courage and open the double doors to the dining hall.

    Inside, they see a wide and tall elven room that's completely bare, except for a long table positioned near the glass wall that faces out onto the back garden of the mansion.

    A witc-… delightful old woman is seated at the end of the table. Her gray and silvery hair tied into a tight bun; her back perfectly straight; her chest so still that it's almost as if she isn't breathing, and Ciel even wanted that to be so for a split second; her mean glare set upon the back garden, the poor plants struggling to survive under the pressure pouring from her; and her hands gently laid upon her lap but never too far from the sword at her waist.

    The ex-Punisher is a very kind and gentle woman that deserves the nickname of "Nai," which means "mother" in ancient Ingua. That is, until she finds some HERESY, then she dons the black Templar garb again and starts purging.

    Thankfully, she isn't wearing her Templar armor, showing restraint that's seldom seen in the Punishers. She also doesn't personally need the armor because she can always call upon the Punishers at any moment. She's wearing only a simple black priest robe with a white stripe on the shoulders and the sides of her skirt, signifying her rank, and a yellow embroidery of the dawn, a holy symbol for the temple. Though it's simple, many priests would complain that she isn't wearing her uniform.

    She turns her wrinkled face to meet the pair, and they give her strained smiles in return.

    "Good morning, 'Nai' Teresina," Ciel greets her politely, and Oritiki repeats the greeting, though with a heavy accent.

    "Good morning. You're late," Teresina's stern and hoarse voice greets back coldly.

    With a stiff smile, they sit at each side of Teresina, and the scribe sits beside Ciel, glad that he isn't too close to the… mean old lady. The seat at the end of the table should've been Ciel's, but since she's "late," the old ha-… strict Head Priestess stol-… for some reason, decided to take it for herself.

    Teresina pushes some scrolls forward, all written with art-gallery worthy calligraphy. "The calculations have been completed. The predicted cost of living for the average Chimera is higher than what the lowest class can afford," she states and waits for the translator to do his job. "This situation is not acceptable."

    The Tribunal is slow to act, but the temple complements them in this aspect by having strong and decisive leadership, exemplified by Teresina.

    Oritiki takes a cursory look through the calculations and hums in agreement. "[In Rangatuhinga, we had staple crops that we focused our research on to increase their yield. This gave the poor a chance to live well, which resulted in increased production of goods and a higher return on the investment through taxes]," she advises, then both her and Teresina's gazes fall upon Ciel.

    The chocolate angel smiles kindly, barely affected by their combined pressure, and calmly states, "We'll instruct the Spirit mages to research a cheaper [Materialize] as fast as possible. We have Arreira's notes on the spell, but he was focused on a faithful recreation of the body while being aided by Preservation Beds and dungeon infrastructure, so the Lordship can't help directly with this situation.

    "Since the mana of the court and hired mages is insufficient, we'll have to institute a rationing of [Materialization] until we have enough."

    Teresina's thin lips curl upwards so subtly that only Alissa manages to notice it through Holly's eyes. "The temple can teleport in Spirit mages to assist immediately, but we're currently constrained by the limit on combat-trained personnel that has been imposed upon us," Teresina not-so-subtly reveals her agenda.

    "Consider that limit lifted…" Ciel immediately announces, then makes a brief dramatic pause, "on all of the Western High Forest."

    This will make some of the Lords angry, but it's all according to keikaku.

    Teresina leans back in her chair ever so slightly, appeased by Ciel's words, and even the scribe hesitates for a second in writing that down. Oritiki has no idea of the implications, so she just remains neutral.

    "We won't pay for the Spirit priests, though," Ciel adds with a cheeky smile, and Teresina's arm muscles flex in annoyance for a moment.

    "We'll just consider it training for their future. The Chimera spirits won't be the only ones that want to be land-bound after death," she gives in without arguing.

    "[The Chimera need their senses more than strength or physical stability. Their lives will be miserable otherwise]," Oritiki changes the topic, and Teresina nods once solemnly.

    "Of course. If they're to act as subjects, then they must live like subjects," she concurs completely.

    They start discussing the details of the Chimeric lifestyle and their needs, brainstorming about the shortcomings and differences between that and the spirit lifestyle that they'll have to adapt to.

    Once they start talking about the individual interviews the priests had with the Chimeras, Teresina turns her eyes to Ciel and gives her a suspicious look. "I heard something about 'Arreira's royal legacy.' Do you mind explaining what that's about?" Teresina questions Ciel with a tone that leaves no room for escape.

    Ciel doesn't need our assistance in this matter, for she had a lot of experience with it back in Rabanara. "This is a matter of political maneuvering between Lords and the Council," she composedly answers, then uses Yunia's knowledge of [Acting] to make her face appear emotionless. "Don't overstep," she cautions Teresina with a flat tone.

    The two of them glare at each other for a long moment, then the hag-… Godsdamnit Ciel, I'm allowed to swear inside my own head… Then the incredibly arrogant old woman gives the most imperceptible of nods.

    Ciel whispers something to the scribe, then he pulls out a pair of delicate elven scissors that he uses to cut the scroll to excise the part where they started talking about the legacy.

    Ciel receives the offending section of the scroll and incinerates it to nothing with [Fireball].

    "I'd like to meet Lord Ryder. I understand his 'condition,' but his 'Piety' needs to be ascertained," Teresina requests with an unusual degree of politeness.

    "We're preparing to deal with unruly Lords during the ceremony, so as long as it's brief then that should be fine," Ciel responds, returning the kindness.

    "I just want to ask a few questions to understand his personality."

    "That's perfectly acceptable."

    Then they both nod at each other, but Teresina isn't done just yet.

    "I've also heard rumors about a gigantic cloud coming out of the forest and flying away towards the sky. This supposedly happened sometime before your ships were first seen," she states accusingly, without any of her previous politeness.

    Ciel's smile gets contaminated by Roxanne's smugness, which subtly angers Teresina before Ciel can slap the naughty succubus away. "So have we, Head Priestess," Ciel comments noncommittally and leaves it at that.

    Teresina's mask breaks, and she sighs as she shakes her head tiredly, then motions for the scribe to continue his job.

    "She's as attractive as Shala, so maybe you should try to seduce her to soften her up," Alissa suggests through [Bind].

    "It's been my experience that people get cranky when they aren't pounded regularly," Hana adds, and I feel her smirk inside my head.

    "Her face is beautiful, but her personality is ugly," I annoyedly respond, but then my draconic side starts to fantasize about dominating an ex-Punisher, quickly warming me up to the idea. "Fucking hell…" I get surprised at my own degeneracy.

    Ciel's conversation continues, but they aren't talking about anything deadly serious anymore, so I just tune it out.



    Meanwhile, Yunia meets up with the regent mayor. They need to talk about building the air dock so that our ships can get proper maintenance since they don't have anywhere safe to land in the whole High Forest.

    We also have to build one for our personal ship, so it'd be a good idea to listen in, but I also have to continue my training, so I ignore them after I stop Yunia from letting the mayor kiss her feet. He's a filthy simp for Yunia, and only I am allowed to savor her delicious toes, so at most, he's allowed to kiss the dirt she stepped on.

    Now that I've started thinking about that, Lina's cute little feet happily dangling from her chair catch my attention, making me salivate. She's so focused on her enchanting that she doesn't even notice my feelings.

    As a small dragon, I walk under her table and lie in wait until she stops swinging them, then I lick their soles with my long, slick, draconic tongue.

    "HII~!" She squeaks adorably in surprise and jumps up onto her chair.

    She looks down under the table and frowns at my toothy grin, then lowers herself back into her seat and offers her feet to me.

    "Don't scare me like that…" She pleads with a pouty tone, then resumes her work.

    I lick her feet to my heart's content, and I create a sucker on my spiky dragon dick to please me until I'm satisfied. It's difficult to use [Soul Manipulation] while in my dragon form, so this is training! Really! It's still training even if I'm deriving some amount of pleasure from it!

    Aoi shrinks down to her small size then gives me a "hand," or, in her case, a long, slick tongue, but that defeats the purpose of the training, so it's only for a short time.



    Alissa talks with Shala to help organize the maids; Hana joins Sandoro and helps train the Lordsguard; Roxanne continues her [Alchemy] research, and though she has a whole lab available for her use, it doesn't have a blast-resistant and hermetically sealed workbench, so no upgrades there, unfortunately; Lina works on the enchanting lab, focusing on helping the Chimera now that our armor is fully enchanted; Aoi helps me and "helps me" with [Dragon Transformation] since she has more experience with this type of skill and Alissa because is busy; Gify takes residence in one of the gardens on the higher levels and starts redecorating it to her tastes; and the golems help Mimi with the paperwork, being great pen-pushers.

    I want to find out what the golems learned from Arreira, read his notes on [Golemancy] and memories, and continue researching [Sense Soul] and [Redirect Mana], but there's so much work to be done that these things will have to wait for a long time…

    My current training goal is to get comfortable with this form. Getting used to being quadrupedal and having wings isn't the same as using [Soul Manipulation], so I don't have a lot of transferable knowledge to use for this. Aoi's experience with using dragon wings to fly is very useful, though.

    My biggest problem right now is controlling my urges. Dragons are very impulsive, so keeping myself from mounting small-Aoi is a training exercise by itself. She's really fucking sexy to dragon-me.

    To avoid annoying Lina further, we leave the enchanting room and go to Gify's.

    The little griffin is filtering the air for pollen and seeds to get the plants she wants to grow, then she'll activate the [Grow] enchantments to get them to bloom immediately. She's also partially covering the glass ceiling with vines, leaves, and roots, leaving half of the room in darkness, which creates the perfect environment for the luminescent plants that grow on the bark of the High Trees.

    I play around with Aoi a bit, running around and trampling through the plants while we play tag, but Gify doesn't care. She'll even do it herself every once in a while because that's just how nature is.

    I tire out quickly since I'm not used to this form yet, and Gify takes my place.

    The cute little griffin and the beautiful miniature blue dragon play around, enjoying racing against each other as they lap through the room. Even Gify can get tired out from running, so unless she teleports, Aoi has a chance to win.

    Then, right when they're about to cross the finish line, I hear the cute sound. *Pop*, *pop*. The cheeky bastard teleports and stands in front of Aoi with a smug, victorious look.

    Aoi breathes in, and Gify *pop*s away just in time, then Aoi releases her fire breath and sets fire to a large patch of the room, right where Gify was a moment ago.

    "Gihihihihih!" Gify's mischievous laugh resounds through the room, then she starts working away to extinguish Aoi's fire.

    While they fool around, I start to focus on my wings. They're easy to control and flap, but to actually fly, I need to magically blow air into them since my body is way too heavy for flapping alone to generate enough lift.

    Aoi achieves flight through a homebred mix of [Fly] with wind-bending, so I'll have to do something similar if I want to take advantage of these wings. They aren't as potent and as easy to use as Chimeric artificial wings, but they're quite powerful and can contribute a lot to flying.

    Dragons fly in all kinds of ways, from purely physical like Dragolites; to anti-gravity spells; to magic bodies that make them far lighter than physically possible; to specific spells like [Fly] that allow them to fly; to a mix of two or more of them, like Aoi. The older a dragon is, the bigger they get, generally speaking, so they have a tendency to transition from physical bodies to magical ones, as if they'd learned [Mana Body]. This allows them to move around more easily without limiting physical constraints, such as ignoring the effects of the square-cube law.

    Controlling the air around you while remaining still is harder than when you're moving, so I start running around the room to feel the air hitting my cute little wings.

    It feels like I'm "injecting" my "Willpower" into my wings, giving me a measure of control over the wind that reminds me of lift and control surfaces from airplanes. It makes sense for it to be like that since dragons have to control their flight somehow.

    It's easy enough for me to guess how my wings work, but it's hard to keep them under control or even understand what's actually happening. This is way more complex than just a flight stick and a throttle, and it's not just that, but I have to precisely control two wings that can work independently from each other.



    Today is all about getting used to my dragon form, so I don't do any specific training and just spend all morning playing around with Aoi and Gify.

    Osaria finishes her tax book collecting and meets up with Mimi, then they start working together.

    I occasionally watch over Klein through her Holly and Shad. Anton is surprisingly shy when it comes to giving out orders, but he properly advises Klein, giving her the confidence needed to take charge of the exploration of the dungeon.

    The twins spend their whole morning training with Living Armors and one of our veteran officers in one of the castle's training rooms. Yunia says that they want to be able to defeat Sandoro so that they can challenge me, but that's something that'll take them years to reach, at least.

    As lunchtime nears, Aoi and I try to hide our guilt from being the only ones that are having fun instead of working, but it was a futile effort to begin with due to [Bind], so we quickly accept that we'll have to give special attention to the wives when this day is over.

    Ciel invites Oritiki and her husbands for lunch. They're all naked, which is a treat for the eyes since we can see her massive black cow tits bouncing around, and they use their personal towels to sit on their chairs at the table.

    I'm fairly sure that their presence is part of the reason why the twins aren't here with us right now.

    Ciel's talks with the temple and the Chimeras have been completed. Our new subjects are safely set on the path of adaptation, the temple has been appeased of their doubts, and now we just have to wait for the reaction of the Tribunal to the legality of it all.

    The temple and the Tribunal complement each other quite well since the temple is proactive, investigating anything that they find to be suspicious to prevent injustices, while the Tribunal is reactive, fixing up whatever is wrong in elven society and meting out justice whenever necessary.

    We've had a good relationship with the Tribunal so far, so I'm pretty sure that they won't come down too heavily on us, at least in the beginning.

    That'll have to wait until after the Lordship Ceremony, though.

    The meat today is looking extra crispy. It's Kentu-… uh… just fried chicken. Spicy fried chicken. Krysta seemingly discovered not-Tabasco and already used it when preparing this meal.

    I should give her my recipe for Buffalo baby harpy wings.

    "Nohopu is anxious. He wants to go out and explore the skies for the Drifting Lands you mentioned," Oritiki comments with a wry smile as we eat.

    "The temple should be sending their Spirit mages tomorrow, so we'll allow Nohopu to start work immediately once they're here," I casually respond.

    "How long do you think it'd take to bring back an island?" Lina questions Oritiki with her serious mode activated, though it doesn't seem that different from her usual gloomy look.

    Oritiki shrugs. "A minimum of two to three days if they find an island immediately."

    Lina swings her legs about under the table, feeling slightly excited. "I can meet with the Chimeras tomorrow and discuss extraction and refinement, then secure a buyer for the crystals."

    "Take Mimi with you, if she isn't too busy," Hana suggests offhandedly without her eyes leaving her plate. Her default response for anything involving money was always "listen to Mimi" during her caravanning days.

    Mimi isn't here right now. She's currently having lunch with the twins, Krysta, and Sandoro since they wanted to give us some privacy.

    Osaria gracefully raises her hand, so we wait until she's finished swallowing. "I can help with finding buyers for crystals, and I think Dame Enomosa could also help with that," she happily volunteers.

    Oritiki grins, quite pleased with the timely progression of their business interests. "I'll talk to the Chimeras and ensure that they're ready for you," she adds with a nod.

    After that, we change the topic to how the Chimeras are doing. They've all been housed at the mansions in the outer layer, so the commoners are quite happy, even though they can't have a solid body for all twenty-four hours of the day.

    We'll gift a mansion to Oritiki and the other few Chimeric aristocrats that can fight, per imperial custom, so Korito, the not-Thor, has been quite excited. He and Rei, the warthog-headed husband, have not only the whole outer and inner layers to choose from, but also quite a few mansions in the Nobles' Quarters that the Lordship owns and reserves for guests.

    "It's odd…" Korito tries to express something, but he stops for a moment, and the clear excitement from before partially fades away before he finally continues, "I was ready to leave for Paradise, but Oritiki convinced us to stay… and now I'm so happy that I did that I can't believe I wished for death-… well, 'the end.'"

    "'A wound in the heart interferes with the decisions of the mind,'" Ciel quotes a godly teaching.

    Rei exhales loudly in a snort and asks, "Oh? Is that one of your 'teachings'?"

    Ciel nods gently, her angelic smile evoking therapeutic effects upon my heart. "It is. The God of War once said that."

    "God of War…" Oritiki mumbles, sounding interested in the name, then Ciel immediately starts proselytizing to them.



    After our meal, it's time for us to conduct the interviews for the High Officers.

    The first interviews are for the Court High Mages. They are responsible for training and organizing the lower mages, guiding them when a [Ritualism]-powered spell is required, and casting the high-level spells whenever they'd have the most impact. They're kind of like knights, but they don't usually act as messengers or representatives since they generally lack the "Charisma" and gravitas to carry out those roles.

    The elves like to put "High" at the start of important positions that can be held by commoners, but the empire also does it for mages, so they ended up just translating this title since they'd already imported all of the regulations behind it.

    The first position to be chosen is the most important one, the Space High Mage. The proper use of [Gate]s is essential for the quick deployment of troops and knights, so there's always a large number of Space mages available for hire.

    Those who don't have a noble to vouch for them are forced to live in the barracks alongside the Townsguard to ensure that they don't go rogue, and they're also contractually obligated to find work, so it's easy to get in touch with them.

    The candidates have a wide variety of skills secondary to [Space Magic], but we aren't lower Lords who need them to have as varied skillsets as possible. We can pay for the best, and mages with high levels in skills aren't hybrids unless they're at the higher end of Lord-levels, like Confiel, but at that point, they could easily marry into a noble family.

    Since we want officers that will agree to being made into Blood Slaves, there are only a few who come from noble families since they tend to be too proud to give up their family name, but the most interesting candidate actually is a noble himself.

    The imperial man sits down before Yunia and Alissa with the level of pomp and grace that you'd expect from someone of his station. His black velvet robe with yellow stripes makes him appear wealthy, but his wide-brimmed wizard hat appears a bit worn. This reminds us that Roxanne needs new robes… or at least we need to get her robes fixed since they hold some sentimental value for her. She also needs something more fitting of her station, now.

    Back to the imperial… He has the lightly tanned skin that's typical of the Mainlanders, and his slightly graying black hair tells of his age. Considering the slower aging that comes from higher levels, he must be much older than forty.

    "Greetings, Lords, I'm Alcander," he politely greets us, then bows and waits.

    "Alcander Avanara, a rankless noble from the eastern Mainland," Alissa states his information out loud.

    "You may rise," Yunia orders, pleased with his deference, and he promptly obeys. She stares intensely at his brown eyes, gauging his composure. "We're Crown Lords Alissa and Yulania."

    "Pleasure to meet you," he calmly adds.

    "Likewise," Alissa responds politely.

    Yunia wastes no time in starting the questioning, "Tell me, as a life-long noble, why would you submit yourself to becoming a Blood Slave of Lords who were mere commoners just a few days ago?"

    He subtly smirks, though we're not quite sure what he's thinking. "'Mere commoners'? Not even I am a 'True Noble,' however you never fit the 'common' part of 'commoners,' to begin with," he answers bemusedly, then gets his smirk under control and recomposes himself, pompously crossing his legs and interlacing his fingers over his lap. "But to answer your question, I already have a Chosen Descendant to inherit my name, so I decided to take this golden opportunity to improve the lives of my family."

    Yunia nods, mildly pleased, and adds, "So would you say that even for Lords, we aren't 'average'?"

    His smirk rises to the surface again. "Definitely."

    After a few standard questions about his experience and qualifications, they get him to use an Inspection Crystal.



    ['Alcander Avanara Skill Report']

    ['Physical']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Sword Use: 5 | Parry: 3 | Block: 3]



    ['Magical']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Sense Mana: 7 | Mana Control: 20 | Reduced Mana Cost: 15]

    [Mana Efficiency: 15 | Ritualism: 28 | Fire Magic: 15]

    [Water Magic: 1 | Light Magic: 1 | Space Magic: 82]

    [Conjuring Magic: 1 | General Enchanting: 4]



    ['Miscellaneous']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Riding: 5 | Woodworking: 3]





    ['Info']

    [Name: Alcander Avanara | Age: 68 | Race: Human]

    [HP: 100 | MP: 5,895 | Magic Power: 3,280]

    [Level: 53]



    ['Stats']

    [Strength: 10 | Endurance: 16 | Dexterity: 9]

    [Speed: 9 | Intelligence: 19 | Wisdom: 24]

    [Willpower: 19 | Charisma: 10 | Piety: 14]

    [Perception: 10 | Sanity: 16]



    ['Other']

    [Status Effects: 'NONE']

    [Titles: 'Noble Descendant, Scholar of Mac Gantus, Gate Master']

    [Affiliations: 'Aura Avanara (Wife), Calli Avanara (Wife), Imperial Space Mages' Authority Gate Master']

    [Companions: 'Aura Avanara, Calli Avanara']

    [Crimes: 'NONE']



    His [Ritualism] and [Space Magic] combined allows him to basically act as a human trebuchet. He won't be killing droves of enemies like Lords can, but he's definitely someone to field in a large battle due to the utility he brings.

    For someone of his age, he's holding up pretty well thanks to his "Endurance."

    He's in a fellowship with his wife to give her levels and a longer lifespan, most likely.

    "Do you craft magical staves and wands?" Yunia questions curiously.

    He shakes his head gently. "I only maintain them. I don't have the time to get too involved in that area of expertise, so you could consider it as a free-time distraction for me."

    "I see… Let's talk about your wages now."

    "I expect only the standard for mages of my level even though my Lord is a hero, but in return, I don't want to work as a porter," he calmly demands.

    He doesn't have "Master Porter" among his titles, so his [Item Box] might be weaker than the average Space mage's.

    Yunia and Alissa share a look full of meaning as they quickly converse through [Bind], then Alissa suddenly asks, "Why do you think he's a hero?"

    "Only a hero or an imperial prince would be able to become a True Noble at his age," he states matter-of-factly.

    He doesn't have any concrete evidence of that, just assumptions, so I guess that our move to immediately assume Lordship was just too obvious.

    There's nothing we can do about that, so we return to considering his request. It's not like he's a glorified pack mule, it's just kind of unusual to ask for such a thing.

    Yunia nods in understanding and accepts his terms, "We understand. Your job is mostly administrative, so we won't need you to work as a porter."

    He smiles a bit sadistically, showing an impressive set of dimples, and adds, "I have enough [Mana Control] that I can actually fight if required, and with [Ritualism], I can even act as a battering ram or catapult."

    "That's excellent. We don't have any mages with [Ritualism], so you'll fit right in," Alissa happily agrees.

    Aside from the one unusual request, Alcander is our best choice, so we hire him.



    Next up is the Spirit High Mage. What we're looking for is someone with the level 70 spell [Soul Trap] so that they may aid the Chimeras as needed. There's also the level 60 spell [Mana Block], which is useful in combat, but overall, Spirit mages are either researchers, duelists like Yunia, or used for utility by priests.

    A halfling woman with long, pull-through braided brown hair catches our attention. Like dwarves, her age is impossible to guess since she doesn't get old like the other races do, so she retains a young and innocent look.

    Her robe and wide-brimmed hat seem slightly oversized, but it might be intentional since it makes her look absolutely adorable. They're gray and simple, showing a preference for function over form.

    A chair fitting her size is prepared for her, and she energetically sits on it, revealing that she's fairly young.

    "Greetings, my Lords," she happily greets and grins with a very girlish voice, then adjusts her round glasses on her freckled face. She definitely has ancestry from Maplethorne.

    "Sainalai Yiroi, researcher of [Spirit Magic] from Lorei Laurelai," Alissa reads her information.

    "We're Crown Lords Alissa and Yulania," Yunia states clearly as an introduction.

    "An honor to meet you. I'm fairly excited about this opportunity!" She happily exclaims, then clears her throat and reigns in her energetic behavior.

    Alissa and Yunia both smile warmly at her, then Yunia starts the questioning, "What brought you so far from your home?"

    Her brown eyes turn dreamy. "Elves. Beautiful race. Beautiful land… or trees, I guess." -She giggles girlishly- "I thought about throwing the dice here in hopes of earning a Right of Inheritance."

    Lina's Trivia: Immigration is controlled through Rights of Inheritance so that humans and dragonkin won't replace other races with their incessant need to breed. Yes, it's explicitly stated like that. This right allows for the given descendants who aren't born as the ruling race to inherit land. It's like how only my children who are born as elves will be allowed to inherit the Lordship.

    Yunia glances over her info and notices something, "Did you come here because of Crown Lord Confiel's invitation to halfling Nature mages?"

    Sainalai nods repeatedly. "Precisely, though I don't qualify as a typical Nature mage. I know a little bit of [Alteration Magic], so I used it to work for a short time in one of the food farms because I wanted to get myself acquainted with the locals."

    "She seems quite humble, so she'll be an interesting hire," Alissa comments through [Bind].

    "It's also interesting that she knows [Alteration Magic], so she might get along with the Chimeras," Roxanne adds.

    "Are you aware of the Chimeric spirits that we have taken in as our subjects?" Yunia continues.

    She nods repeatedly. "Yes! I participated in the summons of the Spirit mages, and I've seen the [Solidify] everyone's been talking about. Though it's not my specialty, I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to cast it after a day-cycle of training.

    "Even if you don't hire me, I'll still stay around to study them. Since you're allowing them to live as spirits, I predict that there will be a lot of people in the future wishing for the same treatment as them after their deaths, and I know [Trap Soul]."

    "Exactly," Yunia agrees with a satisfied smile.

    Her job isn't just research since she'll have to manage the Spirit mages, so they continue the questioning to gauge her experience in that area.



    ['Sainalai Yiroi Skill Report']

    ['Physical']

    [NONE]



    ['Magical']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Sense Mana: 17 | Mana Control: 13 | Reduced Mana Cost: 23]

    [Mana Efficiency: 20 | Fire Magic: 1 | Light Magic: 1]

    [Spirit Magic: 71 | Space Magic: 10 | Conjuring Magic: 5]

    [Alteration Magic: 7]



    ['Miscellaneous']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Housework: 2 | Cooking: 3 | Cleaning: 2]

    [Singing: 3 | Riding: 2]





    ['Info']

    [Name: Sainalai Yiroi | Age: 41 | Race: Halfling]

    [HP: 100 | MP: 1,605 | Magic Power: 1,190]

    [Level: 42]



    ['Stats']

    [Strength: 7 | Endurance: 8 | Dexterity: 8]

    [Speed: 6 | Intelligence: 19 | Wisdom: 21]

    [Willpower: 14 | Charisma: 14 | Piety: 10]

    [Perception: 16 | Sanity: 15]



    ['Other']

    [Status Effects: NONE]

    [Titles: 'Scholar of Auri Yorei, Spirit Master']

    [Affiliations: 'NONE']

    [Companions: 'NONE']

    [Crimes: 'NONE']



    "So, is nobody going to bring up the fact that she's unmarried?" Hana jokingly asks.

    "This really shouldn't factor in the decision to hire her or not," Yunia answers concernedly.

    "I agree with Yunia… that topic will come up after she's hired," Alissa piles in.

    "Nice…" Hana mumbles in anticipation as she imagines the fun that's to come in the future.

    Back to Sainalai. She's not going to be of much use in battle with those stats. Not only does she have a negative soul potential, which makes it very difficult for her to learn useful combat skills, but her MP pool isn't well-balanced with her "Magic Power." That makes it difficult for her to control her spells' power, though it's not a problem for a researcher who can spend as much time as she wants chanting a single spell.

    High-level [Spirit Magic] isn't that popular, so she's the only candidate that qualifies for the position.



    Among the next set of candidates, someone Yunia knows appears.

    "Almaria Paissan, past High Court Mage serving under late Lord Mavel," Alissa announces while Yunia brims with excitement.

    A rather small and mature golden elven woman comes in. She has droopy green eyes, giving her a rather tired and kind look. It's similar to Osaria's, though she completely lacks the sexual air that my dark milf exudes. Her small face reminds me of dwarves or halflings, but I don't know if she's a descendant of them.

    "It's good to see you, Lord Yulania," Almaria politely bows as she greets, holding her small half-circle glasses against her face.

    Yunia gets up and walks towards her as she orders, "Rise, and you don't have to call me 'Lord' in private."

    "As you wish," Almaria readily agrees and straightens her posture, then they both open their arms wide and hug each other tightly.

    Almaria was her mentor for [Weaverism], and she's also quite a lovely woman, so Yunia is very fond of her.

    "I'm so glad you're here," Yunia whispers warmly, her eyes shut tight, threatening to cry.

    "I thought I could help you, if you'd have me," Almaria answers softly.

    Yunia lets out a happy sigh. "Of course I will."



    ['Almaria Paissan Skill Report']

    ['Physical']

    [NONE]



    ['Magical']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Sense Mana: 25 | Mana Control: 20 | Reduced Mana Cost: 5]

    [Mana Efficiency: 5 | Fire Magic: 1 | Light Magic: 1]

    [Spirit Magic: 5 | Nature Magic: 50 | Space Magic: 1]

    [Conjuring Magic: 1 | Weaverism: 75]



    ['Miscellaneous']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Housework: 1 | Cooking: 1 | Cleaning: 1]

    [Lute-Playing: 2 | Dancing: 5 | Riding: 1]





    ['Info']

    [Name: Almaria Paissan | Age: 60 | Race: Golden Elf]

    [HP: 100 | MP: 4,750 | Magic Power: 2,495]

    [Level: 50]



    ['Stats']

    [Strength: 7 | Endurance: 8 | Dexterity: 8]

    [Speed: 6 | Intelligence: 19 | Wisdom: 21]

    [Willpower: 14 | Charisma: 14 | Piety: 10]

    [Perception: 16 | Sanity: 15]



    ['Other']

    [Status Effects: 'NONE']

    [Titles: 'Scholar of Escanso, Friend of Nature, Weaver of Dreams']

    [Affiliations: 'Trabala Paissan (Husband)']

    [Companions: 'Trabala Paissan']

    [Crimes: 'NONE']


    She does not look her age. Her husband is a lucky guy.

    If she knows that one spell that connects the emotions of the soldiers together, then she'll be very useful on the battlefield. The Lonlanzas aren't as popular as they once were, but there are many tactical maneuvers that require a nature mage's assistance.

    There's nobody else with enough qualifications that could compare to hers, and even Gify likes her a bit to boot, so it's a no-brainer to have her manage the [Nature Magic] and [Weaverism] mages.



    After Almaria, the quality of the candidates drops quite a lot. We want elementalists, those who are strong in Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, or Electric magic schools, but while there are those who will make good additions to the court, none of them are worthy of the position of a High Court Mage.

    It's not like we need someone for those positions. Sandoro and the other High Court Mages can organize the elementalists, and Alcander even has some experience in organized magic warfare to help in battle, along with his [Ritualism], which he can teach to the other mages, so we don't really need a High Court Mage for each of the elements.

    But then, one of the last elementalists that the girls interview catches our attention.

    A tall and slender, extravagant silver elf man enters the room. His hair is long and silky, reaching down to his waist; his face is perfectly androgynous, confusing my dick until I get the dragon under control; his nails are long and purple, seeming flashy even for women; his silver robe fits tightly to his athletic body, but his hairy chest is exposed by the most obnoxiously deep v-neck of his robe that I've ever seen, even reaching to the lower end of his sternum. He's like a 70's rock star with a flair for fantasy.

    "Silvano Vagante, former High Court Mage for a Root Lord in Elaria," Alissa reads, trying her best not to grin at his flashiness.

    He bows exaggeratedly. "It's a pleasure meeting you, my Lords," he energetically greets them and straightens back up without waiting for a prompt.

    Alissa smiles wryly while Yunia nods composedly and responds, "Likewise. Now, please sit."

    He turns around and searches for the sofa, then struts towards it as he says, "Yes, my Lords."

    He's polite, but in a weird way.

    Once he's comfortable, Yunia starts the questioning, "What brings you so far from Elaria? Even though you're our cousins, few elves emigrate between our two lands."

    "Killing monsters," He casually responds, his tone sounding annoying in our ears because of the odd way he adds inflection to his words, and it isn't an accent from Elaria. "After the Anderas got deposed, Elaria became too calm again, so I asked to resign."

    His mannerisms are kind of cute, seeming like he's deliberately moving like a lady but showing off his manliness while talking, and it incites confusion within my dick.

    Yunia frowns at his attitude and cautions him, "Do you understand the 'peculiarities' of this Lordship? You have to accept being a Blood Slave to work for us."

    He grins excitedly with an undertone of smugness in it, more than the usual for elves. "If Wolf Ryder truly has a Gift, then I'll gladly become his slave."

    The girls pause for a moment. Silvano is from Elaria. If he heard about me from halfway across the empire, then what have the other nobles heard?

    Yunia doesn't let him stun her for more than a moment. "Where did you hear that?" She immediately presses him with a serious tone.

    He chuckles softly, still as nonchalant as before. "Like I said, Elaria was too calm, so I kept an ear out, listening for anything 'interesting.' Nobody has confirmed anything about Ryder yet, but I must say that it's a strong feeling among the nobility."

    Alissa narrows her eyes, holding back her distaste to keep it from showing on her face. She really dislikes both Silvano and his attitude. "If we were to hire you, wouldn't it be a confirmation to others that he has a Gift?" She questions sternly.

    He shrugs. "I'm a thrill-seeker. You don't need to offer much to have me pledge loyalty to you, even if it is through Blood Slavery, though it wouldn't last long. If Wolf isn't a Gifted, then I'd wager that things will remain 'interesting' for a few years at least, which is long enough to break a Blood Slavery contract by my own will."

    Alissa becomes wary, this is the rare instance when she wants to cry out "Blasphemy!"

    "You talk as if you'd done it before," she comments with a dangerous tone.

    He sports a shit-eating grin and proudly admits, "Because I did."

    Alissa fumes internally while Ciel smiles smugly, feeling vindicated now that we all understand how much "blasphemy" irks her. Hana makes her presence small within the [Bind] so that Alissa doesn't get reminded of how Hana bragged about being able to do the very same thing.

    It's fine, she isn't paying attention to my thoughts right now.

    "Remember, one of your Lords is a former priestess. Don't casually say such things in front of her or any of the other Lords," Yunia cautions him so that we don't have to suffer more of Ciel's smugness.

    "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." He nods appreciatively and leans back on his sofa. "I know my attitude doesn't fit well with Lordship, but I'm a simple tool, so it'll be your responsibility to decide how to use me best."

    "And what can you do?" Yunia pushes the conversation forward to let Alissa recompose herself.

    He adjusts his obnoxious collar and puffs out his chest proudly, as if he was just waiting for this moment to show us his skills. "Do you have an Inspection Crystal? It's easier that way."



    ['Silvano Vagante Skill Report']

    ['Physical']

    [Skill Name: Level]

    [Dual Sword Use: 20 | Sword Use: 8 | Parry: 6]

    [Dodge: 9 | Split Rose Style: 11 | Enhanced Reflexes: 5]



    ['Magical']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Sense Mana: 1 | Mana Control: 2 | Mana Efficiency: 6]

    [Mana Overuse Resistance: 11 | Blackout Resistance: 4 | Fire Magic: 1 | Earth Magic: 50]

    [Electric Magic: 81 | Light Magic: 1 | Space Magic: 1]

    [Conjuring Magic: 1]



    ['Miscellaneous']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Riding: 4 | Dancing: 5]





    ['Info']

    [Name: Silvano Vagante | Age: 36 | Race: Silver Elf]

    [HP: 100 | MP: 1,205 | Magic Power: 4,485]

    [Level: 48]



    ['Stats']

    [Strength: 10 | Endurance: 14 | Dexterity: 18]

    [Speed: 21 | Intelligence: 16 | Wisdom: 15]

    [Willpower: 20 | Charisma: 18 | Piety: 10]

    [Perception: 18 | Sanity: 11]



    ['Other']

    [Status Effects: NONE]

    [Titles: 'Silver Lightning, Champion of Colneria, Scholar of Colneria, Master of Electricity']

    [Affiliations: 'NONE']

    [Companions: 'NONE']

    [Crimes: 'NONE']



    "What in the fuck is that build?" Everyone thinks at the same time.

    He's a glass nuker, not a glass cannon because he can't fire more than once. He doesn't have mana skills, so any high-level spell will cost him most of his mana, but if they're self-buffs, they could probably last enough for a single battle due to his meager levels in [Mana Efficiency].

    His [Mana Overuse Resistance] and [Blackout Resistance] tell a grim story about his style, though. I bet he's a magic swordsman like me who likes to spam spells a bit too much.

    His title of Champion of Colneria means that he fought in the Arena long enough to rise to the top, so there's no doubt that his style actually works.

    But looking at his "Sanity," the takeaway here is that he's fucking insane.

    And he's hired.



    Once all candidates for the High Court Mage positions are interviewed, the time finally comes for interviews for the High Chamberlain position. Shala may be the senior maid, but she doesn't have the appropriate qualifications to administer the entire castle, so we need someone more fitting for the job.

    The overwhelming majority of the candidates are women, and it's not just because this field isn't very popular for males, the fact that I'm not an elf also reduces my likability among male elves. Oddly enough, there's a considerable number of elven men crossdressing, but we aren't hiring for looks, so that sort of thing doesn't matter.

    The most interesting of them is an exotic sheep-type demon race. She has voluminous, short yellow hair on the front, almost fully covering her long sheep ears but not her spiral horns; cute bangs hiding her forehead; long straight hair on the back of her head that reaches her waist; a cute bubbly face that's perfectly adorned by large circular glasses; and multiple patches of wool covering a few spots of her pinkish skin.

    She walks in quite calmly, showing a lot of composure, and smiles warmly at the girls, revealing laugh lines that tell her age, then she bows and greets, "Greetings, my Lords. I'm honored that you gave someone like me the chance to participate in such an opportunity."

    Alissa smiles back, becoming very interested in her just from her file. "Armanpoosh, former manager of a brothel in Goldport. You may rise." -Her smile becomes warm for a moment as her eyes meet with Arman's- "It's our pleasure to have someone as capable as you interested in this position," she graciously returns the politeness.

    Armanpoosh sits and starts answering their questions with a very affable behavior. She's kind of like a more humble Ciel-…

    "What do you mean? I'm pretty humble," Ciel cries out with an internal pout.

    "You're still a priestess, and that kind of puts you 'above' the commoners," Lina answers, slightly wary of offending Ciel, but she makes her a bit sad, instead.

    "I always tried to connect with the commoners to understand their plight, but I guess it's true that priests live completely different lives from commoners…" She comments bitterly.

    While the girls console Ciel, Yunia continues the questioning, "Why did you leave your brothel? We checked in with the authorities in Goldport, and they said that it's still thriving."

    Poosh, as she likes to be called, reflects for a brief moment before she confidently answers, "I wanted something different for my life. It's like I had a 'calling' to fulfill, though I didn't know what it was, exactly."

    Yunia holds back a concerned frown. "You think your 'calling' led you here?"

    Poosh nods and giggles, cutely covering her mouth with her hand. "Perhaps… We'll have to wait and see, but I do wish that it's really true."

    Her skills are also very "interesting."



    ['Armanpoosh Sheep Skill Report']

    ['Physical']

    [Skill Name: Level]

    [Sword Use: 5]



    ['Magical']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Sense Mana: 1 | Fire Magic: 1 | Light Magic: 1]

    [Space Magic: 1 | Conjuring Magic: 1]



    ['Miscellaneous']

    [Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

    [Housework: 10 | Cooking: 10 | Cleaning: 10]

    [Washing: 10 | Riding: 2 | Dancing: 5]

    [Singing: 5 | Sewing: 10 | Massage: 10]

    [Acting: 3 | Math: 2 | Flute Playing: 4]

    [Pain Conversion: 4 | Hand Technique: 10 | Oral Technique: 10]

    [Enhanced Sexual Stamina: 6 | Enhanced Genital Control: 4 | Charm: 1]





    ['Info']

    [Name: Armanpoosh Sheep | Age: 42 | Race: Sheep-Type Demon Race]

    [HP: 100 | MP: 405 | Magic Power: 90]

    [Level: 30]



    ['Stats']

    [Strength: 11 | Endurance: 11 | Dexterity: 16]

    [Speed: 10 | Intelligence: 13 | Wisdom: 18]

    [Willpower: 12 | Charisma: 20 | Piety: 16]

    [Perception: 20 | Sanity: 18]



    ['Other']

    [Status Effects: NONE]

    [Titles: 'Saint Protector of the Prostitutes']

    [Affiliations: 'NONE']

    [Companions: 'NONE]

    [Crimes: 'NONE']



    "Ooh~…" Alissa coos happily through [Bind]. Now, this is someone she's very "interested" in.

    "I'm sure that Ciel will get a title like hers one day," I teasingly comment.

    Ciel sighs inwardly and just nods along, simply accepting the fact that everyone thinks she might be the next of the wives to get a title.

    Not only does Poosh have many interesting skills, but her level is the highest among the Chamberlain candidates, and her work experience also kind of "aligns" with us.

    She's hired.



    While all these interviews are going on, my [Dragon Transformation] training is interrupted by Teresina coming in to talk with me.

    I meet her in my office alone since Mimi has her own now.

    She stores her sword in her [Item Box], then pushes open the double doors with a lot more energy than I'd expect from someone her age.

    Once the gilf walks in, I do feel a faint sense of "danger" coming from her, which is surprising since I don't feel it from Confiel anymore. Perhaps her [Intimidate] is quite high, making it strong enough to get past my "resistances," or whatever they are since nobody fully understands how this sort of thing works.

    I remain relaxed in my seat, still comfortable even with her glare trying to bore its way through my forehead. Being glared at actually arouses me a bit since Hana does it all the time, which allows me to relax even more.

    She sits down on the seat prepared for her and assumes a posture as stiff as the one she had when she met with Ciel and Oritiki.

    "Lord Wolf Ryder," she greets, deliberately not saying "my Lord," though at least she says my last name, intending to keep some distance between us since "Lord Wolf" would be too familiar.

    "Priestess Teresina Aurea," I return in kind. Since she didn't add "Crown" to my title, I won't add "Head" to hers.

    We remain silent as she observes my draconic parts with curiosity, then her eyes follow my swaying tail almost like a cat's.

    "I've heard of such changes happening before due to oddities inside dungeons, but why haven't you removed them?" She suddenly asks without a hint of concealed intentions, then our eyes meet. "If you were to chop your arm off at the base, then a simple [Regrowth] would return your human arms to you, and you're far too rich to claim that this type of treatment is 'too expensive.'"

    I grin at her, which makes her instantly become wary, and respond in a terse tone, "It's more complicated than that, but you'll have to wait until the Lordship Ceremony."

    She grunts in displeasure and complains, "Politics, again. I thought that someone of your background wouldn't be like all the other nobles."

    I shrug while still grinning. "I can't avoid it. It is the smartest course of action, after all."

    She narrows her eyes and grips the arms of her seat harder, then begrudgingly accepts, "Yes, I understand. I should've expected this from someone Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge… but have you retained her Blessing?"

    The mirth starts to wash away, but I don't let it show too much on my face. "What do you mean by that?"

    She stares daggers at me, pushing me to break my composure. "Everyone knows about the Innocent Nymph, and how you're the only survivor."

    "Yes, I still have my Blessing…" I bitterly respond, almost gritting my teeth.

    She immediately turns her head to the side, then pulls an Inspection Crystal out of her [Item Box] with a *poof*.

    She puts it on the table, and I grab it, making sure that my claws leave scratch marks on its perfectly smooth surface.

    She glances at the small tablet, which reveals only my titles, then nods appreciatively.

    I return the crystal orb, then I let my sadness appear on my face. This time, it doesn't make sense to keep it hidden. "I have a Gift, that much should be obvious to you and the other Templars, but what you don't understand is that it's quite likely that the heretics targeted me. I didn't earn the nickname 'Good Luck' for nothing; something is after me and my wives."

    Her tone turns cold, not a hint of heat or anger on it as she cautions me, "I've heard countless people say that they were 'special,' but most of them ended up executed precisely because of how 'special' they were."

    I shake my head in disappointment and even my tail slows down. "We'll just have to wait and see…"

    "Yes, wait and see…" She murmurs, then a few seconds pass as we remain silent.

    She glances at the tablet again and drops the tough templar act, softening her features.

    "I hope you're wrong…" She adds, a hint of tiredness threatening to break her stony mask.

    Seeing that she's finished with trying to grill me, I change topics to something that might please her, "Did you know that I have a grudge against a mercenary company called Dawn of Fire?" I deliberately glance at the dawning sun embroidered on her black robe, which is what gave me this idea.

    Her eyes widen as she lets a subtle tell of her interest leak out. "I've heard of their misdeeds. There are too many Wicked among their ranks; they need a Purge," she coldly states and comfortably lays her hands on her lap.

    I smile evilly and nod. "I agree…" Then she mirrors my expression.



    The meeting with Teresina ended up being more productive than it had any right to be. Her Punisher tendencies make it easy to placate her, but this is only the beginning of our relationship, so I want to find a way for us to really connect and begin to actually trust each other. If that comes through the screams of dying heretics, then I'll take it, though I'd prefer the usual way of having my dick inside her holes.

    Meanwhile, Aoi tries to make her fire breath hotter. It's well known that dragon fire can melt anything other than Okross, darksteel, or heavily enchanted material, so the straight fact that she couldn't melt a simple lump of iron ore makes her feel very embarrassed.

    Hana helps her out since she's the only one who's also able to properly spit fire. In my case, I can only sneeze some wisps of flame, so I'm not an appropriate teacher for that ability. Roxanne gives Aoi some pointers about magical fires, but this is more about the fire sac organ inside her body, so it doesn't help her that much.

    Now that Roxanne has a whole lab for herself, she might become a hermit, but she's making progress in discovering gunpowder, so we'll let her be for a few more days.

    Ciel and Osaria continue the Lordship duties together. We showed them all the sword by making an example out of Caruso, yet now we'll extend a hand to build relationships, and the duo make a good pair for that job. Osaria is more confident and relatable since she's also an elf, while Ciel is more approachable, and her angelic demeanor puts others at ease.

    They go to the Lord's Hall in the Nobles' Quarters to meet with the nobility that stayed in town even after Mavel was deposed. They must have some measure of roots spread in the town, so it'd be a good thing to placate them a bit since they're more likely to remain loyal to us if we do.

    Yunia tells Ciel to also remind them that they're expected to participate in the expeditions to defend the High Forest. Unlike with the usual town where the nobles are expected to man the walls to aid the Townsguard, the elves in the High Forest have to sally out and meet the monsters head-on. This is because the Shells make the towns basically impossible to really assault for the monsters, so they instead blockade the area and ruin everything nearby, forcing the elves to engage the monsters if they don't want to see their economies wrecked.

    Osaria leaks an implied threat that we'll be checking the records of the Expeditionary Division of the Townsguard. This means that any noble not properly registered and ready for combat will be opening themselves to being "punished" by us, and they know that we aren't playing around.

    After Confiel took control, the Elder Council brought the Buscuadores back to the Western High Forest to purge the region of monsters. Now that we're in charge, we'll be expected to join the Buscuadores before long, so we can't allow the nobles to slack off. We treat them as would be expected for nobility, and in return, we expect them to follow us into battle when the time comes.



    Before the day officially ends, I have to make all our new hires into Blood Slaves.

    Esvisor, the evil and sweet-talking slaver from before, is called to the castle again so that he can perform the ritual.

    We also call Sandoro to make him a Blood Slave, which briefly takes him away from his work, and it really needs to be brief because he's very busy. As the Commander of the Lordsguard, he's the one that has the most important job besides ours, and so, it's also very important that he becomes a Blood Slave. Since he isn't a noble, he doesn't complain a single bit about it.

    "An eclectic choice of officers," Esvisor comments with a whisper while we all wait as I'm drained of my precious blood. I have to fill six small bowls with blood, which is not a small amount.

    "It follows if you look at our family," Alissa adds with a hint of pride, though she prevents her tail from revealing her emotions.

    He turns to Alissa, giving her kind eyes. "Forgive me, but if my sources are right, then you were, or are, a Blood Slave too, correct?"

    She nods confidently, making her pointy ears sway. "Yes, were."

    He nods appreciatively. "Give my compliments to the one who sold you; their instincts must be transcendental."

    Alissa smiles wistfully and allows her tail to lazily wag. "It wasn't just me, Lord Hanafuria was also sold by him."

    Esvisor loses some of his composure as his easy and evil smile smoothly fades away, replaced by shock.

    "I always had the feeling that Ghulam could see 'through' me, like I couldn't lie to him. Perhaps he is capable of seeing the Threads of Fate, after all," she ponders casually as she squeezes my biceps to drain it of blood.

    I smile wryly and chime in, "I feel like you and Ghulam are rather 'similar'… though maybe it's just your high 'Charisma.'"

    Esvisor's shock passes, and he returns to his devil-like expression, then he chuckles softly and adds, "I'd have to agree because I've certainly never had a Blood Slave I sold become a True Noble, and I know the power of my smile."

    "Indeed. Smiles are powerful tools, though I wouldn't say that they're weapons," Poosh contributes, then unleashes her power upon all of us with just a simple smile. I feel like it tried to "force itself in," almost like a moist tentacle ran over my naked skin searching for a hole. Must be her [Charm].

    "A smile is the only thing I need most of the time," Silvano comments offhandedly. His demeanor irks Alissa, but she's far too polite to complain openly. He's hogging most of his sofa by spreading his long arms wide apart, entirely too casual, even for my tastes, so perhaps we should get Sandoro to teach him how to show respect sometime soon.

    Sainalai looks blankly at Poosh like one would stare at a juicy piece of lamb. She definitely got [Charm]ed, but then she recovers a moment later.

    "I have a feeling that Yunia's facial muscles have atrophied because we rarely see her smile," Roxanne teases through [Bind].

    "Your mouth has become too big from all the cocks you've sucked, whore," Yunia coldly shoots back, though she doesn't sound too aggressive with her bantering this time because a small part of her fears that Roxanne's words might be true.

    "I predict that you'll be spending a good while in front of a mirror trying to break the bitchy face you-… AH!" Roxanne squeals, interrupted by Yunia making her slap herself through [Bind].

    I snip their connection so that they can't escalate this into a war inside my head. I'm still the center of the [Bind]s, so anything they send to each other always passes through me first.

    Soon, all the necessary blood is finally drained from me, and Esvisor starts preparing to cast the spells.

    Before he finishes chanting, I give the officers one last chance, "You all could wait a few days longer if you wish. This is a big step to take, so I'd understand if you wished to get to know us better before becoming a Blood Slave."

    "And risk having someone with a higher level swoop in and take my chance? No, thanks," Sainalai jokingly answers and giggles.

    Alcander chuckles once and nods in agreement. "Yes, not a risk worth taking."

    Sandoro shakes his head softly at the frivolity but doesn't say anything.

    Esvisor casts [Contract of Servitude] on each of the officers, taking their last names away, and [Tongue of Obedience] so that they keep my secrets. He doesn't cast [Mark of the Master] since it's just more respectful to not brand them when they aren't traditional Blood Slaves.



    With that done, Shala gives the new High Officers a tour of the castle, then Sandoro introduces them to the mages of our Court and the Lordsguard.

    Now I finally get some time to cuddle with my foxy lady while we watch the town and the psychedelic moons rise from up in our room. We lay on one of my sofas with me acting as the bigger spoon. It has to be the deepest one we have so that my tail can fit.

    "Things should be calmer tomorrow, right?" I ask absentmindedly.

    "I believe there will be fewer things that will require our presence, yes," she prudently responds, then gives me a small smile, knowing what I have in mind.

    I bury my nose in her hair, smelling the faint perfume of her hair products. Today it isn't Ranja, so I don't recognize the smell.

    I extend a tentacle and comically pat Yunia on the head so that she doesn't feel left out.

    She turns around and glares at it, then I grin and start giving her some proper attention.

    She leans against the tentacle, and her eyes lose focus as I activate its non-lewd vibrating massage.

    Her legs begin to quiver, so she sits down on a free spot on the sofa before something shameful happens to her.

    This feeling that she just let out triggers my sadism, tempting me to lift her up with my tentacles and then fuck her right here, for all the town to see. Now that would be something "embarrassing."

    She jerks her head towards me to give me a glare, fantasizing in her head about a scene where she crushes my balls with her needle heels.

    I smile and shrug internally. She's the one who shared her thoughts with me, accidentally or not, though I'll play nice and stop myself from teasing her further.

    She sighs and relaxes again, gradually letting the stiffness of her mask slip away.

    "I still need to go to Goldport," Alissa suddenly remembers, making me frown.

    "Can't someone else go? I kind of miss your Blessing whenever you have to be somewhere else," I ask with puppy eyes. Considering how I have sharp horns and claws, I could consider myself a "danger puppy."

    Alissa turns around and gives me a faraway look as she dramatically performs, "And who's to go in my stead? Who's the one damned to take my burden upon themself, to forsake the warmth of your body, the calmness exuded from your presence, the delight of your touch? Who's the one you condemn to eternal banishment?" After the first two questions she feels like ending the silliness, but her desire to just play around wins out.

    I give her my biggest pout and whine like a needy puppy.

    She remains unmoved and insists in her continuing theatrics, "Who do you condemn in my stead, Wolf Ryder?"

    I squeeze my eyes shut and try to play up my cuteness, but I can't hold a candle to either Alissa or Lina in that area.

    "Who do you condemn…?" Alissa asks one more time, immune to my charm.

    "I can't choose…" I whine and hug her tighter. "It's not fair for me to choose."

    "You could actually choose someone, then compensate for the lost ti-…"

    "Shush!" Alissa interrupts Yunia, unwilling to give in and stop this improv play.

    Yunia rolls her eyes, then gets the tentacle to massage her shoulders and lower back.

    I kiss the top of her head and relent, "I'll allow you to go to Goldport because only you can do that job, but know that I'll miss you dearly."

    Her pointy ears flick back, tickling my cheeks, then she nestles her head against my chest. "I must complete my duty," she whispers softly with determination.

    "Yes… you must…" I bitterly repeat.

    "Anyway…" Yunia changes the topic now that our play is done, "The air dock is already beginning construction, so unless you want to help Mizushina or oversee the Lordsguard and the Court train, then there's nothing pressing that we need to do for now."

    I shrug. "I'll just continue training."

    Things are only going so well because we're just restoring a system that was already in place. If we had to rebuild the infrastructure or recreate the Lordsguard from the ground up, then we'd certainly have a long-lasting headache ahead of us.



    The stomachs of the girls start to rumble, so we all decide to visit the baths for our sacred ritual, and also to go get a snack.

    While I take off my clothes, I take my pick of the sweet fruits to snack on. To accompany it, I down half a cup of actual cow milk, not the stinky minotaur milk.

    I feel a bit ostentatious in taking delight from the fact that I have cow milk, dampening my enjoyment.

    But I'm just going to get used to this lifestyle right away, aren't I?

    I don't let the girls probe my thoughts right now since I'm feeling a bit disgusted at myself, which is ironic considering everything I've already done.

    I definitely won't become an ascetic, I just need some time to settle my heart. The dragon within complains so much about the "silly human" that I feel like transforming just so that I can unleash its greed, but I shouldn't do it in front of the maids yet.

    After a few more seconds, I manage to suppress my conflicted feelings, then I enter my washing tub.

    I allow the maids to wash my entire body, even my asshole. They pull back the skin of my dick and expose the head, then a soapy elven hand delicately rubs the skin, teetering on the edge between lewd and clinical.

    We'll need to wash ourselves every once in a while so that we don't forget how to do it on our own…

    "Yes, that's… that's actually something that we should be concerned about," Yunia embarrassedly admits through [Bind], and chuckling echoes in my head.

    We may all find it amusing, but deep inside, we agree with Yunia. And, knowing how good it feels to be washed by someone with a skill, even Lina can't say no to the maids.

    Aoi shrinks down to small-Aoi to make it easier for her to get washed, and it scares the new maids who weren't here yesterday. I can barely wait until we can show off her human form.

    After the maids finish their job, we sink into the perfumed Jacuzzi and snuggle up together.

    Roxanne straddles me and lets her charm loose, so I just drown in her bewitching eyes.



    I regain my consciousness as I grunt, and I realize that I'm now mounting medium-Aoi, whose vagina is about to overflow with my draconic seed.

    I finish her up and groggily sit down, then I notice Roxanne passed out in Hana's arms.

    I shake my head and sort out my memories. Roxanne's "racial charm" seems to have become even stronger, so I think it's not just affected by her "Charisma," which only increased by one point when we killed Arreira.

    I re-enter the bath and decide to cuddle up with Yunia this time. A tentacle massage is nice, but it doesn't have the same intimacy as two naked bodies just touching each other lovingly.

    Through Alissa, I hear the maids talking about me.

    "Is he going to do Lord Hanafuria? I want to see The Ravaging," a young maid excitedly questions.

    "She doesn't seem to be asking for it right now, so maybe they did it earlier," the elder one answers quietly.

    "Isn't she a sex beast dragonkin? How could she not want it?"

    "Look, look… look at the water, he's doing her with his black things," a curious third interjects

    "Their faces changed, they're all receiving it," the elder states as she studies our expressions.

    "I heard a Chimera say that he can vibrate it," the excited one comments.

    "What? Like a Buzzing Hive?" The elder questions, suddenly interested.

    The excited one shrugs. "She never used a Buzzing before, so she couldn't tell, but she guessed that it's similar."

    "I heard that he can enlarge it," the curious one adds bemusedly.

    The elder one subtly frowns and sighs, "Oof, that seems like it could hurt."

    The excited one reminisces, "Lady Osaria didn't look like she was in pain… well, no, she did look like she was in pain, but also in a lot of pleasure."

    The curious one looks down at her own womb concernedly and asks, "How-… what is he?"

    The excited one teases smugly, "Do you want to find out?"

    The curious one rejects the suggestion a bit too sternly to be natural and chuckles nervously, "Oh, please. I'm not that desperate."

    "The new High Chamberlain is a sheep demon race. I'm sure that she wouldn't mind."

    They all suddenly go silent.

    "You're really thinking about it, aren't you?" The excited one teases again.

    The elder one chastises them, "Shut up, they're going to hear us."

    A silent fourth maid suddenly chimes in while smiling wryly, "Don't werefoxes have strong senses? I heard that's why they're popular as monster hunters."

    "Oh…" It finally dawns on the talking trio.

    Now they quiet down for good.



    Klein gets back just when we're about to get out, so she doesn't get a lot of time to relax with us in the water. The euphoria from leveling up makes up for that, though.

    Since it has already been proven through our own experiences that gaining levels gives pleasure, it makes sense that some people might get a bit addicted to it.

    We don't invite any guests to join us for dinner this time, so we have a very calm and relaxed meal. Well, it's "relatively calm" since giving alcohol to the girls always makes them noisy and excitable.

    Osaria holds her liquor very well, so she and Hana have a lot of fun with Roxanne.

    After we retire to our rooms, the knight Azador returns with a prisoner. A mere pen pusher that managed to embezzle some of the money that he was supposed to take care of. He tried to hide in the town until the heat died down, but Azador has his own connections, and he used them to nab the rat.

    We won't even bother visiting him in prison. The Tribunal will come for him in a few days, so there's no need for us to do anything ourselves.

    We play "Dexterity"-focused games with human-Aoi to train her hands. Like me, she needs to get herself acquainted with her other body. In her case, she needs to learn how to use her hands with precision so that she can be capable of working metal the way she wants.

    Today, we ate a few hours later than usual, so we don't have as much time to play around before bed.



    Today is the 6th.

    Little Lina wakes me up, gobbling down the head of my monster in her small mouth.

    I pat her head, and her cheeks fill out completely, but I make sure that they don't actually overflow, then she swallows it all and shows me her tongue.

    I playfully slap my dick against her cheek a few times in praise since she's such a good little cum extractor.



    My [Dragon Transformation] increased by 1 again (now 3).

    Roxanne increased her [Alchemy] by 1 (now 2+8)

    Lina increased her [General Enchanting] by 1 (now 8+12).

    Hana increased her [Draconic Body] by 1 (now 2).



    The morning goes by as calmly as it ever could.

    I go back to my office and spend another delightful morning admiring the view while I practice [Dragon Transformation]; Alissa goes to Goldport to arrange for our preparations; Roxanne returns to her [Alchemy] research; Hana joins Yunia in inspecting the Lordsguard and takes the golems with them to test out their new skills; Ciel receives the new priests that are arriving through the [Eternal Gate] network; Lina joins me so that she can learn how to enchant my [Materialize]; Aoi continues with training her flames in Gify's room; Osaria helps Mimi out with whatever she needs; Klein returns to the dungeon; our ships have been moved to the site where the prospective air dock is being built expeditiously; the High Officers are still getting themselves acquainted with their charges; and the knights are all helping to maintain the dungeons.

    After lunch, an interesting group of visitors arrives: the first nobles seeking shelter. If they register with the Expeditionary Division, then they'll be welcomed into the town and given a home in the Nobles' Quarters.

    Among them, there's someone we know already: Noblewoman Silvina, the elf we escorted when working for Rande. But that's not all, there's also someone very important that Yunia recognizes: Ereia, a noblewoman with an excellent ear for every sort of interesting information, from the mere gossip of the maids, to the secrets of the nobles, and even to conspiracies to overthrow the newly appointed 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:

    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Freddie.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Jorge Franco.
     
  3. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    While Lina meets with the Chimera enchanters, Osaria receives noblewoman Silvina at the entrance of the town, and Lady Ereia gets a [Gate] directly to the main hall of the castle, where Yunia and I receive her.

    My first impression of Ereia is that she's an elven version of Klein, though quite a bit thirstier. The way she leaps into Yunia's bosom triggers my jealousy. She needs to pay her respects to my cock before she can play with Yunia's breasts.

    My second impression of her is that she's cute as fuck. She's a thin, smol, and bespectacled young girl with a body made for fucking and worshiping. Her hair is straight, though some of it is braided, giving her an innocent and book-smart look, though Yunia thinks her real personality is that of a cheeky goblin.

    Yunia pries her off, and Ereia giggles girlishly. "You never change, Yu," Ereia teases her.

    "Neither do you," Yunia responds with a hint of annoyance but also warmth.

    The giggling dies down when her blue eyes meet with mine. She adjusts her round glasses and blinks rapidly as she looks over my whole body.

    "Impressive…" She mutters in wonder, then she clears her throat awkwardly and bows. "It's an honor to meet you, Lord Ryder," she politely greets without a hint of a goblin in her tone.

    I merely nod respectfully and take a seat. "I take it that you're very familiar with Yulania, my fiance?" I interrogate her sternly.

    She takes a second to swallow heavily, and Yunia answers in her stead, "We've been friends since we were children, and she used to live in the outer layer of the castle grounds." Her words are full of meaning, and she opens her [Bind] connection to let her memories flood through.

    I smile kindly at Ereia and stop messing with her. "I see. Then your return should be a happy event for all of us." -A few of the memories almost trigger the sadist within me again- "Though I believe that you're a little closer than just friends. Perhaps… 'friends with benefits'?"

    The duo stays silent for a moment as they take their seats and process my words, but they only show confusion about the phrasing I used.

    "'Benefits'?" She questions, focusing on the word that her mind got hung up on.

    I nod and answer sagely, "Well, yes. Your relationship isn't close enough to say that you're lovers, but the average pair of friends don't tend to have sex with each other, so we can say that you two share something more, something extra: the 'benefit' of having sex."

    "I thought it was more like prostitution," Ereia confesses, and Yunia and I both stare at her oddly, making her blush almost instantly. "I'd give information to Yunia, and she'd allow me to 'play' with her in return," -she suddenly frowns- "though now that I think about it, you'd never let me play until I was satisfied, so it was hardly a fair trade."

    "You had the honor of tasting my virgin nectar. That should be more than enough," Yunia states and turns her nose away snobbishly, then she also blushes in embarrassment at her own words.

    Ereia starts giggling, and it takes us a few moments before everyone has recomposed themselves.

    It's curious that this world doesn't have the concept of "friends with benefits." I guess they're more focused on the aspect of the "trade" while "free choice to do what I want" is secondary. I guess it also explains why voluntary slavery and prostitution is so normalized here.

    "I'd love to catch up, but I didn't come here just for that," Ereia starts to steer the conversation back into more serious territory. "During my time in Goloria, I also took the opportunity to 'spread my ears around,' and I heard some juicy rumors."

    "Oh…?" I hum in curiosity.

    Ereia adjusts her glasses again and fixes her posture into something more lady-like. "The first rumor is about you, my Lord, the new draconic Crown Lord, and his dashing appearance during the selection of the Lordsguard. The populace is intrigued by you, but I can't say whether they see you positively or negatively."

    "Within expectations. I might even say that this couldn't be better," Yunia comments, and I agree. A non-elven Lord not being seen negatively in the High Forest is an achievement for us, but I'd say that Yunia's presence has contributed the most for this to be so.

    "Also, you don't have to call me 'Lord' in private," I tell Ereia, and she gives me a kind smile.

    She waits a moment for any further comments, then continues, "However, the merchant class is wary due to your treatment of Signeur Caruso. The news of what you did will take time to spread far, but those who've heard it have cold feelings towards you."

    Yunia snorts dismissively and comments again, "Unless we show favoritism, merchants will always be self-serving, even elven ones. They wouldn't have achieved their great wealth if they were charitable or honorable."

    I've seen the same in the sociopath CEOs of Earth. Greed manifests itself the same way, no matter the world.

    Ereia nods respectfully, and continues with a neutral tone, "Among the nobility, the prevailing theory is that Lord Wolf Ryder's title of True Noble, specifically, has been 'bought' or at least that he has been 'carried' by his harem. Many of them point out that Yu is a fierce warrior who knows [Precognition], so they say that it's only because of you that Wolf has acquired the title."

    Now that is offensive. The priests consider the title of True Noble to be sacred, so someone paying to be "carried" to the core of a dungeon without fighting their way up, or down, depending on the dungeon, is explicit sacrilege. It's difficult to think of anything more offensive to a Lord than that, which means that my standing among the nobility is abysmal.

    Yunia's eyes narrow in cold anger. "This is why the Lordship Ceremony is so important. With all the Crown and our subordinate Lords gathered together, we'll be able to show them all how wrong they are," she seethes.

    "Didn't Silvano say that the other nobles think I'm Gifted? Why would these ones think the exact opposite?" I question calmly as I work to appease Yunia. It's not that I'm not angry; I just learned how to keep the dragon in check.

    "Silvano…? Could it be the Silvano? The 'Silver Lightning'? I heard that he came to Escanso!" Ereia suddenly shouts in excitement, and her fingers twitch rapidly in her lap.

    I nod at her. "Yes, that one…" -She suddenly squeaks like a chewing toy- "He's now serving us as a High Court Mage."

    The elven goblin starts wiggling her upper body with her barely-contained excitement until Yunia's tongue whips her back into shape, "Ereia! Not now…"

    Ereia suddenly freezes, then she adjusts her glasses again and lurches forward tiredly, "Yes, yes…"

    "Well…?" Yunia presses her.

    Ereia instantly straightens her back and shouts, "Ah, yes! The question!" Then she clears her throat. "I think it's a matter of perspective. Only the 'juicier' rumors spread far from the Rabanara and the High Forest, so the faraway nobles are wary of you while the closer ones were drowned in the half-truths, of which, many aren't that 'savory.' Even I, an elf uninterested in the town, know that you 'suddenly appeared' in Rabanara not that long ago, making your swift progress a bit unbelievable."

    I raise my eyebrows in surprise and look at Yunia, but she's as calm as ever. She expected something like this. I turn back to Ereia and ask, a bit astonished, "So you did a background check on me?"

    "The very moment that you were hired by Este Escort Company, owned by the Nephew of Lord Mavel Este and his not-blood-sister," she answers matter-of-factly.

    Wow.

    I lean back against the sofa and go silent. It's a bit scary to witness how deep the information network can go.

    "Do you have any more information for us?" Yunia presses her sternly.

    Ereia returns to her lady-like posture and clears her throat. "Just one last rumor. It's something that a maid overheard from a private conversation among a group of lower Lords 'oppositely aligned' to Lord Wolf Ryder. It has a 'questionable' accuracy, so some details may have been warped or lost along the way…" Ereia awkwardly gesticulates, implying that she's unsure if she should even be telling us this.

    Yunia knows how dangerous wrong information can be, but this time, the risk isn't as high as it could be since we already have an idea about the personalities of the disgruntled Lords. "I understand how our perspective is biased and how this may lead us to wrong conclusions, but I still want to hear it."

    Ereia nods in understanding and cautiously recites what she heard, "A maid heard this: 'we ought to shame the insolent little man of clay.'"

    Lina's Trivia: in the extended Tale of Creation, humans were made of clay and lightning, referring to our adaptability, the "Spark of Life," which is a specific religious concept, and how the Thunderplains was their place of birth. Then the other races came after humans by mixing them with something else. The wereanimals, dragonkin, merfolk, and beastfolk are obviously mixed with animals or monsters, the demon race with mythological beings, the dwarves with stones, the gnomes with mushrooms, and the pixies with flowers. The birth of the elves is fuzzy, and they themselves love to embellish their Tale with their own flair, but most prefer to point to the highly mana-reactive metals of gold and silver.

    To call a human a "man of clay" isn't wrong, but it's also used as a subtle racial slur by the other races, depending on the context, and we know of a certain Heart Lord who might be prejudiced against humans: Ira Saponaria, the one who told Silvane that I was raping Yunia.

    Yunia crosses her legs and grabs her chin. "It's believable that they'd say such a thing," she mutters thoughtfully.

    "Do you have any names?" I press Ereia.

    She smiles apologetically and shakes her head gently as she denies, "The maid never saw who said it, and she didn't recognize the voice either, but I think that she purposely omitted their name so that it'd be harder to trace the rumor back to her."

    "Nevertheless, this information helps us predict how the Lords will react," Yunia assures her, and her red lips curl into a subtle smile.

    Ereia grins like a kid who just received an A+. "I'm always happy to help."



    With that, I leave them by themselves while I return to my training. Ereia is thirsty, but Yunia isn't in the mood, so they just talk while Yunia escorts her to her old house in the outer circle. They meet up with the rest of her family and exchange warm greetings even though Ereia's parents aren't thrilled to be under the care of a non-elven Lord.

    Among the new arrivals, two elves catch Osaria's attention. One is Istante, Confiel's Assistant Quartermaster, and the other is a very nervous, young golden-elven woman. While Istante applies to the Lordsguard, the young girl applies to become a maid and shows a letter of reference from the High Chamberlain of Goloria.

    Osaria guides them in the right direction, then helps Silvina look for houses in the Nobles' Quarters. I'm tempted to give Silvina one of our guest mansions, but she doesn't seem like the kind that needs this type of favor.

    Nanaina sends us new shoes for Aoi and me, and they're much more comfortable than what we had. The padding has been better molded to the shape of our feet, so it doesn't apply pressure against the claws like the first pair did.

    I barely get into the flow of my training again before Alissa comes back, so I receive her in our private Gate Hub. Once she arrives, I feel refreshed from having her Blessing increase my "Sanity" again, like a second wind that makes me feel eager to train some more.

    After a gentle hug and a peck on the lips, I look towards the [Eternal Gate] and smile warmly. Dokkanchee, the old Estekabar shopkeeper that sold Nocturna's illusion magic book to Alissa, slowly comes through while leaning on her crane.

    She takes off her pointy black hat and runs a pale hand through her white feathers in worry as she scans over my whole body. "I recognize these scales from just a glance; this won't be easy," the old woman grumbles with a frown, then her eyes meet with mine, and she nods respectfully. "I certainly didn't expect that we'd meet each other again in this way, Lord Ryder." With her slightly hunched back, I don't think she can bow without a lot of effort, so I won't ask her to do it.

    I return the nod and chuckle once. "Neither did I, but the circumstances call for us to improvise, and you're the only one we know of who has such powers."

    She starts slowly walking forward, so I sling my arm around Alissa and grab one of her ass cheeks, then we go towards Dokkanchee and meet her halfway.

    The Kabar woman lowers her body so that she can get a closer look at my legs, then she pushes herself up with her cane and stares at my arms and horns.

    She grabs my free arm and carefully plays with the scales, but she underestimates their incredible sharpness. She cuts herself on the edge and winces, then she immediately starts sucking on her bleeding finger.

    I cast [Heal] on her and kindly suggest, "We have powerful healers that could help you with your back and even Chimeric [Alteration Mages] that could take a look at it."

    She snorts and shakes her head with a sigh. "Chimeric spirits… I don't even know how to react to such a thing!" She exclaims a bit flippantly.

    Alissa and I smile wryly at each other, then she advises Dokkanchee, "Not reacting is also acceptable. I'm sure that they'd appreciate it if the living didn't think too oddly of them."

    "Honestly, I'm a bit jealous," the old Kabar woman frankly admits, then lets out a snort. "Being able to live in the realm for a little longer after death sounds very interesting."

    I nod and agree, "Yes, we believe many others will also want the same."

    She narrows her eyes, and her face becomes serious again. "But you didn't call me here just to chat. Let's see what I can do."



    While Dokkan studies my draconic body parts, I observe the golems and assess how they're doing.

    "Are you sure that you want them to show their skills in public?" Hana checks with me again before she gives the order.

    "I kind of have a deal with the Goddess of Knowledge to spread my knowledge throughout the realm, so it's about time that I share some of my secrets," I awkwardly respond, feeling a bit guilty about how I'm hiding so many secrets.

    "[Soul Manipulation] isn't that special. We can safely reveal it without losing too much tactical advantage," Alissa confidently suggests.

    "Reveal it only to the Lordsguard, and tell them to keep it a secret. Ereia might be able to catch a rumor or two, which would tell us if we have a leak," Yunia adds.

    "But don't mention [Equipment System] yet since we need it for the Lordship Ceremony," I caution.

    "Understood," Hana answers diligently and starts her sparring session.

    The golem trio has learned intermediate-level elemental magic, intermediate Conjuring, basic [Alteration Magic], and even my [Soul Manipulation]. They seem apt at recreating physical phenomena with magic, but they suffer a lot whenever they attempt to add abstract concepts to their spells, so while they can cast powerful [Lightning Bolt]s, they suck at casting [Rush].

    What Arreira taught them was how to use [Equipment System] without a system, and how to [Equip] nearly a hundred different items. He also increased their [Item Box]es so that they could fill it with all sorts of different things, turning them into fantasy Inspector Gadgets.

    Instead of creating the "soul material" like I do, they use [Soul Manipulation] to adapt their souls to each of the gadgets, specifically, which provides them some benefits. It allows them to use their senses through the gadgets, like touch and thermoception; it makes it much cheaper mana-wise to control them; it allows for greater precision of control in comparison to using [Telekinesis]; it allows for real materials to be used, which most certainly has better properties than my "fake matter"; and it's potentially easier to learn how to control than the way I do, though on this topic, we can't make any proper comparisons yet.

    Ted and Suzy learned how to summon a larger body made of shiny, engraved steel that's about Lina's height, and it works almost as if it's their own skin, while Jarn learned how to fight like me by attaching limbs to her chain joints or hooks on her armor.

    Ted's and Suzy's "battle bodies" lack features, so they're like early-Jarn was, but they can also create their own faces like current-Jarn can. They only know how to copy faces, so they haven't chosen anyone to mimic yet before consulting with us.

    They also had the time to read most of Arreira's books, so while they have difficulty making their own conclusions, they can serve as oral Wikipedias for us.

    The Lordsguard is a bit freaked out by them, especially Jarn since she has Yunia's face, and her multi-limb fighting style is as freaky as my multi-tentacle style. She reminds me of a Hindu god with multiple limbs attached all over her body.

    Though everyone is afraid of the golems, the Chimeras are also very curious about them, especially Oritiki. The [Solidify] spell is still being researched, so while it's possible that the spell could make their bodies as tough as a real one, having a metal "battle body" would make them much more powerful.

    It took four months of non-stop training for the golems to learn how to control their "battle bodies," but it's doable for a warrior without a better alternative. It doesn't have much use for anyone else besides spirits or someone searching for an unorthodox fighting style, so it won't cause a revolution like [Equipment System] will, but I'm sure that the "battle spirits" will become a sort of elite unit for us.

    Oritiki approaches Hana, a deadly serious look on her long, dark face. Sandoro squints and frowns, slightly annoyed by the shininess of Oritiki's armor.

    "Lord Hanafuria, I strongly believe that every Chimera warrior should learn… whatever it is the golems learned to allow them to summon a secondary body," Oritiki affirms, her eyes almost trying to bore holes through Hana's skull.

    Hana nods graciously and approves, "That is a great idea, but it won't be easy."

    Oritiki smirks smugly. "That won't be a problem. Soon, they'll see how powerful they could become, and then they'd even swim in the Looping Winds if it meant that they could learn."

    I think she means something along the lines of "do something impossible" because you certainly can't swim in smoke.

    I quickly explain the basics of [Soul Manipulation] to Hana through [Bind], and she engages "Miyagi mode." She enjoys feeling pain herself quite a lot, but she also enjoys doling it out almost as much.

    Hana smirks evilly and cracks her knuckles. "Well, I'm not the one who created this skill, but I can teach you the basic 'exercise' to start," she says with a husky tone.

    Oritiki pauses for a second, wary of Hana's expression, then nods apprehensively.

    Arreira's technique for learning [Soul Manipulation] is rather "uncomfortable." It requires a Spirit mage to grab someone's soul with [Soul Touch] and pull on their "spirit skin" to stimulate them to learn how to move it themselves, which doesn't actually hurt, but it isn't enjoyable in the least. And would you look at that? Hana has suddenly learned how to cast that spell!

    I think this is payback for her duel with Oritiki.



    Ciel goes to help Lina, then they take the Chimera enchanters to meet up with Hihiriwa and discuss their plan for the expedition. We want to build an industry of gems and airships here, but before we really commit to it, we need buyers, and the biggest fish in the pond is the empire itself. Before we can get the empire's attention, though, we need a sample to showcase what we can do.

    This will be the purpose of this expedition: to learn how much it'll cost to produce enchantable gems and Chimeric airships. We aren't expecting to immediately turn a profit, but the empire has a shortage of gems now that the mines in Aremut have been lost, and even if the empire doesn't want the airships, we can downscale and build them for Lords or wealthy merchants, so there are profits on the horizon.

    Even before the talks have ended, the airships start mobilizing. They're itching for work, and we have enough Spirit mages to keep the crew solid now that the priests will be taking care of the commoners. They'll be ready to depart tomorrow morning, and I'll have Enomosa supervise them. Oritiki will also send her own supervisor, but she herself wants to continue the [Soul Manipulation] training for as long as is physically, or spiritually, in her case, possible.

    Then the day ends, and Dokkanchee returns to Goldport. She'll come back tomorrow morning with tools and start her work immediately.

    We don't have a lot of time since the Lordship Ceremony will be held in five days on the 11th.



    We won't use any maids for this bath. We'll get spoiled if we always let them wash us, and we need some private time for ourselves.

    Also, Klein isn't late, so we can have a nice bonding experience together.

    Alissa has the highest [Washing] out of all of us, so everyone wants her attention. Of course, she chooses me first, and I use [Bind] to mirror her movements.

    I can't stroke her in the same way that she's massaging my dick, but I can insert a (padded) claw into her pussy and rub it against her G-spot.

    I only stimulate her for a short time so that she doesn't tire out. There's a line of women wanting to be touched by her, and it'd be no good if she didn't have the energy left to satisfy at least half of them.

    After she's done with me, I wait on the sofa and deliberate on who I want to ravage today while human-Aoi bobs her head up and down on my shaft. Her human form doesn't need cleaning, but her dragon form does, so I decide to get her to bounce on my dick while we wait for her turn.

    I put the Ring of Fertility on a silver chain and hang it around my neck, then I feed it some mana and allow Aoi to sit down on my cock.

    Her slender legs are quite long, so her waist rises high above my lap before slamming down onto me, allowing me to use my long stroke.

    Her long, silky, dark blue hair wraps around her like a veil, partially concealing her sensual and lithe body. Her pink nipples briefly reappear from behind the blue veil with every movement, making me work for each and every peek, but then she guides her hair to the sides, delightfully revealing everything.

    For someone who has lived for such a short time as a human, she certainly knows how to move her body sensually, displaying her flexibility by gyrating her hips as she grinds her pussy against my crotch, begging for me to pierce her deeper.

    Suddenly, she equips the Clothes of the Berserker, and the sight of the white and pure Snow Weave makes my blood boil. Stockings, long gloves, a garter belt, a bra that doesn't cover her nipples, a lacy white choker, and a bridal veil. The sexy lingerie wasn't designed to fit her body, it's her sexy body that was designed to fit lingerie.

    I grab her hips and slam myself against her, making the lewd sounds of our sex resound throughout the bath hall.

    Her extremely warm and moist insides try to hold my shaft in place, but the strength of my thrusting is too great, and my head hits her cervix.

    She moans from the top of her lungs, her mind going blank from the pleasure, but her legs continue to move on their own as the desire to breed takes over her body.

    She pinches her nipples and closes her eyes, focusing solely on the sensations of my cock grinding against the walls of her vagina, which then starts trying to grip my shaft even harder.

    Pleasure rapidly builds up inside her until it reaches the peak, then her toes curl, and her head swings back as an orgasm takes control over her muscles.

    I grab her waist so that I can continue the Fucking, and soon, a thin sheen of white cream coats my shaft.

    The orgasm finally passes, and she collapses on top of me. Thankfully, [Mana Body] makes my dick quite flexible; otherwise, this would be a rather uncomfortable position for me.

    She hugs me tight and closes her eyes with my dick still faintly twitching and vibrating inside her.

    I haven't even cum yet, and she's already done, but I'm not mad. It's rather endearing how "weak" her human form is. It fits, though, since she wanted her human form to be different from her dragon form.

    While she's usually rough and aggressive, as a human, she's delicate and feminine. She didn't want to be the exact opposite of a dragon, but instead, she wanted to be the epitome of human gentle femininity.

    I start kissing her chest and body, which gives her a small burst of energy that she uses to seal her lips against mine. Her tongue gently slips into my mouth, and instead of kicking up a storm like usual, it plays with mine, teasing my tongue in a manner that reminds me of Roxanne.

    After a few minutes of passionate kissing, her turn finally comes, and she begrudgingly detaches herself from me, then I sigh and look around, searching for the next target.

    I'm feeling somewhat predatory today, so I nab Lina before she can enter the hot bath.

    I lay her down on one of the beds, and she strikes up a coy pose, as if she were Little Red Riding Hood about to be eaten by the Big Bad Wolf… which is not far from the truth.

    I tie her arms behind her back with a tentacle, forcing her to push her petite chest forward, then I lick her body with my lecherous eyes, and she shivers under their intensity. Her droopy eyes are wide open, and her breath quickens with anticipation.

    I grab her little waist and pull it up towards my mouth, then I lick her delicate thighs with a devilish, long, and rough, red tongue.

    She moans softly, just from imagining its texture rubbing against her pussy, then I briefly lick her asshole, making her shiver again.

    Without warning, my tongue penetrates her little flower, and she squeaks loudly, then she opens her legs for me to give her a deeper tongue-fucking.

    I make the tongue spin like a drill, and I take in the exquisite sour flavor of her insides, then I notice how the shape of my cock has been imprinted into the walls of her vagina. She's mine, in both body and soul, and my mark shall remain within her for as long as she lives.

    I withdraw my tongue and lower her waist to my lap. My cock pulsates with anticipation, eager to refresh its imprint once again.

    "Do you want me to fuck you?" I ask, even though her pussy is dripping with lewd juices, ready to take me. I want to hear her cute voice say the dirty words, begging for me.

    "Yes…" She moans shyly.

    "I didn't hear that. Do you want me to fuck you?" I ask again, more sternly this time.

    She cutely bites her lip and whispers shyly again, "Yes. I want…"

    "Want what? Say it!" I press her and growl.

    She immediately cracks under the pressure of my will and lets the cock worshiper burst out. "Fuck me! Fuck me with your dragon cock!" She yells desperately, her squeaky voice sounding like music to my ears.

    The head of my cock pulses one last time, then it dives into her, parting her sex and stretching it to its limit.

    "Ha~hn!" She squeaks as the head slams against her cervix. It's definitely too big for her, but she'll never actually admit that. She loves being stretched.

    I turn her around, making her spin on my dragonator, then I hug her, enveloping her completely, and slam my cock into her again.

    "Ha~hn!" She squeaks again and her insides squeeze around me for a moment, forcing me to slow down.

    I add some texture to my shaft, small pointy bits that simulate a draconic cock, then I create a pair of simple leathery wings that cover us completely. All so that she feels like she's being bred by a dragon, though she actually will be bred by one as soon as my [Dragon Transformation] is high enough.

    I shove a cock-shaped finger inside her mouth, then I pump her pussy up and down to my heart's content.

    I make sure that her fragile little body doesn't break, but her mind gives out midway, her thoughts spiraling into a mush of depravity and pleasure. She's effectively passed out, though I know that she'll remember every detail of her Ravaging, she always does, and the pain in her waist will make sure that she doesn't forget for a long time… or until she asks for a [Heal].

    I grit my teeth as I cum inside her, giving me some fresh lube to continue fucking her, the cream of her orgasms mixing with my own white ambrosia.

    Her moans go faint as I cum inside her repeatedly, and our breeding cocoon is filled with the delightful smell of sex. Male dragons are capable of multiple successive orgasms to ensure that the fertilization is successful, so her experience is as close to a real one as it could be.

    Her insides begin to loosen as her muscles start to lose their strength, and the end of her Ravaging nears.

    She drools and nearly chokes on my cock-finger, so I gradually withdraw it from her mouth. It's a little disappointing, though. There's nothing quite like getting a blowjob from a woman at the same time as I fuck her pussy.

    Her eyes close shut, and she finally passes out, then I unplug her pussy, allowing the excess cum to flow free, and Aoi scurries over to clean it all up.

    After she's done, I grab Lina and lay her down on one of the clean beds, then I join Hana and Klein for a threesome.

    I'd like to fuck my monkey-girl's brains out, but first, we need to team up to defeat Hana.

    The sweaty barbarian is a fearsome foe with a ridiculously large stamina bar, but every boss has a weak spot, and Hana's is a big, thick, spiky dick. But I don't stop there.

    I grow another dick to stretch her asshole and vibrate them both, making sure that there's always a spike playing with her clit, and Klein pulls on the belt secured around Hana's neck, choking her while also playing with her nipples and keeping her mouth occupied.

    Through our teamwork, the boss is defeated and collapses in a puddle of her own pussy juice, but this isn't co-op, this is a battle royale.

    I pounce on Klein and slide it in, then I grab her arms, binding them behind her back, and fuck her doggy style.

    Her long monkey tail tries to fight back, but my thick dragon tail is pure muscle, so I tie her up completely and finish her.

    Her entire back gets covered in my mark, the brown of her delicate skin contrasting perfectly with the healthy white of my seed.

    I look around for my next prey and continue The Ravaging.



    I stop in front of Alissa, the last opponent still standing.

    She stops playing with her pussy, then she seductively licks the mixture of clear liquid and white cream on her hand. My cock twitches from the stimulating sight, making the lewd juices coating it drip off.

    She lays down on the bed and spreads her legs for me, inviting me in. She submits to my superior cock and takes me in with delight until she finally collapses from the ecstasy, leaving me as the last warrior standing.



    I finally enter the hot bath with a sigh, then a little thirsty dragon clamps onto my dick. I still have some mana left to burn, so I let her do as she pleases.

    Once our bodies are completely relaxed, it's time for dinner. Krysta convinced the elven chef to make not-pita bread sandwiches along with a dish that I love so very much: a charcuterie board of elven smoked meat, cold cuts, and cheeses. It's the perfect combo of elven food, incorporating everything they're good at while also being very considerate of our tastes.

    Once my belly is filled, I sit by the streams in the corner of the dining room and wet my feet in the running water. At first, I don't feel much, but then I pad my claws with a layer of sensitive skin, allowing me to feel the cool water splashing against my scales, which feels very refreshing in this hot weather. I guess that this is exactly why the mages created this feature.

    Hana sits down beside me, and her hand immediately goes for my hair to play with it. Before her brain massage can put me to sleep, I help her draft up a training routine for the Chimeras who want to learn [Soul Manipulation].

    It seems that [Spirit Magic] will be experiencing a boom in business. Well, at least in this town, it will. There are still more mages applying to join our Court, but we'll resort to hiring them as freelancers because our numbers are nearing the limit. I don't want to give Mimi an aneurysm right now.

    Once our conversation starts to peter out, Osaria sits down on my other side and snuggles up to me.

    "Wolfy, I wanted to talk about my position as a concubine," she hesitantly says with a somewhat serious tone.

    After suppressing the sudden desire to run away, I nod gently and urge her to continue, "Yes, what is it?" Then I wrap my tail around her waist to comfort her since she looks a bit nervous.

    She anxiously taps her thick thighs, then her demeanor regains its usual faint coyness. "I've greatly enjoyed acting as your representative. The occasional traveling, the meetings with other people, the idea of representing someone as important as a Crown Lord…" -She suddenly grins and relaxes her body against mine- "It all resonates with me, so I want to make it official, but I'd also like it if I was properly paid for it, though I don't need to be paid like a diplomat. I just don't want to have to ask you for money every time I want something."

    I grab her thigh and caress it lovingly to reassure her. "Sure, that's fine with me. I'll tell Mimi tomorrow."

    The seductress comes back, and she grins mischievously, then gives me a peck on the cheek.

    Unlike wives-to-be, concubines aren't seen as having the same level of authority as a wife. The point of marriage is to make it official that they're a team, so while spouses don't need to have the same level of power, they're expected to share the responsibilities of their positions, which is especially true for a position as important as a Lord. But concubines aren't "married" to their partners, so Osaria's word doesn't carry the same weight as mine does, and by law, our finances are still separate.

    I grab her hand and give it a gentle kiss, then Hana gets a bit jealous, so she snuggles up to me on my other side, and both of my (padded) draconic arms get buried in between their mountains.

    "Isn't it fitting that someone like Osaria represents us?" Yunia suddenly comments, hiding her smirk with a stony mask.

    "An insatiable sexual predator?" Klein questions teasingly and looks around, searching for supporters. "Sounds just like half of this harem."

    Roxanne nods emphatically and sides with her, "Yes. A seductress that's even more of a succubus than I am."

    "It's almost as if she's a fusion of all of our 'eccentricities,'" Alissa adds and nods sagely.

    Ciel sighs wistfully and rests her cheek on her hand. "I could definitely sense a hint of a draconic thirst in her yesterday," she piles on.

    Aoi tilts her head to the side and muses, "I think her libido is similar to a dragon's. Maybe one of her ancestors was a dragonkin?"

    "Now that you mentioned it, I think she does fuck like Hana," Klein agrees and chuckles cheekily.

    Osaria actually blushes and pouts in annoyance, though she barely contains her smile since this is all in good fun. "You're all talking about me as if I were horrible," she complains.

    "Horribly horny," Klein immediately retorts.

    Osaria holds her waist in a sassy way and presses her, "And what does that make you?"

    Klein stutters and repeats in confusion, "W-what does that make me…?"

    "Her fucking toy!" Roxanne shouts and laughs along with Osaria.

    "Personal clit licker," Hana plays along and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

    "Fingering expert. Oh, wait, no, that's me, ohohohoh," Osaria taunts snobbishly like Yunia, then laughs like Roxanne.

    Alissa lays her hand on top of Klein's and gives it a reassuring squeeze. Klein suddenly turns to her and pouts anxiously at Alissa's gentle expression.

    "A friend to all of us," Alissa comforts her, and Klein forgets all about the previous banter, smiling cutely at her. Then Alissa's tail wags, and she narrows her eyes like a cheeky fox. "And Wolfy's cum extractor, number nine."

    "NYAH!" Klein squeals in anger and surprise from the sneak attack and counters by pouncing on Alissa. Her hands wrap around the sly fox's neck, and she pretends to strangle her.

    Alissa resists, and the two of them start to wrestle on the table, then they roll off of it and fall onto the soft grass-like floor but remain entangled.

    They clasp their hands with each other and struggle for control, then Klein suddenly spreads their arms apart and attacks by kissing Alissa's lips.

    The foxy girl feels a faint thump in her chest, stunning her for a split second, which is just enough time for the irate monkey to turn the tables on her. She forces Alissa to spin around and binds her arms behind her back while laughing manically.

    "NAHAHAHAHA! Got you!"

    She must be the second most experienced wrestler among us, with Hana firmly at the top. The two of them have had many borderline-gay tussles while growing up together.

    Alissa struggles for a moment but gives up because she isn't strong enough to get out of this position. That doesn't mean she's been defeated, though.

    She nuzzles up to Klein's neck, slightly calming down the victorious monkey girl, then she suddenly jerks her body to the side and nibbles on Klein's round monkey ears.

    "NYAAA!" Klein shrieks from the painful jolt, allowing Alissa to escape her grasp. The animal ears of a wereanimal are their weak spot, but not because of the pain. Just like with getting poked in the ribs, it's a strong but difficult to explain sort of stimulation that throws off anyone who's not prepared for it.

    Alissa grabs Klein's body and switches positions with her, getting on top of the stunned monkey girl.

    She restrains Klein's arms and pins her waist between her legs, then she leans down and kisses her.

    Now it's Klein's turn to become stunned for a split second, but instead of resisting Alissa, she reaches up to kiss her again.

    Alissa's pussy starts tingling, and the two weregirls start kissing each other passionately.

    Aside from her obsession with making me happy, I think Alissa is the straightest of all the girls, though she was never entirely straight.

    I release Osaria's waist and get up, then I walk up to the girls and stop before them.

    They stop kissing each other when they feel the shadow of my cocks on their faces.

    "I feel that you two are going to need these," I whisper with a husky tone.

    Alissa grins excitedly while Klein subtly licks her lips.



    I cast [Heal] on their pussies because two Ravagings in a single day is just too much for them. Even though they were horny, their bodies can only take so much.

    The maids might've been a bit traumatized by the sight of us. They should've already heard about me, but seeing it in person is another thing entirely.

    We retire to our bedroom, and I give Yunia some attention by brushing her hair. I could use my claws as a brush, but just that heretical thought alone is enough to earn me a glare from her, so I won't think about that idea any further.

    After a while, I start to use my tentacles to hold the brush instead since they don't tire out like my clumsy hands do, and then I suddenly remember something that I should've addressed a long time ago.

    Klein… I want Klein, there's no denying it.

    She doesn't want to join the harem, but she also doesn't want to leave us. She might love us, but her feelings are nowhere near as strong as the love between the wives and myself.

    She's like Ereia: she's our sex friend. A close friend, but still just a friend.

    I don't want to give her up. Whether she's in love with Hana's brother or not, I want to have her as my concubine.

    In truth, I want every woman. I want Krysta, I want Kaatohe, her long-gone mother, Hukarere, Oritiki, Kurii, Shala, Istante, Sainalai, Almaria, Poosh, Oura, Silvane, Nononya, Toroo, Silvina… and maybe I could fuck some sense into Vanea… heh.

    But I know that if I tried to force Klein to stay, she wouldn't be happy.

    I cross my arms and start grumbling internally. The dragon inside of me is making this harder than it should be.

    "You'll never have her," Alissa enters my mind, helping the human convince the stubborn dragon. "You can have her body, but not her heart."

    Grumpy, stubborn, and proud. The shithead that now lives inside of me is holding onto Klein like how a child holds onto its toy in fear of having it taken away from them. I guess the Gods fucked me over by giving me this dragon, or maybe they just divided my personality into two different pieces, with the entirety of some of my bad characteristics being assigned to either one of them.

    I still remember Ciel's worry that I might change too much, and that the man she fell in love with would disappear completely. I took that to heart, and now, I worry about how this new race will change me, but I can't truly say how old-me would've reacted to this situation.

    I think he'd just put off the decision until the deadline. It wouldn't be the first time…

    Old-me was kind, considerate, and moral. He knew very well where the line was, and he'd never cross it willingly.

    Do these characteristics describe a man that would force a woman to commit to him? I don't think so, you grumpy lizard. Now fuck off.

    I cringe at myself. I never expected that I'd have to convince "my other self" to cooperate.

    Oh fuck, don't tell me that I've developed split personalities.

    I throw myself onto the bed and puff out my cheeks. This is the best opportunity to talk about this, so I won't back down and postpone it again.

    Hana sits beside me, and her strong fingers run through my hair, occasionally tugging at my stiff and rough black horns. I love it when she does that.

    I look at her, and she gives me a compassionate smile.

    She's gone through this already. She wanted to have me for herself, then she wanted Roxanne for herself, but that was never meant to be. It's been a long time since the greedy lizard inside her tried to hoard anything because she just can't.

    You can cry and whine all you want, you stinky lizard, but you won't hoard everything. You know it, so let me do this, or I won't let you mount Aoi.

    The fucking cockbrain stops grumbling for a moment. Threatening myself seems to have worked, but I don't know for how long since I find it extremely hard to believe that I'll be able to not have sex with Aoi, especially since she herself thinks this is bullshit because it's also a punishment for her.

    I chuckle softly at myself.

    This is really fucking stupid.

    I secure the saddle on the dragon and forcefully reign it in.

    I said my piece, now obey.

    I'm still the same, mostly. I'm still the man that my wives fell in love with, just better… and slightly crazy, or maybe this is just how weredragons are.

    My principles are still the same, though. I'm not letting a man into the harem, it's just that Klein was never really in it, to begin with.

    "Aw… nibbling Skritters," Roxanne jokingly grumbles inside my mind.

    Alissa sends her an angry glare. Ironically, it seems that she's the most concerned with faithfulness out of all of us.

    I wrap my tail around hers to get her to calm down. I don't actually mind Roxanne's banter because I'm pretty secure in my position.

    The rule about men is one of the few that put limits on our debauchery. If we were ever to cross it, I feel like I'd lose myself, so that's the line in the sand, the maximum extent to our depravity.

    Klein breaks none of my rules because I should never have considered her to be part of the harem, even temporarily. The idea of a "temporary husband" was also a bad one from the start.

    I guess this is why Krysta warned us about our relationship. We weren't in sync, and now I have to put in the effort to beat down my heart so that we'll be on the same page.

    I breathe in to steady myself and sit up. Klein gives us a curious look, now noticing that we're acting slightly weird.

    Osaria makes her bird stop singing, and a silence settles into the room.

    I clear my throat and start, "Since we're talking about relationships, I think we need to clarify where we stand."

    Klein's tail immediately shoots up as her eyes open wide, and her fur stands on end. "W-w-wha-wha-what?" She stutters, completely flustered.

    I unwrap my tail from Alissa's, then I scoot towards Klein and entangle my tail with hers, pulling it down to get her to relax. I've quickly learned about how sensitive my non-human parts are. It's almost like they're a highway to my heart.

    She calms down a little, but she still seems apprehensive, so I don't waste any more time. "It's nothing too serious, and it shouldn't change how things are."

    She sucks in a breath and nods shyly.

    "You love us, right?" I softly ask.

    She nods vigorously, getting even more apprehensive.

    "But you don't want to join the harem?" I ask directly. There's no point in going with any other approach.

    She hesitates, then nods slowly and opens her heart to us, "I… I love you all, I really do, but I feel like there's 'something missing.' I just don't want to have to share with so many other people…" -She looks down, and her tone is stained with melancholy- "It's fun being together with all of you, it really is, but I don't feel like I'd make a good wife, and I want a husband that I could call my own."

    I close my eyes in pain and speak my mind, "You love us, but not enough to marry us."

    "I guess…" She hesitantly admits and shrugs.

    "I didn't think you'd make a good wife, with Wolfy's destiny and all, but maybe you could've been a concubine," Hana opens up her heart, too.

    Klein sighs and shakes her head. "I don't know… maybe if the harem was smaller…"

    I give her tail a little tug and reassure her, "If you really don't see yourself joining the harem officially, then you simply shouldn't. It's important that you make this decision both happily and willingly, but like I said, you'll always be welcome here no matter what you choose."

    She bites her lip and nods, then breathes, "Okay…"

    I glance at Yunia. "I think that we shouldn't have made you into a 'temporary member.' You're a friend, or maybe a little more than a friend, but not enough to be a lover. You're like Ereia or Hukarere, a 'friend with benefits,' or a 'sex-friend' if you want a more explicit label."

    "A close friend with benefits," Hana adds sternly. She really wants to make it clear just how important Klein is to her.

    She pauses and blinks, still slightly confused, but her body starts to relax. Perhaps something clicked in her head, and now she's realizing where we truly stand.

    "That makes sense…" She mumbles, and her eyes open wide, then she looks at each of us. "I… think I agree with that."

    I sigh and relax, letting our entangled tails flop on the bed.

    I feel like I've just taken a weight off my shoulders. For a long time, I've felt like my attachment to Klein was "wrong," but now I know it's finally exactly as it should be.

    For as much as she might love us, she isn't ready to join us officially… and now that I think about it, she might be addicted to my dick, which would be one of the reasons that she doesn't want to leave.

    Osaria suddenly hugs Klein from behind and kisses the top of her head. "You'll always have a place here," she whispers with a husky tone.

    Klein nods with an anguished face, holding herself back from crying, and we form another cuddle puddle to heal our frayed nerves. I think I prefer fighting monsters over this.

    The puddle feels so good that we all peacefully drift off into a deep sleep.



    Today is the 7th.

    Osaria wakes me up by deepthroating me with a mischievous look in her eyes. I dare say that she's as good of a cock-sucker as Alissa is, though they don't do it in the same way.

    I gently grab her silver hair and gasp as I cum down her throat, then she releases my used and abused member, and we get up for breakfast.

    The Chimeras have already departed, so I summon a dozen wind elementals to search for them since I forgot to leave a summon behind on the Carrier. I trust the knights, but I'd like to be able to see what they're doing.

    If the elementals don't find them, then I'll just ask for a Space mage to open a [Gate] for me. I trust that Alcander didn't forget to set up a few of them inside our ships.



    My [Dragon Transformation] increased by 1 (now 4).

    Roxanne increased her [Mana Control], [Mana Efficiency], and [Alchemy] by 1 (now 8+32, 10+10, and 1+9).

    Hana increased her [Draconic Body] by 2 (now 3), and her [Spear Use] and [Intimidate] by 1 (now 2+18 and 3).

    Ciel increased her [Light Magic] by 1 (now 10+30).

    Lina increased her [General Enchanting] by 1 and [Magic Tool Carving] by 2 (now 7+13 and 2+8).



    For breakfast, Krysta adds eggs Benedict on nutty muffin to the menu, though these are Dragolite eggs, which require a much larger muffin to fit it all.

    There's no way around it, Lordship is going to spoil us pretty thoroughly, and I must say that Yunia really was raised properly, but I can't see the twins actually resisting all the luxury and hedonism of Lordship.

    After we eat, I pass by Mimi's office to tell her about Osaria's position.

    Her stony face remains unmoving, except for a single eyebrow, which she briefly raises. "A representative or a diplomat? They're similar positions but they have very different expectations regarding payment," she clarifies.

    I pensively scratch my horn and think it through, "Oh… I think she'll be a diplomat. A representative could be any sort of person whose job is to promote our interests while a diplomat has to use more skills, like negotiation, and has more authority when brokering deals. For someone as experienced as Osaria, I think she fits better as our diplomat."

    Mimi nods in understanding. "Then diplomat it is."



    Today, neither Yunia nor Alissa have any pressing matters to attend to, so they'll be able to join us for training. It feels nostalgic to gather in a room and train near each other, but not all of us have spent months in a maze, so they don't feel like it had really been that long.

    Dokkanchee is escorted to the castle shortly after breakfast, and she immediately gets to work.

    She inspects my scales again, and this time, I pad them so that she doesn't get cut.

    "You're… forgive me, but you're 'odd,' my Lord," she softly comments and looks up at me.

    I snort softly and ask bemusedly, "That, I know, but why do you think so?"

    She wets her lips and pushes herself up with her cane. "Your scales have the concept of Okross, its 'indestructibility,' and they've only been seen on the Symbol of Might, one of the most ancient and powerful dragons that we know about, but you don't strike me as someone who represents 'might.' Your [Mana Body] and shape-shifting skill make me think that you're more of a mage." She sighs and stares at my scales again. "Your contradicting characteristics are truly perplexing. I don't have the faintest idea about what could have happened to make your body change like this."

    Hm… this is rather interesting.

    She already has to keep my condition a secret until the Lordship Ceremony, so one more secret wouldn't hurt.

    I decide to bring her up to speed, "The truth is that the Gods made me into a new race inside a dungeon. I'm a weredragon, a fusion of man and dragon, so perhaps my 'human' side is magically powerful, while my 'dragon' side is physically powerful."

    She immediately looks up and intensely stares into my eyes for a moment, then she looks around and observes the girls training their skills.

    "I can't say that this is unexpected…" She comments and chuckles, then sighs tiredly and goes into work-mode again. "Though impressive, the 'indestructibility' aspect of your scales interferes with the illusion magic. It doesn't make it impossible to achieve the masking that you desire, but it really makes my job harder."

    I shrug and lean back on the sofa. "We're Crown Lords. If we can throw money at you until the problems disappear, we will."

    Her face cramps, and she shifts uncomfortably on her feet. "It won't be necessary for you to go that far," she whispers nervously, and I simply nod graciously.



    Dokkanchee sets up crystals all over our training room, and it reminds me of when I put up cameras for VR with Lily.

    Dokkan's illusions aren't just some sort of hologram, though. She needs extreme, reality-bending powers to fool hundreds of commoners, the subordinate Lords that will be staying close to us, and the Crown Lords who will act as witnesses to the ceremony. It's no simple task, and we know of no one better than the shopkeeper who routinely fools customers just to gauge their aptitude for seeing through illusions.

    Her magical school is called [Jaleowzeh Magic], which Roxanne says is a contraction of "fake realm" in [Southern Maokai Language]. It's one of those magic schools that requires specific tools and doesn't have much in the spells department, so there's no point in any of us trying to learn it ourselves.

    While she works, the girls all go about their training.

    Alissa tries out an enchanted bow that lets her subtly control the direction of her arrows. It's a neat enchantment, but it's really complex, rather sensitive to interruption, and difficult to control, making it not very practical to use.

    Roxanne takes a little break from her [Alchemy] to improve the power of her [Explosion] by adding [Warp Space] to it. It's something that she's postponed for a while now, so it'd be best if she just finished it already.

    Hana tests out her armor and all of its enchantments. Using them isn't just like pressing a button since it's necessary for you to continuously "feed" them with mana, and it takes some practice to differentiate between all of the enchantments. She also needs to learn how to avoid ripping her armor off her body when she uses [Draconic Body] to make the gear actually useful.

    Ciel practices [Light Magic]. First, she [Heal]s Dokkanchee and [Refresh]es her body to help her with her pains, then she tries out [Detect Evil] and focuses on understanding the feedback that the spell provides her with.

    The spell makes her hand glow, and allows her to see someone's "color" when she touches them. White is for normal, faithful humanoids; red is for the Wicked; black is for monsters; gray is for animals; and summoned beings have the same color as their master, though it has a "fake" feeling to it that's easily noticed through the spell.

    Curiously, Aoi is white, but semi-transparent. She doesn't have a single speck of "blackness" to her, but she also isn't fully humanoid yet. It makes me wonder what Ciel would have seen if we had cast it on her sooner.

    Lina continues studying my [Materialization], which is now being renamed to [Solidify] by the Spirit mages. She's also starting to carve an experimental magic tool for it, so she wants to finish it before she continues with her combat training.

    Aoi continues training her fire breath. Apparently, Hana quite literally channels her anger into her breath, so Aoi is having some problems with improving her fire since she's nowhere near as angry as Hana.

    For a dragon, she's pretty calm and kind. If she didn't enjoy being dominated and having rough sex so much, she could even pass for just a big lizard or something.

    "Hey!" She shouts inside my mind and sends me a human pout.

    "I-… I didn't mean that as an insult, it's just that you're not what I expected a dragon to be," I hurriedly explain myself.

    "She was never a 'normal' dragon, to begin with, but I think she's better this way," Alissa chimes in and sends a mental head pat to Aoi.

    "Wasn't she raised by all of you? Without a dragon to guide her, she was bound to grow up different," Yunia remarks.

    "She's a weirdo," Roxanne jabs, the system translating the Maokai slang into something more palatable.

    "I'm special!" Aoi proudly states, seeing nothing wrong with being different.

    "Dokkanchee is giving us odd looks; let's keep it quiet in my head, okay?" I try to calm them down. I still remember the fact that Dokkanchee can "see" it when we communicate through [Bind].

    "Okay!" Aoi deliberately yells, so I poke her soul.

    Yunia works on her [Spirit Magic] while also learning how to use her armor and weapons. She wants to make [Soul Blade] and [Soul Shield] a more prominent part of her fighting style, so she uses my memories of multi-limb fighting to accelerate her progress.

    Like how Yunia is benefiting from my memories, we're all also able to take a look at how the others use their armor's enchantments to speed up our own progress, so it's not like we're losing out too much. With how connected we are, our experiences transfer between one another quite easily, so if any one of us progresses in a skill, everyone else learns a little from it, too.

    I also practice my transformation since Dokkanchee doesn't need me to remain human all the time. The most difficult part is getting my scales to be affected by her magic, so the shape I'm in doesn't really matter right now.

    The more I transform, the more I feel like I'm going crazy. When I'm a dragon, I feel like pushing down Lina, sinking my claws into her ribs, and fucking her with no lube until she bleeds. Once I transform back into a human, I start to think 'what the fuck is wrong with me,' then I transform back into a dragon and the desire comes right back, but I feel like I'm perfectly normal.

    Dragon thoughts only make sense when I'm a dragon, and human thoughts only make sense when I'm a human. I still spend most of my time as a human, so my dragon thoughts feel very "foreign" to me.

    Do I become a danger to the girls whenever I shift into a dragon?

    "We'll always be here to stop you if you do because [Bind] works both ways, oddly enough," Ciel's comforting voice and embrace enters my soul space.

    "I feel like mating with you and forcing you to impregnate me every time we have sex, but I never do," Alissa shares her own experience with strange impulses. As the resident wereanimal, I think I should rely on her more. "Yes, please do."

    "But you do have a thing with clawing at his back," Yunia comments smugly.

    Alissa's ears go flat as she feels a little ashamed. "Well, sometimes the wild side bleeds over."

    "Haven't you ever had that dark little voice in your head go: 'wow, I could kill that person with a flick of my wrist'? It's the same thing with violent desires," Hana chimes in with some surprisingly good advice. "Hey! Fuck you!"

    Aoi stops nurturing her anger for a moment just to nod at Hana's words, then Roxanne's voice worms its way into my head with unusual gentleness, "I'm not a succubus from the myths, just a humanoidized version of them. I want to ride every dick I see, but not really."

    Hana nods internally and grunts in agreement. "Oh yeah, I definitely get that."

    Ciel, Lina, and Yunia share a worried look. They've never felt anything like that, so they have the same perspective as I do: the other races are fucking crazy, but we don't really believe that. It's just something so alien to them that they find it hard to relate to it, giving me a bit of comfort since it explains why I'm having difficulty adjusting.

    "I don't envy you, Wolfy," Lina says with a rather pitying tone, and the other two girls nod internally. She walks up to me and silently pats my scaly head, and just the act of that alone is enough to comfort me because I certainly can't feel much with her small, soft hand.

    Gify pops into existence on my draconic back, making Dokkan jump in surprise. "Gih!" Gify shouts angrily inside my head. She can see my brain, and she knows that I'm fine, so she wants me to stop with the crazy talk.

    Dokkan grumbles a bit and continues her work, then Ciel gives her a guilty smile in our stead.

    I sigh and sit on my hind legs. I think my human side is really whiny, or maybe it's just the dragon that's grumpy. "So I guess the dragon thoughts will be always 'there,' and I just need to find a way to 'deal with it'?"

    "Gih!" Gify angrily claws at my scales, but I barely feel anything.

    "Yes," Alissa, Hana, and Aoi agree in unison.

    I snort, exhaling smoke through my nose, and give everyone an internal head pat as I say, "Alright. Thanks, everyone."

    "Hehehe," Roxanne giggles cheekily, proud that she actually helped this time instead of just being the useless comedic relief. "Oi!"

    "Damn right, she's useless!" Hana piles on and chortles.

    "Comedy helps people heal! Isn't that right, Ciel?" Roxanne angrily presses her for an answer.

    Ciel tries to make herself small, but everyone's internal eyes are already set upon her. "Hm… yes, it does, but I can hardly say that what you do is comedy. It's borderline bullying," she awkwardly admits and holds back some chuckles.

    "Ahahaha!" Hana lets out a belly laugh.

    "You bitches…" Roxanne grumbles, and her presence starts to fade into the background.

    "Anyway…" Alissa tries to clear my mind by giving them each a few glares. "You should explore what both of your sides want, treating them like separate personalities, or outright embrace both sides like a dragonkin."

    I hum in thought and reflect, "I don't really feel like the dragon side is 'me.' Maybe a different 'me,' but not the original."

    "Embracing both makes you stronger. It's easier to use your muscles when you like them," Hana advises again, and the image of her proudly pounding her chest as she grins is sent into my mind.

    I frown, which makes my draconic face look menacing, but I don't let Dokkan see it. "I don't 'like' my dragon side. I don't want to mix with him."

    Alissa pats my head through Lina. "Then separate personalities it is," she kindly says.

    We all stop talking, and I glance at Dokkanchee, who seems to have become distracted. She wets her lips nervously and picks up the pace again.



    Alissa suddenly starts to hear some low rumbling coming from far away, so I summon a bird and send it to investigate.

    It quickly discovers that it's the sound of the court mages training together. Alcander uses [Ritualism] with the Space mages to throw two-meters wide boulders at Silvano, who destroys each one with a single [Lightning Bolt].

    His mana quickly runs out, and they switch to using smaller boulders for the rest of the mages to practice with. This creates a lot of dust, so the Wind mages have to regularly clear the air.

    I notice that Alcander seems to be trying to not look at Silvano, and I don't blame him. Silvano's silver robes shine a bit too much, like Oritiki's armor.

    The eccentric elf moves non-stop between the mages, giving them little tips to improve their spells, while Alcander takes his time, observing each mage until he's either satisfied or he finds a point that needs improvement. I can't say that they don't work well together.



    One of the elementals reaches the ships and enters the Carrier through the window of a Trinity Cannon, but the gunner and the guard stationed there don't let it pass.

    "An elemental… isn't our Lord a summoner?" The gunner questions and scratches his deer horns.

    The crocodile guard nods with confidence and speaks with a female voice, "He is, but I saw a lot of summoners during our morning practice with the court mages, so it could belong to anyone. Though I think she does look like one of the Lords."

    "The fox one?"

    The crocodile rolls her eyes. "Obviously."

    "But you're not sure?" The deer presses on.

    The guard frowns and looks away from the elemental. "No…" She whispers ashamedly. "You?"

    The gunner clears his throat and whispers back while looking away, "N-no…"

    The two of them chuckle nervously. For the Lordsguard to not know the faces of their Lords is shameful, to say the least, buu~t they're excused since I've hardly left the castle in the few days since they started serving us.

    The elemental offers a simple letter with the Este's Lordship seal, and the guard accepts it gingerly then frowns when she sees the seal.

    "I think this is the Lordship seal," she whispers to the gunner, unsure.

    "You think?" He retorts like it was obvious.

    She coughs nervously again. "S-should we open it?"

    He shakes his head vigorously and suggests, "Obviously not. I think we should deliver it to the Marshall."

    The door to their compartment suddenly opens, and a small, female, cat-headed Chimera officer comes in, then she scans the room. "I've detected the intrusion of a summon. I take it it-… she isn't hostile since you didn't sound the alarm?" She presses the two stooges.

    "Hm, yes. Uh, here…" The guard awkwardly gives the letter to the officer, who takes it and stares at the seal for a long moment.

    "What should we do…?" The guard whispers hurriedly.

    The officer raises her head and scans over the elemental's entire body, her cat face locked in a stony mask. "Let's escort the elemental to the Marshall," she confidently orders, then quietly adds, "and hope that the Lords don't strangle us."



    Lunchtime arrives, and the chefs give us a tongue-gasm once again.

    Back on Earth, I wasn't exactly sedentary, but I certainly would grow fat from the amount of food we've been eating. Even Lina is eating a lot, but her body is still as flat as a board. If our lifestyle slows down even a little, we'll definitely have some problems…

    After fattening ourselves up, Lina meets with Sainalai to get her opinion on the [Solidify] enchantment that she finished carving this morning.

    For once, the two of them don't appear small because all the furniture in Sainalai's office is properly sized for her. It's actually quite easy to do that since most elven furniture is literally grown out of the ground.

    The freckled halfling takes the beautiful ruby and inspects it closely, then she pulls out a polished marble polyhedron and presses it against the gem.

    Lina knits her eyebrows in confusion, then Sai feeds the gem some of her mana, and a naked, tall, and muscular horse-headed female Chimera materializes beside her.

    "Hm… quite interesting. Not the cheapest enchantment, but it's well-made," Sainalai comments thoughtfully while rubbing her chin, then she looks at the Chimera. "How is it? How does it feel?"

    "Feels good, actually, but my muscles aren't as powerful as I remember them being. It's much better than what the other mages can do, though," the Chimera immediately answers as she jumps around and tests out her senses, then she stops in place and starts touching her pussy. "Wild winds, now this feels good."

    Sai gives a surprised side glance to Lina and holds back a chuckle, making the shy little dwarf blush heavily.

    The Chimera gets a bit too into it, so Sai pulls out a blanket that she spreads out on the floor, underneath the woman.

    "It seems that your version of [Solidify] will be best suited for 'leisure' activities," Sai tactfully comments with a wry smile.

    "Yes. I suppose it will," Lina quietly agrees, refusing to look Sai in the eye.


    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Jorge Franco.
     
  4. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    Another day ends, and we begin our sacred routine during bath time. The maids wash us again, and this time, Poosh joins them.

    She has a semi-transparent cloth tying her long, straight, blonde hair back into a ponytail, and sports a cute but small elven bikini, revealing most of her curves. A small percentage of her body is obscured with patches of white wool, though, making her look quite fluffy and soft due to both the wool and her curves.

    She also seems to have the opposite of a resting bitch face, warmly displaying a permanent gentle gaze that gives her a motherly air.

    Before we begin, she leans over my tub and respectfully asks, "My Lord, may I give you a more intimate touch than what the maids usually provide?"

    "Yes," I answer immediately without even thinking, and her gentle gaze becomes even gentler.

    Her hand glides along my soapy skin with extreme softness, but it stimulates me to an unbelievable degree, making me forget all about the other cute maids currently washing me.

    She's apparently single, so it's obvious what both Alissa and I want from her.

    Our Blood Slave contract is simple and straightforward: she's only to be a loyal servant. So, though she offered to be more "intimate," the extent of that is still controlled entirely by her, but the way she gently strokes my member makes me forget about everything we had agreed on.

    Her other hand massages my scalp, pressing on the base of my horns, and the bubbling elven hair product continues the massage wherever she isn't touching.

    She suddenly grips a horn and squeezes it, almost making me moan. I immediately think of Roxanne and her fear of having her horns broken. If it feels this pleasurable to just apply pressure to them, I can totally imagine how a succubus might end up snapping them from overindulgence.

    The maids push my body forward to wash my back, forcing Poosh to lean down so that she can continue stroking me, which also makes her bouncy bits dangle right before me, asking me to grab them.

    My hands are currently bound by the maids as they carefully clean each individual scale with a special, ultra-resistant version of Snow Weave, so I can only watch on in a trance as her bits jiggle enticingly.

    Poosh gradually dials down both the grip strength and the stroke speed, keeping me at a maximum level of pleasure, but also preventing me from tipping over.

    I look up and gaze into her dark brown eyes, then I let myself fall to her [Charm], and I feel myself getting faintly intoxicated by her, like with Roxanne's racial charm, but much weaker.

    Someone grabs my resting tail and starts washing the base, right where it's the most sensitive, and that tips me over the edge.

    "Oh…" Poosh breathes softly, sounding slightly disappointed, then she looks at my still member with curiosity, and her long sheep ears twitch. "Oh…? Do you have sex skills, my Lord?"

    I sigh and close my eyes, letting myself relax completely now that the stimulation has stopped. "Yeah. Quite a lot of them," I whisper as I start to feel drowsy.

    "O~h…" She breathes in understanding, then she starts stroking me again very delicately and slowly, just stimulating enough to keep me from falling asleep, but not intense enough to make me want to rip off her clothes and fuck her.

    As her other hand snakes down my body, I suddenly feel the need to add, "Just don't finger my asshole."

    "Understood, my Lord," she gracefully acknowledges, though I definitely detect some disappointment in her tone.



    The maids finish washing me, then they oil my skin and bring me to a clean bed.

    Poosh continues stroking me, keeping me fully erect, then Yunia appears before me, also properly oiled. Her pinkish skin shines just like her golden hair, which is currently straight, giving her a cooler air than when it's styled into drills.

    The maids have made her ready for me, and we immediately start her Ravaging. Poosh grabs her waist and fingers her second entrance for me while the other maids grope her other bits and stimulate her.

    Once she collapses on top of me, the maids continue moving her hips for her, and I'm sure that Poosh can feel me vibrating through Yunia's butthole.



    After Yunia is done, Osaria comes to have her turn, her thick dark body oiled up and shiny, but she also doesn't last long and collapses beside Yunia.

    Poosh makes to clean both of them, but Aoi beats her to the punch.

    For once, Poosh's gentle expression warps into surprise as she watches the little dragon with deep curiosity. She remains silent through the entire clean up, but her interest in Aoi remains even after she's done.

    I join the girls in the hot bath, and we cuddle while the tentacle monster does his noble work. It's not a Ravaging, but the gentle, sexy moans of pleasure and relaxation from the girls reveal what's going on underwater.

    The maids whisper among themselves again, commenting on the lewd faces that the girls make, but Poosh returns to her gentle look again. I wonder if she's seen worse.



    For dinner, we get a nice slab of roasted meat, and I notice that my appetite for rare meat has increased significantly. I even start wanting to drink up the juices pooling on the plate as the dragon within me fantasizes about eating a live cow and drinking its warm blood.

    Krysta has focused on preparing mana-infused food today, which will soon become quite popular once the Chimeras start going out into the town.

    It certainly tastes good to Aoi and me, who have a thing for eating mana, while the girls have more muted reactions. Magical food is one thing, and the girls love magical, non-caloric desserts, specifically, but mana-infused food is something else and much more exotic, though I hear that it's a common request from "mana sniffers."

    Sainalai knows a bit of Alteration and [Conjuring Magic], so I guess we should get her to check with our court mages and see if any of them know how to make magical food.

    We can just buy it, of course, but it'll be easier if we assign a court mage for it.

    Before the day is truly over, the twins come to meet with us over dessert.

    They warily look around the dining room, and once they determine that there's nothing lewd going on, they suddenly become more confident and properly come in.

    They look with a bit of worry at Osaria, who's now teasing them by showing her predatory gaze, which the two rather prudish boys seem to be weak to.

    "How's your training?" Yunia innocently asks as they sit down. She's still sore and has her head up in the clouds from her Ravaging, so she doesn't pay any attention to their nervousness or probe my mind.

    Arturus clears his throat and immediately starts talking to distract himself from Osaria's gaze, "We're doing well, and we've even gained a skill level a day lately, but we wanted to talk with you about that."

    "Hm?" Yunia hums softly, her stern expression certainly not a match for her current mood.

    "We want to enter Goloria's Knight Academy," Antares continues, trying to avoid looking Osaria in the eye.

    "Ah, yes, that's a good idea," Yunia agrees as she nods absentmindedly.

    Hana pokes Klein in the shoulder with a draconic finger, making the monkey-girl yelp softly. "Wouldn't that be good for you, too?" She asks Klein, completely ignoring her glare.

    "Aren't I too old?" Klein questions and rubs her shoulder, then looks towards Yunia.

    Yunia blinks repeatedly and tries to focus on the conversation as her mind starts to clear. "You could join the more advanced classes; they're for older students," she suggests.

    Hana snorts and Klein turns to look at Roxanne, just waiting for the expected quip, but it doesn't come since the mean succubus only needs to grin for everyone to know what she's thinking.

    "Too obvious," she mutters and shrugs.

    "You're not that old, so you'll do fine," I comfort Klein.

    "The worst part won't be the age gap, but that nearly everyone there will be the child of a noble," Osaria chimes in, though it doesn't help much.

    Klein frowns and looks down, her long tail gradually going limp.

    Yunia sighs softly and speaks with a little more kindness, "You don't need to participate in every class; only a few of them will be useful to you."

    Her tail instantly shoots up as she exclaims, "Ah! That's true. I only need to endure for a little while." Then she looks up at me. She's still nervous, but the encouragement is starting to work on her.

    I don't respond, simply looking at Yunia, who answers without me having to ask her, "For us, it's a simple matter to pay for your tuition, but it'll be hard on you since you were born as a commoner."

    "If you think I can handle it, then I'll do it," Klein immediately states with a touch of trepidation. She's not the kind of person that would throw away a golden opportunity, though she still has some reservations.

    "Anyone can, that's the whole point of the academy," Osaria comforts her again, this time with a lot more success since Klein's anxiety starts to fade.

    Yunia turns to the twins, and the subtle gentleness goes away. "And for you two, we expect that you'll earn the highest honors. As the last remaining holders of the Este family name, you must not disappoint."

    "Yes. W-we won't disappoint!" Arturus shouts, and his voice cracks, causing him to blush while his brother looks like he's about to facepalm.

    "I don't think it's healthy to put too much pressure on them," I caution Yunia, and she snobbishly raises an eyebrow at me, prompting me to explain myself. "You want them to aim high, but it's in our nature to fail, so when that eventually happens, they need to survive the shock. I've seen many people get burned pretty badly because they weren't prepared for failure."

    Yunia considers it seriously for a few moments, her long finger tapping the table loudly.

    "He's right. You must 'live to fight another day,'" Ciel sides with me and quotes the God of War.

    Alissa frowns as an annoying memory surfaces in her mind after hearing the teaching being quoted. "Someone said that to me once, and I hated it at the time, but I've begrudgingly come to accept it," she comments bitterly.

    Yunia nods subtly and accepts our advice. She turns to the twins and softens up a little as she says, "Your purpose is to reach the treetops, but we'll be here in case a branch snaps." It sounds like she kind of butchered an elven saying of some sort.

    Antares smiles warmly at her, then he kneels like a knight and lowers his head, with Arturus copying him a second later.

    "We know our purpose as Supporting Descendants, and we'll grow stronger until you can rely on us," Antares declares with determination, then he rises from the floor and pulls his brother up with him. "The Este noble house will one day be True Nobles, too, and we'll always be loyal to you."

    Yunia and Antares stare at each other while Arturus nervously shifts on his feet, then a subtle smile grows on her face as she opens her arms towards them. They happily scurry over to her, and she pulls them into a hug.

    She tried to give them some tough love, but her heart didn't hold out for long, so it only lasted for a short while in the end.

    And with that, the matter is settled. The twins and Klein will enter the Knight Academy at the start of next year.



    While they talk over dessert and some light alcohol, I get up and walk out to the balcony to enjoy the cool, evening breeze.

    Before long, Lina comes out to keep me company, not feeling like joining the conversation inside, then Gify pops onto my shoulder.

    "Are you finished with your room? I've been feeling like my shoulder was getting a bit light lately," I lightly quip at Gify.

    "Gih," she responds tersely, then curls up and goes to sleep.

    I use my draconic hands to pull Lina towards me and a tentacle to pat her head while we watch the sea of mist shifting outside our walls.

    "This place is so beautiful," I whisper in her ear, and I notice her getting goosebumps.

    "It is. I can hardly believe that it's… mine," she whispers back absentmindedly.

    I chuckle softly and reassure her, "It may not seem real, but it will, one day it will…"

    "I never even dreamed that I'd one day become a Lord, or that I'd marry," she continues, happily revealing her feelings.

    "Hm? But there was that man, Hilde's brother. He proposed to you."

    She lets out a short snort and smiles wryly as she remarks, "That would've never worked. I'd be unhappy with him."

    "Why is that?"

    She opens her heart to me and speaks her mind, something that she rarely does, "I think he'd worship me a bit too much. Treat me with too much reverence compared to what I deserve."

    Now it's my turn to smile wryly as I tease, "Well, you do deserve to be treated like a Lord, and soon, a Queen."

    "Deserved," she corrects herself with a pout, then we go silent since there's nothing more for us to talk about. We already know almost everything we can about each other thanks to [Bind], so we have plenty of free time to spend in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

    A few minutes later, a buzzed Roxanne comes out and hugs me from behind, nearly poking herself on my horns. She rubs her head against mine and manages to get one of her rubbery, spiral horns entangled with mine.

    "S-sorry~…!" She apologizes as I use a tentacle to separate us.

    "It's fine…" I answer tiredly. It may seem like she interrupted this moment I'm having with Lina, but my little dwarf doesn't care as long as we keep cuddling. She's already gotten used to completely ignoring Roxanne.

    After that, the pale demon starts groping my body, but she doesn't rub her head against mine again.

    "Oh! Right, I just remembered why I came out here," she suddenly exclaims and stops her groping, but only for a moment. "I discovered a powerful mix that kind of acts like that 'gunpowder' you wanted to recreate."

    I turn my head sideways and raise an eyebrow at her. "Kind of?"

    She giggles mischievously and nods. "Yes, 'kind of.'" Then the tip of her dagger-tail caresses my cheeks. "I still don't know how to make it from scratch, and it's dangerous to play around with it, but it's the closest I've gotten to your 'gunpowder.'"

    "Considering how you cause at least one explosion every single day, then yes, it must be dangerous," Lina remarks offhandedly, and I detect a bit of edge in her tone.

    "All thanks to your incredibly resistant workbench," Roxanne innocently responds and giggles again.

    Lina's gloomy eyes look even gloomier as she frowns. "And now I've just remembered that it's time for me to review the enchantments for the workbench. If you get yourself wounded, then everyone will blame me."

    I snort and confess, "I… I really don't think that we would. Everyone knows how crazy Roxanne is."

    "I'm fine either way," Roxanne casually responds with a shrug and chuckles, then she starts groping my body with more enthusiasm and begins nibbling on my ear lobes.



    Roxanne remains glued to me for the rest of the evening, but she restrains herself from going far enough to scare off the twins, so they stay with us for a long time, and we end up going to sleep a little later than usual.



    Today is the 8th.



    My [Dragon Transformation] increased by 1 (now 5). Steady progress.

    Alissa increased her [Enhanced Reflexes] by 1 (now 2+8). She can squeeze some more power out of her bow by increasing these "body enhancement" skills, but they're hard to come by, so she wants to split her focus with [Illusion Magic].

    Roxanne increased her [Space Magic] by 1 (now 1+10), which means that she's now a step closer to boosting her [Explosion] with [Warp Space].

    Hana increased her [Mana Efficiency] by 1 (now 2), which took a point away from [Reduced Mana Cost]. Efficiency helps with the enchantments in her armor so that she can use them for longer periods of time.

    Ciel increased her [Light Magic] by 1 (now 9+31). Earning her skill points is better than just using my Gift to assign the free points because she actually learns more about the skill. The Gift is a shortcut to power; it'll never replace the real thing.

    Yunia increased her [Spirit Magic] by 2 (now 6+19). It has been a long time since she last leveled this skill, so a full day of training without any interruptions was enough for her to gain two levels.

    Lina's "slave" entry is gone, so she's now a free woman again.

    She stares at her system screen as a mix of emotions stews inside her heart.

    One emotion suddenly overcomes the rest, and it prompts her to act.

    She gets up from the bed and hurries out onto the balcony as she pulls out her choker from her [Item Box], then she stops at the railing and rips off the slave tag from the choker.

    We get up and calmly follow her as she gets second thoughts about what she should do next. She didn't hate being a slave, definitely not after meeting me, but there's something inside her that's ecstatic from knowing that it's over.

    "Throw it. Throw the tag away," I kindly encourage her.

    She turns to me and frowns in worry. "But… that'd be disrespectful," she refuses.

    I smile warmly at her cuteness. "If you want to mark this day as a 'new chapter' in the book of your life, then throw it."

    Osaria nods and agrees, "I know that you'll feel at peace once you do."

    An idea stirs in Alissa's head, and she suggests the opposite, "Or store it. It'll probably become a precious historical item after our deaths." Then she smiles, proud of her idea.

    "How do you figure that?" I immediately question her, the system translating my words into something very different.

    Her smile becomes slightly mischievous. "If you fulfill your promise to Yunia, then the former tag of Lina of the 'Evil Eyes' will certainly become very valuable with time if we keep it safe."

    "Maybe I should throw it away…" Lina mumbles, disheartened. She's very uncomfortable with that horrifying title.

    Ciel walks up to Lina and gives her hand a squeeze as she encourages her, "Store it. It's a memento of your past, of who you were, and of how far you've risen."

    Now Lina is truly torn. She really doesn't know which choice to pick.

    "There's one more thing you could do…" Aoi starts with a toothy grin, then she walks to Lina and extends her draconic paw, asking for the tag.

    Lina is apprehensive but gives it to her, then Aoi raises it up so that we can all see, and runs a very sharp claw along the entire length of the tag, leaving a shallow groove going through the writing.

    "There, now it's clear that you're not a slave anymore. That's something an Earthling would do," she states proudly and returns the tag.

    Lina stares at it for a moment, then she starts to smile adorably as her emotions settle down. She puts on the cute leather choker, then stores the tag back in her [Item Box].

    She lets out a crystal-like, cutesy giggle, then grins warmly at all of us. "Thank you," she whispers, and of course, we respond with a group hug.



    Today, I decide to hold our training in our private garden. I choose a shaded patio that has a ceiling of hanging vines and is surrounded by flowery hedges. The gaps between the leaves let cool air pass through, making for a good private spot to relax.

    I think I've become a bit lazier than before. I was already a shut-in, but now I'm a hoarding, hibernating, asocial, giant scary lizard. Which is cool as fuck, to be honest.

    "'Giant,'" Roxanne repeats through [Bind] with big internal air quotes.

    "I will be, one day," I retort and pout internally.

    Dokkanchee starts setting up the crystals for our open carriage. We'll have to ride it at the start of the ceremony, so it needs to be perfectly enchanted for our plan to work. Her magic works best in larger, and also immobile, rooms, but she seems to be enjoying the challenge of our request.

    Osaria leaves with Enomosa to find a discreet sculptor and painter. It's tradition to have our busts spread throughout the town, and there's also the gigantic golden portrait of us that needs to be carved into the Shell's wall.

    I leisurely spar with Lina since keeping my body moving around helps Dokkan calibrate the illusion.

    We equip our Bastión armor, but every time I want to use my sword, I'll have to equip my gauntlets. They're padded with something very resistant, which makes it easier to grip my sword without ruining the handle.

    We play with some of the enchantments, but they lack the finesse of actual spells, though they're still more efficient than my instant-cast Gift, making them useful for quick and dirty attacks.

    Considering how one of my strategies is to simply overwhelm my opponent with a wide variety and large number of attacks, using the armor's enchantments will save me some headaches from mana overuse.

    Alissa asks for some points in [Sense Mana], then starts paying a lot of attention to Dokkanchee and her crystals, taking in every detail that she can. Theory followed by practice is the most efficient learning method, but pure observation is also pretty good. It's just training through repetition that could be considered as "inefficient," time-wise.

    I also spar with Hana, but her superior grasp of the enchantments has made her extremely mobile, nullifying some of the advantages I previously had over her.

    I could win the duel by using my wider variety of tools to their fullest extent, but the enchantments level out the playing field now, so the only way that I can guarantee a win is by going all out, and I don't want to do that.

    "Come on, hit me! Hit me hard!" Hana shouts and pants excitedly.

    "I'd rather do that when you're naked," I respond with a cringe as I notice a small scratch on her perfectly polished armor.

    Hana growls and grunts, "What's the point of armor if we're not to get smacked while wearing it!"

    Lina frowns angrily. "Don't do it too often or I'll stop you from sparring. There's only me and a few other enchanters in the entire town who can actually do maintenance on such a heavily-enchanted set of armor!" She exclaims indignantly.

    Hana snorts and backs off a little, "Alright, alright, but let's at least test the limits of this metal."

    I look at Lina, and she shrugs. "Just don't pierce through the plates."

    I sigh and start casting [Discharge]. I'll make her suffer, then.



    Ciel calls on Sainalai, and the two of them take a look at Dokkanchee's back while she rests for a bit.

    "It seems that she has bone spurs along her spine, and they're pinching some nerves," Ciel shares her diagnosis.

    Sainalai palpates the region and pays attention to Dokkan's pain response, then she frowns in thought and asks, "Can you tell exactly where it is?"

    "Not with much precision unless we can open up her back and inspect-…"

    "I'd rather not!" Dokkan suddenly exclaims fearfully.

    Ciel gives her a good nurse smile to calm her down and explains, "Just the skin to expose the spine, and you wouldn't feel anything."

    Dokkan is still not convinced. "I don't do well with blades, or blood…" She nervously admits.

    Ciel maintains her calming smile and insists, "We can put you to sleep before we start, and you'd wake up without even being able to tell if we did it or not."

    "Hmm…" Dokkan grunts stubbornly.

    "How long would a [Regeneration] treatment last?" Sai asks, taking a different approach.

    Ciel crosses her arms, making her tits almost burst out of her dress, and muses, "A few months, I believe. Bones are notoriously slow to correct without [Alteration Magic], that is, unless they're straight-up broken or removed…" -Dokkanchee whimpers- "but at least [Regeneration] would ease the pain."

    "I already visit the priests every half-cycle to ease my pain," Dokkan comments, trying to deflect.

    "Which is why we should use [Alteration Magic] to fix your spine, already," Ciel insists.

    Sai turns to Ciel and discloses, "I've done a lot of small internal alterations in exchange for money, so I'm confident that I can repair the vertebra if I can see where the problem is. I could even do it this afternoon if you give me some time to prepare."

    Ciel lights up and nods vigorously, then they both turn to Dokkanchee.

    The old Kabar woman sighs, and her white feathers seem to subtly wilt. "Alright… as long as it doesn't take too long."

    The two surgeons grin in satisfaction, and Ciel assures her, "The entire inspection should only last ten minutes from when you take the sleeping pill to when you wake up."

    "Five minutes for me to remove the spurs, depending on how many there are," Sai adds.

    Dokkan weakly nods, then they allow her to continue working.



    Ciel joins us for sparring practice. With [Refresh], she's the only one of us who can outlast Hana in a battle, even though our armor is also enchanted with the spell. Her levels in [Light Magic] really do make that much of a difference in efficiency.

    Since her [Fly] is a personal spell and not an enchantment, she's also the only one who can actually act as an aerial combatant. My [Telekinesis] is just too slow in practice, and Aoi still isn't as maneuverable as Ciel can be. Though she might want to get some tips from Oritiki since [Imperial Hasterrum Style] doesn't include anything for aerial combat.

    Aoi is still an ogre-like fighter, relying on raw strength and the durability of her armor or scales to keep her safe, and that won't change any time soon. Human-Aoi has the "Dexterity," but lacks the needed "Strength," so she is also unable to fight like an average melee fighter. However, her "water bending" could evolve to become a precision tool to make up for her shortcomings.

    Yunia's Spirit spells make her untouchable when going up against any melee physical fighter, but while hybrids like me can counter her, she now has access to [Rush], so I can't even guess at who'd win if we went all-out in a duel.

    Then Roxanne causes a few more explosions before she's finally ready to showcase her research, but we hold off until lunchtime so that Dokkanchee leaves the garden before we start. This is definitely something that we don't want to share with others yet.

    We all sit down near the wall on one side of the patio while Roxanne goes to the opposite side to keep the experiment at a safe distance from us.

    She pulls out a flask with a small quantity of a somewhat yellow, sticky, and runny substance, then she pours it into a depression in a small, pillar-like earth elemental.

    "Behold! Draconic Climax!" She proudly shouts with a puffed-out chest.

    "Are you sure that's safe? Don't give the gardeners more work than they already have," Ciel cautions her with a knowing smile.

    "Wha-…" Roxanne mumbles, then she looks up and frowns. "Oh…"

    She scoops out half of the Climax with a spoon and stores it back in the flask, then she rushes towards us.

    "Well it kind of looks like cum," Hana comments with a smirk, making Roxanne giggle.

    "No, it is just like the real thing," Alissa suddenly shares, and even Roxanne stops to look at her a bit oddly, then her ears go flat, and she faintly blushes. "I've never seen it myself, only read about it."

    "I didn't expect you to know that," Yunia comments, with a rather incredulous tone.

    "I had a phase when I was obsessed with dragons," she quietly admits.

    "It kind of looks like it's rotten…" Lina mumbles, pulling our attention away from Alissa, then we all wrinkle our noses. "It does smell like it's rotten."

    "There are still some improvements that could be made to the formula," Roxanne admits impatiently, then she creates a small [Fireball] at the tip of her finger. "Ready?"

    "Do it," I breathe with an evil grin.

    She throws it at the pillar, then plenty of sparkles go flying.

    Oh, boy.

    A huge cloud of smoke erupts from that little squirt of dragon cum, followed by a full second of bright sparkles bursting out, then a lick of flames that nearly reaches the ceiling of leaves.

    "Woow…" Lina hums in wonder at the light show.

    "This shit is powerful," Hana approves.

    "It smells much better, at least," Alissa comments wryly.

    It actually does. The smell is pungent, but it reminds me of baked bread, so maybe there's some kind of Maillard reaction going on.

    But the important thing about it is: this is fantasy-gunpowder. If we can produce it cheaply enough, then it'll give our armies a significant power boost. Defensive spells like [Wind Shield] ensure that melee combat won't become obsolete, but it'll change how the average, non-magical armies fight their battles.

    I rest my claws on my lap and calmly ask, "How easily can you produce more of it?"

    Roxanne shrugs and smiles guiltily, "I haven't identified the main ingredients yet, so I can only [Transmute] or [Duplicate] it."

    I raise a hand to reassure her. "There's no rush, not yet at least since we aren't at war, but I'd like us to start working on a rifle." Then I turn to Aoi. "If you're up to it, then maybe you could be the one who creates it for me."

    Aoi's large tail sways from side-to-side, in complete sync with mine. "Hmm… sounds interesting," she accepts.

    Alissa walks forward to inspect the aftermath as the cloud of smoke clears away. "It doesn't sound very subtle, though," she comments, then she runs a finger along the bowl and inspects the extent of the charring. "It's also not very strong. How was this supposed to work again?"

    I adjust my non-existent glasses and start the lesson, "This is just the propellant, which is used to accelerate a metallic [Earth Bullet] of various sizes to such a high speed that it pierces through even metal armor like nothing.

    "The advantage over spells is that it's so simple to use and cheap to make that even children and old commoners would be able to make use of it."

    Yunia's long elven ears twitch, and she lets out a rare stutter, "I-I didn't imagine it'd be that revolutionary."

    "With magic, there are innumerable ways to counter it, though," I pull her back to reality.

    She shakes her head at me. "This will make it much easier for commoners to hunt and acquire levels, and the Townsguard will gain a huge boost in power. This will raise the average level of humanoids, which will improve the lives of everyone."

    I tilt my head and scratch my horn. "Well, I guess that's something big, after all," I understate as I fail to find any better words to express myself in the moment.

    I'm really going to fuck with this world's balance…

    Ciel frowns in confusion and turns to Yunia. "But it's going to reduce the power of Lords," she interjects.

    Yunia nods confidently and proudly points her nose upwards. "If it's for the betterment of civilization, then I won't stand in the way," she declares.

    "I have a feeling that the Head Priestess Teresina would be glad to 'remove us from the way' the moment we did that," I add, and Ciel begrudgingly agrees.

    We turn our eyes to Roxanne, and she's frozen, her eyebrows raised high in surprise.

    "No pressure?" I ask teasingly with a smirk.

    "No pressure…" She grumbles back.



    Today, Krysta makes some not-fries and seasons it with parsley and dried not-onions, reminding me of fast food, and I eat an unhealthy amount of this dish.

    "We might want to add this to the 'limited menu' so that we don't overindulge. There's such a thing as something being too tasty for our own good," Yunia comments with a wry smile, and I agree wholeheartedly.



    Dokkanchee finally starts to activate the illusions, and it makes my draconic parts feel really funny.

    "Is your cock okay?" Hana asks me with very clearly fake concern stamped on her face.

    "Yes…" I groan and glare at her.

    "Then everything will be fine," she tries to comfort me with a gentle tone, but her face is warped into a shit-eating grin.

    "Bitch, you're lucky that I'm bound here," I grumble and harden my dick to show her what I really mean.

    "And this would go faster if you stopped talking," Dokkan interrupts us, her face stiff in annoyance.

    I give her an apologetic smile, then I grimace for a moment as it feels like a not-so-pleasant vibrator is attached to my scales. They're not literally vibrating; they're just resisting the spell.

    "Let me just increase the frequency…" She grumbles, then starts sending some really weird-tasting mana to one of the crystals.

    I grit my teeth and start joking to distract my mind from the discomfort, "I wish… this was… on my… diii~-…" The trembling suddenly stops. "Oh, cool. I'm fine now, an-… AH!" I shout in surprise.

    My hands have suddenly become human, but they're even bigger than before, and my nails look like swords. It's a fucking freaky sight.

    "The fuck…" I mumble in wonder.

    "Hm… needs a lot of adjustments," Dokkan talks to herself, then she adjusts the crystals one-by-one.

    I give her a flat and short earth elemental to use as a mount to speed up the process because she'd have trouble reaching the crystals otherwise.

    My hands gradually shift back to their previous human shape while my horns are simply erased from existence.

    Just to test it, I tilt my head to the side and feel my "skull" snag on my seat. I try to pull it out, but then I hear a rip when my horn cuts through some of the padding of leaves.

    "Oh…"

    Dokkan angrily wets her lips and asks, "Why would you do that?"

    "Uh, sorry?" I apologize reflexively.

    "Trying to move hidden parts could break the illusion," she explains tiredly and turns back to her crystals.

    "What about my tail~…!?" I'm suddenly launched from my seat and have to use [Telekinesis] to stop myself from faceplanting on the tiled floor. "Holy shit."

    "You lose control of any hidden limbs, too…" Dokkan warns me a little too late, trying her best to keep herself from smiling.

    The girls, especially Hana and Roxanne, aren't as discreet, making fun of me, both internally and externally.

    While playing with the illusions is fun, it's also rather dangerous due to how much power is going into them. Like a pressurized can, it's best to not fuck with it too much.

    Dokkan gradually warps reality more and more, and I start to return to normal. Well, to human normal.

    It's nostalgic, but it makes the dragon inside me grumpy. I feel feeble and uglier, and my pride takes a hit.

    I'm a fucking weredragon, bitch, a mean mother fucker; I'm not a bald monkey anymore.

    Having human fingers again just isn't the same after the experience of having those big-ass and unbelievably sharp claws, though I feel a very pressing need to finger a pussy.

    Of all the bad ideas I could have right now, I think that is one of the worse ones.



    I keep quiet in my seat while Dokkan prods and pokes all over my body. The tail is the most difficult part to deal with, and there's even the adaptation for my Bastión armor since it needs to be hidden, so her work is far from over, but the time for her "surgery" eventually arrives.

    Once Sai appears, the frightful old woman tries to look around for an exit, but the only one she can spot is behind me, and I can keep her in place with just my gaze.

    "Please enjoy our hospitality. You'd be hard-pressed to find more competent healer mages in this town than these two," I gracefully corner her.

    She wets her lips nervously and glances at Sai approaching her, then she turns to me again. "Thank you, my Lord," she grumbles through gritted teeth.

    I simply smile back, then Sai stops on her left while Ciel stops on her right.

    "Would you like to go to a private room?" Ciel kindly asks.

    "I'm fine. Let's just do it here since it's faster." And she points with her cane to a free bench.

    I pull out a clean bed for her and offer, "How about this? It'll be more comfortable."

    Dokkan grunts in agreement, and the two "surgeons" lead her to it.

    "Do you mind if we watch?" I politely ask.

    "No. Do as you wish," the grumpy old woman grumbles as she sits on the bed.

    Ciel gives her a pill with a cup of water, and Dokkan gulps it down immediately as if she just wants to get this over with as fast as possible, then the surgeons help her lay on the bed, face down.

    Ciel holds her hand to monitor her pulse and only has to wait for a mere three minutes until Dokkan is fully asleep, then they poke her to make sure that she won't wake up, and start the surgery.

    Sai opens up her dress, exposing her back, then Ciel pulls two pairs of thick gloves out of her [Item Box] and casts [Clean] on them once they're both wearing a pair. They also wrap shawls around their hair to keep it tied up, so they seem to have a fairly good grasp on germ theory, but curiously, they don't put on masks.

    "What if your saliva falls into her open body? Wouldn't that be bad?" I carefully question them.

    They both stop and give me blank looks. Ciel doesn't understand how that could happen.

    Before they can say anything, I explain myself, "When you speak, small droplets of your saliva fly out of your mouth. The same happens when you breathe."

    Sai knits her eyebrows in incredulity and asks, "Really…?"

    Ciel believes me right away since she knows my background, and I've had a lot of experience with masks, so she immediately enters deep thought about it.

    "Wear a mask and start talking. You'll notice that it slowly gets wet with your saliva," I answer Sai.

    She's still unconvinced. "Wouldn't that just be the condensation from the heat of your breath?"

    "The air needs to get its humidity from somewhere; for your breath, it comes from the saliva in your mouth."

    She raises her eyebrows in surprise and finally gets it, "Oh…"

    "I'll have to share this knowledge with the rest of the temple…" Ciel makes a mental note.

    I give them one last suggestion, "It also helps to do surgery in a completely sterile environment, such as a room that's been scrubbed by a deep [Clean] and has controlled ventilation so that dirt and dust from the outside can't easily get in."

    "We do that in Mountainhome. Bad air can make an entire undertown sick," Lina chimes in.

    "I guess that isn't just dwarven fastidiousness," Sai comments and chuckles softly. We chuckle along with her, but Lina doesn't laugh, so Sai immediately cringes. "Apologies, my Lord."

    "Hmph…" Lina grunts in acknowledgment.

    They fashion masks from some spare pieces of cheap cloth we had, then Ciel brings out a scalpel, and Sai takes one of Dokkan's wrists to keep watch on her pulse. She needs a small stool to keep herself at the appropriate height, and I can't deny that she looks like a child playing doctor, which is quite a nostalgic memory, if you know what I mean.

    Through hushed whispers, the two surgeons coordinate and talk their way through the surgery as Ciel deftly makes an incision in Dokkan's skin, exposing her back muscles, and I notice that her HP drops a mere three points.

    Ciel finishes after just a moment more, then she takes out some metal clamps to keep Dokkan's skin pushed apart, allowing them to clearly see the bones of her spine. They're like inverted pliers.

    Roxanne groans in disgust and announces, "I'll be over there, far enough away from this place. I don't feel like seeing any blood right now."

    "You're the one who literally explodes people's heads," Alissa notes in confusion.

    "That doesn't mean that I enjoy it!" Roxanne shouts from the other side of the patio.

    Aoi and Hana show a modicum of curiosity, but they have no idea about what's going on, so they're like children who are watching a documentary with pretty pictures. Lina simply enjoys soaking up information, so she's paying attention to everything. Alissa isn't really interested in this, so she goes back to her [Illusion Magic] training but keeps glancing at us every once in a while. Yunia's sole interest is in [Alteration Magic], so she's just waiting for Sai to do her thing.

    My angel then pulls out a sharp, spoon-like loop to scrape the bones, fully revealing Dokkan's spine, while Sai uses [Clean] and a sterilized towel to dab away all the blood.

    "Why did she never go for the [Regeneration] treatment? Someone like her should've had the money for it," Lina suddenly voices a question that's been gnawing at her.

    "Old people can be stubborn and hold unfounded prejudices about all sorts of things," Ciel responds sagely.

    Sai chuckles girlishly and adds, "And sometimes, they just need a push from someone younger. Most of the people who've hired me for my [Alteration Magic] are the grandchildren of the patients."

    "How often did you say that you've done this?" Ciel changes the topic, just to make sure that Sai knows what she's doing.

    "I lost count. I've done all sorts of small changes to people's bodies, but the most commonly requested is for the nose, for some reason," Sai responds casually.

    "Just for money?"

    Sai nods. "Yeah. I used to travel a lot, but it's hard to make money with just [Spirit Magic] alone. One day, I met a migrant Chimera in Aremut who was using Alteration treatments to fund her travels, and she taught me how to make permanent soul changes to help me earn some money.

    "You wouldn't believe how much people would offer for just a small change to their bodies, but I never charged them too much; my work was only valuable because it was scarce, not because it was difficult."

    Sai notices something and leans in to get a closer look at Dokkan's spine.

    "I believe that's a pinched nerve," Ciel remarks.

    "The disk is herniated, and it looks like there's some warping of the bone," Sai reports her observation.

    "Exactly. Can you fix it?"

    "I can. I'll also try to make it mirror the vertebra above it, which looks healthy. But I won't change her soul, so you can [Heal] her if my alterations are a bit off." Then Sai straightens up and looks around, and her eyes land on Alissa, who's practicing magic nearby. "Now, I'll need absolute silence while I focus, and also, please don't cast any spells until I'm done."

    I make sure that Roxanne heard that through [Bind], and she gives us a wave in acknowledgment.

    Sai closes her eyes and carefully controls her breathing for several long minutes. Gradually, I feel some extremely faint mana leaving her body, which then starts to focus on her hand.

    She suddenly opens her eyes and touches multiple vertebrae of Dokkan's spine. She remains completely frozen like that for a short while, her eyes entirely unmoving as they stare down at her fingers, then Dokkan's warped bones start to glow, and a lot of stray mana starts to seep out of her.

    My [Sense Mana] feels something similar to the Transformation racial skill of the were-races, but it has an entirely "abstract" flavor to it. It's really curious to see this similarity between them. I'd say that it's like unflavored gelatin if I had to describe it with an analogy.

    In under a minute, the alteration is complete, and Sai sighs in relief, then we all release our breaths that we didn't notice we were holding.

    "All done. Close her up," Sai states and sits down on the bed to relax.

    Ciel undoes the inverted pliers, then she closes Dokkan's skin back together by hand and softly chants a careful [Heal], instantly bringing Dokkan's HP back to full and leaving no trace behind that her skin was ever cut.

    After making sure that she healed everything properly, they close Dokkan's dress, then Ciel casts [Purify Body] on her, and the old woman instantly wakes up.

    She spends a mere moment laying there, dazed, then she immediately rolls over onto her back and sits up.

    "Careful! Your back will be sensitive for at least an hour," Sai warns her as Ciel holds her arm.

    "I feel fine. I feel great, in fact," Dokkan energetically chirps, then forces herself to stand up with a strength that catches Ciel off-guard. "And my back doesn't hurt!" She shouts, then grabs the cane and throws it away. "I feel great!"

    Ciel gives up and lets Dokkan do as she wishes. The old woman takes herself through cautious, but energetic movements, enjoying her freshly reclaimed freedom.

    The slightly grumpy woman from before suddenly seems a few decades younger, and we just watch as she has her cute moment of revelry.



    The first thing Dokkan does is pick up her cane as she blushes in embarrassment, then she continues with her work like nothing happened.

    She uses her newfound energy to scurry about, making small alterations to the crystals as she perfects the illusion little by little.

    Honestly, I think I'll ask her to enchant our bedroom, the dining room, and maybe even a portable tent with this. It's just too convenient to be able to get my hands back without forcing it with [Mana Body]. I could even go to sleep while holding hands or cuddling with the girls without the fear of waking up in a puddle of their blood.

    After a short while, Osaria brings a painter and a sculptor, so our training gets interrupted. They use [Instant Painting] to take multiple "photographs" of us, but they still need the real models to be present for their portraits and busts to be perfect. Emphasis on "bust" since that's an important part that needs to be perfectly recreated so that all observers will drool over their glorious chests.

    As the sun begins to set, another day comes to a close, then Dokkanchee and the artists leave the castle.

    We enjoy our hidden, cool patio for a while longer, winding down as we enjoy the quiet. While there's seemingly nobody else in sight, giving us some privacy, we know that there are patrols nearby, listening intently for anything suspicious.

    Thinking about it makes some of the girls nervous, but they don't complain since it's something that we just need to get used to.

    There's a sub-unit of the Lordsguard called the Companions, whose job is to shoulder the more "intimate" duties of the Lordsguard, like protecting our bedrooms or bath locations while we madly fuck. Because of their duties, they're trained to be extremely discreet and considerate, so the awkwardness will probably diminish once they're properly established.

    Their gender composition usually follows the composition of the harem, so I'll be getting an overwhelmingly female Companions unit without ruining my reputation as a lustful Lord. Though I think it ultimately won't matter since my thirst for the maids will get out eventually, and everyone will know how much of a "horny" dragon I am.

    It's almost guaranteed that I'll get a Title thanks to my libido. It was certainly going that way with the Innocent Nymph, and now, there'll be a whole town talking about my cock, if not the entirety of the empire.

    Just as we're about to leave for a bath, Sandoro appears with the golem trio following close behind him.

    He stares solely into my eyes, trying to respectfully keep his gaze away from Ciel's curvy body, which is almost fully exposed as she naps in an embarrassing position. The other girls aren't that much better, but you can't see their pointy nipples and the shape of their pussies through their thin fabric as easily as you can see Ciel's.

    Yunia notices him and immediately frees herself from my sleep-inducing grasp, then re-ties the thin strips of cloth that push her back from "slutty" to "appropriately dressed"*.

    *Note: only by the elven standard.

    I disarm my dragonator and stand up, then I nod at him and greet, "Sir Sandoro. How did the golems do?"

    He stops before me and allows himself to look at Yunia, though he still doesn't look to the sides, then he salutes and reports, "Incredibly well. I wouldn't give them leadership positions, but they're perfectly capable of acting as guards or messengers."

    "Do you think they require more training to act as part of the Lordsguard?" Yunia asks as she hurriedly adjusts her bouncy drills.

    "Only in protocol, but they're learning it fast; their skill at protecting is good enough," he answers tersely.

    I grin and nod, very pleased. "Good. We'll make their positions official, then. I trust that everyone's had a good look at them?"

    "Yes. Everyone knows who, and what, they are. We even made ID crystals for them to carry, so the Townsguard will also respect their authority."

    I motion to the golems and receive them with a hug. Once I get used to my new race and the constant presence of intrusive thoughts, I think I'll have enough room to [Bind] them, but before that, maybe we could start thinking about how to give them fuckable bodies.

    I'm itching for some clang, so maybe Jarn's will be more robotic. Ted and Suzy need to find their own niche to make themselves unique though, but I'm sure it lies in the "cute" side of the "beauty spectrum."

    I release them and Ted goes over to Ciel to help her sleep while Suzy goes to Yunia, and I keep my hand on Jarn's cold, hard, round ass. I quickly realize that she's wearing panties under her skirt, which is a good idea since her pussy is fully-formed, and I don't want just anybody to have the privilege of seeing it.

    "Thank you for your work, Sir Sandoro. It's only because of you that we've been able to focus solely on the Ceremony," Yunia gives him genuine praise and a subtle smile.

    "It's my pleasure to serve you, my Lords," he graciously responds and bows, then he excuses himself and leaves the room.

    Random thoughts about how to make Jarn into a robot girl start dripping into my mind, but the real problem is something that's never actually talked about in much detail in novels: her pussy needs to be soft and moist. It just really won't work otherwise, but I have no idea about how to make this kind of synthetic material. To make something biological, you need to have a whole living system just to support it, and I have even less of an idea of how to make something like that.

    The only way I know of that might work is by using [Soul Manipulation], but that'd be like fusing a severed vagina to her crotch, which is… not desirable. I could teach them how to create something similar to my tentacles, but they have a lot of difficulty with manipulating their own souls like I do, which is why Arreira decided on going with the "combat bodies" approach.

    Maybe I could research how to solidify mana into magical materials with special properties, but I know practically nothing about that area, so there's a lot of work to be done if I choose that path.

    I really only have hard choices to choose from for how to approach this problem.

    I sit down on the edge of the bed and make Jarn sit beside me so that I can "inspect" her sexy, but completely hard, metal body.

    Yunia suddenly clears her throat loudly and pushes her chest towards me.

    I take my attention off bimbo-Yunia and immediately fondle real-Yunia's perfectly balanced chest. It's not too small, and not too big. It's perfectly sized for my (padded) claws to squeeze.

    "Did you suddenly get jealous?" Alissa's teasing voice fills the almost silent patio.

    "I merely wished to get my breasts fondled, that's all," Yunia answers flatly, making an effort to hide her real emotions.

    "Slut…" Roxanne reflexively mumbles in her sleep.

    I undo the knot that was tying up Yunia's bikini, revealing her beautiful breasts and pink nipples to me, then I immediately start sucking on them.

    At the same time, I sneak a tentacle up underneath Jarn's shirt and bra, then I make suckers for her pointy, super hard nipples. She moans softly in her robotic voice, but I know that she's just faking it since they don't actually feel pleasure.

    Yunia moans louder than Jarn, and then Roxanne and Osaria immediately wake up, as if a signal was sent into their brains that lewdness was happening nearby.

    They both turn to us, then they show mirrored mischievous smirks.

    "Have you finally started to lust after your golems?" Osaria teases.

    "Yes. I'm thinking about how to give them sexy bodies," I answer honestly.

    The other girls start to stir and wake up from their stupor or naps. Their mixed scents and messy appearances make for an enticing scene, but the time for the Ravaging is nigh, so I shall contain myself until it's appropriate.



    Poosh is in the bath again, so I decide to create as many tentacles as I can and let them loose on every single exposed hole I can reach.

    I tie them all up and lift them into the air, making sure that they're all illuminated by the spotlights so that all those present can perfectly see the goddesses as they're defiled. I ignore their (fake) pleas and Ravage them until the pain and pleasure overwhelm them and their bodies give out from exhaustion; then I cum copious amounts of almost literal mana all over their bodies to mark them as mine.

    I want to give the maids a show, something that will scar their minds, but also leave a seed within them. A seed of worship.

    I want them all to crave me, to understand that my cock and tentacles are superior sex tools, and that they will never experience anything else as great as getting fucked by me. I'm very confident in my skills, but I know that at least the way I fuck is entirely unique. Poosh's interest in my tentacles gives me evidence of that because how could you ever impress an experienced ex-brothel owner with weak-sauce vanilla sex?

    Hana doesn't give in and sways her hips to grind her pussy lips against the texture of the tentacle. Her mind floods with visions of dragons fucking, courtesy of Gify, making her growl and grit her teeth as smoke leaks from her mouth.

    "Fuck me!" She demands angrily. "Fuck me now!"

    I shut her up with a dick-shaped tentacle, but she bites it, which gives me a very frightening wave of pleasure. I keep Roxanne from feeling this because she might freak out a bit if she knew what it was from.

    I remake the tentacle and choke Hana, forcing her to gasp for air before I plug her mouth again.

    I tease Hana the most, playing with her clit as I see fit, but holding back from giving her what she wants: a thick cock hitting her cervix.

    I rub her clit with spikes, causing her to shiver; I pinch it with crab claws, making her squeal; I use my vibrator on it, wringing out loud moans from her lips; and I give it mild [Shocking Touch]es, pushing her over the edge and making her cum.

    I gradually envelop the entirety of her skin with a soul-touching slime as I pump her nipples, making them become red, puffy, and ultra-sensitive, then I put some points in [Light Magic] so that I can cast [Refresh], prolonging her endurance to my sexual attack.

    She passes out from asphyxiation, her neck now bruised from the tentacle that was choking her, then I wake her up with a [Heal] and let her breathe for just a few seconds.

    She gathers up her energy and uses [Draconic Body] on her mouth to chew away the tentacle that's been preventing her from speaking.

    "YOU EITHER FUCK ME OR I'M SERIOUSLY GOING TO FIST YOUR ASS, WOLFY!" She bellows with the last of her breath, then coughs and begins to pass out again.

    I lower her closer to the floor and spread her legs apart, then I penetrate her drenched and searing hot pussy with my forearm-sized dragonator as I cast another [Heal].

    "AAAAAHN~…AH!" She moans delightfully, then squeals as the long stroke ends with my head smacking against her cervix.

    I give her another 5-second long stroke, and she orgasms for a second time, creaming the head of my cock.

    I let her breathe so that she doesn't pass out again, which would make her miss the pleasure of her orgasm, and she suddenly lacks the strength to complain anymore. As a "sex-beast-type" dragonkin, abstinence makes her go mad with rage, while giving her what she wants snuffs out the fire in her heart.

    Her legs shake, and her muscles go increasingly limp the more I fuck her. The proud and strong dragon has no reason to resist when the cock she worships is buried inside her, gracing her with its noble shape and bestowing upon her the highest honor: to be bred.

    "More… more… more…" She mumbles weakly as her mind becomes cloudy, surrendering to my charm and virility.

    Her voice fades out, her eyes roll up, and her muscles find the strength to flex one last time as she convulses in a mind-shattering orgasm.

    I taste the sweat running down her brow, large breasts, defined abs, and strong thighs; I run thin tentacles through her fiery mane-like hair to keep it brushed and majestic, as she deserves; I pump her nipples with tongue-like suckers until they tingle and begin to hurt; and I drink up the juices dripping constantly from her pussy as if it were ambrosia.

    As she worships me, I also worship her right back. This barbaric goddess of mine deserves no less than that.

    As she drools with her mouth hanging open, I clamp my lips onto hers and give her the coup de grâce. I turn up all the stimulation to eleven as I fill her womb with my seed until it overflows, then I raise her high up into the air, all splayed out and her pussy dripping with pure white seed.

    I pull out a gnomic [Instant Picture] magic tool and make a portrait of this scene on a blank canvas.

    "The Ravaging of Hana" is now complete.



    The elven maids excuse themselves to masturbate in private while the Chimera attendants and Poosh simply stay, bringing themselves to orgasm right before their Lords.

    For a moment, I bask in the fragrance of moist pussy mixing with the scent of my cum, then I leave Hana on the floor like a used rag and gently lower the rest of the girls into the hot bath.

    I slice an actual fig with my claws and savor it as I wind down from the Fucking session. This is a funny-looking fruit, but it fits in well with the rest of the selection of elven produce since they have a taste for oddly-shaped fruits. This one isn't natural, though; it was specifically bred to have this exact shape and taste, for some reason.

    With my cock still erect and coated in sex juices, I look Poosh in the eye and smile gently. Hopefully, she'll ask for a Ravaging soon.

    Hana eventually joins us, all sore and tired, but she refuses a [Heal] since she wants to use [Pain Conversion] for as long as possible. It's like the muscle burn after intense exercise, where you're so high on endorphins that it actually feels good, with the pain of having her pussy stretched to the limit being her favorite.

    As for the maids, we just ignore them as we relax. Though some of them seem to be very thirsty for me right now, I'll let the desire build up a bit more before I unleash it all upon them. It's never a good idea to rush a fine meal.

    For dinner, we eat chicken parmigiana seasoned with some sort of white wine. It's a very nostalgic meal for me because I don't really feel like there's too much of a difference between the Earth and Rupegia versions of it since tomatoes are a thing in both worlds.

    Then we quickly retire to our rooms so that we can review our plans in private. Things are progressing smoothly, but the tension is still rising.

    Our plan is a bit dangerous, so of course, Alissa is the first to argue against it.

    "We'll only know if it's actually possible once we test it," I retort and get up from the bed, then I open up my thin golden vest and expose my chest. "Come on, Yunia. I'll need your help with this."

    Ciel sighs tiredly and prepares to cast [Heal]. Her inner doctor is telling her that it's possible, but it's also that same inner voice that's telling her that this plan is stupid.

    I mean, it is stupid, but if it works, it works.

    Yunia cringes as she draws her sword and thrusts.



    Today is the 9th.

    Ciel wakes me up, her luscious lips squeezing around the base of my cock as she deepthroats me. Her dark eyes are staring at me intently with an apologetic look to them. It's her way of making up for allowing me to pass out a few times.

    Not that anyone blames her, of course. Alissa and Lina are exclusively blaming me and Yunia, respectively, but we proved that it works, so the plan isn't as stupid as we originally thought.

    I grab Ciel's head and guide it up so that I cum on her tongue, then she releases my cock and pulls a grumpy Lina in close to her.

    It takes just a few words of pleading for Lina to mellow out and open her mouth so that the two of them can share my cum in a messy kiss.



    My [Dragon Transformation] increased by 1 (now 6). Just one more level, and it'll finally be at the appropriate size for the Ceremony.

    Alissa's [Illusion Magic] increased by 1 (now 4+11). It seems that her observations of Dokkanchee working helped her a lot.

    Hana increased her [Draconic Body] by 1 (now 4). Ironically, her desperate use of it during the Ravaging helped her to gain a point.

    Aoi's "Intelligence" and "Wisdom" each increased by 1 (now 8 and 9). It seems that some of the knowledge from the surgery yesterday stuck with her.

    Yunia increased her [Two-Handed Sword Use] by 1 (now 4+16). Mere baby steps.



    During our morning kisses, Klein seems to be the most distracted, but I think she's just basking in her post-Ravaging bliss, so I leave her be until she needs to head out to the dungeon again.

    I pinch her ass, and she squeals, then starts playfully slapping my chest and only stops when Hana gives her a sneaky kiss at the nape of her neck.

    "Be safe out there!" I give her my blessing as I run away, darting out of reach of her retaliation.

    "I will!" She shouts back and pouts.



    Yunia and Ciel meet with the Tribunal and the temple to discuss the housing situation for the Chimeras. Our new spirit-subjects need some concessions since they don't have the necessary wealth to buy houses in Escanso, and we need to discuss how much would be fair for them.

    They could go into debt until they've made enough money to repay it, but the concept of mortgage doesn't exist here. In Rupegia, going into significant debt allows the debtor to be made into a slave if they can't repay what they owe in a timely manner, so it really isn't a popular financial choice.

    The temple doesn't want the Chimeras to have the constant threat of being made into slaves hovering over their heads, so they're looking to secure a compromise with us since we have the power to help them.

    Meanwhile, Dokkan and I continue working on the illusion setup, this time in the main hall of the castle where the most important part of the Ceremony will be held.

    Suddenly, an "itching" inside of my head starts to flare up. It's a "desire" to do something, and it's incredibly annoying, making me instantly become grumpy.

    It doesn't come from either my human or my dragon side, making everyone very concerned about what's going on with me since it's clearly not something normal.

    The "itching" pushes me to shift my points around, so I put ten more into [Summoning Magic], reaching level 50, and revealing a new spell: [Otherworldly Summoning].

    What the fuck?!



    Intermission 18 – Klein



    I sit down on a rock and sigh as the soldiers cut up the tentacles of the Maltómago.

    The smell of burnt flesh makes me feel a bit sick, but that's nothing when compared to what the Corpse Stealers can do or even what the Maltómago could've unleashed if I hadn't killed it instantly.

    The soldiers chatter happily about how they were spared from the Maltómago's foul breath, and I recognize a few words in Ingua of praise, which I assume are for me.

    Though everyone is happy and in high spirits, I can't find it within me to smile, so I keep my helmet on at all times. This way, nobody can see me frown.

    "What's the matter?" Dad asks as he sits down beside me.

    But Dad knows me well enough to recognize when something is bothering me.

    I shrug. "I'm just… not very excited right now," I try to keep Dad from suspecting anything, but I fail completely.

    He reads me effortlessly, "You aren't just 'not excited,' you're completely disheartened. Did something happen?"

    I can't say yes, and I can't say no, so I just keep quiet while I try to think of a way out.

    He grunts and pokes me painfully with his thick finger. "Klein, please. Don't be childish, just tell me already."

    "I 'fixed' my relationship with Wolfy…" I suddenly blurt out and frown deeply, then I rest my head on my hands. It's all I can do to stop myself from laying down on the floor, curling up into a ball, and going to sleep until I can find where all my courage fled to.

    "Wha…" Dad makes a funny noise, and it actually makes me smile.

    I suddenly feel a bit angry about it and let it all out, "I'm not Wolfy's 'temporary wife' anymore. I'm just his knight, and a close friend… that occasionally has sex with him."

    "Isn't that… 'good'?" He asks, very confused.

    Now I'm the one who's confused. "Didn't you want me to marry him?"

    He scratches his bald head awkwardly and guiltily grins as he explains, "Not really. I wanted him to give something in return for taking your virginity, and the 'temporary wife' business gave me some assurance that he wouldn't just throw you away after he'd had enough of you."

    I frown angrily and glare at him. "He'd never do that. Hana would stop him if he ever even thought about it," I defend Wolfy.

    "Well… she's still a dragonkin…" He shrugs as he cringes.

    I punch his ribs, and though I'm sure that he felt nothing because of his armor, it still sends him a message that tells him exactly what I feel.

    He frowns deeply, and his tone turns serious, "She did abandon those two boys she used to love. Not her fault, but the lives of Wolf and his harem are just too chaotic. Do you really believe that something like that won't ever happen again? You yourself went from just a 'temporary wife' to a Godsdamned knight of a Crown Lord. What's going to happen next? Where will you end up if you keep getting closer to him?"

    I pout at him and grumble, "I don't care about those things. I just want a husband that I can call mine."

    He snorts and pokes my shoulder again. "Well, now you can have your pick; even lower nobility would go for you, so why are you so grumpy?"

    I look down in shame, and my tail flops down on the floor. "I've been given so much that I don't think that I could repay it all, even if I married him." I look at the underside of my left forearm and stare at the controls for the [Chameleon] enchantment. They're so delicate and complex that I'm a bit afraid to use them and potentially break something. "Do you have any idea how much this armor and bow are worth? I don't, but I know that he could've married any noblewoman he wanted, just by giving them this armor as a gift, yet he gave it to me without asking for anything in return."

    "He asked for your loyalty," he retorts softly.

    "Wha…?" Now I'm the one who makes the dumb noise.

    He chuckles and looks off into the distance as his permanent frown softens. "He might be a terrible choice of a husband for you, but I think he'll make a good Lord, and I know that he's a very good friend. Also, there's Hana. She'll make sure that he treats you right."

    My mouth moves wordlessly since I'm too simply baffled to speak until I suddenly blurt out, "Didn't I say exactly that mere moments ago?"

    He snorts and shakes his head. "You said that Hana wouldn't let him abandon you after taking your virginity, while I said that he'd be a terrible husband for you, though I know that he'll be a good friend."

    I frown and stay quiet as I think.

    But am I a good friend to him?

    "You're the only person he can trust," Dad adds with a whisper.

    I frown in disagreement and glance at him. "He has an entire army of elves who follow him."

    "Who follow Lord Yulania, but she's a Blood Slave of the man who helped kill their previous Lord. They may be loyal to her, but how much can he trust them?"

    He glances meaningfully at the elven soldiers, who maintain a respectful distance from the rookie, non-elven ones. It's like there's an invisible wall separating the two sides from each other.

    But that's not the issue I have with my knighthood. "And we are supposedly more trustworthy?" I ask with a wry smile.

    He nods and agrees, completely serious, "Yes, because you love him, and he knows that you're too air-headed to ever betray him. Power can be bought, as your weapon and armor can easily tell you; skills can be learned, which you'll be doing in the Knight's Academy," -he suddenly grabs my shoulder and forces me to face him and look into his beady eyes- "but trust is hard to come by."

    He releases me, and I almost flop onto the rock, then I sigh tiredly as the chilling emotions leave my body with each breath. His words have suddenly lit a new fire within me, and it warms up my body, allowing me to move freely again.

    "Then I want to become someone worthy of his trust," I whisper earnestly.

    He grunts sternly, "We will."



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Kristopher Welsh.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Jorge Franco.
     
  5. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    "My Lord?" Dokkan asks tentatively, and I snap back to reality.

    "I'm indisposed. We'll continue later," I announce and walk out of the hall.

    Yunia and Ciel excuse themselves from their meeting. Mimi's there, and she's capable enough to negotiate with Oritiki and the few other Chimera aristocrats who want to argue further.

    Alissa grabs my hand, and that forces me to calm down since I need to keep some focus on padding the claws that she's tightly grasping onto. With just a simple probe into her thoughts, I immediately get a positive response. She wanted to see precisely this reaction from me. She knows me too well.

    I take an [Eternal Gate] to our bedroom and walk out onto the balcony, then I grip the railing with my free hand and crush it.

    Just a few moments later, the rest of the girls join us.

    I stay silent so that I don't lash out, just waiting until the dragon stops roaring. Over the course of a minute, the boiling rage cools down into "a shower like this would burn my balls" temperature.

    "You received both a 'Message' and a Gift. A normal humanoid couldn't have summoned you with that spell," Ciel explains before I even open my mouth.

    I get a bit annoyed that they're reading my thoughts so thoroughly, but I can always punish their pussies later. Though, maybe not Hana's since she enjoys that a bit too much.

    "He's thinking about sex; he's fine," Roxanne blurts out and giggles.

    "I wouldn't recommend engaging in sexual activities right now," Ted suggests, her tone entirely neutral and clinical.

    "Master might seriously hurt the more delicate women," Suzy adds with the same tone.

    I get annoyed that I didn't notice the girls talking about me with the golems. The rage can be a bit too all-consuming with a dragon-Palpatine inside my head egging me on.

    "You may use me as a rape toy. A soaped sponge will serve as a temporary replacement for a vagina," Jarn suddenly offers herself.

    My restless tail immediately freezes in the air as I turn my head to stare at her. "'Rape'?" I ask, completely bewildered.

    She nods diligently, and I swear that her tone has a hint of pride in it as she explains, "Some dragons are known to use rape as a stress relief mechanism, and master Wolf has already shown himself to enjoy such a flavor of roleplaying."

    "Touché," I give up and look out into the distance again.

    "Anyway… it was one of the Gods that brought you here; not even the emperor has the power to give Gifts," Ciel brings the conversation back on track.

    "Gih," Gify assures me. The same goes for Gecynd.

    "What about the heretics? They have enough power for a [Meteor]," Lina suggests. Her face is stern as she shares some of my anger. She's as protective of me as Alissa, though in a different way.

    "If they did, we'd all be dead," Ciel retorts, and her argument kills all others about that.

    Seeing that this topic has reached its end, Yunia broaches a different one, "This 'limitation' of your Gift, do you understand it?"

    I frown in thought as I go through my memories. "No. Maybe…" I whisper and sigh tiredly. "The first time was after I prayed, asking for strength, and then the limit of my Gift was raised to thirty, allowing me to summon elementals. The second time, it was raised to forty after I met with Gecynd and we had visions of our future, which was when she mentioned the dungeon 'Legado.' And now, this is the third time that the limit has been raised."

    "You can see spells up to level fifty, then?"

    "Yes. I can add skills as high as my soul can tolerate, so only the spells are limited."

    "There doesn't seem to be any predictable pattern to it," Ted observes.

    "And since the Gods are thought to control the Gifts…" Suzy alludes.

    "It's likely to be completely arbitrary. That is, subject to their judgment," Jarn concludes.

    I've missed their synchronized manner of speech. I think it's cute, for some reason.

    "And now that you've committed yourself to staying in this realm, the Gods might've deemed that it was time for you to see this spell," Yunia says out loud what we're all thinking.

    "It'd have been a terrible temptation if I knew about it sooner," I bitterly admit.

    "And what do you want to do, now that you know about it?" Alissa asks, her tone deadly serious with her orange eyes staring intensely at me. For once, none of the girls want to probe my thoughts.

    "Nothing. I hate that it exists," I grumble. It's several marriage proposals too late to make me reconsider my life in this world.

    "Why?"

    Godsdamnit, Ciel is rubbing off on them.

    I open my "Magic" tab and stare at the spell's "button" hatefully. "It's a Pandora's Box. There are too many unknowns and hidden dangers for me to even think about studying this spell, but I'm still very curious about it."

    Roxanne suddenly chimes in, "[Summoning Magic] is an incomplete magic school, where nobody has even heard about this spell before, so maybe there's a reason why. It also happens quite often from what I was taught: the person who created this magic school died from their experimentation with it. This is clearly a dangerous spell."

    "If you are the one saying it's dangerous…" Lina mumbles and leaves the thought in the air because nothing more needs to be said.

    We chuckle softly, lightening the mood, then Alissa joins Roxanne and sternly cautions me, "Remember how much mana the Grim Giant took? If you tried to summon a Fay Leviathan, [Heal] might not be enough to save you from death. [Summoning Magic] is full of hidden dangers."

    "I could interrupt it," Yunia suddenly proposes.

    We all turn to her, and she tries to hide how delightfully smug she feels at our surprise.

    "[Disruption Field] could interrupt any spell that isn't instant," she adds, and I hum in wonder.

    Alissa sighs and grumbles. Now she understands very well what "Pandora's Box" truly means.

    My reservations start to wash away as my researcher's curiosity starts to blossom, and I start to deliberate, "Even if it's an instant-cast spell, I can hold it back for a short time before releasing it, and spells with a high MP cost always take some time to prepare."

    "Alright, but why would you even try to cast that spell if you hate it so much?" Hana interjects.

    "I want to understand what it does, but…" -my heart suddenly tightens, making me frown confusedly- "but I still feel like it's 'evil,' somehow."

    Ciel narrows her eyes in suspicion and asks, "How did you get the idea to raise your [Summoning Magic], specifically, to level fifty?"

    "I felt…" I start to think back on it, but then it all strikes me as extremely suspicious. I suddenly had a nearly irresistible "itch" to do something very specific that revealed a mind-blowing spell.

    The "itch" didn't seem to come from either my draconic or human side, and now that I think about it, I feel like it was "foreign."

    "Did the Gods fuck with my head?" I ask Ciel concernedly.

    She smiles proudly but feels a little awkward since the Goddess was decidedly not subtle with the way she "guided me." "You have a Blessing from the Goddess of Knowledge, and it kind of fits that she'd 'guide' you towards this spell," she speculates.

    "She might've been frustrated that you hadn't noticed it yet and decided to 'help' you," Alissa adds with a wry smile.

    Ciel nods in agreement. "You have a rather high 'Piety,' and that makes it easier for the Gods to reach you."

    The "evil" feeling suddenly flares up within my heart, so I get Hana to massage my horns because my head is starting to hurt. "Okay, I'm feeling very conflicted about this spell now. I want to study it, but I'm also becoming increasingly fearful about it, and I'm not sure why."

    Ciel takes a step forward and caresses my cheek as she gently advises me, "Focus on the feeling that you don't understand and try to find out where it comes from. The influence from the God of Order and Destruction sometimes makes it difficult for the average commoner to interact with the Humanoid Gods when they don't have enough 'Piety.'"

    Okay, so the Goddess is fucking with my mind. She really just can't not make a mess, so I guess I can't entirely blame her.

    I groan tiredly and start trying to calm my heart. [Bind] makes itself useful again with the girls reaching through it to comfort me. Their vivid memories flourish in my soul space, and they make me melt under Ciel's and Hana's caring touch.

    The dragon curls up and goes to sleep while the human has a mind-gasm, and post-mind-nut clarity helps me to focus on the Goddess' influence.

    I feel like there's a warning siren blaring inside my mind, and it gradually becomes louder and louder until it's pounding in my head, giving me a headache. I also see red flashing like emergency lights, and it becomes increasingly brighter until all I can see is red. The two senses fuse together into one clear feeling: terror.

    Then the eyes of the Unknown open up and stare back at me. They're boundless and infinite, making me seem like not just an ant, but a tasty ant. There's a predator before me, with only a thin barrier separating us.

    The spell isn't just 'evil,' it's Wicked. It isn't just "dangerous," it's "I can't even put it on a scale"-dangerous. The person who cast it definitely died because of it.

    But can I study it?

    The feeling instantly vanishes, leaving me with nothing but empty darkness, then I feel something change within me.

    I open my "Status" and discover that my "Piety" has increased by 1 (now 18).

    I open my eyes and smile wryly as I say, "I guess that as long as I don't actually cast it, we can study it as much as we want."



    We each return to our previous business as if nothing happened, and I take the request from the painter that I don't move as an opportunity to reflect on what we just learned.

    A realization strikes me as rather worrying, though. The system automatically gives someone the knowledge for how to cast a spell once their level in the skill reaches the required level, so if I start sharing my knowledge of [Summoning Magic] with the rest of the world, someone, somewhere, at some point in time, might end up stumbling upon [Bind] and [Otherwordly Summoning].

    If this spell is as dangerous as the Goddess of Knowledge thinks, then shit's fucked.

    It seems like this magic school took a turn towards somewhere pretty dangerous after [Summon Monster], for some reason, but nobody knows much about it, so we might be the only living people who are even aware of these spells.

    Following the researcher's line of thought, he might have eventually tried to create a spell like [Divine Summoning], or something like that. Lina says that there's already a spell called [Divine Descent] in the [Light Magic] school, so it's not like it's 100% impossible.

    A brilliant idea suddenly lights up inside my head. The system gives out the most commonly used form of the spell, which is usually the safest, so if we "alter" the spell into a safer version, then we effectively remove the dangerous spells from the skill. This might be the real reason why the Goddess "guided" me towards this spell.

    Wait… this can't be the reason that I was brought to this world, can it? Or maybe there's someone else who, in the future, might stumble upon this spell and cause a doomsday scenario, and I was brought here to stop it…

    I focus on myself, but no other "guidance" is provided for me. There also isn't a sense of danger or urgency aside from the warning to not finish casting the spell, so I'm not entirely sure about the "doomsday" theory. And it fails to neatly explain why all the other crazy things have happened surrounding me, so I drop it.

    Our preparations for the Ceremony are almost done, anyway, so we can afford to do a little experimentation with [Disruption Field] to test the waters.

    Alissa's protectiveness wants me to not touch the spell with even a ten-metri pole, but since it apparently came from divine guidance, she's feeling very conflicted about it.

    Ciel and Roxanne agree with the idea to test [Otherworldly Summoning], but only after they deem the safety measures to be good enough, and they want more than just [Disruption Field] as an assurance that the spell won't trigger.

    I think we can use emellanat shackles and [Spirit Magic] alongside the Field to ensure interruption, but what's actually starting to concern me is how much these measures will hurt. [Mana Body] means that all these things will affect me too, so we also have to make sure that I don't die from having my heart "interrupted," or something like that.



    The painter finishes his portrait of me, but I remain seated on my throne, deep in thought until someone comes in, sent by Osaria. It's an elven designer, and she wants to talk about our heraldry.

    I turn my eyes to the mature elven woman, and she seems to hold her breath when I look her in the eye.

    "Greetings, Tista, I'm Wolf Ryder. This matter will require my wives to be present, too, so we'll talk about it later," I respond sympathetically, and Tista nods in understanding, but her wide eyes make her look like a puppy, so I decide to entertain her a bit. "How about you start presenting me with some ideas, instead?"

    She brightens up and nods repeatedly, then clears her throat awkwardly as she blushes.

    I smile like a wolf before a herd of sheep and decide to change seats, moving over to her sofa so that we aren't so far apart.

    She flinches when I sit down, and covers half of her face with her drawing board, as if she wanted to hide behind it.

    I wait for a moment in silence, then press her, "Well, then?"

    "Y-yes!" She squeaks, then scoots closer and starts drawing examples with a magic pen.

    Osaria chose Tista because she's discreet, but I think that she's simply too shy to blabber about us.

    Her thin, delicate hands show a high "Dexterity," forming complex drawings with such ease that it actually annoys me. I never forgot how bad my grades were in Art class, and this woman reminds me of how un-artistic I am.

    As a completely new noble family, we don't have any previous symbols to build upon, so the most obvious choice for us would be to choose a motif that best represents our family. In our case, it's quite clear what it should be about: dragons.

    There are multiple elements that compose the full heraldry. The most important is the flag, where the colors of the house and its main symbol are represented; there's the rallying standard, a ceremonial banner or symbol that's a more ornate version of the flag; then there's the seal, used for official documents and missives, which has a small symbol and sometimes a motto; the achievements book, which is used to record the Titles gained, special skills, battles won, rare monsters killed, and the Lord's level before death; there's the lineage tapestry, where only the Lords and their direct Descendants are depicted; and there's the noble composition, a piece of painted artwork where all the symbols are combined into one beautiful picture.

    All of these elements can be styled and physically represented as we wish, but it's required of us as new Lords to have an official drawn version of them for record-keeping.

    Tista speaks with energy even though her overall demeanor is still shy, which shows just how much she really loves talking about heraldry. She reveres the prestige of all the symbols surrounding nobility, and it's heart-warming to see someone sharing their love for something so earnestly.

    I soften my gaze and try to engage with her, which helps her relax. She's just like Lina was when she was still an innocent, shy little angel.

    Lina's gloomy, wounded pout appears in my soul space, and I chuckle internally. Of course, she's still my little angel, but there's just no way that she's "innocent" anymore.

    I scoot closer to Tista and increase the intensity of my staring at her just a bit to push her back into "prey mode" again.

    We're now so close to each other that our arms almost touch, and her gentle perfume smells like a fine meal being served before me.

    I hear her breath gradually speed up as her face flushes. The meat is almost done and ready to be eaten.

    Her discomposure builds up so high that she suddenly loses her train of thought and becomes completely distracted by my scales. "I-I can see my reflection…" She breathes in wonder.

    I lower my tone, giving it a bit of a sexy rumble. "A dragon's scales always represent something. Do you know what mine are?"

    "No…"

    "They're made of Okross, the unbreakable metal." I wave my scales, and she flinches in surprise. "And they're so sharp that you can cut yourself just by touching them."

    Her long, thin finger moves to touch my scales, but she hesitates. "They're beautiful."

    "Go on, touch them," I encourage her warmly.

    She cutely bites her thin lip and finally touches it gingerly with her fingers, her mouth open in amazement just like a thirsty succubus would when she sees my dragonator armed and ready to fuck.

    She tries to feel the edge of a scale, but I've removed the padding, so she cuts herself and winces in pain. She pulls her hand away, but I grab it with my (padded) claws and hold it in place.

    I stare at her with gentle eyes as I open my mouth and take her cut finger in.

    My tongue rubs over her wound as I use a bit of my spirit touch, and I feel the (surprisingly delicious) taste of her blood, then I cast a [Heal] through my tongue, and a sexy moan escapes her lips.

    Her mouth trembles, but she's too stunned to say anything. She remains entranced by my eyes as I suck on her finger and give her a small taste of real pleasure.

    With perfect timing, Alissa enters the hall since the artists have already finished with her.

    I remove Tista's finger from my mouth and put it inside her own so that she may taste my saliva.

    She remains frozen for a second longer until she sees Alissa approaching, which makes her wake up and try to hide her wet finger, and then she looks around in a panic, searching for an exit, but Alissa's gentle smile sets her at ease.

    Alissa sits down on her other side and lays a hand on her bare thigh, which is exposed by her thin elven dress with its many fashionable holes, then I lay my clawed hand on her other thigh.

    The shy elf looks back and forth between us, still slightly fearful, but not enough that she wants to run away anymore.

    Alissa sports her best seductive look and gives Tista's thigh a gentle squeeze as she offers, "Would you like to have tea with us somewhere more private?"

    The mature woman is too flustered to speak, but she nods vigorously.

    Dokkan doesn't need me to be present for this part of her work, so we lead the designer to our bedroom balcony.

    The sight of our beds makes her start to seize up from the anxiety, so we get her to talk about heraldry again to help her relax.



    I'm kind of miffed that it won't actually make sense for us to put in a wolf somewhere. The fucking Gods just had to make me into a fucking dragon instead of a fucking werewolf, but I guess "Ryder" can still be referenced.

    We want to show the influence from all of the girls in our heraldry, so we look at the quirks that the heraldry from other races tend to have.

    Imperial Lords like to write their achievements in murals and draw extremely detailed borders, while dwarven Lords enjoy depicting their achievements with epic carvings, so we might go for the dwarven style while keeping the imperial borders.

    While we can dedicate a corridor to making murals about our achievements, we don't have much in that department yet, so they won't be too extensive for now.

    Werefox Lords enjoy adding cute little drawings into all elements of their heraldry, making their tapestries the most beautiful you can find by far, so we'll put ours in the main hall, replacing the huge family portrait above the door to the Hub Room. They also like to carve their pillars with these drawings, and that's something that our Nature mages might love doing all over the castle.

    Dragonkin Lords love spiky rally standards, so ours will be in that style. They'll be carried by our troops into battle, making them one of the first things that the enemy sees when they face our front line, so their design must be menacing to intimidate them.

    Rabanarian Lords are very reserved, so there isn't much influence from Ciel's background in that regard. If we consider her as Sommerlande instead, then we could use vibrant colors, but that's still a "meh" reference.

    Since she's a priestess before being a Rabanarian, we could add a religious motto to our seal as a reference to her.

    Elven Lords love their family trees, which is clearly evident from all the statues of past Lords in the main hall of the castle, though they're more concerned with achieving celebrity status among the commoners by plastering their faces on the Shell for all to see. For the depiction of the lineage tapestry, we could use an actual (drawn) tree where the leaves are the faces of our ancestors, though it will be mostly empty for now.

    Succubi Lords have a tendency to prominently display the "body count" (i.e. how many people they've fucked) of their Lords, which might be something we do just for me. They also love phallic imagery, so I'm sure that we can add some of those in somewhere, like in our composition.

    Tista loosens up and lets out high-pitched giggles as we talk about all the different motifs we want to add to our heraldry. The idea of having a literal penis as a rallying banner sends her into a fit of laughter, and she relaxes so much that she starts to play with my scales as we discuss draconic motifs.

    Alissa and I share a look. The seasoning is complete, and it's just about time for my meal. Ciel and Yunia are still stuck in their meeting, so we have some time to burn.



    Before we start salivating over Tista, there's something that we need to clarify.

    I use a lull in the conversation to broach the topic, "I keep friendship and work separate. You may say no to any of our advances, and that will have no influence on our work relationship. Know that I'm a rather pious man, and I won't use my position as a Crown Lord for anything inappropriate."

    It feels odd saying that I'm "pious," but my "Piety" is at 18 now, and that's just about the norm for the lower-end of priests.

    My relationship with the Gods is weird, though. I don't particularly like them, I just have a mindset similar to theirs, or to some of them at least, so my "Piety" keeps increasing without much effort on my part.

    Tista flushes tomato-red, but she nods in understanding and shyly smiles.

    With that out of the way, it's time to take a bite.

    I touch her chin with a claw so that she looks at me, and I stare deep into her eyes as I say, "Your presence arouses me, Tista. I can't stop thinking about how you'd look naked."

    Her lips tremble, and her breathing gets louder. "M-my Lord. I-I…"

    She seems to have lost her ability to speak, so I strike again, "Yes, you. What about you? What do think about me and my 'draconified' body?"

    She breathes in deeply and looks at the claw poking her chin. "It's amazing, my Lord," she breathes softly, then her eyes fill with vigor as she stares into mine. "It's so gallant and fearsome," she compliments, and I notice how her voice has become a pitch higher

    "She's a dragon fetishist," Yunia offhandedly remarks inside my mind, then focuses back on their meeting again.

    I smirk in delight. Finally, I'm not just "cute" anymore. "Do you want to see me naked?" I ask with a husky tone.

    "Yes," she answers without hesitation.

    Alissa's hand lands on hers. "Then, come," my wingwoman whispers sensually and rises from her seat, pulling Tista up with her, then she guides the mature elf to our bed, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

    Tista has long, perfectly straight, golden hair parted into two sides, each pouring over a shoulder like a sheet of silk. Her features are rounder than the usual elf's, with cute round eyes and a wide smile that flaunts her white teeth. Her faintly pigmented skin and dimples show her age, but they only enhance her refined cuteness.

    Alissa helps her sit on the bed, and they both turn to take in my approach.

    Elven clothes are designed to be easily removed, so it only takes me a couple of seconds to take off my elven golden vest, then my thin, semi-transparent white shirt.

    I feel their eyes scanning over my sculpted chest, admiring my athletic build and the scars adorning my skin.

    A few more movements, and the pants fall down to the floor, revealing the Weapon, armed and ready. Just to make it a bit more threatening, I visibly cover it with scattered small silver spikes, and Tista gasps at the sight.

    Then Alissa starts whispering dirty words in her ear as she pulls on the strings of her elven not-bikini. The transparent stripes of cloth quickly fall away with just a few pulls, revealing her thin, Lady-like body, lacking in both muscle and fat, then her top follows them, exposing her modest, round breasts.

    I stop before them, then Alissa's hand drifts downwards until it reaches her pussy, and she starts massaging it through the thin cloth to get her ready for me. Tista's legs gradually spread apart on their own as the gates of heaven open themselves to me.

    I lean over Tista and grip her breasts with my claws, then I invade her trembling mouth and give her a world of pleasure through her tongue.

    The foreplay is short since she isn't used to the intensity of our combined efforts, and soon, I hear the sound of moist panties like the ringing of a bell telling me that the next round is about to start.

    Alissa undoes Tista's not-bikini's bottom and pulls it away in one swift move, lifting the curtain to heaven.

    I break the kiss and stare at her reddened and glistening slit, then I lick my lips. I feel her hot breath on my face, and I glance at her, noticing how her expression seems misty from her letting herself relax and surrender to me.

    I let go of her breasts and grab her waist, then I thrust.

    She squeaks like a cute little animal, and her entire body shudders, then I coat her insides with my spirit touch, and she starts losing all control over her voice.

    I pull back, and Alissa drizzles some warm lube on my shaft, then I start Ravaging her slick pussy.

    I give her pleasure that no man has ever given her before. Not the kind that only a dragonkin like Hana could withstand, but a perfectly measured experience based on what I've learned from Ravaging a wide variety of women.

    I want her to pass out from pleasure, to have her mind blown, to make this day as special and memorable as the day she kissed her first love. I want her to truly worship my cock.

    Every thrust I make must wring out a deeper, wilder moan from her as her mind retreats into a state of pure lust. Every orgasm she feels must be longer and more intense than the one before it as all her inhibitions are chipped away. Every second of the experience must be filled with a growing tsunami of pure pleasure until her heart can't take it anymore.

    I savor her skin, her lips, her nipples, her pussy. I act like an incubus and drain her of energy as I enjoy every bit of her femininity.

    But all good things must come to an end, and Tista isn't a well-trained soldier in the war of sex, so she quickly succumbs to the Great Magical Dick.

    "DO YOU WANT THIS COCK?!" I angrily shout at her.

    "YES, YES, YES! GIVE IT TO ME!" She follows my lead like the good, obedient worshiper she is.

    "DO YOU WANT MY SEED?!"

    "YES~! CUM INSIDE ME!" She shouts at the top of her lungs.

    "THEN HAVE IT!"

    I cover her entire body with my spirit-touch, triggering a sucker punch of an orgasm that makes her nearly black out.

    Her legs instinctively wrap around my waist to prevent me from pulling out as I flood her vagina with my thick, magical, draconic seed.

    She convulses for a few more seconds, then her body goes limp on the bed. Alissa caresses her forehead lovingly, then gives her a goodnight kiss on the lips.

    I pull my dick out and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Though that would normally be just the beginning of the Ravaging if it were with the other girls, it's good enough for me.

    Tista seems dazed, as if she's high on weed, with her mouth loosely hanging open and her lips curled in a faint smile. The series of consecutive orgasms from the spirit touch and my shape-shifting cock seems to be a bit too intense for the uninitiated.

    She's the first woman outside of the harem that I've fucked in a while, and I feel a very different sort of pleasure from the usual. It's invigorating in an "I've done a good deed" kind of way. I admit that some of the pleasure of it comes from Alissa's own depravity, but I also enjoyed it from the depths of my heart to make Tista as happy as she looks right now.

    It's one of the greatest acts of kindness that I could give to a woman: the blessing of my Cock. There's nothing depraved or degenerate about it. It's a pure, holy thing, truly. I'm making women happy through sex simply because I enjoy seeing them happy.

    Unfortunately, I'm decidedly not bisexual, so I can't give the blessings of my glorious cock to everyone. Perhaps my children will, and the holy weredragon race will spread its love throughout the land, making all the other races ascend into better people through sexual satisfaction.

    I'm truly the God of Sex.

    Hghn…!

    Ciel pokes my soul to make me stop blaspheming. I'll be a God when I become a God, and not before that.

    Alissa cleans up Tista like the good cum-cleaning slave she is, giving the dazed elf one final burst of pleasure, like the cherry on top of a cake.

    Tista's sensual, faint moans put me right back in the mood again, so once Alissa is done, I fuck her doggy-style on top of Tista.



    After a quickie and then cleaning herself, Alissa pulls out a sponge to wipe off the sweat from Tista's aged, but very soft skin. Meanwhile, I pull out a brush and do her hair, applying some of our personal elven hair lotion while I [Massage] her brain with tentacles.

    Her clouded mind slowly clears, and life returns to her eyes, then she starts trying to understand her situation.

    "M-my Lord…?" She shyly asks in confusion.

    "I'm applying some of Yunia's hair lotion. It'll make your hair shine brighter and keep it from frizzing. Or would you prefer something else? We have all sorts of hair products that you might like."

    Her round eyes open wide, making her face look even cuter. "No, that's fine… but you don't need to waste your products on me."

    I smile kindly at her and whisper, "It's not a waste, and I enjoy doing these sorts of things."

    She relents, then closes her eyes and starts to become drowsy. "Thank you… my Lord… for the honor…"

    We help her put on her clothes, which Yunia tells me is called a "hanging dousnadeia," then we let her have a nap as we finish our tea.

    I drink some orange juice with milk and eat a soft fruit cake with meringue. The cake is simple but so well done that its texture feels like silk on my tongue.

    Then Alissa sits on my lap and plays with my scales while we wait for the rest of the girls to arrive.

    Hana is the first to burst into the room. She wants to shout as she enters, but Alissa shuts her mouth through [Bind], forcing Hana to speak through my soul space instead. "You fucked her without me?!" She complains like a child that was denied dessert.

    "She's not really bisexual," Alissa points out and sends an apologetic smile.

    "Fucking hell. Well, whatever, I got a woman to fuck, too! Tonight, we're doing her, Wolfy!"

    "If you start fucking your Lordsguard or the servants, we'll get a reputation," Yunia warns us, briefly shifting her focus away from their meeting.

    "A 'good' reputation, or a 'bad' one?" Roxanne tentatively asks for clarification.

    Yunia sighs internally and tiredly responds, "That will depend on how forceful you are, but you can be certain that the more prudish people in general will keep their women very far from us."

    I chuckle heartily inside my mind. Hide yo daughters, hide yo sisters, hide yo mothers, hide yo wives. Because I'm coming, and I'm cumming inside them all.

    "I'll definitely fuck Poosh soon, and I don't think that I can stop myself from fucking some of the maids," I confess.

    "Regardless of our reputation, I think it's best if we never get ourselves involved with prudish people if we can avoid it," Alissa opines.

    Yunia shrugs and returns her focus to their meeting.

    Hana passes by Tista, staring down at her body like a ravenous beast, then lets her thin dress fall to the floor and leans forward on the railing.

    "I got horny from watching you three, so you'd better compensate me for leaving me out of this one," she demands, then spreads her pussy lips for me.

    "You know that you shouldn't be spying on us if it's going to get in the way of your duties," Alissa chastises her.

    She snorts and starts fingering herself. "Well, I just couldn't help it. I've been wanting to fuck another woman for a while now."

    Alissa pouts as our cuddling time comes to an end, but duty calls, and I have a horny dragonkin to satisfy.



    Tista wakes up near the end, and she stares on in fear at the sight of two dragons Fucking with a capital F.

    It's a short bout, though, and before long, it ends with Hana's back being painted white, serving up another meal for Alissa, though she has to share with Hana.

    The meeting with the Tribunal and the Chimeras is adjourned, and we finally gather the harem together to discuss the heraldry.

    "Black horns in a silver field," Alissa immediately suggests, and it's met with approval, though Yunia remains neutral.

    I also side with Yunia and suggest, "Well, that'd be a reference to me, but only my elven children will become Lords, so maybe we could use something more 'race-neutral'?"

    Yunia is the one to counter that point, "I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to create a clan, but that requires strong leadership if you want it to last for more than a few generations."

    My thick tail starts swaying out of my control from the excitement building in my heart, but my mind is confused. "Why would we make a 'clan'?"

    Yunia looks at each of the girls with a subtle, proud smile, though she avoids looking Roxanne in the eye. "We have gathered here an assortment of women and a man, all of us with the potential of achieving something great. If we're each to grow and advance in our respective fields, we'll all acquire some sort of power and political influence, which would be best wielded by a clan, a hierarchical organization of our family."

    I look out to the town below us as my mind drifts into thought.

    I can easily see what she means. Yunia's children will act as the Lords and leaders; Lina's as the enchanters and merchants; Hana's as the warriors and inheritors of her [Draconic Body] skill; Roxanne's as the mages and alchemists; Ciel's as the pious healers and protectors of the commoners; Aoi's as the (potential?) smiths and perhaps something else; and Alissa's as the… servants? The ones who keep us all together? Perhaps simply the managers of the clan.

    There will also be those who will follow my path, becoming… researchers? Scholars? Sex Gods…? "Spreaders of Love and Legs"?

    The point is that our potential is greater than just the Lordship, and we could all create institutions as our legacy for this world.

    Then Yunia shares a thought through [Bind]: the descendants of most of the Humanoid Gods have created their own clans to maintain the "divinity" of their lineage. The largest one being the empire, the "clan" of the God of the Sun.

    The part that makes me wary is that our children might not want to follow in our footsteps, or even participate in the clan. How do we deal with that? How do we choose who gets to sit in each position? Is hereditary rule really a stable choice for a long-lasting organization? But then there's the "divine mandate," where the Gods actually do legitimize the leaders…

    "If we base our clan around piety, then the Gods will help keep it stable, just like they do for the empire," Ciel interrupts my thoughts.

    Yunia piles on, "The Leigelas family is a clan. They have a lot of influence within the Tribunal and even some weight in the imperial senate without needing the support of the Elder Council."

    Lina joins in, reciting something that she read about before, "The Korig family are the descendants of the God of War, and together, they hold the largest non-human portion of the imperial army. They're famous around Mountainhome, but they aren't rulers, even though they have so much power, so I think they're some sort of clan."

    "A royal dynasty is just a more dignified name for a clan," Alissa adds through [Bind]. This isn't something that we can just mention openly in front of Tista.

    I raise my claws as a signal for them to stop. "Alright, I'm convinced, but what about the issue of the flag?"

    Ciel speaks her mind, "It's supposed to represent all of us and our legacy, and these horns might be our greatest impact on the realm, I think."

    "Or at least, the most visible," Yunia finishes.

    Tista stays quiet, seemingly a bit confused about the reasoning for the flag since she doesn't know about my new race, yet.

    I look towards Yunia, wanting to get her final opinion on this. It'll be her children that will have to live under a draconic flag even though they're elves.

    "The clan will be larger than my children, just like how the duties of Lordship are greater than the bonds I had with my parents," she admits rather bitterly.

    She tries to hide it, but Yunia has a bit of a xenophilia fetish. If anything, she'll impart in her children the love for the dragon cock.

    With the matter of the flag now settled, we start defining which elements from the races of the girls will go where.



    When lunchtime comes, we invite Tista to eat with us. Today, there are a lot of choices of bread and dipping sauces set out, making it an imperial-style meal.

    There's not-hummus, not-tahini, not-baba-ghanoush, not-tabbouleh, and sour cream. Quite the nostalgic combination for me.

    I know a few things that can be done with tahini, so I should check with Krysta to see if she knows the recipes.

    Once Osaria arrives, she seems to engage her "predator mode" and gives Tista a hungry look. The shy woman doesn't dare to look back, but her demeanor reminds me of a frightened rabbit hiding from a predator.

    "I see you've enjoyed the pleasures that our Lord can bestow upon us," Osaria teases with a cheeky grin.

    "Lord Wolf has given her a great honor in allowing her to experience his noble cock," Alissa concurs while nodding sagely.

    Tista simply smiles, too embarrassed to speak out, but the light teasing eases the sexual tension, allowing her to relax for once.



    After our meal, the meeting with the Tribunal continues, and we discuss a few more details with Tista, but the more important aspects have already been defined, so Osaria starts organizing the painters.

    Only a few strategic places will receive our heraldry for now, so there's not that much work to do. Our portrait on the Shell has already been started, and it's going to be finished pretty fast since it's only a drawing in gold, not a realistic painting.

    Now that there isn't anybody else here to get in the way of my practice, I return to training my [Dragon Transformation].

    I'm at the point where I can feel a draconic rage inside of me like a pool of lava that I can tap into to give me energy. If I go too far, I fear that I'll fall into a dangerous, berserking rage, but everything I know tells me that the girls will be able to reign me in through [Bind].

    It's a bit difficult to get into a rage without actual bloodshed, so I can only try this out safely with monsters.

    I'm also now at a size that I can actually start to fight when transformed. Even if I don't have armor, my scales are hard enough and my body nimble enough to keep me safe. I don't need to actually wield a sword to fight since I can still use my tentacles to use any weapon I want, including Patrono. Actually, especially Patrono since that sword is so dangerous that I could kill myself with it if I'm not careful, so it might be better if I only wield it with tentacles.

    I'm about the size of a Great Dane, so Lina could potentially mount me, but it would be very uncomfortable for her due to the spikes on my back. Actual rideable dragons have their spikes shaved to fit the rider/carriage, but I won't do that, my pride won't allow it. I'll just have to get a saddle that's been molded to my spikes if I want someone to ride me. I can afford it, after all.

    It's also kind of funny that I can choose to use a smaller form when I want. It takes more effort to be small than to just be big, though.

    A cute, orange little fox suddenly peeks out from behind my throne. Her cute little nose twitches as she smells the air, and her eyes stare at me with curiosity, then her fluffy tail excitedly wags when I reduce my size to match hers.

    The fox yips happily and hides behind the throne, so I dash after her.

    She's so fast that I only hear her feet scampering away, so I put more energy into my legs and chase after her ever faster.

    We circle around the throne, and I start to hear her tip taps getting closer, then I get a glimpse of a fluffy white tip, but it immediately disappears as an orange blur darts away from the throne and shoots towards the sofas.

    I immediately turn and follow her, my claws leaving small cuts on the grass-like white floor.

    I get a few more glimpses of her, but she always changes up her pattern whenever I'm getting closer, managing to increase the distance between us each time.

    I start to get angry. The white fluffy tip of her tail is like a piece of meat dangling before me, and I must cuddle with it!

    I hear the cheeky fox yip and laugh as it plays with me. She's faster, and she knows it, but I'm a fucking dragon, and I don't quit so easily.

    Come on, ya stinky lizard! Move those legs! Move those legs! MOVE THOSE LEGS!

    "Raaaaaaaa…" I growl in anger, fire and smoke escaping my mouth.

    The fox stops laughing, and I hear her little feet desperately scurrying away from me.

    "RAAAAAAA!" I roar out loud. Even though my voice is chipmunkified in this smaller form, it's still the primal roar of the king of both the land and the skies.

    YOU CHEEKY LITTLE FOX! I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP!

    The white tip appears again, teasing my pride with the cute way it sways as she runs.

    She darts from side-to-side, zips and bolts, jumps and rolls, all to try to lose me, but the longer the chase goes on, the faster I get as my obsession with her grows stronger.

    The white tip grows larger in my view until I start to see the round and fluffy poofiness of its orange length.

    Her little black hind paws come into my sight, then I see her fluffy body as it gets closer, and closer, and closer.

    The fluffiness gets so close to my claws that I can almost feel its softness against my hard scales. I can smell it, and I can almost taste it. Just a little more, just a little faster…

    The cheeky fox is now in a full sprint, unable to shake me off, and desperately running from its hunter since it realizes that it bit off more than it could chew.

    She makes a sudden turn and darts to a corridor, but I'm already used to her near-instant changes in direction, so I use my wings to help me make the quick turn.

    We enter a corridor that leads to one of the lower rooms, and I start to salivate at the alluring sway of her body. It's so entrancing that it even gives me a fresh burst of energy, which I use to leap forward.

    I glide over her and use my claws to grab onto her fur, nabbing her from the floor.

    She loses her footing as I lift her up, flapping my wings desperately, but I'm an inexperienced flier, so we crash down onto the waxed floor a moment later.

    We slide a fairly long distance, then I hit the wall with my back, but I keep the little fox secured tightly in my claws.

    I immediately recover, but she remains still on the floor, though I know that she certainly isn't dead or passed out.

    I climb on top of her, my toothy mouth ajar, drooling with desire, then I glare at her beady, upturned eyes.

    She yips playfully and shows me her belly, her legs spread apart as much as she can.

    This female is mine, my prey, my toy, my mate.

    My spiky dragon cock slides out of its sheath, already completely wet with my lewd juices.

    She suddenly licks my snout, and I lick her back reflexively, then our tongues touch, sending an electrifying jolt of pleasure through my spine and down to my cock, which twitches and drips in excitement.

    The cheekiness in her eyes goes away, leaving only a submissive female fox waiting for her mate to start.

    I don't waste another second and lower my hips, my wet cock sliding in easily, and she lets out a painful squeak as I fill her vagina with my thickness.

    She turns around, spinning on my dick, and gets up so that I'm doing her from behind, then she presses her fluffy body against me, and nuzzles her head against mine.

    My hips move on their own, and I breed her until hers give out.



    Alissa and I head back to the main hall while holding hands, my padded claws interlaced with her soft human fingers, and silly smiles stamped on our faces.

    She's exhausted for the day, but she has no regrets.

    When we get back, Dokkan's annoyed glare immediately finds us.

    "I'll ask that you remain still, my Lord. I need to make the finishing touches," she requests sternly, and I nod with a wry smile.

    We're not sorry.



    The rest of the day goes by smoothly without much really happening.

    Dokkan finishes her job, and I can now walk around in my old fully-human form without issues as long as I don't try to move my tail or use [Soul Manipulation] on my draconic parts.

    [Jaleowzeh Magic] actually warps reality, so I can finger as many pussies as I want without shredding their lower lips into ribbons with my claws. I can also sit down on normal chairs again without having to care about my tail getting in the way.

    The downside is that the girls actually find me far sexier in my weredragon form, and the dragon inside me gets a bit grumpy when his characteristics are suppressed.

    The illusion is still useful due to how convenient it makes things for me, so I'll definitely use it a lot.

    I call Almaria and give her a request: grow a portable house for me.

    "'Portable'?" She flatly repeats and blinks blankly in disbelief.

    I nod firmly and clarify, "I have a very large [Item Box], so I want a 'portable house' that I can store in it. We just need something more solid to replace our tents for whenever we sleep outside of the castle."

    "Oh, I understand, my Lord," she softly responds with a polite nod.

    "There's no need for anything fancy. Just the basics since we also have [Nature Magic], so we can grow whatever we might need later on. It also needs to be done fairly fast because we only hired Dokkan until the Lordship Ceremony, and that's the day after tomorrow."

    She nods energetically. "Understood. I'll organize the Nature mages, and we'll work through the night." Then she bows and keeps her head low.

    I cringe and look away as I apologize, "I'm sorry to give you this task so suddenly."

    She raises her eyes to meet mine and adjusts her small glasses. "But you still gave it to me." Then she smiles cheekily and straightens her back.

    I smile back and chuckle softly. I like her attitude.



    For bath time, Alissa and Hana are too tired for sex, so I focus on the other girls.

    I sink my claws onto Ciel's ass and do her on top of Lina while the little dwarf fingers herself.

    My cum and Ciel's pussy juices mix and overflow, pouring onto Lina's eager face, and she opens her mouth to drink it all up.

    The two Chimera maids that are attending us this time can't hold themselves back and openly fuck each other while they wait for us to finish, but we take so long that they end up doing each other twice before it's time for them to clean us up.

    The slender, Doberman-headed maid sniffs my cock, entranced by its smell, then she starts panting but holds it back and looks down in shame as she apologizes, "Forgive me, my Lord, but the rumors are true, and I find it hard to hold myself back. You're just too alluring to me."

    "Any female maid can do whatever they wish with me and my wives. You don't need to hold yourself back," I magnanimously state.

    She breathes in deeply, discreetly taking in the scent of my cock again, then forgoes the towel and uses her mouth to clean us up.

    The other maid is more reserved and doesn't do anything lewd, letting her colleague drink cum and suck dick as much as she wants.

    I know for a fact that they're both lower Chimera noblewomen, so it's a bit surprising to see that they're willing to do this kind of work.

    Unfortunately, their pussies are already spent and their lust is currently fairly low since they have just fucked each other twice, so I don't get to taste new pussy this time.

    The rest of the girls don't want anything special right now, so they get the Tentacle Monster deal: sexual molestation without penetration. And this kind of attention goes perfectly well with the not-Jacuzzi bath.



    At dinner, we have a new guest that was invited by Hana. Romy, a spearwoman from our Lordsguard. She's a new recruit, but she's also an experienced mercenary, so she's adapting very well to her new position.

    She's definitely exotic, though. She's a tall Asian from Wideberg. She has caramel-colored skin from working in the hot sun, black hair with a blue sheen from her dragonkin ancestors, and a fit body that's quite a bit more muscular than Hana's.

    "What brought you so far from home?" I ask curiously.

    "I heard that there was some trouble brewing around here, so I came and made a lot of money," she replies with a shrug and gives Hana a knowing smirk.

    "That's exactly why Dad came here, too," Klein blurts out, then Romy raises an eyebrow at her, and Klein blushes as she realizes something. "Wait, not like that!"

    There's a very profitable place for women in the army: prostitution. Especially when the troops are deployed somewhere without a brothel, the prostitutes can serve as a way to keep morale up and tension down. When Mavel still ruled and the soldiers were overworked protecting the town, the prostitutes saw a huge increase in business.

    Romy can fight, and that's the only reason that she was accepted into the Lordsguard, but she also benefits from having a useful "second job."

    And she does both of them very well.

    Osaria and Roxanne join Hana and me after the first round, and we have an orgy right here at the dining table.

    Romy's pussy is quite slick and resistant, but the most interesting part is that she's trained her pelvic muscles, allowing her to vary the tightness at will with a great degree of dexterity.

    She can make me cum on demand almost like how Roxanne can, but it's still far from the original cum-extractor skill of a succubus pussy.

    Her sexy smirk suddenly vanishes as she remembers something very important, "You're using a sperm-killer, right?'

    I point to the ring hanging from my neck, and she hums in understanding.



    Ciel and Lina make bets on who's going to fall first, and Lina gets all of hers right while Ciel gets the last survivor wrong. Roxanne is just going with the flow, so she taps out first; then Osaria is next because her thirst has been somewhat lower now that she can drink my cum every day; followed by Romy, since even though she has significant sexual stamina, it isn't enough to compete with us; and finally, I give up last because my dick has already been ridden a few times today.

    Hana stands victoriously on top of the multiple corpses dripping with cum. She's the victor of the Sex Battle Royale, and she receives a round of applause for her inspiring accomplishment.



    I massage Romy caramel abs as I give her battle scars some gentle kisses. Her breasts are being fondled by Hana, though her sensitive dark nipples are left alone since they're still too sensitive, while her head rests on Ciel's bosom, who is playing with her short dark hair.

    "If everyone fucked like you, I'd do it for free until I starved," Romy mumbles as her eyelids droop shut.

    The girls are starting to get jealous, so I leave Romy and give some attention to Roxanne and Aoi, who each get half of my body to cuddle with.

    Klein wants her share, too, so I assume direct control of Alissa and cuddle with her. The brown monkey girl is really tired today, so Alissa and I work together to [Massage] her entire body and help her relax.

    "How's the Lordsguard treating you, Romy?" Yunia casually inquires.

    "Non-stop training, though I can't complain since we're serving Lords," she drowsily replies and shrugs.

    "I'm pretty sure all of our officers are elves. How would you compare them to human ones?" Her tone is entirely casual, but the contents make me turn to her and pay closer attention to the conversation.

    Romy raises an eyebrow and wakes up a little. "Permission to speak freely?"

    "Granted."

    "Uptight, sexy little assholes with tight, sexy little assholes."

    Well, it seems that the system could barely handle the nuance of her phrasing.

    "I've been having to use the fake dick quite a lot, though. You elves are really fucking perverted," she adds with a grin.

    "Hopefully, you can help 'loosen' them up," Hana follows suit with the innuendos as she smirks.

    "I hope so, too," Yunia agrees with a wry smile. "But I mean for the 'uptight' part, specifically."

    Romy turns her smirk towards Hana and shares some more of her perspective, "Snobby elves like to butt-fuck each other in their little circles. Nothing new about that, though they have been 'letting me in' more often."

    Hana suddenly feels inspired. "Look at you, 'entering' their 'rings,' 'plowing' through their 'fields,' 'forcing' yourself upon their 'untouched and pure' elven traditions."

    "I'm 'pollinating' their 'flowers,' 'fertilizing' them with my humble, human 'seed of knowledge.'"

    Hana nods sagely. "Ah, yes. They must all have a 'share' of you. It'd be a waste if they never experienced the delight of 'enjoying' your 'person.'"

    Romy opens her arms wide as she tries to look dignified and magnanimous. "I'm merely a worshiper of the Goddess of Love, bringing love and loosened assholes to all."

    Lina's Trivia: This isn't really blasphemy since the Goddess of Love was a well-known sex freak.

    Yunia lets herself smile wryly for a short moment, then she continues, "But about a more serious matter, I do hope that you're all trying to integrate. It'd be bad for the cohesion of our troops if the different races refused to work together."

    Romy shrugs. "We're doing fine, though the elves are still being elves."

    What she said is just a bit worrying, though. If the elven soldiers aren't trying to meet the rest halfway, then they'll bring the whole Lordsguard down.



    We retire to our room, and Romy returns to her barracks. Since we're just going to fuck our Lordsguard whenever we want, I feel like meeting with Hukarere and Kaatohe, but they're both with Hihiriwa, so they're on duty, though they are coming back tomorrow. I might just do them both together to save on time.

    While the girls play around before calling it a day, I mess with my points in [Summoning Magic] to try to understand anything I can about [Otherwordly Summoning]. Its wording is different from [Summon Monster] or [Summon Elemental], so perhaps, there's something different about the way it actually works.

    I meditate and reflect on my knowledge of [Summoning Magic] as I add and remove points, trying to detect any changes in my understanding of the magic school.

    I feel a sort of "intuition" becoming stronger whenever I add more points, but it feels like it's almost impossible for me to derive any specific knowledge from that.

    Someone taps my shoulder, and I open my eyes to find Yunia gazing kindly at me. She offers me a small piece of simple cloth with a circle of blood painted on it.

    "Let's test out [Disruption Field]," she proposes, and I accept because it's a more efficient use of my time.



    While this test is informative, it's also painful as fuck.

    I whimper like a kicked puppy as my entire draconic hand twinges in pain. It interrupted [Fireball] and [Lightning Bolt] perfectly, no matter what way I used to cast it, but it had also increasingly irritated every last atom in my hand.

    Ciel inspects the affected area with concern. She's trying to remain clinical, but her heart is filled with pity, and she's trying her best to help me. [Heal], [Refresh Body], and [Purify Body] just don't seem to have any actual effect on the pain, though MP potions do ease it a bit.

    "L-let's try this," Yunia suddenly suggests, then a blue, glowing, spiritual hand grabs my own as she uses [Spirit Touch]. Her heart isn't aching as much as Ciel's is, but like with all of the girls, her protective, motherly instincts have flared up from seeing my cute, pained face.

    And just like that, in just a single moment, my fearsome, draconic image is shattered. Considering how every part of my body is being tightly hugged, sinking into many pairs of breasts of varying sizes and shapes, it isn't so bad…

    Yunia's spirit hand dulls the pain, and I finally understand what happened: my soul was damaged by [Disruption Field] because my hands aren't fully physical anymore.

    The physical body serves as a "hiding place" or "shield" for the spirit, and now that my body is slightly magical, it leaves my spirit slightly vulnerable. This fact is also why Yunia could potentially kill me with [Disruption Field], and why I need to learn how to resist it.

    It's not like I'd be left unscathed if I didn't have [Mana Body]. Long exposure to [Disruption Field] would give me mana radiation sickness just like when I was bad at using the mana circulation routine.

    Aoi helps out by using her own [Soul Manipulation] to envelop my hand, which gives me a boner, but it's quite easy to manage, so I keep myself from pouncing on her. Her method has a similar effect to [Spirit Touch], though it's more on the removing the pain side than actually healing my spirit.

    All spirits heal on their own if damaged unless they were altered by something like [Alteration Magic], so this test isn't going to leave me with any lasting damage.

    I do have to use [Pain Resistance] to endure it, though.



    Today is the 10th.

    Klein wakes me up quite vigorously.

    I pat her head and lovingly play with her brown monkey ears, but my heart pangs with a single throb of pain. The dragon is still asleep, so this is my human side wanting for more than what I can have from her.

    I cum down her throat and sigh as I almost fall asleep again. I'll still pay the price for getting too attached for a while, but it's manageable. Either my time in the maze has dulled the emotional pain of it, or my draconic side increased my resistance.



    My "Strength", [Mana Body], and [Dragon Transformation] increased by 1 (now 15, 3 and 6). I've finally reached the end of my training, though I'll still try to keep leveling my Transformation. I'm now bigger than my human form if I stand on my feet, so I want to grow until I'm larger than Aoi and can fully dominate her at her largest.

    "Yes, please!" Aoi shouts happily. Not having to hold back during our "wrestling" will be quite refreshing for her.

    Alissa increased her [Illusion Magic] by 2 (now 2+13). It seems that she learned a lot from watching Dokkanchee, even though they aren't using the same type of illusion magic.

    Roxanne increased her [Space Magic] by 1 (now 4+11). I've also added some more points to it to help her with [Warp Space].

    Hana increased her [Two-Handed Sword Use] and [Draconic Body] by 1 (now 10 and 5).

    Lina increased her [Axe Use] and [Throw] by 1 (now 11+14 and 3+7).

    Yunia increased her [Sword Use] and [Two-Handed Sword Use] by 1 (now 3+12 and 3+17).

    Though we've had a lot of free time to train and get used to our armor, we now have to actually organize the Ceremony, so we'll most likely be busy for the whole day.



    The morning starts off very chilly since it rained during the night, so I go down to the kitchen to request that they make something warmer today.

    Below the ground floor is the kitchen, a huge hall with all sorts of ovens, grills, smokers, stoves, family-sized cooking pots, and an army of elves working at the tables, preparing the meals for everyone in the castle. They wear simple, white uniforms that cover everything but their hands and heads, so I guess not even the elves want to deal with burns from kitchen accidents.

    The room is far cooler than I expected it to be, but then I notice the large fans of palm leaves on the ceiling that are pulling the air up, and a very fresh breeze coming in through the grates on the floor. I guess they know about the dwarven wisdom of air cycling.

    A clumsy elf cuts his finger when he sees me entering the room, and the sight of his red blood wakes up the dragon within me, exciting it quite a bit.

    I glide towards the cook with [Telekinesis] and touch his hand with a claw, then I cast [Heal].

    The cook shouts in surprise, then bows at a right angle as he exclaims, "Ah! My Lord! I'm honored that you've graced me with your aid!"

    "Rise," I gently order, then I just give him a kind smile and leave in search of Krysta.

    I find her sternly instructing some young elven apprentices on how to not fuck up the bread like they just did. Imperial bread is made in some different way that they just neglected, or something like that.

    As I walk towards them, I get a bit annoyed at the fact that everyone seems to stop and look over at me for a moment, but I can't really do anything about that since this might be the first time that they've ever seen me.

    Krysta suddenly notices my approach and gives me a sweet smile.

    "My Lord. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" She politely asks, the angry look from before completely gone, though I don't think the quick switch was unnatural.

    "I just wanted to request a specific recipe from you. I think it'll suit the weather today pretty well," I softly respond, trying not to scare the terrified apprentices further.

    She raises her eyebrows in amusement. "Oh? I know you have a good taste for food, so I'm curious to see what challenge you're going to give me this time."

    I chuckle softly. "Not much of a challenge, I'm afraid. Also, how about you and Anton join us so that you can have a taste of it, too?"

    She nods energetically. "Sounds great to me."

    "Ah, there's just one thing I should ask you about…" Her smile almost fades away completely, then she takes a step closer to me and starts whispering, "Did something happen between you and Klein? She's suddenly become a lot more serious lately."

    I hold myself back from cringing since the watchful elves might misinterpret that and make the rumor mills start spinning, then I answer her in a low and casual tone, "We just settled our relationship into something more casual while reaffirming that we're still close friends. She doesn't want to officially join the harem, and I don't want to force her into it."

    She opens her eyes wide and lets her mouth hang open in shock. "I'm surprised, my Lord, that you'd do something like that. Especially after… becoming more draconic."

    I smile a bit sadly as I confess, "I wanted to, but I won't force her to commit, so I'll simply cherish her while she still wants to stay close to us."

    Krysta stays silent for a moment, simply humming in agreement and nodding while she thinks. "Thank you for keeping what's best for her in mind."

    I simply nod back, and we drop the matter. The loneliness I felt when I was trapped inside the maze taught me that I should always value what I have, and I won't jeopardize my relationship with Klein by forcing her into the harem.

    After we let the seriousness of that exchange fade away, I teach her how to make waffles, then how to garnish them with Chantilly and a sweet, syrupy sauce, which she flavors with either not-strawberry or not-blueberry.

    We bring it back upstairs together and enjoy a happy breakfast. Klein's "seriousness" certainly isn't a side that she shows to us.



    The castle starts to bustle with activity, and with eight leaders working in perfect sync, we can get things done and organized in record time, reducing our workload by a factor of eight, though I can't really go outside the castle yet, so I won't be able to help out as much as I could.

    Dokkanchee works on our bedroom while we wait until the portable house is done, and I make sure that the room has been completely cleaned of all evidence of sex before she enters. I really don't want to make the old woman suffer through that.

    I go down to our underground dungeon to get some emellanat shackles for our [Otherworldly Summoning] test. The guard suddenly becomes stiff and very quiet when I state my request, so I think that he misunderstood the purpose.

    "I'm testing some dangerous spells, so I want to have these as a guarantee that I won't fuck things up," I explain as the guard hands me the shackles, and he hums in understanding, then smiles awkwardly. "We already have enough chains to roleplay as much as we want, so we don't really need anything like these for that."

    Then I leave before the guard can even process what I just said.

    I test the emellanat with Jarn's help, and I quickly learn that this metal actually hurts my skin, lightly bruising it after just a minute of contact. If I ever get sent to prison and shackled with these, I feel that my hands would end up just falling off after a few days. There is a skill to resist the emellanat, though it also makes its interrupting properties less effective, so there's no way for me to escape the pain.

    It takes a bit for me to build up enough motivation to proceed, but I manage to start testing the shackles as a way to interrupt my spellcasting, though I might need to get some thicker shackles since the metal heats up when they absorb spells, and there's a possibility that they'll actually melt if the spell is too powerful.

    Midway through my tests, Sandoro arrives at my office to discuss the Ceremony taking place tomorrow, so I allow him in without a second thought.

    I realize too late that seeing your Lord chained, with his wrists bruised, while locked in a room alone with bimbo-Yunia might be a very odd sight to witness. He doesn't show it, though, aside from taking a moment before coming in.

    Just as we start talking, Ereia sends us a letter telling me that some nasty rumors are being spread among the commoners about me. Half-truths twisted to make me look bad. Though they aren't blatantly false, she suspects that their origin is artificial.

    "The opposing Lords can't openly rebel without severe consequences, so they might be going for the long play where they try to slowly erode our reputation," Yunia theorizes through [Bind].

    "And what do we do to put a stop to these rumors?" Alissa immediately questions, her voice full of heat and hate.

    Yunia smirks internally. "We do something that we're getting quite good at: we put on a show."

    And with almost perfect timing, our fleet gets back with a glittering prize for us, so I send Hana and Lina to greet them.



    Intermission 19 – Sandoro



    My Lord is an eccentric man. Very, very eccentric.

    I knew that it would be so since the first time I fought him, but Weepers' Dream, he's eccentric.

    In the end, his personal behavior doesn't matter if he can make the Western High Forest flourish. I believe in Lord Yulania, and I trust her judgment. The Ryder family is young, and they will definitely inject new life into elven society.

    However, I definitely won't let my wife ever meet with him if I can avoid it.

    I remember the stack of protocols I still have to review and hold back a sigh. I'm not completely confident in our security measures, but I don't think I ever will be. Knowing what happened at the Innocent Nymph makes me believe the heretics to be capable of anything, and how do you even try to prepare against that?!

    I just have to be ready for everything, right?

    I chuckle internally, and it lightens the weight on my shoulders.

    Only the Gods can keep the heretics away, or at least reveal them for us to see…

    The memory of my Keystone surfaces in my mind. It's a simple, unadorned inverted trapezoid stone, a small decoration for my desk, but it still holds a powerful meaning. I always found it odd that the God of Law would choose a symbol from imperial architecture instead of something elven, but I'm only now starting to realize the importance of it.

    I look out through the window of the office and stare at the ships lowering onto the sky docks.

    I'd better start praying more.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Jorge Franco.
     
  6. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    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.

    The first part of any new storyline I will make public as a teaser.




    I slowly get out of bed and sneak across the corridor. I see that Mom is sleeping in her room, so I continue towards the stairs.

    I climb down a few steps and look towards the kitchen. Dad is sleeping at the table, an empty jar of alcohol in his hand.

    Finally.

    I go back to my room and pick up my tools, then I change into my sneaking clothes. This pair of pants and shirt are fairly tight and elastic, but the design stands out, especially because it hugs my breasts and ass really tight. I think the material is called Snow Weave, but I didn't have time to read the tag when I stole it from the shop.

    I put on a dress on top and tie a handkerchief to my head, then I put on a cloak to cover it all, and now I'm ready to sneak out.

    I slowly and very carefully open my window. I'd oiled it beforehand, but I really don't want to make any noise now, not today.

    Once there's a crack just wide enough for me, I slip out and hang on the windowsill, then I drop on the street and activate [Silent Steps] while I scurry away. [Acrobatics] really is useful in sneaking out.

    I go south, towards the wall, and I search for the patrols. The priests and guards are the safe spots while traveling through the slums, and I don't want any drunk man trying to feel me up tonight. Unfortunately, the priests stay at the filthiest parts of the slums, trying to clean it up, which is like trying to get a rogue to stop stealing.

    I know it, because I'm one.



    I finally get to the spot, and see four cloaked men throwing dice. The smallest of them immediately notices me and lowers his hood, revealing a handsome blonde-haired boy with a grin that makes my heart tighten. That's Darean.

    The men around him turn to look at me, and their leering reminds me of Dad's, which means they're dangerous people I can't be alone with. If the priests didn't patrol the slums so often, I think these types would've turned Wicked already.

    One of them stands in my way, then goes on one knee and glares at me. I immediately jump back and stay away before he has the opportunity to touch me. I also really don't want to smell him.

    He has a scar on his cheek from a stab that just missed his eye, and his short brown beard is neatly done, two signs that he's dangerous. "You didn't say she was a kid," he grunts.

    "I'm thirteen," I hiss at him and frown.

    He snorts. "I can't fuck you without committing a Sin. You're a kid."

    "The kid can get you inside, trust me," Darean tries to appease them, then he shows his famous smirk that nearly makes me blush.

    "Like that time you cheated under the table?" One of the hooded men teasingly asks.

    "Yes, like that time," Darean casually responds without missing a heartbeat.

    "Fuck you," the hooded man swears and spits at his feet.

    "You wish," Darean confidently quips again and raises his eyebrows suggestively at him.

    The hooded man gets actually offended and hovers his hand over his sword, but the scarred man slaps the back of his head, bringing him back to reality, then he glares at Darean and chastises him, "Stop fucking with the others, Darean. If you don't get shanked, I'll do it myself one day just to teach you a lesson."

    "Hehehehe…" Darean laughs like a child who stole a sweet roll.

    The scarred man turns to me and gives me cold, murderous eyes, then he threatens me, "You fuck up, we leave. You snitch, we kill you. Understood?"

    "She doesn't even know your names," Darean defends me, completely serious now.

    "She knows yours," Scar warns him.

    "She'd never give my name up," Darean confidently states and smirks at me, forcing me to look away so I don't blush.

    "You're a fucking stupid boy, alright," Scar mutters and shakes his head disapprovingly, then he sighs and calms down. "Let's get this shit done with, already."



    Now that we're together, we avoid all patrols. A group of cloaked and hooded people walking together in the middle of the night is extremely suspicious.

    Once we get out of the slums, we avoid any sort of people and stick to the alleyways. If we meet with a snob, it's highly likely that they'll report us to the guards even if we haven't done anything.

    It's easy to spot people from the slums for the trained eye, like the guards, for example, who know that nothing good will come from letting us walk freely among the common townsfolk.

    We stop by a clean alley, which means that some neat and rich people live around here, but also that it's likely under watch. People don't take care of areas they don't spend time in.

    "Two houses down this one," Scar whispers, then they all start playing dice and drinking fake alcohol, trying to keep a low profile.

    I breathe in deeply, then I activate [Quiet Steps] and cautiously walk down the alley. I need to keep an eye out for anybody out there, otherwise, someone could spot me while I sneak around, which would be very bad.

    The men cough, and I immediately hide behind a beam. A patrol passes by, and I can just imagine the guards glaring at them. Thankfully, nobody plays the clown and they keep their heads low.

    I reach the target house and inspect the door for any enchantment. My [Sense Mana] is still level one, but it's enough to detect anything magical if I concentrate enough.

    I sense a few mana particles from a sort of magic I don't recognize, so it's better to just avoid the door. Since it's emitting mana, I believe it's a low-quality enchantment, but it's better not to risk it.

    I look up and see an ornate jetty with a few protrusions that I can grab onto.

    I take my cloak and dress off, then I take a few steps back and prepare. After taking a few calming breaths, I run forward and up the wall, then I jump backward and grab the jetty with both hands.

    I'm so light that it's easy to pull myself up, then I climb the timber frame until I reach the roof.

    I start taking out the tiles, opening an entrance into their attic. I don't have [Quiet Action], so work carefully to not make a sound.

    The advantage of being so small is that I can easily fit through small holes, so it only takes a short while until I can get through the roof.

    I gently land on the attic and look around. There's a bit of moonlight, allowing me to see the outline of things after my eyes adjust. I cover my face with my handkerchief so that I don't sneeze from the dust and mold.

    I find the door, then I slowly move towards it, checking every step for creaking or fragile boards.

    I cross the attic without a problem and stop before the door, then I pull out my oil flask and pour it on the hinges. I brush it a bit to make sure that it penetrates, then I open the door without making a sound.

    There's a faint night light illuminating the interior, so I can see the steps on my way down.

    On the second floor, I find a single man sleeping in a wide bed. His home seems rather well-made but a bit bare, so I bet he's involved in smuggling. Since Darean and Scar are targeting him, there's no way he's not a cartel member.

    I see an expensive-looking vase, so I take out the flowers, pour out the dirt, and store it in my [Item Box]. I have only a little more space left, so I'll save it for something small.

    I go down to the first floor and cast an extremely small [Spirit Light]. I confirm that there's nobody else in the house, then I take a look at the back door in his kitchen.

    There's only a sound alarm protecting it, but it was enchanted in a piece of iron, so it's so crude that it's not even worth it to steal.

    I believe the man living here has found his wealth no more than a half-cycle ago. Either that, or he's extremely stupid to rely on such weak security.

    I disable the alarm, then I pick the many locks on the door. It takes a little while, but the purpose of locks is to make a thief waste time, and I still have most of the night to spend.

    After I unlock the door, I look into the kitchen cupboards and find some silver cutlery, so I fill my [Item Box] with it.

    Now I need to finish my job. I start searching the first floor for a hidden hatch, and I quickly find one under the carpet, so I unlock it and open it up, revealing a heavy chest.

    I won't dare open this chest since I'm sure it's enchanted, so I open the kitchen's backdoor and whistle.

    Darean and the men finish their game and casually come in.

    Scar stops before me and ogles my body, making me feel almost naked with these thin and tight sneaking clothes. "Where is he?" He whispers, and I use my dress and cloak to hide my body.

    "Second floor, last door. The chest is over there," I whisper back and point to the hatch.

    "Wonderful…" He breathes.

    "Told you she was the right one for this," Darean whispers smugly.

    Scar chuckles in a low, sinister tone, then they all pull out clubs and sneak up towards the second floor.

    I put on my clothes and wait, then I hear muffled screaming coming from upstairs. It's not my job to know what they're doing, so I just cover my ears and wait.



    They finish it quickly, then they pick up the chest and carry it outside.

    Now we have to avoid all patrols. Scar and the other rough-looking men hurriedly carrying a large chest away is absolutely suspicious. I'm sure that the guards would force Scar to go through an Inspection Crystal, and his "Crimes" definitely isn't empty.

    With the help of my scouting, we return to our base in the slums without a problem, then they take the chest to the basement and set up the "Buster."

    For our own protection, they set up a rope so they can activate it from a distance, then we all hide upstairs.

    "Would you like to do the honors?" Darean offers the rope to me with a grin.

    The men taunt and holler, but Scar doesn't say anything, so I take the rope and pull.

    The chest is split open by an anvil, then its security enchantment activates and explodes.

    We wait for a minute before taking a look, then we enter the basement and see how every single surface of the room has been covered in metal shrapnel. The loot is crushed and shredded, but there's still enough gold and silver to last us a long time.

    "Now, it's time to share the profits," Scar whispers, then hums in delight.



    Darean escorts me back to my house in silence. I hold my pouch of money close to my chest because I can't store it since my [Item Box] is still full with the vase and cutlery I stole.

    We stop at the back alley behind my house and awkwardly fumble around, not wanting to say goodbye yet.

    Darean pulls something out of his [Item Box] and offers it to me. "Here, for you," he whispers with unusual gentleness. I look up and see a very sharp-looking steel dagger in his hand.

    "What is it for?" I ask with a confused frown.

    His voice is gentle, but he's completely confident in his words, "For your Dad. If he comes for you, pull it out and kill him."

    I grab the dagger and sheathe it, then I hold it against my chest and stay silent.

    I'm not sure I'd have the courage to kill him.

    He pats my head and ruffles my hair. "I know he's part of the Townsguard, but my brother and I will find a way to kill him without making the priests mad, but we need time, so you must stay safe until then."

    I nod weakly. "Alright…"

    I can trust Darean.

    I suddenly get sleepy as his rough touch actually makes me feel comfortable and safe. I know he plays with other women, but he never looked at me like the other men, and I know he'll never hurt me. Even when we were kids he was always kind to me, and when we stuck together, we accomplished more than we ever could alone.

    The boys like him because he keeps them in line without breaking their arms. The men like him because he can stand his own even against someone like Scar. The women like him because… well, I only know rumors, and I don't really like to think about them.

    But it doesn't matter what I think about him or what he does to others. He's good, and I want to stay with him. That's all.



    A horn along with the ringing of bells takes us out of our comfortable moment. It's coming from the south wall nearby. It's a monster attack.

    "Fuck! They came earlier than I expected!" Darean suddenly yells angrily, then he stops patting me and suddenly pulls me into a hug

    "H-huh?!" I make a silly noise, confused.

    "Come with me, Farana. I've reserved a spot right next to the wall for us to soak Experience."

    I look up at him and see that he's completely serious, and half-insane. "That's dangerous! What if we get found by a monster?!" I chastise him.

    He gives me his usual handsome grin and pats me again, trying to calm me, but that just makes me more annoyed, so I pout at him. "Don't worry. The hatch protecting us is so heavy that only an ogre would be able to get through."

    "Hm…" I frown, unconvinced.

    He lowers his head and whispers in my ear, "We don't have time to argue, Faf. We need the levels and more skills to keep you safe." A pleasant chill runs along my spine as his "Charisma" caresses my mind.

    "Alright…" I mumble.



    He grunts heavily as he pulls the thick metal hatch over our heads, then I cast [Spirit Light] so we can see.

    "Thanks…" He mutters, then he uses multiple heavy padlocks to secure it.

    I snuff my light out, and we stay silent, nervously paying attention to the sounds of chaos coming from outside. It seems it's a wyvern attack, and there's a few trying to kill the men on the wall, but most of the fighting will happen outside the town. Still, it's free Experience for us, so we can't complain.

    We hear the death cries of both monster and men; heavy things fall nearby or crash on the flimsy houses of the slums; harsh voices order the men around and encourage them.

    The absolute darkness makes it easy for my mind to wander, and I start to imagine the carnage going on outside. I'd once heard so many monsters were killed that the top of the walls became red with blood.

    Darean pulls me into a hug, then I close my eyes and try to sleep, but I'm so nervous that I don't succeed.



    The fighting goes on for an hour, then things start to calm down.

    "You are now level 5," the Goddess of Growth announces.

    Suddenly, we hear heavy footsteps right next to our hatch followed by heavy breathing. There's a wyvern outside.

    It scratches the hatch, and Darean covers my mouth just before I let out a squeak of fear.

    I grab his hand and feel silent tears of fear running along my cheeks, wetting both of our fingers.

    A few muffled war cries of men come from afar, and the wyvern decides to attack them.

    They have a short battle, and it seems that the men win, but we don't hear any more from them.

    "I need [Spirit Light]," Darean sternly requests.

    "What for?!" I whisper-shout.

    "I need to get outside, now!" He demands, and I obey.

    I give him light, and he quickly removes the padlocks, then he opens the hatch and jumps outside, but I remain in place, frozen by fear.

    "Faf! Come here!" He shouts assertively.

    I peek my head out and see him looming over the body of a guard, then I hear a groan and realize that the man is alive.

    "Quickly!" Darean hurries me.

    I jump out of the hatch and scurry towards Darean, ignoring the dead and bleeding wyvern, then I stop beside him. The man at our feet has his entrails out, bitten by the wyvern, yet he's still alive, though he's bleeding profusely.

    I've seen a soldier like this before, but the priests achieved a miracle and brought him back to life. He became a healer after that, though not a very good one.

    "He needs help…" I mutter and look away.

    "No, he's going to die," Darean immediately responds sternly.

    I look around and shake my head. There's a few collapsed houses and a few have caught on fire, but the damage is small enough that the priests and mages could contain it easily. "The fighting is almost over, there must be priests about, searching for the wounded," I reply with a frown.

    "No… he's going to die…" Darean whispers grimly.

    "What-…" My question is interrupted as Darean draws his sword. Before I can even ask what he's doing, he stabs the man in the throat. "WHAT?!" I shriek.

    "Quiet!" He hisses, then he goes to another fallen man and stabs him in the throat, too. "They were both going to die."

    "You are now level 6."

    "You are now level 7."

    "You are now level 8."

    "You are now level 9."

    My mouth opens and closes in shock. I've seen a lot of blood and gore around the slums, but murder is a Sin, and the priests that constantly patrol around here make sure that everyone fears becoming Wicked.

    Darean cleans his sword on the tabard of one of the guards and turns to me, his handsome face is cold and his eyes are severe. "I know what you're thinking, but I'm not Wicked," he states.

    I turn around and frown, starting to feel sick.

    "Think, Faf. How many levels you got from monsters and how many from these men? We need more skill points to survive!" Darean presses me.

    "Alright, I get it, I get it!" I yell and clench my fists in anguish.

    He grabs two sticks of wood, then he shows them to me. "Light these up, then we're getting out of here…"

    I do as he says, and he burns the corpses, then we run.



    We return to my house, then I give Darean my money before I peek inside.

    Dad's still passed out from drinking too much, and Mom's still hiding in the basement, so I go warn her that the battle's over.

    She's shivering in fear in a dark corner, her figure so small she could've been mistaken for a child or halfling, her eyes so wild that she could be mistaken for a female goblin, her elven inheritance completely hidden under her disheveled brown hair. I remember that people used to mistake her for an actual elf, but now it's all gone, both because of Dad and her addiction.

    She realizes it's me and narrows her eyes in confusion and annoyance.

    "You didn't wake up your father for the battle?" She questions me sternly.

    That is the first thing you ask me? Not where I was or if I was safe…?

    "He'd have tumbled and died from falling off the wall if I did…" I respond flatly.

    She shakes her head and stares at me angrily. "It doesn't matter, he'll punish you for this… or me."

    I stay silent and give her a hand for her to get up, then we both leave the basement.

    Before I wake up Dad, I open the window to my room, then Darean throws me the bag of money.

    I take a few silver coins out and hide the rest under the floorboards along with the vase and silver cutlery, then I wave goodbye to Darean.

    "Remember the dagger…" He whispers worriedly, and my hand hovers over the weapon hidden under my shirt.

    "I will…" I whisper back, and he finally leaves.

    I make sure that the dagger can't be seen poking out of my clothes, then I jingle the coins in my hand wistfully. It's time to wake up Dad.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Jorge Franco.
     
  7. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    "Sandoro?" I call his attention.

    He looks away from the window and calmly turns to me with a blank expression. "Yes, my Lord?" He softly asks.

    "I think I lost you for a moment there."

    He looks at his hands and frowns. "I don't understand what you mean."

    I chuckle softly. "It's an expression…"

    He brightens up and seemingly breaks out of his trance. "Ah, something… imperial?"

    I smile wryly and deny, "No… not exactly."

    "You're truly mysterious, my Lord," he whispers in wonder.

    I don't know how to react to that…

    "You were saying that the men are ready for tomorrow?" I change the topic.

    He nods diligently. "Yes. As long as you don't request any sort of theatrical performance, they will all fulfill their duties perfectly."

    I lean back on my chair and cross my claws. "I'm not trying to turn this into a circus; I only want to put their discipline on display."

    He blinks blankly for a few seconds. "'Circus'?"

    I tap my claws against each other as I recite, "Theater, coliseum's arena, a stage for clowns. Things like that."

    He nods in understanding and casually remarks, "Ah, I see. You also have an odd vocabulary, my Lord."

    I chuckle awkwardly and joke, "You should expect the unexpected from me."

    "Always," he replies without hesitation, his seriousness almost making me choke on my saliva.

    I give him a look and see a hint of playfulness on his hardened face, which makes him seem like an elven Santa for a moment before the warmth is replaced by cold professionalism again.

    He readjusts his tight vest and changes the topic, "I also suggest that we have regular meetings with the High Officers so that we may report and share what we're working on."

    Oh, no… office meeting flashbacks!

    I force a smile and accept his suggestion, "Sure. That's a great idea."

    not.

    He nods in satisfaction, but that's not all he has to say. "About the Chimeras and the fleet, we're still in a period of uncertainty, so I suggest that we don't send them on any more expeditions until they've integrated with us."

    I nod once in acceptance. "How long would that take?"

    "A few day-cycles. The ships are extremely valuable, complex, and currently irreplaceable, so we need to maintain tight protocols to ensure that they're well-preserved," he states matter-of-factly.

    "Lina is working with the Chimeras to establish our gem refining and ship-building industries, so we should be able to build new Carriers soon."

    "'Industry'?"

    Fucking… My tongue keeps slipping.

    "A production workshop, just faster and better organized," I elaborate.

    He frowns gently. "I don't know much about production, but if we're building more ships, then we'll need tight security so that their designs don't get stolen or sold."

    I tap my chin with a claw, barely remembering to pad it half a second before I cut myself. "Hm, yes… that's a consideration we have to make. We'll likely be competing with Faium, so we have to expect spies coming from there."

    "Indeed."

    I switch my tone and become completely stern as I ask, "About another matter, how well are the troops integrating?"

    "The non-elves are being re-educated with utmost haste. I'm confident that they'll fit perfectly in our army with time," he reports without hesitation.

    "And what about the elves?" I press on.

    He opens his eyes wide in surprise. "My Lord? I don't understand."

    "How are the elves adapting to the non-elves?"

    He goes silent, and though his face is unmoving, I feel that his mind is scrambling for an answer.

    "Elven cohesion is our strongest point, so they must adapt to our customs," he suddenly blurts out.

    I raise a claw and retort, "'Cohesion' is our strongest point, no need for the 'elven' there since, as far as I know, [Weaverism] isn't an elven racial skill."

    "No, it isn't, my Lord…" He bitterly admits.

    I give him a stern lecture about my plans so that he'll take it to heart, "The High Forest will become one of the centers of progress in the empire. We'll be integrating Chimeric culture and technology into the current elven culture along with my own, decidedly not, elven knowledge and aspirations. This won't be possible if the elves don't compromise when necessary and give up something in exchange for the betterment of the High Forest."

    "Yes, my Lord. For our betterment, for the greater good," he obediently accepts and lowers his head.

    "For the greater good," I awkwardly repeat, wary of sounding like a certain group.

    He lifts his head and boldly looks me in the eye. "Though I'm not sure what exactly it means to 'give up something.'"

    I shrug and relax my demeanor. "Neither do I, but you need to find out what the essence of the 'elven cohesion' is and reproduce it without the need to call it 'elven.' The whole realm deserves to benefit from elven knowledge, just like we'll benefit from having the Chimeras, and keeping it exclusive to the High Forest isn't the way of the Goddess of Knowledge, who I remind you gave me her Blessing."

    He hums in understanding and wonders, "Like a scholar searching for the 'truth'?"

    I grin and nod in satisfaction. "I believe that's an apt analogy."

    He leans back on his chair and frowns subtly. "This isn't an easy task."

    I sympathize wholeheartedly, "Yes, but it isn't something to be done hastily, and we'll always be here to help you. We just need everyone to understand that any problems will be addressed with time."

    "Yes, that's something we all know."

    I nod, and the conversation reaches a lull, so I broach the last topic I have, "But before that, I have an immediate task for you: the fleet must participate in the Ceremony."



    Lina and Hana receive Hihiriwa and his officers on the sky dock, at the outset of a bark walkway that leads to the bridge of the Carrier.

    "Why doesn't it have a name?" Hana suddenly blurts out as she admires the beauty of our ship.

    "But it does?" Lina asks back confusedly.

    Hana shakes her head, making her mane-like red hair bounce softly. "No, it's just called the Carrier, like how everyone just says 'empire' without even bothering to capitalize it outside of official documents, but its real name is Avgi Holy Empire."

    Lina hums in understanding, then scratches her head in thought. "Oh… true… but I guess we have to ask the Chimeras about it."

    Hana nods and smirks. "Yeah, let's. If it doesn't have a name, I want to give it one."

    "I'd rather you didn't," Yunia comments through [Bind], but then she stops listening to their conversation before they can respond.

    "Pbbbbt," Hana blows her tongue mockingly.

    "What would you name it?" Lina asks as she smiles wryly because she has a good idea about what it'd be.

    "Okina Neekobo," she answers immediately and grins.

    Lina frowns in confusion. "Wait, that's an actual name… or is it?"

    "I have no fucking idea," Hana states proudly and laughs. "I know it's the name of a brothel, though."

    "She doesn't know a single word of the dragonkin language," I expose her.

    "Hey! I was born in Sommerland, and we only went to Ryutake once a year," she protests

    Her Shad observes the two Lordsguard a few meters behind them sharing a look of worry and whispering something between each other.

    "I don't give a fuck what they think," Hana grumbles before we can even comment about it.

    The Carrier finishes landing and subtly wobbles, caused by imperfections on the dock.

    A group of court mages appears on the platform below the bridge, and they rush to the holdings to find out what's wrong. The unexpected tilting isn't good for the structural integrity of the Carrier, so they want to fix it as fast as possible.

    The Carrier's glass dome bridge opens up, and the officers start pouring out.

    Leading the group is Azador. Enomosa is currently indisposed with flight sickness, so he took her place, though he seems to be a bit paler than I remember. Even the blood-red flowers in his pure white beard and hair seem slightly wilted.

    The priest coming out right behind him might've just cast [Refresh] on himself because he seems to have a steadier gait than the other Lordsguard emerging from Carrier.

    I write a note to Sandoro to include the knights in the flight sickness resistance training. Elves aren't exactly known to be a very flight-friendly race, after all.

    He and the other officers stop before the girls and salute them. The elves grab their ears and lower their heads while the rest hold a closed fist over their chest and look past them.

    "Knight Azador, here to report," he diligently announces.

    "At ease," Lina softly responds, then stares him in the eye. "Report."

    "We encountered a few unique flying monsters, which we easily killed and brought back. Some of our experts believe that they can be hunted regularly and then sold to bolster our profits."

    "Good," she tersely responds with a stiff tone.

    Then he glances up at the Winch, it's hulking frame casting a large shadow over the dock as it descends, its clamps holding a mansion-sized, rough green gem that glows softly.

    "We've also accomplished the mission successfully and acquired a low attunement-level gem. Initial reports estimate that it can be used to power a ship the same size as the personal cargo ship of your Lordship."

    Lina nods, very pleased, and continues, "Any losses?"

    "None."

    "Excellent."

    "Call for the Chimeric enchanters, then go get some rest," Hana casually orders.

    He lowers his head and salutes the elven way again. "Right away, my Lords. Thank you, my Lords."

    Azador quickly proceeds past them, then Hihiriwa and his officers come closer. Paraaone walks to the front of their group, and he shares friendly smiles with the girls.

    Hihiriwa lowers his head respectfully, and I think it even hurts him a bit to do so. "I've been successful in my mission, my Lords. I've already sent my written report to Lord Wolf's office. The messenger should be there soon."

    "Yeah, it's here," I report through [Bind]. There are quite a few pages here, so I'll just skim through it.

    Lina gently nods, then turns her gloomy eyes to Paraaone.

    "Nothing to report, my Lord," he diligently states without waiting for a question.

    Hana grunts in acknowledgment and gives them all their last order of the day, "Hm. Rest until the afternoon, then meet with Commander Sandoro. The fleet shall participate in the Ceremony."

    "Yes, my Lord," Hihiriwa obediently responds.

    Lina ends their brief meeting, "You're dismissed."

    They all walk past them, and once the bridge is clear, Lina releases her breath while Hana pats her head.

    "It's tiring having to keep up 'decorum' every time I talk to someone," Lina softly complains.

    "Hm… yeah, totally," Hana mumbles as if she even knows what "decorum" is.

    The girls go to the Winch's platform and wait there until it finishes docking as the enchanters gather before them, then they enter the ship to inspect the gem.



    We don't have the time to train today since everyone is busy with the preparations, and the day passes by in a slog since half of the girls and I aren't that keen on managing people to this degree.

    Everything is rushed, but we have a literal army at our disposal that can do our bidding, so today, there are no idle hands.

    Almaria finishes making the "portable house." It's about the same size as our bedroom, which has a lot of free space even with all the beds, so it's possible for us to fit everything we want inside it. It's also enchanted with a mild [Warp Space] spell so that the interior is a bit larger than the exterior, but not by much because if it's too strong and the spell fails, then everything inside would go splat.

    It's made of bark that can change color like a chameleon and even grow a variety of bushes on the outside, which helps camouflage it. It also has controls to change its shape, allowing us to fit it anywhere we want, even among all the chaotic wood and branches of a wild High Tree.

    We wanted something "simple," but Almaria is a bit of a perfectionist, so she didn't allow herself to just hastily make something.

    Dokkanche immediately starts working on it, fitting it with dozens of humanizing illusion crystals, which are a bit expensive, though my sense of money is a bit too warped now for me to trust it. However, Mimi says that it's an "acceptable" expense for a Crown Lord, so I decide to trust her.

    For lunch, I invite Hukarere and Kaatohe because I'm craving some anthro pussy.

    "Ah, wolf woman," Kaatohe greets snobbishly.

    "Cat woman," Hukarere returns the kindness and takes her seat.

    The two give a toothy smile to each other, showing their sharp-looking fangs rather threateningly.

    Hukarere narrows her eyes as she thinks of something, then smirks evilly. "I heard that your personal Wasp is out of commission again, under maintenance," she casually comments, though her expression has nothing "casual" in it.

    "I heard that no amount of cocks pleases you anymore besides your Lord's, you cum addict," Kaatohe answers in kind.

    The fuck?

    "Uh, girls…?" I confusedly mumble.

    Hukarere's lips are raised a bit higher, and she gives Kaatohe an angry look. "You can't deny that you aren't thinking about him, too. In fact, this very denial is exactly what filled your ears with wax because you couldn't stop yourself from daydreaming about him."

    Kaatohe hisses. "Watch your tongue, dog, or I'll fuck myself with it," she threatens, though the contents of it sound off to me.

    Hukarere snarls. "You whore, you wouldn't dare."

    W-what…?

    Somehow, I think that Kaatohe making gay threats is offensive to Hukarere, who's completely straight.

    "G-girls!" I exclaim and slam my hand on the table. "If you're not going to show respect to each other, then at least show it to me!"

    The two go silent but continue to stare daggers at each other for a moment before lowering their heads and apologizing.

    "I'm sorry, Wolfy…" Hukarere whimpers.

    "Apologies, Wolf," Kaatohe grumbles through gritted teeth, and the way she speaks my name makes my dick twitch. Her tone lacks any of the coldness from when she used to call me "peasant," and it's so warm that I can almost call it "cute."

    I remember Hihiriwa's report mentioning something about miscommunication issues, but I didn't read it through thoroughly, so I only have a vague idea about the cause of this altercation.

    "Now, both of you, would you mind explaining what this was all about?" Ciel asks very sternly, her angry and motherly tone making the fur on the back of their necks stand up.

    The two remain silent for a moment, then they suddenly each point at the other and shout in unison, "She-…!" And stop at the same time.

    Ciel gives them a very disappointed look, and both of their ears go flat. "I see that neither of you wants to be the adult here, so you'd better tell me exactly what happened," she impatiently demands.

    The truth: the high number of untrained observers caused a disruption in the communications situation on the bridge, almost leading to the loss of a few Wasps as they were briefly cut off from support from the Carrier. The two of them preferred to blame the other instead of the true source. Why? Unknown, but maybe they didn't want to implicitly blame their new Lords since we are the ones who put the observers on the bridge, or something like that.

    Ciel grabs both of their hands and forces them to share a handshake.

    "This is so foolish," Kaatohe grumbles, and Hukarere begrudgingly agrees.

    "Then stop acting like fools," Ciel retorts and gives them one last glare before we start our meal.



    Today, we eat a lavish assortment of elven veggies, fruits, and smoked meats, but for me, the dessert is the best part.

    I spread Kaatohe's pussy with my fingers, then I cover her lips with my mouth and start playing with her clit. I love the sensual way she writhes as I tongue fuck her, the taste of her pussy also has a bit of a magical undertone to it, making it rather exquisite.

    Meanwhile, Hukarere milks me like a good cum slut, feeling very satisfied that she got the dick before Kaatohe. Her long snout serves like a nice sandwich for my cock, while her muscular tongue is capable of applying a good amount of pressure to my head and entire shaft.

    Her strong fingers massage my sensitive balls, stimulating my sperm production so that I naturally cum each and every minute down her throat. My seed drips out from the sides of her lips since she's a bit of a sloppy sucker, but she still swallows most of it.

    Then she growls, her strong throat muscles acting like a vibrator on my head, forcing me to cum once again.

    I push her away and stand up because Kaatohe is now completely ready, her pussy drenched with fluids, so I spit on it and penetrate her with a lewd noise.

    Hukarere stands up and [Clean]s her mouth, then she grabs my head and plunges her long tongue past my lips, giving me a messy kiss.

    I tentacle fuck her while she's standing, and I feel her tongue twitch with every thrust.

    One of my padded claws grabs her pale breast and massages it, pinching her pink nipple occasionally, while the other plays with Kaatohe's little bronze mounds, and she pinches her own dark nipples herself.

    I force Hukarere onto the table and start switching between their pussies every minute, kissing and tentacle fucking the one of them that's not being blessed by my cock.

    Hukarere doesn't care that her pussy is being fucked with Kaatohe's juices, and neither does she care that she's tasting her saliva through me, but it's enough to trigger my lesbian fetishes, reducing the time between my orgasms.

    Aoi drinks the overflowing cum, briefly replacing my tentacle with her long, slick tongue. Hukarere is so drunk with lust and my cum that she doesn't care, and even pushes Aoi's head deeper into her.

    I start up the vibration inside Hukarere's womb as I fuck her with my real dick, making her lose all control of her own muscles, then I add more white to her pale body, and Kaatohe starts licking it up, also drunk with my cum.

    The two women who hated each other just half an hour ago are now very close to acting like lovers, and I almost order them to fuck each other as my fetish takes hold of me. Making a straight woman turn bi from lust is a fantasy of mine, but I know that fantasies should remain so. That's ignoring the fact that I'm living in some sort of fantasy novel, already…

    Kaatohe's athletic and thin bronze body contrasts almost perfectly with Hukarere's strong and rounder pale one. One purrs while the other occasionally snarls, but both of them release feminine, high-pitched moans with every thrust, sounding like music to my ears.

    I stop for a moment so that Aoi can clean off my cock of the mixed cream that came from both of their pussies. Unfortunately, I can't spend too long with either of them since they aren't wives or concubines, so for the finish, I create two special cocks for their last orgasm while Aoi sucks me off.

    Hukarere's is slick with a flared base to mimic a knot, while Kaatohe's is covered with little spikes to scratch along her insides and make her scream.

    I extend them both back four meters, and the lust-dazed pair raise their heads to see what's going on.

    "Wait, wh-…!"

    "Wolf-…!"

    Their questions are interrupted as I perform the longest long-stroke I've ever attempted.

    "AAAAAHNNGH…!" They both scream and moan as they receive their last orgasm.

    Once they stop convulsing, I undo the tentacles and leave the two used women on the table, both of their pussies still dripping with cum, then Alissa eats Kaatohe's creampie, filling the large dining hall with the soft moans and purrs of the leopard/cat woman. Hukarere is still hungry, so her hand dives into her own pussy to scoop out her dessert.

    I sit down and eat my own, actual, dessert of vanilla pudding, and the view gives me a warm feeling inside. For a moment, everything seems to be right in the world.

    Two more women sexually satisfied and left in bliss. Two more humanoids who have been enlightened by the Cock. Two more happy souls that will share their positivity with the rest of the world. Though I'm closer to the Goddess of Knowledge, I'm also proudly doing missionary work for the Goddess of Love.



    Lunch has refreshed me greatly, giving me new energy to continue my work, which is exactly what I needed because we all immediately return to our respective tasks in overseeing the preparations.

    We immerse ourselves in the hurried chaos of the castle, and our minds sync as we work as a single entity, guiding the staff like a light in the dark. If anything, the speed with which we've prepared the Ceremony should serve as a demonstration of our leadership capabilities. There's no doubt or ambiguity among us, so everything falls into place like dominoes.

    Roxanne checks with Sainalai, and she finds out that the Conjuring mages know how to conjure a few simple sweets, then they're immediately reassigned to the task of creating a magical dessert for tomorrow.

    When bath time comes, I give everyone a round of tentacle rape. They need to relax, and there's nothing better for that than overwhelming your senses with pleasure.

    I lower Yunia's limp body down into the bath, and I cum down Aoi's throat, then she unlatches from my cock and flops down on the floor with a satisfied sigh. She only has energy left in her tongue and jaw to suck me off, so she shrinks down to small-Aoi and gives me a cheeky grin when I'm forced to carry her to the bath.

    The maids watch on in wonder, which isn't surprising since this is the most visibly impressive sex show I can give.

    There's a familiar face among them, but I don't think I've seen her in the castle before. She's very young and cute with high cheekbones, an oval face, thin lips, and fully braided golden hair, making her look quite girlish.

    Of all the maids, she's the one who seems a bit thirstier, so I feel like I should proposition her when we meet again. Right now, the wives need attention, so she'll have to be left for a more opportune time.

    Alissa drowsily swims up to me and latches onto my arm, then the rest of the girls follow suit, and we make a cuddle puddle in an actual "puddle." Everyone's feeling a bit tense, so they want to cuddle with their favorite toy (me).

    Dinner is almost silent since everyone already talked enough during the day, then we retire to our rooms as the long day finally comes to an end, though there's still some training we have to do that really can't wait.

    Yunia draws her sword and points it at me, then she sighs and softly asks, "Ready?"

    I check my skills one last time, then I nod confidently and order, "Do it."



    Today is the 11th, Genn, day of light, and also marks the dawn of a new day-cycle, making it an auspicious day for our Ceremony.

    The first thing I see as I wake up are Yunia's sharp blue eyes staring up at mine as she deepthroats me while still managing to look dignified. I'm being sucked off by the future elven queen, and I start to wonder how much elven erotica will be written about us. She'll definitely become a sex icon.

    Yunia slowly raises her head then opens her mouth and subtly smiles as I cum on her tongue, unleashing ropes upon ropes of thick, white, royal, cum.

    Once my cock stops twitching, she licks the head one last time, then closes her mouth and swallows.

    "My King, the taste of your seed has improved," Yunia whispers seductively, making my dick twitch in her hands from her tone.

    "If it tastes that good, then how about some more?" I whisper back in the same tone and push her head down again.

    Aoi gets a bit jealous of how Yunia got seconds, but she had more than enough yesterday, so she'll have to endure.



    Breakfast is very quiet as we mentally prepare ourselves for the performance we'll have to put on.

    Klein and Osaria don't have [Bind], so we can't calm them down with mind-cuddling, and while Osaria seems rather composed, Klein is shivering in anxiety.

    I create a tentacle under the table that slithers about like a snake, and I have it sneak up Klein's leg, making her squeak softly in surprise.

    "Wolfy~!" She whines embarrassedly.

    I simply smile at her while I make it wrap itself around her leg, then up her body, only stopping when it reaches her cheek, which I poke playfully.

    "What are y-… ahn~…" She moans again as I vibrate it, not sexually, but focused on her shoulders, the base of her tail, and the soles of her feet. Those places have the greatest effect on stress relief without sexually arousing her. "Not fair…" She complains, though I don't know why since this is only intended to help her.

    Osaria clears her throat softly and casually massages her neck, so I smile wryly and give her what she wants.

    Klein sighs in satisfaction, so I ease off the massage, then she gives me a worried look. "How… dangerous is that Ceremony, truly?"

    Osaria immediately answers in our stead, "There's no risk of death, aside from a truly freak event, though that doesn't mean everything is guaranteed to 'succeed.'"

    Yunia nods in agreement and adds, "True. Though our 'trick' will be rather dangerous, you've seen how we've prepared for all possibilities. If anything, this Ceremony is just a preview of how our Lordship will be."

    "Okay…" Klein accepts with a meek nod.

    Osaria lays a hand on Klein's shoulder and gives an assuring squeeze. "It's fine to worry. They're just abnormally confident no matter what they're doing."

    "That, I know," Klein agrees and chuckles softly.

    "It's the power of teamwork," I gently state with a grin.



    With everything ready, we take a [Gate] to the outside of the town's entrance and wait until the time comes.

    Poosh and some of the maids work away on our appearances, applying makeup and making sure that our armor looks perfect while the rest of the Lordsguard assembles behind us. Then, at 10 AM, the gate opens, and the parade begins.



    The wide road ahead of us goes straight across the town and leads directly to the castle. The perfect venue for the parade.

    The sidewalks are filled with the commoners, and the air is buzzing with their constant murmurs of wonder. We aren't worshiped here, and barely anyone knows anything about us, so they aren't raving about our presence, but they do know Yunia, and that just makes them very curious about who we are.

    The Townsguard line up on the curb to keep the commoners off of the road. Their armor is made with simple scales, which have been polished more finely than usual, giving them all a faint gleam, though it's a far cry from the shine of my or even Hana's or Aoi's scales.

    The houses are all decorated with long strips of silver or white cloth and smaller strips of black cloth, following suit with the colors of our heraldry. The town hasn't become fully white like Goloria, but it definitely reminds me of it because of how the prominence of our colors drowns out the colorful buildings.

    Our official flags are displayed at regular intervals along the road, adding to the white of the town, but most of the white and silver comes from the decorations displayed by the commoners.

    The median strip of the road usually has some small gardens or holes to the lower levels, but it has been temporarily converted into more road space so that the parade can have an easier time moving through.

    For every one hundred men, one of the Townsguard carries our rally banner, which reminds me of a roman standard. It's a long pole that carries our flag with the silver head of a roaring dragon at the top, but it isn't just any dragon, it's me, my dragon form. The silvery scales are so polished that they're almost like mirrors, and the spikes along its length can actually turn it into a viable weapon, if that's ever needed. Dragonkin rally banners are made with that consideration in mind, after all.

    The Winch casts a huge shadow over us as it floats just above the gate, holding a beautiful, polished green gem that shines brightly, though few in the crowds know that there are actually mages feeding it mana to keep it shining.

    The buzzing grows louder as the crowd notices that the gate has opened, and after waiting for a moment to add some dramatic flair, the parade starts moving.

    Shala and the more beautiful of our maids walk in the front of our procession, rolling out a white carpet with silver details for us to step on. They're wearing minimal clothing, using a lot of jewelry that covers strategic locations instead. A bit of Chimeric flair to add some fun.

    Before anyone steps on the carpet, they all have to cast a magic-tool-powered [Clean] to make sure that no dirt remains on their boots. How clean the carpet remains after we pass through is also an important part of the Ceremony.

    The parade is led by elven dancers because it wouldn't be an elven ceremony without them. They spin around with their long "hanging dousnadeias" trailing after them, creating long and beautiful lines through the air wherever they go. Some of them use coats of feathers for prettier moves, while others enhance their performances with magic tricks, but their job is to merely look impressive and set the mood.

    Drummers, flute-players, and a few assorted instruments both set the tempo of the march and give a background melody for the crowd to enjoy. The music is so soft and pleasant that it doesn't hurt my ears, unlike the few parades I've been to on Earth.

    After the performers come the priests and Templars, who cast healing spells at the crowd at random and showcase their skills as they march. They're given a prominent location in the parade to show off my close relationship with the temple. Albeit a token move in Teresina's eyes, its greatest impact is on the outsiders.

    Coming right behind them are our knights, all sporting their shining wooden armor, which have been waxed until they're more polished than steel. The weather mages told us that today was going to be sunny, and to our relief, they were absolutely correct since the sun hits their armor just right, giving them an almost angelic air.

    Palo leads them with the poise of an action hero. He's famous in the town, and he definitely has a few fans because we occasionally hear his name being shouted, which causes him to turn his head and blind the crowd with his bright smile.

    The Celestial Horns do have an angelic air, though, as they flank the entire parade, floating along the flanks with their white wings spread wide and their armor glowing with actual divine light. Instead of the brightness being "annoying" to the onlookers, this time, it makes even the priests shed tears at its purity.

    After the knights, the first half of the Lordsguard walks onwards. One huge regiment of men in full wooden plate, marching in absolutely perfect unison with so many feet stomping against the ground that the rumble can be felt for kilometri. Most of them are rookies who didn't know their left foot from their right just a few days ago, but intense training and a potent boost from [Weaverism] does wonders.

    Our open carriage stays in the middle of the Lordsguard, being pulled forward by four mean-looking black Gatuns. We stand proudly in our ent-like Ramodia armor, except for Alissa and Roxanne, who uses the Camalo set, and we all keep our helmets off so that they may see our faces.

    The bark of our armor has been decorated with silver and gold flowers for beauty, while our gauntlets have blood-red flowers to mark us as "bloodied," symbolizing our experience in warfare.

    My appearance is completely human, but I can still charm a few of the elves with a dashing smile due to my rather high "Charisma"; Alissa gently waves at the crowd, but she doesn't display any real excitement; Roxanne smiles smugly like an ojou-sama, greatly enjoying her time on the pseudo-walkway; Hana basks in the glory, her fiery, mane-like hair waving in the breeze like a conqueror basking over the corpses of their enemies; Ciel attracts the most stunned looks with the (ironic) purity of her smile; Lina is stiff like a statue since she can barely muster the energy to move due to her anxiety, leaving her expression locked in a stern look; Aoi looks down on everyone, her dual-colored eyes intensely staring at each commoner, driving a small taste of fear into their hearts, but also showing them that there's intelligence behind her gaze; Yunia looks like a queen, her composure absolute, her grace divine, her elegance perfect, and her stern gaze unwavering; and finally, Gify proudly stands on my shoulder, her little wings neatly tucked in, and her cute beak raised high.

    I wish that we had a camera to film us, because a moment like this isn't likely to happen again, and I'd like to be able to immortalize our glory.

    Before us, small, leaf-shaped sheets of conjured tin foil are thrown down onto our path from the houses along with petals of flowers. There's a joke here to be made about perverted elves and flowers being the reproductive organs of plants, but I'm currently too distracted by my massively inflated ego to properly think about that.

    The nature spirits populate the crowns of the tree-houses along with many other elves, almost like animal plushies cutely lined up for a photo. Their eyes closely follow Gify, though I don't know why.

    Gih!

    I guess even nature spirits can become celebrities…

    The golems remain at attention behind us, Ted and Suzy floating creepily, while Jarn looks like an actual statue. Our silent protectors tirelessly scan through the crowd for any sort of danger, but even the heretics wouldn't be able to kill me right now.

    Behind the first regiment, our personal cargo ship floats close to the ground, decorated in our colors and carrying all the High Officers along with Oritiki.

    At first, they're all regarded with curiosity since their race composition is almost as varied as ours, then someone recognizes Silvano, and the banshees start screaming. I'm actually quite impressed with how famous that fucker is.

    The crowd doesn't fully understand what's going on since only a small percentage of the people actually recognizes them, but the hype spreads like wildfire, and everyone starts cheering for us.

    After our ship, the mages of our court march on with commendable harmony since they haven't ever been trained in how to march. What they did train was their spells, and they perform them admirably. They conjure and throw huge rocks up high into the air, then blow them up with a variety of spells; they perform barrages, surprising the children when their low [Sense Mana] gets overwhelmed by the storm of mana stirred up by the spells; they display feats of control, playing with flames and lightning as they spin them around their bodies as if they were harmless ribbons.

    The more beautiful-looking members of the castle's staff follow after them, and half of the second regiment of the Lordsguard comes right after that, then a few more performers make up the tail end of the parade.

    The Floater follows us closely from above, shading us from the hot sun, and they occasionally aim upwards and fire their [Beam], drawing "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd.

    The Wasps fly in formation just a meter above our heads, weaving in between the tree-houses and sometimes stopping in the air to release their Trinity Cannons. These small planes impress the children the most, who point at them and yell about how they're huge kites.

    The Wasps can't perform any very complex maneuvers because the Eagle-Class ships are making laps all over the main road and firing their [Beams] towards the sky like a laser show.

    The Dragon-Class ships are the ones acting out actual maneuvers, putting on a show with their coordinated flight and boasting their unmatched speed by racing each other while leaving the Eagles behind.

    The Carrier circles around the town, its beautiful design the most striking and easily recognizable, and I'm personally fond of the slowly waving wings that are arranged all along its flanks. The big Trinity Cannons put on an impressive show, but they're only fired for brief moments since the sky is too busy with the other ships to risk an extended display.

    The mood is absolutely festive, and I see it all developing in real-time as the reserved elves mellow out and their eyes become filled with wonder.

    I grab Yunia's hand and give her a loving smile, which she returns for a brief moment. This is a big moment for her, and while she doesn't let through a hint of her real feelings, I know very well how hard her heart is beating and how much her eyes ache to cry.

    I'm actually pretty impressed with how well things are going, and how beautiful the parade turned out to be. I'm not usually the kind to worry excessively, with the presence of the girls inside my mind nullifying most of my fears, but things have progressed so smoothly that I didn't have any reason to actually reflect on all of this…

    And I still don't have a reason to reflect on it. I guess it just doesn't feel "real" yet.

    My mind almost blanks as I start to really enjoy the cheering because the overall mood is simply too strong to resist.



    [Battlefield Perception] suddenly triggers, and I see through the girls' eyes as a half-eaten not-apple gets thrown towards me with devilish precision. The golems don't react since they perceive no threat from it, so I catch it in my gauntlet without even looking at it.

    I take a bite out of the soft fruit, then I throw it back at the fucking stupid kid, and the fruit explodes on his forehead.

    The crowd chuckles and cheers, and we move on like nothing happened.



    As the parade draws closer to the castle, the Shell grows in our sight. It has four gigantic canvases covering a huge section of it at each of the cardinal directions, covering an obvious surprise. Now that makes me anxious due to the ridiculousness of the concept.

    I force myself to think of something else and continue to enjoy the parade. More precisely, I enjoy all the female attention I'm getting. Whatever reservations I'm feeling right now will quickly disappear once I start to "enjoy" the benefits of being famous.

    Soon after that, we reach the Prasa de Ananci, the plaza where we held the selection for the Lordsguard, and a horn marks our arrival, signaling the start of the prayers, but going quiet would be the last thing the commoners would do. Prayer is to be held with chanting, singing, and dancing.

    It's a party, really, though alcohol isn't supposed to be distributed, at least not yet.

    Our men enter the Shell, and we follow them in, but while they spread out and return to their positions, we continue on towards the castle with only a token squad of Lordsguard following us and our ship with the Officers.

    The happy sounds of laughter and wonder gradually become muffled as the party is left behind, to continue without us, though they do pray for us, for our success. They all pray to the Old Gods, and a smaller group of them to the Humanoid Gods, that the Reniandisabis goes well, and I softly pray for the same.

    The journey is short and quiet. We're all mentally preparing ourselves for our own grand performance, and there's nothing that needs to be said at this point.

    We pass the multiple empty mansions populating our outer and inner circles. So many noble families could've been living here, but only Ereia's family dared to come back before the Ceremony. The thought of it leaves me a bit bitter, so I file it away for later.

    We enter the castle grounds, and our carriage ride finally ends, then we dismount and turn to the Officers waiting for our orders.

    A [Gate] suddenly opens near our group, then Osaria, the twins, Klein, and Anton all come through.

    Klein instantly latches onto me, and I return the hug for a moment, then she immediately latches onto Hana.

    "Good luck," Klein mumbles softly.

    "I'm sure it'll all go well," Osaria assures me as she buries my head in her dark tits.

    "So are we," Alissa answers in my stead since my mouth is currently blocked.

    The twins also hug Yunia, though a lot more reservedly, with them a bit embarrassed to do it in front of everybody.

    Once everyone is satisfied, I turn to the Officers and sternly state, "You all know what to do. We'll see each other after the Reniandisabis."

    "Good luck, my Lord," Sandoro murmurs, and I give him a confident nod.

    I store the golems in my "Items" and turn to Alcander. He lowers his head respectfully and opens a [Gate] to the main hall, which we all take. Now we must make our final preparations.



    We sit on our thrones, and I ring the bell, then Alcander opens an [Eternal Gate] right outside the entrance to the castle, and we wait as all the Lords gather outside.

    The reply bell is sounded, so we order Poosh to open the huge double doors.

    The main hall is inundated by the presence of a few dozen high-level men and women. Their feet barely make a sound because they're all wearing heavy elven armor, all colored in a dull dark brown except for Confiel, who boldly walks in with his pure white armor, and the only shining to be seen among them comes from the few staves holding gems so powerful that they'd cause a disaster if they were broken.

    They give us wary gazes as they see our state, but their eyes all invariably fall upon the main attraction, Patrono, which is proudly displayed in the center of the hall.

    We don't wear any armor nor equip any weapons, which contrasts heavily against the Lords, who are all ready for battle. Even our clothes are completely casual, though lavish, but all of the girls are wearing thin, casual dresses, which are definitely inappropriate to fight in.

    We stare at them as they approach in silence, our demeanor calm and aloof, mocking the seriousness of the Reniandisabis, and Gify even sleeps soundly on Alissa's lap, as if there was no chance that a fight could ever break out.

    Then the double door closes, isolating us all from our men waiting outside. Now it's only us and the Lords.

    The Crown Lords move to the walls, signifying that they're merely observers of what comes next. The elven lands are divided into three territories: Glorampina, the High Forest (Aloresta), and Antano. Each territory is further divided into Western and Eastern halves, which are ruled by a family of Crown Lords. All fourteen of those Crown Lords are present as observers.

    There's a trio among them whose presence causes a pang of guilt in Yunia. Crown Lord Lotus Angila of Western Antano and her two husbands. She's the mother of her former fiancée. Nothing bad will result from their meeting, but it's just that it hurts her a bit to see them.

    There's also Herbaco Aureo, a tanned silver elf from Western Glorampina, who has four beautiful wives, of which only one is also an elf. I feel a sort of kinship with him, and I dare say he might be "one of my people."

    I turn my gaze away from them and focus on the subordinate Lords. They've all awkwardly stopped a few meters from Patrono, seemingly afraid of the Heavenly Weapon.

    Our own territory is divided into five, and they're each ruled by a family of Heart Lords, of which there are eight Heart Lords present. There are also over twenty Root Lords, but they're the equivalent of a village chief, and my knights are stronger than most of them. Individually, they don't hold much power, but there's something that could unite them: us, either for us or against us.

    My gaze falls upon Heart Lord Ira Saponaria, a strong, middle-aged golden elf sporting a golden daddy mustache, an enviable stubble, and a buzz cut. His face is so blocky, and his eyes are so beady that he looks more like a human than an elf, which is quite ironic considering his prejudice against non-elves.

    His wife is slightly younger and has such a delicate face that she's definitely a pure elf. She's wearing a white Snow Weave robe with the silver lines of an enchantment, and its semi-transparency makes most of her gentle curves very noticeable.

    He disgusts me so much that I wish I could fuck his wife in front of him. I wish I could make her addicted to my cum, then breed her, impregnating her with my child. I'd treat her lovingly and add her to my harem as a concubine, then I'd give our definitely not elven child all the love they deserve, all just to spite this fucking racist.

    It isn't the time yet to work myself into a rage, so I ignore him completely, then everyone reaches their positions and stops there, waiting for us, but we don't make a move.

    As the silence settles in, my eyes are drawn to the sexy Mendecassa sisters. They're also wearing Snow Weave "robes," but their dousnadeias are so small and thin that I can easily make out the shapes of their nipples and pussy lips. If they aren't among the racists, they'll be prime candidates for some "cultural exchange."

    After a sufficiently long awkward silence, Yunia turns her eyes to Ira and lazily raises an eyebrow at him as her cold and prickly voice resounds throughout the wide hall, "Well? Do you have anything to say, Lord Ira?"

    The man stares back at her with an impassive face for a moment, completely unmoved. "I don't understand what you mean, Lord," he calmly responds, and his gruff voice doesn't have a hint of confusion in it.

    "Really…?" I press him and form a very bitter frown. "You're going to do this?"

    He turns his beady eyes to me, and his nose wrinkles in distaste. "I hope that you aren't trying to tarnish my reputation with wild claims, Lords."

    "I don't think we should continue this interrogation. Abandon the plan," Yunia suggests through [Bind].

    I feel like growling, but I reign in the rage, and Alissa answers in my stead with a very slow and deliberate tone, "You haven't done anything to be in our good graces. Remember that."

    He doesn't respond besides narrowing his eyes in suspicion at her.

    I sigh out loud then spread my arms wide and announce, "Let the Reniandisabis begin."

    But only silence follows.

    After waiting for another awkwardly long moment, I sigh again and facepalm, then I start ranting dramatically, "Have the goblins ripped out your tongues to make you stop squealing like pigs? What's this childish behavior for…?"

    I scan the crowd, but they're still completely calm, despite being called out.

    Alright, then, let's turn the dial up to eleven.

    I stand up from my throne and scowl, then I [Equip] Patrono, instantly summoning it into my hand. The sudden use of magic causes the melee Lords to reflexively grab the sheaths of their weapons in wariness while a few even flinch in fear.

    Just what I wanted.

    I make sure to point the edge of the blade towards them so they may all see that this is the real thing. No other metal can hold its shape like Patrono when it's thinner than a hair strand without being ripped apart by the slightest breeze.

    I take a single step forward and scowl angrily as I growl out, "If you don't speak, I'll rip your limbs off one by one! You either talk now, or I'll make you talk with your screams!"

    The Root Lords look over at Patrono worriedly, and I feel their united front starting to falter.

    "You mock our ways," Ira suddenly speaks out, still wearing a stony mask.

    So, they've chosen him as the fall guy? Bait, sacrificial goat, guinea pig, what are you, Ira?

    I immediately jerk my head towards him and point Patrono directly at his heart. "And you all mock us, but who wields the Heavenly Weapon?"

    "Are you threatening us? During the Reniandisabis?" He questions right back, now letting anger color his tone.

    Yunia's cold voice cools down the rising heat for a moment, "We won't kill anybody, but let me remind you that we were the ones to break through this very Shell."

    "You could've come here days ago and paid your respect to us, but none of you did," Roxanne comments with a tinge of bitterness, and it's a punch in the gut for the Root Lords, cracking their resolve even further.

    They haven't shown us any respect, but while we can't rightfully kill anyone yet, after today…

    I release Patrono and use [Telekinesis] to guide it back to its stand as I calmly enunciate, "Consider these words as an act of mercy, for there'll be no second chances."

    Now that's a threat.

    "Lord Yulania, you have changed a lot," Amada Anquili speaks out. She's a female golden-elf Heart Lord who looks like she's the same age as Shala, and she's a melee fighter, so she might have about a decade left before retirement.

    "I haven't," Yunia answers stoically, adding a dramatic pause before she continues, "I've always been like this. I only followed my father's ideals because I respected him, but he failed, and now he's dead. It'll be better for all of us if we let his light be extinguished."

    Everyone makes brief, somber faces. Mavel Este was loved and respected…

    "And now you lie with the very same person who helped kill him?" Amada presumptuously asks, her mouth hanging open in bewilderment.

    "I love the man and women who saved me!" Yunia hisses, deliberately letting her mask crack for a moment.

    "But you're his Blood Slave!" Amada shouts back.

    I narrow my eyes at her and glare as I coldly ask, "And why does that matter?"

    Amada glances at me and grits her teeth in frustration.

    I take another step and growl. "Why does that matter?!"

    Yunia shakes her head, making her beautiful golden drills bounce, then rests her head on her fist in boredom and lashes out at her, "You think that I've suddenly become human just because he's my master? Lord Amada, you disappoint me."

    "I've never heard of a slave Lord," Amada grumbles in a last, half-hearted attempt.

    I grin and shout triumphantly, "True, but she isn't a Blood Slave anymore!"

    "And slavery is incompatible with marriage," Alissa states matter-of-factly with a nod, and she notices Confiel and his wives raising their eyebrows in surprise.

    "We've all become True Nobles and gained the right to rise above slavery," Lina quietly adds.

    Amada bites her lip in anger and backs down.

    Unfortunately, this doesn't confirm that Amada is a racist, but only that she's a bit prejudiced against slaves.

    "Yet you're still so young for a Lord…" Heart Lord Rador Iqueza comments with a subtle smile. He's a pretty golden-elf man with a strong jaw, Tolkien style, and the deliberate way he moves tells me that every muscle of his body could be made of steel.

    Heart Lord Iril Laribeiro chuckles amusedly. He's a rather young and handsome silver elf with a nice jawline. He's a manlier Legolas, like an older brother of his who preferred the sword over the bow.

    The fact that only some of the Heart Lords have said anything so far strikes me as odd. Did someone really rip out the tongues from the Root Lords?

    "Do you have something against youth?" Iril asks Rador in a very casual tone, which is completely at odds with the mood of the room.

    Rador narrows his eyes in annoyance and responds slowly, as if he were talking to a child, "No, but they might be the youngest Lords alive, making them comparable to imperial Princes."

    "Hey! I'm the oldest, and I'm far from being a hatchling," Hana angrily complains.

    "And I'm a former priestess who fully completed her training," Ciel calmly adds, the only one among us with any hint of kindness in her tone.

    Rador smiles elegantly and lowers his head as he explains himself, "I didn't mean to presume your ages, but even if you were all high-level imperial Princes, you're all still lacking so much experience that I wonder why you were allowed to take the Lordship." Then he shoots a sneaky glance at Confiel, who shows no sign of even acknowledging it.

    Yunia flicks her wrist dismissively, seeming even more bored as she pushes aside his concerns, "Don't be so conceited, Lord Rador. You know very well that most of the Lordship's duties could be done by a moron as long as they can hit hard enough."

    He raises his head and gives her a deadly serious look. "Can you manage the Lordship's business and not squander it all away?"

    "Better than you could," she quips, making him grit his teeth, but he isn't done yet.

    He lets the insult go right past him and forms his face into a stony mask. "And when the need arises for a true Crown Lord, will you be there to answer the call and assume your responsibilities?"

    Yunia's face mirrors his to display her conviction. "You know there's no way I can prove that besides giving my word."

    "We'll do everything required of a Lord, both the elven and the imperial way," I add in the same tone.

    Ira suddenly smirks triumphantly, throwing away his mask as he calls us out, "Oh? Is that so? Then can you show us how far your combat skills have progressed? I remember the records saying that you barely survived against the Symbol of Hate, an aberrant that was considered to be weaker than the average for its kind due to its insane behavior."

    You've activated my trap card!

    I grin with a maniacal smile, catching Ira off-guard and wiping away the stupid smirk from his face. "With pleasure!" I happily shout, making my voice echo loudly in the otherwise completely silent hall, then I take another step. "I'll even give you my word that I won't use the Heavenly Weapon. In fact, I won't even use armor or draw a weapon at all!"


    I activate all my skills, heavily straining my soul with their weight, then I take a slow step forward, the effort of it masked by all of the girls helping me move smoothly through [Bind]. My sole hits the floor, and my elven sandals resound through the hall as everyone holds their breaths for a moment.

    "You mock me, Lord Wolf," Ira flatly says, his face back to a stony mask.

    I look into his beady, dark eyes and let the anger flow through me. We haven't identified any of his fellow conspirators, so I can easily focus all of my energy on breaking him.

    "It's no mockery. I can kill you without using a sword, or even a single spell," I sternly warn him.

    I take another step. My breath quickens with the excitement, and my cock hardens in my tight pants, giving me a visible bulge.

    Ira suddenly draws his longsword and assumes a combat stance, then all the other Lords immediately retreat to the walls, and the Root Lords finally speak, murmuring among themselves about a variety of things, but what Alissa and the hidden Hollys manage to hear the most of is that they're afraid of me, very afraid.

    Ira's mask cracks once again, and he scowls angrily. "What is this madness?! What are you planning?!" He warily shouts.

    I take another step and a deep, cathartic breath as I anticipate what's about to happen, then I chuckle softly because my prey's legs seem to be frozen stiff, and I have to hold myself back from ruining the mood with a silly joke.

    "Madness? This is what you wanted, Heart Lord Ira," I gently remind him as I tilt my head cutely to the side, though I know that my crazed expression is anything but cute right now, then I take another slow step.

    He grips his longsword harder to hide the trembling of his hand. Level ten [Intimidate], [Charm], [Taunt], and [Godly Language] must be making a mess of his mind.

    "You can't possibly beat me like this, human!" He shouts angrily to mask the fear in his voice.

    "But I'm not a human anymore…" I whisper as I take another step, my voice carrying a sweet tone with a dagger hidden right beneath it.

    Lina feeds a gem in her seat, and the illusion is finally cut off, revealing my weredragon form for all to see.

    My feet grow, and I gain a few centimeters of height as my sandals burst open and my claws turn the remains into ribbons. The sleeves of my shirt and the hem of my pants are shredded by my scales, revealing their beautiful, mirror-like sheen.

    My black, spiky horns and long, thick tail grow back into place in just a few seconds, and I release a sigh of relief as the dragon inside of me is let back into the spotlight once again.

    "Shapeshifter!" A Root Lord screams in fear.

    "Quiet, fool!" I shout with a noticeable amount of [Godly Language] in my voice, then I puff up my chest with pride and take another step as I announce, "I'm a weredragon! I've become a new race inside the Legado dungeon!"

    Ira lets his mouth hang open in surprise as the other Lords start to chatter loudly among themselves.

    "SILENCE!" I angrily bellow, using a strong dose of [Godly Language] again. "WE HAVE A DUEL TO FINISH!" And I point a sharp, polished claw at Ira.

    He grits his teeth, and his fair skin flushes red with fury, then he takes an unsteady step forward.

    I take another step and grin at his tenacity. His "Willpower" is commendably high.

    I spread my arms wide and strike a pose as I joke, "Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're approaching me?!"

    "I can't stab you without getting closer," Ira defiantly grumbles through his gritted teeth.

    I laugh like a maniac and start walking forward. I can already smell the blood in the air that's about to be spilled, and that excites me. Now I've finally realized why Hana gets so horny after sparring.

    "I'll make it easier for you: point your sword directly towards my heart," I [Taunt] and use [Godly Language] again.

    Ira's hands start visibly shaking, and he groans, trying to resist my mental attacks, but he obeys like the good boy he is.

    I turn my stare towards his hot wife and lick my lips as I imagine her being a hotwife. My boner gets even harder, and it strains against my thin underwear.

    Evera Saponaria? No, Evera Ryder. I want to make her mine.

    Ira follows my gaze and glances back, then he notices my bulge and starts twitching, foaming at the mouth with pure, unbridled rage.

    "Yes, yes, let the rage flow through you! Let it consume your mind and fuel your heart!" I shout and laugh once again.

    His steps become faster, and we quickly approach each other, then I pass Patrono without even glancing at it.

    I keep my arms stretched wide apart, and my hands hanging low, leaving my body completely undefended.

    "Come at me!" I use [Taunt] and [Godly Language] at the same time.

    Ira seems like he's about to have a stroke, with his face exemplifying anger, but his body is still stiff with fear.

    His sword approaches my chest, but I make no moves to avoid it.

    We both slow down at the same time as the tip gets closer to my skin, aiming directly at my heart.

    Ira stops, the rage clearing from his mind just enough for him to think for a second, leaving him full of doubt, but the fear makes it impossible for him to react.

    The blade sinks into my chest, piercing through my skin and drawing blood, then I subtly shift to the side as it enters my rib cage, missing my heart by just a centimetri.

    I take another step forward, and the tip emerges through my back, but now I'm in perfect range.

    I breathe in deeply and smell my own blood, then I let out a sigh of satisfaction and my face softens into a kind smile, [Pain Resistance] removing any discomfort I might've otherwise felt in this situation.

    "You've lost, Ira," I whisper softly, then I swing my arm, and five razor-sharp claws hack across his neck, shredding it into ribbons.

    His wife shrieks in horror as she sees him gurgling and choking on his own blood while I'm standing here feeling so good that I almost cum.

    He releases his longsword and grabs his neck, then falls to his knees as he tries to stanch the bleeding in futility.

    Evera dashes forward, but I glare at her and command her to stop with [Godly Language], "The duel isn't over yet!"

    She freezes on the spot, her face warped in horror and her hand extended forward, trying in vain to reach for him.

    Hana summons her wings and flies out of her seat, crossing the hall like a blur, then she lands heavily right in front of Evera and grips her shoulders to keep her away from Ira.

    I look down at him as he bleeds out, his red face quickly turning pale, his mouth and jaw coated in red as he coughs out blood, his hands squeezing around his throat in desperation.

    He looks up at me, tears rolling down his cheeks, and his eyes pleading for mercy, but I have none for him.

    His body starts to go limp, and his eyes lose their focus as he begins to pass out, then he collapses in a growing puddle of his own blood that stains the white grass carpet red.

    The foreign itching from before reappears inside my mind, beckoning me to [Heal] him, but I ignore it, then the itching quickly flares up and swells into a heartburn, making it incredibly painful to not heed it. It completely bypasses [Pain Resistance].

    Yes, yes, I'll do it in just a sec.

    For some reason, the Gods really don't want him to die.

    I turn my eyes to the subordinate Lords and give them a dark look as I whisper, "This is your last chance. Use it wisely."

    Then I pad my claws and grab Ira by the throat. I raise him up and use [Telekinesis] to float above the floor because he's a bit taller than me, then I cast multiple [Heal]s and [Purify Body]s until he suddenly awakens.

    I drop him onto the floor, and he wavers, but he keeps himself from falling.

    I float a bit higher so that I can look down on him and triumphantly shout, "You've lost, Lord Ira!"

    Ira coughs a bit more and looks around in confusion, but he starts to understand what happened as his eyes regain their focus.

    I pull his longsword out of my chest and let it fall onto the carpet with a muffled clang, then I [Heal] myself as I slowly descend back down to the ground.

    Once my claws touch the white grass carpet, I cough softly and get a taste of my own blood on my tongue. I agree with Oritiki, lung wounds are the worst. Then I shift into my dragon form, and I hear multiple gasps of surprise.

    The fucker could've actually put up a good fight. I've trained so hard to get my dragon transformation up to this level, but he had the audacity to lose his mind just from witnessing my humanoid form. I have to admit, though, that learning how to control the draconic rage has proven to be rather useful today.

    I raise my draconic head and glare at the frightened Ira, my height just a bit shorter than my humanoid form, but I'm an actual fucking dragon now, and I look one hundred times more menacing than a humanoid of the same size.

    Ira stares at me in terror, his will completely broken, his armor red with his own blood, and his body still struggling to stay upright. He's done, but I just need to push him one last time.

    I breathe in deeply, then I bellow in my deep, draconic dual voice, "I DIDN'T EVEN NEED TO USE MY SWORD OR MY DRAGON FORM TO DEFEAT YOU! IS THAT PROOF ENOUGH OF MY POWER?!"

    He cowers in fear, then immediately falls down onto one knee.

    "My Lord! I've seen the light! I recognize your power!" He exclaims, his voice wavering and full of fright.

    And just like that, he has finally said "my Lord."

    I turn my yellow eyes to the subordinate Lords and make sure to give each one of them a murderous glare. I want them to remember this day for as long as they live so that they may always fear my draconic rage, or at least what we do to those who go against us. Evera definitely will.

    I let the rage cool until I feel my scaly face softening, then I turn back to Ira with kind eyes. The stick has been thoroughly applied, so now we need a carrot.

    I spread my wings halfway to give myself stability as I stand up on my feet to make myself look bigger, then I recite the words, "Heart Lord Ira Saponaria, will you give me your sword? Will you pledge subservience to me as is foreseen in the duties of the Lordship? Will you protect the honor of the Western High Forest?"

    "Yes, my Lord, I will," the broken man readily accepts.

    "Then I shall take you under the shade of my tree, the roof of my home."

    Ira stands up but keeps his head held low.

    "Do not clean your armor for the whole day; let them all see the result of your arrogance. Also, the stain of your blood shall remain in this hall for as long as you live as evidence of our mercy."

    "Yes, my Lord," he obediently replies.

    Then I turn around and walk back to my throne as I shift myself back into a humanoid. My part in this plan is done, and now I need to rest because this fucking performance drained me of most of my energy.

    Yunia shows a subtle, smug smile as she announces, "May the next one step forward."

    And so, the rest of the Lords all fall into line without another word.

    The famous Reniandisabis, the historic meeting of Lords, is finally over. Books have been written about the drama that unfolds in them, but not even fiction could compare to what happened in ours, though that's a once in many, many lifetimes occurrence.

    Things have ended with results in our favor, but we still don't have a clue about who was really plotting against us. Ira exposed himself as the sacrificial goat, but nobody else did anything overt. Perhaps we were too aggressive, and now the dissenters have hidden themselves in fear of our wrath.

    Cruelty works, until it doesn't. It broke Ira, but now we can't administer it freely without weakening their trust in us. Cruelty works, until an insurrection starts.

    We'll have to make another plan to handle the matter going forward.



    We ring the bell and the double doors of the hall open wide, marking the end of the Reniandisabis.

    Our men receive us with smiles of pride and relief, while a lot of curious looks are sent towards Ira and his bloodied armor, but he's not a man that would get embarrassed by something like this so easily.

    "It's time for the grand reveal!" I happily announce.

    We take our ship back to the Prasa de Ananci while the Lords take the [Eternal Gate] back to the viewing stands up on the Shell.

    We all [Equip] our lavish new clothes while the golems pilot for us. I enjoy open vests quite a lot because they make me look dapper while showing off my athletic body. I also chose to go for a silver cape and tight black shorts because the girls enjoy it when I have a visible bulge. Gify returns to her preferred position, firmly on my shoulder, and recomposes her dignified pose because the formalities haven't finished yet.

    Alissa wears a red not-kimono, which is just a few pieces of rectangular cloth wrapped around her body in a complex way that doesn't actually cover that much of her skin; Roxanne sports a black and purple gown that sticks to her upper body like a sexy monokini; Hana flaunts a strapless emerald dress, but it has so many openings that it can almost be called elven; Ciel goes with a yellow body-conforming dress made of Snow Weave which stretches in all of the right spots; Lina wears a sexy lolita mini-dress, exposing her cute, thin pale legs, but she also has to be careful not to flash the micro panties she has on underneath it; Aoi shifts into her human form and puts on a very loose and modern-looking sapphire velvet dress that sticks to her delicate (non-existent) curves, showcasing how good of a runaway model she could be; Yunia opts for the traditional not-belly-dancer elven look with gold and jewels hanging on strings from the straps, making her look both sexy and dignified.

    I take a quick [Instant Picture] because we'll remove the [Equipment System] from these clothes after this, so it won't be as easy for us to wear such delicate outfits again.

    We stop the ship a few meters above the plaza as the crowd cheers, but then they start to become confused with my new look and Aoi's presence. Not even the Lords recognize her, and they become wary of what's to come since they can clearly see the similarities between Aoi's two forms.

    The confusion quickly becomes silence as the music stops and everyone eagerly waits for me to start the speech.

    Yunia takes control of my voice while Alissa keeps my posture dignified. Skills are believed to use mental or "spirit" energy, and I've definitely overused my skills during Ira's Mind Break, so I'm feeling far too drained right now to do this on my own.

    Alissa makes me press the special [Project Voice] gem against my throat, which is connected to amplifiers spread through the town, ensuring that everyone will hear my words.

    Yunia tests her control of my voice, then Alissa activates the enchantment and Yunia starts the speech, "Citizens of Escanso, travelers and adventurers from faraway lands, and Lords of the elven territories. It's with great pride that we announce the reunification of the Western High Forest under our rule. We've accepted the pledge of loyalty from all of our subordinate Lords, and we've assumed the responsibilities foreseen by the Lordship. We shall work to protect every citizen subjected to us and guide our society towards progress, towards a better future that leads us closer to our dreams or even apotheosis."

    Right now, an elven Lord would also add their pledge to upholding elven traditions, but we won't say that part. We'll cause so much change in the future that we can't give our honest word that their traditions will remain as they are.

    The crowd responds with an acceptable level of cheering. Teresina and her priests did a good job in keeping the hype going during the prayers, so now we need to capitalize on it and deliver the lightning bolts.

    Alissa steps forward and takes the gem, then introduces herself, "I'm Alissa of the Blinding Arrows, a werefox born in the Misty Low Forest, former Blood Slave of Wolf, and Blessed by the Goddess of Love."

    Roxanne comes next, and the girls line up behind her.

    "I'm Roxanne, a succubus-type demon race born in Mashoor, a fishing village in Maoka and within the succubi Holy Lands."

    "I'm Hanafuria of the Thousand Strikes, a dragonkin born in Sommerland, former Blood Slave of Wolf."

    "I'm Ciel, a human born in Rabanaria, and a former priestess."

    "I'm Lina, a dwarf born in Bersidon, a surface village in Mountainhome, and former slave of Wolf."

    "I'm Yulania, a golden-elf born in Escanso, daughter of the late Crown Lord Mavel Este, and former Blood Slave of Wolf."

    Then the first strike comes.

    Aoi's feminine and crystalline voice gives me shivers of pride, "I'm Aoi, an Azurite dragon born in the Sea of Trees, saved by Wolf, and also converted to your religion by him." Aoi suddenly changes into a dragon, shifting her gentle voice into the terrifying, deep, and sensual double voice characteristic of a mature dragon. "I now worship the Old and Humanoid Gods, who have blessed me by giving me a system! And I've risen to level thirty-eight!"

    The crowd bursts into loud chatter, disbelieving of their own ears. They ask the priests questions, but they all, without exception, stare up at our ship with their mouths hanging open in surprise. Those who first recover from the stunning revelation don't know how to answer, so they beg for patience since all of their questions should be answered with time.

    I look towards the stands and see Teresina's mouth also hanging open, clearly just as stunned as everybody else. It pleases me a lot to see the stern and composed gilf in such a state. I suddenly imagine her with an ahegao as I fuck her brains out.

    We wait for a few moments, then we deliver the second strike.

    "I'm Wolf 'Good Luck' Ryder, a human born in Rabanara, Golemancer, Scholar, and Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge.

    "These are my wives, and we've all become True Nobles after conquering the Legado dungeon, but that's not all! During our journey, the Gods deemed it fit to change me. They made me into this," -I raise my claws high- "a new race! I'm now a weredragon!"

    Then I shift into my dragon form to make my point. It also serves to improve the impact of what's coming next since my voice is much more powerful in this form.

    I see Teresina leaning forward in her seat, her mouth still hanging open, and the crowd actually becomes a bit quieter as the confusion sets in.

    And now, here comes the finisher.

    "Not only that, but God-Ruler Arreira's spirit himself was found at the core, bound to it by [Trap Soul]! He chose us as his inheritors, his adopted descendants, and the heirs to his will! We've gained the right of royalty through him! The Ryder dynasty starts here and now!"

    Then a miracle happens.

    A beam of light coming directly from the high sun of midday shines down upon us, and everything within sight freezes in time.

    The bead of sweat running down Hana's cleavage instantly stops in place; Yunia's hair defies gravity as it freezes mid-bounce; Ciel's butt jiggle doesn't finish; and Alissa's tail wag is suspended. We see a waitress floating mid stumble, a bird frozen in the sky, leaves that stand perfectly still, and a nature spirit caught in mid-disappearance as the left half of its body seems to be semi-transparent.

    Our perception continues, somehow, but we can't move, or breathe, or talk.

    I suddenly feel fear as something much greater than me makes itself known. I don't truly understand the Gods, or what they want, or how to even build a relationship with them, but now I know that they're watching me, closely.

    In the blink of an eye that can't blink, the beam disappears, and time resumes flowing forward, leaving the entire town in stunned silence.

    The girls and I sweat cold as the fear of the above fills all of our connected hearts, and for once, we fail at regulating each others' emotions through [Bind].

    We all try to understand what the fuck just happened, but it's Gify who gives us the answer.

    "Gih…" She softly chirps.

    The Gods solved a problem for us. They gave us legitimacy by making everyone understand that I've spoken nothing but the truth.

    Instead of questioning in bewilderment about the veracity of my statements, everyone kneels in respect. The holy royals have arrived, and they bring change with them.

    I breathe slowly and deeply to calm my heart. In truth, I don't really like the idea of the Gods. My heart is afraid of their power and how much they can control me, but my mind accepts that they're damn important for the stability of this world. In the end, it doesn't matter if I like them or not because the only important thing I have to worry about is the work relationship we have. If we help each other out, nothing else matters.

    Ciel is, quite obviously, the first one of us to recover, and she glows in happiness (though also from sweating in fear) about what just happened.

    "We've talked in the past about how your Fate is special, but now, it has been confirmed that you aren't just blessed, but watched with great interest by the Gods," she proudly announces, then she lays her hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. "Even they have expectations for you."

    "No pressure," I jokingly whisper.

    She chuckles angelically and pats my head once, making sure that she avoids the horns, then she takes the [Project Voice] gem and addresses the crowd, "A miracle has happened! The Gods have shown us all their presence and acknowledge your Lord! They still watch over and protect us, so let's celebrate this glorious event! Let's show our gratitude to the Gods! Let's honor the God of Festivity!"

    A roar of cheering erupts from the crowd. Just the mention of Festivity would've been enough to get the hype going again, but Ciel's words start a wildfire of excitement among the commoners. Their hearts were already filled to the brim with emotion from the thrill of the divine event, and now they have an outlet to let it all out.

    The time has come for the real party, and the alcohol flows freely throughout the town.



    Intermission 20 – Armanpoosh



    I see it. The light has allowed me to see it. I see his greatness, his majesty, his power. He's indeed a True Noble, a Holy Man. He's the one who has been chosen to guide us forward, and my duty is to support him as best as I can.

    My Lord, my… King? Is someone who has a "great appetite," so I shall do my utmost to satisfy it. This is my true calling.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Jorge Franco.
     
  8. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    The foreign feeling of the roots starts to fade as my body becomes numb. I see nothing, I hear nothing, I feel nothing. There's only darkness and silence.

    As I wait until the Bed of Communion finishes connecting to me, the boredom makes me fall asleep, and I start to dream.



    I see the Source of Life, the power Creation refined and infused in us. It's so pure and perfect that it attracts all sorts of living beings, almost fully covering the endless Source from my view.

    Out of all the interesting and diverse beings drawing upon the Source, a simple vine spreading out catches my attention.

    I follow it as it grows and grows further from away, bravely exploring the unknown all by itself, then it's stopped by a flower that takes roots around it and chokes it out.

    The flower blooms, its beautiful and textured petals rearranging itself repeatedly like a kinetic sculpture, then it spreads its pollen around, creating more of its kind and filling the air with its fragrant perfume.

    A short, flat, and fluffy animal appears and starts eating the flowers. Its small mouth nibbles on the flowers with blinding speed, quickly eating each flower through hundreds of little bites.

    It suddenly squeaks and scampers away, but a Gatun pounces on it and kills it with one strike, then it runs off with its prey before other predators appear.

    The Gatun runs and runs, its long and powerful limbs tirelessly swinging back and forth. It braves new lands by itself for it must, or else it'll become the food of something bigger than it.

    Its muscles grow weary and weak, its fur loses its sheen and grays, its eyes start failing it and it misses its prey. Its body slowly starts to fail from old age, then it meets a predator stronger than it.

    The two fight fiercely for every fight is one for their lives, and the old Gatun manages to scare the other predator away but becomes mortally wounded as a result.

    After siring many children, eating countless prey, surviving in every foreign environment, the proud beast breathes for the last time and dies under just another common tree.

    Its body rots and nature reclaims its flesh as it's eaten by bugs, then plants start to grow on its remains.

    A vine takes birth from inside its bones, then bravely spreads out and away from its source towards the unknown. The cycle is starting over again, and again, and again, becoming faster each time.

    From the plants, to animals, to the bugs, to the plants again. Their cycle becomes so fast that they all appear at the same time. The vine is eaten by the fluffy animal while it's bitten by the Gatun, whose lower body rotting, being eaten by bugs, and vines grow again from its bones.

    The cycle of survival is neverending. They're always eating one another, spreading further from the Source of All Life, but in the end, they're all still connected to it.



    I suddenly wake up as the numbing from the anesthesia reduces, allowing me to feel my body again. I've been connected directly to a live Eia, and we share our senses with each other.

    I can see through its "eyes," but I see nothing right now, and the Eia would also be able to see through mine if I wasn't in complete darkness. But the purpose of this training is for me to take over the Eia, not for us to learn how to coexist.

    Trying to move my body is useless, so I focus on my [Weaverism]. The roots of the Eia are in my body, inside my veins, drinking my blood, and I need to reclaim my control over my own vital fluid.

    I gather some of my mana and send out a pulse, then I watch for reverberations outside of my body. My blood reacts to my mana, and it briefly returns to my control.

    I send more and more mana out, and my connection with my blood grows.

    This is mine. This belongs to me.

    I grit my teeth and grunt in effort as I force my blood to move, and I feel the whole Eia plant twitch.

    Good. It seems everything is under my control.

    Plants don't have muscles to move individual parts of their body, but they can still move nonetheless through a connection, a shared "will" that allows them to make basic actions in perfect sync with each other, and I must copy that.

    The hundreds of little roots that hold my blood are all parallel to each other, separated. I can see them as if they were threads of a loom, just ready to be weaved. They can't physically touch each other, but I can connect them all with my Life.

    Almaria's teachings come back into my mind to help me focus.

    Our bodies are our physical forms, able to act upon the world. Our spirits are our "diagrams," the patterns from which our bodies are created. Our Threads are our future, for the Overseer has already seen it all, but our will interferes with their omniscience. Our Source of Life is what powers us all and give us intelligence; different from mana, it's nearly endless but extremely limited in comparison. Our Life is our will quantified, it's a sub-process in raw form, and it's what gives us the impetus to move, consume, and expand.

    Our Life is our will quantified, it's a sub-process in raw form, and it's what gives us the impetus to move, consume, and expand.

    I repeat the last part in my mind many times as I gradually loosen my focus, entering a trance as I start to tap into my Source.

    I can't sharpen my will to an edge like I'd do to create a sub-process, I need to keep it "loose" and "vague." I know what I want, but I can't control how things go, so I have to let it all take its own course.

    I'm not the Eia, and it's not a part of me. We're neither a humanoid, nor Eia, we're a new, unique being.

    I infuse my mana with my will and pulse it again.

    My own Thread unravels and becomes many small strands that start to weave with each other, creating a "sheet" of myself. I'm not just one, singular being, but a fabric composed of many smaller parts of me, and I wrap myself around the Eia.

    I see with the Eia's "eyes" strands of Life birthing from the strands of blood, and connecting them all to each other, weaving a cloth that allows me to truly fuse with the plant.

    Once the weaving is done, I start to adapt to my new, extended body, becoming very comfortable in it, so much that I start to become sleepy. Just standing immobile all day while my roots absorb nutrients in a warm and hospitable small room just feels so good.

    I tug at the weave and jolt awake. I have something to do, so I can't get comfortable yet.

    I observe all of my weave and find the one spot that leads somewhere out of my control. It's a thin, single strand that connects me to the Life out there. It's not physical, so trying to pass through without breaking is almost impossible. Almost.

    I groan, and my whole weave hums in resonance.

    I hate this test.

    I push my weave to one side then the other repeatedly, thinning it out at the middle. Once I feel like it's thin enough, I pull it forward, towards the small, single strand.

    It's a slow process, but little by little, I take control of the strand. I can't take over it forcefully because my will is too strong, and it'll easily break if I try to, so I can only do it through this indirect way.

    As the hours pass, my weave weakens along with my mana and mental will. Feeling like I'm about to fail, I become desperate and try to forcefully get through the last stretch, but the strand breaks, and I feel a sting as some of my Life is wasted away.

    Godsdamnit!

    Through the Eia's eyes, I see a new Source of Life appearing, and I have a good feeling that it's Almaria.

    The person gets close to me and cuts one of the roots connecting me to the Eia, giving me another sting, so I start to return to my body. I undo the weave and return my Life to me, then I burst the blood at specific spots, cutting the roots connecting me to the plant.

    Once all of the connections are severed, I release the blood from my hold, and the anesthetic from the Eia's roots starts to wear off, allowing me to move my muscles again.

    After a few minutes, I open my eyes and see a faint light illuminating Almaria's fair face.

    "Are you doing fine, Yulania?" She asks, her thin eyebrows wrinkled in worry.

    "Yes…" I weakly mutter as the anesthetic is still acting upon me.

    "Good…" She mutter and smiles, then she frowns a bit disappointingly. "Well, not so good since you failed the test, but you were doing good… until you weren't and failed, but it was mostly good."

    I chuckle weakly, then she leans over me and starts helping remove all the roots still inside my veins. It stings a bit, but Almaria activates the [Regeneration] on the Bed of Communion, and all the pain goes away.

    "I hate the single strand test…" I mumble and pout.

    "Didn't you progress further this time? You'll get through it one day," Almaria tries to console me.

    I sit up and start stretching. "It's just so boring…!"

    She smiles kindly, and her small circular glasses gleam as they reflect her [Spirit Light]. "Yes, it is, but it teaches you a very useful skill. You need to learn how to be delicate if you want to learn how to be efficient. Brute-forcing everything will make your magic plateau easily, and you can't forever remain a mediocre mage."

    I sigh and start putting on my thin clothes again as I grumble, "I know, I know. I'm the Chosen Descendant, so I can't go through any shortcut."

    She pats my head and smiles. "Exactly, but if you want to rant, remember this again once you're done."

    "Alright…"



    I put on my "hanging dousnadeia" and stand up. The hanging pieces of cloth cover most of my skin, but Mom has been talking about removing most of them to allow others to see my body. My breasts have been growing, so I can actually show some cleavage now.

    I'm old enough to get past the Sin, so they've also talked about finding a fiancee for me. They say that Bastico already lost his virginity, but I don't really find any of the servants attractive enough to do the same.

    As I become able to focus on my skills again, I sense two little peepers nearby. "Tutu, tata! I told you to stop peeping!" I yell angrily, and the two little ones scamper away. "Hmph!"

    I'll twist their ears when I catch them.

    Almaria smiles wryly and helps me up, then I slowly walk out of the room, my body still a bit weak and uneasy. I want to ask the healers to cast [Purify Body] on me, but Elder Mom will definitely pull on my ear if I waste their mana on that, so I harden my guts and endure it.

    We cross an [Eternal Gate] taking us out of the underground and back inside the castle.

    I feel a weight off my shoulders as we're now back in the open and tall halls. How the dwarves live in their entire lives underground is a mystery to me.

    We go back into the main hall and take another Gate to the greenhouse. At least I have an excuse for this time if Elder Mom complains about the overuse of the Gates.

    I sit down on one of the comfortable chairs and sigh, then massage my muscles, and the last remains of the Communion fade away.

    The greenhouse is a nice place to relax after such a tiring test. My eyes aren't sensitive anymore, so the vibrant and beautiful plants aren't a bother to look at. Their fragrant smell is actually calming as they were chosen specifically because they aid in concentration. [Nature Magic] and [Weaverism] are both magic schools that require a lot of calmness to chant or manipulate their spells.

    Almaria sits down on the other chair beside mine and pulls a vine towards her through [Weaverism]. "Let's practice your control again. We'll do fractals for this morning," she beckons to the vine, and I take control of it.

    "A hard one right away?" I question with a frown.

    "A Chosen Descendant shouldn't skimp on their training," she sagely lectures and readjusts her glasses on her small face.

    I grit my teeth and roll my eyes internally, then I start growing the vines along the large table before us in fractal patterns.

    Almaria leans back on her chair and pulls out a book to read. On the cover, I see a circular drawing of plants, animals, and bugs all eating each other in an endless cycle. I guess my dream wasn't as mysterious as I thought it was…



    I get up and stretch then yawn as I'm finally allowed to rest. I look up and see the sun up high. It's barely midday and I'm already tired.

    The sun warms the plants almost directly through the transparent glass, but at least we have a small tent to protect us from the God of the Sun.

    After warming my skin, I sit down at the table and gaze upon my piece of art. I used a four-armed spiral as a basis for the fractal, and for the divisions, I went for two large ones, each surrounded by three smaller ones made of three mini-spirals. I've tilted every spiral and division, then connected them all in a spiral. After filling up the gaps with warped spirals, I colored it all with a rainbow gradient.

    Nothing truly special, but beautiful nonetheless.

    I hear footsteps and turn around, then I see Elder Mom coming towards us. Her face looks stern and stiff as always, as if her expression was sculpted from stone.

    She stops before Almaria and stares at her. Anyone lesser would be sweating cold at the intensity of her eyes.

    "How was it?" Mom asks, her tone betraying nothing of her emotions.

    Almaria sends me a kind glance, but she can't lie before Mom. "She almost got through, but she failed in the end," she confesses.

    Mom turns to me and says nothing. I know she's disappointed, but she never shows it, at least.

    She lands her hand on my head and wordlessly pats me, then I snort and close my eyes.

    "Come for lunch, then you'll continue your training for the rest of the day," she delivers the sneak attack upon my heart.

    Godsdamnit! Have some mercy!



    We enter the dining hall, the back wall is completely opened, exposing us to the blue sky and allowing the blazing sun to hit the white floor, reflecting so much light that it illuminates the entire hall.

    I take off my shoes to enjoy the gentle grass, then I spot the little peeping goblins and narrow my eyes at them. I know they fear my glare, and they immediately wince when they notice me.

    I grin evilly at them and start the verbal lashing, "Well, well, well. If it isn't the little Goblin Stalkers. Your plan didn't work so well when we were fated to meet so soon, isn't that right?"

    Dad stops drinking his alcohol and slowly turns his eyes to them.

    "Peeping again?" Elder Mom's icy cold tone makes them shiver.

    "Caught in the act," I smugly respond, and she mirrors my eyes, doubling the intensity of our severe glare.

    "If they're doing it for fun, then there's no harm in that," Younger Mom kindly defends them with a smile.

    "Yes, there isn't, except for the great rudeness of the act," Elder Mom responds without taking her eyes off the twins.

    "I'd prefer not to risk it. I don't want that sort of relationship for her," Dad states, and I feel a bit awkward.

    I'm not a pedophile…

    Elder Mom will see that the twins get their punishment, so I soften my glare and sit down at the table, then I serve myself some sweet cider, which I mix with a lot of juice to make it milder. If the other nobles could see me they'd laugh, but nobody knows what you're drinking if you don't show when it's being mixed.

    I start serving myself and get a bit more meat in hope of building some muscle. My sword lessons are getting a bit tough, and I need more "Strength" to make being a hybrid practical.

    I don't really want to be just a mage, that'd limit the type of partners only to other mages or hybrids. I… kind of like tall, muscular people, and mages seem to rarely be like that.

    Since I'm a woman, it's better to keep my harem small unless I add more women to it, but I'm not sure how advantageous that'd be, so I don't have room to add too many members to my harem, which means I have to be picky about who I choose. I want a small and cute person, and a tall and muscular one. I also want one to be cute and meek while the other is bold and domineering.

    Dad's gentle voice brings me out of my musings, "Yulania, I'd like to take you to an Eia farm."

    "She'll be busy today," Elder Mom casually responds and sends me a glance.

    I smile wryly and nod.

    "Tomorrow, then…" Dad relents without trying.

    Noooo~…



    I spend a long, boring day practicing [Weaverism], then I'm allowed to rest on the next one, but Dad takes me for a tour through an Eia farm. I've seen the Eia plant, but not a farm of it, so I'm a bit curious about it. The whole [Weaverism] magic school is based on this plant, so it doesn't hurt to learn more about it.

    We go out of town and take a wide hanging road towards one of the disk farms. Below us is the beautiful and huge lake that provides for Escanso, and I never tire of looking at it's dark and deep waters

    We could ride Gatuns or have a carriage take us, but Lords are supposed to be physically fit, so being seen taking walks occasionally is the minimum expected for us. Even if the Lord's a mage, being fat and seen as lazy is terrible for their image.

    The fully armored knights flank us and make way, keeping anyone suspicious away from us. I must admit that it feels good to have them protect us this way, though Dad will surely chastise me if I tell him that. We aren't supposed to revel in our privilege of Lordship or even inconvenience the common folk with it, or else both the temple and the Tribunal will make a stink.

    Our feet hit the wet and mossy road, and I see some of it sticking to my boots. Younger Mom says that a good boot is the one that looks good while dirty and also survives the cleaning after. I think she's only created this saying because she gets her clothes dirty from working in her private garden all the time. I mean, it's true, but the part about "looking good while dirty" is a bit oddly specific.

    The Eia fog starts to clear up, allowing us to see the farm properly. At this distance, it's just like a normal farm, except the crops move as if there's a storm ravaging them, but there's barely a breeze.

    "They're doing morning exercises," Dad comments, and I nod along. A healthy Eia plant should be as quick as a spear thrust and as nimble as a Gatun.

    We start hearing the slow and melodic song the farmers play to get the Eias to move. It's slightly hypnotic and so well-played that it makes me think these farmers are better than the bards that wander the town.

    We eventually get close enough that we can take a closer look at the Eia plants, and their beauty awes me. These aren't like the small, cute, and very dumb Eia plants that we use for training, these are fully-fledged predators.

    Their long and bulbous green "head" almost looks humanoid; dark, creepy-looking slits indicate where their Life-sensitive "eyes" are; a nearly invisible horizontal slit over their entire face hides the very long "mouth" that can snap at their prey from meters away; leaves cover their whole body in the vague shape of a person like a Cublend; two-meters long bark arms hide inside their bodies that they use for protection; and their roots wave about like "feelers," trying to sense any sort of mana.

    Though they can walk, none ever tries to do so because they'd lose their favorite meal: warm blood. They're free to leave, but they've all been tamed and become loyal like a weredog. Eia farms don't need guards to protect them against neither humanoids nor monsters for the Eia plants can protect their home themselves.

    We stop before the line of plants, and their eerily humanoid heads all slowly turn to observe us. They shake their bodies and arms along with the music of the farmers, but their curiosity keeps their "eyes" locked on us.

    While I gawk at the beautiful colors of their leaves, Dad starts explaining, "I'd like to bring you here when one of the guardian dryads come visit, but they only do it every few years, so we'll come again next year for you to meet one."

    "No, this is fine," I absentmindedly respond.

    The song ends and the plants stop moving, then Dad pushes me through a narrow path, and I shiver as the Eias all purposely brush their leaves against us to "taste us."

    My Life-senses even start to get stimulated as I feel the web all around us. Every Eia is so deeply connected to one another they're almost a single entity, but they're all still independent from one another.

    "This is our gold, Yunia. This is why Escanso was built here, because nowhere else can we get Eia with such a high-quality," Dad proudly comments as we walk.

    "What's so special about this place?" I question curiously. I've always wondered why our Eia is so good.

    "I'd say that half of it is our water. The fish under our lake are very vicious, flooding the waters with nutrients and the right flavor of mana for the Eia. The other half is in the people…"

    The song stops and I see a farmer cut his wrists with a dagger, then he starts to walk along the rows of plants while letting his blood drip on the dirt. The Eia all stop moving and start shaking faintly, filling the air with a faint buzzing all around us.

    The farmer smiles brightly as he runs his hand over the "heads" of the Eias, then The plants crowd around him and even lower themselves so he can more easily reach them.

    My Life-sense starts tingling again, and I notice how the farmer's Life is so connected to the Eia that I'm not sure if he's part of the plants, or the plants are part of him.

    Dad follows my gaze and nods in satisfaction. "The people here have such a strong connection to Life that we weren't that surprised about your affinity to it," he continues, then his tone becomes a bit somber. "The Eia we produce is so important to the High Forest that the moment we stop selling it, we'd all be executed by the Elder Council and replaced."

    This is a bit chilling. For as much as the Eia trade is our pride, it's also a chain on our necks.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Jorge Franco.
     
  9. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    "Wait, there's still the induction ceremony for the knights," Lina reminds us.

    "Oh…" Ciel mumbles and purses her lips in embarrassment.

    The canvasses covering the Shell are released, revealing our portraits in gold, then the crowd cheers again, and the music grows louder.

    "Too late," I comment with a wry smile.

    Poosh approaches us from behind and lowers her head respectfully. "I apologize, my Lords, but I've overheard you just now. May I suggest something?" She politely asks.

    She's being a bit more formal than usual, which isn't unexpected considering what just happened, so I just let it slide and decide to hear her out, "What is it?"

    She raises her head energetically, making the fluffy wool on her collarbones bounce softly, then she unleashes a shining smile upon my heart. "We can make this ceremony into something special with just a little help from the bards."



    The musicians finish their song, then shift into something more mild and solemn. It's a softer melody that's energetic enough to make the commoners want to shake their bodies on the spot instead of gluing to one another to dance, allowing them to watch the Ceremony.

    Then all the bards chant in sync, their cheeky tone masking the seriousness of the moment, "♪ Enomosa Ludoe, your name calls the freshness of aloe. Your beauty dazzles me, but stay your sword, don't give that glare, for I'm not your enemy~…! ♪"

    Enomosa's sexy gaze remains steady on me as she advances along the raised walkway. Having both Yunia and her sit on me would be amazing, but I have to be careful with my predatory instincts when it comes to my subordinates, so I keep the horny dragon in check.

    She stops before me and kneels, keeping her head held low in respect.

    The music stops for a beat, and only the drums continue, giving me the cue to shout, "Are you ready to serve me?!"

    "With all my heart!" She follows on the next beat.

    "Another one comes under his tree! Smell the flowers and spread the pollen, bumblebee!"

    Enomosa receives the sprout of a silver flower so that she may plant it in her garden to mark her home as a place under my protection. This specific flower is forbidden to be planted at any other home unrelated to our clan since it's part of our heraldry now.

    She folds one of her long ears as a show of respect, and stores the sprout in her [Item Box], then she walks back, and the next knight comes in.

    "♪ Palo Orir, hear him roar and puff your chest full of air. Your smile is a [Spirit Light], and your cock is a [Thunder Strike], but both sides fear your call, for your sword pierces all~…! ♪"

    The annoyingly handsome man comes up to us in his shining armor, and I need Yunia's help to maintain a mask of officiousness on my face so that I don't frown. The dragon inside of me wants to have a literal dick-measuring contest with him, but that would be way too gay for me.

    I also don't let the girls talk to him, so I force myself to stand again and ask for the pledge.

    "With all my heart!" He shouts right on cue, and my asshole puckers from his grin. He's got a bit of a "gay aura" like Rande, just turned up to eleven.

    For the next knights, I let the girls handle it.

    "♪ Azador Curol, the evildoers will lick his maul. His beard is bloody, for he has no qualms, he's a man of study, who can squash you against the wall. ♪"

    The experienced knight seems composed, but he looks a bit stiffer than usual, so I'm led to believe that he doesn't like too much attention.

    "♪ Klein Foerster, you're humble yet you could be the biggest boaster. You're quick and silent, and though nobody thinks you'd be violent, everyone better watch out, because you can easily make an army rout. ♪"

    Hana smirks as Klein advances down the walkway with completely robotic movements. Knowing her, she's probably so stressed out right now that she won't even remember this part of the ceremony.

    After the rest of the twenty-odd knights give their pledge, each having their own personal verse sung by the bards, we retire to our balcony up on the outside of the Shell and join the rest of the Lords so that the banquet can begin.



    The balcony has been greatly elongated to fit four long rectangular tables. The first table has been raised to be slightly higher than the others, and that's where we sit, with everyone lined up on one side of it, Confiel and Fram Varze along with their wives seated at the edges in positions of honor due to their closeness to us, and the subordinate Heart Lords on the other side; the second table holds the rest of the Crown Lords; the third table holds the Root Lords; and the fourth table holds the High Officers and the town's aristocracy, such as the mayor, a few chosen town nobles, Teresina, the captain of the Townsguard, and the General.

    The seating arrangements are a game in and of itself that we're fortunately not playing right now, otherwise, our seating would've been much more spread out and complicated. None of us really feel like "making connections," and the mood doesn't allow for it with the seriousness of the Reniandisabis and the divine intervention still clouding our minds.

    I feel a modicum of interest in the General, though. He's the one who commands the Buscuadores, and not only do they make up half of the Expeditionary Division, they're also the most well-trained and well-equipped troops we have. He reports directly to the Elder Council, so he's the one person here who has actual power over us, making his reaction to the creation of our dynasty the only one that has any real immediate impact on us.

    It's funny that he's been placed at the fourth table, but he isn't nobility, he's just someone with a very high [Battlefield Perception].

    As I observe the General, I notice that Teresina keeps glancing at me. Though I'd enjoy it if the gilf was interested in my draconic cock, I know that she wants to speak with me about something else.

    The meal is rather quiet in comparison to the lively party going on right now down in the town. Crown Lord Fram actually manages to have a casual conversation with the twins, but everyone else here has a more restrained degree of enthusiasm.

    For Lina and me, this is just fine, but Roxanne, Hana, and Osaria won't let the mood continue to wallow in this stiff atmosphere. After a few pointers from Yunia transmitted through [Bind], the girls find plenty of inspiration to draw upon and manage to strike up a conversation with Iril and the Mendecassa sisters.

    Ciel decides to help them out and uses her "Charisma" to ease the other Lords and help them relax, then Aoi joins in, her blunt boisterousness still quite noticeable even in her human form, and she helps liven up the mood.

    Silvano is loud like Hana, allowing me to hear him from afar, but from the content of his conversation, he enjoys the act of teasing, like Roxanne. It seems that he has a bit of a polarizing personality.

    Ira and his wife are quietly sitting near the middle of the table, trying to not draw any attention to themselves. He has removed his armor, but his clothes are still stained red with his own blood.

    I calmly eat my own meal, relaxing my muscles and resting my body in my special chair, which has been modified by Almaria to fit my new shape. It even has an adjustable footrest, which is pretty amazing for my heavy legs.

    None of us asked her to do that, but she realized that I wanted more comfortable furniture and took up the task on her own initiative. I'm very happy that we hired her.

    Krysta's not-spinach quiche is heavenly, though the creamy not-broccoli with cheese curds is a real competitor for the top position. The meat is in a category of its own, though, as it has been cooked in bacon fat, making it deadly both to my heart and stomach.

    "I'm impressed that you have such dexterity with your… claws, my Lord," Rador Iqueza comments softly.

    I raise my eyes towards the strong-jawed elf and think for a moment, then I snort softly and respond with the same tone, "Indeed, they're very inconvenient, and my draconic side won't even let me sand down the edges, but, fortunately, I have an alternative to them."

    I lay my claws on my lap and create two tentacles that I use to grab my knife and fork. The sudden use of a spell draws some worried eyes, but they quickly become confused as they watch the tentacles move.

    "What… how…?" Rador mumbles in confusion with a tinge of horror in his tone. It seems that he isn't cultured in the ways of tentacle rape.

    A small smile blooms on my face as I explain, "It's a skill I've developed. This is called [Soul Manipulation], and it allows me to 'bend' my soul as I wish, though it needs a [Solidify] spell to make it physical."

    His wife suddenly hums out loud in understanding, "Ahh~…! That's what all the commotion with [Spirit Magic] was about," Erpente is a runway-worthy beauty, and it's pleasing to my tired eyes to look at her, and not in a netori-like way.

    I raise an eyebrow at her sudden outburst but don't comment on it. "So, the word of it has spread to Ostoum?"

    Now Rador is the one who snorts humorously. "To the whole of the empire, no doubt. I'm sure that the sudden rise in magical instant messages is due to the Chimeras," he assuredly states.

    "I've heard that a caravan full of mages is approaching Ostoum," Iril suddenly joins in with a casual remark and looks towards Ira.

    "Yes… they're currently at Ostodos," Evera meekly adds and immediately goes back to focusing on her meal.

    Iril nods and turns his youthful smirk towards me. "There's also another crossing the delta, and I think there are even mages from Sommerinsel. Escanso's mage population will certainly bloom soon." Then he raises his mug in a toast and starts chugging it down.

    Hana breaks off from her conversation with the Mendecassa sisters and asks excitedly, "Ooh~, are there merfolk among them?"

    Since his mouth is occupied, one of his wives politely answers in his stead, "Certainly. We've seen Sirens, Lamias, and a few Thalanthro." Then the young Lady lets out a tasteful giggle. "I must admit that the Sirens are very good singers, though they lack the correct timbre for elven songs."

    "Surprisingly, the Thalanthro can easily sing anything with a near perfect pitch," Yunia suddenly blurts out. The Lords turn a curious look towards her since they don't know of her xenophilia, but Iril's Lady seems to show some reserved approval with her shy nods to her in response.

    "Well, the Thalanthro have an even worse timbre since their throats are so different from ours," Iril's second Lady joins in.

    "But they can still add some interesting flair to the songs," Yunia retorts.

    The second Lady gently frowns in thought and gracefully takes a sip from her goblet before answering, "Eh… I still want to listen to something decidedly elven."

    Yunia's tone is spiced with a dash of annoyance. "If you don't want a non-elven flair to the songs, then why are you listening to the Thalanthro?"

    The Lady seems to get tripped up by those words, and her mind is unable to continue the conversation for a moment, then she smirks smugly like a typical snobbish elf as she comes up with a surprisingly philosophical response, "I had to experience it first before I could form my opinion of their singing."

    "But their native songs also sound too 'odd' to our ears, too," the first Lady chimes in.

    Yunia was prepared for this argument, so she immediately counters, "Have you ever heard them sing while underwater? That's how their songs are meant to be performed, so it's expected that they'd sound different on land. It's not like the acoustics or timbre are 'wrong,' it's simply a completely different thing underwater."

    "You make a good point," the first Lady concedes and smiles bemusedly.

    The three of them start a rather philosophical conversation about how music should be enjoyed. Iril's wives aren't fighters, so they chose the path of the Lady and studied a variety of "high-brow" topics, like music theory. Yunia doesn't have the same depth as they do, but she knows very well how to argue a point, and she has my Earthling knowledge to give her an occasional boost in the conversation.

    As the alcohol starts to enter our bloodstreams, the gloomy mood is fully lifted, and even Ira joins the fun.

    The meal ends, then nearly everyone gets up out of their seats to dance or walk around the balcony.

    Alissa stays put because she wants to help me recover, Lina doesn't want to get up, so she plays with my scales, and Yunia is also a bit tired, so she remains and recharges through the fluffiness of Alissa's tail.

    Of the others at our table, only Rador remains. He slowly sips from his glass goblet, watching as his wife dances with one of the hired female entertainers.

    He rests his goblet on the table and turns to me, his serious gaze forcing me out of my relaxation.

    The three of us turn our heads toward him in such a synchronized way that his words get stuck in his throat for a moment before he finally asks, "Will you be sharing some of your skills, my Lord…? Or will they remain secrets of your dynasty?" Then his mouth moves wordlessly for a second as he realizes something important. "Actually, should we start calling you 'your Highness,' instead? Apologies for the many questions."

    Alissa's hand grabs my balls and massages them, giving me a jolt of pleasure that wakes me up and helps me answer, "My Blessing compels me to share it, so my legacy to my children will be something else."

    Yunia immediately continues for me since I'm too tired to articulate my answer, "On the matter of titles, Lord is fine for now. We haven't been formally recognized by any authority yet, so we don't want to annoy the Tribunal by assuming the title of 'Highness' just yet."

    Rador seems a bit disconcerted, his eyes flickering between Yunia and me, but he hides it almost perfectly. "You've been 'adopted' by the royals, then?" He asks, his voice aiming at neither of us in particular.

    Just to fuck with him, Alissa is the one to answer, "No. We're replacing them, in fact. Arreira has become disappointed in the old royalty and has disowned them, giving their titles to us, instead."

    Rador glances at her then swallows heavily and tensely asks, "And how will the royals in hiding respond to that?"

    I smile innocently and calmly reply, "Unfavorably, of course. We'll be making claims to a lot of their inheritance."

    He leans forward, and I see a bead of sweat form on his forehead. "My Lords… are we to expect war?"

    I chuckle softly, but it's Yunia who answers in a matter-of-fact tone, "If the royals make war, it'll be a holy one, for they're suspected of being heretics, and as you've seen, we're very close to the Gods."

    He doesn't seem phased and continues without wasting a breath, "It'll still spell trouble and unrest for the High Forest. We have to prepare, but I have no idea how long it'll take for them to make their move."

    Lina now speaks, giving him her best monotone, "Yes, we'll have to prepare, but it'll take a long time since our claims to their inheritance have to be processed by the Tribunal before they'll even hear about it."

    And I give him the follow-up punch, "Unless someone gives them an early warning." Then I give a draconic stare to impart the seriousness of my words.

    His face becomes stiff and stony, then he lowers his head respectfully and obediently responds, "I shall not speak a word, my Lord, but I worry greatly for the stability of the High Forest. I expect that the Elder Council allowed you to have Lord Yulania as a Blood Slave so that her presence will keep unrest to a minimum."

    Unrest from you, specifically.

    "Has her presence really changed how others have reacted to our ascension to power?" I retort, containing my flippancy.

    Rador's face stiffens in anxiety, and he keeps his head down in shame.

    I'm not done, and I give him one last lambasting, "The Council deposed Mavel specifically to allow change in the High Forest. After this Divine Intervention, as you're all calling it, if the Council moves to stop me, then they're just as foolish as Mavel was, and he'd have been pointlessly killed, but I won't let that happen to the father of my wife-to-be."

    Yunia remains unmoving, also concealing her feelings with a stony mask, then Alissa grabs her hand to comfort her. Though she doesn't really need it, she appreciates how much we care for her.

    "I understand, my Lord. I only wish for our safety," Rador agrees with a flat, obedient tone.

    "Then you'll need to fight for it."

    He finally raises his head to look at us. "I will, my Lord," he pleads, but I sense his tone wavering, then a silence falls over us for a moment, and Rador excuses himself, "I'll be joining my wife, my Lords."

    I nod gently, and he walks away, finally leaving us in peace.

    "I also need a distraction," Yunia tiredly comments as she gets up, then goes after Roxanne to dance.

    Now I get the quiet time I really wanted with Alissa and Lina. I use the tip of my tail to wrap around Alissa's, and both of the girls hug my claws tightly, allowing me to extend long, slimy tentacles along their legs so that I can absorb their cuteness and recharge my batteries.

    While acting domineering is a bit fun for me, I'm still an introverted dragon, so it's tiring to keep it up. The girls help me with it a lot by giving me the confidence necessary to act like this, but I have my limits.

    Then Teresina approaches us, and I groan internally.

    She climbs up the steps to our table, then falls down onto her knee before us and folds one of her long ears with a hand in respect.

    "Your Majesties, may I speak with you?" She begs with a frighteningly kind tone. It does not suit her.

    "You may, and we're still Lords," Alissa politely responds for me.

    Teresina stands up again with a little effort, then a maid appears with a chair for her, which she gladly accepts.

    She doesn't even wait for a moment and immediately asks the question, "I want to talk about… Lord Aoi. I want to know how you did it." It seems that some habits die hard.

    "I can't talk about it. That will be a royal secret," I tersely respond.

    "But your Blessing-…"

    Alissa interrupts her, "Is precisely what prevents him from revealing this secret. There are times when knowledge must be hidden until the public is ready. This is one of those times."

    Her mouth twitches with contained anger, so I toss her a bone, "But know that we will share it when the time is right and we've found a way to reproduce it without revealing our secrets."

    She breathes in deeply to keep her cool, and the awfully polite tone returns, "I understand, my Lords… but may we at least know the nature of her 'conversion'? As far as I know, Lord Aoi was merely a 'tamable' dragon, and no tracker has reported anything different about her soul."

    Now, this is Alissa's specialty, so she's the one to answer, "Only because we didn't allow anyone with such skills to get close to her. Her soul's transformation still isn't complete yet, but I've noticed that it's very different from when we first met her."

    "So it was [Alteration Magic]?"

    I shake my head and decide to reveal just a small bit to her, "No. I connected our souls, and the 'cracks' were filled in on their own."

    Teresina's eyes suddenly go wide. "Ah, of course! The soul's adaptability! I never imagined that it could be used that way!" She exclaims in amazement.

    "A 'tamable' monster is merely a 'broken' aberrant," Lina.

    Connecting us through [Bind] basically "fixed" Aoi's broken soul, like some sort of stem cell therapy.

    Teresina turns to me, and now her gentle tone doesn't sound forced. "Did you follow in Kaka Haere's footsteps?" She earnestly asks.

    "Who?" I hum in confusion.

    Ciel appears beside Teresina and joins the conversation at the perfect moment, "Ah, that one. Kaka's story is a warning against paranoia. They'd discovered non-aggressive, 'tamable' monsters, but they were shunned by the priests due to fear of heretical magic… and because they were caught having sex…" She cringes softly.

    "Yes, the Volnosht Rebellion in Bestiaram of the fifty-third millennium," Lina sagely adds.

    Teresina nods, slightly impressed with Lina's precise knowledge. "They say there was something else that was special among Kaka's monsters, a sort of 'intelligence,' but records are vague. Perhaps you did something similar?" She speculates.

    "She's a breeder-type, so we didn't have to give her intelligence; just a system," Ciel clarifies.

    Teresina thinks for a second, then raises an eyebrow at me, and her tone becomes serious. "The right person, at the right place, at the right time. Now I see why the Gods watch over you… and why the heretics might've attacked."

    "I believe there's more to their motivations than just that, but I'd like to be proven wrong," Ciel affirms.

    Teresina nods and hums in agreement. "Hm, yes. I expected the Monster King to make a resurgence, not the heretics getting involved." Then she turns to Ciel. "By the way, Lord Ciel, I believe some of your former comrades are in town because of you. A Templar named Kyora."

    Ciel nearly chokes on her spit. "What?!" She squeaks.

    A wide variety of emotions bleeds through Ciel's [Bind], but the most powerful among them is her anxiety. Her heart doesn't want to meet with them, but a sort of morbid curiosity prevents her from just walking away.

    Teresina is a bit off-put by her reaction. She likely doesn't know about their rocky history and had no ulterior motives in giving her the news.

    "Where are they?" Ciel hesitantly asks without looking Teresina in the eye.

    'Nai' Teresina's eyebrows knit in concern, the stern ex-Punisher giving way to her motherly side for now. "They didn't want to participate in the parade and went directly to the party with the lower nobility, but I don't know where they are, exactly."

    Ciel nods gloomily and starts twiddling her thumbs in indecision.

    "Let's go meet them," Lina bravely suggests. She knows that Ciel would do the same for her.

    Trying to prevent her fear from showing, Ciel strains herself to put on a smile and nods. "Yes, let's go," she meekly agrees.

    Lina gets out of her seat and the two of them interlace their fingers like mother and child, then Lina pulls Ciel's hand closer towards her chest to make them look a little closer to wife and wife.

    They get a [Gate] down to the party and start searching for Kyora. It'll be relatively easy for them to spot her, they just need to search for a blue-Hana on steroids.

    I wanted to go with them, but my presence would make a big commotion, and we really don't want to have to deal with that right now. The two girls are already drawing plenty of attention since one only needs to look up to see their gigantic portrait, so I don't want to get in their way. Thankfully, we can all still support Ciel through [Bind].

    Teresina watches them leave, her expression impassive, but her interest is apparent, then she turns back to me and continues with our conversation like nothing happened, "My Lord, about your race. Isn't it rather inconvenient to have these claws?"

    Is this something that everyone is going to ask me?

    I run a claw along the table, leaving a groove without even applying any pressure. "A bit," I agree with a wry smile. "But I already have ways to make it easier, like through the illusion that hid my characteristics and with this." Then I show her [Mana Body], changing my claws into big, warped fingers.

    She doesn't seem to be the least bit impressed with it. "Is this something your children will be able to reproduce?"

    My smile is wiped away, and I give Alissa a worried look as I mumble, "Oh, right…"

    My foxy lady is more concerned with our child's claws potentially ripping through her uterus, but then she realizes that they'll never be able to finger a pussy and becomes concerned about that, too.

    While we rack our brains imagining what our children will be like, Teresina clarifies the reasoning behind her question, "I don't know what concepts were used to create your race, but you should think about what skills they should inherit to improve their lives, then pray for the Goddesses of Fertility and Growth to make it a racial skill for all weredragons. Same for Lord's Aoi humanoid transformation. It's very important that the new races smoothly integrate with the already existing ones."

    "Perhaps something like Hana's [Draconic Body] could work?" Alissa happily suggests.

    Teresina hums in confusion, "Hm? What skill?"

    It's good to know that the Lordsguard didn't leak that skill yet.

    "Something she created herself. It works kind of like [Mana Body], but makes her more 'draconic'" I happily explain.

    "I think it uses her 'Willpower' and 'Endurance' to power it instead of just mana," Alissa adds.

    "Impressive," Teresina coos softly.

    Alissa nods diligently. "Each of us has earned our right to stand beside somebody watched by the Gods," she states with a mysterious tone, but Teresina doesn't even bat an eye, keeping her face impassive as always.

    This is why Templars are so feared. The depth of her composure is truly unfathomable. If even a Divine Intervention can't phase her, can my cock ever break her mind…?

    Of course, it can.

    "I can see that. The Gods aren't just watching Lord Wolf," Teresina calmly responds with a gentle nod of understanding.

    I smirk, then pull Alissa's chair closer to mine with my thick tail. "I'd never have gotten this far without my wives," I happily confess.

    Alissa rests her head on my shoulder, her pointy, furred ears tickling my cheek, and remarks with a happy, husky tone, "We're a very closely-knit team."

    Teresina glances at Roxanne and Yunia dancing together, their bodies glued to one another like lovers, and Roxanne's thigh rubbing against Yunia's pussy.

    "Yes, I can see that, too," she whispers, then her face softens a smidgen. "You're still yet to actually marry, correct?"

    "Yes," Alissa and I answer in unison.

    Teresina snorts softly. "Well, I believe the ceremony will be beautiful. Hardly do we ever see Lords as 'connected' as you are, so I wish you all a happy marriage."

    Alissa beams with happiness, grinning from ear to ear, so I gracefully respond for her, "Thank you," while I give a genuine smile.

    Teresina hums and nods in approval, trying her best to keep her expression from softening further. "Now, please excuse me, my Lords, but I wish to take my leave."

    "Until next time, Head Priestess," Alissa happily coos.

    "Until then." She gets up and walks away.



    Now I'm finally alone with Alissa, but we don't have time to relax since Ciel finally finds who she's looking for, and she freezes on the spot.

    I see a blue-haired amazon who has taken to the elven fashion without a single issue, though she's so big that she actually looks like a female barbarian in her criminally small dousnadeia.

    Godsdamn, those thighs could squash my head like a watermelon while I eat her out, her arms could split me in half while we kiss passionately, and her abs could make me cum just from licking them. I bet she could even clamp her cunt down so hard that it'd bite my cock off. She's a prime specimen of a dragonkin and a solid choice for snu snu.

    "She doesn't do casual sex, so you'd have to enter her harem before you'd even be allowed to touch her," Ciel comments wryly through [Bind], amused by my unending thirst for pussy. Though, my internal monologue does get her to relax, so all's fine.

    Hana suddenly unleashes an outburst, "She looks tough, but I'll never lose a sex battle against her! Even if I have to use [Draconic Body], I won't let her get on top of me!" She fumes through [Bind], her competitive instincts triggered by my thirst.

    Osaria looks at her confusedly since she's suddenly stopped dancing and started scowling towards the railing instead.

    I sigh softly and poke her soul as I chastise her, "Don't scare my milf, Hana. Ciel already said that she's off-limits, so calm yer tits."

    "Goblin jizz…" She angrily mutters, then apologizes to the confused Osaria.

    "Awn… now she totally wants to fuck a dragonkin," Roxanne teases cheekily through [Bind].

    Yunia hums and concurs, "Yes, you've awakened the dragon inside her. Though I admit it would've been an impressive sex fight, for sure."

    Honestly, Hana's aggressiveness is a bit worrying. I fear that she might go overboard and do something bad to her partner, so I'm wary of having a threesome with two dragonkin. She might even traumatize the poor girl.

    "I'd fuck her so hard that she'd get addicted to the taste of my cunt!" Hana shouts inside my mind space, then starts focusing solely on Osaria again to calm her down.

    Lina pulls Ciel forward, and the duo approaches Kyora. The Lords suddenly taking a stroll among the nobles causes a small commotion, which attracts the attention of Kyora and her group, who then notice Ciel approaching them.

    "Ciel?!" Kyora's voice booms through the plaza, and now everyone turns to watch them.

    "You loaf of bread! You're making a scene and embarrassing a Lord!" A small halfling man shouts angrily, shaking his child-like fist at the giant Kyora. He's a cute little boy with auburn hair and the robes of a mage.

    "You're also making a scene yourself by shouting," a black and white werecat man tiredly retorts. His coloration is that of a Maine Coon, and his demeanor is that of a warrior, though I can see a bit of a cat-like grace in how he holds himself.

    "I don't know either of you. We were never married," a cute dwarven girl grumbles and takes a step away from them. She's a cute, black-haired young girl that would make a good older sister for Lina.

    Kyora advances forward, parting the small crowd without any effort since her hulking frame easily stands out from the spindly elves. Her eyes are set on Ciel like a tiger stalking a deer. If we had any Lordsguard nearby, they'd jump on Kyora due to her threatening stance.

    The halfling man chases after her, grumbling halfling swear words, then he grabs Kyora's large hand, pulling it closer to his chest in a way that's pretty similar to Lina, and tries to make her stop.

    Kyora suddenly groans in annoyance and slows down. "Alright, I get it, Alonso," She grunts, then lets her predatory stance fade away.

    The two duos approach each other, then stop and stare. Alonso, the halfling, seems to be more annoyed than glad at the reunion, while Kyora seems to be straining against herself not to scowl. Ciel is impassive, trying to make herself appear strong, and Lina has a deadpan expression on her face, her gloomy eyes the same as always.

    Surprisingly, it's the dragonkin woman who turns her eyes away first, and she looks up at the huge portrait of us on the Shell. They're a bit too close to the Shell to see it properly, but she might still be able to make out Ciel's face from this angle.

    Kyora turns back to Ciel and clenches her jaw in anger. "So, you're really a Lord?" She asks through gritted teeth.

    "Unless I have an evil twin, then yes, I'm a Lord," Ciel jokingly responds and laughs girlishly.

    "You're rubbing off on her," Alissa mumbles with a pout.

    Kyora lets her mouth hang open for a moment, completely disarmed by Ciel's silliness. "Evil… what?"

    Ciel shakes her head and adjusts her hair in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, it's just a silly joke."

    "So you're still the same old silly Ciel," the dwarf girl comments with an amused smile as she catches up.

    "But if you're a Lord, then at least you've stopped being a coward," Kyora asserts, the angry dragon coming back.

    "No, I haven't," Ciel proudly denies with a cheeky smile.

    "What the fuck," Kyora swears, disarmed once again.

    "Kyora, please," the werecat pleads and grips her other arm strongly, then he chastises her with a whisper-shout, "Did you forget about the Divine Intervention?!"

    She rolls her eyes like a spoiled child. "Yes, I know, but what the fuck are the Gods thinking?"

    Ciel removes all levity from her tone and becomes steadfast. "I have some people who I need to protect at all costs, so I'll be as cowardly as I need to be to fulfill my duty, but in the end, I'd gladly give my life for them," she confesses without a hint of hesitation.

    The werecat blinks in surprise and blurts out, "That's not really much of a coward."

    Ciel shrugs. "I didn't change; I just accepted what I am."

    Kyora stays quiet, pondering on Ciel's words and measuring her resolve. Everyone stares at the huge dragonkin, waiting for her response with bated breath.

    Yunia knows the least about Ciel's past, so my angel takes this moment of silence to give us all some expositional dialogue through [Bind], "I abandoned Macht when I believed that his judgment would get us killed, then Kyora cast me out because I wasn't fit to be a Templar, which I agree was the right thing to do. I'm not a Templar; I can't sacrifice myself for the common people because our purpose here is greater than them. The only people I can give my life for are the sister-wives and you, Wolfy. Today has only given me further confirmation of that."

    "Awn…" I moan in pain as my heart is struck by her confession. "You'll never have to make any sacrifices, I assure you of that," I respond through [Bind].

    Ciel smiles internally, and I feel embraced by her, smothered by her massive tits. "It still doesn't change my purpose… What I did to Macht was cowardly, but it was a necessary lesson for me, so I don't regret it."

    I envelop her presence in my mind with my own. "Don't call yourself a coward. You aren't one, not anymore."

    She nods internally and surrenders herself to me, "Okay, I won't."

    Kyora's impassive face gradually warps into a frown, then she lets out a low growl and grumbles, "I still fucking hate you for deserting Macht."

    Timas squeezes her arm to get her to control herself.

    "Yeah, she's definitely a berserker," Hana comments through [Bind]. Only now, I've noticed how the translation of "berserker" sounds like a contraction of "dragon wrestler."

    Ciel nods slowly and accepts it, "I know. My penance for that will last for my whole life."

    Kyora stops for a split second. "Don't…" She starts, but the words don't come out, so she grumbles incoherent words in frustration, then she sighs and lets the anger cool. "Don't let it make you miserable. I don't want that," she finally confesses.

    Ciel smiles angelically, then glances at Lina and gives her hand a gentle squeeze. "For me, it's inspiring. My penance guides me towards a greater path, where I know that I belong."

    "Fucking masochist," Kyora, murmurs and looks up towards the portrait again with an annoyed pout.

    "Look who's talking," the dwarf girl quips back with a teasing smirk.

    Kyora shrugs, her arm lifting Alonso up off the floor as if he weighed nothing. "I didn't mean it as an insult."

    The girl purses her lip, full of sass. "Uh-huh."

    The werecat takes a step forward and lowers his head respectfully for a second. "Well, it's good to see you again, Ciel. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, you still grew a lot," he kindly compliments her.

    Ciel returns a respectful nod and a smile. "Thank you, Timas. I know it's a bit late, but this is Lina, one of my sister-wives."

    The dwarf girl gives a quick look upwards to the Shell. "Oh, yes, I think I can see it. I'm Poppy, the archer," she gently greets and gives a curtsy like a Lady.

    "Kyora, the harem master," the dragonkin proudly announces.

    "I'm Timas, the main defender," the werecat elegantly introduces himself with a bow.

    "I'm Alonso, the squad's mage," the halfling quietly greets with a quick wave and releases Kyora's hand.

    "Why don't we go take a seat?" Ciel suggests and points to an empty table nearby.

    "Hm, sure," Kyora hums, and they sit.

    A maid immediately comes and serves them some drinks, but Kyora abstains. Someone like her getting drunk is definitely dangerous.

    Once everyone has taken a sip and the tension has eased, Ciel awkwardly adjusts her hair and asks the question that's been burning in her heart, "What I really want to know is: 'why did you come here?' Teresina said that you had asked for me."

    "Well, we heard rumors," Kyora tersely responds and crosses her arms.

    "And not good ones," Alonso eloquently explains with a worried frown.

    Timas sighs tiredly at the high "Charisma" of his companions and actually clarifies what they mean, "It sounded like the nobility were playing games, trying to steer us here and possibly find out who's being naughty."

    Lina immediately picks up on the real reason, "They likely tried to get the Templars to investigate us." And Yunia silently agrees.

    "Yes. We aren't popular among the Lords here," Ciel admits with a forced smile.

    "So we've heard," Kyora whispers, not amused.

    Poppy delicately rests her head on her palm and comments confusedly, "They could've had more success by using the Punishers."

    "The Head Priestess is an ex-Punisher," Ciel immediately retorts, and they all release "aahs" of understanding.

    "They were trying anything they could since they're too impotent to actually rebel," Lina expands on Ciel's reasoning.

    She deliberately used a double entendre.

    Poppy's gentle face instantly warps into an evil grin. "Alright. Maybe we should stick around and investigate them, instead?" She suggests.

    Ciel chuckles softly and comments with a wry smile, "Only if you want to Mark every single Lord of the Western High Forest."

    "Alright. Fuck that…" Kyora grumbles and facepalms. "We aren't doing the job of Punishers."

    Ciel looks away and chuckles some more "Well, it's not as bad as it looks. They're just petty."

    Kyora frowns and looks around at the nobles staring at them. They immediately look away, intimidated by her gaze, and Kyora speaks out loud with a veiled threat, "They have too much free time on their hands. Maybe they should spend it on purging the surroundings of their towns instead."

    Lina nods in agreement and sternly adds, "After today, I'm sure that they will. We made sure that they know who's in charge."

    Poppy smiles and raises her eyebrows in surprise as she asks, "You're a fierce one, young Lord. Where are you from?"

    "Didn't you hear her introduction?" Timas chastises her with a frown and shakes his head, then takes another sip.

    Poppy suddenly tenses up awkwardly and stutters, "N-no… we were talking about Ciel at the time." Then she turns to Lina and bows. "I'm sorry, my Lord."

    Lina kindly forgives her with a wave of her hand, "It's not a problem. I'm from Bersidon."

    "Oh… Hm…" Poppy straightens up, but remains tense, then glances at Alonso. "I don't know where that is."

    "Why are you looking at me? Why would I know where that is?" The halfling angrily questions, then snorts and chokes on his own drink like a fool.

    "Is it a surface village?" Poppy asks tentatively with a guilty smile.

    "Yes, it's south-west of Hombombein, along the Kanom Road," Lina answers with a nod.

    "Aren't you from Hombombein?" Alonso questions with a cheeky teasing smile, but Poppy still doesn't seem to have any idea where Bersidon is.

    Lina does her best to keep her sadistic smile from showing. She's enjoying torturing the other dwarf a bit, but she isn't as sadistic towards strangers as a certain person can be. "It's fine. Bersidon was just a small outpost when I left over four years ago," she eases off of Poppy's shame.

    Lina's Trivia: surface villages are basically looked down upon by other dwarves as backwater places. They're all dry and barren, so there really isn't much to them besides being a rest stop for the rare caravan. It's to be expected that someone from Hombombein, the capital, wouldn't know a thing about the surface villages.

    Timas smiles warmly at the now completely embarrassed dwarf girl, then he saves her by recollecting, "We've never traveled too deep along the Kanom Road, but I'm sure that Bersidon has grown into a nice inn town by now. Last time we went to Hombombein, there were uncountable numbers of caravans traversing the Kanom Road all the time."

    Lina doesn't think the same of it, though. "That'll only last while Aremut is deserted. Once it's reclaimed and the Crystal Road is safe, the Canyon Road will be abandoned again," she assures.

    His cat ears flick, and he brightens up as he suggests, "Ah, but you never know. The growth that the Canyon Road is going through now might be enough to keep it attractive for caravans even after that."

    Lina looks down at her own cup and frowns, deep in thought. "Hm… I see…" Then Timas smiles kindly, and Ciel pats her head.

    Though Kyora and Alonso are still a bit grumpy, they all start to share their stories of adventures.



    I let the golems out and send Jarn to Ciel so that she can have some "fun" explaining what the fuck a golem is, then I cuddle up with Suzy while Alissa cuddles with Ted.

    I start to imagine Suzy's little body as I pat her head. A kuudere blonde little girl; a white angel counterpart for Lina with long hair that pools on the floor. She needs red eyes and cute, little red lips, though her jaw needs to be able to open wide enough to fit my whole cock, or at least it needs the ability to unhinge itself.

    Ted could be a girl with curly or wavy hair in a cute brown color. Perhaps she could have round ears like Klein's and cute, fluffy patches of fur like Poosh.

    I need to get the High Officers to help me create a body for her. Sai and Almaria could work together on creating a biological "fuckable body" like a nature elemental's, which is the most malleable body out of all of my elementals.

    I really want to give something back to them. Make them "happy," somehow. Aside from using [Bind] on them, this is the only other way that I can see to really do that.

    Roxanne suddenly comes over to our table and breaks me out of my musings. "Dance with me, please," she pleads with a cute pout.

    I awkwardly scratch my horn with a claw. I don't want to say no, but…

    "Just one dance," she insists, then grabs my head and gives each of my horns a kiss.

    "Alright…" I relent, then I leave Alissa with the golems, though I'll definitely dance with her later to compensate.

    I quickly move some of my points around and max out [Dancing], then Roxanne's long, thin tail wraps around mine, and I show them all the beauty of Rahgeeb, the traditional dance and mating ritual of the succubi race.

    After a few moves, I throw her and spin on the spot as she strikes a pose, but our tails are tied, so she spins along with me. It's almost like ice skating for her, but she's tied to me, and she uses her bat wings to glide instead of using actual skates.

    Succubi tails are incredibly resilient, and even if they were to snap during the dance, they'd just regrow after a few days, anyway. There's still the taboo about amputating their demon parts, but a dancer cares not for such things.

    When the wild moves stop, her body glues itself to mine, and we dance like in a flamenco. Striking, sensual moves, followed by foot tapping, then I help her spin without tying our tails together, and her dress whirls up like a parasol, forcing her to use a hand to prevent her pussy from being exposed.

    I pull her back, and her hip glues back against mine, then our bodies move in perfect sync, our legs taking steps of the same length even though her legs are longer.

    With our foreheads touching, and our eyes locked together, we ignore the world around us and unleash our charm on each other.

    Hers makes me want to fuck her like an animal, while mine makes her want to bend over and spread her pussy lips for me to fuck her. Combined together, we need nerves of steel to resist the temptation, to hold ourselves back from ripping off our clothes and mating right here and now, because resisting that impulse is part of the ritual, too.

    This is one of the ancient ways for the succubi to choose partners, so I have a simple role in this ritual: to resist her temptation and be strong enough to allow her to shine. In a matriarchal society of femme fatales, a man who doesn't succumb to just about any woman is a treasure to be protected.

    Roxanne's role is to shine, to appear as sensual as she can, and to charm the entire audience. I can't tell for the women, but Alissa counts a good number of erections among the attendees, including all of the male Chimeras present.

    The song reaches the build-up, and I whip my tail, unfurling hers from mine so hard that she spins like a spinning top on the tip of her right foot, then she nearly takes flight as her wings give her some lift.

    She rises a few centimetri off the ground, then the spin quickly loses its momentum, and she glides back down again, falling right into my arms.

    I grab her waist and halt her spin, focusing on our connection to be ready to cast [Refresh] the second that she moves to retch, but it never comes.

    After a moment of remaining still, I lower her down, sweeping her legs out so that she rests in my arms, then I bend my body until she's nearly horizontal and her hair is touching the floor.

    The song reaches its apex, and all the instruments stop.

    "I love you," I confess with a husky voice.

    "I love you too, Wolfy," she softly replies with a gentle, confident smirk, and we kiss each other's lips, then the song continues, releasing all the tension it had built up.

    I pull her back up for a few more spins, but we slow down along with the song, and we end in the same pose that we started in: our hips glued together, our foreheads touching, and our eyes locked.

    We receive cordial applause, but Poosh leads them all with her excitement, and the rest follow suit. As a demon race herself, she seems to understand the significance of our dance.

    Roxanne puts her glasses back on, and we send Poosh an appreciative nod.

    After resting for a full song, the next one is calm and sexy, following the cycle of excitement and sensuality to not tire out the party-goers too quickly.

    I grab Alissa's waist, and this time we just enjoy each other instead of trying to make a performance out of it.



    Roxanne returns to the party with Hana, Osaria, Aoi, Yunia, and Klein down on the ground floor, then we watch Oritiki dance with her husbands, one at a time. Her movements gradually become more intense, and their bodies get closer and closer to one another.

    They suddenly kiss when the song ends as they hug, their legs rubbing against the other's crotch, then not-Thor's dick hardens, riding up Oritiki's thigh, and her pussy leaves a visible wet spot on his.

    The trio suddenly leaves the dance floor and goes over to the railing. The warthog-headed husband sits on it, precariously perched on the edge of the balcony, and Oritiki bends down to suck him off while not-Thor fucks her pussy.

    The elven Lords murmur among themselves, a few almost clutching their pearls, but none of them avert their eyes away. They like to play around the borders of sex and fetishes, so outright public fucking is a bit too shocking for them.

    Nohopu, the squirrel-headed captain, and his wife are still dancing, but his long, thin dick bounces around, fully erect. It's just a matter of time until he fucks his wife or one of his mistresses.

    Hihiriwa is on his seat, his hand in his wife's lap, and the Gecko-headed woman has an overly stiff face that quickly distorts into one of effort and struggle, but she soon breaks her composure and lets out loud, lewd moans.

    Down in the town below, the Chimeras start up orgies as the alcohol gets to their non-material brains. Lina's [Solidify] has been spreading very quickly among the spirit populace, and they're certainly enjoying the "recreational" focus of the spell.

    The more shameless of the perverted elves pull out their dicks or expose their pussies, then their prayers to the Goddess of Love, too, because some "cultural enrichment" is about to take place.



    I join Sandoro at the railing to get a better look at the orgies going on down below, but Alissa's eyes provide the best details, and she even recognizes Ereia and Silvano right in the middle of one.

    "Beautiful, isn't it?" I whisper to Sandoro with a warm smile gracing my face.

    "Certainly… 'exceptional,'" he tersely answers, his face impassive as always.

    "Do you have a wife?" -Sandoro suddenly coughs awkwardly, but I ignore this odd behavior- "You should join them if you don't and release some stress, you know? Or maybe you should both join them if you do have one."

    "I'd rather not," he quickly answers, a lie if I've ever seen one.

    I shrug and relent, "As long as you're happy with your choice."

    "Always."

    The maids and guards keep the horny nobles away from the lower party to prevent it from being completely disrupted, so the orgies take place in the streets. Ciel is rather thankful for that because getting Kyora too stimulated would definitely be annoying to deal with. Her whole harem would be needed to keep the huge woman satisfied, meaning a premature end to their reunion.

    Hana and Osaria are also down there with Klein, and they're making an effort to keep themselves contained so that they don't ruin their fun. They know that I'll wreck their pussies later, and the anticipation of that makes the wait all the more exciting.

    Silvano suddenly cums all over Ereia's petite little body, and a pair of dog Chimeras immediately start licking it all up, then another Chimera takes Silvano's place.

    That girl is incredible, really.

    Sandoro swallows heavily and announces, "I'll be… off… with, uh, my wif-…" Then he catches himself and immediately walks away, but I easily notice the bulge in his pants.

    I turn around and see the Mendecassa sisters playing with Sainalai, and I get really fucking envious of the halfling. They'd definitely be into onee-san roleplay, and I haven't had a fix for my incest kink lately.

    The inhibitions of the subordinate Lords start to give way as their consumption of alcohol picks up, and they follow the example of the Chimeras, though they lean heavily on the partner swapping aspect.

    I lean my back on the railing, then Alissa sneaks a hand into my shorts and pulls out my armed dragonator. She strokes it softly, using my precum to coat the entire shaft with my juices so that it's ready for the first woman that bends over.

    I blow air into the embers, and the draconic fire is instantly relit within me. The dragon has been awoken, and it wishes to breed with any woman that comes close.

    And the first one is Poosh.

    My eyes lock with hers, and her [Charm] strikes at my mind, but it's reflected back instantly, and her left hand immediately goes for her pussy. She can't help herself but to massage her own lips as she looks at me, and her usual kind, motherly look quickly becomes thoroughly cock-crazed.

    She sensually bites her lower lip as her fingers plunge within her own depths. Her awe at my cock prevents her from moving, but I want them to come to me, instead, so I wait, and her thirst slowly takes hold of her.

    She walks forward slowly with unsteady steps as she fingers herself until she stops before me, her breath quickened, her pale face flushed, and her bespectacled eyes locked upon my weapon.

    "My Lord…" She whispers with a sultry tone and licks her lips.

    "Your clothes, take them off, now," I order. The woman shall come to me, naked, bent over, and pussy lips spread apart, inviting me in.

    Without another word, her entire dousnadeia falls to the floor, revealing her round, soft features. Her body isn't as curvy as Ciel's, or as tight as Alissa's, but every part of her seems soft, cuddly, and cute. She has a true motherly Lady's body, and I suddenly feel very thirsty for sheep milk.

    I point to my wet, ready dragonator, making it longer and slightly thicker than usual so that it seems more menacing. "Come and sit on it, now."

    She obeys like a good little sheep and draws nearer, then she gets so close that our bodies touch, and I grab her ass with my padded claws, making her squeak and jump in surprise. I pull her towards me, and my shaft slides along her moist entrance.

    She grits her teeth and lets out a shaky sigh. She's fully charmed, and she's now a good little worshiper of dragon cock.

    Alissa lifts one of Poosh's legs up and sets her foot on the railing so that her slit is more accessible to me, then she pushes Poosh's head towards mine so that I can kiss her.

    I move her hips for her, wetting my shaft with her juices as I fuck her mouth, her tongue too stunned to properly react to mine.

    She tastes of elven alcohol, though it's so mild that I doubt she's actually drunk, and she shows it as her inner sex beast recovers from its drowsiness and starts to take over her body.

    She grabs my head and massages my horns while she plays with my tongue as she starts to return my caresses. The feeling of having this cute, experienced woman temporarily cock-crazed for me is just supremely arousing.

    Alissa drizzles oil onto my shaft so that her thighs become even more slick as I press them together. This part of her is bare, aside from the curly landing strip, allowing me to enjoy the softness of her pinkish Lady skin.

    I suddenly feel it coming and pull Poosh to me so that my cock peeks out past her ass and I cum directly into Alissa's mouth, then Alissa spreads her ass cheeks apart and starts eating her out.

    I release her waist and knead her round, jelly-like breasts, making her let out a soft moan.

    She breaks the kiss and adjusts her glasses, our mixed, hot breaths making them fog up.

    "Fuck me. Put your dragon cock inside me," she breathes, her eyes open wide with a crazed thirst.

    I grab her waist again and silently obey. I pull her towards me as I angle the dragonator up, and it breaches into her slimy, warm insides.

    "Ah-ah-ah-ah…" A few shaky moans escape her lips as her vagina clenches around my dick in an instantaneous orgasm.

    I don't feel like holding back, so I give her a vibrating, long-stroking, spirit-touching, textured, draconic Penis.

    I quickly revert into a beast, thoroughly flooding her insides with my seed to mark her as mine and to give us some more lube.

    She loses her voice, and her legs shiver as the double-teaming does things to her that not even a veteran prostitute like her had ever seen before. She'll never forget today, and she'll never even have the chance to because from now on, I'll make her mine.

    The Lords and the High Officers watch us Fuck. I make eye contact with each one of them, specially Teresina, cumming inside Poosh while staring at her, and show them all how I fuck, how utterly defeated Poosh is.

    I'm superior to them in all matters, even in sex, and I want them to realize it now so that they'll keep their heads down while they offer their wives the honor of having my children.

    Poosh is just the beginning of my conquest of the world's women as the omega that shall fuck them all.



    I pull out a sleeping bag so that Poosh can lay down and recover in comfort. It'd be improper to treat her like a rag and let her naked, passed out body be thrown just anywhere for all to see. She's a respectable woman, and I'll treat her with the care and love she deserves.

    Alissa cleans my cock with her mouth, then gets up and strokes me as she whispers dirty words into my ear while we wait for the next target, but we barely even have to wait for a minute.

    An elderly duo of Root Lords approaches us. They're mages with weak, shriveled bodies, but there's also a much younger and very sexy Lady wife following them.

    "My Lord," the old man greets with a bow, both of his wives following suit a second later as they're already almost entranced by my cock. "Do you desire to lay with my wife? We're both too old to satisfy her anymore."

    "Of course I do," I reply with a husky voice. The female Lord is older than Shala, putting her kind of outside my strike zone, but the younger Lady isn't any older than Osaria, so she's still a prime target for me.

    I grab her face and pull her down so that I can penetrate her mouth, then I apply my soul touch through my tongue to quickly put her in the mood.

    After a mere ten seconds, she pulls her dousnadeia to the side and clamps her thighs around my shaft, its head touching her clit, then she moves her hips to stimulate herself with it.

    I angle my cock upwards with [Mana Body], and it suddenly slides in with a slick noise.

    "A-ah…" The old man moans in pain as he clutches at his heart. I almost stop, fearing that he's having a heart attack, but then he pulls out his own shriveled dick and starts masturbating, so I just block him from my view and continue fucking his wife.

    The old woman starts fingering herself along with her husband, and I keep her in Alissa's view just for the morale boost. Seeing others fapping to me Fucking someone is incredibly satisfying.



    A few more Root Lords line up for a taste, but they all fall in quick succession, not used to the Cock. The rest of the Lords watch us and the Chimeras with either curiosity or amazement, and even the Mendecassa sisters stop playing with Sai to watch, but nobody else is courageous enough to join in.

    The line of Lords eventually ends, but I'm still far from satisfied, so I decide to head down with Hana and a detachment of female Lordsguard. We'll find an all-female Chimera orgy and dominate them all.



    I turn my head up towards the Shell's balcony, but my hips don't stop moving to the beat of the music, and the cries of the small Chimera are like the main vocals of the song to my ears.

    Striking blue eyes stare at me from afar, their beauty hiding the jealousy stewing behind them.

    I do a long stroke to force the deer-headed Chimera to orgasm, then I force myself to cum along with her.

    I take my dripping cock out of her and pat Hukarere's head as she swallows my member whole, thirsty for my seed. Kaatohe goes for the pussy of the used Chimera and starts digging for cum.

    I look around and give them a gentle smile as I say my goodbyes, "I'm sorry, Ladies and warriors, but my wives desire my presence. I'd like to stay for longer, but I'm a loyal husband, and their desires come before all else."

    "Noo~…"

    "My Lord, just a little more…!"

    They cry, beg, and give me puppy or kitten eyes, but things don't have to end at this exact moment.

    "For today, this will be my last gift to all of you!" I shout, then I summon the tentacle monster. "You get a dick tentacle, you get a dick tentacle, everybody gets a dick tentaclee~…!"



    Yunia grips the railing hard to steady herself as she orgasms while standing. Alissa releases her clit and gives her ear a loving nibble, then casts [Clean] on the two of them.

    I stop sharing the pleasure and controlling Alissa, then I cast [Clean] on myself, Hana, Hukarere, and Kaatohe.

    Once we're all presentable, I get them dressed and ask the Lordsguard to carry them to our bath, though Hana wakes up in time and walks by herself, then we leave the pile of happily sleeping Chimera where they are.

    Some of them wake up and beg for me to come back like spoiled children, but I can only apologize to them and give them warm goodbyes. After this public Ravaging, I know that they'll be back one day, and in greater numbers, because my cum is definitely addictive for spirits…

    Hana and I return to the Shell's balcony, then I hug Yunia and Alissa from behind.

    "Missed me?" I ask with a cheeky grin.

    "No," Yunia flatly responds, wearing her stony mask as usual.

    That means yes.

    I guide her head towards me with a claw, then I seal her lips with mine and invade her mouth, calling for her tongue to come out and play. I use the same movements that Alissa just used on her so that she realizes that it was me all along, that I was controlling Alissa while I fucked a pile of ravenous Chimera and a few elven women.

    Our kiss is short and full of love. Just a brief exchange as a token of our love for each other.

    I release her head and bury my claws on both of their nice, round, tight asses, then we return to observing the party down below, and I lean my head on her shoulder, making sure that my horns don't poke her eyes out.

    "After today, I think I've fulfilled my promise to you," I softly comment with a contented smile, then I kiss each of them on their bare shoulders.

    "You did, you most definitely did," Yunia whispers absentmindedly, allowing herself to relax now that I'm here.

    When she's alone, she finds it very hard to maintain her mask, but she can now keep it up almost as if it were her own face because the support we give her, both emotionally and through [Bind], allows her to go further than she ever did before. The power of love and friendship quite literally fuels us.



    As the sun starts to set, the upper party slowly comes to an end with all the Lords leaving one by one, then we receive a note from Sandoro reporting that they're taking the Imperial [Eternal Gate] Network of the Lord's Hall in the Nobles' Quarters back to their territories. We just skim over all the names and make sure that they all left. It's a good idea to keep an eye on them, just in case they're dumb enough to actually meet with their conspirators in the open.

    Kyora doesn't hear about the orgies going on in the streets, but she still ends up getting horny because all the naked Chimera walking around stimulates her too much, so she leaves with her harem while mine finally reunites.

    I dance calmly with Osaria, my head buried in her pillows, her strong scent from a full day of dancing filling my nose, and my hard cock straining against my pants as it feels the heat radiating from her crotch.

    The song ends, and I leave her hanging, denying her wish for a dicking as I want to tease her just a bit, then I go for my chocolate angel because she really deserves to have her dance with me after today. She didn't let her fear of Kyora get in the way of having fun with her old comrades, so I need to reward her bravery in the best way that I can: drowning her in my caress.

    After her comes the little gloomy angel's turn. She was Ciel's loyal support, and she deserves just as much praise for taking such good care of her loved one. She'll get lots and lots of cuddling today, and even a light course of asshole stretching.

    Alissa teases Klein about the knighting ceremony, then Roxanne joins in, and Hana comes to rescue the little monkey from the bullies.

    Aoi soon tires out and changes back into her dragon form. She gained a lot of admirers today since the elves favor tall and slender women, and there's definitely a large number of dragon fetishists around here, which I've personally confirmed.

    "The orgies are still ongoing," Yunia blurts out, sounding impressed.

    "The Chimeras are insatiable," Lina states matter-of-factly.

    "As is Ereia, it seems," Yunia adds, sounding incredulous of the fact that the small elf is still fucking the Chimeras.

    "We're insatiable, too," Ted suddenly speaks out.

    We all turn surprised looks towards the ever-present bodyguards.

    "Our desire to serve is endless," Suzy continues immediately.

    "And our limitless sexual capacity allows us to satisfy all Masters," Jarn elaborates.

    "Therefore, we're insatiable, too," Ted concludes.

    I shrug and smile wryly. "I can't argue with that."

    With that, we end our participation in the festivities. They'll keep going without us and rage all night long, or at least until the alcohol runs out.



    Intermission 21 – Ira Saponaria



    "Bloody Lord," is how the Title reads in my status.

    Soapy water mixed with my dark, old blood runs down my skin. It seeps through the trunk floor and rains down into the moss greenhouse below us. My own plants drink my vital fluids, just like they have for many of my ancestors, but never before had it been spilt for such a shameful reason.

    Warriors, protectors, and heroes of the people. My ancestors have been ruling this part of the High Forest for thousands of years, and never before have they bled from an enemy that they didn't kill.

    Generations of warriors all culminating in me, someone who couldn't even swing his sword and was mocked so completely by having my enemy deliberately wound themselves with it.

    "Darling?" My love whispers in my ear, concerned about my silence. "Are you okay?"

    No, I'm not. It's only now, after the heat of battle, shame, and alcohol have all left my body that I can truly see the full extent of my arrogance.

    "When I was down, bleeding and unconscious on the cold floor, I saw the Gods," my mouth moves on its own, weakly mumbling as it bares my heart.

    "What did you see?" She asks curiously, trying to hide her growing worry.

    I sigh and fight a lump in my throat that refuses to budge. "I was the closest that I'd ever be to them, and yet, I saw nothing, for the Gods didn't think that I was worthy of it. They'd found me wanting."




    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Ashadun.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Nathan Vanbrunt.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Joshua Tal.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord RottenTangerine.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Joxsan Herrera.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord Brody Haugan.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble WeirdWhirl.
    Noble War God.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Jorge Franco.
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2021
  10. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    We get a [Gate] to the entrance of our private gardens and take a stroll along the path to relax and wind down.

    Osaria and Klein are spending some quality time together, so it's only myself and the wives for now.

    Jarn carries little Lina on her shoulders, which makes for an adorable sight, allowing me to gaze at her cute micro panties and become entranced with her dangling feet adorned by the cutest little shoes.

    Orgies are nice, but have you ever let yourself simply be consumed by the desire to caress the love of your life until the end of time? No amount of free pussy will ever supplant my obsession with my wives.

    The cuteness of Alissa's ears twitching; the sway of Roxanne's hips; the majesty of Hana's chest; the bouncing of Ciel's juicy ass; the adorableness of Lina's demeanor; the intensity of Aoi's stare; the perfection of Yunia's face. There's an uncountable number of their characteristics that I could spend my whole life happily worshiping.

    Roxanne turns around and gives me a cheeky smirk, but her glare shoots like a whip, and her tongue makes the threat real, "Do you want me to suck you dry? Stop with the compliments; you're making me hornier than my body can handle."

    I smile evilly, as it somehow tickles my fancy to annoy them with compliments alone. "As Yunia once said: 'don't threaten me with a good time,'" I coolly warn her.

    Yunia gives Roxanne a side-eye, glaring at her angrily for just a brief moment as she coldly jabs, "Stay quiet, whore, and continue complimenting me, my king." Then she smiles smugly, eagerly anticipating my next words.

    Alissa's undying loyalty is what allows me to sleep soundly at night. Just knowing that there's someone with such a strong will who is channeling all that energy into keeping us all together gives me the hope that I need to keep fighting on.

    My foxy lover blushes and holds her cheeks in a girlish pose as her fluffy tail wags uncontrollably.

    Hana's reliability in combat makes her an anchor for us all. She's always ready to face anything and anyone, to sacrifice her own body for the safety of others because she knows that she can handle the pain. She's the shield of our harem.

    The proud warrior lowers her head and bashfully runs her fingers through her hair.

    "Wolfy…" Yunia warns me coldly.

    Roxanne's liveliness and overwhelming magical power are what make her unique. She can turn a Grim Giant's brain into mush with just a thought in a single second, and in the very next one, she can draw all our minds away from the depressing thoughts of battle with her cheeky smirk.

    The thirsty succubus suddenly turns around again and grabs my face, then kisses me deeply, her tongue fellating mine as she begs for me to shove my cock inside her mouth and use her horns as handlebars.

    Something I said must have triggered her ovaries, and now she wants nothing more than to be impregnated by me.

    "My compliments, Wolfy…" Yunia demands, her hot breath in my ear sending chills down my spine.

    But Ciel cuts down Yunia's snobbishness. "No, no. We all need to hear these things," she calmly states, but the intensity of her tone makes Yunia hesitate. Not even she would dare to go against the angel.

    Roxanne lets me go and gets a hold of herself, for now, so we continue with our stroll.

    Ciel's ever-present angelic aura sets us all at ease. We know that we can always count on her being there for us, and we all owe her a great deal of respect for always being there to heal our bodies, minds, and souls.

    Ciel's smile is so bright that it lights up the way ahead for us, not literally, but I guess her high "Charisma" does affect us a bit, setting our minds at ease.

    Yunia pouts and pretends to ignore us, actually acting rather spoiled for once.

    Lina's dedication to the harem is also commendable. She's the youngest, yet also one of the hardest workers I've ever seen. She truly believes in us, who believe in her just as ardently, so she diligently does whatever is needed of her without hesitation.

    My cute little dwarf suddenly grabs my tail and wraps it around her neck like a scarf, then hugs it tight.

    Aoi is simply a delightful person to be around. Always good-willed and energetic, she strongly triggers my feelings of protectiveness, but she's also a strong, independent woman who always shows us her appreciation for our affection.

    "Hehehehehe," my sexy blue dragon laughs cheekily, her large tail swaying powerfully, almost smacking the ground.

    Yunia is a strong, reliable person, and we can always put our trust in her knowledge and judgment. Regardless of her occasional snobbishness, she always has what's best for the harem in mind, and she never lets her strong pride get in the way of doing what's right. We can trust in her strong will to handle politics, but we'll always be here to support her when she needs us.

    "You used too many words for her, I demand more!" Roxanne shouts as she gives me an intense look, though she's about to fall down onto her knees and suck me off, begging for more attention.

    "Quiet, whore," Yunia starts to lash out through gritted teeth, but an angry chirp prevents her from unleashing her sadism.

    Gify stands on Alissa's hand and glares at me. "Gih!" She demands, extensively listing off all the times when she was essential to the harem.

    "Alright…" I mumble with a wry smile.

    Gify is a comedic relief. Every time something too heavy happens, she'll find a way to ease the tension back to bearable levels. For all the teasing we do to each other, I still quite enjoy having her on my shoulder all the time.

    "Gih…" Gify begrudgingly accepts. She has an issue with a few of the words, but the sentiment's alright.

    "Now I want more," Roxanne presses me again, then licks her lips sensually as she imagines the taste of my cock.

    "No. Now's the time for us to return the kindness," Yunia deftly deflects Roxanne's thirst.

    "You're clinging to him quite a lot today," Hana makes a remark towards Roxanne, her face warped in a concerned frown.

    Roxanne's glasses glint as her sadism is triggered. "Oh? Jealous?" She quickly shoots back, her tone full of sass.

    "Yes. Fuck you," Hana immediately admits, too straight-forward to play Roxanne's game.

    Roxanne chuckles like a Lady, covering her mouth with her hand. "Ohohoh… well, I'm basically a queen now, am I not? How can I not be happy? But if you wanted me to play with you, you just had to ask."

    Then Roxanne instantly clings to the side of Hana's body like glue, and Hana continues walking as if she weighed nothing. The succubus starts playing with her meal's breasts, and Hana smiles happily, enjoying the attention quite a bit.

    "Anyway…" Ciel brings us back on track and mentally nods towards Alissa to start.

    Alissa knows that my love for them is so deep that she has zero worries about ever being abandoned for another woman. It also fuels her fetish, just knowing that no matter how hard they may try, nobody will ever take me away from her.

    And it's true. No other pussies taste as good as my goddesses'.

    Alissa pulls on Roxanne's tail to get her to focus on what's important right now, and she squeaks in surprise. After quickly recomposing herself, she lets her heart do the speaking for her.

    Roxanne just loves everything about this family. For her, what we have here is unique and can never be replaced. Simply put, she has hopelessly fallen in love with me and everyone else.

    Hana and I share a nod full of meaning. We'll Fuck her together when it's her turn.

    With her brain filled with high-impact sexual violence, it takes a moment for my fiery dragonkin to think about our relationship. She doesn't know what else to think of besides the fact that she trusts me, with all her heart. She'll protect us with everything she has and follow me through hell if need be.

    Roxanne kisses her cheek for all of us, right on her emerald scales.

    Ciel is similar to Roxanne. She loves me, but she also loves the rest of our family quite a lot. It doesn't matter how much the Gods favor me, she just loves me as a person and wants to stay close to me.

    I slap her ass playfully, making it jiggle so alluringly that it's worthy of a slow-mo camera capturing the moment.

    She pouts back but doesn't complain since it didn't actually hurt. As long as the bullying isn't too heavy, she can deal with it.

    Lina feels like a small, cuddly animal since the only thing she wants is to be hugged by me until she dies. The comfort she feels in my arms is simply immeasurable.

    And she hugs my tail tighter, a happy smile brightening her gloomy face.

    Aoi is happy. For her, there's nothing that she could even begin to complain about, except perhaps the lack of semen inside her vagina and eggs to care for.

    She gives me a toothy grin which I return. That's exactly what I expected from her.

    My promise to Yunia is very important to her. She doesn't ever want to feel that alone again, and by following me, not only will she prevent that, but she knows that she'll find true happiness.

    My face melts from her confession, and I feel a strong need to hug her right now, but she only softens her stern mask a bit and graces me with a subtle smile.

    Gify loves this family. For as much as we banter, it's all in good fun, and she'll never regret attaching herself to us.

    Her tsundere behavior makes this confession seem all the more sweet to me, and I get Alissa to give her lots of pats in my stead.

    Their confessions make me feel completely refreshed, as if they'd renewed our vows, but they've certainly rekindled my motivation to protect what I have with my all.

    I sigh softly and breathe in deeply, savoring their nostalgic perfumes.

    Really, what an intense day. I mean, I don't think anyone has properly processed the significance of the Divine Intervention yet, so it won't truly be over for quite a while.



    As we approach the castle, we notice a very annoyed Kaatohe waiting at the top of the steps to the main hall. Her naked, bronze body is a treat for my eyes, and her angry face makes the sadist within me want to dominate her until her hips give out.

    I didn't fuck her enough with my real cock since I didn't have the time, so I still have a bit of an appetite for anthro pussy.

    "What is the meaning of this? I apparently have to be 'invited' to the 'high-leaves,' for some reason?" Kaatohe flippantly questions, her hands stuck on her thin waist in a sassy posture.

    "Ah, yes…" Yunia breathes and shares a knowing smile with the girls and me. "Only concubines and wives are allowed up there without our express approval."

    Kaatohe's scowl gets frozen stiff, and the raised hairs on her back slowly lower down. "Ah… yes, I understand…" She grumbles, trying to restrain her anger at being "snubbed."

    Do I really want Kaatohe as a concubine? The dragon says yes, but it's easy to ignore him when my human side is in control.

    Unlike Klein, I don't really feel jealous about her and Hukarere being with other men. The way the Chimeras treat sex is a bit too casual, so I never had that many expectations about them to begin with.

    I do admit that Hukarere has been growing on me, but if neither she nor Kaatohe really want to have a more intimate relationship with me, we shouldn't push them towards that path.

    As much as we all want to wait until Kaatohe confesses that she wants to be treated as a concubine, it's not really a good idea to push her into it, so I throw her a lifebuoy, "If you want to come in regularly and visit us, we'll tell the guards to let you in without questioning you as long as you don't bring any unannounced guests. The higher-leaves should be the most secure locations in the entire town, so only a select number of people should ever have access to them."

    Kaatohe clears her throat and immediately grabs onto my offer to save her pride, "Yes, that's… acceptable…"

    We start to climb the steps and approach her. The view of her little pussy lips being illuminated by the sunset is worthy of a painting.

    "Come visit us often, and not just for sex, alright?" Hana casually suggests and pats her shoulder as she passes.

    Yunia nods in agreement and adds, "Whenever you aren't on duty, you should come to spend some time with us."

    Kaatohe narrows her eyes and holds back a pout. "I will," she stiffly agrees.

    Ciel gives her an apologetic smile, feeling guilty about the light bullying we're giving the catwoman, then we enter the castle while Kaatohe walks away. It seems that she's a bit too embarrassed to stick around this time.



    We enter the bath, and I start doing a [Massage] routine for the girls to relieve their stress. Yunia is up first since she worked really hard today. I don't need to relax since the orgy already did plenty for my strained soul.

    My fake hands run up Yunia's thighs, their thumbs applying a subtle amount of pressure along her skin as they go up to her legs. I probe her thoughts and become satisfied with the precise amount of teasing she's feeling.

    It truly is wonderful being able to play with their bodies without worrying that I'm going to accidentally slice their bits into pieces.

    Of all the girls, she's the one who desires the most measured touch to fulfill her needs. Some would say that she's "high maintenance," but how "high" is it really if it's effortless to me?

    I stare at Poosh with a smirk as I play with Yunia. I won't do another Klein and profess my love for her, but I will make her one of my "flings" until I'm confident that she's worthy of standing beside Osaria as a concubine.

    The soft and curvy sheep woman walks towards me with confident steps, but I feel that she's more serious than usual since her motherly kindness seems to be a bit dampened.

    I release Yunia, letting them continue to be massaged by more fake hands, then I grab her ears and [Massage] them very delicately. They're even more sensitive than Alissa's ears, so I can't even nibble them without severe consequences.

    Yunia grips my thighs, her long fingers unconsciously giving me gentle caresses as her mind fogs up from the heavenly massage.

    Poosh stops before me, her lower lips glistening with excitmeent, her eyes staring directly into mine, and her chest struggling to keep her breath from going out of control.

    I turn to her and kindly offer, "Do you wish to receive a massage, too? I'll have time for you once I satisfy my wives."

    Poosh gently shakes her head. "No, my Lord. I'm still… sore." -She smiles wryly- "I only wish to help."

    I motion towards the girls. "Then, let us start."



    Once everyone is refreshed, Hana and I gang up on Roxanne to punish her tingling pussy.

    Poosh watches on with deep curiosity, her tenseness slowly fading away as she becomes more comfortable around us. It seems that she does want to grow more intimate with us, but perhaps she's concerned that we'd reject her for trying to push our relationship too fast.

    Osaria and Klein suddenly barge into the bath, both of them quite out of breath, and they immediately start to make out on the spot. They kind of had a habit of fucking each other for the four months that we'd been away, so they still miss each other's company once in a while.

    I get myself hard again and join them because they're sorely lacking a dick to play with.



    We're all still full of desserts and snacks from the party, so we only eat a simple soup for dinner and then retire to our rooms.

    With how exhausted everyone is from the day's activities, we end up falling asleep fairly quickly.



    Today is the 12th, Yn, day of Earth. Mining starts today, for it's easier to dig into the earth and crack the stones apart, marking the beginning of the work cycle for most dwarves.



    Everyone's "Charisma" increased by 1. I'd be a bit disappointed if we didn't earn anything from the Ceremony since we put so much effort into charming an entire town.

    Ciel and Aoi increased their "Piety" by 1 (now 25 and 6), which is understandable since the Divine Intervention was such an intense experience. It's understandable that it would affect them the most.



    Yunia invites the twins for breakfast, and the duo comes into the room looking a bit… hungover.

    They sit down more delicately than usual, and Yunia narrows her eyes at them.

    "Tutu, Tata, you two disappeared after the beginning of the party. I assume you went to the ground floor?" She calmly questions with a deliberate tone.

    "Yes, we did," Arturus gives an uncharacteristically laconic response.

    "I was dancing with Klein and the others, but I didn't see you there," Osaria innocently comments, then reveals a grin that's the opposite of "innocent."

    "We were with friends," Antares attempts a deflection, showing that the talent for using masks runs in the family

    "Outside the lower party?" Yunia sets up the trap.

    "I certainly didn't see them near the dance floor," Osaria corners them.

    "Neither did I see them at the tables," Ciel guiltily lays out the bait, regretful that she has to participate in this evil ambush.

    Arturus becomes frustrated with all the persistent questioning, and he takes a blind step forward before his brother can shut his big mouth for him. "We were on the streets," he so innocently admits that even Arturus shows an amused reaction.

    Yunia subtly smirks as her trap card is activated. "Where the orgies were taking place?" She serenely asks, delighting herself with their internal screams and barely contained cringing.

    I wait for a moment to see if they have any riposte, but they simply lower their heads in defeat, waiting for someone to put them out of their misery.

    "Congratulations on losing your virginity," I praise them with a shit-eating grin.

    "Maybe you should give them some pointers for fucking, Wolfy. Show them how to eat pussy," Hana kindly suggests with a kind grin and a definitely not teasing, kind tone.

    "In case we're busy, the priests that worship the Goddess of Love are always available to answer these types of questions," Ciel gives them some genuine advice with an apologetic smile.

    "Maybe they'll be more comfortable talking about these kinds of things with someone they know," Osaria counterpoints, mirroring Hana's tone. "I'd gladly show them these things myself, with a paid prostitute, of course. My pussy is solely for the use of Wolfy's harem."

    I energetically nod in agreement towards Osaria and snap my fingers as I praise her, "Great Idea! The three of us could then celebrate this milestone in their lives by sharing a prostitute, and it'd also serve as a teaching experience."

    Antares gets up and sends me a glare. "No," he hisses, straining himself to not swear, then starts stomping his way out of the room.

    Yunia reaches for Arturus and grabs his hand as she apologizes, "I'm sorry! We'll stop. I swear."

    Both of them turn their narrowed, suspicious eyes towards her, but Yunia's being genuine right now, so they sigh in unison and relent.



    We reign in the banter and finish our meal, then we go to an empty training room to start our new daily routine: the imperial mana increase training.

    The training itself isn't the noteworthy part, though. The important bit is that this training allows me to continue my research of [Otherwordly Summoning].

    I need to learn more about this spell as fast as possible.



    Peace and quiet. Without any pressing matters arising, I finally achieve true peace within my heart as even the dragon calms down. I need to balance my two sides, so now it's time for the human to be in full control.

    I keep adding and removing points from [Summoning Magic] while I reflect on my knowledge of summoning. The mana training routine is so simple that I can do it on auto-pilot. It isn't a sub-process yet, but I believe that it'll gradually become one over time.

    This kind of training is really slow at increasing our mana, so we'll have to do it every day if we ever want to even get close to someone like Grandpa Ryzek when we're older.

    Back to Summoning, I start to compare the "intuition" the skill gives and quickly realize that it's similar to wormhole theory, as in, it's possible to punch a "hole" through the "fabric" of reality. The problem is that after that, things go… "abstract," and I can't make sense of it anymore.

    A "wormhole" isn't an actual thing that exists or can be recreated through known physical phenomena/processes, making it something entirely magical. There's also the possibility that it violates some primordial law of reality, putting it in the same realm as my [Redirect Mana] when being used to interrupt spells.

    Also, the skill provides zero information on this spell, so I can't even try to guess at what it's all actually about. Maybe at the capital, we could find some sort of clue…

    "We actually do have to go to the capital sometime soon," Yunia suddenly points out, pulling us all out of our musings. "As the newest Crown Lords, we have to pay our respects to the emperor himself."

    "Can it wait until after our wedding?" Alissa asks, worried that she'll have to change her preparations.

    Yunia nods gently. "Yes, it can. We're advised to get our own territory under control first before we go to meet him."

    Alissa smiles contently and returns to planning our marriage ceremony. She's thinking about all the guests we'll have to invite, then she suddenly frowns because of Hana's and Roxanne's parents.

    "Can we have a simple ceremony with just us, and then a party later on when everyone's together?" I immediately suggest. It might take us too long to find Hana's parents, and we don't want them to miss the ceremony.

    Hana's heart goes on an entire roller-coaster in a second, the coming depression immediately being blasted away by a high of happiness from my suggestion, then she shouts and earnestly pleads, "Yes! Can we, please? I want… I want my parents to see the exchange of our vows."

    "That's acceptable. We might now be able to speed up Confiel's search by throwing our influence around, too," Yunia agrees, her calm demeanor not showing a hint of sadness at the mention of parents.

    Neither does Aoi even bat an eye at it. She's so detached from her monster parents that she barely even remembers them anymore.

    Then we turn to Roxanne, who seems to be growing increasingly distressed.

    "We have to invite her. It'll be worse if we don't," Ciel advises her, then gets up and walks over to the tense succubus to give her a hug.

    Of course, I take the opportunity to hug her too, and the situation quickly devolves into a cuddle puddle.

    Roxanne deliberately nestles her head between Ciel's breasts, which slightly annoys Hana, but she lets it pass, this time.

    Once everyone's comfortable, Yunia adds on another blow to Roxanne's will, "It'd also be proper if we met with her in person instead of just sending a letter. The [Eternal Gate] network extends into Xane, if my memory is correct, so it's now trivial for us to go there."

    "Hnn~…" Roxanne whines like a sad dog.

    "Why do you fear your mother?" Ciel asks with a very cautious and gentle tone as her fingers run through Roxanne's dark, silky hair.

    "I don't exactly fear her, I'm just ashamed of suddenly going back since I never even wrote them a letter," she confesses.

    I hug her body tighter while Ciel comforts her, "You'll have to meet her, sooner or later, but we'll be right there with you."

    "You can't enjoy anal without stretching the asshole first," Hana wisely advises, and Ciel gives her a brief glare.

    "Earthlings use the analogy of 'pulling a tooth,' but okay, I guess that one works, too," I mumble and chuckle.

    "Well, Hana's right… I miss my Dad," Roxanne whimpers again and curls up into a ball while Hana gives Ciel a smug smile.

    Ciel plays with her floppy horns and reassures her, "The actual ceremony will take a while, so you do have time to get used to the idea of meeting her." Then Roxanne nods slowly.

    "How about we meet with everyone's parents? One visit per day," I happily suggest.

    Lina suddenly lets out a sharp cry of surprise, "Ah! Can my parents be first, please?!" She desperately pleads.

    Of course, nobody can say no to the anguished face she's making.

    We all hum in agreement, and Lina lowers her head, blushing in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. It's just that they don't even know if I'm alive…" She meekly explains herself.

    I reach over and pat her head with my claws, then I list out, "We'll visit Lina's parents first, then Alissa's, then Ciel's, then Roxanne's. How about that?"

    "My parents?" Ciel questions confusedly.

    I smile warmly at her and hold back a chuckle. "I mean, Arantos, the Head Priest, is kind of your dad."

    Ciel scratches the back of her head embarrassedly as she mumbles, "Oh, yeah. Well, I was planning to suggest that we visit him, anyway."

    "Let's wait for a few days to rest up, then we'll start visiting them all," Yunia suggests, and we all agree. Just two or three days to make sure that all the important matters are taken care of.

    Our bill for using the [Eternal Gate]s to cross the continent multiple times might become expensive, even for us, but we won't be doing it for too long, so it's an acceptable expense.



    Our morning continues on in silence. We only get a note from Sandoro reporting that there are multiple priests and a few commoners praying in front of the Shell, on Prasa de Ananci, where the divine beam of light shined down on us.

    They're actually praying for us, which is a bit weird to think about, but I find it more amusing to think that if that plaza actually becomes a holy site or something like that, we might have to change its name. I'm not much of a history buff, but it does make me a bit giddy when I think about how we're making history and what my descendants might have to say about me.

    Even a few Chimeras are seen praying, so I think Teresina is probably quite happy with how they're starting to convert.

    Then, for lunch, we invite Oritiki and her husbands.

    I wish I could watch her getting railed again and have some fun of my own or with one of the girls while I watch them. I found it to be a truly beautiful sight to see such a big, strong woman getting double-teamed by these two ripped guys.

    "Well, I'm glad things haven't changed much," Oritiki suddenly blurts out.

    "What?" I ask absentmindedly, breaking out of the spell that her cow tits cast upon me.

    "The 'Divine Intervention.' I thought you'd be…" -She scratches her horn in thought- "I don't know, 'worshiped,' by the others." Then she shrugs.

    "Oh, that," I hum, still a bit absentminded.

    "Not everyone is that pious," Ciel responds with a gentle grin.

    "So I should worship him, or something?" Oritiki probes further.

    Ciel is taken by surprise and opens her eyes wide. "Wait, are you converting?"

    Oritiki awkwardly gestures with a frown as she tries to articulate her thoughts, "Those were the Gods who did that… time stop? And the beam of light? If they do have some power over the realm, then maybe I should pay my respects to them?"

    Not-Thor agrees emphatically with her, confidently sharing his opinion, "Yeah. That 'event' was pretty intense. If the Humanoid Gods really are that active, then it makes no sense for us to ignore them."

    Hey, that's the same reasoning as mine.

    Rei, the warthog husband, exhales loudly, his large nostrils visibly flaring. "Their power over our Fate should be much stronger than their power over the physical realm, right?" He wonders with a stern tone.

    "You don't really have much of a Thread for them to influence, though," Ciel points out.

    But Yunia counterpoints, "Their Threads are still there, just cut. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to use [Precognition] on them."

    "If I throw a rock at you, would you be able to see it?" I blurt out a question.

    "Yes, because the rock is still being affected by your Thread."

    Well, that's rather interesting. I guess this is why the spell can see the actual weapons attacking her and not just the physical bodies wielding them.

    "So, only something like a natural phenomenon could ever ambush you?" I question further, trying to be quick to not derail the conversation entirely.

    Yunia nods gently then gives me a subtle smirk. "Or something that moves faster than I can react to."

    Like me, heheh.

    "Anyway, you said that their Threads are still there," I return the conversation back from my tangent.

    "I don't know how the Gods manipulate our Threads, but I know that the Chimeras still have theirs, just 'cut,' somehow," Yunia repeats.

    And Ciel clarifies, "The temple doesn't know precisely what having a 'cut' Thread means, so they want to prevent something bad from happening by encouraging the spirits to move on to Paradise. The Gods also don't like people forcing the spirits to remain in the realm, so it follows that it isn't exactly a good thing for them."

    Then Oritiki expands on that point, "We do know that spirits can become 'evil' after staying in the realm for too long, like with the Vengeful Spirits you saw around Whakamutu."

    "Or Fallen Aremut," Lina quietly adds.

    "Gih," Gify chirps offhandedly.

    "Or they merge with nature spirits," Oritiki repeats with a wry smile.

    I hum in thought and point out, "Well, we don't know if all spirits that remain on land for too long become evil. I mean, you didn't."

    Oritiki takes a sip of her cup and crosses her arms, forcing up those large, alluring, black tits. "Ah, I see. I guess that's true, but [Trap Soul] does make our spirits a lot more 'stable,' if the Spirit mages are right."

    Ciel grins and proposes, "Well, you don't have to worship Wolfy, but it doesn't hurt to pray to Gods, does it?"

    "Nope," Oritiki and her husbands all grunt in sync, then take a sip from their cups.

    This talk makes Ciel delighted, but my sadism flares up, and I smirk evilly as I ask, "How's the [Soul Manipulation] progressing?"

    Oritiki freezes, her cow face twitching as she holds back her emotions. "It's progressing," she answers with a hoarse voice, her tone full of pain.

    Hana happily grins as she's reminded that she has the time to "help" with their training today.



    Today, the elven veggies have been sauteed in not-sesame-seed oil, giving it that subtle and delicious taste of sesame. Yunia doesn't recognize the oil, so I guess it's one of Krysta's experimental dishes. It's really good, so no complaints here.

    I'm really happy with how hard she tries to come up with something different for each meal, and I'll definitely fight the elven chefs if they ever have some beef with her.



    In the afternoon, I have a meeting with the High Officers. I spare the girls from having to attend the boring office ritual, and they disperse, off to their own devices.

    When I enter the meeting room, the Officers all stand up and bow. It's a bit odd, but Yunia advises me to not stop them so that they know that there's a certain "distance" between us.

    I mean, I literally came inside Poosh while tongue kissing her and could've impregnated her if not for the Fertility Ring, but I guess I just have to keep sex and work separate.

    I sit down and notice that only Silvano is missing, which Alcander immediately points out, "He's late," he grumbles in disapproval.

    I glance at my pocket watch and calm him down, "I'm actually a bit early, so let's not be unreasonable."

    "I'm of a mind to include Sir Silvano in the training with the rookie Lordsguard," Sandoro speaks his mind.

    But I'm somewhat skeptical, "He hasn't done anything actually bad yet, but I'll agree to it when he deserves some 'punishment.'"

    Sandoro obediently lowers his head and defers to my judgement, "As you wish, your Highness."

    The dragon in me definitely approves of the honorific.

    "Ah, yes. You can call us 'your Highness' or 'Lords' as you wish since our dynasty hasn't been recognized yet," I casually remark, then I turn my head towards Sai and smirk as I tease her, "Anyway, I'm actually jealous of you, Dame Sainalai. I couldn't even get the Mendecassa sisters to look at me during dinner."

    Sai suddenly holds back a chuckle and grins widely. "Your Highness, the sisters were staring very intently at your… member when you pulled it out, and you also had quite a few beautiful women coming up to you, so it's not like you didn't have any fun yourself."

    I lean back and flick with my wrist a bit snobbishly. "Well, yes. It's just that the sisters are on another level. They really make me excited."

    Sai nods and closes her eyes as she reminisces, "Yes, those long fingers of theirs are very… dexterous." She sighs nostalgically and smiles faintly.

    Sandoro and Alcander share a worried look while Almaria has a completely neutral expression and Poosh smiles warmly at us.

    I stare at Sai, the memory of the sisters playing with her pussy and modest breasts is still very fresh in my mind… and now I really want to fuck her, too. Ciel even has to stop her casual sharing of thoughts with me because that memory is actually making her quite horny.

    "Until I have a taste of the sisters myself, I'll treasure the memory of you and them together quite fondly," I calmly state.

    And at that, she giggles softly like the vixen she is. "Please do," she coos, her voice a pitch higher.

    Oof. I'm definitely going for this loli, too.

    Then Silvano comes in a minute later, smirking like the daredevil he is, and the narrowed eyes of reproval from half of the Officers blunts his attitude a bit.

    I clear my throat and begin the inescapable, dreary, ritual, "This is the first regular meeting between the Lord and the High Officers. To start, please tell me what you're all working on."

    "I'm training the mages in [Ritualism] so that they'll be able to use siege spells," Alcander starts.

    And Silvano follows, immediately sounding very bored, "I'm training the Terraformers."

    "I'm working with the Nature mages to improve the Sky Docks and carve your heraldry all over the castle," Almaria categorically asserts.

    "I'm working with the Chimeras and the priests to give them a better, combat-related [Solidify]," Sai happily reports.

    Poosh's tone is a bit serious and deliberate, which seems a bit unusual for her. "I'm… 'training,' the influx of female staff to a new standard that I'm establishing," she calmly declares and adjusts her round glasses.

    Her wording worries me a bit. "As long as it's all 'voluntary'…" I try to articulate, but I don't really know how to properly advise her right now.

    "It'll all be under the watch of the Gods," Poosh assures me, and I decide to observe her work for a little longer to see what she'll do before trying to discuss this matter further.

    After scratching my horn awkwardly, I turn my eyes to Sandoro and motion for him to continue.

    He's earnest and very pleased with himself, smiling proudly as he says, "I'm integrating the Chimeras with our forces. The spirit soldiers, pilots, and Celestial Horns all require different protocols to become truly effective in warfare."

    "I see…" I grab my chin in thought.

    I try to get the Officers to work together, such as having Sai talk with Sandoro about what, exactly, he needs from [Solidify], then I "encourage" Silvano to engage more with the exercises by "suggesting" that he spar with Hana. I also talk about the girls' projects, like Alissa's desire for illusion mages, Roxanne's alchemical needs, Lina's airship industry, and Aoi's metallurgy.

    There are a few concepts regarding leadership that we need to iron out. Sai may be a researcher, but she has the least experience actually leading people, so she needs to be prepared for actual warfare even though she's just a Spirit mage.

    It's mentally draining having to guide people so that they work together, but it frees up Yunia's workload by a lot, so I'll gladly do this for her.



    With all those topics addressed, I broach the last one, switching my tone to be deadly serious, "One last thing. Soon, I'll be trying out a very dangerous spell, and I'll want all of the High Mages to participate to help me contain it in case things go wrong."

    "What spell?" Alcander immediately asks, his curiosity piqued, just a split second before Silvano can ask the same thing.

    "It's a lost spell of [Summoning Magic], but I don't know much about what it does."

    Alcander frowns and shares a confused look with Silvano as he questions, "How did you learn to cast a spell that you know so little about…?"

    But Silvano presses me with another question, his eyes wild and excited, before I can even answer the first one, "Is it related to your Gift?"

    I nod subtly, maintaining an impassive expression. "Yes. It's why I know so little about it."

    Poosh and Sandoro aren't mages, so they can't help out with the experiment, but they're still very interested in it regardless. I assume it's because of the words "danger" and "Gift," respectively.

    "What will our purpose be, exactly?" Almaria questions, seemingly the one with the most professional demeanor right now.

    "Interrupting it. Whatever happens, the spell must not be completed," I seriously warn them.

    "Ominous…" She hums grimly.

    I can't hold back my smirk. I don't want to explain everything about my Gift, but it does end up sounding pretty ominous from how I've described it so far. "Indeed. It's really dangerous, which is why we'll prepare as many safety measures as we can."

    "Is it really necessary to cast this spell?" Sandoro asks, his face stiff as he tries to hold back his disapproval.

    "Yes. I've been guided to it by the Gods," I calmly state, and that settles some of their tension while also feeding their curiosity.

    Sandoro rubs his chin in thought, now a lot more open to the experiment than before. "I see… Shouldn't we ask for the help of the priests, too?"

    I shake my head and dismiss that suggestion, "Any information about this is too sensitive to involve outsiders, and Ciel can handle whatever healing might be necessary. Also, I'm only telling you all about this experiment because you're my Blood Slaves; it's that secretive."

    He lowers his head respectfully and backs down, "As you wish, your Highness."

    Then I turn to Almaria. "We'll use your [Interruption Field] since it's stronger than Yunia's, but we also have to make sure that it won't accidentally kill me since I have [Mana Body], so I want to start testing that out with you as soon as possible."

    She subtly nods, completely composed and professional, then I glance at Sai as I add, "And your soul healing, too."

    The cute loli excitedly agrees, and we wrap up the meeting.



    I take them both to an empty room to moles-… test out the Field with them.

    Conclusion: it works, perfectly so, but it hurts so much that I don't hold a shred of doubt about it being able to kill me. Like, Jesus fucking Christ on a bike playing with a kite. It. Fucking. Hurts!

    Oh, yes, it also interrupts any spell that I try to use without a problem, so I don't think the other safety measures will actually be necessary, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

    Sai's little hands gently touch my chest as her spirit hands massage me. Having this cute little loli giving me a worried look as she heals me almost makes it all worth it, almost.

    I don't even have Gify here to help with the pain because she won't get anywhere near the blood circle of a [Disruption Field], so I instead rely on the girls to comfort me a bit. I've also confirmed that I'm definitely not a masochist.



    We put a stop to the testing early, and I spend the rest of my day cuddling with Alissa and Ciel to heal the echoes of pain from my mind. The duo has come back from playing all day with the chil-… important meetings with Teresina and the other priests, of course. Now that we've become the equivalent of a Holy Person for the demon race, people will look at us like we're some sort of role models, and certain rumors that were spread just before the Lordship Ceremony need to be addressed.

    They're both a bit tired, so they decide to play some cards in our bedroom to de-stress, making them prime targets for me to cuddle with.

    I bury my head in Ciel's breasts while whining like a dog, imitating Roxanne's behavior from a while ago. Her sweet, flowery perfume and the faint smell of her sweat are actually pretty comforting, and I feel like a child throwing a tantrum on their mother's bosom.

    "There, there," Ciel playfully calms me down as she pats my head with a wry smile gracing her delicious lips.

    Her kindness just makes me want to hug her even harder, so I let out a loud whine and tense up all my muscles to stop myself from accidentally crushing her with my arms. Not that I've become particularly strong, I just want to hug her really badly.

    "Your turn," Alissa announces, and Ciel stops patting my head so that she can pick up her cards again.

    They're playing some sort of rummy game with a small number of cards. The point of the game is to match cards in all sorts of combinations that give different points, but since there aren't that many cards, it's possible to predict the next cards that come up, and it's necessary to memorize the opponent's cards since there are no hidden draws.

    I'm keeping them from peeping on each other's thoughts, and it's quite interesting seeing their brains trying to guess their opponent's strategy.

    Alissa's thoughts race from side to side as she's full of paranoia and self-doubt, trying her best to predict Ciel's next desired combo. She's greatly overestimating my mommy angel, who's completely chill, not putting much effort into prediction and just focusing on memorization instead. If only she could hear Ciel's thoughts, she'd be so angry with herself for overthinking it.

    Neither of them show their emotions, though, which is evidence that they've learned their lesson about dealing with nobility. Being impassive is always the better choice since you're not giving any information to your opponent, and while information isn't power, it does open the path so that one may use their strengths to their fullest.

    But, as time passes and the pile of free cards grows smaller, they both start to show increasingly serious expressions, their eyes filled with determination and competitive spirit.

    I lift my head from Ciel's cow tits and grin as I happily remark, "I must say that the serious look both of you have is really beautiful. I just love sexy, stern, focused eyes."

    "Shh," Alissa shushes me, a bit annoyed, while Ciel completely ignores my words.

    Hngh, yes…! Ignore me harder!

    The cards suddenly run out, and they start calculating their points.

    "Ten."

    "Fifteen."

    "Nineteen."

    "Twenty."

    "Twenty-five."

    "Thirty-one."

    "Forty," Ciel finishes her count.

    "Thirty-nine," Alissa whines through gritted teeth.

    "YES!" Ciel happily shouts and hugs me, smothering me in her pillows.

    Alissa's head droops, her ears go flat, and her tail flops. She's so disappointed that I feel like giving her a hug, but I'm too comfortable in Ciel's arms to move right now.

    "Just the thought is enough, thanks," Alissa mumbles through [Bind].

    Alissa flops back on the bed and sighs as she releases all the tension that built up over the course of the game, then she grabs Suzy and hugs her tight.

    Ted stares at me with her unblinking, beady eyes, and I swear that she's being more quiet than usual. Perhaps she's thinking about how else she could make herself useful now that her usual spot was stolen by me. I don't think the golems can experience jealousy, but Ted's kind of acting like she can.

    "Do you think the golems would be able to play this game?" I question and give the girls a glance.

    Ciel turns her head towards Ted, who's floating near us, and she suddenly feels like hugging something a lot softer than prickly old me.

    "Just a stray thought," Ciel mumbles with a pout, not wanting to reject my scaly and dangerously sharp embrace.

    "How good is their memory?" Alissa asks curiously.

    I grin in self-deprecation. "Same as mine, so… not good?"

    Alissa grins back, though hers is full of competitive spirit. "Then they can certainly play against me."

    She's the second most competitive among us, only pulling ahead of Yunia because my prideful elven queen usually prefers to focus her energy towards more "productive" matters rather than silly rivalries.

    The golems will do well with calculating the combos and possibly using chance to measure risk/reward, but I'm not sure that they'll be good at reading Alissa's strategy. The game is simple enough that it's possible for a computer to always win through calculating all possible moves, but the golems aren't computers, they're more like unemotional humanoids.

    I get a bit inspired and decide to spend some time reading Arreira's notes on the golems. Right at the beginning of his thick book, which he called a "notepad," there's a note intended specifically for me.

    "If you're reading this, Wolf Ryder, I must say that I kind of agree with your reluctance to make more golems, but I still think that you've sorely underused them.

    "The fact that all of your memories are stored in the golems is, indeed, very dangerous. Even with the security protocol you've imparted upon them, I was still capable of fooling the golems into giving me control through illusions, and I was almost able to do the same with spirit manipulation alone."

    Oh, fuck. How much did he mess with my golems? They aren't actually replaceable, so if he fucked them up with the brainwashing, they could've been gone forever…

    "The solution to the memory problem is that there's no solution. As you've noticed, I wasn't able to make the Chimeras actually forget specific things without constant monitoring, and even that much was faulty.

    "The extent to which I was able to manipulate their minds wasn't very far, and they still recovered most of what I erased after I stopped the manipulation. It just isn't feasible to magically alter memories without an extremely deep and comprehensive understanding of the brain, which is something I believe would only be possible with those 'computers' you love so much, though it'd have to be heavily aided by magic. Memories are so deeply entwined with neurons that you need to alter them directly if you want to manipulate memories, and even the Earthlings didn't know how to do that.

    "But not all is lost. The alternative I've identified is to just simply wipe all their memories during [Infuse]. That'll be the same as creating a golem "baby," so have fun fathering an army of golems yourself."

    Fuck… I always knew this was an option, I just didn't consider it since it'd take literal years until I could "grow" a usable golem. Now, though, I might actually have the time to grow a golem army myself…

    Now, I wonder… how good of a mother will my three golems be?



    I start playing with [Golemancy]'s [Infuse], following Arreira's notes on identifying the areas where memories are stored. If I can find out how to "wipe" it, then we'll have baby golems.

    It's not as simple as just "scrambling" it as if they were simply stored as bits in an HDD. Doing so would likely result in a golem with neurological problems, such as constant seizures and the like.

    At least Arreira knew how to "blackout" someone's memories, like when someone drinks too much or hits their head too hard. He simply prevented long-term memories from being "written" by blocking the neurons related to them.

    To actually do that through [Infuse]'s "UI" will require a lot of trial and error, so I'll only really be able to start my "baby golem" research sometime after we meet with everyone's parents.

    While Alissa wracks her brains trying to read Ted, I notice that Silvano has decided to meet with Lina and Aoi, who are currently building a forge together.

    "Your Highnessesses," Silvano softly greets them with his usual grin.

    "Is that an actual word?" Lina immediately asks us through [Bind].

    "I think so…? I'm not sure if I heard it right," Ciel hesitantly replies, scouring her mind's dictionary for it.

    "Greetings, Silvano," Aoi returns the cordiality with a toothy grin.

    The androgynous elf doesn't exactly know how to react to Aoi, but he does seem slightly amused by her.

    "Greetings, Sir Silvano," Lina finally speaks, uncomfortable with having to speak to a stranger.

    He elegantly holds a hand over his exposed chest and bows like a butler. "Lord Wolf mentioned that you wanted to learn metallurgy, so I've come to share some of my knowledge," he calmly explains himself, then straightens his posture again.

    Why is he so cordial only with them?

    I pout, burning with jealousy, and that only makes Aoi's grin get wider.

    The two share a look, then Silvano's class begins its first session.



    His knowledge of metals is actually quite comprehensive. He knows the subject from a more scientific perspective than that of smith, so he gives them a good base to start from.

    And, of course, with my memories and the golems' being used as personal Wikipedias, we can fill in some of the gaps.

    One of the things his knowledge doesn't touch upon too deeply is quenching. I remember that you can make some very strong steel if you quickly cool it, so this might be worthy of being researched by Aoi. I don't know how to forge that kind of steel exactly, though, I just know that it exists.

    Silvano casts [Earth Armor], and he becomes like a silver surfer as his body is covered in a malleable, silvery metal. Unlike the average [Earth Armor], which uses thick, heavy rocks as a sort of ablative armor, his spell creates a much, much lighter defense, allowing him to use his insane speed when boosted by [Electric Magic] to its fullest.

    "Could [Manipulate Metal] cook you alive from the inside?" Lina questions curiously, closely observing his hand moving with almost as much freedom as if he were wearing only thick leather gloves.

    He makes a scale pattern on the metal by carving grooves into it, flaunting his control of the spell even though his [Mana Control] is at such a low level. "It's too close to my skin," he casually replies, then the pattern suddenly disappears, and I have a feeling that he just wasted a ton of mana with that little display. "Not only is it easy for me to interrupt that spell, but my body interferes with it, making it too costly to be an effective counter."

    Aoi stares at the metal with a stern look while an idea slowly forms inside her lizard brain. "I want to melt it," she suddenly announces, drawing curious looks from the other two. "I want to melt your armor with my fire breath."

    Lina remains completely silent, just focusing on observing his reaction, and the flamboyant elf suddenly finds himself sweating cold, for he might end up sweating hot real soon if he doesn't find a way out of this situation.

    "Why do you wish for such a thing, your Highness?" He nervously asks, going for an "understand thy enemy" strategy.

    Aoi's eyes gleam with excitement as she explains, "This is a strong, magical metal. If I can make it melt, then I can melt anything…! But maybe not darksteel…" She adds with a grumble as she remembers that there is something that counters dragon fire.

    He glances at Lina, his eyes clearly begging for help, but he finds no mercy in the sadistic little girl. He turns back to Aoi and forces a smile. "Well, we can easily supply you with either magical or physical metal, be it mined or conjured. There's no inherent advantage in testing my metal, right?"

    But Aoi is relentless. "Yours is special! Look at how easily you can bend it to take the shape of your body." -She taps his metallic arm repeatedly with a claw, making loud clinking sounds- "Does anything besides quicksilver act like this? Even that metal is just a liquid instead of actual, solid armor."

    "Hmm… yes, that's true," he hesitantly agrees with a weak voice, a pitch higher than normal.

    Then Aoi's excitement dies down, and she taps her chin with a claw. "But I can barely melt iron as it is… maybe we'll leave your metal for later."

    "Yes, later…" He mumbles with such a high-pitched voice that it's almost a whine.

    Lina lets a happy grin adorn her gloomy face. This amount of teasing is enough to satisfy her.



    I tune out their talk and try to continue with reading Arreira's notes on memories, but he starts using technical jargon, so it quickly bores me. It'll take a long time before I can digest it all.

    I quickly check on Roxanne and Yunia, but they're just shopping for Lord-worthy social clothes with Jarn following close behind them, so I also don't really feel like watching them, then I look at Alissa and frown, not really into watching her playing anymore.

    I'm a bit prejudiced against card games due to how much luck they involve, though D&D is fun, so I might have to actually write a rule book for it.

    Ciel's hand slips under my shirt and plays with my rather muscular chest, and I instantly notice the subtle lewdness in her touch. Elves may be quick to recognize lewdness, but I've mastered the art myself!

    I turn to her and grin, but she looks away in embarrassment, so I probe her thoughts and discover how much she "enjoyed" me playing the child while burying my head in her tits. She's a pedo, after all.

    "No, it was all the touching. That's what aroused me…" She tries to defend herself, but the truth lies somewhere in the middle. "You've conditioned me into getting horny just by massaging my breasts," she quietly adds with a pout.

    I spin and get on top of her like a predator pouncing on their prey. "Let's not waste an erection, then, shall we?" I ask with a husky tone, but I don't let her answer as I seal her lips with mine and keep her tongue occupied.

    She hesitates for a moment, really wanting to retort to me, but she just lets it go and gets more involved in the kiss.

    Everyone's really content today, so our emotions infect each other, and the happiness just adds to itself, making it seem like we're all receiving a big, warm mind hug.

    Ciel's thirst has been amplified by her happiness, and she loses control of her hands, which start to explore my body on their own.

    She reaches over and grabs the base of my tail, giving it a few loving squeezes and sending a chill up my spine. She knows my weak spots, though the weakest one is obviously the tip of my cock.

    Our kiss is slow and steady as we more so want to enjoy each other rather than climb the hill of pleasure.

    Her thin dousnadeia is easily pulled to the side, revealing her dark, delicious nipples. I immediately start playing with them, and now it's her turn to feel a shiver run along her spine because I love sucking on them so much that they've grown quite sensitive.

    Her quickened breath and faint moans leads to her breaking the kiss, freeing my mouth to go where it's needed.

    I kiss her cheeks, then her neck, and continue kissing my way down her chest until it reaches one of her nipples, then I release it from my claws so that I can play with it and use my vibrating tongue.

    My free hand traces its way down her body while she grabs my head and presses me in against her chest, her eyes closed as she sensually bites her lip, focusing entirely on my touch.

    The uncontrolled way that she presses her fingers along my scalp makes me feel greatly satisfied since its evidence of her surrender to pleasure.

    I give my attention to Alissa for a brief moment to stop her from touching herself. She'll finish her game and win against Ted if she wants a dicking from me.

    I spread Ciel's bottom to the side, letting her pussy lips spread from behind their hood, then I tease them with the tip of a claw, slowly extracting both moans and lewd juices from within her to prepare her sheathe for my Heavenly Weapon.

    I pull down my pants with a tentacle, and my meat slaps against her thigh, momentarily pulling her out of her trance. She looks down at it and licks her lips, anticipating the feeling of being stretched by it, then she gives me a sultry look tinged with shyness.

    She just loves my cock, though she's embarrassed to admit it. She loves its size, its length, its well-formed, mushroom head, its pink color. She loves how it plunges into her, how it grinds against her insides, and then how I fill her with my warm, sticky virility.

    Oh, god…!

    Her thoughts awaken the dragon, but I quickly reign it in, though now, I can't hold it back. I need to be inside her, now.

    I create suckers to continue playing with her nipples, then I sit up, and my meat falls on top of her landing strip.

    Her focus changes to the Weapon, anxiously awaiting its next move with bated breath, but I remain still, waiting for her to beg for me to take her.

    Her toes start wiggling as her anxiety grows, and she sends me an annoyed glance, predicting exactly what I want. I suddenly feel a powerful desire to lick her feet, but that fetish will have to wait for another day. Right now, I'm in dom-mode, and I need my chocolate angel to beg.

    "Fuck me, Wolfy," she shyly pleads, her pride and defiance already broken long ago.

    Wrong.

    She pleads with her eyes, but I want to hear it.

    She closes her eyes painfully and obeys like the good cum-drinking cow she is. "Fuck me, my son. Give mommy her milk while you suckle on my tits, and I'll give you mine."

    Hnnnngh…!

    I silently grab her thick calves and hold them over my shoulders, then I lean forward, folding her in half, and straighten my body out as if I'm planking.

    My head is far enough from hers that I can clearly see her face and take in all of its details. Her embarrassed expression is just the best! My cock is far enough from her pussy that she can look down and see its entire length as its tip greets her sex.

    "I love you, Ciel," I stab at her heart with a loving, warm smile.

    "I love you, Wolfy," she winces and whimpers, then she grabs my face and gives me a peck on the lips.

    Alissa's hands suddenly grab my shaft, quickly oiling it up for perfect penetration, then she releases it, and I slowly lower my hips. Ciel and I watch it eagerly as it enters her with a satisfyingly lewd noise.

    I go down and down, diving deeper and deeper into her, spreading her vagina as I savor every centimetri.

    Her long gasp follows along with the penetration, its sound slowly increasing in volume until she suddenly squeaks when I reach her cervix.

    I immediately pull my hips up again until my cock is almost free, then I penetrate her again.

    With a subtle vibration and spirit touch covering its shaft, she easily feels every move I make with great sensitivity.

    I turn my head to the side and nibble on that strong calf, making her squeak adorably and pout, but it only lasts for a moment as she quickly loses herself to my cock again.

    Her legs shake on my shoulders and her toes curl as she feels her muscles lock up, then her insides squeeze down around me as she orgasms on my cock, and I let her pleasure bleed over to me so that I cum along with her.

    My shaft rises from her depths with multiple white stains covering its length, and Alissa almost makes it in time to clean it up, but I immediately lower my hips again.

    An evil spirit suddenly takes hold of my foxy cum slave, and I'm forced to exorcise it before my asshole is violated.

    She grumbles, complaining that she only wanted to "bite" my "unbelievably cute and round ass," but her feelings make me believe that she'd easily succumb to the evil spirit.

    Ciel doesn't even bat an eye at our mind conversation, for she only has eyes for my cock, which fills and vacates her warm vagina repeatedly.

    She moves her hips to match my cadence, and her juicy breasts jiggle alluringly, momentarily distracting me.

    I grab them and squeeze them tight, groaning in delight as my claws sink into the soft flesh. I'll definitely milk them when I impregnate her.

    I give Alissa a bone, but not a boner, and allow her to massage my balls, stimulating me to cum even more of my youthful seed into mommy's little oven.

    "Aah~…" I groan in satisfaction as another cumshot is wrung out of my balls. Alissa is using my own weapon against me: massage.

    Ciel greatly enjoys feeling my cock twitching inside her, and then her oven gets even warmer as she becomes even more filled with my magical ambrosia, as Hukarere would likely call it.

    "Ahn~… ahn~… ahn~…" Ciel's shaky, high-pitched moans echo throughout the large bedroom as she has no control over her voice anymore.

    Her legs try to close together with every thrust, causing them to quiver as the stimulation is high enough to be just a touch below "uncomfortable."

    I let her pleasure mix with my own, and I enjoy the female perk of multiple, successive orgasms. Her pussy overflows, and the nostalgic smell of cum and sex fills the air as we keep going, so I breathe it in deeply, and the dragon relaxes, feeling at home.

    The increase in fluids makes the moist sounds become more prominent to the point that they're just completely obscene. My cock slides down into her with such a satisfyingly lewd noise that I orgasm through my ears.

    My constant, paced plowing ensures that she doesn't get too tired too quickly. She doesn't need to be Ravaged, but rather, Loved or Worshiped.

    I'm a man who focuses on what my women want rather than my own pleasure, and so, I shall contain the dragon within me to ensure that Ciel is as satisfied as possible.

    I'll spend all of my sexual stamina on her because Alissa has failed in her task. She won't get a dicking today since she actually lost to Ted due to her own lack of self-control, so I'll give her a lesson by forcing her to watch while I fuck everyone but her.

    For the rest of the day, my thick angel is my fuck toy. I abuse her body, making it bend in ways which enhance her curviness, taking advantage of how athletic we both are.

    Our Love-Making shall be glorious!



    Intermission 22 – Emperor Andreas Doxa



    I walk up the steps of the enigmatic tower, the relentless corruption of the undead assaulting my skin with every step, but the enchantments on my robe protect my body so well that I only feel a pleasant tickle.

    If this weren't such a heretical place, I'd enjoy resting here whenever Mena's [Massage] just isn't able to scratch that itch.

    As I pass a window, I hear the pain-filled groan of an evil spirit approaching. I flick my finger, instantly purifying it, then the spirit moans in pleasure as it's forced through the gate to Paradise.

    Why do these spirits keep coming here? Is it because of me? Can they actually sense my presence, someway, somehow?

    Regrettably, I can't find an answer to these questions since I'm the only one who can survive here for any significant length of time.

    I briefly grumble in frustration and release some of my aura, making the stone and metal of the tower grind and creak.

    Gods' forsaken heretics…

    If I wasn't afraid of potentially creating another Deadlands, I'd erase this grim, dreary tower in a split second!

    Every year, I become increasingly convinced that it might actually be the correct course of action since the undead corruption is diminishing so agonizingly slowly for my taste. It doesn't help that the expeditions have had so little success so far that I haven't even been able to create a research base here to study this tower.

    I reach its top and look down upon the beautiful city which is slowly decaying from exposure to the elements. The splendor of the white town with its whimsical notes of blues and pinks have all become faded, worn down by the wind and covered by the moss.

    This single, shabby, gray tower is a stain in the skyline of Spita Bureya. The constant moaning of an army of roaming evil spirits down in the streets gives it a rather apt name of "City of the Damned," I begrudgingly admit.

    After filling myself with nostalgia about the glory days of Aremut, I turn my eyes back to the interior of the tower, if it could even be said to have an "interior." A single metal spiral staircase doesn't count as an interior!

    Are heretics even intelligent if they can't make anything that has a smidgen of aesthetic beauty?!

    I sigh tiredly and scan the tower again as I've done an uncountable number of times before.

    Heretical magic is so elusive that not even the Oracle can detect anything "wrong" with this tower. Maybe it's truly inert, but then, why make it? Why put it in the exact center of the town, making it rise above everything else, and so obviously ruin the skyline of this grand location?

    Maybe it's just a caprice from an insane builder, and I've been wasting my time here…

    My Emergency Ring suddenly glows with a yellow light, so I instantly [Gate] back to my office.

    The beam of light that shines down through the glass ceiling wraps around my entire body, cleansing it of any heretical corruption that might have stuck to my clothes; a cool air comes from the enormous windows open ajar, refreshing me after the hot and humid weather of Aremut; the bright and colorful tiles are a sight for my sore eyes. It's good to be home.

    "Your Grand Highness," a strong, feminine voice greets me, and I already start anticipating what we're about to do.

    I look down and see Hayakasha waiting for me on one knee, her black hair and scales shining almost like gold, having just been cleaned and waxed, the straps of her thin dress falling off her shoulders, exposing her milky white bosom to me.

    She must've been having fun with the others since she seems to be wearing barely anything at all, or something very important has called her attention, and she didn't even have the time to dress herself. I'm betting on the former, it's a lot more likely to be correct.

    "My love. Rise. Speak," I command and become briefly distracted by her pink nipples shaking alluringly in front of me. The way she smiles and how she doesn't even try to hide herself tells me that it was definitely the former.

    I calmly undo the straps of my robe and let it fall to the floor as she diligently reports, "Wolf Ryder and his harem have assumed the position of Crown Lords of the Western High Forest. He's reportedly a Gifted person, but we still have little idea regarding what his Gift is, though evidence indicates that it involves [Summoning Magic]."

    "Hm…" I hum absentmindedly as I hug her fit body and lick her neck. I sense a faint, thick, sensual perfume, so it must've been Piscila who made her wear this, which I'm thankful for.

    Her voice quickly becomes shaky, and her breath hot as not even the dragonkin are immune to my touch. "During the ceremony, he announced that he has been named God-Ruler Arreira's successor, making them royalty."

    "Oh? So the old ghost finally passed away…" I mumble, then I push a finger inside her, and I'm rewarded with a long, velvety moan.

    She hugs me back and has to spend a moment catching her breath before continuing, "Not only that, but he has acquired a new race and become a 'weredragon' while his tamable dragon has 'converted' and reportedly received a system."

    I actually stop in surprise. The last time something made me react like this was the fall of Aremut. "What…?" I make a decidedly un-imperial sound.

    Haya seems anxious to continue, so I take my finger out of her and wait for her to finish. "This has all been confirmed by the Gods, who froze time in the town for an unspecified duration in a Divine Intervention."

    Words fail me, and I get surprised at myself since I don't remember ever becoming this speechless before in my entire life. Not even during my ascension or when my parents died.

    Haya seems almost apologetic at having to give me the news because of how grim it is, but she doesn't apologize for ruining my erection. In fact, she wants to be comforted by my touch. The horny lizard didn't even deem it appropriate to stop me from assaulting her body as she apparently has no concept of when it's improper to be sexual.

    I sigh tiredly, and we touch our foreheads together.

    "We need to make sure that he visits the Oracle to ascertain where his Gift lies," I whisper, all the lust gone from my body and tone.

    She doesn't let her horniness get the better of her cunning, immediately following my train of thought, "He has hidden his Gift as much as he could, so he should be wary of any interference, but he has a former priestess by his side, so he might end up visiting her, anyway."

    I narrow my eyes and kiss her neck again as I hum in thought, "Hm… I see. Let's wait and see for a little longer."

    She doesn't approve, seeming concerned for Ryder. "But his presence here might finally trigger the Purification as they fight over him."

    I'm definitely not, though. "I'm not so sure about that," I respond casually and kiss her neck again, and she hugs me tighter. "But we won't interfere with it. The Gods have yet to give us any guidance about him, so let him do as he pleases. The rotting side has already solidified their position, so we might as well let the temple handle the Purification."

    "Understood…" She accepts my stance on this matter with an uncharacteristically nervous tone.

    And now it's time for me to comfort her. I raise my head and stare her in the eyes as I confidently state, "We'll make it through this, together. We aren't the Champions, so our Fate won't be as turbulent as theirs. Relay this to the rest of the harem so that nobody starts freaking out."

    She nods meekly, the dragon who challenged me for marriage nowhere to be found. Even she fears the future, for if the Gods have chosen a Champion, then something terrible is coming.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Copey Dunt.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
  11. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    The girls come back, and we take our time in the bath, having fun playing with Poosh's body. Since the cute sheep seems to be open to some intimacy, Hana, Osaria, and I pounce on her and make sure that her pussy gets all tingly and sore again.

    Alissa watches us intensely without missing a single detail, her hands bound to her legs so that she doesn't touch herself, but her hunger is clear for all to see. Meanwhile, the maids all silently watch as their boss is fucked until she can barely move, and I believe this is taken as some sort of "demonstration" since they all have a rather inquisitive air about them instead of just pure lust.

    After we're done with Poosh, she begins using a [Regeneration] tool on her hips so that she can walk again, but I [Heal] her instead and give her my [Massage] treatment on her back.

    "Ah, yes… thank you, your Highness," she coos in happiness.

    "And thank you for playing with us," Osaria replies with a sultry tone.

    Poosh knows more about [Massage] than I do, so she guides me towards all of her weak spots, and my human healing hands, both literally and figuratively, return mobility to her legs and restore her energy.

    After a minute of wringing soft moans from her, she stops me and stands up, then gives me a deep bow. "Thank you again, your Highness, for allowing me to experience true bliss," she politely announces out loud.

    I smirk, my dick twitching in satisfaction. This is exactly what I wanted to give her: bliss.

    "You're welcome to come back anytime," I serenely reply.

    She straightens up and gives me a warm, bright smile with a strong, motherly air. "I'm afraid I'll have to limit myself. If I were to indulge in your caresses, I'd ruin my work ethic."

    I nod in understanding. Even I know that unrestrained pleasure is rather addictive, I've just learned how to reign it in when necessary. "At least come to us when you're feeling tired," I kindly suggest.

    Her smile becomes even wilder as she gushes in happiness. "That, I will." Then she turns her eyes to Alissa, seemingly worried about my fox's tense demeanor. "Your Highness Alissa, do you wish for some intimate attention?" She asks concernedly.

    "She does, but she won't get any today, as a punishment," I respond for Alissa with a smug smirk as I glance at her.

    Alissa grits her teeth in anger and nods slowly, the wild fox within her trying to claw its way out. I'm sure that tomorrow, she's going to impale herself to death on my dragonator.

    I actually do use the tentacle monster to help her relax, though. It's entirely possible to tease her until she breaks, so we'd ruin the slow roast if we cranked up the heat too much.



    For dinner, we invite Dokkanchee as a celebration of a job well done. The old woman hasn't complained about her back again, so we also call for Sai so that she can make the alterations of Dokkan's spine permanent.

    "My, this is quite a feast," Dokkan comments happily as she sits.

    I smile kindly at her, and Yunia clarifies, "We only eat like this with guests. Though the food is always well-made, we aren't wasteful with our average meal."

    Dokkan hums in understanding and nods sagely. "Ahh, I see. I'll have to change my opinion of Lords, then."

    "Though the Goddess of Fertility frowns upon wasting food, we can't speak for all Lords," Ciel cautions her.

    "If anything, I find it difficult to believe that you'd represent the average Lord," Dokkan agrees with a sly smirk.

    "Indeed," Yunia quietly adds.

    I remember the report we received of the state of the town and smile cheekily as I joke, "Well, considering that the town is still in a festive mood with a few orgies here and there, I'd say that we're quite chaste and lightweight drinkers when compared to the commoners."

    That gets a few hearty chuckles, even from Sai.

    "Did you enjoy yourself at the party?" Alissa "innocently" asks Dokkan.

    The old bird woman runs a nervous hand through her white arm feathers as she lets out a slow chuckle. "I'm very thankful for what you've done for my back. It really allowed me to enjoy this party."

    I… really don't want her to expand on that, so I get the girls to drive the topic away from that subject.

    After we start our meal, I broach upon a matter I've had on the back of my mind for a while, "There's something I'd like to know about you, Dokkanchee. You seem to be able to notice 'something' going on between us. Something magical, I mean."

    Sai raises her eyebrows, attentively listening. It doesn't matter what she knows about [Bind] since she's a Blood Slave.

    Dokkan stops eating, her face serious and composed, and hesitates for a moment before answering, "I won't share your secrets, my… uh, your Highness."

    I smile and wave my hand dismissively. "I'm not concerned about that. I want to know how you do it."

    "Oh…" She mumbles in surprise, then her posture relaxes and she gets more comfortable in her seat. "It's a sense that grows on you after spending so long detecting variances upon reality."

    "'Variances upon reality'?" I repeat curiously.

    She knits her eyebrows in confusion, the white feathers on her head raising up. "You don't know?"

    "No, that's why I'm asking you about it."

    The feathers go back down. "Ah… I see." She takes a sip of her juice to wet her throat before she starts her explanation, "Well, as you might've noticed, [Jalowzeh Magic] both changes reality and fools the mind so that nobody notices anything, but with time, not even I can be fooled anymore, so I developed a sense for changes in reality.

    "I see this 'variance' as small, subtle changes in reality between two of you."

    So there really is a carrier of information between us.

    "Can you elaborate? Describe any more details you might know about these 'changes,'" I press her further.

    But she shrugs and smiles apologetically. "I'm afraid I can't. They're so small and subtle that it's like seeing a strand of hair for a split second. I can't even tell you the color of the hair. It's like… the horizon, or a fold in the piece of paper that we call reality."

    "Oh~…" I hum in wonder and also understanding. This seems incredibly interesting.

    She smirks subtly. "You do seem to have an idea about what I'm talking about."

    And I mirror her expression. "The 'fold' analogy was really enlightening."

    She nods gently. "Ah, yes. You're a Space mage, if my memory is correct, so it makes sense that it'd resonate with you."

    "Indeed. Well, I'm interested in this sense of yours, so perhaps we could work on it in the future?" I turn my smirk into a grin as I make the suggestion.

    But Dokkan doesn't seem willing, and shakes her head as she rejects, "I'm still just a shopkeeper responsible for discovering talents for Kabara Basaree, so research is a bit too much work for someone as old as me. Perhaps if you joined the magic school, then you'd find someone more willing to work with you." And she gives me a subtle sly smile.

    I lean back on my chair and smile wryly. "I see…"

    It seems that we have a good reason to visit this school.

    The cunning old bird turns to Roxanne with a smirk, very proud of herself. "Have you ever been to Basaree? It's a beautiful place that I visit every so often just to enjoy the sights."

    "Is it more beautiful than Goldport?" Yunia chimes in.

    "Goldport is astounding, but Basaree is beautiful," she tactfully responds, trying not to offend my proud elven queen.

    And Roxanne answers with a rather bitter smile, "I've studied in Xane, but I only got as close as Nakdevnitind before coming to Gilios, so I didn't have the opportunity to see it."

    Dokkan hums in agreement as she nods. "Ah, that's still a beautiful place, nonetheless. Basaree is a large port town ruled by a joint government of Estekabar, Angels, and Gorosnegee, and they all try to outdo one another in every aspect of the town to attract more people than the others, so every year there's something new and interesting going on."

    That piques Roxanne's interest. "Sounds like a good place for a vacation."

    The occasional vacation over there would be fine, but if we were to join the Kabara Basaree school, we'd have to either be absent from our territory for a long time or pay an exorbitant price to go there regularly, and neither of those are an attractive option. Fortunately, there's a third.

    "I can now cast the level fifty [Space Magic] spell [Eternal Gate], so maybe we can make our own teleport to Basaree in secret," I share through [Bind].

    "Just don't get Alcander involved since it'd put him in a delicate situation. If we keep it a 'secret,' then he'd have plausible deniability," Yunia cautions us.

    "You're talking as if we would get caught," Alissa comments worriedly.

    Yunia shakes her head internally. "It's easier to keep everyone quiet and loyal when dealing with illegal activities if they know they won't get in trouble for their involvement."

    Lina's Trivia: Creating a lawful [Eternal Gate] requires involving the Imperial Space Mage's Authority and also respecting any agreements already in place regulating the Gate, which drives up the cost of maintaining one by quite a lot since few rulers want free, unrestricted access to their territories by random strangers.

    "There we go, I'm seeing the 'folds' again. It's honestly so interesting that I'm tempted to study it, but I know my limits," Dokkan discloses, her eyes darting towards each of us.

    "I'm curious. Can you describe these 'folds,' your Highness Wolf?" Sai asks me, her cute brown eyes brimming with the desire to know more, but there's a cautious reservation as she knows it isn't so simple.

    "If you can look into our souls, then perhaps you'll find what's special about us," I cryptically answer and give her an impassive expression.

    She furrows her thin eyebrows and stares at my chest intensely like a child trying to use X-ray vision, but she gives up after a short while and gives me puppy eyes. "Hm… I heard you created skills related to the soul…" She tentatively mumbles.

    I grin evilly. "Indeed, I did. If you want to learn [Sense Soul], I believe you might first need to learn [Soul Manipulation]."

    "Ah…" She moans and frowns in horror. She knows very well how much Oritiki and the Celestial Horns are suffering to learn that skill.

    "Soul…? Hm… so your souls or spirits are connected, somehow?" Dokkan guesses.

    I grin at her and chuckle softly. "I can't answer that question."

    She frowns, and her curiosity sours. "Hmph… Lords and their secrets," she grumbles in a way befitting her age.



    After dinner, Sai finishes Dokkan's treatment, and we say our goodbyes to her. We're not sure if we'll have a reason to meet again in the future, but maybe we could visit the old bird every once in a while. She's a nice person to be around.

    Then we retire to our room for the last cuddling of the day.

    I find an interesting book in our personal library about an elf explorer who got himself a mer submarine and explored the depths of the sea. These sorts of books are quite popular as there's always a desire to explore among the populace due to the romanticization of adventurers, and those who can link their stories to local myths or legends quickly become favorites.

    The MC explored the dark depths of a huge rift in the seafloor, and he found a very alien-looking environment, which was proven to actually exist. There, the plants feed off the heat of magma as it pours from the opening, but the "nutrient"-rich rock is then eaten by other animals and monsters as it cools, and the rift actually seems to expand with time.

    The plants have a beautiful luminescence that was described in such a way that I'm sure they're radioactive. He even stated that it's poisonous to get close to them and warns future explorers to not bring them back up if they want to live.

    He then found an odd cave that leads to an even bigger rift, which made him suspect that it might actually be a dungeon.

    It was a completely dark place as it lacked lava and the plants that needed it, but it was still very warm, so there might be something living within.

    Once he reached the bottom, he found a graveyard of bones. There were ribs as big as his submarine; skulls so large they could eat him as a snack; tusks and other sharp teeth that looked like they were made of metal, retaining their sheen even so long after their owner's deaths; and a small ecosystem of scavenging plants and moss.

    As an avid cataloger, the MC spent a whole chapter describing them and theorizing on their way of life. He even made dozens of dissections that he depicted through drawings, attracting Alissa's interest. Underwater plants are very different from ground plants, so she likes seeing all the different and exotic anatomies and organs.

    He suddenly felt a wave of dislocated water and became wary. His sensors told of no other small animal presence, and only very large beings could create such long waves that they'd originate outside of his sensor range.

    As an experienced explorer, he immediately turned off the submarine and parked it under the skull of a large, unknown being.

    But something had already spotted him since well before that.

    He patiently waited in absolute silence without making a single sound. His [Hide Presence] was good enough to avoid just about anything, and his [Silent Action] had already proved essential to survive whatever else remained.

    He waited for long hours, his sense of danger going haywire as a second displacement wave never came. He couldn't know if the being was either coming, going, or if it was just waiting for him to make a move, so he could only wait himself.

    He thought he heard scurrying, but everything was so quiet that his own senses could've been fooling him. He knew a bored brain could play pranks on itself by imagining ghosts and other frightening things.

    Then the heat started to get to him, and he found it increasingly difficult to breathe. His body was sweating so much that he'd soon pass out, and that'd be his doom if it came to pass, so he decided to act.

    Suddenly, he heard a clink against the hull of his submarine as something sharp touched it.

    "It's time to run!" His brain screamed to himself, and he made to touch the ship's main gem, but then a light shined upon his ship, and he gawked in terror at the creatures surrounding it.

    The terrifying fiends immediately swam away, hiding from the light, but they weren't the true target of the light.

    He looked up and saw a large lamp producing a blinding light through the eye socket of the skull he was hiding under.

    Then the skull was lifted, and the terror increased to the point that his eyes thought he was going insane.

    The being that stared down at him was impossible to describe as its visage refused to mark itself in his memories, but one thing was certain: it was beyond just a mere aberrant or animal. It was "Grand." It was The Leviathan, with a capital T and L, the true monstrosity of the depths.

    It reached down with a huge, wide fin and swept his ship off the floor, raising it up so that it could take a closer look, and its many eyes bore holes through him like spears. It was so intense that they could've killed a man of a lesser level.

    A slit opened horizontally on its face, revealing a dazzling set of huge, sharp teeth in a spiral, ready to grind away anything it ate into mush.

    The mouth widened so much that it was all he could see through the glass of his cockpit, but what came next wasn't the blissful darkness of death.

    His view of it was suddenly blocked by a large bright red tentacle, covered with small, round protrusions that led him to believe that it was actually a tongue.

    It suddenly touched the dome of his cockpit and wrapped itself around it, then it rubbed slowly, as if The Leviathan was licking it in a very frightening motion.

    After a few long seconds, the lick was complete, and the ship was unceremoniously dropped back down on the seafloor and covered again with the skull.

    The Leviathan turned around as it stopped its own light, and the elf managed to turn the ship back on in time to register the many dislocation waves that followed in The Leviathan's wake.

    The elf was so frightened that he would've pissed his pants if he could, but he was also awed, and many times more so.

    So much so that instead of going back to the surface, the elf chased after The Leviathan after a mere moment of hesitation.



    I close the book and give Ciel an apologetic smile.

    "The lights," I whisper to the golems, trying not to wake up Lina, who's already asleep on my legs, and Ted silently turns them off.



    Today is the 13th, Ne, day of water. For dwarves, this is the only day when it's acceptable to drink water like the other races drink water.

    Lina refuses to confirm or deny this trivia.

    I'm woken up by a very thirsty Alissa, who's struggling to hold herself back from touching her tingling pussy, but she finds some comfort in drinking my magical, tasty cum, so she weathers the storm.



    I've gained two levels in [Massage] (now 0+3) and the title of "Shapeshifter." Could've been worse. If the commoners had any malicious intentions, they might've come up with [Tentacle Dicks], or [Eldritch Lord], or [Many-Dicked]. I guess their respect for me prevented the worse ones from gaining any traction.

    I still want "Father of Dragons," though, so I guess I should "influence" them towards spreading that one.

    We've all also received the "Protector of the Last Crown" title since we have the crown in our treasury, but that'll soon go away since we're going to be using the crown, not just "protecting" it.

    I don't plan on making others call us king and queens yet since we haven't actually been crowned, but we'll prominently display the crown instead of just storing it.

    I notice that my "Titles" are now taking up multiple lines and frown. "Do nobles usually get so many titles? The section is getting kind of… cluttered," I comment worriedly.

    Yunia snorts snobbishly and smiles wryly before she responds, "Lords do, especially higher ones like us. Imagine what happens if everything you do ends up being the talk of the town. You'll accrue a few more throughout your rule, I'm sure."

    Alissa and Hana are a bit conflicted about their own Titles, so they aren't comfortable knowing that we'll get many more.



    For breakfast, I eat a sweet, crunchy toast that's really quite good. It has nuts and not-vanilla in it, giving it a subtle, but refined taste. This is the staple imperial bread that they love so much, and I can see why it's popular. Just a bit of butter and it's worth a chef's kiss.

    Then we start our morning training, but today's setting is the sea!

    We take a personal [Eternal Gate] to one of our estates, and this one is in Western Glorampina, on a cliff side with a great view of the sea. There's even a set of stairs carved into the stone that takes us down to a small private beach with a charming cave system that we can explore.

    I sit down on the veranda and breathe in the salty air as the sound of waves massages my ears. There are a few seagulls, but they're far enough away that their cries aren't annoying.

    The warm sun feels refreshing on my skin and scales, though I'm the only one who doesn't sit in the shade. Aoi has the highest body temperature of all of us, so she sits right next to the [Breeze] enchantment on the wall, and the cool air seeps in right under her scales, making her feel very refreshed.

    I skim through Arreira's notes again and find an entry talking about [Blessing Magic]. He learned most of it through the golems and then improved on his knowledge through questioning some of the adventurers inside the dungeon. It seems that all of our armor was personally enchanted by him, or at least upgraded with Blessings.

    Arreira seems to have been a very proficient enchanter, so if I find anything about enchanting in these notes, I'll pass them on to Lina. She'll certainly love that.

    "I think I've come up with a good idea for a motto," Ciel suddenly speaks out.

    "After the Intervention, it's quite obvious what you'll pick," Yunia immediately comments with a smug look.

    "Well…" Ciel pouts annoyedly, struggling to come up with a proper retort. "Obvious is good! It's supposed to represent us!" She suddenly exclaims frustratedly.

    "Alright… let's hear it," Yunia coolly requests, the smugness in her face giving her that sexy, superior elven look that I love so much.

    Ciel's finger cutely traces the grooves in the floor boards as she fails to contain her irritation, then she embarrassedly reveals, "'Blessed by the light'…"

    "Ohoh~…" Yunia coos victoriously as she covers her mouth with her hand.

    "You should've made her guess first, then you could've embarrassed her if she didn't get it with perfect accuracy, which was very likely to happen," Roxanne advises Ciel, but that only makes her pout even harder.

    "It's fine," I whisk my angel away from the depths of shame and give everyone a stern glare for them to hold back their bullying.

    "If nobody has a better motto, we'll tell Almaria to carve it into our heraldry," Yunia calmly states, the smugness from before gone in a split second.

    I'm partial to "Sun guides us," but the Intervention is a more important event than the naming of our fellowship, so I'm willing to go with Ciel's idea.



    Krysta has prepared Kibbeh Nayyeh: raw ground lamb meat with wheat and spices. There's also a variation that uses cow meat instead of lamb, and it's seasoned more strongly.

    The dragon within me actually wakes up, and Aoi and I eagerly feast on the raw meat. It's supposed to be eaten with the not-pita bread, imperial style, but Aoi and I like it so much that we'd gladly eat it on its own without any bread.

    Hana looks at us oddly, trying to understand what we like about it so much, but she's pretty ambivalent about the dish. I guess dragonkin just prefer roasts instead of raw meats.

    "I never imagined that raw meat could be so good," human-Aoi breathes in delight, almost forgoing the femininity of her form to gorge on it like an animal.

    "Same-…"

    Alissa puts a hand over my claws to stop me from grabbing more. "Let's share this dish, hm? Tomorrow, Krysta will make more," she gently reminds me, but the intensity of her stare tells me that she's enjoying this dish more than she'd like to admit.



    After we eat, an army of clothiers rush in like a storm to take all of our measurements, all of them. Invited by Yunia and Roxanne, they're here to make better formal clothes for us, including underwear, and they don't have a lot of time to finish their job, so they do their best to not let their fear and awe of us get in the way of their work.

    They're in a hurry partially because of the fact that we have to leave for our first official task as Lords: to kill a dangerous Aberrant.



    Aoi and I interlace our claws together and recite the fellowship chant, "We swear to share our war and our soul, and to always keep each other's company."

    Then her name appears in our "Companions" entry, while in hers, all of ours appear, and she gains the "Helios (Fellowship)" entry in her "Affiliations."

    "Hehehehe!" Aoi laughs happily as she stares at the Identification Crystal's tablet, then she checks the fellowship bond. "Now it's even easier for me to know where everyone is!"

    "Yes. The bond gave me a lot of comfort before [Bind]," Lina agrees with a nod, making her cute bangs sway.

    Same.

    Aoi grins at her, then she quickly gets distracted as she plays with the bond and stares at the tablet. Her mind wanders, and she starts thinking about her own status and how to open it, so we leave her with her thoughts for now.

    We [Equip] our armor and wait in the main hall while the High Officers gather. Our thrones are quite comfy, so the dragon coils up and goes to sleep, making me feel a bit drowsy.

    Sandoro is the first to appear with a detachment of Lordsguard, and I'm happy to see Romy among them, though we're all about to enter battle, so warm greetings are left for another time.

    I see that their weapons all have blank spirits, so their training of [Equipment System] is progressing very quickly, and soon, they'll be able to cast [Equip] since that skill is so easy to learn.

    Suddenly, Silvano barges in with a big grin and bows quickly, then saunters on, proudly parading with his two bastard swords hanging from each side of his waist.

    "You won't be fighting," I pop his bubble of joy with a sadistic grin.

    "What? Why?" He stops in his tracks and moans in a decidedly not cool whine as he's caught by surprise.

    "This time, we want you all to just watch so that you can better understand how we fight," Hana happily explains, excited to show off.

    Silvano turns his eyes to her as he delicately grabs his chin and coos in wonder. "Ooh~…" Then he suddenly shrugs. "Well, this is also fine, I guess."

    Alcander comes in soon after with a meek elven Space mage in tow.

    "Your Highnesses," the imperial obediently greets as he lowers his head, then he motions for the elf to come forward. "He'll open a [Gate] to our forward scouting party, then I'll cross through it and open my own for you."

    I yawn and nod. I wonder if being so carefree in front of my subordinates is a good thing or not, but I'd rather that they know the real me instead of keeping up a mask all the time. Ciel and Roxanne certainly can't avoid sounding casual occasionally, so they know that we all have our quirks.

    As long as I can pull the dragon out at a moment's notice, their faith in my leadership shouldn't take a significant hit.

    Alcander disappears when he touches the black circle, and I notice that the Space mage immediately starts to breathe heavily. Sending a person so far must've drained him quite a lot.

    A moment later, another circle appears right in the middle of the hall, which is our cue that Alcander is waiting for us.

    Just to be safe, I send a bird ahead, then we all cross through.

    On the other side, Alcander patiently waits for us to ready ourselves, his face solemn as usual, and he doesn't even seem to break a sweat from teleporting so many people in quick succession.

    While everyone takes a moment to get used to the change in scenery, I take the opportunity to observe my surroundings.

    We're now deep into the High Forest, somewhere northwest, near the center of our territory, which is likely in Amada's sub-territory, the elder subordinate Heart Lord.

    The High Trees are quite wild here, becoming messes of branches and thick trunks with impenetrable bark, which impedes most of the glowing plants from growing on them. These trees are a far cry from the beautiful "tree-knitting" of the more civilized areas, but they have their own charm from just existing in their natural state.

    The elves don't mess with the roots of the High Trees to make it more difficult for non-natives to walk through, but they at least prevent their states from getting even worse. At some spots, they get so thick and thin that they become like brambles, making it impossible to pass through them, but also dangerous to walk on them since they're so brittle.

    I think only a light-footed Legolas could get through here, but our soldiers are definitely too heavy to walk on snow without leaving footprints, and I'm sure that they don't have anti-gravity boots on.

    Yunia smiles wryly at my musings, but she nudges me internally towards Almaria, who's currently busy doing something.

    The golden elf has her eyes closed, arms spread apart, and palms open wide. She seems to be sensing the wind, a faint breeze that rustles the leaves and makes a rather loud sound in the otherwise silent forest, then her small nose flares as she smells the air.

    How peculiar.

    Her eyes suddenly shoot wide open, and her cute face distorts in worry. "There are bad omens in the wind. Not our doom, but death, corruption…" She whispers, though her voice carries quite far in the quiet forest, then she suddenly turns to me, her droopy eyes giving me an intense, creepy stare. "Undead."

    "Indeed," Alcander agrees solemnly and closes the [Gate]. "This is why the scouts are too frightened to get near it," he adds, sounding rather disappointed.

    "Their intuition is correct. It isn't a weak Aberrant, of that, I'm sure," Almaria excuses them, then her face turns subtly sorrowful as she tries to contain her emotions. "And I believe it's already claimed some victims."

    Sai raises her head attentively, then casts [Spirit Eyes] and [Spirit Link]. "There are spirits out there," she states out loud, and the mood of our group sours.

    Ciel frowns and silently prays for them. Victims of the undead have difficulty getting into Paradise since their spirits can easily become twisted.

    I pull out the golems, and Alcander frowns confusedly as he stares at them, then his eyes go out of focus as I believe he has pulled up his own "Status." I'll commend him for being so attentive if he noticed that his MP isn't as low as it should be since the heavy golems didn't actually cost anything extra due to being stored in my "Items."

    Sandoro organizes the small detachment of Lordsguard around the High Mages to protect them, and then the scouts come down from atop the High Tree nearest to us.

    One of them is riding a Gatun, which I assume is their leader from how composedly he sits on his mount. His body is completely horizontal and stiff as a board while the beast climbs down the wild tree, which is rather impressive.

    The other elves wear light ghillie suits, and they use clawed gauntlets and boots in the same way that a Gatun does. Their longbows are slung over their shoulders while only their leader has a short, composite bow.

    One of the elves is visibly more nimble, catching my attention. He suddenly jumps off the tree and falls through the air from over five metri up before landing on his feet and rolling to disperse his momentum.

    He stops right before Sandoro's unamused glare and immediately stands up properly, then he notices who's before him and freezes for a second before immediately saluting in the customary elven way.

    "Master of Hunt Ardian, reporting for duty!" He whisper-shouts and lowers his head to shield himself from Sandoro's mental attack.

    "'Master,' indeed…" Sandoro repeats with a low growl.

    "You know the adventurer types, Sandoro. They'll never learn," the scout leader comments amusedly while still perfectly horizontal and gives the old commander a grin.

    Something about this Ardian sounds somewhat familiar to me…

    I walk towards him, and he suddenly raises his head as he notices my steps. He's a mature golden elf with a familiar face, but his hood is hiding some of his features.

    His eyes turn to me and suddenly open wide in shock as I assume that he's just recognized me.

    "Your Highness?" Sandoro asks as he gives me a curious look.

    "You seem familiar, Master Ardian… have we met before?" I politely ask, trying to hold back a grin as I notice his expression become as stiff as dry leather.

    Sandoro sends a stern glance towards Ardian, suddenly very suspicious of him. "There's no need to call his kind 'Master,' your Highness, that's just a lofty title that adventurers give themselves."

    The leader of the scouts seems very amused with this situation, so he decides to expose Ardian, eager to see how things develop, "He used to work as a Caretaker at the Academy in Goloria, helping out the students to not get killed while doing requests for the monster hunter's guild. Perhaps you met him when you were still an adventurer."

    "He came here after you raised the bounty prices, your Highness, which should tell plenty about his honor," Sandoro grumbles. He obviously doesn't like the mercenary type.

    Wait… Goloria's monster hunter guild…?

    "You're the one who mistook us for students of the Knight's Academy!" Alissa exclaims, her memory picking up on things faster than mine.

    "Yes… I believe so… your Highness…" Ardian mumbles, now sweating cold.

    I remember now. He's the one who called us "damnable brats."

    I grin sadistically and take a step closer to him. "Well, Master Ardian. What can you tell us about the Aberrant that we're about to face?"



    Nobody comes to save him, not even the scout leader who was the one that's actually responsible for giving us the report, so Ardian fumbles his way through an explanation like a fool. And he kind of is one since he hadn't bothered to look at our portraits in the Shell properly, otherwise, he'd have known not to show off in front of us.

    Aoi's intense gaze seems to be the one affecting him the most, even though she isn't trying to be threatening. I guess it'll take some time until everyone gets used to seeing a dragon and not shitting their pants in fear.

    Ardian's report is quite short, though, since nobody has actually fought the Aberrant aside from small scale, short battles with its "minions."

    Once he's done, we let him relax and stay at ease while we discuss our strategy.

    "How close can the High Mages be to us without it being unsafe for them? This Aberrant seems to have a very far reach," Yunia questions, mostly worried about Almaria's safety.

    "Its minions aren't that powerful, and we easily handled one of them on our own, but it's the exposure that gets you. As long as the battle doesn't take too long, you can get pretty close, I believe," the leader confidently answers.

    We set up some guidelines for the Officers in case shit hits the fan, and the meeting is over rather quickly.

    "I understand that you can handle yourself, but I don't want outsiders to watch this fight, so I'll have to ask that you remain here," I order the leader.

    "Understood, your Highness," he obediently agrees and salutes.

    I especially don't want a Buscuador like him to see this.

    Then Yunia turns to Almaria. "Open the way for us," she orders, and the High Mage obeys.

    Almaria swallows an Eia pill and turns to the mass of roots ahead of us, then she pulls out a dagger from her robe and slits open her palms. She lets the blood drip onto the forest floor for a few seconds, then assumes the pose she held when she was feeling the wind and starts whispering a chant.

    Suddenly, roots burst out of the ground and sneak up along her legs, then they enter her open wounds.

    That's metal…

    Alissa's ears twitch, and she opens her eyes wide in surprise as her [Sense Presence] tells her that what "Almaria" is has become a bit hazy as she "communes" with the vines.

    "Almaria" spreads through the ground and takes over the roots ahead of us, becoming thinner and weaker the further her "presence" is from her physical body.

    Once her presence's "expansion" seems to have stopped, the roots start to creak and crack, then they tremble and disentangle, opening a way forward for us. In under a minute, there's a long, clear path that's wide enough for all of us to walk abreast.

    Her MP drops just a little, so it seems like it'll be easy for her to open a path for us towards the Aberrant. She's also calmly walking forward, not showing a hint of discomfort from having vines in her hands, which is a rather odd sight.

    "Her Eia pill should include an anesthetic, so she shouldn't be feeling a thing, actually," Yunia corrects me through [Bind].



    I let the dragon spread its wings, and we all gradually leave our carefree demeanor behind. Now it's time for business.

    Once we're far enough from the scouts, I summon three Shads and Hollys to scout and keep us safe. It's been a while since I've had to rely on them, so it's nostalgic to be able to see through their eyes again.

    The Mages and the Lordsguard seem surprised, but more of the "ooh~…" rather than the "AH! MONSTER!" kind of surprise since they should all already know about my summoning capabilities.

    Then I [Equip] Patrono and give it to a tentacle that holds it above me, just for safety.

    "Are we going to use that sword?" Hana asks concernedly.

    I shake my head, and joke with a smile, "No. It'd make things too easy. We need the experience and the Experience."

    She snorts and affirms, "I'd say exactly that if you had answered any differently." Then she sends me a fist-bump through [Bind].

    The illumination is pretty bad here, well, worse than in the more civilized parts of the High Forest, so I make Patrono shine faintly to light the way with an inspiring holy glow. If I make it too bright, it'll attract monsters, so I keep it somewhat weak.



    The Holly scouting directly ahead of us is the first one to find a "minion," which tells us that we're headed in the right direction.

    She sees a white skeleton covered in a sort of transparent, lightless flame that blurs and darkens the area. The plants that get near it wither and wilt, becoming a sickly-looking and pale white color. Roxanne's magical knowledge tells us that this sort of flame must be Necromancy, something that burns HP or the life force of things, while the blur might come from the Undead corruption.

    "That's definitely Necromancy. It burns Life to sustain itself," Almaria agrees with her assessment, then she turns to Yunia, her droopy eyes looking softer than usual. "I taught you that, didn't I?" She innocently asks.

    "Of course you did," Yunia answers and gives her a glance, her tone more stern than usual, but Almaria is perceptive enough to notice that and smiles for a brief moment before becoming serious again.

    "How damaging is it if you get close?" I inquire.

    "If it's Undead, its corruption could compound with the flame, so I recommend [Earth Bullet] to the head," Almaria diligently answers.

    I grin and turn to the golems. "How many boulders do you guys have inside your [Item Box]es?"

    "Five sets of varying sizes," Ted begins.

    "Each with five boulders," Suzy finishes.

    "Then you'll put what you learned from Arreira to use."



    As we get closer to the skellie, I deactivate Patrono's light, and we cautiously move in the near-total darkness, but it still seems to see us first and immediately breaks into a sprint, bursting through walls of thin roots like nothing.

    The three golems [Equip] their basketball-sized boulders and use [Telekinesis] to launch them.

    "Head," Ted claims.

    "Chest," Suzy claims.

    "Waist," Jarn claims.

    The boulders line up, forming a pillar that crashes into the skellie. Its body is blasted into small bits while its arms and legs simply tumble forward, then they immediately start crawling creepily towards us.

    "Huh… fucking undead…" I grumble in annoyance.

    Just to test things out, I send Patrono forward with a looong tentacle and feed it some mana, making it flash brightly with holy light. The skellie arm exposed to the light doesn't just vaporize, it's completely annihilated, leaving no trace that it ever existed aside from the drained plants.

    The golems finish off the rest of its bits by pummeling them with their boulders, breaking them into even smaller pieces, then the undead loses all cohesion and starts disintegrating into a cloud of toxic dust.

    Once they pull back their boulders, we notice that they're too corrupted to store them back in their [Item Box]es, so Silvano restores their physical integrity, then Yunia breaks the corrupted spirits with [Spirit Sword], and the golems [Itemize] them again.

    "Let's just use [Earth Bullet], then," I give up. It's too much work to do this after every battle.



    The next skellie ends up shattered all the same, and we annihilate its remains with [Spirit Light]s.

    After a few more, they seem to start to converge on us, then they come at us while already sprinting from far away.

    We use some spare weapons to crush them so that the undead corruption doesn't ruin the enchantments of our main equipment. There's no reason to give Lina and the enchanters more work than necessary.

    The skellies try to swarm us, but Ciel's [Holy Spirit] becomes a beacon of purification for us, weakening them and making their bodies brittle.

    Once she starts to have to spend too much MP, we switch to Patrono's light to let her converse her mana, but we still kill the skellies with our own efforts without relying on the Heavenly Weapon.

    Their numbers increase even more, and they almost begin displaying coordination in their attacks, then they suddenly stop coming. The Aberrant doesn't have infinite skellie minions, so it must be preparing for the upcoming battle.

    We take a short breather and drink some refreshments.

    "Your coordination is… perfect… without uttering a single order," Sandoro whispers in awe.

    "We have telepathy, so we can speak in each other's minds," Roxanne reveals with a grin.

    "And sometimes, the inside of my own head becomes insufferable," Yunia nonchalantly comments, and I give them both a look to stop playing around.

    "So, is this what Dokkanchee saw?" Sai questions curiously, her bright tone in contrast with the gloomy environment.

    "Precisely," I answer with a gentle nod.

    The halfling woman controls her excitement and becomes professional again, returning a stern nod.

    Questions and awe can be left for later, so we move on.



    The Hollys find a patch of wilted, decaying forest that assaults them with the undead corruption from the very moment that they enter it, and inside, they find the Aberrant.

    Surrounded by over forty skellies, they see the pure white skeleton of a Grim Giant slowly crawling forward. A black, sticky fluid is seeping out of its mouth and eye sockets like a Weeper, and its whole skull is surrounded by a faint, weak necromantic flame like the other skellies.

    It seems that since there's no living being anywhere near them, all of their flames have weakened considerably.

    They also notice five peculiar figures walking ahead of the Giant Skellie. They seem to be humanoids, and from looking at their equipment, I'd guess that it's an adventuring party, but a closer look reveals that they're all half-decayed corpses. I assume that something like a Corpse Stealer is possessing them, but it also has to be an undead being because all monsters attack undead on sight, just like they do with humanoids.

    One of the corpse mages raises their staff towards the first Holly, and a storm of sand starts surrounding it, then the sand squeezes my summon, trapping it in a [Sand Coffin] as it's crushed and suffocated.

    Goddamn, they're high-level adventurers.

    I unsummon it, and the other two soon fall to the same spell, so I re-summon them and order them to keep their distance this time.

    "They must've been overconfident due to their experience and died…" Ciel guesses, her tone full of sorrow.

    "It's not a fast monster, so it's possible that they could've escaped if they didn't engage it," Sandoro expands on her reasoning.

    She nods in agreement and steels her mind, letting her heart burn with determination. "Let's avenge those poor souls."



    Just as we're about to reach the patch of dead trees, Alissa senses something coming our way.

    "Dryads," she whispers, feeling nostalgic as she remembers our meeting with Gecynd, but also somewhat wary since she doesn't know who these dryads are.

    Almaria pulls back her control over the vines so that her Life doesn't mix with the dryads, which would be very unpleasant, I've been told.

    Alissa senses three dryads coming from underground, traveling through the roots, then they go up into the nearest tree to us and stop.

    Three spots of bright green moss start to grow on the bark with incredible speed, then a hand pushes out of each patch, as if they were being blocked by a sheet of elastic moss.

    The moss starts to wrap around the hands' shapes like skin, and three bodies appear as the dryads "walk" out of the tree. They quickly regrow their characteristics, revealing that they're actually two males and one female.

    I block the males from my memory since I don't feel like looking at horse cocks, but the woman seems to be the leader, anyway, so I focus entirely on her, and by the Gods, she's stunning.

    Her hair is pulled back and long, composed of straight vines that pour down her back and spread on the forest floor, decorated with cherry blossoms all along its length. Her exposed body is the perfect balance of curvy, sexy, thin, and muscular, but her square jaw and stern gaze tell of a strong personality. Her eyes don't seem to be the "bend over, humanoid" kind, but rather the "we shall fuck" kind.

    "Greetings, Lords of the Ryder family. I'm Cereleia, the guardian of Aloresta," the dryad greets with a slow and measured tone.

    "Greetings, I'm Wolf Ryder," I respond in kind without lowering my head. We can only bow to the Elder Council and the emperor himself now.

    Then the girls introduce themselves, and after that, Almaria and Yunia share a kind, cordial nod with Cereleia since they've already met before.

    "I've come to fight this wretched intruder," Cereleia immediately announces after the introductions are complete.

    I have a quick mental discussion with Yunia to get myself acquainted with dryad diplomacy, then I politely decline, "We wish to fight it ourselves as a test of our abilities."

    Her stern eyes soften, and she gives me an awfully elven, subtle smile. "Ah, I see. That's acceptable, though, from what I heard, you already possess astounding power yourself."

    "We have to put in the work regularly to not get rusty," Hana interjects.

    Cereleia gives her a long and slow nod of approval. "I can't say that I relate to humanoid difficulties, but I do understand the need." Then she turns to me. "After your battle, I'd like to collect your seed, if you'll allow me, to raise strong children for myself, then I'll give you the names of my lovers so that you don't involve them in humanoid disputes."

    Alissa and I share a look. I'm going to fuck this dryad's brains out!



    I like Cereleia's assertiveness, but right now I'm in "Rip and Tear" mode, so I don't let "Ravaging" mode get a hold of me.

    After a very enthusiastic nod from me, the dryads join our group, and we move on together. Almaria continues opening the path ahead of us instead of the dryads since they're known to be lazy, so we don't even bother with asking them.

    After a short walk, we finally reach the patch of dead woods, and the dryads visibly scowl in anger.

    Once we enter the corruption, Ciel and one of the Lordsguard cast [Holy Spirit], and I summon a light elemental-wife so that we can keep the foul air at bay. I also use Patrono's light to its fullest, and it seems to have the strongest effect at combating it.

    Unfortunately, nobody in our Lordsguard knows [Sanctuary], so this will have to do for now.

    Almaria is now visibly struggling because her exposed Life is quite vulnerable to the corruption, so I walk beside her, keeping Patrono above her head.

    "How are you feeling?" I concernedly ask the small elf.

    "Cold… as if I'm bleeding to death, which isn't too far from the truth," she tiredly answers, but then she gives me a small smile. "I'll be fine after some Eia extract drink, though."

    I feel like drinking something high-grade again.

    "Cinco Flores?" I name the more expensive extract that our Eia farms produce.

    She raises her eyebrows in delightful surprise. "I'd go for Unflor, but if you're offering…"

    We smirk for a brief moment, then look ahead again.



    We reach the point where the Officers should be able to see Big Skrellington, so they stop, and we move on ahead of them.

    We put on our helmets and steel our resolve.

    It's show time.

    I leave Patrono with the light elemental-wife and summon another to ease off the corruption from us. Gify stays on the elemental-wife we left behind since she's too "important" to let her precious little soul get harmed by the corruption.

    Gih.

    Shameless.

    The pungent smell of acetone burns our lungs, but I feel like it isn't really too much of a bother. Our natural resistance to the undead seems to have increased by a noticeable amount since the last time we fought one.

    Big Skrellington suddenly stops crawling when it notices our light approaching, and every single skellie turns their empty, white skulls towards us, their vacant eyes staring in our direction in a way that reminds me of the golems.

    We give the signal to the Officers that we were spotted, then Silvano raises the ground around them, creating a platform to keep them all a bit safer. Silvano's [Mana Control] is terrible, so he struggles a bit with using the unfamiliar spell, but the dryads decide to help out and join them on top of it, so his shame doesn't grow too large.

    The skellies don't charge immediately and merely wait in place, forming a wall between us and the Big Skrellington, with the corpse adventurers standing at their front.

    We use the [Fly] enchantment in our armor to slowly float forward above the brittle knots of roots until we find a particularly thick and tall one that we can stand on, then we land on it and observe Skrellington.

    A chilling silence settles in as nobody makes a move, except for us since we still need to breathe.

    "Peculiar…" Alcander mumbles and shares a look with all of the Officers.

    "Why are they not attacking? Are they intelligent?" I question the girls, letting my curiosity overtake my wariness.

    "Assume that all undead we meet are intelligent, or at least powerful enough to survive being cannibalized by the monsters," Ciel answers in a scholarly manner.

    "Ah, that's survivorship bias," I reply with a nod of understanding.

    "Can we communicate with it?" Lina asks a question that gives me pause.

    That undead Dragonoid we met in the Wisps of the Proud dungeon was pretty communicative, though it was filled with relentless bloodlust, so we couldn't have a proper conversation.

    "The undead have mysterious spells and powers. I recommend that we don't try," Ciel cautions us sternly.

    Skrellington's jaw suddenly clacks repeatedly for a brief moment, producing a rather chilling sound that echoes throughout the dead patch of forest. After that, the skellies raise their arms and spread their legs, then they start stomping on the dessicated forest floor in a macabre dance.

    "I believe they might be incapable of talking," I offer a casual guess, and all of the skellies suddenly stop moving.

    I raise an eyebrow, and we all clearly see Skrellington nod at us.

    "Well, shit. It's sapient," I blurt out.

    "That's the first time I've seen a Lord actually try to talk to an undead," Silvano comments with an amused grin.

    Well, nothing is simple in this world.

    "It doesn't change our duty," Ciel grimly reminds me.

    The skellies clack their jaws once and lower their arms, their stance appearing awfully aggressive, perhaps in response to Ciel.

    My researcher instincts tell me to capture Skrellington, but I have no idea how to safely contain it. Also, Ciel is very afraid of the potential for some sort of mental manipulation if I were to interact with it regularly, so there's no easy way for me to get what I want.

    Perhaps questioning a heretic would be more fruitful, but then, it'd be even more dangerous…

    Yunia turns to me, her stern face revealing a hint of disapproval. "There isn't any room for discussion. Their existence is a threat to ours," she asserts.

    "Very well…" I accept the facts and draw my sword. All of the skellies react by lowering their hips slightly, clearly getting themselves ready to break into a sprint. "Let's finish this."



    Alissa immediately fires a [Charge]d arrow at the corpse adventurers, but an [Earth Wall] is quickly raised in response, blocking her arrow from reaching them.

    "Their mage is adept at defending against projectiles," Alissa reports through [Bind].

    All of the over forty skellies charge forward, so I order the golems, "Take care of the skeletons." They quickly fly towards a clearing up ahead to set up a defensive line. Ted and Suzy call out their metal battle bodies, but it's only for defense since they aren't actual melee fighters.

    One of the adventurers casts [Earth Spirit] and [Water Spirit] in quick succession. Surprisingly, the familiars come out looking cute and completely normal, but their movements lack the mischievousness and liveliness that one would normally expect of them.

    Roxanne calls out her own [Water Spirit], looking a bit offended by the fact that such horrific, warped zombies could create a familiar just like she can.

    To increase my max MP, I unsummon all the Shads and Hollys, though I do keep one Holly out. Then I summon five earth elemental-wives and order them to create a raised platform for us. Although the skellies can't easily climb wood, some hard, vertical rock should be nearly impossible for them without some kind of aid.

    We float towards the platform and remain in place on it as we wait for them to get closer. There's no reason for us to charge forward, so we'll just deal with the skellies first.

    Roxanne tries to aim an [Explosion] at the adventurers, but they seem to have a [Dead Zone] enchantment somewhere, so she only manages to partially blow off one of their heads, which quickly regenerates since they're also undead.

    An [Ice Lance] is thrown back at us in response, but Roxanne casts a [Fire Wall] in its path, which completely destroys the spell.

    "I can't do any actual damage to the undead from this range," she reports through [Bind].

    Ciel casts [Judgment], making her glaive glow with a dangerous, white light, and gets ready to fly.

    "Impede their movement," I order the girls through [Bind].

    Roxanne casts [Lava Jet], unleashing the molten, glowing rock from the tip of her staff, and Alissa infuses her arrows with the same spell. They create multiple pools of lava ahead of the charging skellies, but that only briefly slows them down, and it just isn't enough to be worth them wasting more mana on this tactic.

    Alissa switches to [Arrow of Annihilation], which is especially effective against undead, but it doesn't affect an area like an explosive [Fireball] would, so it isn't that great against the thin skellies.

    Ciel uses her armor's [Fly] enchantment to rise up above us and gets ready to swoop down on the approaching enemies.

    The elementals finish the platform and drop down to join the golems, then the skellies enter their range, and they fire large boulders with [Earth Bullet].

    The skellies face their attack without even flinching, and the front row of undead bursts into piles of bones, then their charge quickly collapses as the ones in the back trip on the bones of the broken skellies at the front.

    They quickly start to regenerate, so we only have a moment to finish them off before their charge can start up again.

    "Ciel," I give her the cue through [Bind].

    She swoops down onto the fallen skellies, her golden, glowing glaive slicing cleanly through their forms and completely snuffing out their transparent flames.

    Skrellington lowers its flaming head onto the floor, and the ground cracks, sending out dark purple lines that shoot towards Ciel at a frightening speed.

    She flies back immediately, and bright purple spears burst out of the ground, darting towards her.

    One of them hits the back of her armor, but it doesn't even leave a scratch on it, then the spear bursts into a cloud of noxious gas, and [Rainbow Shield] flares up, repelling the poison.

    A few spears come towards us, and we use [Wind Shield] to divert them, then I summon a wind elemental to keep the poisonous gas away from us.

    Suddenly, the skellies turn around and sprint back to Big Skrellington, and it feels like it's gathering mana, but I think the corruption is interfering with my [Sense Mana], so nobody knows how much is there or what kind of spell it's casting.

    The number of skellies has been reduced to about thirty, so it seems that Ciel's sweep was extremely effective.

    Alissa fires an [Arrow of Annihilation] at Skrellington, but another [Earth Wall] protects it.

    She grumbles in frustration, then casts [Fly] and goes up high enough to get a clear shot. I snort as I realize that [Earth Wall]'s weakness is high ground.

    "We might be able to outlast the undead, but I don't want to bet on it. We need to interrupt that spell," Yunia states firmly.

    I wipe away all the mirth within me, then I nod sternly and agree, "Alright, we're diving in." Then I shout to the golems and elementals, "CHARGE! TAKE CARE OF THE SKELETONS!"

    Hana summons her wings and leads the way, then I put down a [Gate] "coordinate," and everyone follows Hana with their armor's [Fly].

    The corpse adventurers retreat behind the skellies, getting closer to Skrellington.

    Alissa fires another [Arrow of Annihilation], but this time, it's blocked by a [Water Wall], though the spell visibly becomes wild as the caster almost loses control of it.

    She fires a few arrows in rapid succession, then perches herself on a thick branch. Her little barrage grabs the attention of the corpse mages and allows us to approach unmolested.

    "I'll keep the big boy occupied!" Hana shouts through [Bind] and uses [Morph Length] to increase the length of her bastard sword, then follows it up with [Double Strike] as she hits Skrellington's right shoulder, cutting clean through the bone.

    Its bony arm falls off, revealing that it isn't a puppet like the elementals, so joint damage can be effective against it.

    The earth elemental-wives and golems throw huge boulders ahead, opening a hole in the middle of the mass of skellies, then Ciel swoops in and clears out an area for us to land.

    The adventurers face off with us. Four melee fighters against Yunia, Lina, and I, though one of them seems to be an archer without a bow.

    Ciel flies around the clearing, preventing the skellies from swarming our position while the golems and elemental-wives help from at range. There are just so many that Aoi has to watch our back, using both her large body and her halberd to crush any of them that approach our position, though she isn't able to finish them off, so they have enough time to regenerate.

    Roxanne explodes the first fighter, but [Dead Zone] limits the resulting wound to a mere hole in his right thigh. It doesn't seem to need its muscles to move, so it doesn't slow down even slightly from the injury. Now those are actual puppets, their bodies moving entirely by anti-gravity magic alone.

    Roxanne switches to [Ice Lance], but they have [Wind Shield] to protect them from ranged spells, so she decides to attack Skrellington, which is more vulnerable to her spells now that we're closer.

    I summon my tentacles and [Equip] my set of weapons, then I stab at the corpse before me with a spear, but he easily defends himself with his shield and stays just out of reach.

    Yunia fights a spear and shield user and the weak archer by herself, but they don't leave many openings for her to finish them off, fighting very defensively.

    Lina pummels the other spear and shield user, but she isn't overcoming its natural regeneration, though his shield is quickly getting ruined.

    My opponent slashes at my weapons, having to use both his bastard sword and his shield to prevent me from skewering him from all sides.

    The [Holy Spirit] and [Water Spirit] stay with Roxanne, and they try to trap and finish off the skellies, but their offensive power isn't that great, so the girls just keep them on the defensive.

    "They're stalling us!" Yunia anxiously shouts inside my soul space.

    "Full power!" I order, and we stop conserving our MP.

    Lina, Yunia, and I all cast [Searing Blade] at the same time, then we slice through their shields, and their arms fall to the ground, leaving them vulnerable.

    Ciel swoops in, her glowing glaive slicing across their chests, then [Judgment] makes them catch fire.

    Alissa releases a barrage of arrows, but they're all blocked by the mage and their familiars, though their attention is drawn away from us for a moment.

    Roxanne uses all of her [Mana Control] to instant cast a huge area spell. "[Firestorm]!" She releases it instantly, and the fighters are drowned in a wide sphere of ravaging fire, their [Dead Zone] apparently no longer usable, probably only present on one of the shields on the floor.

    The corpse mage interrupts the spell, so Alissa fires a few [Charge]d arrows in response, and three of them get past their defenses now that their mage is distracted.

    Skrellington's large, flaming skull falls to the ground, severed from its spine, but the damned undead still manages to complete its spell.

    From the cracks on the floor, large, thick, decidedly not lewd purple tentacles burst out. Some of them get zapped by Alissa's [Charge]d arrows that trigger a second later, getting stunned by the spell, but the rest immediately dive in our direction, aiming to crush us.

    Giant saw blades decorated with intricate elven patterns and controlled by the golems slice cleanly through most of the attacking tentacles, but they leave two untouched that they couldn't reach with their single strike.

    I stretch my soul as much as I can around us and anchor them to the ground, then I harden my soul and cover its surface with dragon scales, then I cast [Discharge].

    The tentacles smash through my soul shield, and I feel my head going light from the pain as the corruption attacks my spirit, but the attack has been completely stopped in its tracks, and the tentacles are now stunned.

    Not one of my best ideas…

    Ciel slices through one while Lina flies up to get the other, then the corpse adventurers lunge forward towards me, their half-charred bodies flaking away, revealing their white skeletons underneath.

    Their tenacity enrages me, clearing my head and freeing me from my daze, then I strike them with my tentacles and cast [Heal], making them burst into dust, though they aren't completely destroyed just yet.

    "I'll finish this one!" Yunia shouts inside my soul space.

    With the way now clear, she charges forward, boosted by her armor's [Rush], and uses her righteous fury to dice up the corpse mage into bits.

    The purple tentacles retreat back down to the ground, then I see them wrapping themselves around Skrellington, reconnecting the limbs that Hana had destroyed.

    Motherfucker!

    Roxanne casts [Firestorm] on the remains of the adventurers, finally releasing them from their torment, though Yunia feels like their spirits might still be lingering.

    "FINISH IT!" I shout through [Bind].

    I take Aoi's place, and Lina and I protect Roxanne while the rest of the girls attack Skrellington.

    Hana assaults the back of its neck, furiously slicing her way through the tentacles to prevent its head from reconnecting.

    I crush skulls with my mace and sweep through their bodies with my halberd, taking multiple skellies with each strike, but they keep regenerating and coming right back at us. Though I know that their energy isn't endless, I don't want to wait and see how long they can last.

    The earth elementals reach us, led by Jarn as her multitude of arms crush skulls with ease. They form a protective wall with their bodies, and the number of skellies finally starts to diminish.

    Suddenly, Roxanne, Aoi, Yunia and I feel a chill go down our spines. We can't sense the mana, but something tells us that Skrellington is spending a lot of whatever powers it has on something.

    My eyes are drawn towards the skull, then my vision blurs.

    The flame!

    Hana's and Yunia's [Rainbow Shield]s flare up, and they groan in pain as their HP is quickly drained away at about five points per second.

    "[EXPLOSION]!" Roxanne releases her spell boosted by [Rainbow Crystal], and Skrellington's head splits open, spreading rotten purple meat everywhere and snuffing out the flame. Thankfully, there's no blood, but the corruption skyrockets as the air is filled with noxious fumes.

    "DON'T LET IT REGENERATE!" I order the girls, and everyone ignores the skellies in favor of attacking Skrellington.

    Hana activates [Draconic Body], her entire right arm growing scales that are currently hidden by her armor, but the most significant change is that her "Strength" is also increased.

    She sheathes her sword, then grabs the spinal vertebra peeking out of its stump and rips it out with her bare hands.

    Yunia flies towards her and slices apart the spinal cord, making it easier for Hana to rip the disks out.

    Lina hacks her way through a shoulder, completely severing it from the rest of the body, then she immediately goes to work on the other.

    Aoi spreads her flames, burning up every last piece of purple meat she can find.

    Alissa fires [Arrow of Annihilation] at its joints, preventing it from slapping Hana and Yunia with its gigantic hands.

    "JARN, GIVE ME FOUR AXES!" I order, and she obeys without any hesitation. She [Equips] them, then throws them a bit too fast for me to smoothly handle, so I have to scramble to pick them up with my tentacles.

    Once I've wielded them properly, I fly towards Skrellington and spin, raking through the purple tentacles like huge draconic claws, exposing the white bone underneath again.

    GET FUCKED, YOU SON OF A BITCH!

    Aoi follows behind me, spreading fire everywhere and cauterizing the openings, then Ciel comes in with the finisher, her [Judgment]-infused glaive annihilating both the tentacles and the bones.

    We cough and gasp for air as our HP continues to drop, so everyone makes a pit stop by Ciel or the [Holy Spirit] to top themselves off on health again.

    Skrellington's resistance quickly fades away as its body is quartered, then we retreat, and Roxanne unleashes another [Firestorm], this one swallowing it completely.

    As it burns, we clean up the skellies, then we gather back together again to catch our breaths while the air elemental cleans away the noxious gas from the area. Yunia immediately comes over to me and uses [Spirit Touch] to heal my wounded soul, alleviating my pain.

    After another half a minute, Skrellington's presence fades away, and Aoi levels up.

    "Raaawwr!" She roars victoriously, and we cheer along with her.

    I take my helmet and gauntlets off, then I give the girls a proud smile, "Amazing work, everyone. It was a tough battle, but we achieved a complete victory." Then I turn to the golems. "And I'm very impressed with you three. Your quick-thinking saved us from a difficult position."

    Ted and Suzy store their battle bodies, revealing the original dolls, which are completely intact.

    "We've fulfilled our purpose," Ted starts.

    "But we'll never stop our growth," Suzy follows.

    "We'll forever search for ways to serve you better," Jarn finishes.

    "Well, I believe I speak for everyone when I say that we're glad to have you here," Ciel happily declares, then she snatches Ted from the air and hugs her tight against her armor.

    Once my soul is properly healed again, we return to the Officers.

    Everyone's a bit speechless, simply too overwhelmed to ask us any questions about the fight. Silvano's triumphant grin is a bit creepy, though.

    "Impressive," Cereleia coos in wonder, the only one who still has their wits about them. "So many instant-cast spells… I can't believe that you're all magic swordsmen. It must be the so-called Gift that you're believed to possess." Her high-cheekbones give her a noble air, and the gentle amusement of her expression is such a good fit to enhance her beauty. She's not the "step on me" kind of woman, so she definitely looks much better smiling than looking stern.

    Yunia's reply is categorical, though her tone is clearly soft and respectful to the dryad, "We can't confirm or deny it to you, but we'll answer any questions that the Officers may have for us once we're back at the castle."

    "Lords and their secrets…" Cereleia hums as she grins.

    Almaria holds back a snort as she recovers from her stunned state. "As if you were any different," she wryly accuses the dryad.

    Cereleia lets out low chuckles, her hair flowers rustling from the movement of her shoulders. "I won't deny that it's slightly vexing having to deal with others as equals," she casually admits.

    We approach the platform, and Silvano creates a ramp for them to come down.

    "Let's get out of the corruption before we continue our talk," Sandoro hurriedly suggests.

    But Cereleia interjects, her gaze gently falling on me, "Before you leave, I wish to acquire your seed immediately. Your performance has made me very excited."

    Both Yunia and Lina nudge me internally, forcing me to "negotiate" a bit.

    I grin at Cereleia, somewhat enjoying the words that I'm about to say, "My seed has value, not only to you, but also to many humanoids. Therefore, it's a tremendous waste to give it freely."

    She opens her eyes wide in surprise and shares an amused look with the other dryads. "Normally, the opportunity of sex with a dryad is enough to convince humanoids to share, but what would you like in return, then?"

    "Knowledge. I want to know who lives here in the forest and where they settle. I'm searching for heretics, specifically."

    She frowns concernedly. "I don't have a way to discern your 'heretics' or those marked as Wicked from the common humanoid."

    I smile kindly to reassure her. "Then just provide whatever details you can tell us about who settles in here and where they are."

    She slowly looks to each dryad, and they both nod at her, so she turns back to me and returns the smile. "Acceptable, if you also agree to share your seed regularly," she adds with a cheeky tone.

    I shrug. "We can iron out the details later."

    At that, she nods energetically. "Certainly. Do you wish to do it here, outside the corruption, or somewhere that you'd say is more 'comfortable'?" She suggests with a slow, sexy, deliberate tone.

    "Here is fine, I'll just pull out my bed."

    Cereleia nods slowly and motions back to the path Almaria made. "Please, lead the way."



    As we walk, Hana approaches Cereleia with an excited look in her eyes. "Do you mind if I join you two?" She asks with as much politeness as she can muster, which isn't a lot.

    Cereleia hesitates for a moment, slightly confused. "Don't you want a male for yourself?"

    "No male, ever. Only Wolfy," Hana confidently states, bringing a smile to my lips.

    But Cereleia's confusion lingers. "I see… I guess it could work?"

    Now it's Hana who frowns in confusion. "You've never had a threesome?"

    It seems like the two are almost worlds apart as Cereleia only becomes more confused.

    "A three-… two females at the same time?" She incredulously asks, and her eyes fly between Hana and me as she imagines something. "I can't see how that works since there's not enough penises for the holes at play."

    Hana snorts loudly and asks suggestively, "Well, you saw Wolfy's tentacles…?"

    Realization finally dawns on the dryad. "Oh~… that could work, yes."



    After leaving the corruption zone, we all pass through some intense, anti-undead [Spirit Light] cleansing, finally clearing our noses of the hellish smell of acetone, then I pull out a huge spare bed.

    "May I watch?" Silvano politely asks, his pretty, feminine face smiling with a tinge of anticipation.

    "Since Hana is participating, no man can watch, only women," I sternly state, and his smile instantly turns upside down.

    Sandoro immediately replies, his tone sounding very stiff, "Then, we'll return to the castle."

    "I'll… stay at a good distance away to give you some privacy," Alcander adds with the same tone. He can't leave us alone here, so he has to wait for us.

    "Call for the priests to exorcise this area. The twisted spirits are still lingering nearby," Sai informs Sandoro.

    "You're staying?" He asks her reflexively

    "Yes," she shyly replies, her pale, cute face turning slightly pink.

    Romy and three other female Lordsguard remain while everyone else leaves through Alcander's [Gate], then the poor man is forced to hide behind a tree and simply wait.

    Now that there aren't any naked male dryads in sight anymore, my mood improves quite a lot.

    The golems pull out a table and chairs for the girls while Alissa serves them tea. They're all mildly interested in seeing how this will go.

    Ciel takes some tea and cookies to Alcander for him to snack on as a sort of apology.

    Hana and I un[Equip] our armor and underclothes, leaving us in just our white underwear. As clothing goes, they aren't really sexy, so we immediately take them off too, leaving us both completely naked.

    Cereleia's eyes scan over both of our bodies, and she seems very satisfied with what she sees.

    She sits down on the bed and spreads her thick legs apart, revealing her already wet flower to me, and I sense a faint flowery smell coming from her. Hana and I both smell of sweat right now, but I heard that dryads actually enjoy that quite a lot, so we don't bother with casting a deep [Clean] on ourselves.

    I make my dragonator instantly become hard, then I inflate it because I know that dryads really like big ones, and it quickly becomes a true meat club. Cereleia reacts with a soft chuckle and a sensual lick of her lips.

    I approach her and let my shaft press against her entrance while I grab her juicy breasts with my claws and squeeze them, then we both let out a moan of delight and chuckle softly together.

    Her bright green skin is made of actual moss, so it feels somewhat crumbly under my touch, but her breasts feel like thin balloons filled with water. I give them both a few more squeezes, then I let a sucker on each of my draconic palms latch onto her dark green nipples.

    I hear some faint female giggles echo through the forest, then Alissa senses more dryads coming closer to watch.

    I lean forward and steal the dryad's lips. The texture of her skin is a bit rough and tingly, but her saliva is thick, sticky, and tastes like honey.

    Our mouths open, and a thick, slimy tongue immediately invades past my lips. It's texture is rough, but its touch causes my tongue to tingle, and it's so muscular and long that it easily plays around with my own.

    I feel like I'm on the other side of my spirit touch, melting in her grasp through my tongue, but I force myself to break the kiss so that Hana can get her share, too.

    I catch my breath and look down at my sticky, wet shaft. Foreplay? The dryads have no idea what that is.

    Hana squeezes one of Cereleia's breasts, whose left hand immediately goes for Hana's pussy, teaching her about how the dryad's hand also has a tingly touch, which quickly makes her legs go weak.

    I underestimated the Gods-know-how-old being with more sexual experience than I could ever imagine. She's an apex sexual predator.

    I line up my cock, using the tip to spread her lips apart, and her sticky juices make a lewd sound. Then I grab her legs, pulling them up and apart to spread her open a bit more, and thrust.

    HNGHH….!

    I see stars as pleasure floods my body and mind alike through my dick. My thrust comes to a stop when my cock hits her cervix, but then I cum inside her as the stimulation that her vagina gives me is simply too great. I'm almost entirely incapable of understanding what's going on, but my researcher instincts grant me enough focus to analyze my situation and discover the secret of her pussy.

    Her entire vagina was designed for the sole purpose of extracting cum, with every millimetri covered in tiny, smooth spheres that rhythmically massage my cock. The stimulation is focused primarily on my sensitive head, using some incredibly subtle tingles of pain to greatly multiply any pleasure I feel.

    Roxanne finally recognizes the smell of her pussy as an aphrodisiac, and I don't even have to try to stay hard as I absorb magical viagra through my magical dick.

    Hana breaks their kiss first, panting hard as her legs continue to shake from Cereleia's fingers, whose hand has bent in a way that would be impossible for normal humanoids so that she can reach deeper, gradually increasing the number of fingers she plunges inside.

    I move my hips back and cum again, my legs shaking as I struggle to remain standing.

    "Do you want me to get on top of you to make it easier on your legs?" Cereleia asks mischievously, smiling smugly at how easily she's sapping me of my physical stamina.

    She just made a big mistake. She has wounded the pride of the dragon inside of me, and that wound gives me anger, which is the primary fuel for my draconic tenacity. Now I feel an irresistible urge to fully dominate her.

    I growl and grit my teeth as I thrust again, but this time, I don't cum, and she lets out a long, sensual moan.

    Hana grabs her face again and forces her tongue past her lips, then I see Cereleia's entire hand gradually forcing itself into Hana's pussy.

    The dryad's vine hair starts to climb up both of our bodies, and its soft caress almost makes me cum again, so I growl harder, putting more effort into not cumming than I put into the fight we were just in.

    The vines grab Hana's arms and tie them behind her back, then they wrap around her body like shibari, sensually squeezing all of her parts. They run up my chest and wrap around my neck, then they continue up along my cheeks and tie themselves around my horns.

    "You think I'm a fucking horse?!" I growl angrily, working myself into a berserking rage.

    "Be a good boy and follow my lead," she taunts cheekily, her smugness sounding so very elven right now.

    I grab her waist to stabilize myself as I pull back until only the tip remains inside of her. "YOU CHALLENGE US?!" I roar, my entire body flexing to free myself from her intoxicating pleasure.

    She teasingly pulls on my horns, but that only makes me even angrier.

    Hana's back suddenly becomes covered in emerald scales as she activates [Draconic Body], also fighting for her life to remain in control of herself.

    "YOU DARE CHALLENGE DRAGONS?!" Hana roars, grabbing Cereleia by the throat, then she shoves a finger up the dryad's asshole, making her flinch and release a soft, sensual moan.

    "YEAH, FUCK HER!" Aoi earnestly cheers us on.

    Cereleia tightens the vines around my neck, which are now slightly choking me, but that's nothing to a dragon, so I just shrug it off.

    I enhance the texture of my cock, making it continuously shift between each of the patterns that I know every few seconds, then I add a slight spin to it.

    "Ah… yes… exquisite…" Cereleia approves, pleased with our combined effort.

    I feel Hana's finger pressing against the tip of my cock, and the dryad softly shudders, then Hana's rage floods into me. She can't fuck the dryad like I can, so she'll give me all of her life energy so that I can survive this battle and emerge victorious.

    I extend a tentacle and attach it to Cereleia's clit and slip another inside her that touches her g-spot, then I vibrate everything and add my spirit touch.

    "Uhgh~…!" Cereleia gasps, then her body seizes up, and even her pussy stops moving.

    I thrust inside her again, and she weakly squeaks.

    What…?

    Cereleia stops moving her hand inside Hana, and I feel her legs starting to shiver.

    Holy shit.

    I pull out and prepare a long stroke.

    "What… how…?" Cereleia moans weakly with her eyes wide open in confusion and fright, but she doesn't try to stop me.

    "Hahahaha. This is the power of the dragon!" I shout with a maniacal laugh, then I give her a second-long thrust.

    "ANNNGH~…!" She squeaks, her composure completely broken.

    "Gih!" Gify shouts in realization.

    "HAHAHAH!" Hana laughs out loud, and I quickly give her [Soul Manipulation] too so that we can gang up on the haughty dryad.

    "Angh… angh… angh…" She squeaks with every thrust, her composure utterly destroyed, her mouth limply gaped, and her tongue hanging out.

    Hana kisses her to prevent even a single drop of her honeyed saliva from going to waste as the mind-broken dryad starts to mindlessly drool.

    Her vines loosen, then completely fall off of our bodies.

    I flood her depths with cum every few seconds, steadily draining my MP, but from the way Cereleia's shaking, she's clearly overwhelmed with a continuous orgasm.

    Like nature spirits, Dryads are very vulnerable to [Spirit Magic], which means that they're also vulnerable to my spirit cock!

    The female dryads stop giggling, and the forest is filled with murmurs that carry both confusion and awe with them.

    Cereleia's insides quiver, and her legs reflexively try to close together, but I keep her spread open for me. I'm going to continue fucking her until she completely passes out!

    Hana pushes two fingers into her asshole so deeply that she can actually help massage my cock whenever I pull back. And with that, Cereleia's eyes roll up into her skull, leaving only their whites visible.

    We've completely dominated her.



    I slide out of the completely filled dryad, and we let her unconscious body fall back on the bed, her pussy oozing a river of cum.

    A small female dryad emerges from a tree and shyly walks towards us. "We need to bring her back into the network," she whispers, her frightened eyes glancing at my dragonator, which is still covered in my cum and whatever juice it was that Cereleia squirted onto us.

    Network…?

    I keep the question to myself and nod cordially as I take a step back, then Aoi comes over and starts draining the last of my MP, but I don't let her finish me off since I still need some of it.

    Hana stretches her body and happily moans, now refreshed from the amazing fuck we just had.

    The small dryad lifts Cereleia with impressive ease and carries her to the nearest tree, which they both "sink" into.

    I turn to the girls and order, "Bring Alcander back. I want to take a hot bath immediately." Then I turn to Alissa and grin. Her time has come.



    Intermission 23 – Romy



    After we're dismissed, I put on my casual clothes and go to the recreation lounge to relax for a bit.

    The boys are playing cards while the girls are braiding each others' hair. Well… the elves dressed as boys are playing, and the elves dressed as girls are braiding. Sometimes, these mustch elves really annoy me with their cross-dressing.

    One of the girls, an actual girl, shouts out to me as I approach, "Hey, Romy! How was the expedition?"

    I grin and become giddy as I anticipate telling them about it. "Fucking amazing. You'd never see anything as impressive as that, even in the Arena," I reply excitedly.

    "Did you get fucked?" The girl asks with a raised eyebrow.

    I chuckle softly and announce to everyone, "No, but someone did… the Lord fucked a dryad unconscious!"

    "What the fuck… magic dick again?" One of the imperial boys asks out loud.

    "Yeah. He knows some crazy technique that left the dryad completely helpless."

    "Man, that's actually scary. Didn't he fuck a bunch of Root Lords, too?" One of the weredog boys asks, his tail tucked between his nice ass in fear.

    "Magic dick," the imperial answers matter-of-factly.

    "He doesn't fuck men, right?" One of the elven boys-dressed-as-girls asks tentatively.

    "No. None of the Queens do, either, except when it comes to him…" I answer with a serious tone. You really don't fuck with the wives of a jealous dragon, so everyone needs to know this simple fact very well.

    "If I let him lay with my wife, will I get a position in the Companions?" One of the elven boys innocently asks.

    "If the King is smart, he'll let the Commander handle all of the recruiting for the Companions," one of the veteran elven boys answers seriously, and nearly everyone nods their head in agreement. It's easy to let your judgment get clouded when you're fucking your own men, and that ruins morale pretty quickly, so the Royals are simply too close to us to fairly give us promotions.

    "Didn't the Commander keep his wife from attending the Lordship Ceremony?" The weredog boy lightens the mood, earning a few chuckles from us.

    "He doesn't need to lay with the Royals to prove his loyalty," the elven veteran wryly replies.

    "I mean, loyalty is loyalty, so maybe he'll see it as 'commitment' to the Lordship if I let the King lay with my wife," the "innocent" elf speculates.

    The imperial boy looks at him incredulously. "Wait, what the fuck, are you serious?"

    "I'll never let him meet my wife," the weredog boy mumbles.

    "What?" The lewd elf hums.

    "Why would you let him fuck your wife?" The imperial presses him.

    The lewd elf shrugs. "I mean, he quite literally has a magic dick, doesn't he? It'd be an incredible experience for my wife, like a gift."

    "Wow…" The non-elven boys hum and whistle amazement.

    "Fucking elves…" Another mutters.

    "I wish he fucked men…" Another male elf whispers.

    I turn to the lewd elf and interrogate him, "Why do you want to become part of the Companions? I hope you aren't planning to spy on the Queens."

    He shakes his head energetically as he denies emphatically, a bit taken aback, "No, no, no, nothing like that…" -Then he suddenly smiles a bit awkwardly- "The truth is… do you think he'd mind if I drank the semen he'd leave in my wife? The Chimeras say that it's incredibly tasty."

    "That's only because it's magical and they're… basically magical beings," the veteran calmly answers, not finding the true wishes of the lewd elf to be weird at all.

    Then the talk continues on about the King's dick, and both elf and non-elf theorize together about the sexual secrets of the Royals. For once, the two sides seem to fully mingle, without any reservations holding them back.

    Well, would you look at that? A cock to unite us all.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Copey Dunt.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
  12. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    The maids deftly wipe my body and cast [Clean], then they use [Fireball] to quickly dry my hair. They seem to have fully grasped how to avoid cutting themselves on my scales and claws.

    I take a step forward and stand in the beam of light pouring down from the glass ceiling, and my scales shine blindingly, polished so perfectly that I could use them as a mirror to reflect upon my incredible handsomeness and virility.

    I look straight ahead, and my thick tail stands up in attention as I notice the divine beauty watching me with hungry, orange eyes. Her shoulder-length, almost orange hair seems to sparkle from both its silkiness and its moisture. Her fluffy fox ears point upwards in both attention and alertness, but her lazily wagging tail reveals the true feeling that lies within her heart: mischief.

    She takes a step forward, and her juicy, supple breasts jiggle, immediately drawing my attention to them, almost as if it was all a deliberate distraction, then my eyes are drawn further downwards, past her fit abs, and towards her orange landing strip that contrasts with her pale skin. Nostalgic memories of that small, tight place arouse me, and my dragonator arms itself on its own.

    We both walk to the side at the same time, moving towards a comfortable and lavish bed that's waiting just for us, and the maids light incenses around it, which release a stimulating flowery scent that helps to narrow my mind's focus onto my goal: Ravaging Alissa.

    My cheeky fox comes up to me and puts her delicate hands on my athletic chest, feeling the firmness of my muscles, but then, like the mischievous fox she is, she suddenly grabs my shoulders and pushes me down onto the bed.

    I could've easily used my tail to keep my balance, but I let myself gracefully fall backwards and simply smirk at her, my cock twitching in anticipation.

    She jumps onto the bed, her face now only a few centimetri from my weapon, then she grabs the tip of my tail and gently pulls it back behind her. It lacks my scales, which exposes the black, leathery skin found underneath them, making it a very useful "toy." She stops when it touches her asshole, then a maid with oiled hands strokes my tail's tip sensually, triggering my need to penetrate.

    When the maid finishes her job, I push it inside Alissa, and it slides in with ease before it becomes too thick to go any deeper.

    "Ahn~…" She lets out a soft, delighted moan, and my lonely dick twitches again, calling for her attention.

    She grins and opens her mouth, showing her little red tongue, then she gives my head a lick, making me grit my teeth in anger as I hold back my desire to bury her head onto my cock. Dragons don't have much resistance to teasing, it seems.

    Reading my mind, she suddenly swallows it whole, deepthroating it all the way until her lips reach its base, then her hands grab my balls and massage them. I feel like closing my legs since the sensitive jewels fear the touch of anything foreign, but like whenever I have a sharp-toothed, mean-looking dragon or fox swallowing my cock, the fear acts as further stimulation, enhancing my pleasure.

    She chokes and gargles on my head, slowly bobbing up and down, her intense stare into my eyes seeming like a challenge posed to my self-control.

    When the pleasure starts to build up, she suddenly stops, frustrating me so much that I growl and claw at the bed, cutting through the sheets and digging into the mattress, but she doesn't even have the decency to look apologetic as she gives me some of my own medicine, smirking and giggling like a naughty girl while her fluffy tail wildly wags behind her.

    She straightens her back and comes closer to me, then she drops her waist down against mine, pushing my meat rod against my stomach with her pussy, but she doesn't wait there and savor being on top of me. Instead, she grinds her hips, letting out soft, enthralling moans that quickly cool my anger.

    My shaft, wet with her saliva, becomes sticky with her juices and glistens in the light, then she moves her hips a bit too far forward, and I twitch my weapon up. As she pulls her hips back, my flexible cock slides in, and she squeaks, her body shivering with pleasure.

    I press my tail and cock together, making her toes curl, but I quickly stop there to give her room to do what she wants.

    She stops for a moment to catch her breath, then she lifts her knees, getting into a squatting position, and her mischievous smirk comes back.

    My arms blur as they're drawn to her ass, giving it a loud smack, and she jumps in surprise, squeaking softly again.

    I mirror her smirk and tightly grip her round ass, then I lift her hips up so high that she's almost standing, yet my cock is still inside her since I've elongated it.

    Then I let her hips fall with a long, powerful stroke, which ends in a slam against my crotch.

    "Ahn~…!" She moans sensually, her voice echoing throughout the wide, tall bath hall.

    I lift her up, and drop her again.

    "Hngh…!" I growl as I suddenly cum. It really doesn't take much to make me cum anymore.

    I lift her up, and my white seed drips down along my long, long rod, then I drop her again.

    "Yes~…!" She shouts in ecstasy as an orgasm hits her, her legs quivering and drained of energy while it courses through her body.

    I lift her up, and she convulses, obviously still sensitive, then I drop her, and she's immediately overcome with another orgasm.

    I force my tail deeper into her, and she moans loudly, her voice cracking from the mind-numbing pleasure, then I extend a tentacle to her tail, and pull strongly on its base.

    "AAAH!" She squeaks, and another orgasm hits her, coming on so quickly and strongly that it bleeds through [Bind], and I flood her depths again.

    I lift her up, and drop her again.

    "Harder!" She angrily demands.

    I lift her up, and drop her again, and again, and again.

    "HARDER!"

    We both orgasm every few strokes, but her own desire to be impaled on me only increases.

    Her hands grab my chest, and her nails dig into my skin as she becomes so cock-crazed that she recovers some of the strength in her legs, then she moves in sync with me, escalating the impact of her impalement.

    "Hngrrr…" She grits her teeth and growls like an animal as another orgasm rages through her body, and we smirk at each other for a moment as we catch our breaths, then I slam her down again.

    She isn't alone anymore in having an untamable creature inside her heart, influencing her to surrender to her instincts, so, for once, she fully releases her inhibitions, letting the wild fox take full control of her desire to mate.

    But she isn't a dragon, and while her mind is willing, her body grows battered and bruised. Both her nails and my claws dig into our skin, drawing blood; her hips and my crotch hurt even more with each impact; the reddened areas of skin swell as they threaten to bruise; and even our abused sexual organs beg for us to stop.

    Her strength finally runs out, and she collapses on top of me, so I hug her with my padded, scaly arms and rest her head on my chest so that we can let the fire within us die down.

    My long cock shrinks and withdraws from her hole, letting my precious cum ooze out, but Poosh is there to collect it for Aoi, who's a bit too busy right now to come over and claim it personally.

    Once both of our fuck organs are properly cleaned, I [Heal] us both, then I get up and carry Alissa to the bath.

    I carefully walk down the steps and enter the hot water, then I sit down on the jiggly, jelly-like bench and lower Alissa onto my lap.

    She curls up and rests her head against my chest again, then she closes her eyes.

    I find it really cute how her fox ears still remain perked up, probably so that she can catch any sounds of danger while she sleeps.

    I gently caress her head with my padded claws, giving her a light, pleasant tickle, and close my eyes, too.

    The battle was exciting, and the dragon is quite happy now, but the human is tired. I do have more energy than I did before, but my tolerance for violence hasn't increased that significantly, so I feel a bit drained, in both senses of the word.

    As if she could read my mind, Poosh appears behind me and kindly offers, "Your Highness, would you care for a massage?"

    "Yes, please."

    She kneels down on the floor, and her experienced hands immediately go to work. Poosh's attentiveness might be my favorite thing about her, the second being the inside of her vagina.



    After Alissa's had a good nap and my stress has melted away in the hot bath, we both get out, and we unfortunately have to part ways since we each have our own business to attend to.

    Poosh opens the door for me, and I enter the meeting room, now fully dressed and refreshed, then the Officers stand to greet me and bow.

    I wave my hand, and they sit down, then I sit in the biggest chair.

    "Let the meeting begin," I immediately announce and give everyone a glance. "Does anyone have any questions related to the battle you witnessed?"

    "Your Highness, did you… touch Cereleia's spirit with your own?" Almaria asks, sounding slightly concerned.

    It actually surprises me that this is the first question she asks. "Yes, I did. It only causes pleasure, but it was unusually potent for her, for some reason. Why do you ask?"

    "Well…" Almaria adjusts her glasses, trying to find the correct words to broach this topic tactfully. "There's a ritual among Dryads that is used when humanoids want to 'marry' a Dryad and become their permanent lover. It involves having sex while bleeding profusely, and it's said that this allows their spirits to 'touch' through their blood, which gives them both mind-shattering pleasure."

    I blink blankly for a long moment.

    "Did I accidentally marry Cereleia?" I blurt out.

    Almaria awkwardly adjusts her glasses again and looks down at the table. "I don't know… but perhaps you did, in a way…" Then she looks at me with increasing worry.

    I facepalm and sigh. "We'll… have to talk this out with Cereleia the next time we meet, then. She didn't give me the names of her lovers, after all."

    "I still remember them, and they aren't anyone important to the Lordship, so it's incredibly unlikely that we'll ever cross paths," she assures me.

    I sit up straight and point out, "We also have to set up a way to regularly communicate with her if she's to send the reports to me."

    "Understood, I'll get on it." And she nods obediently.

    Sai and Silvano seem very amused, while the rest are neutral, though they could just be hiding their emotions.

    "About your Gift…" Sandoro starts, and I give them a rough outline of what we can do. It was for this exact moment that we required them to become Blood Slaves because it wouldn't be possible or even smart to keep my Gift a secret from the High Officers with us needing to fight together regularly.

    "I see…" Sandoro hums then thinks for a moment before starting his analysis, "I noticed how you all seemed to use a wide variety of spells, but none of them, save for [Explosion], seemed to have a lot of 'Magical Power.' You have a lot of power, yes, but it still lacks the impact that an average Lord can bring onto a battlefield, though their power will never grow to be as deep or as diverse as yours due to your Gift, your Highness."

    And Alcander immediately follows up, "However, we should be able to cast something big if we use [Ritualism]. If I understand it right, you prefer to keep a varied set of low-level skills instead of focusing on one, correct?"

    I nod in agreement and explain myself, "Precisely. I can use spells up to level fifty, and the girls can go even higher if they have the skill points for it, but they don't have as many as me or Lina since they've had more time to level their skills than we have."

    Silvano is quick to grasp the mechanics of my Gift and immediately voices a question, "Why do you keep leveling skills? Just suppress all level ups and accumulate enough points to push any skill to the maximum level at will."

    But I already have an answer to that, "Leveling the skills gives us more knowledge and power than what just moving our points around can provide us. Think of it like a shortcut. It doesn't tell us how to navigate our skills, so when we have to be creative, we can't since the only thing we know is the shortcut and we never deviated from it."

    He narrows his eyes and hums, pondering upon my words, "Hm… I guess it makes sense, though your Gift doesn't seem to make that much sense, to begin with." And I smile wryly while he grins.

    Then Alcander wastes no more time and slyly suggests, "I think it's a good idea to start doing combat exercises with the Lordsguard so that they can get used to your 'unusual' fighting style."

    Sandoro comes in to support, "I agree. None of your Highnesses fit within our units, except for Grand Hanafuria, perhaps, so I believe you'll need to learn how to fight around your men. They certainly don't have anywhere near the same versatility as you do."

    I get where they're going with this, so I give them a subtle smile, then turn to Silvano and follow up with, "Sounds like a great opportunity to train with you, Sir Silvano. You also seem to have a very 'unusual' fighting style, or so I've heard."

    "That sounds…" Silvano mumbles, very suspicious of what we're aiming for, but we give him a stern front, pressing him into acceptance. "Like a good idea," he relents, albeit a bit skeptical.

    Alcander smirks as the bait has worked perfectly, then he returns to being stoic and points out, "It seems that our greatest weakness will be Lord-level magical combat since we don't have enough High Mages to counter most other Lords."

    Silvano immediately forgets about the trap we just laid for him and presents a counterpoint with a grin, "But we can definitely compensate with ingenuity." However, Alcander definitely doesn't agree with him.

    "If anything, your Highnesses have shown exactly that," Sai sides with Silvano, giving me a brief, warm smile.

    Alcander narrows his eyes at her, and his tone becomes stiff as he retorts, "Still, warfare is as much tried and true methods as it is ingenuity, so I hope that we'll all work diligently to gain what we're missing…" Then his eyes turn to me.

    I smile kindly, disarming his tension, and calmly reply, "We know the imperial mana training routine, so that's what we'll be doing every morning from now on."

    Everyone's eyes widen, and they shift uncomfortably in their seats, except for Poosh, who merely smiles in a motherly way like usual as she doesn't have a single idea about what we're talking about.

    "Ooh~… Not even my Lords knew that," Silvano coos and grins.

    "And I also know [Godly Language]," I casually complete the combo with a smirk.

    Alcander's face twitches and a vein bulges on his forehead. "As expected of your Highness…" He grumbles through gritted teeth, and I'd bet that he's trying to hold back his desire to shout out about how ridiculous we are.

    "Of course, we'll be sharing this technique with all of you," I announce, and they breathe in loudly, their demeanors changing from surprise to excitement in an instant.

    After showing them how stupidly simple it is, they chuckle in disbelief.

    "This is the oh, so secret and coveted, secret imperial secret technique that's so secretive that they secretly threaten all those who secretly discover it?!" Silvano exclaims, his voice rapidly increasing in pitch along the way, then he turns his eyes on Alcander, who just shrugs and chuckles.

    "Don't look at me, I knew absolutely nothing about it before today," Alcander remarks with a smirk.

    But it's Almaria who seems to have the strongest reaction to the revelation. She just stares down at her hands, her droopy eyes looking dead and lifeless.

    "Madame Almaria…?" Poosh kindly prods her, concerned about her speechlessness.

    "I bled so much…" Almaria mumbles, and the pain in her voice gives us all pause. "So much effort to gain my mana… so much work when I could've just been meditating this entire time…" She raises her head and gives me a creepy stare again. "Thank you, your Highness, for easing our burden."

    "You're welcome…" I stiffly reply, not sure how to properly comfort her right now.



    After that, we go through a few more light topics, then they report that the room for the [Otherworldly Summoning] experiment will be ready tomorrow.

    Once the meeting is over, Yunia comes in with a gentle smile on her face and sits down beside me as the other Officers get up and bow, then they all leave, except for Almaria.

    "I never knew you had [Acting]," Yunia teasingly comments as she pulls out a bottle of Cinco Flores.

    "Ah~…!" Almaria squeaks in surprise as she sees the bottle, her face brightening up for just a split second, then she returns to acting depressed again.

    "I see it's only at level one," I follow up and pull out a set of small shot glasses. It's funny that elves actually use glass for alcohol instead of wood, but that's only because it's the best vessel for drinking Eia.

    Almaria suddenly chuckles and stops playing around. "I was actually sad, but only for a little while," she explains herself in embarrassment.

    Yunia uncorks the bottle, and the sickeningly sweet smell of the extract makes me rather excited. My body gets all tingly just from smelling it, and I feel like my "Sanity" has increased by a point as my vision becomes subtly more vivid.

    Yunia pours out a finger of Eia, which is considerably more than the few drops I had last time, then they both turn to me.

    "He doesn't have our resistance to Eia, so…" Yunia insinuates with a teasing smile.

    "You'll have quite a lot of fun with this one, your Highness," Almaria assures me with a kind smile.

    Yunia casts [Spirit Light] and pushes it towards the point between us, then we all grab our glasses and lift them up to let the light bless them, the elven version of a toast.

    The shadows that the glasses cast on the table actually include a faint rainbow due to the magical light, and that's a testament to the quality of the extract.

    We down our glasses, and a multitude of flavors caresses my tongue. First comes chocolate, then, surprisingly, I recognize coffee, making me feel extremely nostalgic, then the flavor of peanuts rises, up followed by a subtle taste of cherry, and the last flavor of fig comes in to complete the quintet of flavors. These are the famous five spices, but this doesn't mean that they have coffee or chocolate, it's just that the flower plus the extract forms the flavours.

    My tongue starts to go numb, so I swallow, then my vision goes blurry and warps, as if I had just summoned something, and all of my senses become heightened, including my control over my body, but it actually requires more mental effort for me to move like this. This is the downside of Eia: like with using any body-enhancement skill that doesn't consume mana, they make you mentally exhausted, instead.

    Then my "third eye" opens, and I start to see Life. All around me are hundreds of little white dots, the plants growing on the castle itself. They move around in an organized manner, like white cars driving around an incredibly complex network of invisible roads, or at least, invisible to me because Yunia can see how they all connect.

    "Is 'Life' information? Why do the plants keep sharing it around?" I suddenly blurt out, my inhibitions becoming loosened as the weed reaches my brain and makes me relax.

    Yunia smiles amiably at me and scholarly answers, "It's 'interaction.' Every living being shares some Life whenever they 'interact,' so, in a place full of immobile plants, these 'interactions' look like a network."

    I chuckle as I look around and mumble, "I still have no idea what the fuck 'Life' actually is. Is it the same as the Tale of Creation's 'Life'?"

    "No, the Tale's 'Life' is the Original Life, which became what we now call mana," Ciel quickly chimes in through [Bind].

    "The Tale's 'Life' has evolved into mana. What we now call 'Life' is what separates us from 'objects,' it's what makes us 'entities,'" Almaria answers, resting her head on her hand as she stares at me amusedly.

    "So, like, it's what makes us different from 'inanimate' objects?"

    Almaria nods slowly. "Exactly that. If you're alive, you have 'Life' within you."

    I narrow my eyes and stare at Yunia's Life, which is slowly moving between her, Almaria, and me. Each ball of "Life" seems to be a different size, which is curious. "Can you quantify 'Life'?"

    Yunia shrugs and answers casually, "Perhaps. We can see it, and it varies in size, so yes, we can."

    But that's not good enough for me, "Though not with certainty, it seems." And I raise my eyes to look at them. "There are no Life 'units,' right? Like, MP has its units, or you can measure liquids with cups, or weigh things with stones, but there's no 'unit' for Life?"

    Almaria slowly shakes her head. "I don't think so. We can create a measurement unit that uses sight alone, but it would definitely be imprecise."

    With that, I theorize further, "We could compare the measured Life to a standard being, like the average amount of Life in an Eia plant."

    But Almaria already has a counterpoint, "That's been done in the past, but everyone's sense of Life is different, and the 'size' of the 'interactions' even change with how much Eia you take regularly, so it's only useful if you're measuring Life fairly often, like a researcher does."

    "Huh…" I hum as my brain processes that, then I immediately swerve on a tangent, "Hey, do the golems have Life?"

    Yunia chuckles, and Almaria calmly answers, "They do, though it isn't as dynamic as yours."

    "And a Thread of Fate?"

    "Yes."

    "So I can say that I've already given birth to a new life form?"

    Almaria raises her eyebrows and glances at Yunia. "That's an extremely curious phrasing," she remarks bemusedly.

    "Is 'Life' intelligence? Do bacteria have 'Life'? What about ants or other insects?" I rapidly fire off questions as my mouth gains will of its own.

    Almaria frowns in confusion and asks, "What's 'bacteria'?"

    Yunia shakes her head while smiling subtly and tiredly answers, "Micro entities, and yes, ants and other insects also have Life, though it's so small that even Almaria has trouble detecting it."

    And then I shoot off yet another question, my brain going into overdrive, "Everything that has Life also has a soul and a Thread?"

    "Yes," they answer in unison.

    "Then why do dead spirits have their Threads cut? What does it mean to be 'dead'?"

    Yunia shrugs. "Ask Ciel, that's not really my area of expertise."

    And my angel's voice immediately echoes within my soul space, "'Death' means that you've reached the end of your time in this realm, and you must now return to the Cycle, like all things should. The undead exist outside of this Cycle, which disrupts it, and that is why they must be eliminated."

    "Are you talking through 'telepathy'?" Almaria quietly asks, noticing the awkward silence.

    "Yes, we are," Yunia whispers back.

    I frown and cross my arms in confusion. "Wait, don't dryads live forever? How are they not undead, then?"

    And Almaria immediately answers, concerned that my opinion of dryads might suddenly do a 180, "They constantly change over time, and at some point, the Cereleia we knew would no longer be the same being, having become someone else."

    I don't even dwell on it for a second, instantly accepting her answer, and immediately go for another question, "Do insects go to Paradise?"

    "I don't know, nobody does," Ciel kindly answers through [Bind].

    "This is rather amusing, your Highness," Almaria quietly comments to Yunia with a chuckle.

    "His scholarly curiosity is sometimes endearing," she fondly admits.

    I get up and walk over to a flower, then I touch it, and a white blob of my "Life" is sent towards it.

    "What controls the 'direction' that Life travels in?" I inquire in a scholarly tone.

    "The initiator," Almaria loudly replies, then she whispers something to Yunia, but I'm too distracted to make it out.

    "And the intensity of the sharing?"

    "The intensity of the interaction," Yunia answers this time, and they both giggle.

    I crush the leaf with my hand and observe a larger blob of Life going towards it, then the little plant's Life becomes weaker, making me feel sad, so I cast [Regeneration] and [Grow] on it to return it to its previous state of glory.

    "How do plants 'interact' with each other? I don't remember there being any kind of meaningful 'connection' between them," I ponder.

    "What…?" Almaria squeaks and waits for Yunia's answer.

    My loving elven wife is definitely happy to answer all of my questions, "Plants interact magically all the time, and they also occasionally interact physically when their roots touch. The plants we have in here are literally living off of the nutrients in the castle's wood, so they're constantly interacting with it."

    "Oh~…" I hum in wonder.

    Alissa nudges me to sit down again and let the two talk before I blurt out something that's hard for them to explain.

    "Did we answer all of your questions, your Highness?" Almaria asks amusedly.

    I nod happily like a good child. "Yes. Thank you."

    And she lowers her head respectfully with a wide smile, then the two friends turn to each other.

    Yunia sighs and relaxes as she brings the conversation onto something more casual, "So, how are you doing lately, Almaria?"

    The bookish woman grins and answers amiably, "I'm happy to be back at work. There's no other job as rewarding as serving a Lord."

    Yunia nods, pleased with her answer, and points out, "You'll also be the instructor for our children."

    And Almaria gladly answers, "I'll be looking forward to it. I still remember holding you as a baby. You were so adorable back then."

    Yunia is unfazed by the teasing, merely raising an eyebrow and questioning, "'Were'?"

    "Now you're a beautiful woman, so your adorableness has been replaced with something better."

    Yunia smiles smugly and pours out another shot, though she only gives me a quarter of what they're drinking.

    "What about you two? How are you adapting to being a Lord," Almaria returns the question.

    "Swimmingly," I answer with a grin.

    "That is…?" Almaria turns to Yunia for an explanation.

    "Without a problem, that goes for both of us," she translates for me.

    And I immediately blurt out, "Only because we're all together. I used to actively avoid nobility, and I'd shiver at the idea of becoming a Lord one day."

    Almaria takes a sip as she warmly asks, "And Yulania made you change your mind?"

    "Of course I did," Yunia proudly replies.

    I give my golden elf a loving look and whisper, "I'm so grateful that we were brought together."

    Almaria chuckles softly at our flirting, then she looks down at her glass while she ponders and takes another sip. "I'm honestly excited about the future," she shyly confesses, then raises her droopy eyes to meet ours, and I recognize the determination blooming within them. "My children have already grown up, and I have nothing left undone, so I'll always be ready to serve you until the end."

    Yunia suddenly gets up and walks over to Almaria, then she sits down in the chair beside hers and grabs her hand. "And I'm honored to have you here," she affirms with conviction.

    Then Almaria turns to me. "I believe in your vision for the future."



    Over the rest of the afternoon, we have a casual talk about the future and our dreams, then we gradually shift topics to the present and our hopes, followed by another shift towards the past and what we want to change.

    The extract makes me quite giggly and relaxed, renewing my energies and clearing my head of doubts. I've always thought about doing something like LSD because of the supposed benefits it has for mental health, and it seems that Eia has a somewhat similar effect, though it obviously doesn't make me trip like LSD would.

    Once bath time comes, I only take a quick dip since I'm already clean, and instead, I dedicate my time to playing with the girls.

    Osaria and Klein get the most attention this time since they've been working quite hard and need some "stress-relief." There always seems to be someone wanting to get our attention who doesn't really need it, and my elven milf has been dealing with these sorts of people while working closely with the Mayor.

    She always has my singing bird with her, so I know for certain that the fool only has eyes for Yunia.

    I'm already becoming quite possessive of Osaria. And I'm not sure if she enjoys that, so I'd better watch myself.

    Then I realize something.

    Osaria and I are so close, yet she doesn't appear in the "Companions" tab of my Gift. Why is that? Roxanne and Ciel appeared in there immediately after we had sex, but not Osaria, so what's so different about her?

    I feel uncomfortable just thinking that it might be because she doesn't love me enough, but then I remember that I'm the one who asked her to be a concubine instead of a wife.

    Perhaps it's because I've never relied on her like I have with the girls.



    Dinner is more Kibbeh, a lot more, and we devour it all with a ravenous hunger. Alissa is definitely ashamed of how much she enjoys it, but Aoi and I gorge on it unabashedly with grins of delight.

    "Wolfy needs to eat a lot of meat to grow big and strong," Roxanne subtly teases and grins.

    "Dad's mostly vegetarian, though," Klein comments innocently.

    "Meat is more efficient at helping you to gain muscle," Lina retorts matter-of-factly.

    "But you can't eat too much fat, or you'll… get fat," I add with a wry smile.

    Then we continue talking about food and nutrition, causing Roxanne's grin to dull and fade away as her teasing is ignored and turned into a learning opportunity instead.



    We spend another evening together in our large, comfy bedroom.

    It seems that the last remnants of the party/orgy down in the town have finally fizzled out. Hana and Lina are a bit disappointed that it only lasted for such a short time, but in Yunia's opinion, its duration was still fairly impressive.

    Aoi has started forging sheets of metal and tubes, all made by hand, claws, and her own fire breath, giving them a very mild Fire-attunement. They're pretty thick and take a lot of effort to make, so she's still far from making a portable rifle. Perhaps they could be used for a cannon, but the Trinity Cannons that the Chimeras can build are simply superior in every way.

    The important thing, though, is that she now has some scrap metal she can use, and I come up with two ideas for some fun projects.

    The first one is an air hockey table, for which we use the smoothest sheet she was able to make, then we get earth elemental-wives and the golems to drill holes for the air to flow through. It's a tedious process, so I'm glad that we can rely on them to do it for us.

    Then I feel some shame as the Brazilian within me complains that I've forgotten about our national table sport: pebolim, or, as it's known around the world, table football.

    This one is even easier to make, so we drop the air hockey project and go for table football first. Aoi's steel tubes are perfect for this, and it doesn't even take us half an hour to build a wooden table for it.

    The game is easy to intuitively understand, but the girls feel a little awkward about the fact that there's no interaction with their opponent.

    Hana crosses her arms, bunching up her naked balloons, and frowns as she asks, "I can't even grab their bars?"

    I shake my head with a wry smile.

    "No locking of their men with ours?" Yunia asks disapprovingly as she notices how the little players are all too far from one another to actually do that.

    "Nope," I hum.

    Osaria gives me a curious look as she questions, "What about that 'foot-ball' game that you said inspired this? Why do they only use their feet?"

    I shrug. "Well, it's just a rule to make the game more interesting. If you could use your hands, then you could just hug the ball and run, forcing someone to tackle you to get the ball back, and they want someone to instead use their skill and coordination with their feet to get past their opponents, not just brute strength."

    "Can't even punch their heads?" Lina quietly asks, only a sliver of hope in her voice, but it's promptly squashed by my slow head shake.

    "Sounds like a Lady's sport," Alissa comments and shares a look with Osaria, who nods in agreement, then they share a smirk.

    "Created by someone with a foot fetish," Roxanne adds, giving me a teasing smile, then she brings her long, pale legs towards me as alluringly as she can and spreads her cute, delicious little toes apart.

    I reflexively start massaging them and kissing the top of her feet. My foot fetishes are decidedly human and have gone ignored and unfulfilled for quite a while.

    "Hm…" Ciel mumbles absentmindedly as she imagines a team of lolis playing football.

    "I think it's okay," Aoi casually comments, drawing confused looks from everyone. "It's different, and it needs more than just strength, for once."

    It could be Aoi's human side talking here, pushing her to be more reasonable, and though the girls understand, they don't really agree.

    "Gih," Gify suggests, and Ciel giggles girlishly as she imagines the plush dolls fighting for the ball.

    I also get a bit giddy as I imagine the incredible cuteness of that scene and reply with a wry smile, "Maybe, like, a half-time show where we could let the spirits play around and look cute, but I don't know if they'd agree to something like that."

    "Oh, that'd definitely mark it as a Lady's sport," Osaria amusedly remarks. Ladies love nature spirits.

    "Perhaps you'd enjoy Greco-Roman wrestling a bit more?" Ted suddenly suggests to the other girls.

    "Wrestling? That 'wimpy' sport where they don't even punch each other?" Hana immediately retorts and scoffs.

    "Two oiled men wrestling with the goal of being the one on top," Suzy continues without wasting a heartbeat.

    "Wearing minimal clothing," Jarn releases the final bomb, and it grabs everyone's attention. Even Lina's…

    My little angel has been corrupted, too!

    Though Hana seems to become confused at the description. "Isn't that just sex?"

    "No genitals are purposely touched," Ted answers matter-of-factly.

    "Boooring!" Hana exclaims and starts playing around with the football table.

    "No, no. That sounds very exciting," Alissa disagrees, her voice full of wonder as her mind imagines all the possibilities.

    Roxanne agrees, but her voice is cut off by a moan as I suck on her cute little toes.

    Then Osaria swallows heavily, clearly imagining the same things as Alissa. "Wolfy…" She shyly starts with a pleading tone and takes a second to properly organize her thoughts. "Would you mind if we saw a match of this 'Gre-co-Ro-man' wrestling?" She tentatively asks.

    I feel a bit awkward about this request, but I can't let the jealous dragon have its way. "It's a 'sport,' so I wouldn't mind. If you want to see men actually fucking, I wouldn't really mind, but I admit that it would trigger a bit of my jealousy," I confess.

    Since I want the elves to accept the Chimera free-spirited culture, it means that it'll be difficult for the girls to avoid seeing these sorts of things.

    "We just need to tease him in moderation," Roxanne whispers evilly, and I stop licking her feet to narrow my eyes at her dangerously.

    "My 'tolerance' for such things has been really low lately," I warn her, and she clamps her mouth shut before I decide to abuse her pussy some more.

    It's a bit funny that they're so used to hurting each other while playing that a sport as "wimpy" as football sounds utterly foreign to them.

    American "handegg" and rugby seem like they'd be right at home in this world, though, especially among dragonkin and dwarves. Maybe even the elves would enjoy having a bunch of angry, dirty, sweaty men sprinting around in tight shorts as they fight over a ball.



    Everyone gets to play table football, and Alissa and Klein quickly rise to the top due to their superior reflexes. I end up in third with Yunia in fourth, though that's only because she refused to use [Precognition]. Hana is fifth, followed by Ciel, Lina, Aoi, Roxanne, and finally Osaria.

    She doesn't show it, but Klein has some pretty good reflexes and "Dexterity." The bow is definitely her fated weapon with how easily her [Bow Use] keeps up with her level now that she's getting a steady stream of Experience.

    The golems are the only ones who can truly compete with Alissa. Their focus and kinetic vision are very impressive, but they're like NPCs since they lack true variety in their play style, making it possible for us to find strategies that can counter them completely.

    We eventually finish making the air hockey table, too, and Lina enchants it with some Wind magic that blows air up through the holes of the sheet. It works pretty well, and Hana rises to the top of the scoreboard with her nearly impenetrable defense. I think her [Block] and [Parry] might actually be activating to help her with this game.

    I'm having a lot more fun with these games than I ever did with cards, but the time for us to sleep soon comes, so we begrudgingly stop playing for the night.



    Today is the 14th, An, day of Wind. Alissa once said that she avoids hunting birds on this day of the day-cycle because they're just too fast, and Yunia also commented about how the wind chimes are louder than usual.

    I'm woken up by human-Aoi. Her beautiful, dual-colored eyes staring hungrily at me. Her dragon side must have noticed that she hasn't been getting as much semen lately, so she's hungrier than usual.



    I increased my [Ekrano Style], [Soul Manipulation], and [Mana Body] by 1 (now 4, 9, and 4).

    Alissa increased her [Illusion Magic] by 1 (now 1+14). She has finally finished learning Nocturna's [Mesmerizing Butterflies] and is now focusing on both [Daydreaming] and [Sleep]. She's also accelerating Hana's learning of [Illusion Magic] by sharing some of her knowledge, which has the added bonus of giving Alissa a bit of feedback about her own blindspots.

    Roxanne increased her [Reduced Mana Cost] and [Space Magic] by 1 (now 20+5 and 3+12) due to her use of [Explosion] yesterday.

    Hana increased her [Draconic Body] by 1 (now 6), which took one of her free points from [Spear Use], and I suspect that her use of it to resist the Dryad's touch contributed almost as much towards its level up as our fight with Big Skrellington did.

    Ciel increased her [Glaive Use], [Dodge], and [Wind Magic] by 1 (now 1+29, 4+11, and 15+25). She was one of the most physically active among us during yesterday's fight, so it's no surprise that she leveled up a lot of skills.

    Lina increased her [Hammer Use] and [Axe Use] by 1 (now 5+25 and 10+15). Trying to desperately hack her way through her enemies gave her a nice boost of experience.

    Aoi leveled up to 39, and her "Piety" increased by 1 (now 7). It seems that her experience with Big Skrellington has made her into a fervent proponent for the indiscriminate purging of anything related to the undead.

    Yunia is the only one of us who didn't level up a skill since she didn't actually do anything particularly strenuous other than butchering Big Skrellington's spine, and she's definitely suppressing the learning of any skills as crass as [Dismantling].



    For breakfast, we have a savory french toast with cooked beans, a Rabanarian meal.

    I drink my cup of Tonique tea and sigh. The taste of coffee I enjoyed yesterday has rekindled my desire for a cup of hot, Arabica espresso with Chantilly on top. Ah… how I miss mocha, or even just some simple drip coffee with milk and chocolate cookies.

    Oh, no. Stop, brain, stop! Please!

    My melancholy quickly grows so deep that I have to eat a whole bar of chocolate to get myself to stop wishing for what I can't have.

    Out of all things that I miss from Earth, coffee is definitely near the top. Chocolate used to be the number one on that list, but now I just have to wait until Rande brings me back my Cocoa, so it's very easy for me to contain my thirst for chocolate with delayed gratification.

    "It's fine to drink a bit of Cinco Flores if you miss the taste that much," Yunia kindly advises me.

    "'Cinco Flores'?!" Osaria breathes, and it comes out a little more enthusiastic than how she intended, so she clears her throat and looks down to her plate in embarrassment.

    I can't say no to my milf, so I pull out the bottle and some glasses from yesterday, then I uncork it as I smile lovingly at her.

    Osaria licks her lips and takes a shot glass, then she whispers, "If you'll excuse me." And disappears under the table.

    Suddenly, something pulls down my thin, elven shorts, exposing my dragonator, then something warm and slick clamps down around it, and it starts to hungrily milk me.

    In less than a minute of that, I unleash into Osaria's mouth with a big, explosive cumshot, though she doesn't swallow it right away. Instead, she spits it out into her glass, then she returns to her seat and pushes the cum-filled glass towards me.

    "A finger, please," she innocently asks with a shameless smile.

    Osaria's habit of flavoring sweet food with my cum infects the other girls, and I cum a few times into their mouths, then everyone, except for me, takes a shot of "Flores e Gozzada."

    "This is really good…" Human-Aoi mumbles in wonder, having found the perfect side dish for her meal: my virile, draconic semen.



    The setting for our morning training is a purple Wisteria grove in our private garden. The faint, sweet scent of this variety of Wisteria makes for a nice change from the usual musky smell of elven architecture.

    It's shaded and secluded here, so we all go naked to enjoy the fresh breeze that blows through the grove.

    Suddenly, one of the maids walks in, a more "well-trained" one that doesn't even bat an eye at our nakedness.

    She bows and keeps her head low as she reports, "Your Highness, there's a Companion called Hukarere that wishes to meet with you."

    Yeah, today's going to be a "blowjob day," it seems. Wait, why is she asking for permission?

    I composedly respond, "Hukarere can visit us at any time. She should also have permission to enter the High Leaves."

    "Understood, your Highness," the maid politely replies and straightens her back, then she leaves the grove.

    I put some points in [Reo Language], then my white wolf barges in, a wide grin on her pretty muzzle, and I notice that she's wearing a simple necklace with a transparent gem, her spirit's "home." She immediately advances towards me and throws herself at my cock, snout first.

    "I missed you…!" She exclaims, almost whimpering like a dog.

    "Me or my cock?" I ask coldly.

    She gives me her best puppy eyes and plays with my member. "Why not both?" She cutely replies.

    I stop teasing her and let the mask slip, revealing a warm smile. "Alright… I missed you too, by the way. How's the training going?" Then I pat her furred head lovingly.

    "[Enemy has appeared. Goblins at west]," she reports in Andraste with a heavy accent, then she deepthroats me, and her eyes roll up as she delights in my taste.

    I moan softly and praise her, "Your pronunciation is pretty good given how little time you've had to learn it."

    She loudly sucks me off for a few more seconds, then momentarily stops to add, "I don't have a system anymore, but I think that I must have still learned the language skill due to how fast I'm improving."

    I rub my chin in thought and use [Sense Soul] on her, but I still can't make any sense of where the skills are located, making me wish that I had more time to improve this skill. "Hm… That's interesting. Perhaps the system's 'menu' is related to your Thread, which has been cut, but the learning of skills might be related to something else that's still functioning normally."

    She gives my head a long lick. "It'll be pretty convenient for us if that's the case." Then she brings her mouth down onto my cock again.

    "Yes, it will."

    She makes me cum once, then she swallows and stops for now. She sits up, looking me straight in the eye, and removes her necklace, then hands it to me.

    "Can I stay with you for today? I'd like to go on an adventure." Then she suddenly gasps and awkwardly lowers her head, her pointy ears going flat, "Ah! I mean, if that's what you have planned for today," she hurriedly adds.

    I smile warmly and pat her head reassuringly. "Sure. We'll be doing a secret experiment after lunch, so you won't be able to tell anyone about it."

    "Ooh~…" She howls quietly in wonder, then she resumes milking me.

    Ciel suddenly chimes in, "How's Ririmu? We haven't seen him since we left the dungeon."

    They carry on a casual, friendly conversation while we train, and I reward Hukarere multiple times over the morning.



    For lunch, we have Kibbeh once again, this time with a slightly different seasoning, and I promise the girls that I won't ask for it every day. Hukarere likes it a lot, but she still can't eat that much, especially after swallowing a whole meal's worth of cum.

    Then the oh, so awaited time finally comes: the [Otherworldly Summoning] experiment.

    Since this is such an important event, everyone is present to help us with it.

    We enter the chosen room and confirm that all of the Officers are already present. Almaria is just finishing up drawing a decagram in her own blood for [Disruption Field]; Alcander and Silvano are testing an emellanat cage that they forged together; and Sai is testing her [Soul Blade] on Sandoro, successfully interrupting his [Fireball]. Poosh and Hukarere will only be observing, having been given explicit orders to not do anything besides running away since they're the least able to defend themselves in case shit hits the fan.

    Alissa will focus on observing my mind and reporting what she sees; Roxanne will join the mages and try to interrupt the spell, if possible; Hana will hold the emellanat manacles and chains, ready to put them on me at a moment's notice in case things go wrong; Ciel is our healer on duty; Lina and Aoi don't have anything specific to do, so they'll be responsible for the emellanat cage; Yunia will join Sai in slicing through my spirit if nothing else works; and the golems and Gify will join Poosh and Hukarere as mere observers.

    I stand in the middle of the room, and the human inside of me cringes at the thought of everyone ganging up on me to interrupt the spell.

    "Let's rehearse it a few times before we do it for real," Ciel kindly suggests, and I suppress the urge to whimper.

    Hana is definitely going to enjoy giving me a little taste of pain.



    The Officers plus Roxanne can interrupt anything I cast, but in case they can't handle it, the manacles can also do the job, though they'll melt if I use all of my MP. Unfortunately, the emellanat cage only works when I cast something outside of my body, but Sai and Yunia can instantly make me go unconscious as a last resort.

    In the end, the ultimate interrupter is Almaria's [Disruption Field], though it's so powerful that it can even damage my HP, but it won't actually kill me that quickly or easily.

    It hurts so much that even the dragon complains, and I need a few minutes of recharging in Ciel's bosom while I play with Alissa's ears and tail before I'm ready for the real thing.

    For once, I actually like being cute as the pitying eyes from the female side make me feel loved and comforted.

    Once I feel refreshed, I stand up and adjust my elven vest. "Alright, let's do this."

    Everyone gets into position, and the tension in the air skyrockets as our demeanor becomes absolutely serious.

    We go through one last readiness check, and I announce, "I'm casting it." Then I press the button inside my soul space.

    My vision goes dark, and I lose all the feeling in my body, but I'm still perfectly conscious and able to reach the girls through [Bind]. It's like [Infuse], which puts me in a "soul-building UI," though this one is completely dark.

    A few tense seconds pass, my MP constantly draining into the spell while we wait, then I see a white dot, then another, and another, and then they start gaining colors.

    Like a rain of colored paint falling onto water, the dots start to morph and spread, turning into lines and shapes in an instant. They create an abstract picture, but my pattern-addicted monkey brain insists that there's something there, I just don't know what it is.

    Suddenly, half my vision goes dark, and the process starts again in this new "half." A few moments later, my vision is split yet again, now divided into three parts, and a third abstract painting is brought to life before my eyes.

    The splitting continues on in a radial pattern, looking like a blooming, rainbow-colored flower with each petal growing in as yet another painting on its own. However, this splitting continues on endlessly, and the petals soon become so small that I can't make them out anymore.

    The entire room is completely silent as Alissa reports what I'm seeing. Nobody has any idea about what's going on, and they're too wary to ask any questions right now.

    "The mana feels incredibly 'odd,'" Silvano is the first to speak, his tone completely devoid of humor for once.

    "It truly feels 'otherworldly,'" Almaria adds with the same tone.

    "It scares me," Ciel somberly shares, and her [Holy Spirit] nods cutely.

    Then my vision starts to warp, as if I'm looking through a fisheye lense, and the "flower" gradually shrinks down until it's merely a dot in a black abyss.

    Suddenly, another dot appears beside the "flower," but it seems to be mostly red with some black and yellows mixed in, then another dot appears, this one mostly blue, followed by hundreds of dots appearing almost instantly, all arranged in a grid with each one in a different color of the rainbow. Some of them don't even seem to have a "color," giving me strange, creepy feelings whenever I focus on one of those.

    Are these worlds? Or the so-called "Cycles"?

    There are so many that I can't even see them all, and after I try to "shift" my view, I learn that I can move "up" and "down" to see even more of them, as if I were staring into the contents of a folder inside a computer.

    I search for one that doesn't give me any creepy vibes and "focus" on it, but then I just get a deepening feeling of "incongruity"… no, "incompatibility."

    Then my MP runs out, and I'm kicked out from the "Folder of Cycles."



    Roxanne hands me one of her special MP potions, and I drink it eagerly.

    "[What the fuck was that]?!" Hukarere exclaims in Reo.

    "Is it over?" Silvano warily asks, his pretty face as serious as Yunia's.

    "My MP ran out," I casually reply to calm them down.

    "[That's exactly what we're trying to understand]," Roxanne replies to Hukarere with a cheeky smile.

    "[Divines take me…]," Hukarere mumbles in awe.

    When I look over at Poosh, her horrified expression makes me feel a bit guilty and sad. I don't want to make her worry, but I guess it was inevitable.

    "That was definitely the most unique mana I've ever sensed," Almaria comments, her tone still wary. She has [Sense Mana] at level 25, so she can sense a lot of details and nuance in the mana I exude.

    "I felt the unmistakable flavor of [Space Magic], like a strong spice in a flavorful dish," Alcander ponders with a smirk, quickly relaxing now that the danger has passed.

    "It reminds me of [Golemancy]'s [Infuse], somehow," Roxanne chimes in.

    "Gih," Gify clarifies that the two spells have some small part in common, but they aren't really that similar when taken as a whole.

    "Maybe they share an 'abstract concept'? Something about being 'cold and calculating,'" Roxanne wonders, and Gify nods in agreement.

    Yunia turns to Almaria, the only one present who can give a proper description of my mana. "Can you describe it in more detail?"

    Almaria's eyes lose focus as she thinks carefully, her tired gaze gradually becoming creepier until she suddenly starts speaking as fast as she can, her mouth trying its best to keep up with her brain, "It felt as if you were exposing the muscles beneath the skin in a dissection of reality, your eyes peering at something that you don't have permission to see, looking towards an invisible door that leads to things beyond our understanding. This spell was made by someone who could see as far as the Gods can."

    Damn, that's a bit… dramatic.

    "I definitely felt the 'lack of permission' aspect," Ciel agrees, though she's a bit conflicted about the "See as far as the Gods" part.

    "Perhaps this is why the Gods don't want any others to have access to it," Alissa speculates.

    That suggestion suddenly gives me an idea. "What if the other Cycles and realms have their own Humanoid Gods, and they don't like it when the people of our realm can disturb their land?" I wonder.

    Ciel instinctively believes this to be true, which worries her quite a bit. "The realms in our Cycle are said to be similar to ours, but other Cycles can be anything imaginable, so it makes sense that some of them could be like that," she rationalizes her intuition.

    "Didn't the Gods say that it's impossible to travel between realms or Cycles?" Alissa questions her.

    Ciel is taken off-guard and hesitates to answer. "They… well, I don't remember the exact Message, so we'll have to do some research," she admits, feeling a bit of shame.

    "It'd seem extremely suspicious to Teresina if we suddenly asked her about it," Yunia points out.

    "How about Arantos? Your adoptive father?" I kindly ask Ciel, looking forward to meeting the chubby old man again.

    Ciel blushes since she's a bit embarrassed about me blatantly calling Arantos her father. "I'm sure he'll agree to help us in secret, so I'll ask him about it when we next see him."

    "Now, could you explain to us exactly what this spell is all about?" Sandoro asks rather sternly. Almaria's description of the spell's mana has made him rather apprehensive.

    I clear my throat and start the explanation, "It's a spell from [Summoning Magic] called [Otherworldly Summoning], and I believe that it allowed me to see the other Cycles and their realms, though I couldn't find any among them that seem 'similar' to ours. It's like they're just lifeless 'shapes' full of energy and chaos."

    Ciel agrees with my assessment and expands on it, "The purpose of the God of Creation is just 'to create,' not 'to give life,' so it makes sense that most Cycles are like that. The Gods of Creation and Destruction have been fighting for an unknowable length of time, so there could be uncountable Cycles in existence, and they could even be increasing in number as we speak."

    "Are you trying to find our Cycle or something similar?" Sandoro cautiously questions.

    I shake my head and wave my hand dismissively as I answer, "I'm just exploring, so not necessarily, but it'd be very interesting if I did find it."

    "What about these other Cycles, can you 'summon' anything from them?" Silvano earnestly questions.

    I shrug and explain, "I haven't really tried that, but I get the feeling that they're 'incompatible' whenever I try to look deeper into them."

    And then Ciel sagely expands on my words again, "These realms could be the remnants of the battle of the Gods, just like The Everlasting Storm is. I don't think there's anything 'good' that you could summon from them."

    Poosh shivers in fear and suddenly asks, "Have any of you seen the Storm?" Her tone uncharacteristically grim.

    But only negative replies come from our mouths.

    She whispers as she reminisces, her tone full of awe, "It's monumental, humbling, and deadly to even approach."

    "Yeah…" -I awkwardly scratch my horn with a claw- "I'm definitely going to leave those dangerous Cycles alone."

    "You're doing it again?" Sai asks concernedly, her eyebrows knitting in worry.

    I nod and smile guiltily. "I need to understand more about this spell and why it's so dangerous. We'll also have to replace it with another spell so that no summoner ever learns about this spell again."

    "The Moons shield us from the unknown," Alcander quietly prays, surprising Ciel that he knows such an obscure prayer.

    Silvano sighs and runs a hand through his silver, silky long hair. "Well, I knew things would be 'interesting,' but this is something completely unexpected," he comments with a wry smile.

    "Remember that the Goddess of Knowledge herself told me that this spell is extremely dangerous, so don't ever think about replicating it," I warn him sternly.

    He lifts his hand in surrender and closes his eyes. "I know, I know."

    I nod in acknowledgment, then I turn to the other Officers. "Alright. Once my MP is full, we'll do it again."



    The "Folder of Cycles" really does seem to be endless, and I don't even have a "scrolling bar" to speed things up or to help orient myself in regards to where I am in the vast grid.

    That whole process of "painting" the first Cycle doesn't happen again, though, and the spell immediately sends me right back to where I was previously, so at least I don't have to restart the "search" every time I cast it.

    As time passes, the tension fades and everyone relaxes somewhat, but nobody drops their guard. Alissa is still acting as the main observer, and she only needs to say the word for everyone to pounce on me.

    After a few hours of scrolling through, I get the intuition that the Cycles are gradually changing, though I can't describe it more clearly than that.

    My body starts to get weary from being drained and refilled with mana multiple times, but it seems that my resistance to Overuse has increased a bit thanks to [Mana Body], so this experiment takes a good part of our afternoon before I decide to end it.

    Poosh sighs in relief as the last bit of worry leaves her body. She was definitely the most tense of us all.

    Unfortunately, this isn't the last time she'll have to go through this. I turn to the Officers again and announce, "We'll be doing this experiment again many more times, so put it in your schedule, though we'll be a bit busy once we start visiting the parents of my wives. Perhaps we should replace our regular meetings with the experiment to make use of the occasion since we're all gathered together anyway.

    "It shall be done, your Highness," Sandoro diligently replies with a bow.

    The Officers don't have anything super urgent to do since most of their job is training their underlings, so it's not that hard for them to make room for regular experiments.



    We all disperse and make use of the rest of our afternoon. I go to a dungeon with Ciel, Hukarere, Sir Palo, Oritiki, and some of the Lordsguard for a combat exercise; Alissa talks with Almaria and Sandoro about getting the smiths and mages to build the table football and air hockey games for the rest of the Lordsguard; Lina and Hana go out to find someone to commercialize my creations; Roxanne and Aoi work on making a bullet for the rifle; Yunia goes to see our newest Quartermaster, Istante, who previously worked for Confiel, after which, my Queen also visits Osaria and Mimi to see how their work is going.

    The Space mages open a [Gate] that takes us to the Stinky Goblins dungeon, somewhere near the nest of those very same goblins, which we have to exterminate.

    We're inside a dark, rocky cave that spirals down underground. Lina feels nostalgic as she observes it all through my eyes, seeing the damp, mossy cave full of weird mushrooms and even weirder, alien-looking plants.

    The sound of trickling water is constant here as the humidity and rain from above seeps down into the dungeon, the soft earth of the High Forest being extremely good at letting water flow through.

    "Mages! Lane!" Palo shouts, his echoing voice drawing the attention of the goblins, but we were just going to wait for their charge, anyway.

    The Earth mages create a patch of dry, stable, and flat ground for us and clear the area of plants so that we'll have a perfect shot on the goblins once they get near.

    "Formation 'Spiked Shield'! BOWS!" Palo commands, his dashing, white grin visible even from under his barbute.

    The men pull out enchanted longbows and rest their shields against their legs.

    "SKREEEE!"

    "GYAAH!"

    The goblins' screams of rage echo from within the oppressive darkness ahead as they notice that humanoids are nearby, their guttural shrieks grating on my royal ears.

    The Lordsguard are trained in all sorts of weapons because they have the levels for it, though they aren't particularly strong at any of them, so they could lose to an experienced adventurer in a one-on-one. Duels are the specialty of knights, while the strength of the Lordsguard lies in their teamwork, and the high availability of Eia pills and [Weaverism] makes the elven Lordsguard the strongest out of the entire Empire. As a unit, only the Nemesis squad of monster killers or the Templars could compete with them.

    Before we can even see the goblins, we start smelling them, and the silly name of the dungeon starts to make sense, along with the reason why adventurers never explored this dungeon beyond this area.

    "Ahead! Clear shot" The tracker announces, sensing the position of the goblin horde.

    "FIRE ARROWS! LOOSE!" Palo shouts, and the dark tunnel is illuminated by their [Fire Arrow]s, revealing the horde of pale Cave Goblins swarming towards us like ants, some of them even crawling along the walls and ceiling.

    "STANDARD! LOOSE!" And they switch to physical arrows since they don't really have the MP to keep firing enchanted arrows like Arquirandos.

    Their arrows are deadly accurate even though they're just blanketing the area ahead with them, and the small horde of goblins quickly decreases in number as they drop like flies. Hukarere and the other Chimera are kind of bad shots with the bow, though, but I think it's just because they haven't had enough time yet to learn it well enough.

    The horde is quickly thinned out to a manageable number, eliminating the risk of getting overwhelmed by their swarm, and most of the goblins on the ceiling get picked off.

    "WALL!" Palo orders again, and everyone uses [Equip] to pull out their spears, then they throw their bows behind them. This skill seems to be perfect for these "men-of-arms" who have a whole armory inside their [Item Box]es.

    Palo stands in the middle of their formation, his hulking frame and shining armor making him the center of attention, which is exactly how he likes it.

    Then they all crouch in sync, planting the bottom of their oval shields into the ground to prevent the short goblins from sneaking under them.

    Oritiki and Ciel float side-by-side, watching the battle unfold with eagle eyes. The ceiling is quite high, so they can freely fly around in here.

    "Follow me. We kill goblins on ceiling," Oritiki clumsily suggests in Andraste.

    "Understood. Right behind you," Ciel sternly agrees, and they both fly forward.

    The first line of goblins skewer themselves on the spears like the mindless beasts they are, but the second line comes in right behind them.

    "SWORDS!" Palo orders, though it wasn't really necessary for him to say it as it's the natural follow up in this battle since their spears are now stuck in the corpses of the first line of goblins.

    They draw their shortswords and thrust them forward right as the line of goblins crashes into them.

    I extend a long tentacle ahead and stab a goblin in the face, then I sink my halberd into the head of another and use [Telekinesis] to sweep my mace horizontally, knocking out three goblins at the same time, all from behind the line of Lordsguard.

    The goblins crawl up the shields and try to climb over them, too weak to push back against their wall, but the second line of men all have their poleaxes at the ready, which they use to turn the goblins into minced meat.

    Some of the goblins start to go around, trying to surround us, but they're simply too few, and the men at the edges of our formation are the most veteran, adept at keeping the goblins away while the main force engages the horde.

    I float up a bit and freely rake my armed tentacles into the heads of the goblins while Ciel and Oritiki help out at the edges.

    The few goblin archers fire flimsy arrows at us, but they just clink off our armor without even leaving a single scratch behind. Their craftsmanship is so poor that they can't even get past our [Wind Armor], so they definitely aren't breeder-types.

    The battle doesn't even last a full minute as they're already completely wiped out.

    "FINISH THEM OFF!" Palo orders, and they break formation to go after the stragglers.

    Ciel and Oritiki come back and clean their weapons, then we wait while the men do their thing. I summon an air elemental just to clear the goblin stink out of the air, and the men silently show their gratitude to me.

    "[Have you thought about implanting wings]?" Oritiki suddenly asks Ciel in Reo.

    "Eh?" My chocolate angel is taken by surprise, and I give her a few points in the language. "You mean like yours?"

    Oritiki nods excitedly. "Exactly. I know that we have a few Alteration mages who can do it."

    Ciel holds her chin in thought. "Would they be better than my enchanted armor?"

    "They should be, once you get used to them," Oritiki confidently assures her.

    Then Ciel turns her eyes to the large pair of white wings on Oritiki's back. "They look… a bit inconvenient."

    Oritiki shrugs, and her wings start to shrink until they become rather chibi-fied. "Well, I'm sure you can afford a pair that completely disappears when you want them to, like with dragonkin wings. It's just more expensive. I don't have them myself because the Celestial Horns aren't allowed to hide them."

    Ciel mellows out and becomes more receptive to the suggestion. "Oh~… it sounds like an interesting idea."

    But I get an idea. "Hide them? Can they help me hide these draconic parts, then?" I curiously ask.

    Oritiki narrows her eyes in thought, unsure about how to answer that. "Maybe? I think you mean replacing your claws with human hands, right?" -I nod- "I don't know if they can do that, specifically."

    "Hm…" I hold my chin in thought, mirroring Ciel's previous gesture.

    Dokkanchee's illusions are good enough, but if the Chimeras can alter my hands to work like a dragonkin's wings, then maybe I could make it into a racial skill that all of my children would inherit.



    We move on towards the actual goblin nest, and the human within me immediately begs to get out of here.

    These goblins live like barbarians in filthy, flimsy huts made of weird underground plants, and they lack even the most basic concepts of hygiene.

    Shit, piss, semen, and rotten carcasses are strewn about everywhere, including the bodies of the old and the young who didn't survive their childhood. Some of the carcasses have even been disposed of in a sort of macabre tribal bone "art," clearly telling any trespassers that cruelty is a normal occurrence for this tribe of goblins.

    Not all goblins live like this, it's just that this tribe is partway into a sort of plague/rot "attunement." One of the sniffers even detects some pseudo-necromantic mana coming from what seems to be a ritual site. The fact that they don't have mages yet is evidence that their attunement isn't complete.

    These types of goblins are the worst enemy of the Lords because once they change into breeder-types and attack a town, disease-ridden shit hits the almost literal fan. Because of the risk of a plague, adventurers have been forbidden to enter this dungeon ever since its discovery.

    I summon four light elemental-wives and order them to accompany the Lordsguard. Ciel, Oritiki, and I stay at the edge of the camp and watch them work while Ciel's [Holy Spirit] protects us from the foul air, but we still help out from range.

    I make sure to watch as they kill the young and weak goblins, burning it all into my memory so that my mind doesn't go soft, but I don't rejoice at their deaths. This is just part of the "nature" of this world, though that doesn't mean that I want monsters to suffer. Their existence is a cursed one, and I'm showing them mercy by giving them a swift end.

    Alissa and Lina comfort us through [Bind], and my foxy lady thanks me for not bringing her along for this exercise.

    I also feel a sort of ironic comfort once I realize that Lords are basically "janitors" for the dungeons.



    Once the tracker confirms that there are no living monsters left, we continue down, deeper into the dungeon. Things become slightly interesting as small crystals start to light the way, and with that, we also encounter crystal-themed enemies. Though this isn't a mana solidification dungeon, the crystals down here are so weak that they aren't even worth the effort to mine them, so we leave them be.

    We fight a few creepy, insect-like monsters and a few different species of mole-like animals. They've all been "infected" with crystals, like a sort of mineral-based fungus that acts as a symbiont, giving them increased magical power in exchange for being its host. They aren't much of a problem since they don't swarm like goblins, though the large number of humanoids in our group does attract a lot of monsters.

    Palo demonstrates his perfect control of his soldiers, even though half of them are new recruits.

    I observe them as they fight and help out a bit here and there, trying to work out what's more effective.

    They're a strong and independent unit that needs no Lord… but seriously, they're pretty solid and well-prepared for all sorts of situations, so there's no obvious area where I can help them out. I just have to support them in whatever way I can to lighten their load.

    We don't go too deep into this dungeon since this is only an exercise, and we call it a day at sunset.



    Intermission 24 – Palo Orir



    Tentacles?! Really?!

    People have been calling him "Shapeshifter," so I imagined something silly, like turning into an orc to give himself a bigger body, but it's really something else to see him in action!

    What led him to create such a unique skill? Why did he even need so many limbs to hold multiple weapons when warriors could spend lifetimes just mastering one? It might be related to his Gift, so I don't think I should just casually ask him about it.

    I wonder how far he will grow with this skill. Maybe one day, he'll be able to take on literal armies by himself, his innumerous tentacles reaping hundreds of souls every second.

    Wait… if he can make them take any shape he wants, then… oh, Gods… he could also fuck an army by himself!



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Christopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Lord Copey Dunt.
    Lord Dracopuppy23.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Stellerbattle.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2021
  13. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    Lina is anxious. She's hiding it, but she secretly wants to meet with her parents as soon as possible. We were all understandably tired, so she didn't say anything yet, but now that she's rested, she can't stop thinking about them.

    She frowns and shrinks in my lap, but I grab her waist and lift her body up, her insides tightly gripping my shaft.

    "We'll go tomorrow, alright?" I gently whisper in her ear, then I nibble on it.

    "Ahn~… okay…" She moans weakly as her little hands grip my thighs and her legs shiver.

    "Should we give them forewarning or surprise them?" Yunia gently questions. Out of all of us, she treats Lina the kindest.

    I stop to give my little girl some breathing room to think, but then I wiggle my thin tentacle inside her super tight asshole, making her moan again. "Wolfy~…" She quietly complains.

    "Huh? I didn't hear you. Surprise or forewarning?" I ask sternly.

    Just as she opens her mouth to answer, I wiggle my tentacle again and vibrate another on her clit, making her clench her teeth in ecstasy. "Surprise…" She manages to grumble in a show of "Willpower."

    I move her up and down along my shaft again, and she crosses her thin legs together to increase the tightness, making me grunt and flood her depths.

    "Can we… do the ceremony before we go?" Ciel shyly asks.

    "Right… we aren't actually officially married yet," I answer with a wry smile.

    Yunia coolly nods in agreement and comments, "If it's just us, then I don't mind it being quick."

    "Same," Hana and Roxanne respond in unison, while Lina silently agrees, her voice stolen by her continued moaning. Aoi is barely paying attention as she doesn't really understand the need for celebration.

    We turn to Alissa, the one of us who has the strongest feelings about this, and she nods excitedly.



    After helping Lina's anxiety subside, I give a good dicking to Roxanne and Yunia. Today we have a more carnivorous audience, and the maids seemingly take quite a lot of enjoyment from seeing their Lords' faces of ecstasy.

    Once I'm done with them, Hukarere gets a round, too.

    Alissa hears one of the maids breathing heavily, her legs twitching as she struggles to keep herself from masturbating. The young golden elven woman is too proud to openly masturbate in front of us.

    And I think she deserves more than just her own fingers.

    With my cock still wet with cum and female juices, I walk menacingly towards her, grinning suggestively as I stare her in the eye.

    She locks up, visibly fearful of me, but then she glances at Poosh, whose gentle nod and encouraging gaze seems to calm her down.

    This is the young and pretty elf girl who once boldly stroked my cock in front of all of my wives. Her high cheekbones, thin lips, and braided hair make her look very girlish, which is just the type I'm looking for right now after enjoying a main course of Lina's adorableness.

    I lift her chin with a claw to force her to face me. She's short for an elf, making us about the same height.

    "You seem to be in distress. Is there anything I can do to help?" I ask with a sultry tone.

    "Your Highness… I…" She catches herself and stops, but her breath quickens, and I feel its heat and freshness on my face. She smells of flowers and herbs, a simple and common perfume among elves, but very pleasant nonetheless.

    "There's no shame in admitting your true desires," I whisper huskily.

    Her resistance crumbles, and she immediately admits, "Give me pleasure, my King."

    That triggers my instincts to breed, and I immediately steal her lips without another word, giving her tongue a good and strong spirit-touch to get her in the mood. This seems to be the most effective way to make unfamiliar women wet. Instead of going straight for their sex, a mind-numbing kiss more easily disarms them.

    Her legs quiver, and I catch her before she collapses. I hug her waist and hold the back of her head so that we can still look at each other, and I find her stunned look absolutely adorable.

    "What's your name, my young miss?" I kindly ask her.

    "Iliada," she breathes softly.

    I lift her right leg with my tail, then I pull her dousnadeia's bottom to the side, exposing her wet, sticky pussy lips.

    "Feel honored that you have the privilege of enjoying this experience," I announce out loud, then I slide my cock inside her.



    I kind of agree with Hana that tasting a new woman's pussy is a refreshing experience, but I have a feeling that I should make it clear to myself that the nostalgic comfort of my women's insides will always be better.

    Yeah, a totally spontaneous thought.

    I gently lay Iliada on a clean bed and let the maids wash her body, then the girls decide to play with her a bit.

    Hana's strong hands; Roxanne's teasing fingers; Alissa's dexterous tongue; Yunia's domineering presence; Osaria's endless thirst. The other girls don't participate since there's no physical room left for them and their desire isn't strong enough for them to intrude, so I keep them company while Iliada goes through round two.

    She's left completely passed out, but smiling quite happily. Her entire body was thoroughly massaged, oiled, and covered in all sorts of juices, including our expensive elven creams, and that definitely makes all the maids envious.

    Once the Ryder Family Treatment is complete, we finally spend some time in the hot bath to wind down.



    Today's dinner is steamed spring rolls, a werefox specialty. They use old Tonique leaves, which have a much milder flavor, to wrap around assorted grains and raisins. It's a nice dish, though it tastes a bit odd to me, so it'll take some time for me to get used to it.

    "Well, you don't have to get used to it," Alissa shyly states.

    "I just want to enjoy the food of your homelands together," I softly reply with a smile.

    "Awn~…" Ciel moans, and Alissa becomes speechless, her heart aching with happiness.

    My smile becomes stiff and apologetic as I turn to Roxanne and confess, "But I have to admit that your racial food will be hard to get used to."

    Roxanne snickers evilly as she imagines me eating roasted orc dick and fried orc balls. Like the cherry on top, both of these dishes are garnished with cream.

    "I feel like I should say no to those things just because of the fact that you want me to suffer," I add flatly.

    "Ah, fuck!" She exclaims and closes off her thoughts, but the cat's out of the bag. "It's not like we only eat dicks," she mumbles with a pout.

    "You also eat cocks," Osaria teases.

    "Wait… you actually eat pussy?" Alissa asks, frowning concernedly.

    Roxanne adjusts her glasses and grins as she explains, "Orc pussy is very 'elastic' while Harpy pussy is rather 'soft.' There are also a few other monsters with tasty pussies, though it's more of a snack since they have little actual volume. Breasts and ovaries, though…"

    The girls shudder and suddenly empathize with me.



    For the evening, we don our social clothes and go out to the theater since the elven Cirque du Soleil is making a performance tonight.

    Alissa's first set of Misty Fox clothes are done, thanks to the fact that they're the easiest to make. Her clan has a thing against stitching, so all of their clothes are like origami or only held together by sashes.

    She's wearing white thigh-highs made from Snow Weave and sporting large, black platform clogs like the Japanese Geta. Her skirt is quite short, revealing an Absolute Territory that's worthy of a Chef's kiss, and the hem of her sleeves are quite wide, allowing her to hide her hands inside them. The cloth itself is covered with cute foxes and flowers, which are stitched in all over it, making her look absolutely adorable.

    All of the girls, and even I, also receive a not-kimono, but only Lina wears hers this time because cute is her thing.

    She only takes five steps forward before the entire thing unravels itself, which reveals her complete nakedness because she wasn't wearing any underwear underneath it, then she steps on the sash and trips, face-planting on the waxed, wooden floor.

    Alissa holds her stomach in a fit of laughter while I gently pull Lina up and massage her forehead. She didn't pass out, but she still plays dead out of shame.

    While still chuckling, Alissa pulls out a dozen clamps and shows them to us, then teases Lina a little bit, "These are used for children when they aren't able to keep their clothes from coming undone."

    Lina suddenly revives and pouts angrily while glaring at Alissa. "H-how am I supposed to walk in this thing without the clamps?!" She exclaims in annoyance.

    Alissa grins mischievously and replies in a slow, deliberate tone, "With grace, something that the dwarves sorely lack."

    She offers us the clamps, then Lina grumbles and snatches them from her hand.



    We go by Gatun carriage with Lordsguard Gatun riders flanking us and opening the way. Sandoro's security measures are so cautious that the moment the carriage gets stopped, we'll be whisked away by [Gate]s. Even though we're surrounded by Lordsguard, they might not be enough to protect us from a [Meteor] ambush, so I find this measure acceptable.

    We look out the window and watch as each and every commoner that we pass stops to kneel and lowers their head to us. The Intervention has made the entire town become completely docile to us, and the odd foreigner stands out when they hesitate to kneel.

    "This will be hard to get used to…" Klein comments absentmindedly.

    "Only for you," Hana retorts with a snort.

    "No, I'm also feeling the same thing," my human side agrees with Klein.

    Hana raises an eyebrow. "And the dragon?"

    "Indifferent. The human's awkwardness is just too strong."

    "I was just a slave not that long ago…" Lina mumbles and sighs.

    "One day, you'll get used to it. This isn't that much different from how it was with my father," Yunia kindly comforts her.

    "Until then, fake it until you make it," I jokingly advise.

    Osaria and Klein frown slightly, but the rest of the girls caught my meaning.

    "It rhymes in my native language," I explain with a wry smile, and the duo nods in understanding.



    We reach the theater, and a carpet of silvery grass is extended to us, cutting right through the middle of the crowd of commoners who are waiting to be let in.

    I ignore the stares and focus on the architecture. The theater itself is a cylindrical, multi-story building made of bright red and yellow wood, which are, ironically, imperial colors. The patterns carved into the walls are so intricate that they rival our castle's, which makes the dragon within me slightly annoyed.

    While the imperial design for theaters is usually a half-circle, which is the best shape for watching plays, the elven design is a full circular stage, allowing one to watch their performances from all angles. This theater even has an outer ring stage for the background dancers.

    The theater is open to the air, though the roof can be shut in case of rain, or if the acoustics require it. Tonight, the psychedelic moons are in full display, making this a perfect time for an open-air performance.

    We walk past the commoners, Lina praying that no gust of wind exposes her, and we enter the theater proper. The interior is colorful, full of beautiful, delicate drapes in the elven style, some of them hiding naked dancers, showing us only their outlines, while a few waiters and waitresses walk around, dressed like they're attending a Brazilian Carnival.

    Roxanne and Yunia take a drink from one of them at the same time, then Hana and Osaria also get themselves one when they recover from gawking at everything.

    "Is this your first time here, Osaria?" I curiously ask her.

    Her excitement dims a bit as I carelessly make her remember something unpleasant. "Actually, yes. Rico never liked the theater…" She replies with a low tone.

    "I believe he was actually forbidden from coming here," Yunia explains through [Bind].

    "We'll invite Rande and his harem once he gets back," I deflect with a gentle smile.

    "And the twins?" Ciel asks tentatively.

    Yunia shrugs and casually answers, "They never cared that much about this sort of thing."

    "We should invite your parents, too," Hana and nudges Klein on the shoulder.

    But her mind is somewhere else. "Maybe I should take this as a knight assignment…" She mumbles.

    "Don't you dare," I try my best to nip it in the bud, but she awkwardly scratches her round monkey ear, still skeptical, so I add, "Your knight training isn't complete yet."

    Her back straightens, and her brown skin turns a shade darker. "Ah, yes. I understand," She finally accepts.

    "You are eager to serve," Hukarere teasingly comments with a heavy accent.

    "I guess…" Klein shyly replies, her long monkey tail stiff with awkwardness.

    "You are young. You can grow. You have time," Hukarere sagely advises, something unexpected from her.

    "Well, thanks." Klein gushes softly, then something occurs to her. "How long have you been serving in the Chimeric army?"

    Hukarere stops, her brain hanging up on her as she tries to sort through her memories. "I believe I am older than everyone," she finally mumbles.

    "Not me," Osaria retorts with a smirk.

    Same here, maybe?

    The pale wolf shrugs. "I served for most of my life."

    "You used to be an escort mercenary, correct?" Yunia asks Klein, who nods earnestly, her heart likely racing from receiving the attention of my Queen. "Knighthood really isn't that different from escort jobs most of the time. If you want to learn different skills, Azador or Hukarere have the most varied skillsets I've seen."

    Klein's eyes widen, and her head jerks back to face my pale wolf. "May I request that you accompany my team when we go monster hunting?" She politely asks with more composure than I'm used to seeing from her.

    Hukarere takes a moment to translate her words inside her mind, then she nods and shows a toothy grin. "Team, yes."

    Well, I guess Klein's made a new friend.



    We climb some stairs and enter a trapezoid-shaped, raised balcony, which is reserved exclusively for us. On the other side of the auditorium, there's another balcony that's reserved for the nobles while the commoners and merchants use the lower seats.

    This balcony has a banquet of snacks and alcohol, curtains to give us privacy, and even a platform that would allow us to walk right up to the stage and smell the dancers if we so desired.

    The main seats are already filled, and now the commoners are being allowed access to the stands along the wall.

    The two private balconies are enchanted with defenses, so there's no danger of assassination, and Sandoro has made sure that only food and maids directly from the castle are allowed up here.

    We sit down and only have to wait for a short while before a soft ringing warns us that the play is about to commence, then the lights dim, and the spotlight turns on, revealing a single, androgynous golden elf standing in the middle of the stage.

    "Gentlemen and gentlewomen. Good evening to all of you and to our Lords, the Royal Ryder family!" The announcer begins, their magically enhanced voice silencing the theater completely.

    The spotlight shines on us, and we're forced to go through this formality, no matter how much Lina wants to hide. Yunia and I stand up, then we all wave and smile.

    Then the elven Cirque du Soleil finally begins their performance.



    Long before skills or levels, in the early days of the Dawn of Civilization, when humanoids were like children, eagerly learning about magic and the world which they now inhabited, a group of young elven tribal warriors traversed the crowns of the High Trees, jumping between them with such ease that it was like they were as light as feathers, the drums following their rhythm.

    One of them, a man who wears the bones of monsters on his neck as a magical charm, detects something up ahead, so he whistles softly, and all of the elves instantly disappear among the leaves, bringing absolute silence to the forest.

    Then the wind howls through the flutes, and the leaves of their tree rustle and sway, revealing glimpses of the stalking elves.

    Alissa is the first to notice a whispering in our ears, which gradually becomes louder until everyone else also notices it. Then something starts shining out from behind the leaves.

    We glimpse at a lustrous coat of pearly white feathers with a rainbow sheen, and the whispering grows louder.

    We get a glimpse of long, sharp crystal talons, and the whispering grows into murmuring.

    We are stunned by the sight of a long white beak and mesmerizing eyes with a twister of color within them, constantly swirling and swaying hypnotically.

    Then the murmuring grows into drumming, and the elves reappear.

    The first of them lunges with her spear, but the distance between her and the majestic bird only continues to increase until she completely disappears from view.

    The second elf pounces with his club, but the bird simply grows in size until his weapon is nothing but a stick before an adult Gatun.

    The third youth never sees the bird, losing his way instead, and then he forgets what he was doing a mere moment ago.

    The fourth is hit by a gust and loses her footing, then she falls towards the darkness of the forest's floor.

    The fifth is the bone warrior, and he doesn't even fight the bird, truly dazed by its beauty, but his bloodlust isn't gone.

    The bird lifts a wing, and a gust of wind rushes towards the bone warrior, but his honed sense of danger wakes him from his stupor, and he dodges the attack masterfully.

    The bird's eyes narrow in annoyance, then it unleashes a series of magical attacks.

    The warrior is extremely nimble, but even he can't dodge them all. Small wounds open in his fair skin, and droplets of his blood spread everywhere. The plants start to pulsate with light as they absorb the blood, then they emit flavorful, gentle mana, begging to be fed some more.

    "We should drink some Eia, now," Yunia suggests, and I gladly pull out my bottle of Cinco Flores, then I serve everyone a finger of the wonder juice.

    The bird's gaze softens, and so does the edge of its spells, but the attack continues.

    The movements of the warrior become more flourished and elaborate, and he starts to circle around the bird instead of just trying to fight for his life. The bird is deliberately making him dance.

    The spearwoman returns and tries to attack again, but the bird effortlessly holds her back, then her blood paints the leaves, and she joins the bone warrior in their dance.

    The club man joins in, and the same happens with him, then the last warrior also reappears, and the four of them dance together.

    Their dripping, bright red blood forms intricate patterns on the dark green leaves, then their dancing gradually synchronizes. At the same time, a foreign feeling starts to seep into my heart as I begin to sense the mana from [Weaverism] in the air, and it influences us to move, to express our emotions through dance, but it's weak enough that we can all easily resist it.

    The attacks of the bird gradually decrease in number until it's only attacking the bone warrior, yet all of the other warriors continue to dance along with him.

    A Gatun appears, drawn in by the smell of blood, and one of the elves swings her arm towards it, sprinkling the beast's face with their blood. Instead of attacking, the beast simply sits down and watches the performance with curious, intelligent eyes.

    The dance slows and their moves become more fluid, as if they were being pulled along with the wind. They lose all flair of someone dodging attacks, instead shifting into a full-blown artistic dance.

    My third eye starts to open, and I sense the Life flowing through the entire stage and even the audience. It's like a slow-motion tornado that allows me to observe and appreciate every little detail, every connection between each living being present here.

    A variety of birds and even nature spirits appear among the leaves, and then the outer ring stage lights up, revealing dozens of spinning dancers who sprinkle their blood everywhere.

    The air becomes thick with Nature mana, the heavy smell of iron, the sweet perfume of the flowers, the thick essence of the forest, and the musky scent of beasts.

    The commoners in the stands don't resist the call any longer and dance along with the tribal symphony while the audience down in the seats hold hands and share their feelings with one another.

    Hukarere has the most intense reaction to this performance, and she now seems to be completely tripping balls, delving deep within her own mind.

    The girls and I also hold hands, and everyone experiences [Bind]-lite as our minds align.

    Our senses are overwhelmed, and we enter a trance as we lose all sense of time.



    The music stops, and I sigh tiredly, regretting that the pleasant dream has finally ended, and then my mind truly wakes up.

    The bird flies away, and the bone warrior immediately pleads, "Come back! Teach us more!"

    "I've given you enough," the ethereal voice of the majestic bird echoes through the theater.

    Then the lights dim, and the performance ends.



    We take the carriage back home and immediately crash on the bed, emotionally exhausted from the intense experience. Hukarere doesn't have the energy to return to the barracks, so she ends up falling asleep in the pile of women, though her [Solidify] runs out in the middle of the night.



    Today is the 15th, Fo, day of Fire. It's thought to be the only day of the week when Okross could be melted in a magical forge, but there are few people alive who can actually confirm or deny this bit of trivia.

    Lina happily wakes me up, struggling a bit to swallow my thick monster. It greatly pleases me to see her innocent face with my cock in her mouth, so of course, I paint her skin white, giving the cumslut her preferred makeup.



    I increased my [Polearm Use] by 1 (now 12+4).

    Ciel increased her [Wind Magic] by 1 (now 14+26).

    Aoi increased her "Intelligence" by 1 (now 9). Her talks with Roxanne about bullets and chemistry have been really stimulating for her, it seems.



    I cast my custom [Materialize] on Hukarere, and she gives me a lick on my cheek, then rushes out to get back to the barracks so that she won't miss the morning training.

    I invite Anton and Krysta for breakfast because I want to give my personal chef a challenge. I ate not-Catupiry once, and now I'm dying for some chicken and Catupiry pizza, but the pizza culture in the empire is a bit lacking. The Mainlanders use pita bread, which is kind of a precursor to pizza, but mostly for dipping or sandwiches instead of baking it with something on top, and it lacks the softness of pizza dough.

    Osaria seems to be enamored with me today, just staring at me and smiling absentmindedly while I describe what I want to Krysta. "I know that we need food to live, but don't you have a bit of an obsession with it?" She suddenly asks once I'm done.

    "He only thinks about pussy and food. Pussy first, though," Roxanne innocently answers.

    I smile smugly and reply with a snobbish tone, "I'm a bit of a 'gourmet.' I simply love having my tongue massaged by new and interesting flavors just as much as I like to put my dick into new pussy."

    Anton is completely ignoring this conversation.

    "'Gourmet'?" Klein questions confusedly, her face almost a mirror of her mother's.

    "A person who enjoys savoring a wide variety of food," Ted begins.

    "And has high standards for what they enjoy," and Suzy finishes.

    "So, they're like your personal scholars, or something?" Anton questions as he gives the golems a curious glance.

    "Personal bodyguards, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and tireless servants," Jarn diligently answers, and I swear that her tone carries a hint of pride.

    "'Encyclopedias'?" Klein questions again, and the golems answer her immediately, then she starts shooting off questions in quick succession, amusing Anton quite a lot.

    We ignore them, and Osaria turns to me. "I just find it endearing how intensely he enjoys things," she comments and chuckles softly, then her foot runs up my leg, aiming for my crotch.

    Do you want a Ravaging? Because that's how you get a Ravaging.



    As the special dish of this meal, there's toast with melted not-Gorgonzola and honey. It's a dragonkin recipe, so Hana enjoys it quite a bit. Ciel also has a thing for hearty, sweet things on toast, so she loves it just as much as I do. Only Yunia and Aoi are more reserved, the former because elves don't eat a lot of cheese, and the latter because of the lack of meat.

    I find it interesting that lactose intolerance isn't really a thing here. While different races have different preferences when it comes to food, actual significant genetic differences between them for digestion are very rare.

    And once our bellies are filled, we call Teresina to the castle.

    It's a bit odd to think that we're getting married right now, but I also think that it'd be wrong to wait until the ceremony. We've been engaged for a little too long, and the girls deserve to be able to show off the Ryder surname to their parents when they reunite.

    We put on our social, traditional racial clothes and wait in the main hall.

    I could claim to be either half-Thorninan and half-Mainlander or just a pure Rabanarian, so I chose the latter. I'm wearing a long, black velvet cloak with silver stripes, silver horns on the back, and golden detailing that make it even prettier. Rabanarians like soft and tight-fitting clothing that can be easily worn under armor.

    Alissa put on a long, orange not-kimono that trails along the floor behind her and has a large flower-shaped red ribbon above her tail. She's like a neatly-wrapped gift begging to be opened.

    Roxanne donned a semi-transparent, black and purple ball gown with leather belts holding it together and black leather underwear. Of course, succubi fashion is all about being sexy and domineering.

    Hana went for a puffy fur dress with a boob and abs window. She considers herself more of a Sommerlande, but for racial clothes, she obviously fits better in something dragonkin. She looks like a mix between a posh lady in fur and a barbarian.

    Ciel is sporting a silvery sundress embroidered with yellow flowers. She could go for the Rabanarian look, but she feels much more comfortable in something like this. Loose and brightly-colored clothes fit her best as they enhance her curves and skin tone, respectively.

    Lolita fashion is actually racially appropriate for Lina, so she put on the cutest silvery dress that fits with our heraldry. I'm a sucker for cute, so I feel like defiling her petite body and her innocent clothes.

    There's no known dragon fashion, so we decorated dragon-Aoi with as much jewelry as we could, Chimera-style, and tied a silver veil to her back. She actually looks pretty majestic like this, waking up the dragon inside me.

    Yunia's chosen dousnadeia is made of long white strips of cloth that drag along behind her on the floor, and every inch of it is covered in silvery or black patterns. This time, she's wearing as much clothing as she ever did, though she also has a boob and abs window like Hana.

    These are just our best formal clothes. For the actual wedding, we'll have a lot more imagery going on.

    Gify and the golems aren't marrying me, but we give them some silvery jewels, too, since we have more of those than we can count. Not even Yunia knows how much there was in the treasury, and that's before we added Arreira's legacy to it.

    We all look really sexy, though, so I pull out the [Instant Painting] gem and take another "photo," then Aoi uses me to keep my excitement down while we wait, but the twins arrive soon after, so that ends earlier than she wanted it to.

    Teresina doesn't take long to arrive. The gilf enters the castle with an energy level that you wouldn't expect from someone her age, strutting forward with as much determination as a soldier.

    With just a thought, Yunia uses an enchantment in her throne to grow a table up from the white grass carpet.

    "I must say, this is a rather unusual request," Teresina comments as she comes closer, then she notices the red patch near the middle of the hall and frowns softly. It's become red because the grass actually absorbed Ira's blood.

    The gilf decides to ignore it and walks past the patch, then, with a *poof*, she pulls out a heavy, ornate book directly onto the table.

    "The ceremony will be held one day, don't worry," I assure her with a confident smile.

    "That's not what I meant…" She complains and gives me an annoyed side-eye.

    "Some of us lack a last name, so we'd like to rectify that," Yunia coolly replies.

    Teresina's stern face softens a bit, and she nods. "Ah, I understand." Then she gestures to the book. "Come forward, and we shall start."

    For every marriage, there needs to be witnesses, and ours are the golems, Klein, Osaria, Poosh, Mimi, and the twins. Alissa invited my loyal sheep because she thought that she would enjoy this.

    We get up from our thrones and approach Teresina, crowding around the table.

    She gives everyone a look, then clears her throat and starts, "Today, these lovers, Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina, Aoi, and Yulania are to be married. From this day forth, they'll work together for the sake of each other's happiness and safety; they'll work together to further prolong the gift of life given to us by the God of Creation; they'll work together to fulfill their duties as members of the humanoids and create a family, be it of blood or not. They have decided that their lives together hold more value. And so, we'll now bear witness to their vows."

    First, I turn to Alissa and grab her hands, then I stare into her entrancing orange eyes and whisper, "I am yours, and you are mine."

    "I am yours, and you are mine," she repeats in the same tone, her eyes becoming misty-eyed.

    I kiss her lips gently, then I lovingly rub her cheek with my tail and release her.

    I turn to Roxanne and grab her hands, then I stare into her bewitching eyes and recite, "I'll protect you, I'll keep you happy, I'll fight along with you and defend you. Together, we'll venture far. I'll entrust you with my life."

    She gets all giddy, gushing with happiness, and takes a few seconds to get her emotions under control again before she repeats, "I'll protect you, I'll keep you happy, I'll fight along with you and defend you. Together, we'll venture far. I'll entrust you with my life."

    I get on my tip-claws, and she leans down so that we can kiss, then I move on to Hana.

    I grab her hands, and she strongly grips mine in hers, giving me a fearsome smirk with her yellow eyes as I announce out loud, "I swear to you my body and soul, my sword and magic. I swear to protect you and keep you happy forever."

    She stands tall and proud, towering over me even more than usual since she's wearing heels, and her strong voice echoes through the hall, "I swear to you my body and soul, my sword and shield. I swear to protect you and keep you happy forever."

    She suddenly hugs my waist and pulls me up, then gives me a strong kiss that ends in a wet smack before letting me back down again.

    Still slightly stunned, I move on to Ciel and hold her soft hands. We stare warmly at each other while I huskily recite, "I'll take care of you, support you, fight along with you, and love you. I swear to be always at your side and that I'll always work towards a better future, together."

    She doesn't hesitate to repeat, "I'll take care of you, support you, fight along with you, and love you. I swear to be always at your side and that I'll always work towards a better future, together." And her voice started to crack near the end.

    I grab her face and savor her juicy lips, then I move on to Lina. Her little hands contrast so strongly against my big, mean claws that I feel like worshiping her right here, right now.

    She suddenly wakes up from her daze, and I declare, "I'll protect you, I'll keep you safe, I'll always support you and encourage you to grow. I'll always love you, and I entrust you with my life."

    Her droopy eyes stare at me as if they were empty, her anxiety overwhelming all other emotions, and her mouth moves on its own, reciting the words that she thoroughly memorized, "I'll protect you, I'll keep you safe, I'll always support you and encourage you to grow. I'll always love you, and I entrust you with my life."

    I press my lips against hers, and that breathes some life into her. She grips my hands and pushes her lips against mine, then we end it with a wet smack, and she giggles softly.

    I turn to Aoi and hold her large, draconic head. "I vow to kill for you, to never abandon you, and to stay by your side, forever."

    She calmly repeats, her thin lips curled up, revealing a toothy grin. "I vow to kill for you, to never abandon you, and to stay by your side, forever."

    I press my face against her snout, and her long, slippery tongue invades my mouth, giving it a strong lick before letting me go.

    I pat her head lovingly, then I turn to Yunia. I grasp her delicate, perfectly feminine hands and stare into her striking, blue eyes.

    "I'll never let you feel alone again," I whisper gently.

    "I'll never allow us to stray apart," she responds in kind.

    Our lips meet in a gentle caress for a second before they part.

    Hana suddenly pulls Roxanne into a hug. "You belong to me," she breathes, domineeringly.

    "I belong to you," Roxanne reflexively answers and giggles.

    Then Lina lifts her innocent, gloomy eyes towards Ciel. "I'll become someone you can rely on," she vows earnestly.

    "You already are…" Ciel breathes reflexively, her heart touched by Lina's determination. "I'll always be here for you," she replies affectionately, then kneels down and hugs my little girl.

    Teresina turns her amused face towards the rest of the girls, waiting for more vows, but there aren't any other sub-couples among us, at least for now, so she motions to a white magical quill on top of the book.

    I pick it up and write my name in it, then the girls follow suit. Meanwhile, Teresina chants [Detect Evil], then her hands glow, and she touches me. I feel "something" enter my soul, and it immediately searches every nook and cranny of it, but it finds nothing, so it leaves after a split second. It isn't exactly unpleasant, but it's definitely a weird feeling.

    Teresina touches each of us in turn, giving Aoi a curious look when she touches her, then she moves on and announces, "No evil is present in this ceremony, no lie was spoken between them. All those present thus accept this wedding as valid, and now the gods will watch and judge your union as you progress. May happiness and success find all of you. You are now husband and wives."

    Second time's the charm, I guess.

    The witnesses clap, and we share a group hug. After waiting for so long, we're all finally married. After going through so much together, so much pain, struggle, happiness, and love, it feels like it was a bit overdue. I only slightly blame Alissa's stubbornness for that because I'd have married them all ages ago if she didn't want to wait until we were True Nobles.

    "I have no regrets!" Alissa happily exclaims through [Bind].

    While we crush each other's bones, I feel my "Status" change. Once I'm finally allowed to breathe again, I confirm that everyone's "Fiancée" entry has changed to "Wife," and they all now have the "Ryder" last name.

    The burst of emotions eventually subsides, and Yunia walks over to the twins, then she grabs their hands and states, "You're now the last of the original Este family. Wear your name with pride."

    They both lower their heads and reply in sync, "We will, sister."

    Hana approaches Mimi and lightly punches her shoulder, but Mimi doesn't even flinch.

    "Jealous?" Hana teases with a fearsome grin.

    "Honestly, a bit," Mimi casually admits, though her expression is as serious as it usually is.

    Hana lifts her eyebrows suggestively. "You can still join as a concubine."

    "I'll pass," she declines without hesitation.

    Osaria comes in to give me a hug, and the witnesses gather to give us their congratulations.

    "I'm grateful that you allowed me to witness this intimate moment," Poosh happily coos and lowers her head respectfully.

    "You're quickly becoming someone important to this family. We'll always welcome you with open arms," Alissa kindly replies, making Poosh blush.

    "I'm happy for you," Osaria whispers and pats my head lovingly.

    "Yeah, you all really do deserve it!" Klein happily exclaims, a bit emotional herself, which isn't unexpected considering the small roller coaster that is our relationship.



    With that done, it's time to visit Lina's parents. We put on our metal armor and inform the High Officers about where we're going.

    Sandoro makes us take Azador and a squad of (female) Companions with us, this time all veteran elves, but we don't take anyone else with us to avoid annoying Mimi. Though, I want to bring Osaria and Klein to visit Mountainhome one day.

    We enter the underground stone hall of the Imperial [Eternal Gate] Network and request a teleport to Mac Gantus, the capital. As Crown Lords, we just need to show our ID tablets, and we're allowed to pass. Seeing the name "Ryder" being repeatedly recorded in the log by the officer brings me a great deal of satisfaction and pride.

    The gigantic metal gate slowly creaks open, revealing a large and wide corridor blocked by a white veil, which is the [Eternal Gate] itself.

    After we cross through it, we immediately notice that the air is cooler, but much more humid here. The guards are now all either humanoid or weredog with olive skin and dark hair. They don't even bat an eye at Aoi, surely having seen far more stranger things in the past.

    It'd be nice to get out of here and see the town, but we don't really have the time, so we continue on to Hombombein, Mountainhome's capital.

    After passing through, the air is now significantly drier and perfectly pleasant with a hint of artificial air conditioning since the dwarves are obsessed with air quality.

    The guards are all muscular and wide Tolkien dwarves, though they're sporting sets of shining metal armor, so we can only see their eyes and long beards from underneath their full plate.

    Then we take another, smaller [Eternal Gate] to Bersidon. There's no perceptible change in the air, but the guards here are visibly stiff, trying not to gawk at the completely outlandish troupe that we form.

    We're not allowed to exit into the Lord's home, so we take the one to the Lord's Hall in their small Nobles' Quarter.

    We exit into a cool, comfy, stone building somewhere underground. The lighting in here is solely provided by crystal lights, giving it a moody atmosphere. Simple geometric carvings in dull colors decorate the gray, smooth stone that everything was carved into. The ceiling is quite tall, and the hall is very roomy, forcing them to use pillars to support the building's integrity. I guess the dwarves must be compensating for something.

    The commoners and officers in here are all cute and look like children, just like Lina, and they definitely haven't been trained in proper etiquette since everyone gawks at us, even our Lordsguard, who are the most plainly dressed out of all of us. I figure that the wooden elven armor that our men use must seem very conspicuous to the short-statured metal experts.

    "I think I just made someone urinate themselves," Aoi proudly comments through [Bind].

    "I doubt it, though it was probably a close call," Alissa replies and kindly pats her scaly head.

    Lina ignores the stares, and her feet suddenly move on their own, taking her out of the Hall, so we follow close behind her.

    Once she gets out onto the street, she immediately stops and slowly takes in everything around her. We're in some sort of cave composed of gray and light green stone. Square buildings are carved into the rock everywhere, not only embedded into the floor and the walls but also going up into the ceiling, with suspended bridges or brick roads connecting them.

    Then Lina's head jerks towards a huge, straight tunnel nearby that lets the sunlight from the surface pour in, and we see a considerable number of people traveling along its length.

    "There…" She mumbles, and we start walking towards it.

    "Perhaps I should secure a carriage, your Highness?" Azador politely inquires.

    "No need. We're all physically fit here," Yunia replies for me and glances towards Roxanne, who pouts angrily for a second in response.

    "As you wish." He lowers his head and drops the subject.



    The grid-like organization of the roads here makes it extremely easy to find the main road that leads to the surface. It's quite busy, but our presence is so imposing, and our armor is so shiny, that everyone immediately gets out of our way, and the few distracted people who don't eventually do so with haste once they notice Aoi's glare.

    I pull out the Golems just to let them experience the megalophobia I'm feeling right now.

    "Honestly, I think it seems pretty comfortable to live underground like this," I casually comment.

    Hana grunts in agreement and adds, "Yukiyama is also underground. It's pretty hot and humid, though."

    "A cave gives a lot of protection, which allows us to relax more," Aoi chimes in, sounding strangely wise.

    "Hey!" She grumbles inside my soul space.

    "Of course. That's one of the main reasons that we build underground," Lina explains, suddenly breaking out of her spell.

    "This cave feels rather cold, though," Aoi complains.

    "Of course the big lizard would prefer the heat," Hana remarks sagely with a nod.

    Aoi narrows her eyes at her and softly growls, scaring the almost literal shit out of the cute dwarven man/child walking past us.

    Then, a second later, a wagon being pulled by ox-like beasts swerves to avoid us, though I'm not sure if it was deliberate since the animals are definitely distressed.

    Aoi's anger cools down after seeing all of that. "I kind of like this…" She admits with a toothy grin as she amusedly watches the wagon moving away.

    "It's actually pretty surprising to see how afraid people get around you," Hana adds in wonder.

    Alissa frowns and retorts, "Not really…? I mean, she is a dragon. Outside of Rakontagne and Rabanara, I don't think anyone here has ever seen one from up so close."

    Hana rests a hand on Aoi's large head. "How could anyone ever be scared of this beautiful, feminine face?"

    The Companions share a confused look.

    "She's not serious, not completely," I state out loud with a wry smile, at which, Hana smirks.



    With each step, Lina's heart beats faster as more and more memories rush to the surface of her mind. She didn't come down underground that often, but she still fondly remembers these walls.

    The air gradually becomes drier and hotter, and our view suddenly opens up once we emerge from the tunnel.

    We're on the slope of a gray mountain with dust and stone covering everything around us. Small square roofs peek out from underground since the houses here are half-sunk into it, kind of like a Hobbit's home. Farther down the slope, we see what appears to be a canyon, the famous Kanom Road, and it seems to be pretty busy with people going up and down the serpentine path that connects it to Bersidon. Far off in the distance is the Atskild Mountain Range, which is a chain of jagged, rust-colored hills that stretch across the entire horizon.

    Lina takes a minute to reorient herself, and then her feet move on their own again.

    We continue down the mountainside, and I notice how the steps for pedestrians are all perfectly carved into the stone. Signposts for inns and other shops dot the road with increasing frequency as we get closer to the town's wall, but there's rarely any other type of decoration to be seen here on the surface.

    Underground, we saw mostly dwarves, but now, up on the surface, we see a lot of Mainland humans, Asian humans from Wideberg, dark-skinned humans from Sommerland, weredogs, werecats, werebunnies, halflings, the odd dragonkin, and even a few beastfolk, but not a single silver-elf can be seen, even though we're so close to Elaria.

    Lina gradually picks up speed, her little feet scurrying down the steps before she suddenly makes a right turn and darts down a corridor.

    The numerous signposts suddenly become far less common as we enter the residential area, but Alissa spots one far ahead, and Lina notices it too soon after, then she breaks into a run.

    We hurriedly follow after her, smiling warmly at her eagerness, then we see a young dwarf emerging from the shop up ahead.

    The boy has dark hair and droopy, gloomy eyes just like Lina's, and his open wide once he notices the troupe running towards him, but then he turns to Lina, and his jaw goes slack in surprise.

    "Fuda!" Lina shouts, her voice cracking as she starts to cry.

    "Lina?!" He shouts back, but then he freezes up completely, like a deer in headlights.

    That's her brother.



    I now realize that Lina and her family shouldn't have actually changed or even aged since she left, so it'd be very easy for her to recognize them since they all look so alike.

    Then Lina crashes into Fuda and pulls him into a hug. Even in her Bastión armor, she has so little mass that the impact isn't even noticed by Fuda.

    "It's you! It's you! It's you!" He shouts repeatedly as he holds her head and stares at her in complete disbelief.

    She loosens the hug and straightens her posture, allowing them both to look each other in the eye, but then the tears start to flow, and they hug again.

    We don't want to interrupt their moment, so we spend a long awkward minute in silence while we wait.

    Suddenly, the heavy door to the shop opens up, revealing a woman's face that looks just like Lina's, but with the subtle signs of age that the dwarves still get over time.

    "Elven hai'r! What in Listink's name is going on he're?!" The woman exclaims.

    Yunia looks at her own majestic drills in confusion, but I smile wryly because I think she was using an idiom.

    "Lina is back!" Fuda yells, and Lina looks up to see the newcomer, then the woman's face pales.

    "Mom…" Lina mutters weakly and gives her a pained smile.

    Toulin, Lina's mom, opens her mouth wide as she hoots, "Waaa~h…" Then her head disappears inside the shop. "OMUME, COME HE'RE! LINA IS BACK!"

    "WHAAT?!" A muffled, but also awfully high-pitched male voice replies.

    The door to the shop opens wide with a bang, and Lina's mom joins in on the hug. A moment later, a cute, round-cheeked boy with blonde hair runs out and tackles them.

    Lina is surrounded by her family, and they start barraging her with questions, though everyone, including Lina, has some difficulty in understanding their accent. They talk similarly to the Sommerlande accent by pronouncing the "r" with a retroflex flap but also pronouncing the "s" or "c" followed by a vowel as a faint "sh."

    "You'r master let you come back?!" Omume asks incredulously and only spares us a glance.

    "I'm not a slave anymore. He's my husband," Lina proudly replies with her chest puffed up.

    "Y-y-you ma'rried?" Fuda exclaims.

    "Elven hai'r! A're you a noble, now?!" Omume shouts and gives us another glance, but he still doesn't seem to have noticed Aoi yet.

    Lina nods and tries to hide her grin. "I'm a Lord."

    Toulin's droopy, gloomy eyes open wide. "A-a Lo'rd? Not a Choshen Deschendant?"

    Lina nods. "Crown Lords of the Western High Forest."

    Toulin dramatically holds the back of her hand against her forehead and starts to tilt backwards. Her husband immediately catches her by the waist and holds her as she starts to hyperventilate.

    "Elves! Elves!" Fuda exclaims excitedly and glances repeatedly at Yunia. My Queen remains lofty, but she's secretly enjoying the boy's worship of her.

    "But…" Omume's eyes fall on me, and I grin happily. "He isn't a mustch elf!" He shouts, completely incredulous.

    "It's a complicated story," Lina softly replies with a wry smile.

    Toulin seems to recover, and she grabs Lina's shoulder. "We'll talk about it late'r. For now, we need to cheleb'rate!" She happily shouts and beams with a beautiful smile.

    Honestly, their accent is kind of cute.

    Lina nods shyly, then gives each of them a tight hug.

    Omume suddenly notices her armor and opens his eyes wide as he breathes, "Diamond d'ragon scales… That is beautiful."

    "Should we go inside? It's really dry out here," Lina awkwardly suggests.

    "Of courshe!" Toulin exclaims with a nod. "I know how the big raches a'ren't ushed to the dust," Then she looks at our troupe and stiffens. "Wait, you have an actual d'ragon…"

    Fuda becomes speechless, while Omume mumbles, "What…?" Then he notices Aoi's toothy grin. "Azhu'rite d'ragon scales!"

    "I'm also a Lord, too," Aoi calmly states, her powerful double voice terrifying them.

    "She… speaks!" Fuda shouts, both in awe and fear.

    "Please don't do that…" Lina pleads through [Bind].

    "But it'll be fun!" I whine back.

    "Hm…" She grumbles, a bit annoyed. "Fine, but you'll have to explain it to them later…"

    I knew she was a mischievous little girl at heart.

    Gify grumbles and switches to Alissa's shoulder, then Aoi and I suddenly transform into our secondary forms, and she makes sure to [Equip] her clothes before the transformation is complete.

    The eyes of the trio go round, and their chins fall to the floor, all in sync.

    "Shymbol of Might!" Fuda exclaims in awe.

    Omume partially recovers from his daze and glares briefly at his son. "Of cou'rshe he isn't one! He's just a… copy-…" -He sends me a frightened glance, afraid that he might've offended me- "Uh, a humanoid. Of cou'rshe, a humanoid can't be the Shymbol of Might." And he nods sagely, sweating cold under his flimsy mask of wisdom.

    "How… how about we go inshide and talk ove'r shome tea?" Toulin kindly suggests with a forced smile, only now realizing how improper they've all been acting in front of nobility.

    Aoi and I switch back to our normal forms, and we kindly take her up on her offer, only keeping half of the Lordsguard stationed outside for protection because we don't need to have them all out there in this uncomfortable weather.

    I summon a Shad and a Holly to keep watch, masking the spell by summoning a water elemental at the same time, which will humidify the air so that the girls standing watch don't suffer too much. Our Lordsguard should already know about my [Monster Summoning], so they don't openly react to a monster suddenly appearing beside them, if they even sensed them, to begin with.

    We get a curious glance from Lina's family, but they say nothing, likely chalking it up to a noble's peculiarity.

    "Watch you'r head," Fuda warns as we cross through the rather short door, but I still end up hitting my horns on the top of the frame, earning me some confused looks from Lina's family.

    "They weren't warning you," Lina explains through [Bind], and the girls hold in their giggles.

    "I'm not used to having these tall things poking out of my head…" I grumble back.

    The door may be short, but the interior is very roomy, as expected from dwarven architecture. I also notice how the air instantly changes from uncomfortably dry and hot, to fresh and cool.

    The shop is one large square room with sofas and tea tables on one side, and shelves with equipment, gems, and enchanting tools on the other, the two sides separated by a simple counter. Everything is carved directly into the stone without using a single brick, which even includes the furniture, except for the chairs behind the counter.

    The intricate patterns that decorate every last surface are quite pretty, and the prominence of blues and greens along with the comfy crystal lights make for a rather calming atmosphere.

    There's a chestplate suspended on a workbench, which I'd assume is what they were working on before we crashed their routine.

    We un[Equip] our armor at the same instant that we [Equip] our social clothes. If we ever got the timing wrong, we'd end up flashing everyone with our nakedness, but the girls and I all have a pretty good hang of the spell.

    Lina's family isn't used to the elven loose dressing standards, so they become visibly disconcerted and struggle to act normally while they get used to seeing so much skin, which amuses Yunia quite a lot.

    I guess it was a good idea to not bring Osaria and Hukarere with us today…

    They're wearing simple, but well made medieval-style clothes, though their colors are quite a bit more vibrant than what I'd expected, given their limited wealth.

    "Mushrooms make for vibrant pigments," Lina explains through [Bind].

    They take us to the only set of non-dwarven-sized sofas. Aoi shrinks down so that we can all comfortably fit on them, and Omume and Toulin share a look and smile wryly. I think they've now entered the "acceptance" stage of our ridiculousness.

    Toulin pulls a tray of tea and some baked sweets out of her [Item Box], then Alissa also pulls out her own tray of teas and cookies.

    "How about we exchange some of our delicacies?" My foxy wife suggests with a grin.

    Fuda definitely won't say no to that, while Toulin seems intrigued, and Omume is neutral.

    I recognize baked Giftig mushrooms, a blue, beard-like mess that tastes like fruity blueberries and menthol. They're pretty tasty, but I pick something new, a powdered bread roll that seems incredibly fluffy.

    I take a bite, and my suspicions are proven true as the gray bread melts in my mouth. The powder is kind of like sugar, but it has an earthy taste that I don't recognize.

    I take a cup of some unknown warm orange tea and recognize the faint taste of ginger along with cinnamon and something lemony.

    Omume politely lowers his head and pleads, "Fo'rgive us, my Lord, fo'r we lack dessherts wo'rthy of shomeone of you'r station."

    "Don't worry about formalities. We were just adventurers not even a month ago," I immediately reply with a kind smile, then I point to a powdered roll. "This is actually pretty tasty."

    Toulin smiles warmly, and Ciel and I have the same thought: she's as cute as her daughter.

    Omume raises his head and politely introduces himself, "Thank you, my Lo'rd. My name is Omume Gilbik, a me're enchante'r, and this is my wife, Toulin, and my shon, Fuda."

    After some quick introductions, Toulin curiously asks, "Sho, how… did you meet? What happened to Miss Hildega'rd, you'r fo'rme'r maste'r?"



    Lina recounts her journey, starting from her travels across the continent with Hilde as peddlers, her master's change in profession when she became a supplier for the Armorer's Guild, then her meeting with me, and her untimely death.

    I kind of forgot that I saved Lina's life. I was so focused on my failure to save Hilde that I didn't pay any attention to how much she had felt that she owed me. I do remember that I thought I looked like a prince in shining armor to her, which wasn't that far from the truth.

    Ciel shares tea and cookies with our men, or rather, women, and also sends some cold tea out to the ones stationed outside, who are standing in the hot sun and dust.

    Then Lina mentions how she fell in love with me, and then with Ciel too, and that raises some eyebrows.

    Her parents share a look while Fuda tries to keep himself from staring at Ciel and smirking.

    Omume awkwardly clears his throat and comments, "We'd… neve'r questioned he'r tastes since we neve'r expected he'r to join a noble's ha'rem…"

    "But we're happy that you found… mo're than one pe'rshon to love," Toulin adds with a slightly teasing grin.

    Lina's Trivia: nobles and aristocrats are encouraged to explore their sexuality because simply being bisexual effectively doubles the number of potential marriage candidates. Commoners don't have such customs since they rarely form or enter harems.

    "You're greedy, shiste'r," Fuda blatantly teases, and Lina lowers her head as she blushes heavily.

    "So, yes, I'm her wife, too," Ciel announces with a half-proud, half-embarrassed grin.

    "Pleashu're to meet you, not-blood-shiste'r, not-blood-b'rothe'r," Fuda announces with a grin, though he only looks me in the eye for a brief second.

    "It's our pleasure," Ciel replies warmly, and I simply nod.



    Then Lina continues the storytelling, though now we all participate.

    Alissa's tone turns grim as our retelling moves on to someone very infamous, "As we rose in power, we got close to the Lord's daughter, and she's a terrifying person. There's something about her eyes that makes you really nervous."

    "Like [Intimidate]?" Omume innocently asks, his curious and round face almost like a baby's.

    "Maybe, but a lot stronger, and it only activated when you looked her in the eye."

    "Isn't she like you, my Lo'rd?" Fuda asks me, his gentle demeanor so strikingly similar to Lina's.

    I smile and calmly reply, "You can just call me 'Wolf' in private, but I believe mine is just something related to my draconic side, while her 'power' is focused solely on her eyes."

    Omume rubs his chin in thought, the childishness suddenly gone. "Hm… you shound like a we'reanimal."

    "I'm actually a weredragon," I proudly state.

    Toulin tilts her head to the side, making her bangs sway. "A demon rache?"

    "No. Just weredragon, a new race. It's a long story, but the Gods changed me from human to this." I raise my claws and clack them together like pincers.

    They all just blink blankly, not really knowing how they should take it.

    "Is Miss Aoi the shame…?" Fuda tentatively asks, but he's also unable to maintain eye contact with her, probably for the same reason as with me.

    "No. I'm a breeder-type dragon that converted. The Gods are gradually giving me a system," Aoi happily answers with a toothy grin, almost sounding like an excited child instead of a mean, dangerous dragon.

    Toulin suddenly frowns, then she looks from my claws to Lina and touches her own uterus as she shares, "I still remembe'r how ha'rd you kicked my stomach befo're you we're born. How will you'r p'regnanchy go when you'r husband has claws on his hands and feet?"

    The girls all suddenly become worried.

    "We'll… pray a lot," Ciel hesitantly answers with a wry smile.

    Omume sagely adds, "The Gods a're wishe. If they gave you this rache…" -he smiles a bit awkwardly- "and this many women… they'll want you to sp'read you'r inhe'ritanche far and wide."

    Oh, we will…

    "You just need to have a tough belly, like mine," Hana claims, pulling open her blouse and almost ripping it as the snap buttons are a bit too tight. She exposes her supremely sexy abs and her black, lacy bra. Omume only glances at her briefly and immediately looks away, then a second later, Toulin jerks her head to face him and narrows her eyes while she slaps the back of Fuda's head.

    "Hey!" The boy complains, then blushes heavily.

    Hana guffaws and slaps her thigh as she closes her blouse again, then I realize how thoroughly the elves and Chimeras have corrupted us since not even Lina is bothered by Hana's prank. Yunia's dousnadeia is just barely more modest than lingerie, anyway.

    Lina clears her throat, and we continue on with the story.



    "Golems…" Omume mumbles, his cute face full of innocent curiosity, but Toulin and Fuda are much more wary of the golems since they know far too little about [Summoning Magic] to understand their significance.



    "A da'rk elf?!" Fuda whisper-shouts, trying to contain his excitement.

    Ah, I see he's a man of culture.



    Toulin covers her mouth in horror as she breathes, "Giants? I mean, d'ragonkin a're al'ready giants to us, so I can't imagine how a real giant would look."

    "Just big… but you definitely don't want to look up at one," Lina quietly adds.

    "Wh- oh…" Omume realizes why almost instantly.



    "Ah… a 'mountain home,'" Omume shoots off a dad joke and grins proudly, earning some hearty laughs from Hana.

    "It was my first contact with dwarves after so long, so I enjoyed it a lot there," Lina nostalgically reminisces.

    "There are a few dwarven undertowns near our territory that we could visit periodically," I happily suggest.

    "That's… not necessary," she shyly declines, but she's actually very happy inside.



    "A chity of gold…" Fuda mumbles in wonder.

    "Not really. It's like a fake gem," Lina pops his bubble.

    "The real beauty is Ultirei's Tomb," Ciel happily states.

    Toulin hums in thought as she remembers something. "I heard about that place," she recollects, then Lina retells its history to us. Toulin and Omume listen happily to the story about the first emperor since they're actually rather pious.



    "Again with the gigantic things, but now it's t'rees…" Toulin murmurs as she shakes her head.

    Roxanne grins and plays with them a bit, "A long time ago, they used the bark and branches to create statues of elves laying with one another in all 'combinations' possible."

    "Mustch elves…" Omume mutters under his breath with a frown, though only Alissa could hear him.

    Lina's Trivia: that's an ancient slur for weak-willed or wimp.



    "Bandits, huh," Omume mumbles with a dark tone, and the three of them become awfully quiet. It was only because their valuable enchanting tools were stolen that they had to sell Lina, so they're understandably pretty prejudiced against criminals.



    "Escansho sheems like an inc'redible plache," Fuda comments in wonder.

    "But isn't it… above the g'round? Like, ve'ry fa'r above?" Toulin questions worriedly.

    Lina nods, which makes her bangs sway. "It is, but there's so much mana around that I didn't notice any difference in my [Stonebody]."



    "And then the man confessed that they'd have killed us all and kidnapped the nobles!" Hana exclaims, and Toulin lets out a cry, horrified.

    "Involving othe'rs in thei'r dange'rous schemes is exactly what a noble would do," Omume remarks and snorts while Toulin nods in agreement, then he pales as he realizes something. "I apologize, my Lo'rds, I-…"

    "It's fine. We understand your frustrations," Yunia composedly assures him. For her, it's simply not worth it to get angry over just any perceived insult from some humble commoners.

    "You killed humanoids?" Fuda suddenly asks Lina with a grim tone.

    "A few…" Lina mumbles back, her tone becoming quite dark.

    "You're b'rave, my daughte'r. We're p'roud of you," Omume praises her with a serious tone, temporarily purging the childishness from his expression.

    Lina nods slowly. "Thank you."



    "Now, Golo'ria shure must look like shomething…" Toulin wonders with a faint smile.

    "Escanso is more beautiful," Yunia immediately replies flatly.

    "Yes, I'm shure…" Toulin stiffly affirms, but she breaks into a smile once she sees ours. Yunia's trying hard to not look offended, but the natural elven snobbishness is hard to hide.



    "The shea shounds a bit f'rightening," Omume embarrassedly admits.

    But Roxanne tries to ease his heart, "As long as you keep to the shallows, it should be fine, and if you don't go somewhere deserted, it's likely that there'll be merfolk in the area to save you in case you start drowning."

    "'Sta'rt d'rowning,'" he repeats with a worried frown, making Roxanne grin and shrug.



    We don't mention the Innocent Nymph. Not only would that embarrass Lina if they learned what the place was famous for, but it'd also be really hard to explain what happened to it. Few people know about our relation to it, anyway.



    "So you got you'rshelf involved in a Lo'rd's schemes?" Omume concernedly asks, his gentle eyes narrowed in reproval.

    "It had its benefits," Lina answers with a shrug, making her father sigh tiredly.

    "If you thought it was worth it." He shrugs and shakes his head.

    "So, you deposhed the Lo'rd of Escansho, then late'r became its new Lo'rd?"' Toulin inquires, her eyebrows knit in disbelief.

    Yunia sternly replies, trying to hold back the sadness she feels from just remembering it, "Exactly, he was my father. That's how I was introduced to Wolfy." Then she gives me a loving smile.

    "You… ma'rried… him…?" Fuda hesitantly asks, nearly stunned speechless.

    Yunia nods and gently replies, finding comfort in my mental hug, "My father and mothers failed their duties and paid the price for it. I was fortunate that I was allowed to live, never mind being able to find my own happiness in this warm family."

    Toulin clutches her heart and smiles achingly.

    But Fuda's mouth hangs open, his expression warped in horror. "That's ho'rrible. You'r fathe'r, I mean. His death, I mean!" He hastily corrects himself repeatedly.

    Omume's strong, small hand falls on his son's shoulder, forcing him to stop talking. "Lo'rds live diffe'rent lives from us. They a're above us, but they also live unde'r harshe'r rules," Omume sagely recites.

    "We're responsible for the well-being of the commoners, after all," Ciel agrees, and they share a stern, understanding nod.

    "With higher power comes higher responsibilities… and higher punishments," Yunia adds grimly.



    "So, we entered the dungeon…" Hana starts, preparing to boast and embellish just a little bit about all of our adventures.



    "A flying dwa'rf!" Fuda blurts out and wheezes.

    "Just wait until we tell the neighbo'rs," Omume teases, and Lina groans softly.



    "Naked…?" Fuda whispers, trying to hide his excited grin.

    "All of them," Roxanne answers matter-of-factly and calmly nods.

    He swallows heavily.

    Someone get this boy a woman to take his virginity, already!



    Then we superficially explain Arreira's "experiment," which gave the Gods the opportunity to fuck with my race.

    And we at last reach the final part of our adventure…

    "ROYALTY?!" The trio exclaims in unison, and Toulin faints, for good this time.



    Intermission 25 – Osaria



    I sigh as the last supplicant leaves. Everyone is always asking for too much from the Lordship. We can give them moderate help, but "life isn't fair," as the God of Luck has warned us.

    I notice that there's a significant number of complainers, but, thankfully, the summary for each of their petitions is almost everything I need to separate the weasels from the victims. Their "Piety" must be so low that they could barely even feel any awe from the Intervention, so they now think that it's a good idea to try to abuse the patience of their King.

    A sigh escapes my lips as I remember Wolfy's touch; the addictive taste and smell of his seed; the thickness of his spear; the beauty of his majestic face; his body's perfect balance of cuteness and manliness; and the way he makes me bend over with just a look.

    I sigh again and start playing with myself as I think about him.

    Rande, your mother has fallen in love again… If only we could both have him like in the old days, then things would be perfect, but I mustn't be greedy. I'll never find someone like Wolfy again if I lose him.

    I look out through the window of the Lord's Hall and notice that the sun is almost at its zenith. I don't think Wolfy is coming back for lunch today, so I need to find someone else to share the meal with.

    Maybe I should call for the twins and play with them for a bit. They should still have some of that adorable virgin shyness in them.

    I grin mischievously and pat Wolfy's little bird as I think out loud, "As long as I don't touch, Wolfy wouldn't mind a bit of teasing, right?" Then I boop its cute little beak and giggle happily as my chest almost bursts with happiness. Every day is so satisfying that it's almost like I'm living in a dream.

    Take that, Rico, you rotten husk. I'm happy without you!




    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Christopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Lord Copey Dunt.
    Lord Dracopuppy23.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Stellerbattle.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
  14. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    I smile warmly as I watch them panic. They're loud, energetic, and a bit dramatic, which is strikingly dissimilar to Lina, and they kind of remind me of my extended family back on Earth.

    "They make me a bit embarrassed," Lina confesses through [Bind].

    "Parents can be like that," I gently reply and pat her head.

    Omume gently lays his stunned wife on his lap while Fuda uses some scrap piece of paper to fan her. She takes a few moments to become responsive again, then she closes her eyes and sighs tiredly.

    "Royalty…" She mumbles weakly, sounding a bit fearful.

    Yunia nods sternly, her blue, sharp eyes staring at Omume, who still seems to have his wits about him. "This is an important matter. Now that we're not only Lords, but also 'royals,' everyone around us will be subject to increased scrutiny, including your family," she states, making Omume apprehensive.

    I lower my head for a brief moment and speak for all of us, "This is why we must apologize. You won't be able to continue with your current way of life because of us."

    "M-my Lo'rd…!" Omume reflexively exclaims and reaches towards me, asking for me to stop my genuflection. "You don't have to apologize. We're just humble commone'rs, so we'll fulfill whateve'r you need of us."

    I just raise my head with a wry smile. Though Toulin might not have heard this properly, they seem more concerned with showing us the appropriate deference than about how their futures might have been significantly changed by this.

    Toulin groans as she sits up, then she slaps Fuda's hand to have him stop fanning her. "Royalty…" She repeats again, this time with a more pensive tone, then her eyes wander over to the absolutely silent Azador and the Lordsguard standing behind us. "This means we'll requi're p'rotection?"

    And Azador immediately replies matter-of-factly, "More than just what this town's Lord can provide. An immediate transfer to Hombombein's Nobles' Quarters is advised."

    The trio opens their eyes wide in surprise and let their mouths hang open.

    Then Lina delivers our main proposal on a golden platter, "But what we really want is for you to come with us. We'll be founding a clan, and we need loyal and competent people to build a solid foundation."

    Toulin's mouth flaps repeatedly before she finally finds the words to exclaim, "Lina! We're just commone'r enchante'rs! How do you expect us to manage a clan?!"

    "Hold on, you won't be growing a castle on your own, you'll just be responsible for the enchanting-related branch," I appease them, then I blink in surprise as I realize that Yunia's elven expression accidentally came out of my mouth.

    Omume's face becomes stern as he starts to think seriously about it. "And you believe that we can offe'r enough to be wo'rthy of being acchepted into you'r clan?" He cautiously asks.

    "Currently, no, but we have the resources to train your family and allow your talents to bloom," Yunia answers without mercy.

    The trio becomes a bit meek, and Lina shoots an annoyed look at Yunia, who coughs awkwardly and looks away, but she doesn't apologize.

    Ciel smiles apologetically and forces the conversation to move on, "We have a good amount of Chimeric enchanters working for us, so they can teach you a lot, but we have no dwarven community living in Escanso, though there are a few Halflings around…"

    Omume snorts and shakes his head as he mumbles, "Pff… the g'rass munche'rs have mo're in common with the elves than with us…"

    "If Lina could adapt to life in the High Fo'rest, sho will we," Toulin boldly states and gives a confident nod towards Lina.

    "Most of the duties will end up falling on you, Fuda," Lina points out, and the boy's excitement instantly dries up.

    "Oh…" He mumbles and gives a glance to his father. "I was shupposhed to inhe'rit the shop one day, sho… things just got mo're 'she'rious,' I guess." And he shrugs.

    "He'll g'row into the poshition, I'm shu're," Omume assures us, a bit nervous about his son's aloofness.

    "Even if he doesn't, the Gilbik family will always have a place in the clan," Alissa now assures them, and they seem to appreciate it, though Fuda blushes in embarrassment.

    Though they seem to have agreed to it, I don't want to rush things, so I point out, "There's no need to make your decision now, but I'll write a letter to the Lord to give you protection in the meanwhile."

    I pull out a piece of paper and a magic pen, but then I remember that my calligraphy sucks, so I give it to Alissa with an apologetic smile.

    As she writes, Omume looks with melancholy at his shop, observing all the intricate carvings in the gray and light green stone. Judging by the amount of detail that you can see in this shop, I believe this was a multi-generational household, so they'll be abandoning their ancestral home if they come with us.

    "'G'row roots to give you stability, but cut them away when it's time to g'row fu'rthe'r,'" Toulin sagely quotes the Goddess of Growth as she glances at her husband.

    "There will be no other dwarves nearby for you to relate to, and you'll be living above-ground," Ciel kindly warns them.

    "Sheems like the ai'r would be better than he're. At least you can stay outshide without getting dust eve'rywhere on you'r body," Fuda jokingly comments.

    "C'rooked shilver ca'rvings," Omume mumbles and snorts.

    Alissa finishes writing the letter and folds it into the shape of a flat flower, which amuses me with its cuteness, then she stamps it with our seal, its first official use, and it conjures a small amount of wax to keep the letter from accidentally unfolding.

    She hands it to Azador, who wordlessly takes it with a bow and leaves with one of the guards.

    Now that that serious matter has been solved, how about some fun?

    I grin mischievously and suggest, "Since you'll be the first dwarves living up in the treetops, how about you also become some of the first flying dwarves like Lina?"

    Toulin raises an eyebrow while Fuda suddenly becomes excited, but Omume fearfully mumbles, "You mean tha-…?"

    "Come outside," I interrupt him and get up.

    Toulin chuckles nervously while the girls seem amused with my eccentricity. What can I say? I just love airships.

    We exit the shop, and the guards outside don't even flinch. They're really well-trained.

    The water elemental-wife has actually made a difference since the moment I leave its influence, my nose complains about the dry air. Alissa notices it the most, so she just decides to stand beside water-Roxanne.

    I crouch and touch the road, then our cargo ship appears with a *poof*, and I quickly back away before it can crush me. Pulling out huge things is always a bit dangerous.

    "WOAH!" Fuda exclaims out loud while his parents are speechless, again.

    I turn around and grin proudly. "I'm kind of a Space mage," I smugly announce, then I jump, using my tail to propel my ascent, and use [Telekinesis] to maneuver up onto the deck.

    "How about a joyride?!" I happily shout.

    "A what?!" Omume shouts back. The system didn't translate that word well.

    "A scenic ride," Alissa adeptly translates for me.

    The trio accepts, though Fuda is the only one of them that doesn't seem afraid, and we get everyone up onto the deck with the golems' [Telekinesis].

    Omume doesn't even need to be told to secure himself with a rope as it's the first thing he does when he lands, and Toulin follows suit a moment later. Fuda is surprisingly adventurous, while Omume seems to fear heights enough for all of them.

    I summon another water elemental to moisturize the air, and we leave one unfortunate guard outside the shop to let Azador know if he comes back, then we lift off.



    The Atskild mountain range has nothing on Mountainhome, a gigantic, snow-peaked mountain range that's even wider than the Shore of Leaves. There's nothing on the surface since Hombombein is actually deep inside the mountain, but the endless slope towards the center of the mountain range definitely triggers my megalophobia.

    We could go to Hombombein on this ship in just half a day, and then come back, but I don't want to go too far. The airspace here isn't secure, so we'd definitely have to fight something along the way.

    After the golems take over control of the ship, I jump down onto the deck and pull out the bottle of Cinco Flores. "Would yo-…"

    "Who's piloting the ship?!" Omume suddenly exclaims, his face warped in a fearful frown.

    "The golems. They're pretty good," I assure him with a wry smile. "Anyway, would you care for some elven drink? This one is very special."

    "Oh, no, he's become an Eia-alcoholic," Roxanne teases me, and I stick out my tongue at her.

    This is the only way that I can taste coffee, and the flavor of chocolate in the drink is also pretty good, so I'm addicted more to these flavors than to the Eia itself.

    I uncork it, and the sickeningly sweet smell of Eia pours out.

    "Shome f'ruity, magical d'rink?" Toulin curiously asks as Fuda shivers at the strength of the smell.

    "It doesn't taste fruity, even if it smells like it," I assure her, then I start pouring a sliver of Eia in the glasses Alissa offers to me.

    Omume frowns when he receives his few drops of Eia. "That's it? Boy, I'm almost offended," he jokes as he observes the magical ambrosia.

    "This is liquid magic, so it bypasses even my resistances," Hana confesses, and that makes them wary. They should know how dragonkin are just as heavy drinkers as dwarves.

    "Don't swallow it immediately, let the flavors caress your tongue until it starts to feel numb," Yunia warns them.

    We gather in a circle and do a brother's pledge, clinking our glasses against each other's, and it makes Omume quite smug that we know of this dwarven tradition, then we go bottoms up.

    We don't give it to the guard women, but I want to give them a shot once they're off-duty. Alissa and Hana both agree that giving little perks to the men and women who so diligently follow us will help a lot in deepening their loyalty. And besides, since they're Companions, they might be down for some "intimate" fun once they've loosened up.

    We lean on the railing and enjoy the view as we savor the Eia on our tongues. My "third eye" opens, but there's barely any Life around for me to see, so I just ignore it.

    Fuda watches as the town becomes smaller and smaller. It's really hard to distinguish the entrances to the underground houses from the rest of the mountain, so the only landmarks visible from this high above are the town wall and the hole to the undertown, but those quickly become too small to be noticeable.

    I suddenly realize that the town guards might have a problem with someone leaving on a ship without going through customs.

    Oops.

    It seems that it's frighteningly easy to lose the common sense that commoners have and become an eccentric noble.

    Omume's tension fades as the Eia makes him relax, but he's still wary and tightly grips the railing whenever the ship shakes even a little.

    "For a dwarf, you're surprisingly fine with flying," Hana comments to Fuda.

    "The idea of a dwa'rf flying a'round is funny, but it isn't scary to me. Living in the cheiling of an unde'rtown sheems more dange'rous," he casually replies, then he turns his eyes towards the quickly approaching snowy peaks. "Can we land on the snow?"

    "Sure," I casually reply.



    As we ascend, the air starts to get cold, so I summon a fire elemental-wife to keep us warm. Omume observes it curiously, noticing how her fire feet don't leave a mark on the wooden deck, but then he suddenly jerks his head away as he realizes that fire-Hana is half-naked.

    He awkwardly coughs and tries to deflect, "Theshe shummons of you'rs a're really usheful, huh?"

    "It's my specialty," I proudly reply. "And it's surprising how few people can actually use [Summon Elemental], seeing how useful it is."

    He nods. "It's really ha'rd to learn. I t'ried."

    "You were a mage?" Lina confusedly asks, sounding rather skeptical.

    Omume purses his lips, slightly offended. "Hey! I have a lot of mana, I could've become one if I wanted to!"

    "Imagine you'r fathe'r fighting in the Townsgua'rd," Toulin teasingly ponders as she glances at Fuda, then they both snicker.

    "Lina became a wa'rrior!" Omume annoyedly exclaims and points at my little girl. "If she inhe'rited you'r beauty, then maybe she inhe'rited my mind!"

    Toulin goes easier on the teasing due to the compliment, but she and Fuda still continue with it with barely contained grins.

    Feeling like saving her father, Lina suddenly grabs his hand and confesses, "Thank you for your inheritance, Dad. You helped me become what I am today."

    We gush at this cute moment, but I know that deep inside, Lina will never actually specify what exactly it was that she inherited from her father.



    A few minutes later, we reach snow, so I tell the golems to land. Only Hana and Yunia had ever played in the snow before, while Alissa and Ciel had only seen it once when they were traveling, so everyone else in our group excitedly spends their first few moments on it just getting used to the feeling of crunching snow.

    As a Canadian immigrant, of course, I have to give them their baptism of the north.

    I pick up a bunch of snow and compact it with my hands, turning it into a nice, tough ball before throwing it as I shout, "SNOWBALL FIGHT!"

    Alissa is so entranced by the snow that she doesn't even notice my mischief, and the large snowball hits her right in the face.

    Oh, fuck!

    Her revenge makes me wish that I was a little more gentle with how I initiated this.



    I crawl along the shallow trenches as a bombardment rains all around me, and I pray that I don't get hit by a lucky bomb.

    I do my best to reach Lina as she builds a protective barrier that she can hide behind as she launches her own attacks, but then I see a large bomb being lobbed from the Orange Separatists' trenches, and my heart sinks as I realize the arc that it'll take through the air.

    "LINAAAAA…!" I shout desperately, and the world suddenly moves in slow-motion.

    She raises her cute little head towards me, her gloomy eyes spelling confusion since she doesn't understand the reason for my cry.

    "ABOVE YOU!" I shout once again to warn her, but it's too late, the bomb is just too fast.

    It reaches her beautiful, gentle face just as she looks up, and her whole head is absolutely covered in snow.

    "NOOOO…!" I cry in despair and rush towards her, ignoring the ordinance falling all around me.

    I grab her little body before she falls into the snow and hold it close to me. Her delicate, angelic hands fall lifelessly beside her body, and I choke on my tears.

    That's when I notice Fuda just ahead of me, currently crawling along another shallow trench, likely on his way back to report on the success of his raid.

    The only reason the distinguished Gilbik family ever joined this bloodbath was because of my marriage with Lina, but now that she's gone, they have zero reason to shed even more blood in this conflict, and so, Fuda immediately turns around and runs off without saying a single word to me.

    I hold her lifeless body in my arms as I tune out reality, the sounds of ordinance impacts becoming faint in my ears, then I notice that they've actually stopped, and I peek up from behind the barrier to check on the no-man's land.

    I see the outlines of enemy soldiers boldly rushing up the slope to finish me off.

    "So it has come to this, huh," I mumble with a self-deprecating smile.

    Outgunned, outnumbered, and with no allies left to back me up anymore, my time has finally come, but I only have myself to blame.

    I gently lay Lina's body down on the snow, then I grab a handful of white death with each hand and compact it to make a nice and firm snow bomb.

    "BUT I WON'T GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!" I scream in anger and leap over the barrier.



    I take two of them out with me before I'm finally hit, and my exhausted, wounded body collapses on the soft snow, sinking down halfway into it. Unfortunately, this is as much of a grave as I'm going to get.

    I cough and struggle to breathe as I wait for the Separatists to get here, and they take so long that I feel like shouting out for them to just come and finish me off, but they soon leave the safety of their barriers as I hear the sound of boots crunching into the snow.

    Two women come into my view, the first is a red-haired mercenary that I don't recognize, and the second is the Orange Fox Demon, the traitorous woman. Her stunningly beautiful face sends me into a rage, and it almost gives me enough energy to rise up again, almost.

    "Any last words," she smugly asks, her vixen-like voice giving me shivers of pleasure.

    I return the smug smile and give the thumbs up, but not to her. "Suck my thick, draconic cock," I reply with barely contained excitement.

    From deep inside the clouds, Aoi releases our trump card, the Mother Of All Snowballs.

    When the two warriors finally notice the shadow falling on them from above, it's already too late for them. Their horrified faces are the last thing I see before the snow covers me and my vision darkens.

    The Ryder Civil War has come to an end, and the victors are the Gilbiks, the only survivors of this massacre.



    I brush off the snow from my clothes as I laugh my ass off. "I can't believe… this worked… I got… everyone…" Then I drop onto the snow and hold my belly as I wheeze. "Fuck…! That was perfect!"

    Aoi lands beside me and shrinks down to small-Aoi, then she laughs alongside me in her chipmunk voice.

    Alissa sits up and grumbles incoherent insults in rage. "I didn't even get my revenge!" She exclaims and starts to brush herself off, too.

    I stop laughing and pounce on her, then I pull her into my embrace. "How about, in lieu of 'revenge,' I 'make it up to' you, instead?" Then I look around to see the "dead" girls coming back to life. "Make it up to everyone," I hurriedly add.

    The Gilbiks cautiously peek their heads up from behind their barriers.

    "A're we really the last ones alive?" Omume asks confusedly.

    "Yes, you are, congratulations," Jarn answers from behind them in a rather flat tone. The golems were the "referees" for this war.

    "Well, good job us, I guess." He chuckles and shrugs.

    Hana plants her hands on her waist and narrows her eyes. "Do you guys have [Throw]? You're all suspiciously good at throwing snowballs," she presses them, her yellow eyes demanding an answer.

    "[Spirit of Gaia] gives us bette'r coo'rdination, I guess," Fuda smugly answers, and Hana clicks her tongue.

    After playing around some more, we decide to fly back down to the town for lunch.



    A buff dwarf arrives at the shop, warily approaching the elemental-wife and the guard waiting out in front of it.

    "The shop is closed," the guard sternly states, glaring at the dwarf with the typical elven snobbish air.

    "Uh…" The man mumbles as he's drawn into the deep blue eyes of the female guard. Not even dwarves are immune to the elven charm. "I came to pick up my a'rmo'r."

    "The shop is closed…" The guard repeats, slightly annoyed.

    "Ah, right…!" Then he notices the elemental-wife and gives her an odd glance. "When a're they coming back?"

    The guard rolls her eyes, then she looks up to the mountain and manages to spot us. "Soon…"



    After we land, Omume tries to play it all off as if there's nothing exceptional going on, and Toulin keeps the customer busy with some small talk just to avoid having to explain our presence.

    I store the ship, and a few town guards arrive to investigate the airship sighting. They definitely aren't happy about us skipping customs, but they quickly calm down once they realize that we're high nobility. The composition of our group and the polished, shining wooden armor we're all wearing tell them quite clearly that it'd be far more trouble than it's worth to try to force us to go through customs.

    Azador gets back just before lunchtime since he knows how much we value a good meal, and we all set off together for the Nobles' Quarters in search of a good restaurant.

    Toulin forces them to change into their social clothes before we depart for the Nobles' Quarters.

    While we wait, I decide to play around with [Summoning Magic]. It's been a while since I last molded an elemental into something interesting.

    This time, I use an earth elemental as a base for a carriage, making it out of white marble so that it looks more refined, then I use a nature elemental to add some elven flair, drawing upon Yunia's memories, and I finish my creation off with an air elemental shaped like a horse to pull it.

    It looks rather impressive, though it lacks the decorations and fine details to make it truly refined, but just the novelty factor is enough for me.

    Then the Gilbiks come out, and Ciel's heart takes a hit as their neat and clean fashion style appeals to her pedo heart. Toulin's red beret and checkered skirt look rather modern, while the male side wears epaulets, giving them a bit of a military look.

    Once we get inside the carriage, I remember that it needs cushioning, so I use a water elemental for some bouncy seats and backrests.

    "How cute," Ciel happily comments as she gets in.

    "How cute," Yunia comments with a slow, deliberate tone, a mix of snobbish and amused.

    "Cute," Lina shyly mumbles and drops her little ass on the bouncy seat.

    Alissa merely giggles as she feels the water sloshing around, and Gify hogs a seat for herself, forcing Aoi to remain as small-Aoi so that we can all fit.

    "Now you're just showing off," Omume grumbles as he enters, and Toulin lowers her head appreciatively with a wry smile.

    With the guard women surrounding the carriage and Azador "driving" it, we finally move on. The intelligent elemental needs only minimal commands, so Azador's job is quite relaxed.



    Toulin hides her face in embarrassment from the all attention we're getting, and we finally find out who Lina inherited her shyness from. Fuda, on the other hand, smiles gallantly to the people as we pass by, instantly adopting a noble-like demeanor, and nobody knows where he learned to act like that.

    "I have shome elven inhe'ritanche, I think. Must be becaushe of that," Omume mumbles and sighs.



    Omume suggests an old restaurant which is famous for being the usual choice of the local nobles. I'm interested in the traditional dwarven cuisine, so I think there's no better choice than a place like that.

    The restaurant itself is a thin and elongated rectangle, its wide side facing the hole that the sunlight pours in through. The walls are filled with carvings of festive dwarves, which is very fitting considering the raucous laughter we hear coming from inside.

    The entrance is just a patio with a spring, so we don't dawdle and immediately cross through it.

    The interior is more of the usual, with a tall ceiling with geometric patterns for decorations, but everything seems waxed and a bit too shiny, and then I notice that a dozen mirrors are strategically spread about, reflecting the sunlight towards the floor, which is what creates this effect.

    The attendant that receives us is a dwarven proto-butler who speaks in perfect Andraste but then switches to Norvok when speaking to Lina and the Gilbiks. This catches them by surprise, but Toulin puts on her poker face and replies to the butler without embarrassing herself.

    "Isn't it rude to speak in front of us in a language that we don't understand?" Alissa annoyedly comments through [Bind].

    Yunia agrees with an internal nod and adds, "Not even elves do that."

    "Well, I never expected that the dwarves would out-snob the elves," I joke and share a smile with the girls.

    "Most dwarves would see that as an achievement," Lina awkwardly confesses.

    The butler earns himself some minus points for speaking in Norvok, but at the same time, he also earns positive points for not pissing his pants when he notices Aoi.



    One thing I didn't expect is that dwarves eat bugs, gigantic, elephant-sized bugs, but still bugs. There are some crunchy, creepy-crawlies to snack on, but the main course is usually some cut of bug.

    Roxanne falls in love with this cuisine instantly, but the rest of us are more reserved, and Yunia is revulsed.

    The mean succubus' shoulders tremble as she chuckles internally, then she puts on her mask and starts her act, "The sound these things make when they crunch inside my mouth is so fun, but then they ooze their tasty, slimy, innards, and it's just… hya!" She gushes girlishly, then glances over at Yunia and holds back a chuckle when she sees the elven queen wrinkle her nose.

    Omume lets out a hearty laugh and lifts his glass in cheer. "Hahaha, now that's a good woman! Eat to become st'ronge'r! Eat to gain mo're mana!"

    Toulin rolls her eyes while Fuda giggles.

    Aoi nods emphatically. "Yes! It's best to eat a fresh kill, even if it's raw, so that you absorb as much power as you can from them," she agrees with a toothy grin.

    Omume stutters for a second, but then he recovers and doubles-down, "It's ha'rd to eat it raw shince the meat tastes like di'rt, but at least you shouldn't be picky and eat a bit of eve'rything. The Goddess of G'rowth shaid that."

    "I advise that we all pray to the God of Endurance first," Yunia comments in a low tone and sighs.

    Roxanne's teasing threatened her pride, so she resolves herself to eat the bugs without prejudice even though there is the option to order normal meat like Dragolite or orc.

    Feeling pressured by her courage, I also order a portion of bug meat, and it tastes kind of like shrimp, but a bit milder and slimier.



    After our meal, we get some elven-approved snacks for the guard women, then I have a few of them accompany Lina, and they head back to the shop with the Gilbiks so that Lina and her family can have some time together in private.

    Meanwhile, the rest of us take a [Gate] to the ceiling of the cave. It's so high up that few dwarves come up here, so the shops in this area are mostly imperial or from some other nearby country.

    We find a cute tea shop that allows us to reserve a corner for ourselves. The view down from up here is quite nice since the shaded part of the town looks like a starry night sky due to all the lights of the houses below.

    There's also an imperial playing a gentle song with a hurdy-gurdy, which Lina points out is actually a dwarven instrument. Since dwarves are so small, they don't have the lung capacity for woodwinds, but their small fingers are quite nimble, so they invented most of the known string instruments.

    While the girls use the time to relax or read something, I decide to test my [Gate]. Putting all of my points in mana-enhancing skills, I can send a thumb-sized summoned hummingbird back to my office in the castle, but a person is completely out of the question.

    I give it a small letter and tell it to find Poosh, then I wait until she sends her reply back through the [Gate].

    Once her letter appears on the empty seat beside me, I send her another explaining my plan. I want to establish a messaging system using my [Gate] so that I can talk to them no matter where I am in the world.

    It doesn't have to be done right now, so I just tell her to gather the Officers to inform them of my plan and brainstorm something.



    Lina enters her family's shop and looks around with melancholy. The memories come flooding in, but they are all rather blurred and a bit disjointed. She had just turned eleven when she was sold, so it's been around four or five years since she last saw this place.

    She goes around the stairs and crouches down near the corner of the shop, then she brushes her fingers over some crooked carvings that resemble a geometric flower.

    Fuda stops beside her and grins.

    "I remember this," she mumbles nostalgically.

    "You bette'r," Toulin chastises her and pouts, then walks away to the other side of the shop.

    Lina turns her gloomy eyes to Fuda and pouts. "You said they'd never notice," she accuses him.

    Fuda shrugs and chuckles. "You'r fault fo'r believing me. I was just a kid," he deflects.

    "But you're older than me," she presses and grunts annoyedly.

    "Only by a yea'r," he calmly dodges.

    She slaps his shoulder playfully, having to remind herself not to use [Spirit of Gaia] since she's much stronger than any of them now.

    Omume walks up behind them and stops. His silence draws their attention, and Lina notices his conflicted expression.

    "Lina…" He starts, but his resolve falters.

    "Dad…" She replies with a kind smile, knowing what's coming.

    Her gentle voice reinvigorates him, and he decides to pour his heart out, "Fo'rgive me, Lina, fo'r what I've done," he pleads, his voice cracking.

    Lina stands up and gives him a hug.

    "Fo'rgive me," he pleads again with a faint voice.

    "There's nothing to forgive," she comforts him, her tone firm and kind.

    "We sho-…"

    "There's nothing to forgive," she repeats with more intensity, then she pushes him back to look him in the eye. "You did what you had to. You had the courage to do what was necessary to provide for us."

    But Omume's face warps in anguish. "B-but we could've done sho many things diffe'rently-…"

    "Father…!" She chastises him. "If you're going to apologize to me, then you'll also have to apologize to every slave that was ever sold."

    Toulin frowns as she comes closer and asks, "What do you mean…?"

    Lina turns to her, her usual shyness completely gone as she brims with pride. "Slavery is a duty. When the family becomes unable to provide for their own, it's their duty to find someone who can." Then she turns back to Omume and stares at him. "You gave me the opportunity to prove my worth, and through sacrifice, along with a good deal of luck, I came back to return what you've given me many times over."

    Omume closes his eyes, trying not to cry while Toulin walks up to them and joins the hug. "It shouldn't be a pa'rent's duty to give up thei'r child," Toulin cries weakly as she struggles to keep her tears at bay.

    "It isn't," Lina states, unmoved by their sorrow, and hugs them again. Her presence suddenly prods me in my mind, retrieving specific memories of hers that she shares with me, and then Gify takes them and shares them with the rest of the girls.

    A wish merges with an idea, and we all stare pensively at it, measuring its worth.

    "This is a noble cause, though it's a different battlefield than the one we usually fight on," Yunia shares her opinion through [Bind].

    "I don't know anything about laws…" Lina hesitantly mumbles.

    "But I do…" Yunia completes her thought.

    Lina nods internally, and the two of them "stare" at each other as they gather their resolve.

    "Apotheosis won't be reached by the individual," Ciel sagely recites a teaching from the priests themselves.

    "Then may the God of Law guide our path," Yunia prays, and accepts Lina's idea, turning it into a goal.

    "We have the power to make it so that no parent will ever have to give up their child ever again," Lina announces and breaks the hug again.

    "What…" Omume mutters as he opens his eyes and stares at Lina in surprise.

    Then she gives him a pained, but gentle, smile. "We'll spearhead a lasting change. My husband, my wife, my sister-wives, they'll all help. And our family, our followers, our servants, our retainers, everyone who believes in us will give us the support we need to bring about this change."

    "We'll follow you whe'reve'r you go. We owe you that much," Omume assures her, matching her smile.

    But Fuda still has his head firmly on his shoulders, so he confusedly questions her, "What kind of change a're you talking about, shis?"

    "The law," she replies and shows him a proud smile. "We have the power to change it for the better. For everyone."

    "You'll… change the laws of slave'ry?" Toulin asks as she dries her tears.

    Lina nods slowly, making her bangs sway. "We'll improve them. We'll make it so that no other family will ever have to be broken so that they may simply survive. This will be a long fight, but we have our entire lives ahead of us to dedicate to it."

    "And we'll be with you all the way," Omume reaffirms, and Fuda nods energetically in agreement.

    Watch us and despair, Americans, for we're going to corrupt this land with the evils of Socialism!



    After all that emotional talk, they sit down, and now, the Gilbiks are the ones who recount their past years without Lina. They don't have any truly exciting stories to tell, but they do have a lot of entertaining ones.

    The girls and I eavesdrop since we've all pretty much lost the common sense of a commoner, and it's refreshing to hear about their idyllic, simple lives.

    I sip some of my not-earl-gray tea, then I take a bite out of a big, heavy dwarven not-peanut butter cookie. The pairing goes pretty well, but all dwarven food I've had so far has had a bit too much spice for my mustch tastes, which have been thoroughly corrupted by elven cuisine.

    Once Lina's conversation with her family reaches a lull, I turn to the golems and question them regarding something that I've been curious about, "Ted, Suzy, Jarn. Did any of you feel something different during our night out at the elven theater?"

    The trio turns their lifeless, beady eyes to me, then, oddly enough, they share a look between them before answering.

    "We felt 'alterations' upon our spirits," Ted starts the creepy, but also cute, sequential speech.

    "Though we can't specify what it was in detail," Suzy follows.

    "We're certain that [Weaverism] connected us with the rest of the crowd," Jarn finishes.

    "When did you three find the time to talk about this?" Alissa suddenly questions them curiously.

    "While you slept," Ted leads, as always.

    Then Suzy follows, as always, "And we watched."

    "That's cute," Ciel gushes with happiness, though I get the opposite impression, but I don't openly complain about it since it makes me feel safe just as much as it creeps me out to know that the golems are always watching.

    I turn to Yunia and gently grab her hand, nearly startling her as I interrupt her voyeurism.

    "Don't make it sexual," she coldly censures me and narrows her eyes dangerously.

    I grin cheekily and suggest, "What do you think about using [Weaverism] on the golems?"

    Her stern demeanor immediately switches to surprise and wonder. "Oh…? That seems like an interesting idea, though Arreira did say that they were terrible with anything not related to science and logic, which is… very different from the emotional magic of [Weaverism]."

    "Yes, but I want to see if it can help them learn what 'feelings' are."

    Her long, elastic ears twitch. "Ah! But couldn't you do that through [Bind]?"

    I awkwardly scratch my horn. "I'm a bit afraid of using that on them. They're not exactly known for their understanding of 'restraint.'"

    The girls become pensive as they suddenly understand what I'm afraid about.

    "What are 'feelings'?" Hana sneak attacks my mind.

    "Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more," I sing with a shit-eating grin.

    Alissa glares at me, still holding on to her grudge from the snowball fight. "You get double negative points because the 'meme' wasn't even right," she berates me and cutely purses her lips in annoyance. "No compliments!" She exclaims and tries to cut our connection, but I open the floodgates and let my overwhelming love for her flow into her mind.

    She blushes and her tail wags wildly out of her control as she wants to be mad at me, but can't.

    I leave Alissa to stew in my love and finally answer Hana's question, "Anyway, 'feelings' are just chemical reactions to external stimuli. For example: hunger is a response to your stomach becoming empty, pain is a response to your body being overly-stimulated or getting damaged, and happiness comes from your brain releasing happiness-inducing hormones when specific conditions are met."

    "What's a 'hormone'?" Hana childishly questions.

    "An organic chemical that produces a specific effect when it's released in the bloodstream," Suzy answers first for once.

    "They're primarily used for 'communication' between organs," Jarn completes.

    "Can I synthesize those happiness hormones?" Roxanne scholarly inquires.

    I nod with a gentle smile. "You can, it's just very complex."

    "Extracting hormones from animals was the first step to reproducing them," Ted explains.

    "Ooh~…" Roxanne coos in wonder. I have a feeling that she might go "mad scientist" on monsters if left unsupervised, so I think I'll have to make sure that she doesn't stray too far and simply continues working on the Draconic Climax.

    But Ciel seems very concerned about where this topic is headed. "Wait, if you can make liquid happiness, wouldn't that be bad for our minds?" She warily asks.

    And I agree with her, "Indeed, it would. The effect of most recreational drugs is to force our brains to produce these happiness hormones, so you should already understand the dangerous side-effects of 'liquid happiness.'"

    "Oh…" Roxanne's excitement deflates, and her waving, excited tail goes limp.

    Ciel crosses her arms and frowns in thought as she contemplates, "I'm also a bit concerned about how indistinguishable this 'liquid happiness' might actually be when compared to 'real happiness.' Surely, there must be more to 'real happiness' than just these hormones, right?" With that, she gives me a sharp look.

    I ponder upon her words for a moment and start to speculate, "Well, in truth, there isn't, but perhaps when someone consciously takes this 'liquid happiness,' they could feel that this happiness is 'fake.' They might have a sort of 'disconnect' in their mind since they know that they're lying to their body and there's no real reason to be 'happy,' but I doubt that everyone would be able to feel that 'disconnect.'"

    Ciel grumbles in frustration. "Still, treating happiness like just another drug feels 'wrong.' The Goddess of Love spoke so much about the pursuit of happiness that bypassing it all with just a drug alone definitely shouldn't be a good thing."

    I smile kindly at her and wrap my tail around her waist to comfort her. "It's a complex topic that not even the Earthlings had found a definite answer for, so I don't expect Rupegians to solve it, either." Then I turn to Roxanne and give her a very serious look. "And I really don't think it's a good idea for you to research it too deeply, at least not yet."

    Roxanne raises her hands in surrender and smiles cheekily as she gives up. "Alright, alright, I got it."



    Roxanne and Hana go out to explore the town while I stay with the rest of the girls in the tea shop.

    Once the sun starts to turn orange, the town's Lord finally sends a knight and some of his Lordsguard to the Gilbik's home, so we head back to receive them.

    "Hail, Crown Lords Ryders," the gray-bearded dwarf greets and bows. I find it curious how most of his skin is tattooed with rune-like patterns. "Lord Tordum is currently out of town, but he sends his regards."

    "We thank him for answering our sudden request," Yunia politely replies.

    He straightens his back and smiles cordially. "It'd be impossible for us to ignore the request of such exalted persons as yourselves."

    After a few more exchanges of pleasantries, the knight informs us that the Gilbiks will be hosted in the Lord's personal home until they're ready to move, which greatly surprises the trio and pleases Azador. There's no safer place than beside a Lord.

    Perhaps he's simply scared of us since we're pretty far above him on the social ladder.

    And now, it's time for us to say goodbye. It seems like there's no way that the Gilbiks will refuse our proposal, so they'll really only be staying with the Lord until they can close up their shop and organize their belongings. A few days at most.

    I'm kind of surprised that they're so willing to abandon their ancestral home, but they seem to favor the God of Change quite a lot, so their piety will probably give them the impetus to accept our proposal.

    I mean, there are quite a lot of dwarven communities spread around the world, even as far as Maoka, as Roxanne tells us, so perhaps this will be the start of the first dwarven community in the High Forest. If they decide to live up in the treetops along with the other elves, then perhaps they'll become the first "High Dwarves."



    Lina hugs my long, thick shaft with her lithe body, pressing her soapy little mounds against it as she moves up and down. My head hits her chin, and the next time she slides down, she opens her mouth, and her red tongue gives my head a cheeky lick.

    I smile at her and sip some Cinco Flores while I savor this sight.

    She's happy, so overwhelmingly happy that she can barely contain herself. She doesn't just want to make me happy, her heart is burning so strongly that she wants to give me eternal bliss.

    Alissa whispers to my little dwarf, giving her advice and tips about other lewd things to aid her in her goal. I don't bother eavesdropping on them since I don't want to ruin the surprise.

    "Make it bigger, and thicker," Lina suddenly asks me, and I obey.

    She grabs my Weapon and slaps her face with it. It's so wide that it's basically a club now, doubly dwarfing her.

    Alissa gets up and pushes me back on my reclined seat, forcing me to get into a relaxed position, then Lina stands up and tries to wrap her mouth over my thick, pink head. Obviously, she fails, so she resorts to licking it like a puppy.

    Her little hands pull my oiled foreskin up and down, making it rub against the base of my head while her tongue plays with the rest. If I had a cellphone, I'd be taping this scene because of how exquisitely erotic it looks.

    She gives me her best pleading eyes, asking for me to cum on her adorable face. "Gimme your cummies, daddy," she opens up the gates of degeneracy.

    "Hngh…!" I grunt as my heart suddenly breaks into a sprint, trying to leap through my mouth.

    "Gimme your sticky, milky juice," she begs with a childish voice and stabs me with her upturned, sly eyes. "Daddy, I want your cummies, gimme!"

    I chuckle with a slow, evil tone. "Massage my big finger some more, my little princess."

    "Okey!" She happily replies with a wide smile and tries to fit my head in her mouth again while incessantly licking up along its length.

    I quickly feel it rising up within me, so I narrow my cock and shorten it just enough, allowing it to fit into her mouth, and she immediately starts to deepthroat it, plunging down along the shaft until her lips reach its base.

    Her delicate fingers play with my balls, and I see her lips try to curl up into a smile as I lick my lips.

    "I'm coming," I warn her, and she pulls it out, so I thoroughly glaze my daughter's face with my cummies.

    "Yummy!" She exclaims and giggles girlishly while cleaning my cum off her face as she eats it with a bright smile. "Daddy, it's so yummy!"

    "This is your gift for being such a good girl," I calmly praise her with a husky tone as I pat her head.

    The cheeky fox sneaks up behind Lina and tries to lick her cheek, but she's immediately pushed away. "No! It's mine!" Lina angrily shouts.

    I chuckle at the pouty fox, then I give Lina a kind look. "You should, occasionally, share with your sister."

    Now, Lina pouts at me, then she gives Alissa a wary glance. "Not this time."

    "But the next one…" I whisper.

    My daughter glances at her foxy sister again, but Alissa's smug grin doesn't help her case at all. "Maybe…" Lina mumbles, then she finishes cleaning up her face and bends over, spreading both her pussy and her tight little asshole for me. "But now I want your big fingers inside me in both of my holes, please."

    Oh… yes! Her virgin asshole is finally mine!

    I narrow my real cock because she definitely isn't ready yet for my fat finger, then I create another fake cock below it to not leave her pussy wanting. "Alissa, oil daddy up."

    "Yee~s…!" She diligently replies and pulls out the flask of oil. Her cheeky hands stroke my shafts, taunting me to cum for her, but the next cumshot is already earmarked for Lina's asshole.

    I stand up and mount Lina from behind, lifting her thin waist up and against my twin heads. "I love you, my daughter," I whisper in her ear.

    She turns her face to the side to look back at me and blesses me with the purest, widest smile I've ever seen. "Fuck me, daddy! I love you so, so, so much that I've become daddy's little whore! I want both of your long, thick cocks inside me! Flood me with your cummie yummies!" Her innocent mouth spews absolute degeneracy.

    HNGH!

    I cast [Regeneration] on her vagina so that she becomes a virgin again, then I force my cocks inside both of her holes while I penetrate her mouth with my tongue. My upper cock easily slides into her extremely tight asshole, and she squeaks in pain, the sound coming out muffled by my tongue penetrating her mouth. Her legs quiver, and I have to hold her waist up to prevent her from falling to her knees.

    Ah… both her asshole and pussy virginity in one stroke!

    Then I cast [Heal] on both of her holes both to prevent her from bleeding and to speed up the adaptation of her insides to the shapes of my cocks.

    I don't wait for a second longer and immediately start moving my hips, then I break the kiss and grip her waist tightly with my claws as I pound her.

    My tail sways on its own, and Alissa suddenly grabs it, her body oiled and her eyes clouded with lust, then she licks the tip of my tail, her sex-crazed expression begging for me to slam my club against her cervix.

    But right now, this Alpha is fucking Lina, so Alissa will get the leftovers only after I'm done with my dwarf.

    My desire to dominate is so strong that I soon add bumps to my cocks and let them vibrate at the same time that I soul touch her insides. I need to break her.

    "Daddy~… I can't… hold on… much longer…" My daughter whines, her consciousness barely holding on, continually quivering from orgasms and mind-numbing pleasure.

    I chuckle evilly and grunt back, "Just because… you've been such… a good daughter… I'll give you… my… CUMMIES!" Then I flood her ass, hosing it deep inside with my seed until it overflows.

    Alissa immediately comes in closer to us, her tongue already out and ready to lick it all up.

    Lina breathes deeply in relief as I stop the combined spirit-touch and vibration, but my cock is still inside her since this is just round one.

    "Oh… no…" She mumbles, breaking character for a moment.

    I lean over her back and lovingly whisper into her ear, "Show me how much you love me."

    She purses her thin lips as she gathers up her determination, and her gloomy eyes burn with intensity. She'll give her body, soul, and ass to me without holding back.

    Alissa quickly finishes licking up the overflow coating my shaft, but she gives way to Aoi, whose thirst for my cum overpowers that of all of the other girls'.

    Then I continue to pound Lina's ass to my heart's content.



    With my daughter passed out, it's time for me to find my next target. Alissa is fighting Aoi for the right to tongue Lina's ass, so I'll let my foxy cum-slave wait for now.

    I notice that my bouncy, thicc, dark-skinned milf has her legs spread apart while she uses Roxanne's face to get herself off. The poor thing is desperate for a fuck, but I'm the only one with a Cock around here, so I'd better go help her.

    But first, my milf and I join forces to sexually molest Roxanne, but she tries to turn the tables on us by rubbing her own tail.

    I immediately counter it by summoning Hana into the orgy, and our combined might is enough to topple the demon of lust personified.

    After those three are well-fucked, it's time to satisfy the perverted voyeur fox. Now that she's finally getting her turn with me, she lets her anger resurface and channels it into a wild fucking, her nails digging into my back as she deliberately makes me bleed.

    I fuck her mouth with my tongue and spirit touch, attacking her weak spot. She had steeled her pussy, preparing herself for the rough fucking that had been expected to come, but not her mouth, so she starts to melt in my embrace.

    Her tail starts wagging out of control like an excited dog's, and my spiky draconic cock pierces her insides, blasting past her defenses, and she loses all control of her legs.

    Her nails lose their strength and drop from the wounds on my back as I once again dominate her, putting her right back where she belongs: under my cock, drinking copious amounts of my cum like the cum-addicted, brainwashed slave she is. Also, she's my wife now, so when her submissive side is finally satisfied, I gently lay her down on a spare bed and lovingly massage her until she falls asleep.

    Then Hana hugs my still bloodied back, staining her naked, balloon-like tits red. "You look kind of sexy bleeding like this," she whispers in my ear with a husky tone.

    I raise an eyebrow, then I grin as the dragon within me assumes direct control.

    I make her trip with my tail, then she hits her back hard on the floor and growls in anger, but I keep her down and spread her legs.

    "You asked for this," I state with a sadistic grin.

    Hana's anger instantly fades away, and she gives me her usual fearsome smile. "I did," she growls back, and we fuck like bloodied barbarians.



    I promised that I'd make it up to everyone, so I stretch my back and [Heal] then [Clean] myself because I still have a few more women to fuck silly.

    The remaining surviving wives give me a fearful look, but I'm not a savage, so I reign in the dragon again and adapt my cock to their more delicate pussies.



    The maids wash my body again to clean me of all the cum and pussy juice. Poosh takes it upon herself to massage my still erect cock, not in a sexual way, but to boost my muscles' and balls' recovery, while also applying an elven after-sex magical oil onto my bruised flesh.

    I can see it clearly in her eyes that she wants to suck me off or get fucked, but I'm too low on MP, so I use my own special kind of cock.

    I extend a tentacle towards her and caress her cheek lovingly before brushing it against her cute sheep ears.

    "Your Highness?" She asks curiously and smiles.

    "I'd like to taste you, too," I huskily whisper.

    She undoes a tie at the back of her neck, and her dousnadeia falls, revealing her jiggly tits, then she unties her bottoms, and I see them sticking to her already wet lips.

    "Use me as you like," she whispers back, her smile growing wider by the second.

    "Hmm…" I hum in pleasure and penetrate her with a tentacle.



    With Poosh's massage treatment complete, and her too tired now to move, I turn over onto my front and let the maids massage my muscles, tail, and horns.

    They lack the magical touch of Poosh's lewd digits, but they get the job done. I've become so detached from common sense that not even the gentle hands of a dozen young elven women are enough to entice me.

    After feeling refreshed and energized, I join the girls in the bath, and Lina immediately glues herself to my body.

    "You want his dick?" Aoi innocently asks Lina.

    "Uh, no… I just want to cuddle," she answers, back to her usual, shy self, her pussy and ass still tingling from our activities earlier.

    "Alright!" Aoi happily exclaims, then she shrinks down and casts [Water Breathing] on herself, a spell that she learned specifically for this.

    A moment later, my entire shaft is sheathed in something warm and slick that immediately starts to milk me of my cum.

    "Thank you, Wolfy," Lina mumbles and hugs me as tightly as she can without using [Spirit of Gaia], which is still tight as fuck since [Stonebody] passively increases her "Strength."

    "No problem…" I weakly reply, then she eases off the hug a bit to let me breathe. "I want to be close to everyone's family," -I give Roxanne a serious look- "even yours." And for once, my skittish succubus doesn't cower at the mention of her family.

    "Stronger together," Ciel mumbles absentmindedly while holding hands with Yunia, both of them still recovering from a thorough session with the tentacle monster.

    I reach behind me and get the shot of Cinco Flores that the maids poured for me, then I share it with Lina, and we both trip balls.



    After the bath, we eat some of Krysta's amazing cooking while Sandoro, Poosh, and Osaria give us their report on today's news.

    I'm starting to get ideas about social projects that we could implement, but they'll have to wait for another time. The most pressing matter is a duo of Root Lords who are asking for our help to deal with a Corpse Stealer horde that's disrupting their village.

    We could force Ira to go deal with it since it's in his territory, but the Root Lords claim that the monsters are too numerous, so it's dangerous to face them head-on with average soldiers. Risking the deaths of soldiers just to humble the Heart Lords a bit isn't really worth it to us.

    Also, the request is from the old duo of mages who offered their milf wife to me, so we're inclined to help. Sending the message that those who offer their women to me get preferential treatment isn't so desirable, so we'll have to keep this in mind and tread carefully the next time another Root Lord asks for help.

    After our bellies are filled and a short rest to let the bulk of the digestion pass, we [Equip] our armor and leave the castle for a bit of overnight work. We could deal with it tomorrow, but that'd get in the way of Alissa's homecoming, so we'll just go handle this right now.

    We exit the [Eternal Gate] at the Root Lord's residence. It's a large, elven mansion, covered in patches of moss and threaded with little streams of water everywhere, filling the air with the sounds of running water that even drown out the pitter-patter of the light rain falling outside.

    "Your Highnesses," the duo of old mage Root Lords and an old knight that reminds me of Azador greet us in unison while bowing as deeply as their weak backs allow them to. "We're honored that you answered our plea so readily."

    "It's no matter," Yunia replies pompously. "But we're in a hurry, so let's not waste time here."

    "As you wish," the old male mage obediently complies.

    The milf golden-elf sends me an enamored smile, and we wave at each other as we pass. I sincerely hope that we'll have some time for each other after this.

    The old mages move with vigor, and I detect a hint of mana coming from them that makes me believe that they're using [Mana Body].

    Outside their mansion, we see a cozy little village that could make for a beautiful fantasy wallpaper, and everything is very well illuminated with strong crystal lights, allowing us to take in the entire village. Most of the houses are carved into the thick trunks of the High Trees and connected by suspended walkways, giving the impression of a treehouse-town.

    A few levels below us, we see multiple farm disks around the main trunk of the High Tree that the village was built upon, just like the disk farms under Escanso. At ground level, there's a lake surrounding the High Tree, which I now believe to be the elven equivalent of a moat.

    Dozens of archers are garrisoned all around the outer walkways, and they occasionally fire off an arrow at a Feral Goblin that was sneaking about. This village doesn't have a bark shield wall, so they have to maintain a constant watch to prevent branch-swinging monsters like Uspidors from damaging the village.

    The Lords use [Vine Weapon] to create umbrellas for themselves while their knight merely endures the light rain, and we switch to our Ramodia armor set since it has a function that keeps us dry, then we're taken out to the single road the village has that spirals down towards the lake.

    Along the way, a fawn nature spirit pops into existence on top of the old woman's leaf umbrella.

    "Auhau, now isn't the time to play around," she grumbles at the spirit, but it ignores her and simply stares at Gify for a minute, then it pops away. "Silly thing…" She grumbles again.

    Once we're beneath the farm disks, we can see where the suspended road reaches the ground at the shore of the lake, a chokepoint which is protected by a shield wall of elven spearmen and supported by a dozen more archers and a few mages. They're fending off a shambling army of a hundred assorted monsters, which all seem content to just walk around barely out of the range of the archers. The dozens of monster corpses spread along both the bridge and the shore tell us that the Corpse Stealers aren't completely stupid.

    "There's an Uspidor leading them, so we aren't able to safely push out of the village," the old male mage explains.

    "Hm… I see. Truly an annoying foe," Yunia comments to keep them from feeling too ashamed of their weakness.

    And I quickly formulate a plan, "Let's locate the leader first, and then we'll attack it along with the Corpse Stealers for maximum damage. If we attack out of sync, either of them could run away, and that'd be annoying as shit since Corpse Stealers reproduce quite quickly."

    "Thank you, your Highness," the old woman appreciates my thoughtfulness.

    Honestly, it's a bit off-putting how everyone shows so much deference to us, but I guess they'll start acting more casually with time.

    A minute later, we reach the end of the road and join forces with the soldiers. An adult elven male mage seems to be in command of the men, and he awkwardly kneels as we approach, so I have to assume that he's the Lords' child. A young knight kneels in kind beside him, and we notice how similar he is to the old knight.

    "Rise," Yunia immediately orders, and they obey.

    "Are all the monsters gathered here?" I question the adult male mage.

    "Yes, your Highness. There seems to be a few Feral Goblins hiding in the trees, protecting the leader-type Uspidor," he obediently reports.

    And now, I divulge the rest of the plan, "We'll split up and carry out a pincer attack. Hana and Lina on one side, Ciel and Yunia on the other, and Aoi behind the monsters. Roxanne will stay here with the golems, and Alissa and I will search for the leader. When I give the signal, everyone attacks."

    "How long does it take for you two to cast your most powerful spells?" Yunia questions the mage Lords.

    They share a look, then the old man replies, "About thirty seconds."

    Quite a long cast time, and I don't want to get the girls caught in friendly fire.

    "Alright, you'll be the opener. After your spell completes, we attack," I adjust the plan.



    After repeating the plan again so that everyone understands, we all split up and Gify pops out of existence. Alissa and I fly up towards the treetops with me in the lead since she's not very good at flying, and Aoi follows us since she still isn't very good at climbing in her dragon form.

    We fly past the leaves, and I frown at the absolute darkness. The psychedelic moons are hidden by the rain clouds, and I don't want to get my eyes poked by a branch going through my visor's slit, so we fly far above the treetops.

    "Hm… Roxanne, tell the archers to prepare fire arrows," I order.

    "[Yessir!]" She replies in English, making me smile.

    I summon two Hollys and tell them to find the Uspidor. Meanwhile, Alissa and I slowly circle around above the treetops to pretend that we're searching for the monster, just in case there's someone watching us.

    The Hollys find a few Feral Goblins hiding among the leaves and branches, and they're all equipped with crude bows. I don't believe they have the power to pierce our armor, but you never know.

    Alissa and I get close enough to the Goblins that they enter her [Sense Presence] range, then we circle around their position, making a mental map of where they are. The Uspidor is most likely at the center of their formation

    The girls get in position and use the power of the Ramodia set to warm themselves up for battle, playing with the roots or vines near them.

    Suddenly, Alissa gets a "ping" ahead of us, from outside of the circle of Feral Goblins. It's the Uspidor, a big one, and its tentacle/mouth is pointed right at us.

    We stop and spend an awkward moment in silence, simply floating in place as we try to figure out whether or not the monster has seen us yet.

    "Uh, start the attack…" I order Roxanne through [Bind], a bit confused.

    The moment the Root Lord mages start gathering mana, the Uspidor spits a large blob of acid at us, forcing me to use my shield's [Wind Shield] to protect us, and then it starts swinging off through the trees.

    Fuck, don't run away!

    Fortunately, the Uspidor retreats towards the center of the Feral Goblins formation, but then, it screeches, and we start getting peppered with arrows.

    To avoid wasting our mana, we both fly up higher until we're out of range, where the airspace around us seems to be safe, then I pull six halberds out of my "Items" and wield them with my tentacles.

    Alissa's fingers itch to return fire now that their leader is distracted, but this elephant-sized ball of flesh won't go down so easily, and I don't want to rely on Patrono as a crutch, so we wait until the right moment presents itself.

    The amount of mana that the Lords are gathering suddenly spikes, and the Uspidor screeches. The Corpse Stealers immediately start to flee, running deeper into the forest, but launching a spell from this distance is mere child's play for the Lord mages.

    "[Heat Transfer]!"

    "[Blizzard]!"

    A large number of the Corpse Stealers screech as they boil alive, and an equally significant chunk of the swarm slows down to a crawl as they quickly freeze solid. The two potent spells feed on each other, boosting their effects.

    "CHARGE!" The young knight shouts, and the elves break out of their formation at the same time that a volley of fire arrows lights up the battlefield.

    The girls feed mana to their armor and let the power of the Ramodia set go wild. Vines burst out of the ground and tie up the Corpses while roots disrupt the terrain to make them trip and tumble.

    I charge down at the Uspidor while Alissa unleashes a flurry of [Arrow of Annihilation], but after the first wound, it dodges the other arrows and hides behind a High Tree.

    Of course a leader-type would be much more annoying to deal with than the regular kind.

    I cast [Spirit Light] and force my way through the branches, and Alissa's [Sense Presence] gives me forewarning just in time. The moment I emerge past the leaves, I swing my halberds and sink them into the Uspidor's tentacle, then I deflect a blob of acid with [Wind Shield].

    Aoi's charge makes the ground rumble, and she tramples her way through the Corpses like they're nothing.

    The Uspidor recoils in pain and tries to shake off my halberds, but they've sunk deep into its flesh, and my tentacles are strong enough to hold on through the flailing.

    I cast [Discharge] with my shield hand and throw [Flame Slash]es with my sword's enchantment, dousing flaming oil onto the monster's round, fleshy body, and I know it'll burn quite nicely.

    "KIIIIEH!" The beast screeches in pain, and then the branch it's holding onto breaks, causing us both to fall towards the forest floor. I get peppered with arrows all the way down since the Goblins are nimble shooters, but my armor is impenetrable to their efforts.

    The monster smashes against the ground and bounces, but the impact still managed to smother the flames that were burning its body thanks to the soft, wet dirt, and then I slam into the large monster, sinking my sword deep into its flesh, and slice it open.

    "KRRIIIH!" It lets out a shrill cry of pain, and its tentacles shoot towards the nearest tree as it tries to escape, but I'm still right here on top of it, so I just summon four earth elemental-wives, who immediately use their weight to hold it in place.

    Its tentacle/mouth turns towards me and spews a constant stream of acid at me, so I just back off and let go of the halberds.

    The elemental-wives start to melt from the deluge of acid, but now Alissa has a perfect shot at the immobilized monster, and she releases a [Charge]d arrow, which stuns it long enough for her to hit its brain with an [Arrow of Annihilation].

    The Feral Goblins screech and start to flee, but the clean-up crew is already here, so we manage to wipe them out to the last monster.



    "They're all dead," Alissa announces through [Bind], and the girls and I start to gather together.

    I sheathe my bloodied sword, and my Ramodia set immediately starts absorbing all the blood, turning it into reserve MP, and then a red flower blooms near my chest. Hana was the most savage one of us in this battle, so two flowers bloom on her armor instead of just one.

    "This is cool," Hana remarks as she watches the flowers bloom.

    "Red flower knights are rather infamous in stories," Yunia shares and stares at her own red flower with a conflicted look.

    "Now I understand Azador's beard flowers," Lina quietly adds.

    Azador rarely fights monsters, though, his specialty is dealing with criminals… oh…

    Then we all have the same concerning realization.

    "Let's get out of this rain," Roxanne whines with a cute pout.

    Gify pops back into existence and chirps in agreement, "Gih!"



    The Root Lords thank us sincerely, and the soldiers sing our praises, but we're a bit tired after that battle, so we cut the celebration short and decide to return to our castle.

    But then, the old male Lord makes me an offer that I can't refuse, "Ah, your Highness. If you have some spare time, we could offer you some 'relaxation.'" And he gives me a knowing grin.

    "Always," I whisper huskily.

    Alissa and I stay a little longer to entertain their Lady wife while the rest of the girls head back home. Hana gets a bit annoyed about the fact that I'm getting so much more pussy than she is, so we'll have to make sure that we get her some too.

    The Lords both touch themselves quite eagerly while I Ravage their milf, so I kind of block them from memory.

    Osaria is a sex-fiend through and through, but this milf is more of the warm and sly type, so I act like a cheeky brat to stimulate her motherly nature.

    She's definitely in love with my draconic feaures, so after a little teasing, I make sure that her insides will remember the shape of my cock.



    Today is the 16th, Ekt, day of Electricity. Most travelers decide to start their journey on this day of the cycle, and in the Thunderplains, there tends to be noticeably fewer lightning strikes than on the other days of the cycle.

    Alissa wakes me up very gently, taking care to not strain my Weapon. It fought valiantly yesterday, so it needs to be maintained carefully to make sure that it can endure another day of fighting ravenous women.



    My Summoning Magic increased by 1 (now 9+32). I should play around and shape the elementals more often.

    Lina's "Sanity" and [Stonebody] increased by 1 (now 16 and 8). I'm very happy that meeting with her parents has helped her mental health this much, but I suspect that her [Stonebody] increased from all the dwarven alcohol she drank while she was with them.



    Our breakfast is a bit lighter than usual since we expect to fatten ourselves up a bit with Misty Fox cuisine, so we don't waste much time with small talk and just try to quickly wrap it up.

    "Hey, Klein, do you want to come with us and visit the Misty Foxes?" I kindly ask.

    She almost drops her toast. "Can I?!" She shouts excitedly, but then she immediately becomes meek and embarrassed. "Ah… but I don't have the training to act as a proper knight."

    I smile and extend a tentacle to pat her thigh. "We'll be safe within the Chief's estate, so there's nothing to worry about. I'll also be bringing Hukarere, and maybe you can bring your squad of Lordsguard."

    She raises her eyes to me cutely. "Can I bring Dad?"

    "Sure."



    Now that her turn for a family reunion has come, Alissa suddenly becomes very nervous.



    Intermission 26 – Alissa



    Mom, Dad, Sis, I've fulfilled my duty, and now I'm coming back to show you what I've accomplished.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Christopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Lord Copey Dunt.
    Lord Dracopuppy23.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Stellerbattle.
    Lord Chris Carter.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
  15. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    We head out in our racial clothing since we'll be meeting with another Lord-level person.

    Klein, Anton, Hukarere, and the other two Chimera accompanying us try to keep themselves from gawking, but the long corridor of huge, imposing metal gates is just too outlandish for them to ignore. The Imperial [Eternal Gate] Network is a small marvel, not of aesthetic beauty, but of engineering.

    The entire empire is connected through these gates, and they're so heavily protected that even if an army tried to force its way through, they wouldn't be able to do it in a reasonable time frame. It's an amazing concept to think about, really. It isn't cheap to maintain, but the benefits outweigh the cost by far.

    We go to Mac Gantus again, then we take another gate to Roubaix, the seat of power in the Misty Low Forest.

    The air instantly changes, becoming cooler and damp, and the guards here are all orange werefoxes. Their ceremonial helmets have been shaped to accommodate their pointy fox ears, and their tails are allowed to hang out of their armor. Curiously, Alissa's hair is orange-y, but closer to brown, while the guards' is bright orange.

    "Dad's hair is red, and my parents never prayed to the Goddess of Fertility for my hair color to be orange, so I was born with a mixed color," Alissa explains through [Bind].

    The officer reads our names thrice, then he excuses himself and leaves the Network to confirm something. He comes back a minute later and tells us that we're allowed to take the Network's exit to the Chief's home.

    Alissa smiles happily, and her tail wags softly. As Vanea once told us, Alissa's mother has always been watching our movements.

    We cross through the [Eternal Gate] exit, and the first thing we see is an orange blur accompanied by heavy footsteps as someone suddenly crashes into Alissa, then lifts her into a hug.

    "Alissa!" A young female voice cries out.

    "Allura! You grew!" Alissa shouts, then returns her sister's hug quite firmly, and I finally manage to take a look at the tackler.

    Allura is a shorter-haired Alissa with a stronger jaw and orange, reddish hair. The impressive thing is that she has fox legs peeking out from under her not-kimono, and since her feet are digitigrade, it's like she's constantly standing on her tiptoes, which makes her taller than the average werefox, who would normally be about as tall as Alissa.




    Soul Info​
    NameAllura VernerRaceFox-Type WereanimalLevel18
    HP100/100MP210Magic Power30
    Strength16Endurance18
    We hear some laughter coming from behind them, and I turn my attention to the rest of the occupants of the room.

    The most striking of them is a tall, muscular, heavily bearded, red-haired man with a build similar to Anton's, though he seems to have less fat. His hands are rather big, with red fur on the backs of his hands, and he also has large claws, but they don't seem to be any sharper than mine.




    Soul Info​
    NameJacques VernerRaceFox-Type WereanimalLevel88
    HP100/100MP3,300Magic Power500
    Strength23Endurance25
    On his right is an orange Alissa but fully matured with smaller, stern eyes. Her beauty makes me instantly horny, which is kind of a bad thing considering who she is. Though, it makes me happy to think that as Alissa gets older, she might one day look like this, with the "wise, mature fox" look, a main course of stern and experience, lots of cheeky details, and a dash of wildness.




    Soul Info​
    NameLéonne VernerRaceFox-Type WereanimalLevel71
    HP100/100MP2,450Magic Power670
    Strength16Endurance18
    And on the left of the red-haired beast is a beautiful, fragile, white snow fox. The woman has such delicate features and such pale skin that she's like a doll. If my life was a xianxia I'd be spouting "jade-like skin" nonstop.




    Soul Info​
    NameOfiliaRaceFox-Type WereanimalLevel34
    HP100/100MP415Magic Power220
    Strength10Endurance15
    They're all wearing not-kimonos with cute chibi foxes stamped all over the fabric, except for the jade-like beauty, who prefers butterflies enveloped in mist.

    We line up and smile cordially at each other, but once Aoi arrives, the red beast twitches in surprise, then stares intensely at Aoi until his wife grabs his hand.

    Allura drops Alissa and then kisses her forehead and cheeks repeatedly, her tail wagging with a specific cadence that I recognize very well: mischief.

    "A-A-Alluraa~…! Stop it!" Alissa complains, suddenly feeling very awkward. In her memories, Allura was still just a child, so she isn't ready for this tall, almost-woman to act so familiar with her, not to mention that her mind instantly shifts towards thoughts involving my fetishes.

    But then, Allura pushes Alissa into her budding breasts. "Hahahaha! You can kiss Ofilia on the mouth, but not me?!" Allura teases her with a cheeky grin.

    Hm… Who…?

    "That was training!" Alissa protests but returns the hug again.

    Allura drags Alissa towards their parents, then she breaks the hug, and Alissa finally gets a good look at them.

    "Mom, Dad," Alissa greets them, her voice wavering a tiny bit.

    Léonne's stern look softens, and she breaks into a wide smile, then she walks forward and pulls Alissa's head towards her chest.

    Jacques grunts and grins, then crushes the three of them with a bear hug, just like how a certain dragon also likes to do. Ofilia finds Alissa's hand, then gives it a kiss.

    The red Dad releases them after just a few seconds, showing a lot more restraint than a certain red-haired woman.

    "Pff… it barely lasted long enough to make them struggle to breathe," Hana grumbles through [Bind], sounding rather disappointed.

    "I'm back!" Alissa shouts and grins like a child.

    Then Ofilia finally gives Alissa a proper hug. "Welcome back, Alissa," she gently whispers and kisses Alissa's cheek, making her blush.

    "And I thought I had some warped desires," Roxanne comments through [Bind] as she reads Alissa's thoughts.

    "It's because you've all corrupted me! But it's not like I'm ashamed of it…" Alissa retorts, then quickly amends because she really isn't ashamed of her thoughts, it's just that they're a bit too sudden for her.

    "Mere words can't express our pride in seeing you returning to us, not as a slave, but as a Lord," Léonne whispers to her, causing Alissa to suddenly freeze in surprise, then she grabs Alissa's face so that the two of them can look at each other in the eye. "We've all watched your journey as closely as we could, and there are many things that I want to talk to you about, but let's not make the rest of our family wait on their feet."

    Alissa remains still for a moment, then she remembers that we're here too and turns around. She coughs awkwardly and starts the introduction, "Mom, Dad, Sis, Ofilia, these are my sister-wives and my husband."

    "I'm Léonne Verner, Chieftess of the Misty Low Forest," her mother politely introduces herself.

    It's kind of funny that a fox has a lion's name. Maybe it's her "true nature," or something like that.

    "I'm Jacques Verner, Chief of the Misty Low Forest," the red beast grunts, seeming a bit more aggressive than Léonne's stern, but calculating demeanor.

    "I'm Allura Verner. Alissa's younger sister and the Chosen Descendant," the fox almost-woman proudly announces. She's kind of tall for her supposed age, but looking at Jacques, it's easy to understand why.

    "I'm Ofilia, Jacques' Blood Slave," the white beauty introduces herself in a Lady-like manner, then she hugs Jacques' arm like a lover, and I feel a heavy disappointment in my heart.

    "I kissed her and tasted her tongue many times back when I was a child, so I'll share those memories with you," Alissa cheekily comments in my soul space.

    Yes, please do.

    I love Alissa so much that anyone who even remotely looks like her makes me horny, so I'm quickly falling in love with both her mother and her sister.

    Then we introduce ourselves, and Jacques starts staring apprehensively at Aoi again when it's her turn. Alissa thinks that he might hold some hate for dragons since they're the reason that the Misty Foxes entered the deal that forced Alissa into becoming a Blood Slave.

    "It's an honor to finally meet you all," I politely announce and lower my head respectively.

    "Yes, finally," Jacques grumbles, and his wife squeezes his arm while still smiling.

    "Likewise, your Highness," Léonne replies with a subtly teasing tone.

    Is every fox we meet going to be mischievous like Alissa?

    "It's only because she's very happy right now," Alissa explains through [Bind], and I notice how their tails are all wagging softly.

    "We hold similar positions, there's no need for this degree of formality," Yunia casually states.

    "They're your extended family," Alissa points out.

    And with that, Léonne acquiesces, "Then we shall treat you so."

    Allura suddenly chimes in excitedly, "Sooo~, not-blood-brother, are you really a new race?"

    Aoi and I grin at each other, then change into our secondary forms, making Allura hum in wonder.

    "Dragons…" Jacqus grumbles tiredly under his breath.

    But Léonne seems intrigued. "Ghulam told me that you were special, but I would've never been able to guess at how far you'd rise," she comments as she walks closer, then we return to our normal forms. "May I see your claws?"

    I gladly offer her my hand, and she inspects the scales thoroughly. "An Azurite follows you, while you're a Symbol of Might, and yet, you're…" -She raises her sharp, calculative eyes to me, and I swear that she's holding back a chuckle- "not very tall."

    I smile kindly and shrug, trying to keep my tail from swaying about and revealing my emotions. "I'm a hybrid. While in my humanoid form, my magic is stronger, and in my dragon form, my physical power increases."

    "Ah, I see, an interesting balance," she quietly remarks and smiles at Gify, who returns a happy chirp, then she returns to her husband's side. "Let's continue this talk somewhere more comfortable."

    We take off our shoes and follow her.



    Werefox architecture is rather similar to Japanese. Their houses are raised and are made with a black, ashy wood, which makes it all look pretty cool. The interiors are partitioned by thin sliding doors, but above them, there's only open space due to the high ceiling, so the hot, damp air of the entire building gathers in one area and rises up instead of lingering in a closed room.

    Nobody wears shoes in here since everything is waxed, but Aoi and I put on clean slippers since our bare claws would leave scratches on the planks. Sometimes, the planks creak when we step on them, but while Jacques makes absolutely no sound as he walks, Hana and Aoi raise a cacophony with their heavy steps.

    "I'm quieter than Cie~l, I'm quieter than Cie~l," Roxanne sings in my soul space with a cheeky grin.

    "Only because my breasts are so big," Ciel tries to counter with a pouty look.

    "I'm much, much quieter than you. Are you sure that they're the only reason?" Roxanne dodges masterfully.

    "You're using your wings to float," I pull the rug out from under her feet, and she grunts as her ruse is revealed. Ciel didn't even notice Roxanne's bat wings hidden behind her back.

    "Cow tits…" Roxanne grumbles, and Ciel sticks out her tongue at the defeated imp.

    The Estate is eerily quiet, too. The air of the elven castle is generally filled with sounds of the rustling leaves, creaking branches, running water, and birds and other small animals that come to visit, and even the maids can be quite loud with their beautiful crystalline voices.

    "More like everyone else is absurdly loud," Alissa mumbles inside my soul space.

    "If you're the only one who's different, then, statistically, you're the outlier," I sagely reply.

    "What's normal to me is different from what's normal to you," she retorts, and I chuckle, then we leave it at that.



    We're taken to a simple room with a low table in the middle, cushions spread all around it, and a large number of porcelain tea sets displayed across an entire wall.

    The Lordsguard will stay in the room right next to ours where the Sworn Hunters will keep them company. Alissa recognizes a few familiar faces among them, but she'll go greet them later.

    The Verners sit first, and even the way they lower their bodies seems very controlled. While Ofilia sits on her legs in the traditional seiza position, the Verners and Alissa are more relaxed and sit with their legs crossed. The girls and I try to sit like them, but we're clearly a lot more awkward, and our postures aren't as straight.

    Ofilia immediately starts preparing tea with motions that perfectly remind me of Alissa, then I see her smug, foxy smile inside my mind.

    "Would you care for some Tonique to wipe away the drowsiness of the morning?" Léonne politely offers.

    "Every morning. Alissa got me addicted to it," I earnestly accept.

    "You actually like it?" Jacques asks with a single raised eyebrow, his deep voice echoing in the open room.

    "It's pretty tasty," Hana shares, and Jacques frowns worriedly.

    "Gih," Gify agrees.

    "Nature spirits don't count," Léonne retorts with a wry smile.

    "It gets the fire going inside of me. I could even drink it before a battle," Aoi chimes in.

    "Wow," Allura mumbles, impressed with Aoi's draconic double voice and the fact that even dragons like Tonique.

    "I'm a lazy lizard in the morning, so I need it to wake up the dragon within me," I confess.

    "My mouth is pretty good at waking you up through your dick," Hana teases.

    "Wouldn't he just try to oversleep every day, then?" Allura jokingly asks, her cheeky grin looking twice as cheeky as the usual one we'd get from Alissa.

    Ofilia stops mixing the teapot for a moment to glance at Allura and narrows her eyes, then wordlessly continues.

    "Only if he wants to be drained to death because we certainly know how to do it without waking him up," Roxanne joins in, grinning like a child.

    While Jacques blinks blankly as he processes the girls' lewdness, Léonne stops the conversation from degenerating even further before it can even really begin, "It seems that quite a lot of people enjoy Tonique. What else from our culture did you get them addicted to, Alissa?" Her tone is surprisingly kind considering Alissa's many memories of her mother's sharp, stern gaze as she worked in her office.

    "Well, there's barely anything out there!" Alissa shouts indignantly and hits the table with her palms. "Even these clothes were made by the elves. Why don't we export more? It'd make the homesickness so much more bearable if I could at least get myself some Apaisant or Frele leaves!"

    Jacques starts laughing out loud, and Allura chuckles, but Léonne is definitely embarrassed. "Well, these are our teas, something that can only be grown in our land, and we don't want to lose our precious symbols," she quickly makes excuses.

    Alissa pouts so hard that her cheeks puff out a bit. "What, are the teas going to rot if we start selling them outside the forest?" She angrily presses her mother with a mocking tone.

    Léonne's ears twitch, and she seems a bit ticked off now. "Alissa… you know that we're allowed to self-govern the way we want, and these teas are ours. Are you seriously getting mad over tea?"

    Alissa turns her nose away just like a certain snobbish elven woman I know. "Not mad, just very annoyed that you haven't given me a proper reason for keeping them from me."

    Léonne snorts and mimics her mockingly. "We didn't keep it from you, we just held onto two of the symbols of our culture."

    "Culture, schmulture," Alissa grumbles and lowers her head in defeat.

    "What…?"

    Jacques wheezes as he laughs his ass off. "You really didn't change, Alissa… Well, maybe you changed just a bit," he teases her and runs his claws through his red beard like a comb.

    Ofilia finishes serving us, and while we sip the hot tea, Léonne rings a bell, calling for a maid. "Bring me a bag of Apaisant and a bag of Frele tea leaves along with a small portion of all the sweets made with these teas that we have stocked in the kitchen," she orders, and Alissa's tail shoots up in surprise, then Léonne gives her a cheeky smirk. "Someone has missed the tastes of the Misty Forest a bit too much."

    Alissa blushes and looks down to her cup while the maid grins and leaves with a bow.

    With the silliness in the air fading away, Léonne starts talking about more serious matters, "Anyway, I wanted to talk about… your adventures, but there has been so much outrageous news about you that I don't even know where to start."

    "Chronologically," I chime in, and Léonne chuckles at my laconic suggestion.

    "Very well… the first thing I'd like to know is how you got involved with Vanea Anara." She gives us a sharp stare, her inexpressive face so unreadable that even Yunia is impressed with her [Acting] skill.

    "That was kind of a coincidence, really," I mumble as I reminisce.

    "Your nickname is 'Good Luck,' you're Gifted, and both Alissa and you are Blessed. I don't believe in coincidences," Léonne points out with a flat tone.

    I tap my chin in thought with my padded claw as I ponder, "I… kind of think that it wasn't really a coincidence at all." Then I turn to the girls. "Remember Shade? Arreira said that he whittled away my ego and soul, but something 'divine' remained, and he guessed that it's been guiding my actions all along. It could be my Thread of Fate, or something."

    "You just… that just gave me so many more questions," Léonne whispers tiredly while she facepalms, and Jacques and Allura are simply too confused to speak.

    "It's not really that complicated," Ciel calms her down with an angelic smile. "His 'Piety' has been increasing a lot, and he can almost be considered a priest now, so I think that the Gods have always been influencing him and his Fate. Therefore, there really haven't been any true coincidences in his life, only things that the Gods influenced him to do or events that were deliberately guided towards him."

    Like that damned Symbol of Hate.

    "That sounds dangerous…" Jacques grumbles warily.

    "Well, at least Alissa got what she had always dreamed of," Léonne retorts with a wry smile and pats his log-like arms in consolation just like Klein does for her dad.

    "And even more than that, a lot more," Alissa adds and hugs my arm tightly.

    I wrap our tails together, then I lay my head against hers and smell her Ranja perfume.

    "At least she's happy," Ofilia chimes in with a very warm tone, blessing us with her beautiful smile.

    "My God, I want you to fuck Ofilia so badly… but she's Dad's woman," Alissa whispers in my soul space, sounding just as disappointed as I am.

    Then something occurs to me. "You said something about Ghulam? Wasn't he the one who sold Alissa to me?" I question Léonne.

    At that, she smiles subtly, looking rather sly. "Yes, I had a talk with him to ask him about his reasons for selling my precious daughter to a random adventurer whose sword still shined new. He told me that you had a very powerful backer and that he had seen a deep 'potential' within you. Obviously, I had to hold Jacques back from strangling him, but we waited to see how you would treat her, and you didn't disappoint."

    Alissa raises her head and glares at her mother. "How far did you go to spy on us?!" She exclaims, indignant.

    Jacques immediately looks away, and the big red beast suddenly looks like a spooked house pet wanting to hide in fear.

    Léonne immediately answers categorically, "As far as the Elders allowed us to, but we only paid for information, and we only ever sent an agent to meet with you once." But Alissa hears the tremble in her voice.

    "If you had ever tried to interfere, I'd have made sure that you learned a lesson," Alissa warns her with a dangerous tone, but also with a cute pout that undermines her threat.

    "You'd have done the same if you were in their place," Ofilia tries to calm Alissa.

    She pouts harder, but doesn't deny it.



    We end up retelling our tales of travel, again, but it can't be helped. At least Léonne kept herself up to date with our adventures, so we got through everything a lot faster than we did with the Gilbiks.

    Léonne sighs and rests her head on Jacques' arm, looking up to the ceiling as she ponders, "A Divine Intervention means that something Wicked is happening. I don't think the Gods would spend so much of their power on doing that if they didn't need the temple to recognize you."

    We all turn to Ciel, but she blushes in embarrassment and admits, "I don't know that much about Divine Interventions. My focus was on worshiping the Goddess of Love."

    "One of my strengths is history, so I know quite a lot," Léonne admits with a rather lofty expression, but then her expression turns serious. "The most famous Divine Intervention was during the Heresy of the Tower of Decay. The Gods saved the humanoids living in the Kolmyr region, but the land ended up becoming corrupted, creating the Deadlands."

    "Ah! I remember that one!" Lina suddenly exclaims excitedly, but then she blushes and lets her head hang in shame. "Actually, I've just read some mentions of it, so I don't know what actually happened."

    Léonne gesticulates with her hands as she deliberates, "I'll spare you the boring details and scholarly arguments-…"

    "I don't find them boring," Lina interjects as her curiosity is piqued again.

    The wise old fox subtly smiles in amusement at the eager little dwarf. "Alright, little scholar, we'll discuss the details later, but the summary of that event is that heretics wanted to revive Ender, the Hand and Child of the God of Destruction, a dragon who had died there a long, long time ago. They failed because Emperor Cyd destroyed both their ritual and their tower, but that unfortunately resulted in such a massive burst of undead corruption that the land is still contaminated with it to this day."

    Lina frowns as a rather worrying realization comes to all of us. "So, like Aremut?" She hesitantly asks.

    Léonne gently shrugs. "Kind of, which is why the Emperor is reluctant to brute-force his way through its purification."

    "So it's our Fate to go there?" I ask what we're all thinking.

    "I wouldn't go there without a direct Message from the Gods," she grimly cautions me.

    Well, I did get "guidance" to study that [Otherworldly Summoning] spell… but there was no time limit given for that, so the girls' parents come first!

    "So, you're like a hero?" Allura suddenly asks, her orange eyes looking dreamy.

    "That would depend on his results, but we can all agree that the Gods have a plan for him," Léonne answers while giving me a measuring look.

    Alissa hugs my arm tighter, and her tail starts wagging lazily. "Whatever it is, we'll face it together with our heads held high," she boldly states and grins adorably.



    But Léonne's response is unexpectedly cold, "You know that the heroes who succeed are the only ones whose stories are written in the books, right?" The chill in her tone even makes Alissa's tail stop wagging.

    Honestly, we should've expected that from her. Alissa knows that she's a very cunning woman, the kind of realist that can easily see through our bullshit.

    "Then we just need to win," Alissa immediately replies, sounding as stubborn as a mule.

    Léonne narrows her eyes, her body completely tensed up, suddenly looking like a predator ready to pounce. "You're completely unconcerned about the dangers that lie ahead?"

    "We've been through too much to worry about what we don't know," Yunia interjects, her elven pride flaring up in defense against the cold interrogation.

    "Even though we don't know our future, we're preparing ourselves as best we can," Alissa piles on, mimicking Yunia's lofty expression.

    Léonne gives Jacques a look, signaling for him to back her up, but he just shrugs. "You raised her that way," he dodges responsibility.

    "What did you expect after you crammed all those ideas into my head about the honorable duties of a Blood Slave?" Alissa accuses Léonne.

    "You are his wife, now!" She exclaims in indignation.

    Alissa puffs her chest full of pride. "I was more than just a servant, and now I'm more than just a wife. We're all in this together, until the end."

    Jacques laughs, his deep voice reverberating through possibly half the estate.

    But Léonne is incredulous. "You're laughing? Our daughter has delusions of grandeur, and you're laughing?"

    "Don't be mean, they aren't delusions. The Gods are clearly fond of them all," Jacques tries to calm her down.

    The angry old fox shoots a glare towards Alissa. "I want her to take this more seriously instead of skipping along with an 'everything will be fine' attitude just because she believes that she's in a hero's story."

    Alissa clenches her fist in annoyance. "I don't believe that 'everything will be fine,' I just know that, no matter what happens, I'll always stay by Wolfy's side without any regrets."

    Léonne pauses for a moment. "Even death?" She quietly asks, her anger subdued.

    Alissa nods slowly. "Even death."

    An awkward silence settles in, but is then broken by Jacques' low chuckles. "You raised her that way," he repeats with a smug smile.

    And Léonne becomes silent, staring intensely at Alissa while anxiously tapping her finger against her thigh.

    "Arreira prepared us, somewhat," Ciel quietly chimes in. "He pushed us to the limit, and while our failures weren't real, it gave us all a new perspective on the consequences."

    Léonne turns to Ciel, and her anger slowly fades away as Ciel's pure smile disarms her until she finally sighs tiredly and lets the tension in her body wash away.

    Both mother and daughter are a bit hard-headed, and this time, Alissa's steel forehead won the exchange.

    Léonne relents and gives her some honest advice, "I don't think you'll ever be ready for your future, so never stop growing."

    Alissa smiles lovingly at having received genuine acceptance from her mother. "Thank you, Mom," she politely replies and bows.

    "Be safe, child," Léonne whispers back.



    Then the sweets arrive, and Alissa suddenly brightens up when she sees who's bringing them.

    "Louise!" She shouts and nearly tackles the small woman, but first, she lets Louise put down the tray, and then they immediately hug each other.

    "I couldn't believe my ears when they told us that you were coming back!" Louise shouts back in delight, and Alissa buries her head in the smaller woman's poofy red hair.

    "Sometimes I can't believe it myself," she confesses and laughs softly.

    "And now you're a Queen!" Louise giggles in delight.

    They break the hug and stare at each other, Louise gushing with happiness while Alissa wryly smiles.

    "We just inherited the elven royal mandate, we haven't actually been crowned," Alissa embarrassedly explains.

    "Yet!" Louise shouts and giggles again.

    "Queen Alissa of the Blinding Arrows," Allura teases with a cheeky grin, making Alissa wince, still uncomfortable with her old Title.

    "You guys know everything about me, this is so unfair!" Alissa whines since she's unable to return the banter.

    "Oh, I'll tell you all about Allura," Ofilia slyly interjects with a subtle grin.

    "Ack!" Now it's Allura's turn to wince.

    "Have you met the Hunters yet?" Louise eagerly asks.

    Alissa shakes her head in the negative, "No, we just got here and have really just been talking so far."

    She grabs Alissa's hands and pulls her out of the room. "Everyone needs to see how much you've grown! The last time some of them saw you, you still had that young kit air about you, but now, they need to see the woman you've become!" And Allura follows them.

    Louise's noise level is quite different from all the other werefoxes I've seen so far.

    "We'll save you some sweets," I assure Alissa through [Bind].

    "Thank yo-…" Her reply is interrupted as her brain goes in overdrive. "Montague!" she shouts and gets a hug from a tall, gray man, who's gray in both hair and skin tone. He's one of the Sworn Hunters, the same as a knight but with a cooler name, and Montague is kind of the brute of the bunch.

    "Who is this woman? You remind me of a kit I once knew, but she certainly wasn't as beautiful as you," he teases like a friendly uncle, just slightly triggering my jealousy.

    While she exchanges warm greetings with a handful of Sworn Hunters, we gorge on the sweets, and my sweet-tooth comes out in full force. I immediately recognize Apaisant as chamomile, but the flavor of Frele eludes me. It tastes a bit citric and fresh, but it also has a very mild and delicate feel to it. If I had to guess, I'd say that it's like kiwi.

    "It seems that she was very loved," Ciel comments with a small smile as she looks towards the other room.

    Four pointy fox ears point straight up, and both Léonne and Jacques turn to her.

    "Of course she was," Jacques states matter-of-factly and continues eating his dessert.

    "The Sworn Hunters are almost like an extended family," Léonne explains.

    "Our knights aren't that close with us…" Yunia remarks, sounding a little conflicted.

    Léonne turns pensive eyes towards her. "I assume that you have a lot more than we do."

    "Not currently, but we have the capability to support many more."

    "The bonds weaken the more people there are," Jacques sagely points out and takes a sip of his tea, the small teacup looking comically small near his large red beard.

    "Hm…" Yunia hums in thought as she swirls the tea in her porcelain cup.

    With the conversation slowing down again, I ask a question that has been growing within my mind, "Léonne, the werefoxes seem to be quite isolationist, so I didn't expect you to know so much about world history."

    Her ears and tail point up in surprise, which is pretty fucking cute, and then her expression turns sly. "I studied history to learn how my ancestors kept the Misty Low Forest under their control. Learning about world history was just bonus material to prepare me for unforeseen events."

    Learning history so that she could repeat it.

    Lina and Yunia look up attentively, their curiosity piqued, and now that I've given them a good conversation starter, I just sit back and watch them talk, feeling quite proud of my little maneuver.



    After a few minutes, the loud chatter in the other room starts to die down, and Léonne rings the bell again.

    "Prepare the twenty-fifth," she cryptically orders, and the servant quickly leaves.

    Once the excitement dies down, the Sworn Hunters continue sharing their stories with the Lordsguard. Klein and Anton have quite a lot in common with the Hunters, so they easily get along. Warriors and hunters are the same no matter where you are, so they easily bond thanks to their kindred search for glory or a good fight.

    Then a group of old, but dignified werefoxes arrives at our room, and Léonne introduces them to us. They're the Elders, a group of old rulers that safeguards and organizes the succession of power in the Misty Forest. They don't have the same degree of absolute power as the elven Elder Council does, but they could easily enforce the rules by working with the temple and riling up the commoners to rebel.

    Alissa comes back to greet them, and the stern-looking Elders become kind old grandparents in front of her.

    "Where's Gurrier?" Alissa innocently asks, and they all go silent, giving her sad smiles.

    "He passed away in his sleep a few months ago," Léonne announces.

    "Oh…" Alissa mumbles, and her tail goes limp.

    Jacques and I walk up to her, but I'm faster, so I give her a hug first. Neither of us wants to touch each other, so he just lands his large, clawed hand on her shoulder.

    "He's certainly resting in Paradise, watching you with pride," he softly consoles her, his previously loud voice incredibly quiet now.

    Alissa sniffles and pushes me back. "I'm fine," she lies, but there's no [Heal] that could mend her wounded heart, then she smiles weakly and sends me an image through [Bind] of her trying to pinch me. "I'll be fine," she quietly adds.

    "What do you do with your dead?" Ciel politely asks Léonne.

    "We cremate them and store their ashes in the Tomb of Veneration. His spirit could potentially still linger," she quickly answers, already understanding where this is going.

    Alissa smiles brightly and dries the corners of her eyes. "I'd like to go there, but I understand that he might've already moved on," she states, her voice quickly gaining confidence with every word.

    Jacques nods and grunts, "We'll go there soon."

    "But there's something that we need you to see first. Let's go outside," Léonne suggests, and Alissa's tail stiffens, wary of her mother's unusual playfulness, but I couldn't detect a hint of mischief in her tone.

    Our large procession crosses through the estate, and the servants we pass by stop to bow to us, to Alissa, specifically. She pouts at her mother, but the cunning old fox keeps her expression impassive.

    Once we reach the entrance hall of the estate, a pair of servants open the double sliding doors for us, revealing a long, inclined grass garden with a great view of a good part of the town from atop this hill the estate was built upon.

    But what really catches her attention is the formation of dozens of werefoxes in pristine gray scale armor mounted on other large foxes, spears at hand and shortbows slung over their shoulders, all lined up in a perfect grid, their faces stern and figures unmoving.

    Memories flood into Alissa's mind as she recognizes them as the 25th unit of the Town Hunters of Roubaix, the equivalent of the Townsguard. The unit she herself was responsible for training into fully-fledged hunters.

    "Sheathe!" The biggest fox in the front and center shouts, and the spearmen store their spears in their [Item Box]. Ironically, his rider is the smallest werefox girl of the unit.

    "Dismount!" The large fox orders again, and they all obey in perfect sync.

    "Transform!" The foxes glow, returning to their humanoid form, the biggest fox becoming the largest man among them.

    "Salute and cry!"

    In unison, the soldiers all grab their right fox ear with their left hand and shout. "Welcome back, Dame Alissa, the drillmaster, the Juicemaker!"

    The what…?

    "Oh, you didn't…" Alissa mumbles as she takes a few weak steps forward, her voice wavering with emotion. "You… fucking… didn't… CALL ME THAT!" She bellows in fury, then [Equip]s her Bastion armor and bow.

    "Transform and retreat! RETREAT! SAVE YOURSELVES!" The leader of the unit screams in desperation, and they all flee with their tails between their legs as Alissa chases after them like an enraged dragon.

    She [Fly]s up and launches a flurry of blunt [Mana Arrow]s at their backs until either the mount or the rider collapses.

    "'Juicemaker'?" Roxanne repeats, sensing a delightful history behind that name.

    Allura grins like a little, foxy evil spirit as she explains, "Let me tell you about the time when Alissa almost made juice out of a boy's balls."

    Oh, boy.



    Young Alissa was a bit of a savage. Her slave training dulled her edge and made her much more submissive, but the wildness she inherited from her mother is still there, though it now usually remains hidden until my cock occasionally draws it back to the surface.

    She hunts them down one-by-one since they don't really have an easy way out of the estate, but she starts showing them a bit more mercy with each cry of pain. The riders have it the worst since they can't heal themselves or cut off their sense of pain like the mounts could, but it seems that the mounts are deliberately allowing themselves to feel every single arrow that hits them.

    Ciel goes to them and offers healing to the wounded, and no small number of the young warriors become awed at the exotic, curvy angel that descends to give them aid.

    Once Alissa gets back, she shoots an annoyed look at Ciel but doesn't openly complain.

    The unit of Town Hunters languidly moves to organize itself again, but then Alissa turns around and glares at them, driving them to quickly form back up, now with them all in their humanoid form.

    "Everyone, thank you," she announces, and they all salute her again by grabbing their right fox ear. "At ease!"

    Godsdamn, she looks so hot when she's giving orders like this.

    Alissa gives me a pouty look as she blushes, and the Town Hunters now come up to her one by one to give her their congratulations.

    The tall leader is the first to reach her, and the others form a line behind him. "Dame Alissa, congratulations on your marriage and Lordship," he politely gives his blessings. That's Goureuse, Gou for short, the leader of his unit, a tall and rather flat-faced, orange-haired, and muscular werefox.

    "Crown Lord Alissa Ryder," she corrects Gou with a snooty tone, then grins cheekily.

    He grins back and bows. "Yes, yes, my Royal Lord."

    She walks a bit closer to him and whispers, "Please tell me that you married Margoth."

    "M-maar~…" He grunts and chokes on his words as he straightens his back. "F-fiancée… she's my fiancée."

    Alissa sighs in relief and pats his shoulder. "Thank the Gods, and congratulations."

    He smiles embarrassedly and moves along.



    "How are you alive?" Alissa jokingly asks a sly-looking man who has thin eyes and a very wide grin. That's Solent, the unit's clown.

    "Cheeky foxes never die," he immediately shoots back and snickers.



    "Congratulations, Margoth," Alissa gives her blessing to the short girl that had been mounted on Gou.

    "Congratulations, Alissa," she returns the kindness, and the two share a warm hug.



    After passing her, they each salute us as they give us their respects.

    "Your Highnesses! It was an honor to be trained by Lord Alissa," they exclaim one by one, then they gather together again to return to their duty. They'll be free at night, so I think we'll meet up again with them then.

    Alissa waves to them as they leave, then un[Equip]s her armor and reties the sash of her not-kimono before it unravels.

    "Well, this is definitely a new side to Alissa that we'd never seen before," Roxanne casually remarks with an evil grin, tapping the tips of her fingers together as she plans out some banter.

    Alissa walks back to us with a stiff expression, trying to appear unaffected by our teasing. "You won't be able to use this against me!" She boldly declares.

    Roxanne's evil smile doesn't even twitch. "Uh huh. But how about we all meet up with your unit to drink some alcohol together?" She suddenly jumps to the side and grabs Allura's shoulder. "And what if we bring your sister along…? I'm sure that she has some new stories for us about the 'Juicemaker' that everyone would love to hear about."

    Allura grins at her sister without a hint of shame, and Alissa stares at her in wide-eyed disbelief at her betrayal.

    "She's too young to drink," Jacques intervenes, trying to throw Alissa a life preserver.

    But he just activated Roxanne's trap card. "Oh, I didn't even think of giving her alcohol, no," she denies with an overly-dramatic tone, then she turns to him and displays her cunningly evil grin. "But if you're that concerned, how about you join us and share some of your stories of Alissa as a baby…?"

    Alissa blinks, Jacques blinks, and Léonne grins.

    "That's a wonderful idea!" He exclaims and laughs, but it quickly weakens into muffled chuckles when he sees Alissa's glare.

    "A party in Alissa's name sounds like a perfectly appropriate way to honor her return," Léonne suggests, her chilling tone so filled with evil that it surpasses Roxanne's.

    Alissa looks each of them in the eye, and a long, tense silence drags on, then her eyes fall on Roxanne, and she whispers with a deadly tone, "I'll punish you later."

    "Please do," the evil succubus happily accepts.

    Alissa closes her eyes and groans, then she decides to ignore them and comes over to me, and I help straighten her clothes.

    "Anyway, now that was really something. I'm glad that I got to see this side of you," I remark with a kind tone.

    "No more teasing, please," she weakly begs.

    "I'm serious. I'm happy that I was here to see this," I reassure her and kiss her forehead.

    She sighs tiredly, but her tail starts to softly wag, then she turns to her parents. "Thanks for doing this," she mumbles, and chuckles softly.

    "You deserve it," Jacques comforts her.

    "All of it," Allura adds cheekily.

    "Now, let's head over to the Tomb," Léonne suggests, and we head out.



    We leave the Elders behind and descend through the long, grass garden along a sloped cement path. It seems that it gets cleaned pretty regularly since the dampness of the air here should encourage the growth of moss, and that would normally make the steps pretty slippery.

    Along the way, a group of foxes comes to greet us, loudly yipping and wagging their tails like excited dogs until the Sworn Hunters give them little tidbits of food.

    Alissa stops to pat some of them, and a few of the older ones seem to recognize her. Then we use [Animal Tongue] to get permission from the foxes to pet them, though Aoi needs to change into her humanoid form before she can even get close.

    As wereanimals, Klein and Anton also manage to get close enough to pet the foxes, but the rest of the Lordsguard remains on guard, though the Chimeras seem very envious of us.

    Hukarere suddenly approaches us and asks in Reo, "[So, uhm… I have a question]."

    I move some points around to understand her better and gently reply, "[Yes]?"

    "[Do werefoxes fuck animal foxes]?" She bluntly asks in a way that only a Chimera could.

    "[Do weredragons fuck dragons]?" Hana immediately shoots back.

    "[Lord Aoi is intelligent, though]," she retorts.

    "[Fair point]," I admit.

    Alissa tries her best to sound scholarly as she explains, "[Foxes only enter heat during specific seasons, and they search for a mate, not just some fun, so it's incredibly disrespectful to mate with a fox and then abandon it]."

    The truth is, getting fucked by a fox is one of her fantasies, so she had clearly thought it through very thoroughly long before she met me.

    "Every werefox is taught about these things!" She quickly defends herself in my soul space, but we all know how much of a depraved slut she truly is.

    "[What if you don't abandon it]?" Hukarere continues, sounding rather fascinated.

    "[Then you'd better get ready to become the parent of a fox]," Alissa amusedly answers.

    Hukarere's tone starts to remind me of a child's since it's so full of wonder. "[Can a male werefox impregnate a female fox? What about the opposite?]"

    "[Both are possible. Also, a werefox woman can be impregnated by an animal fox in both of her forms]," Alissa awkwardly replies.

    "[Divines, step on me]," Hukarere mumbles in awe.

    A fox shows me their belly and giggles loudly as I scratch it, then my hand brushes against something familiar, and I realize that it's a female.

    "Mating season starts soon," Alissa whispers to me and bumps my shoulder with a smirk.

    "Oh, Gods…" Anton mumbles as he immediately realizes what we've been talking about, and then Klein blushes just a second after him. Sex in their animal forms is just about the most intimate act possible for a wereanimal.

    Alissa notices Allura's intense, surprised stare, and Alissa holds a hand over her mouth as she had completely forgotten how sensitive werefox hearing really is. Thankfully, their parents weren't paying attention.

    "Mo~m!" Allura suddenly shouts, and Alissa darts towards Allura to gag her.



    Alissa hugs Allura from behind and struggles to reach the tattletale's mouth with her hand, but she manages to shut her up.

    "I'm going to murder you if you say anything," Alissa whispers dangerously to Allura.

    "What is it…?" Léonne's gentle voice resounds through the grass garden like the whisper of a sword being drawn. Both she and Jacques give the sisters inexpressive looks, cautiously waiting for the first beast to bare its fangs.

    Allura's eyes become unfocused as she retreats into her mind to consider the consequences of this decision.

    A silence settles in as Léonne's question hangs in the air, drawing the eyes of every onlooker as they notice the tension in both of the sisters' postures. It's like Alissa is holding a knife over Allura's heart, the former keeping her mad rage from bursting out of her body, while the latter holds the keys to the shameful truth which would bring justice down upon the mad fox.

    Betray her sister? Or lie to her parents? These two very important questions would burden one's mind, rob them of sleep, then tear at one's heart, ripping it in two. The dilemma would make any Gods-fearing person struggle to choose…

    But those deep concerns never once ran through Allura's mind.

    She opens her mouth and shouts, "She wants her husband to ma-AAAAH-te with… the foxes…!" And she even manages to power through Alissa yanking on her fox tail.

    The Sworn Hunters laugh, but both Léonne and Jacques continue with their impassiveness.

    "Alluraaa~…!" Alissa whines and gives her sister's tail a final twist before letting her go.

    "Hahahahaha!" Allura laughs as she runs away.

    "How would… oh, never mind," Ofilia mumbles, then her porcelain skin turns scarlet.

    "Allura, behave yourself," Léonne's ice-cold tone makes the almost-woman cringe, but she quickly recovers her impish grin, then Léonne's stern gaze turns to Alissa, and then me, making us both feel a bit meek. "Alissa, Wolf, don't."

    "We won't," Alissa reflexively replies, as stiff as a robot, then she immediately returns to my side, seeking refuge from her mother's glare.

    I slowly nod towards Léonne, then I try to play with the female fox as un-lewdly as possible.



    Foxes are pretty needy, especially the ones who live within the estate since they're quite used to receiving lots of affection, so we have to force ourselves to leave them and move on.

    Gify stays with them for a little while longer, but I'm sure that she'll come rejoin us as soon as we smell a whiff of food.

    Alissa recognizes the guards at the gate, and their commanding officer is a black werefox so dark that he's almost a vantafox.

    "Gardieu, you actually got promoted?!" Alissa exclaims jokingly. "I'm surprised that your fat ass didn't get larger from sitting here all day."

    And Allura teases him in lockstep with her sister, "Oh, he certainly has calluses on his ass from working hard. Those chair cushions didn't fray all by themselves."

    The black fox straightens his back and grips his spear while his eyes maintain a faraway look as he tries to seem as dignified as possible. "Your little bee stings for tongues can't hurt me. You're still far from the whipping that your mother's tongue can dish out!" He fires back like a soldier reporting to his superiors.

    "A thousand bee stings can still kill a person," Alissa ripostes.

    But he easily deflects with his shield, "Then give me a thousand right now! And if you can't, then you're only training my 'Endurance.'" He suddenly turns away from them, his long fox tail whipping around after him and softly brushing against Alissa's stomach.

    "Hah," she snorts, remembering how his tail would hit her in the face whenever he did that back when she was growing up.



    Léonne offers us a carriage, but Alissa declines, wanting to walk and take in the view at her own pace, and I promise Roxanne a good toe-sucking later if her delicate, pretty feet start to hurt.

    As we cross through the gate, we're met with a picturesque sight. A perfectly straight path of smooth, gray bricks is laid out before us; short walls of ashen black wood flank it all the way along, partially hiding the tall, raised houses with their red-tiled, sharp-angled roofs; the entrances to these houses and the names of the streets are all marked by tall wooden columns filled with cute, elaborate carvings, like a sort of heraldry for the noble families or a depiction of the shops located along the road, respectively; and a few sparse trees populate the large gardens, most of them being Chape trees, a weird shaped tree that reminds me of a sombrero on a stick, the stick being the trunk and the sombrero the leaves.

    The morning mist dissipated just a short while ago, leaving everything a bit damp, so there's a slight shimmer everywhere as the morning sun meets the dew.

    I pull out the golems, and the girls explain what they are to the werefoxes as we walk. None of the werefoxes are mages or researchers, so they can only sheepishly nod in understanding even though they likely understood nothing.

    There's little variety in the actual design of the houses, exemplifying the werefox collectivist mindset, but there's also enough detail that each house seems unique in its own way.

    "Elven houses are more interesting," Yunia disinterestedly remarks in my soul space.

    "Except for Goloria's," Alissa retorts defensively.

    "Agreed, that place is a mess. Too much variety in buildings, while over here, there's too little," Yunia replies without skipping a beat.

    "There's value in simplicity and humility," Alissa fights on, but Yunia simply scoffs.

    "Those are the exact two things that an elf would never understand," Roxanne unexpectedly sides with Alissa, then flashes me a grin. "I'm an opportunist, I'd never miss a chance to poke someone."

    "Don't compare the races like that, it's unfair," I try to assuage them.

    "Just enjoy the races for what they can give," Ciel piggybacks on my argument.

    "A mouthful of fur?" Hana interjects.

    "The positive things they can give," Ciel quickly corrects herself.

    "Elves can't make cute things like the werefoxes can," Lina chimes in as we pass by an intricately carved column.

    "I agree, but what did I just say…?" Ciel annoyedly presses Lina, who just smiles adorably to distract Ciel so that she doesn't get chastised.

    "I fucking knew that Lina was a devious imp inside," I mumble jokingly, and she quickly closes off her mind so that no stray emotion of hers can bleed through [Bind] so easily again.



    There's no gate separating these high-class mansions from the rest of the commoners, allowing us to visually observe the smooth decrease in wealth the further we walk.

    The trees completely disappear, except for in public spaces, then the gardens start to shrink, and the houses grow increasingly warped, even comically so. Chape planks are quite flexible, and the houses that use them in their construction become "bowed" as they age due to the humidity. It actually makes for some pretty cute architecture, though I don't know how safe it is for the occupants.

    "As long as the main pillars are replaced regularly, these houses will remain standing," Alissa confidently answers, and I decide to just stop thinking about it.

    Then the shops start to appear, and the smell of foreign food fills our nostrils.

    "I feel like having a fried Joolis stick," Alissa admits, salivating from the smell of the nostalgic snack.

    I hear a *pop* on my shoulder, and then, with a chirp, "Gih!" Gify demands one for herself, too.

    We grab a few sticks of the fried fish meat rolled into a ball and drizzled with colorful spices. It's pretty salty, but it's worth it because of the large variety of spices used. I even recognize Japanese nori.

    I pull out some of the Frele tea that Ofilia had served us, and it goes pretty well with the snack.

    Then Alissa asks for something else: a long stick of baked sweet potato. The interior is hot, but the charred crust has already cooled enough to touch, so we break the stick in half and then season it ourselves with a simple not-nori-based spice.

    After that, Alissa gets a sweet omelet-or-waffle-like(?) snack with a dark berry sauce filling, and then she gets some thin, crunchy sticks of fried flour covered in some kind of peppery spice.

    Noting Alissa's sudden appetite, Ciel shares her concern, "Not even Lina was this hungry when we visited Bersidon. Were you really enjoying the food back home?"

    Alissa covers her mouth to give a muffled reply, "Of courshe, I was." Then she finishes chewing her food and swallows. "I just… 'missed' these flavors." She shrugs.

    "Except for making snacks for customers, neither Mom nor Dad are great cooks," Lina shyly admits, and a small "oh" of understanding escapes our lips.

    After the omelet-or-waffle, Alissa chooses a savory steamed bun with bean filling to cleanse the sweetness from her palate, then I notice a stall that's selling river fish not-sashimi, and the hungry dragon wakes up inside of me.

    "Klein, Anton, memorize this flavor, then report it to Krysta," I order them with a smirk, half-jokingly.

    The two of them share a look. "You're trying to not seem that serious, but I know that your stomach actually is pretty serious about it," Anton reads me like an open book.

    Then I notice my tail wiggling out of my control, revealing my slight anxiety, so I smile wryly and just confess, "Let me rephrase that: please tell Krysta about this if I forget to do it."

    At that, they both nod obediently.



    Roubaix produces a lot of flour and other assorted powdered ingredients due to the large river that crosses through it, powering the watermills, so there's a lot of different takes on dumplings to choose from. The mill district is in the opposite direction of where we're going, so we don't even get a glimpse of it.

    Overall, Misty Fox cuisine doesn't have such a wide variety of ingredients to choose from like elven cuisine does, but they certainly have more creativity.

    Yunia's mocking, childish voice echoes in my soul space, "StOp CoMpArInG tHe RaCeS."

    "Stop reading my thoughts," I reply in kind and poke her soul, almost making her squeak out loud, and she shoots me a quick glare.

    Then we each get a refreshing drink of Chapefruit, the not-mango. This flavor is pretty nostalgic for me since it's a pretty popular fruit in Brazil. The werefoxes export Chapefruit, so we should be able to occasionally get some for ourselves back in Escanso.

    As we walk, I also give Alissa the Frele and Apaisant sweets that she missed due to all the greetings. In contrast to the spicy street vendor food, the gourmet-style sweets have a very mild flavor, but they're still delicious nonetheless.

    The Sworn Hunters following us are also acting as guards, so I let the Lordsguard relax a little, and we get some snacks for them, too. It makes me quite happy seeing Hukarere eagerly getting a taste of everything, and the way the werefoxes stare at her in awe is also a pretty nice bonus.

    Curiously, the commoners seem to be far less afraid of Aoi than the dwarves were, and I expected the opposite since the entirety of the Rakontagne mountain range to the east of the Misty Forest is known to be full of dragon nests.

    "The commoners' reaction to Aoi is pretty different from what I expected," I casually comment.

    "What did you expect?" Léonne replies with the same tone.

    I shrug. "More fear, maybe some animosity."

    "We have a few dragon riders, so the commoners are used to seeing dragons."

    "It's only people like Dad who have something against them," Alissa chimes in and gives a sharp look to Jacques.

    He frowns and haughtily looks away from her as he grumbles, "We don't even need that treaty anymore, but we still keep selling our children to Rabanara."

    "Too many people like the imperial monetary aid that comes from it, so it'll be very difficult to bring an end to the trade," Léonne continues with a rather defeated tone.

    "What was the original intent of that treaty?" Yunia questions.

    Léonne stoically answers, "Rabanara would wipe out the dragon nests in Rakontagne in exchange for us raising one of our Chosen Descendants as a hunter slave to gift to Rabanara."

    Jacques bitterly expands on that, his frown making him look more like a predator than a cute fox, "But now, the dragons and wyverns all attack Rabanara directly, so they don't even need to seek out their nests because the dragons have rarely come our way ever since."

    I hum in thought, then Lina grabs my thick, swaying tail, and it swings her around as if she weighed nothing. "From what I know, the werefox Blood Slaves are highly valued because they're the best hunters that money can buy," I recall as I watch Lina amusedly.

    Jacques waves his clawed hand dismissively and looks away with a grunt, "Hmph. I don't care about that sort of thing. I just wanted my daughter to be free."

    Alissa immediately gives a hug to his wide back, and his anger quickly washes away, but they don't say anything, remaining like that for a long minute.



    We eventually reach the exit of Roubaix, and it's just in time since our procession has drawn the interest of a rather large crowd that decided to follow us from afar. I'm not sure why, exactly, they're so curious about us, but I guess our group is simply so outlandish that there can't be just one reason for their behavior.

    We pass by a few farms, all lively with farmers beginning their morning work, then I notice a few slaves among them, and I realize that I rarely ever saw a worker slave in Escanso. Elven pride shows itself even in slavery.

    The slave farmers don't look any different from the other workers, except for the small slave collar around their necks. The temple keeps a close eye on this type of slavery, so their lives aren't exactly bleak, but they still deserve a lot more rights than they have now.

    The system of slavery is so integrated throughout the entire empire that I think it may be easier to expand worker rights than to simply abolish it outright, especially because Blood Slaves are also included in this issue, and it'd involve changing a fuck ton of religious shit to forbid Blood Slaves.

    The peacefulness of our stroll allows me to ponder upon the social changes that I want to implement, and the humbling view makes it easier to concentrate my mind on these complex topics.

    The ring of farms ends quite quickly as we reach a small forested hill. There's a short, symbolic brick wall surrounding the hill, with a few ceremonial guards protecting it. That's the Tomb of Veneration.

    We walk up along the snaking path, and I take a moment to observe the vegetation. The Chape trees grow very fast here, almost monopolizing all the space and nutrients available, which makes it difficult for other plants to establish themselves, so most of the other vegetation we can see is quite low to the ground, giving us a fairly long, unobstructed view of the forest, and it's really quite picturesque, just like almost everything else we've seen here.

    "[I'd like to paint this]," one of the Chimeras quietly comments with a rather sentimental tone.

    Then we reach the top of the hill, where we're met with a large, round gazebo with a stone dome above it that reminds me of the temples. At the center of the gazebo, there's a stair that leads deep down into the ground.

    "Did we climb all the way up here just to go down again?" Yunia quietly asks.

    "Yes," Alissa responds stoically, and I suppress a snort. "This much is nothing to a werefox."

    Yunia crosses her arms awkwardly, and I see her long ears redden. "Not complaining, just… confused…"

    As we reach the gazebo, Léonne motions for us to stop, then pulls out a gem-encrusted key from her [Item Box] with a *poof*.

    "We'll stay here, so take the key. He's on the sixth level, fourth column, and third row," she solemnly explains to Alissa.

    "Thank you," Alissa quietly replies, then she turns to us and smiles like a bright [Spirit Light]. "I want you all to come with me so that he can see my new family."

    "He's already been cremated, so you understand that he might not be there anymore, right?" Ciel cautions her.

    Alissa nods slowly. "I do, but I still want to try."



    Only the wives, the golems, and I continue on, descending the stairs inside the gazebo, which takes us to a small room where a single guard protects a heavily enchanted door.

    He salutes us and closes his eyes, then Alissa opens the door, and we resume our descent, going down the flights of stairs beyond them.

    The Tomb is solemn, unadorned, illuminated by faint crystal lights, and carved from smooth gray stone. Each floor is filled with countless columns holding urns, which are each paired with a metal plaque that's been inscribed with a short biography of the deceased.

    The floors are all properly clean and dust-free because this place actually has occasional visitors. Many rites, including the Rite of Succession for each of the clans, involve this place since each and every new ruler has to show their respect for their ancestors.

    And of course, on the lower floors, where the most recent rulers and Elders have been buried, there are few spirits still lingering about.

    Gify chirps, and I cast [Materialize], revealing the spirits of an old werefox couple, who are staring at Alissa worriedly, floating slightly above us. Their fur has gone completely white, so it's a bit difficult to guess which of the clans they were originally from.

    "What are these non-foxes doing here?" The old woman immediately asks Alissa, her tone carrying hints of contained disapproval.

    Alissa frowns sadly, slightly offended. "We're all Crown Lords of the High Forest, and I'm here to introduce my new family to someone that's very dear to me," she answers honestly, and the old woman becomes apologetic.

    "We'll tell the others not to bother you," the old man assures us with a strained smile and pulls the old woman away.

    Considering how those two didn't have any visible wounds, they were likely Elders who died in their sleep like Gurrier.

    "How long have they been here that they don't even know about you?" Yunia annoyedly asks, trying to keep her distaste from showing too much.

    "If a spirit remains undisturbed, they can 'sleep,' which extends the time that they can remain in the realm, like the Chimeras did," Ciel explains, and Gify chirps in agreement.

    "I don't remember their faces, so they must've died before I was born," Alissa solemnly answers.

    Once the spirits' ethereal blue glow completely disappears, we move on and descend to the bottom floor, which is still mostly empty, so we easily find Gurrier's resting place. His urn is a small and unadorned cylinder since all that a werefox takes with them when they die are their achievements and memories, not their wealth.

    Beside his urn is his biography, engraved on a small metal plaque that reads:



    Gurrier Vilarbre, Elder of the Hunt, Former Sworn Hunter of Chief Florent Verner, Former Captain of the 4th Division of Town Hunters of Roubaix.

    Born on the 12th day of the auspicious month of Combat in the year 68,821 of the Solar calendar; died in his sleep on the 26th day of the month of Drink in the year 69,000, aged 179 at level 99.

    Started his life as the second son of Blanche and Roy Vilarbre, Gurrier was born with [Bow Use] and [Hide Presence], a rare sign that revealed that his calling was to be a hunter from the very moment he was born.

    He precociously enlisted in the Town Hunters at the age of 8 and graduated at the age of 12, then steadily accrued achievements until he succeeded the Captain of his division at the age of 18 when the previous Captain retired.

    His leadership was stable and marked by successive victories, making him stand out as a model commander. He protected Roubaix from monster hordes, bandits, and slavers without faltering, inspiring generations to come.

    At the age of 30, he trained his successor so that he could enter into the service of Chief Florent Verner as a Sworn Hunter.

    Now tasked with protecting the rule of the Misty Fox clan, he aided Chief Florent in quenching the thirsts, filling the bellies, and solving the quarrels, as well as punishing the outlaws, overcoming disasters, and subduing the rebellious.

    At the age of 104, he was called on by the Elder Council to act as the Elder of the Hunt and assume the duty of protecting the whole of the Misty Forest from any forces that sought to destroy it.

    Loved by his parents, respected by his allies, and feared by his enemies. Gurrier exemplified the ideal hunter and warrior that all werefoxes should aspire to become.

    His duty was fulfilled, and his memory shall be venerated.

    May the Gods give him his just rewards. May Paradise provide him ample reward for his sacrifices.



    Below that, the plaque lists his notable achievements, mostly his victories in battles.

    "This is the person who trained you in how to be a slave?" Yunia curiously asks.

    With deep melancholy and grief, Alissa touches the urn and manages a pained smile as her eyes water. "Yes, but he did more than that. He acted as a parent for me when mine were forbidden to, and he showed me more fatherly love than I could've ever asked him for, even though he'd never admit to it. I owe so much of who I am to him." Then she closes her eyes and prays for him to be here.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Christopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Lord Copey Dunt.
    Lord Dracopuppy23.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Stellerbattle.
    Lord Chris Carter.
    Lord GoodKat.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
  16. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    We remain silent for several long minutes, waiting for even a wisp of a spirit to appear, but we don't sense anything.

    Yunia swallows an Eia pill and takes a step closer to the urn while Ciel also starts to pray to help Alissa.

    After a few more minutes, Alissa's concentration falters as she begins to tire from praying so fervently.

    I give Alissa five points in [Spirit Magic], then Yunia, Alissa, and I cast [Spirit Eyes] and [Spirit Link].

    Link is a curious spell as it allows the caster to speak telepathically with spirits and sense their emotions, which is very useful for communicating with lost, or decaying spirits, or evil spirits, though that last one is a very unpleasant experience.

    Necromancers and other Wicked people who want to trap spirits use someone's body as a path to find the spirit and pull it out of Paradise. While cremating someone and spreading their ashes prevents this, Gurrier's ashes are all gathered here in one place, so there's a slim chance that the path to his spirit is still intact.

    "Wolfy… you have to be very careful with what you're thinking about doing right now," Ciel cautions me with a very serious tone.

    "I just want to signal to him that we're here," I explain myself and walk up to the urn.

    Alissa's heart is torn. She's fearful of what I want to do, but she can't bring herself to stop me.

    Ciel sighs tiredly, then comes up behind me and hugs my back. "I find it extraordinarily difficult to stop you from trying out these crazy ideas, but I'll at least stick close to you so that you don't do something you shouldn't," she assures me with a rather motherly tone.

    "Yeah, she's definitely our mother," Hana mutters offhandedly.

    "I really love how you're always so supportive of us," I confess to Ciel and kiss her hand lovingly, making her smile brightly.

    "There's still some Life in the urn," Yunia points out, giving us a sliver of hope.

    "Gih," Gify agrees, and I get an idea.

    I give Alissa five more points in [Spirit Magic] so that she can cast [Spirit Touch], then I sternly state, "I need everyone to work together for this plan." And I give them all a look.

    "Gih!" Gify chirps boldly, and Yunia nods, then Alissa steels herself.

    This will be a four-man job. Gify will gather all the wisps of Gurrier's spirit into a single spot, Yunia will guide us towards the Life, I'll assume control of Alissa to use [Spirit Touch] through her, and the VIP herself will continue praying to call for Gurrier's attention.

    Once we're all ready, operation Ghost Call immediately begins.

    Gify pops out of existence, and with [Spirit Link], I feel her presence moving around the urn and spreading herself wide, like a tentacle monster collecting girls to-… my imagination is a bit wild right now.

    Anyway, the wisps of Gurrier's spirit are like water, and they're resisting Gify's touch, wanting to go back to their former positions and remain undisturbed.

    Yunia stares intensely at the urn, providing me with the exact location where all the wisps are being gathered, a small dot that seems to be about the size of a needle's head.

    I take control of Alissa's spirit hand and cautiously approach the wisps, trying not to disturb them too much, which would make it much harder for Gify to keep a hold of them.

    Alissa closes her eyes and prays with all her heart, then Ciel pats her head and helps her calm down so that her voice can be more clearly heard by the Goddess of Piety.

    The spirit hand comes closer to them, and the wisps start trembling in Gify's grasp.

    Yunia's view of the Life blurs as it refuses to interact with Gify.

    The spirit hand enters the urn, and even Gify feels like backing off from it since, for a spirit, the spell feels like chains approaching her neck.

    The wisps tremble out of control, like magnets repelling each other, and they start to escape Gify's tentacles.

    "Please…" Alissa whispers earnestly, and the wisps suddenly stop for a second.

    I take the chance and close the spirit hand around the wisps, then I let Alissa hold it there by herself.

    Ciel grabs Alissa's shoulder, her watchful presence preventing Alissa from pulling the spirit hand back out of the urn, no matter how much she wishes to see Gurrier.

    The wisps are so small that they start to escape Alissa's grip like droplets of water slipping through her fingers.

    Ciel grips Alissa's shoulder harder so that she doesn't grip the wisps too hard, and Alissa slowly exhales, forcing herself to calm down, then the last of the wisps escape her grasp.

    "Please…" She whispers again, then we hear a tired sigh in our minds.

    Alissa opens her empty spiritual hand, and I cast [Materialize], then an old male voice grumbles, echoing throughout the large, empty room, "I was having a wonderful nap in the sun, you know?"

    Alissa whimpers weakly and sniffles, then she looks up and grins at the wrinkly old fox staring back at her with knitted eyebrows, his hands together behind his back in a dignified posture. He has a very stern face, but his shoulder-length white hair and short beard give him a very refined look, and I'm sure he must have sported a fine salt and pepper daddy style beard when he was younger.

    "Gurrier…" She whispers, but I sense the word "raisin" echoing in her mind, and she hurriedly locks down her inner thoughts.

    "Alissa…" Gurrier quietly replies, then his eyes scan over each of us. "And your new family."

    Gify pops back onto my shoulder and lets out a low chirp.

    Then Alissa chuckles girlishly. "Yes, my family. I'm sorry for interrupting your rest, but I wanted you to meet them. I wanted you to see what you helped me achieve." Then she takes a step back and lays her hand over my chest.

    His frown softens, and his thin lips curl slightly upwards in a very subtle smile. "Ah, the Ryders. We've heard a lot about all of you," he starts with a husky, amused tone. "Your parents will never admit this, but they commissioned portraits of all of you," -he gives each of us another glance, lingering a little longer on the silent golems behind us- "and they weren't that far from reality."

    Alissa sighs tiredly and rests her head on my shoulder. "How far did they go to spy on us?!" She grumbles in frustration.

    "Every single piece of information that could be bought, was bought," he amusedly continues, his smile slowly growing wider. "Every time some news about you arrived, your father would tell everyone about it, and of course, he didn't allow me to forget anything."

    Alissa cringes, and her pointy ears go flat. "Yeah, that sounds like Dad…"

    He turns his gaze to me, and it seems surprisingly kind, in contrast to Alissa's memories of him. "At first, they hated you, Wolf."

    "I wonder why," I mumble with a wry smile.

    He nods slowly. "An unknown, meek child that seemed to be either low-level or simply unskilled in anything…"

    "Ouch," I whine.

    He snorts. "Yes, even I was suspicious, but I had my faith in Ghulam. Blood Slave merchants have an eye for good people, and there were enough peculiarities that it warranted us staying our judgment for a while longer."

    Alissa crosses her arms and nods energetically. "Hmph, but of course! Since the very first moment I met Wolfy, I knew he was special!" She grunts and agrees matter-of-factly.

    Gurrier's smile becomes slightly mischievous. "You should've seen Jacques' overwhelming pride when the news of your successful hunt of the Oodogloo came in."

    "Wow, you remember that," I remark with a chuckle.

    Gurrier annoyedly replies, "Of course I do. Alissa's father didn't allow me to forget anything."

    Alissa's smile becomes stiff, trying not to cringe at her dad's overenthusiasm.

    "How doting, he didn't come off like that during our first meeting," Yunia remarks with a raised eyebrow.

    "Léonne reigned that in, but you can't change his nature," Gurrier explains, and Alissa nods begrudgingly. "It was after the Symbol of Hate that their opinion of you changed. They instantly noticed how your…" -He flashes a cheeky smile- "'Good Luck' was extraordinary."

    "Considering how nobody died, I knew there was something special about him," Alissa affirms and gives me a loving look.

    "Same," Roxanne shyly chimes in. That's when she fell in love with me, so just remembering that event makes her become a bit meek.

    Gurrier casually continues, "And once Miss Hanafuria joined in, we stopped worrying about your safety since she had already proven herself in the past to have enough skill to act as the anchor of your party."

    "You got that right!" Hana exclaims proudly and smacks her bouncy chest. "I've kept everyone safe!"

    He chuckles gently and adds, "Indeed. And with someone of Miss Roxanne's power to kill everything in sight, there was nothing that could easily overwhelm your fellowship."

    "Hehehehe," Roxanne giggles like a silly little girl, unused to being praised so highly by strangers.

    Then Gurrier looks at each of us with gentle eyes. "A mysterious master, a powerful mage, a reliable protector, a compassionate priestess, a hard-working dwarf, mysterious golems, an actual talking dragon, a noble elf, and even a nature spirit. You did well in gathering these comrades, Alissa."

    Gify chirps smugly and puffs up her little chest.

    "I wasn't the one who actually gathered them, though…" Alissa shyly admits.

    "You're the one with the Blessing from the Goddess of Love. That should count for something, considering you're all… wives," he amusedly replies and gives me a brief, knowing look.

    While Alissa's love for me helped me gather these women initially, it changed midway into pure depravity, so she has some trouble accepting that she's the reason that the harem grew so large.

    "It's not like you're the only reason that we're together," I throw her a lifebuoy.

    And she desperately latches onto it, "Y-yes! Everyone helped! We-we're all together because… we're all equals, a team!" Then she laughs nervously.

    Gurrier stares at her blankly, unsure of what to say.

    "It's because you've shown us how to love each other, in more ways than one," Ciel graciously saves the mood.

    "Hm, yes, an enviable relationship you all have," Gurrier quietly comments.

    "It's one of the secrets to our power," Roxanne confesses with a smirk and stifles a chuckle.

    Gurrier's fox senses tingle, making him a bit suspicious of our wording, so he points out, "But that was definitely not part of the slave training I gave you."

    Alissa smiles smugly, and her tail wags lazily as she replies with a deliberate tone, "Are you sure? You taught me how to reach greatness, but you never told me to do it alone or to aim for it to be only for myself. You had me train the twenty-fifth unit, to nurture their growth, to guide them closer to their dreams, and to their place in the clan."

    Gurrier stays quiet for a moment, pondering upon her words. "Hm… I can't disagree with anything you've said," he gently accepts, then his tone grows slightly nostalgic as he recollects, "and it's true, the power of your unity has shown itself in the victories that your fellowship has achieved. The Oodogloo, the Symbol of Hate, the goblin camp extermination, the wyvern attack, the Dragonoid dungeon delve, the Grim Giant, the Corpse Stealer horde, the bandit attack… You've all shown how well you work together," -he suddenly turns serious- "so much so that you even gained the attention of both Crown Lords of the High Forest, whose snooping was detected by Vanea. Due to the stalemate between them, we feared the possibility of you becoming a pawn in their games, but fortunately, elves aren't anywhere near as ruthless as imperials."

    "Of course we are. We even pay compensation to the commoners that get unknowingly involved in our matters," Yunia proudly states and points her nose up snobbishly.

    His stoic eyes turn to her and calmly give her a brief lashing, "Your race just has the unfortunate habit of letting unfit Lords languish in their position for too long."

    Yunia wants to retort, but she can't. The situation with her father had lasted for years, long enough that even the emperor got annoyed.

    Alissa feels some pity for Yunia and decides to side with her. "And our race just has the unfortunate habit of being merciless and vengeful," she somberly states.

    Gurrier nods in agreement. "All races have their own ways of doing things, which all work with more or less the same results," he sagely states.

    "I have some disagreements with that, but I don't feel like having a philosophical discussion right now," I interject with a smirk.

    Gurrier chuckles once, and his wrinkles soften again. "Yes, I don't think I have the time for that." His right eye suddenly twitches, and he shows a subtly warped smile. "Hearing Jacques drone on and on about both you and Allura really annoyed me, so I want to get in as many jabs as I can to embarrass him before I truly leave the realm."

    "They seem to act differently whenever they're near us, so I really want to hear about that," Alissa shyly admits with a small smile.

    And Gurrier nods energetically. "But of course. You two needed to grow fast and aim past the clouds if you were to succeed in your destinies, so they had to keep themselves from spoiling you rotten."

    "I think they succeeded," I chime in and give her waist a squeeze.

    "That they did," Gurrier agrees, but then his tone turns grim. "How you survived the Dawn of Fire attack impressed us as much as it enraged us, all of us. The brutality of it was astounding, so I allowed your mother to give you some advice."

    "We're thankful for that. We were looking for someone with power to rely on, and it came at the right time," Alissa sincerely thanks him.

    Gurrier flashes a smile but then continues with the same grim tone, "It also started to dawn on us that your Fate foreshadowed a lot more trouble to come, then Innocent Nymph happened before we could think of doing anything else to help you, and you all immediately went into hiding, so we had access to precious little information since then."

    Alissa starts to explain to him what we went through after that. Our dealings with Arreira catch his curiosity, but the fact that we now have a fleet makes him very interested, and we haven't even touched on the topic of my and Aoi's new races yet.

    "Warships. You now have warships…" He mutters, his stoic tone showing a hint of wonder.

    I nod excitedly and add, "Currently irreplaceable, but we have the means to turn the High Forest into an important source of airships."

    He rubs his short beard in thought as he comments, "Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprising, considering how extraordinary you all are, there has always been a lot of information about your fellowship being passed around, but now that you're entering the airship market, every single noble of the Mainland and the Principality will want to know as much as they can about you."

    The girls and I share some shy smiles.

    "I'm starting to get the feeling that some people are turning into our fans," I suddenly blurt out and chuckle awkwardly.

    He lets out a low chuckle. "Oh, Jacques and Allura are definitely fans. Me? An involuntary one."

    Alissa facepalms as she questions, "What about Mom?"

    His smile starts widening again. "She's not the kind to be dreamy-eyed when listening to your adventures, no. She almost went to personally 'question' the slaver that sold you to Mr. Wolf. She wanted to strangle the poor merchant."

    Alissa frowns in thought as she recollects, "Mom said that she had to stop Dad from strangling him."

    Gurrier chuckles softly again. "Oh, that she did, so you can imagine how much angrier your father was than her. On the other hand, I had to stop her from threatening the slaver."

    I awkwardly scratch my horn as I reflect on everything they already know about us, "It's a bit weird to think about how much was going on without us knowing."

    "Assume that everything we know is also known by everyone else," he assures me, becoming serious again.

    "Bastico wants to write a book about our lives, so we're a bit past the point of being shy about our adventures," Yunia points out.

    Gurrier slowly nods in agreement. "Well said. Now that you've mentioned it, what happened to you, Wolf? You're… less human than I knew you to be."

    I smile wryly and show him my claws as I explain, "So, something happened with my body, and the Gods made me into a new race, a weredragon."

    He blinks blankly, stunned.

    I grin and follow up to complete the combo, "Oh yeah, Aoi now has a status, and also, the Gods did an Intervention to help our credibility when we took our position as Crown Lords."

    "Alissa, he's not lying?" He stoically asks her.

    Her tail starts wagging happily, and I wrap mine around her waist. "No… these things happened after your death, about two or three months ago." Then her tail goes limp again.

    His eyes become softer, and he shows us a pained smile and earnestly apologizes, "Ah… I'm sorry that I couldn't stay alive for longer. I was also pretty surprised when I died."

    I have to suppress the impulse to laugh, because what the fuck?! He's legitimately asking us for forgiveness for him dying too soon of natural causes.

    "Don't blame yourself for reaching the end of your Thread. You deserve Paradise," Ciel soothes him.

    Alissa grumbles annoyedly, then exclaims, "And besides, we're talking right now!"

    His smile widens, but it's still a bit pained. "But I won't be able to see your marriage ceremony."

    Alissa grumbles again as she opens her [Item Box], then she takes out her ID crystal tablet. "Then at least look at this."

    He opens his eyes wide and moans weakly, "Ah… you did it… you really did it." Then he tries to grab the tablet, but it simply slips through his ethereal hands. "Oh…"

    Alissa's tone becomes bold, energetic, and even a bit smug as she announces, "I've come back, not as a slave, but as the wife of my husband, and we're all destined to shape the realm with our influence, all because someone like you trained me to be who I am today!"

    Gurrier's sad smile fades away, returning him to his usual stoic and professional self. "I understand now, Alissa. I welcome you back home now that your duty as a Blood Slave has been fulfilled, and I wish you luck in the future that the Gods have planned for you."

    She takes a step forward and salutes him in the werefox way. "Thank you, Elder Gurrier, for everything."

    Gurrier's wrinkled face softens completely, clearing it of the stiff and stoic expression that he usually shows. "Thank you for bringing me back for this," he whispers, his tone growing weak and wavering slightly. "I have nothing left to teach you, but you still have a long way to walk, and a tall mountain to climb, so never stop growing, never stop fighting, because that is something that I know I taught you well."

    "I'll never stop!" Alissa exclaims, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

    Then he sighs, and his posture hunches forward slightly. "I'm tired now. There are many other things that I'd like to talk about, but I've already said everything I needed to. Goodbye, Alissa. May you and your family shine like stars."

    "Goodbye, Gurrier. May your time in Paradise be long," she whispers back.

    He smiles gently, and the old man's figure slowly blurs and fades away until there's nothing left.

    Alissa sheds a few silent tears, and I hug her tight, which becomes the perfect excuse for another group hug.

    As we start to break off the group hug, the golems hurriedly float backward to avoid getting in our way.

    "Let's go back," Alissa tiredly suggests. She's gone through too many different emotions in such a short time, so she's getting emotionally exhausted.

    I wish that I could've asked Gurrier about Paradise, but we might have another opportunity one day, so it'll just have to wait until then.



    Once we reunite with the rest of the group, Alissa gives a hug to her parents and her sister.

    "Thank you…" She whispers softly, and Jacques suddenly hugs her from behind, burying her head in his long, red beard.

    He mumbles some garbled nonsense, sounding very emotional, then suddenly recomposes himself and goes quiet.

    "You're welcome, my daughter," Léonne gently whispers back and pats Jacques' arm, then he releases Alissa.



    We make our way back, and they tell us their stories about Gurrier, then Jacques reveals something interesting.

    "The old fox always asked for a drink whenever I came to tell him the news. It was the only time I ever saw him relax, and we usually ended up talking for a long time since we'd both end up getting drunk," he reminisces fondly.

    I share a look with Alissa. It seems that we'll never really know the truth.



    When we get back to the town, a small group of commoners are excitedly waiting for us just past the gates, and a few of them even begin to kneel and pray as we approach. The werefoxes are very pious, so it isn't too surprising that they've already found out who we are.

    Curiously, there's a human commoner couple among them that seems to be very anxious.

    Klein and Anton quickly discuss something between themselves, then they organize the Lordsguard to surround us, and Léonne responds by ordering the Sworn Hunters to open the way for us.

    Ciel waves and smiles at the commoners, but once her eyes land on the couple, she freezes as memories flood into her mind.

    "FLEUR?!" She suddenly shouts.

    "CIEL!" The human woman shrieks back.

    Ciel rushes over to her, pushing the confused Lordsguard in her way to the side, and tackles the small, ginger woman.

    "AAAAH!" The two of them shriek excitedly and hug each other tight, then the Lordsguard quickly follows after her and separates the commoners away from them.

    "CALUM!" Ciel shouts and grabs the hand of the human male beside her, ensuring that the Lordsguard lets him stay.

    Fleur stops shrieking, but her overflowing excitement bleeds into her voice as she shouts at full speed, "Diamond dragons scales! It's you, you're Queen Ciel! You're the Dark Angel!"

    "The WHAT?!" Ciel shrieks back. "Please, don't let that turn into a Title!"

    Fleur laughs out loud as she hangs from Ciel's neck. Calum, the blonde-haired man beside them, stiffly stands still, clearly terrified of the stares he's receiving from the dozen-plus high-leveled people currently surrounding him.

    Fleur lets Ciel go, who then gives Calum a quick hug.

    "What are you two doing here? Didn't you say that you were going to the capital?" Ciel questions them, completely bewildered at their presence here.

    Both Fleur and Calum cringe, then look away. "Well, we did find out who my family was…" Calum hesitantly mumbles.

    "And they turned out to be scammers who owed money to a rather dangerous sort of people," Fleur continues and nervously kicks a small rock near her feet.

    Calum grins unashamedly. "So we ran right back to Mistcross…"

    Then Fleur raises her eyes to Ciel, and her tone becomes excited again. "And by coincidence, we found out that my late mother was a werefox, and then my extended family adopted us."

    "This is incredible, really. I'm so happy you found your home," Ciel replies with a bright smile and pulls them both into another quick hug.

    Fleur nods happily, then she adds, her voice quickly losing its volume with each word, "I'm surprised they actually let us live here since, you know, we're humans…"

    Ciel's expression becomes serious. "But are you being treated with respect?"

    Calum nods energetically, then quietly answers, "We are, and we're quite happy here, it's just that sometimes, they're a bit 'cold.'"

    "Hm… that seems well enough," Ciel comments and gives their shoulders a gentle squeeze.

    I approach them and gently ask, "Are these your friends, Ciel?"

    The couple turns to me and immediately falls to their knees, but Ciel grabs their shoulders again and pulls them back up. "No need for that here," she affirms, then gives me a bright smile. "They're my friends from the orphanage."

    "Pleasure to meet you," I greet them, and we start our introductions.

    They're Fleur and Calum Envye, and they're working for the Envye clan of merchants as assistants.

    When Léonne approaches us, they both keep their heads down in respect for her.

    "If you're not busy, how about you come to our estate? Any friends of the Ryders are friends of ours too," Léonne offers politely, and Ciel doesn't allow them to say no.



    As we walk, the three of them catch up, and while they heard rumors about Ciel, the Intervention, and our rise as Crown Lords, they hadn't yet fully connected the Dark Angel of the rumors with the Ciel they knew until they saw her here.

    "Out of all the potential nicknames, why did Dark Angel catch on?" Ciel grumbles through [Bind].

    "Do you prefer 'Chocolate Angel,' instead?" Roxanne teases back.

    "Just 'Angel' would be fine!" Ciel exclaims in frustration.

    Fleur is a thin, ginger woman whose late father hailed from Maplethorne, and she kind of fits in among the werefoxes, only lacking in the fox ears and tail department. Calum is a tall, blonde man whose family immigrated from Dyrmorder to Mac Gantus, but then they fractured and fell from grace. He stands out since he's quite tall in comparison to the not particularly tall werefoxes, but, fortunately, nobody has picked on him for it.

    As long as they don't make trouble or too much noise, the werefoxes are content to leave foreigners be. The foxes also have a working relationship with merchants and adventurers, so the couple doesn't face any overt prejudice, but they don't have that many friends here.

    The two walk hand-in-hand, Fleur leaning over to Calum and touching his chest for just about any little reason she can find. It's like they're glued to one another, and it makes me realize something.

    "Are we like that?" I let the question echo in my soul space, and Alissa gives my hand a squeeze.

    "With you? Yes. There's always someone touching you," Yunia calmly answers and gives my other hand a squeeze.

    "We have to split up our time to be with you; there's no time to spare for you to be alone," Lina asserts.

    "It must be pretty awkward to be around us," I think openly in my soul space.

    "It was. Especially at night," Ciel chimes in a moment later. During that time when she was in the fellowship but hadn't become my wife yet, she heard the bed creaking quite a lot, even though the girls didn't usually moan that loudly.

    When Ciel tells the couple how close we've become to the Gods, their demeanor starts to stiffen, but Ciel is having none of that.

    "If our friends start treating us like kings, then we'll have nobody left who we can talk casually with," Ciel worriedly explains.

    "Well, you are a Queen, right? That's what all the news is saying," Calum questions.

    "We're only Royals, we haven't been crowned, or anything," Ciel tiredly explains.

    "And I don't think the Elder Council will let us assume that status," I chime in with a grin.

    Calum frowns confusedly and asks, "Royals without a king…?"

    "Princess Ciel!" Fleur shouts with a giggle.

    That Title provokes a lot of strong feelings within Ciel. What kind of orphan girl has never fantasized about being adopted by a Royal or a Lord?

    "I'll accept you calling me that in private," Ciel gently states with a subtle, pompous tone that makes Yunia proud.



    We return to the Verner's estate, and we see the Elders sitting on cushions on the veranda, enjoying a nice cup of tea while soaking in the sun and watching the foxes play around.

    We all decide to split up for a bit. Lina and I seek out the foxes, Alissa goes inside the estate with her mother to meet someone, Ciel sits down near the Elders to talk with Fleur and Calum, Yunia and Roxanne sit by the Elders to talk for a bit while Yunia massages Roxanne's feet, and Hana and human-Aoi showcase [Equipment System] to everyone.

    "You're doing well, servant, continue massaging me like this," Roxanne teases with a snobbish tone.

    Yunia narrows her eyes dangerously. "Your only positive quality is your beauty," she coldly replies but doesn't stop massaging Roxanne's feet.

    "That's… not actually offensive to me," Roxanne admits and shrugs.

    The Elders share an amused look, but don't comment on it.



    The golems stop behind Lina and me, their unmoving eyes staring intensely at us.

    "May we pet the foxes, too?" Ted broaches the topic. It makes me happy that they asked for something on their own initiative.

    "Sure, but what made you want to?" I ask back and guide a fox closer to them. The furry little animal doesn't seem to mind, but I think it's because it identified the golems as inanimate objects.

    "We may be required to take care of pets," Suzy starts the sequence.

    "So we need to learn how to interact with animals," Jarn finishes.

    I agree and ponder, "True. I had two dogs before, and though I haven't felt the desire to get any new pets so far, I think it'd be a good idea to get some for our children."

    "You already have a few humanoid pets," Lina innocently points out, and I can't really disagree with that.

    We smile at each other, then I turn to the golems. "Anyway, do all of you know how to approach animals?"

    "Slow movements, no staring, and a gentle touch," Ted starts.

    "While paying close attention to their body language," Suzy follows.

    "And not following it when it moves away," Jarn finishes.

    "Good, good," I approve, nodding sagely. "Come closer, and let it smell you."

    Ted and Suzy lower themselves onto the grass, and the little fox immediately scampers away, then stares at them warily.

    I don't call the fox back, and instead, I just hand each of the three golems a small piece of dried meat. The smell of food attracts a few other foxes, but they still keep their distance, wary of the golems.

    "Come here, little foxy," Ted calls for one of them, her voice in a higher pitch as she tries to sound cutesy.

    "Foxy, foxy, foxy!" Suzy shouts, inflecting her voice to make her sound playful.

    Jarn kneels and reaches out with her arm. "Come, little one," she soothingly calls, her voice in a much lower pitch, and it raises the hairs on the back of my neck as her "ara ara, onee-san" energy catches me off-guard.

    Three courageous little foxes cautiously come forward, then they nibble on the pieces of meat, and their fluffy tails start to wag.

    After the meat is gone, they stay and allow the golems to touch them.

    Ted and Suzy instantly become popular with the foxes, but Jarn doesn't, and her chosen fox doesn't seem very pleased.

    "Your touch is cold, Jarn, warm yourself up," I advise her, and she casts [Manipulate Metal] on herself. The sudden change initially scares the little fox, but it quickly calms down, enjoying the warm touch.

    Ted and Suzy sit down on the grass, and two foxes immediately jump onto them, using them as cushions.

    The two golems hesitate for a moment as they think, then they push the foxes off of themselves.

    "Becoming immobilized by a pet is undesirable," Ted explains to the slightly annoyed fox.

    "But we shall provide them comfort, nonetheless," Suzy follows up, and the three golems [Equip] cushions that the foxes immediately fight over playfully. They loudly yip and yap at each other, but their mischievousness makes it all pretty adorable.

    "Gih," Gify demands, and the golems obey. They pull out a fourth cushion that Gify claims for herself, and the foxes don't even think about bothering her. Then, she rolls onto her back, exposing her white, feathery belly, and goes to sleep, her limbs all splayed out.

    "This spirit looks so cute that I'm a little envious of it," Allura's voice reaches my ears followed by a girlish chuckle.

    I turn to see her as she comes over and notice that she has sandals made for her digitigrade feet, and the sandals seem similar to mine.

    "You need to introduce me to your shoemaker," I blurt out, and she stops, then looks down at her feet confusedly.

    "Oh…!" It dawns on her, and she smiles. "There probably aren't that many people with animal feet in the elven lands, right?"

    "Yeah. I have a weredog shoemaker I go to, but I'd like to meet someone more specialized."

    She nods gracefully. "I'll ask Mom to give you their name."

    I flash her a smile and pull the conversation back from my tangent, "Anyway… I heard that the wereanimals have a lot of respect for nature spirits."

    She stops beside me and crouches down, then stares at Gify with fondness in her orange eyes. "They help us to get in touch with our animal side, so beast warriors like me dream about having one follow them, which is also a sign of a good person."

    I point to Gify and smirk as I confess, "This one follows me because she said that my life is 'interesting,' so I don't know about that last part."

    She chuckles softly and covers her mouth with her hand in a cute way. "I guess that's true. They are known to be whimsical."

    "Gih…" Gify chirps softly, half-asleep, and we watch her fluffy chest moving up and down, entranced by her cuteness.

    Jarn puts a cushion on her lap and warms up her body, quickly becoming popular with the foxes, so I talk to one of them and guide it to sit on Lina's lap so that she doesn't feel ignored.

    "I wasn't…" She complains in my soul space and pouts.

    "Can I ask you something, Wolf?" Allura suddenly asks.

    "Sure," I casually reply.

    She grins like a child who had just been given some chocolate. "Can I see your dragon form again?"

    I push the fox near me away and shift. The skittish foxes squint at the light, but they don't actually run away from me since my [Animal Tongue] soothes them quite a lot.

    "Ooh… can I pat you?" Allura pleads excitedly.

    "You may pat the dragon," I reply in a lofty tone.

    She pats my head, but the horns and spikes make it a bit awkward for her, and the scales get in the way, so I barely feel anything.

    "Well… this isn't what I expected," she admits with a chuckle.

    I use [Soul Manipulation] to grow some fur over my scales, turning me into a weird, fluffy monster.

    "Better?" I casually ask.

    "What in the Gods'…" She mumbles, caught off-guard, but continues patting me.

    I grow a few tentacles and display them to her as un-lewdly as possible, then I extend one and grow it into a black hand that I use to pat her head in return.

    "This is a skill I created, it's called [Soul Manipulation]," I proudly explain.

    "So, you're touching me with your 'soul'…?" She hesitantly asks.

    "Yes."

    "Isn't that like a dryad marriage…?"

    I quickly pull back the hand and feel my cheeks heat up. "No…? Kind of…? Maybe…?"

    She starts laughing so hard that she wheezes, but she quickly controls herself when she notices my visible discomfort. "I'm sorry, I'm joking. A dryad marriage needs a lot of blood to be spilled."

    "Oh…" That calms me down a bit, but then I realize something. "How do you know that…?"

    Now she becomes a bit awkward and looks away. "T-there's a story I read that explains it."

    "Definitely not Nocturna's," Alissa chimes in through [Bind].

    "Definitely not Nocturna's," I repeat with a teasing tone.

    Her pale cheeks redden, and she holds back some embarrassed laughs. "Hom's biography talks about it. We don't know if it's true, but…" She shyly mumbles and awkwardly adjusts her short hair.

    Something about her demeanor tells me that this "Hom's" story isn't intended for children…

    "Well, I kind of have an idea about why dryads would use touching spirits as part of a marriage ceremony," I casually comment with a sly smirk, one of the few emotions that I can properly convey in my dragon form.

    "Hm…?" She tilts her head in confusion.

    I extend my soul and touch it to the back of Lina's neck, making her moan out loud in surprise. She immediately jerks her head towards me with an angry pout, and her face becomes scarlet red.

    I chuckle evilly, then I grab her head and give her forehead a lick. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't resist."

    She grumbles and moves away from me, the only effective way to truly wound my heart.

    "Noo~… I'm sorry~…" I earnestly apologize, and she stares at me, measuring my honesty.

    She eventually finds it good enough and returns to my side, calming my lonely heart.

    "Hm… what was that…?" Allura hesitantly asks, blinking blankly in confusion.

    "I touched her neck with my spirit, which causes a jolt of pleasure for the person being touched," I explain and show her my sly smirk again.

    "Can you… can you touch me, too?" She anxiously asks, and I grin like a devil.



    Alissa encounters a very old werefox man who is weakly walking forward while leaning on a cane, and she immediately recognizes him.

    "Homvieun!" Alissa happily exclaims and spreads her arms wide.

    "Alissa!" He returns the greeting and smiles like a good old grandpa. They hug, and he compliments her with a gentle laugh, "You've become such a wonderful woman! From a slave to a Royal! Hahahah, your story is unbelievable!"

    She releases him and kindly holds his shoulders. "And who's the one who taught me everything I know?"

    The old fox smiles smugly and dramatically asks, "Yes, yes, who's the blessed soul that made you into a Queen, huh? Who's the 'Queenmaker'?"

    "Definitely not you," she flatly responds.

    He frowns exaggeratedly, and his gentle voice sounds pained as he exclaims, "You're still a brat at heart!"

    "Always!" She happily agrees.

    Then they continue talking while slowly making their way back to us.



    "This [Equipment System] is a powerful skill. Are you willing to trade it with us?" Jacques diplomatically asks Yunia.

    "This skill isn't ours to trade, so we're just going to give it to whoever asks us for it," she casually replies.

    He nods respectfully. "Thank you, this is a wonderful gift."

    Yunia turns to him, her striking, blue eyes becoming sharp as she enters Business Mode. "There is something else we could trade, though."

    "What would that be?" He stoically asks, possibly using [Acting] since he also enters Business Mode.

    "Eia, our secret pill. Your mounted warriors could benefit greatly from it."

    "Is there something that you desire in return?" He immediately continues without even showing the slightest reaction.

    Yunia just calmly reveals her intentions, not seeing a benefit in concealing them, "Some of your hunters, but only temporarily. We need more help with containing the dungeons since our knights are becoming fatigued, and werefox monster hunters are known to be the best. If there are any among them who want to settle in the High Forest, though, they should know that we'll be loosening the Right of Inheritance soon to accommodate the spirit Chimeras we've recently welcomed."

    The door next to them slides open, and Léonne replies, "That could be arranged."

    With that, they begin the casual negotiations.

    "Ask for an unmarried woman, but not for marriage, though," Alissa suggests through [Bind].

    Yunia hesitates, but she eventually includes the request.

    Léonne also hesitates to respond, and Jacques seems to turn into a statue due to how unmoving he becomes. "We heard about… Wolf's 'appetite.' Is this for him?" She hesitantly asks.

    "Yes," Yunia lies.

    My reputation…

    "It's for a good cause," Alissa comforts me through [Bind].

    "Unless you're asking for a sex slave, we might not be able to fulfill that condition," Léonne explains.

    "It's good enough to try," Yunia assures her.

    "Very well."



    "So, where are you living?" Ciel asks the couple, then takes a sip of her tea.

    Fleur feeds Calum a bite of her cookie as she answers, "We're staying here in town at the clan's housing complex, but we were thinking about moving to Mistcross since it might be more 'agreeable' for us." Then she takes the other bite for herself.

    Ooh, I want you girls to feed me like that again.

    "Always," Alissa quickly replies through [Bind], then returns to her conversation, and I feel Lina nod internally.

    "The road to Escanso should be pretty safe by now, and you're always welcome to come visit us," Ciel offers.

    Fleur and Calum look at each other excitedly. "Oh, we definitely will," he happily replies, but Fleur narrows her eyes at him.

    "We're not going there just for you to ogle at the elves," she warns him.

    "Of course," he immediately replies a bit stiffly, then he runs his hand through her puffy, orange hair to appease her. "I just hear a lot about the beauty of that town and its food, you know?"

    "Right…" Fleur mumbles.

    "Be careful with the elves, they like to hide the boys among the girls, and vice-versa," Ciel cautions them with a cheeky grin, and they both share a worried look.



    "Where's Nen?" Alissa suddenly asks her father, and Ofilia turns to give her a curious look.

    "North, in the White Stalkers' territory, currently investigating some suspicious bandit attacks," he answers impassively.

    Alissa frowns and looks down at her empty ceramic cup. "They're still causing problems?"

    Jacques nods and grimly replies, "They are, and it's becoming truly bothersome."

    Ofilia looks away, a little saddened at the mention. She was originally from that clan.

    "Can we meet with Nen? Maybe we could help them," Alissa appeals to Yunia and Léonne, and they stop their negotiation for a moment to consider it.

    "It'd be an opportunity to see the Ryders fight," Jacques points out, which convinces Léonne to agree.

    "I'll send a message to Darcy and see if he's willing to take them," she replies, and Alissa's tail wags lazily in happiness.



    I cast a strong [Clean] on Allura's drenched panties, making her shiver and hold back a moan, then she leans closer to me and whispers with an awfully sexy tone, "Meet me inside in five minutes."

    I raise my eyebrows in surprise, and she giggles softly then stands up and leaves.

    Alissa grips my arm strongly, salivating as she imagines the depraved things she wants to do to Allura.

    "Is it really okay to do that to your sister? What will your parents say?" I question her through [Bind].

    And that brings Alissa back to reality. "Oh… she's a bit too young, yes. I believe it'd be the Sin of Rape if we try to have sex with her…" She dispiritedly replies.

    I console her with a back rub, then we both go inside the estate once the fated time comes.

    Alissa quickly finds Allura in an empty guest bedroom, and we both go meet her.

    Once I slide open the door, Allura throws herself in my arms, her cheeky smirk looking absolutely adorable in her tomboyish face.

    "Now that you've made me become like this, it's your responsibility to help me deal with it," she slowly states with a very suggestive tone, then she kisses my lips and shoves her tongue inside my mouth.

    Okay, maybe this much is acceptable?

    I push my tongue to meet with hers and I'm surprised by how skilled Allura's tongue is in delivering pleasure to mine.

    "Mom had me kiss Ofilia to teach me how to do it, so maybe Allura was the same," Alissa comments through [Bind], then sighs in delight as she savors her sister's tongue through our connection.

    Allura's hand deftly sneaks down my pants and easily pulls my hard cock out of my thin, elastic, elven clothes. Though at first, I feel the dragon spread its wings in euphoria, a divine will suddenly seizes my heart and takes it hostage.

    I push her away and grin as I cover myself again. "Okaaay…! I'm sorry, but this is as far as I can go. I think that the Gods will smite me if we go further than this," I quickly apologize and explain to the very disappointed girl in front of me.

    "What?! Can I at least get to taste it?!" Allura squeaks in confusion, but then immediately starts bargaining.

    "Nope. No dick for you, young girl," I awkwardly reply and take a step back.

    "Considering how mature you are already, maybe next year, the Gods will say that you're ready?" Alissa tries to appease her.

    Allura grumbles frustratedly, then looks up and shakes her fist towards the ceiling. "Fuck you, Gods. I just wanted to have some fun!"

    "Are the Gods really above us in the sky?" I amusedly question, trying to change the topic.

    "Since they're always observing us, wouldn't it make sense it'd be from above?" Alissa answers, following my lead.

    I shrug. "I don't know, they're Gods, they can probably look through solid matter."

    Allura simply pouts at us in displeasure, and I kind of understand what she's feeling like now.

    Can women get blue balls?

    The girls shiver once I explain the concept to them.

    "Maybe…" Ciel answers, rather skeptical.

    Allura drops on the not-futon with a sigh and suddenly asks, "Don't you have a lot of secrets?"

    I raise an eyebrow in confusion as Alissa and I sit on the floor before her. "Why do you want to know about them?"

    "Your Gifts. Isn't there anything you can do to let me have some fun with you?" Then she sits up and stares me intensely in the eye, burning with determination and lust. "I'm a hot girl begging to have sex with you! Do something!"

    I shrug and smile half-apologetically, half-amusedly. "I can't go against the Gods."

    She scowls angrily and snarls, "Fuck the Gods. Take me somewhere they won't get in the way!"

    "Like another Realm, for example," Alissa coyly suggests and hums in thought.

    I look at her in absolute astonishment as I mumble, "You can't possibly…"

    Allura crawls up to me and grabs the collar of my shirt, her face so close our noses touch. "What, what, what, what?! You know something! Tell me!" She demands in desperation, her voice high-pitched like the fox in heat that she is.

    "I can't take you to another Realm!" I shout out loud to appease her, and it silences her, though she still glares at me intensely.

    "Lis clearly suggested something, and I want to know what…" She demands, though more calmly this time.

    I sigh and send a brief glare to Alissa, then I explain [Otherworldly Summoning].



    "I'm sorry, I just wanted to brag a bit," Alissa apologizes through [Bind].

    "Considering how this has calmed your sister down, I'm kind of okay with it," I gently reply and comfort her.

    "Show it to me!" Allura happily demands.

    On second thought. Yeah, that was a bad idea…



    My weakness is cute girls, and having the sexually frustrated Allura beg to me after denying her sex makes me even weaker to her wiles.

    I can't do this in secret, so we go to Léonne and ask for an empty room to set up the experiment.

    "Are you sure that's safe…?" She calmly questions me as we set up the Emellanat cage.

    I force a smile and explain, "We've done this a few times, and there's nothing in the Folder of Cycles, so a demonstration is perfectly safe."

    "I admit I'm a bit interested," Jacques quietly chimes in, though his powerful voice makes it difficult for him to be actually quiet.

    "So… we shouldn't ever talk about this 'Folder' with anyone else, right?" Klein hesitantly questions.

    "Yeah… I think you have the right idea," Yunia concernedly agrees, then they both turn their eyes to the Lordsguard, who all stiffly nod.

    The goal of this demonstration is to flood the room with completely exotic and alien mana, and also allow them to see a glimpse into the reality-bending spell. It'll be a short one, so we quickly get everything ready and remind the observers to not try to get involved with the spell if anything goes wrong.

    "Everyone in position?" I ask as I look around and receive positive nods in return. "Alright… experiment, start!" Then I press the button for [Otherworldly Summoning].



    I look at the Folders a bit nostalgically. It feels like there's a shrouded unknown just at my fingertips, enticing the explorer within me to continue scrolling through them. I know that the Cycles are changing, so I'm dying to know how they'll "evolve."

    "Oh, I found you," an artificial and androgynous metallic voice gently whispers.

    After being stunned for a second, I quickly recover and try to look around, but I have no discernible body, so I scan the "folder" in search of the source of the voice. My instincts scream at me to interrupt the spell, but my curiosity gets the better of me.

    "You won't be able to find me. It's like you're staring at a computer screen and I'm standing 'behind' you," the voice explains, and I feel a shiver run along my real body's spine.

    "Who are you?" My real body asks, my voice trembling with fear.

    "I'm 'God,' a-…"

    "CUT IT!" I immediately shout through [Bind] to all the wives.

    "No, you won't!" God replies as the emellanat cage falls, but before it hits the floor, my real body feels a very familiar sensation of free-fall, like when I'm getting teleported through [Gate].

    "NOOOOO!" I scream in desperation and use [Bind] to summon the girls to my side, desperate to not get separated from the ones I love, again.



    I wake up with a gasp and sit up as I blink repeatedly, but my eyes are out of focus, so I can't see shit.

    I focus on my [Bind] and recognize the girls' presence, even Gify's. We're all in a circle next to each other, and they're all feeling the exact same thing as I am, so I just wait until I can properly see again.

    I start to discern their shapes and let out tears of happiness to know that they're with me, but then I notice the clothes that they're wearing.

    Earthling clothes.

    OH, FUCK!

    Alissa is wearing a high-school uniform from the private school nearby. A navy blue cardigan sweater, a white shirt with a small checkered tie, a navy blue skirt, long white stockings, and cute dress shoes. I recognize the school name, but I don't remember them having uniforms. Then I gasp when I notice that her fox tail and ears are gone.

    Alissa is confused by the disappearance of her fox characteristics, but she isn't distraught.

    I continue looking around and see that Roxanne is wearing a stylish white one-piece jumper with white platform heels and round sunglasses. Her horns and tail are also gone.

    Hana is wearing a gray sports bra and yoga pants with her voluminous hair tied in a ponytail, and she also lost her dragon characteristics.

    Ciel is wearing a yellow flowery sundress, so it doesn't look like anything changed about her, except she never had that specific dress.

    Lina is wearing an oversized shirt and nothing else. Nothing else.

    Aoi is in her human form, wearing a tank top and small jeans shorts, but her blue hair is now a shade darker, almost fully black.

    Yunia lost her elven ears and wears a fashionable black bikini covering a bit more than the usual dousnadeia.

    Gify is in the middle of us, immobile, and now her body is velvety like that of a plush doll.

    "Gih!" She chirps and starts to float, but her body movements are sluggish.

    The golems are nowhere to be seen, likely left behind during the experiment.

    And as for me, my draconic parts are gone, and I'm wearing the male counterpart to Alissa's uniform. I do think it's pretty comfortable, though.

    Then I notice where we're at. It's a fenced backyard, my backyard. Just a large grass yard with a tall willow, but I still recognize it. Though, Lily and I never did much here besides playing with Tito and Lala, so it's mostly empty.

    I look around, but I don't see Team Rocket anywhere nearby.

    With dread in my heart, I try to get up, but the lack of tail makes it a bit more awkward than it usually is. I struggled to learn how to live with a tail, but now I miss it quite a lot, though the "dragon" inside of me is still here, so I guess I'm not fully human again.

    Aoi shines and her form shifts into a dragon's, then I feel a shiver run along my spine as I fear someone might've seen her.

    "Aoi, turn back!" I desperately hurry her, and though she's confused, she immediately listens to me. "I think we're back on Earth, and there are no dragons here."

    "Meh…" She grumbles annoyedly and frowns, but quickly lets it go since she understands the danger of staying as a dragon.

    I try to access my stored [Gate] "coordinates," but there are none, which means that there's no easy way for us to go back.

    Fortunately, we still have all of our skills, spells, and access to our "Status," so we can work something out one day.

    I take a look inside my "Items" and find the golems stored there, which is odd since they were out during the demonstration.

    I take them out, and it only takes a short explanation for them to understand our situation. While Ted and Suzy act like it's Toy Story, Jarn starts "folding" herself into a small sphere that can be fit in a pocket or a bag.

    While she works, we explore my old house.



    I immediately notice the presence of a second floor, which wasn't there before, but everything else seems to be just as I remember, except that all pictures of me and Lily were replaced by Hana and Roxanne's.

    "Damn, I'm hot," Hana whispers as she stares at a frame of her and Roxanne in bikinis.

    "We are hot," Roxanne corrects her and chuckles, then we all notice something odd.

    The girls are speaking in English even though they're thinking in Andraste. It's like they've gained an innate [English Language] skill.

    I can't find anything about English in their "Status," so we just move on and explore the house some more.

    "This is creepy," I mumble, feeling shivers every time I recognize something that belongs, or perhaps belonged to me.

    There are pictures of the other girls, too, but they've replaced the rest of my and Lily's families. I recognize one of me and my sister, but it's me and Ciel, instead, and it's like my siblings never existed.

    Then there's a picture of Hana's and Roxanne's marriage, the two wearing white wedding dresses, and it scares me so much I immediately dash towards the office, where my marriage album should've been stored.

    I find the heavy book exactly where it was supposed to be, but once I open it, I see that everything is wrong. They're all pictures of their marriage. The dress, the location, the food, the guests, everything is just like my marriage ceremony, but I'm just a guest along with the rest of the girls.

    My head suddenly jerks towards one of the desks, where Lily's laptop is currently on, already plugged in.

    I jump on the chair and turn it on, then I thank myself for having bought an SSD for her since Windows Vision Boogaloo takes only a split second to completely boot up.

    I press enter and see that the user picture is that of Hana's face, in the exact same pose as I remember Lily's to be.

    I ignore it and input the password, unlocking the laptop, then I open the "Pictures" folder and scour through them.



    I'm Roxanne's brother, Ciel is our older sister, Hana is Roxanne's wife, Yunia is Hana's sister, Lina is Roxanne's and Hana's adopted daughter, and Aoi is Hana's ex-wife. My and Lily's Earth siblings simply don't exist anymore.

    What. The. Fuck.

    Alissa hugs me from behind and comforts me as I have a mental breakdown.

    What the fuck is going on…?

    Then I just stop thinking.



    The orgasmic smell of coffee enters my nostrils, giving enough energy to my limbs that they move on their own.

    Alissa helps me walk and takes me to the kitchen where the golems are brewing lattes. They've successfully ground the beans to the correct size, and now Jarn's "unfolded," floating arms make milk foam to add to the drink.

    As I walk to the table, I notice there are a lot more chairs than I remember to be, but I just pick my usual one near the wall and sit, then Ted serves me a tray of whole-grain chocolate cookies, and Jarn gives me the first finished cup of Latte.

    I slowly take a sip of the hot, bitter beverage, then I take a bite of a cookie to counter the bitterness. After I swallow, I take another bite and repeat it until it's all gone.

    Alissa finds a napkin and dries my tears, then she gives me a hug, which prompts the others to hug me, too.

    I'm not even sure why I'm crying. Maybe it's because Lily has disappeared, or because I'm back on Earth, or because my siblings don't exist anymore, or because I want to get back to Rupegia, or just because I missed coffee that much, but what I know is that I don't like being thrown between worlds without my consent like this…



    Alissa helps me walk to the living room, then I drop on the sofa and turn on the TV.

    "What the fuck is that?!" Hana exclaims and walks up to the screen.

    "It's like I'm watching through Wolfy's eyes!" Roxanne shares and looks at the others, who nod in agreement.

    Hana puts her face against the screen, drawing complaints from the girls as they also want to see, then she squints and grunts in pain as the bright light bothers her eyes.

    The golems explain how it works for me, so I just wait and watch the news.

    My… yeah, it's still mine. My TV isn't very good since Lily and I hardly ever used it. The best monitor I have is for my PC, which is 16K and 32', twice the resolution of the TV.

    "Can you girls understand what they're saying?" I weakly ask them.

    Alissa squeezes my hand and answers, "Yes, we can. That's English, correct?" And I nod back at her.



    "Is Earth on fire, or something of the kind?" Yunia questions me, thoroughly displeased with the contents of the news.

    "Not on fire, but warming up. The planet is kind of dying," I answer with a cynical smile.

    "Yeah, this isn't good," Hana hums solemnly, and our mood steadily goes down the more we watch, so I turn it off.

    "Golems, start Guild Wars VR for me, please," I gently order them with a weak smile.



    After a demonstration, it's time for the girls to feel VR themselves.

    "WHOOO-… OOF!" Hana howls in wonder then howls in pain as she jumps right against Ciel's arms.

    "Told you it was better that you stay there," I tease Ciel with a grin.

    Richie's Plank Experience can even fool Illusion mages with ease.

    "We shall catch anyone else who jumps," Jarn stoically assures us.

    And I accept, "Thanks."



    "Wolfy, what's 'BL'?" Roxanne innocently asks me, and I just silently turn towards her.

    "Where did you see that?" I stiffly ask, then Lina turns Lily's laptop towards me and points to a 'BL' folder. "That's… 'Boy Love.' Gay porn with younger men, 'boys,' rather."

    Then I sigh and facepalm as Suzy teaches them how to stream BL porn directly to the TV.



    Gify, the now plush doll, explores the house and finds out that there's a room for everybody, which makes sense since there's no way my previously single-floor house could have enough space for my whole harem.

    Then she finds smartphones inside the rooms, and I start to teach them how to use one.

    "'App'…?" Hana skeptically repeats and squints at her phone's screen.

    I chuckle softly and explain, "Here, grandma, you just touch it, and it 'opens' the 'app.' It's like a little commoner worker or servant who can do a very specific job for you. For example, the 'Camera' app takes 'pictures' of things, like the [Instant Picture] magic tool."

    "So… 'apps' are magic tools…?"

    "No, 'apps' are workers since they can do more than the usual spell or magic tool, but they're still very limited, so don't think that the 'Camera' app can send messages to other people."

    Then the golems and I teach them how to make calls, send messages, access the internet… and play Bloons TD Infinite.

    "A simple game of strategy," Yunia comments with a subtly smug tone as she finishes the first level.

    "Civil War is a lot harder…" Lina mumbles, then lifts her gloomy eyes towards me, asking for a bigger challenge.

    I boot up my gaming PC and start Warcraft 3 Re-Remake.

    "This is just like a war simulation…" Yunia remarks in awe and abandons Bloons.

    Then I boot up Lily's gaming PC and have her compete against Lina.



    Alissa and Ciel are the ones who do best in VR, possibly due to their good kinetic vision, with Ciel excelling in racing games; Hana does well with anything involving reflexes, though she's a bit too "over-trained" to do well in VR, making it hard for her to "unlearn" the limits of real-life physics; Lina and Yunia quickly learn about strategy games, though they have a lot of trouble moving the mouse; and Roxanne is immediately addicted to Candy Crush.

    I sit down on the sofa again with a sigh and pull Aoi towards me, then I teach her how to browse the internet on my laptop. She seems more interested in knowledge than games.

    Lina manages to win against Yunia purely on micro. My elven queen's [Precognition] doesn't work that well with electronics that don't transmit Life, so her perfect evasion didn't work, and Lina's young, hyper-focused mind won out in the end.

    The two also lack a lot of actual knowledge about the game, so I direct them to play something else that won't frustrate them so much. I guide Lina to management sims while I personally teach Yunia WWII warfare with the Soldiers of War real-time strategy game.

    "Is this the 'gun' you talked so much about…?" Yunia quietly questions as her eyes observe the little polygon men fire their M1 Garand rifles.

    Roxanne's head jerks towards us, and she comes to the PC to obverse it closer.

    Then I put on a cutscene showing the carnage of D-Day.

    Roxanne chuckles grimly, "Hehehe, his head blew just like my-…" She stops herself as she realizes something. "Just like my [Explosion]!" She exclaims in realization.

    I grin evilly and dramatically describe, "Now imagine an army of men, each wielding a weapon that can cause a mini [Explosion] if they hit someone's head. Or even a big weapon that can fire a thousand [Explosion]s per minute. All from such a long distance away that you can't even see the enemy with the naked eye."

    "Amazing…" Yunia hums.

    The explosions, the screams, the barking of orders, the buzzing of the airplanes. War is hell, and just the sounds are enough to draw in all of the girls.

    Tanks, airplanes, artillery, infantry charges, machine gun positions, smoke cover, shotguns in trenches. I show them the true gritty and grim chaos of Earthling warfare.

    "I see it… I see how our armies can take over the realm…" Yunia somberly mutters as her mind goes wild with carnage.

    I pause the game and put a hand over her shoulder. "We're not conquering Rupegia," I firmly assert.

    She looks down and clicks her tongue, "Tch…"



    Through the messages in the smartphones, the emails, and our supposed social media presence (though Lina and I barely have any), I manage to somewhat understand the whole picture of our lives.

    Roxanne is a chemical engineer, Hana is a kendo Olympic athlete, Ciel is an oncologist, Yunia is a fashion brand owner, Aoi is a runway model for Yunia, while Alissa, Lina, and I are just students.

    Worst of all, there's class tomorrow. I'm not sure if we should go off the grid and subsist on magic alone, especially because we don't feel a single drop of mana in this world. We can cast magic and our MP refills on its own, but we don't know what long-term exposure to mana will do to this world.

    After I give the girls a spectacle on Battlefield, I start expanding the basement with earth elemental-wives because this house is claustrophobic after living in our castle. At least with a large basement, I can put down the portable home so that we can all sleep together and have a properly-sized kitchen.

    We have a nice little moment cooking together, which is refreshing after having Krysta cook for us for so long. The girls have no idea what any of the ingredients are except for meat, so the golems once again help us by being living Wikipedias, though this time they can actually access it in case they don't know something.

    Once we sit down, Hana gets us to talk about games again, "So, that 'Guild Wars Vee ARRGH' thingie, it's kind of like our battles, right? It's just that everyone is like a very talented magic swordsman like Wolfy."

    Since Lina is already partially naked, she just sits down on my cock and we eat while fucking veery slowly.

    Yunia nods in agreement and points out, "Yes, it's extremely similar, though they do lack organized tactics. The fact that anyone can just jump around all over the battlefield at any time seems to be the main factor for that."

    And I share some of my gamer knowledge, "You need grunts standing in line packed like sardines for realistic battles, and few people want to take that role, so combat is always a bunch of overpowered heroes zipping about."

    Then Hana imparts her wisdom, "Well, I think that nobody wants to become a grunt because they don't spend half their lives training for battle with their buddies, forming such a tight-knit bond that they might as well be butt-fucking each other."



    After lunch, it's time to watch some movies.

    We start with just the first Lord of the Rings because seeing the girls' reactions to elves, dwarves, goblins, and dragons is just incredible.

    "Too many clothes, and not beautiful enough," Yunia whispers with narrowed eyes, displeased.

    "Too ugly…" Lina grumbles in disgust.

    "Female dwarves have beards," I reveal, and Lina makes gagging noises.

    Overall, this move is quite relatable to them, but Alissa isn't particularly interested in it since it's nothing new to her, forcing me to hold myself back from calling the police on her for this crime against fantasy stories.

    Then I put on Princess Mononoke since it should also be quite relatable.

    "Wow… it's all… drawings…?" Alissa quietly questions, mesmerized.

    Then I explain the concept of motion pictures to her. The golems quickly draw a flip-book, and the girls become impressed with the ingenuity.

    "We could sell books like these and make a lot of money…" Lina casually suggests.

    But we have to get back to our home, first.

    "Ah, yes, human greed," Ciel comments sagely as Jiko-bo shows his true colors.

    "That's the name of our age, maybe the second name, the first is 'disinformation,'" I glumly reply and force a smile.

    Then I put on Wolf Children just so that Alissa can understand my love for kemonomimi a bit.

    "So cute…!" She squeaks, but then her excitement is snuffed out as she remembers that her own ears and tail are missing, and we all give her some comforting hugs through [Bind].

    Then we watch Toy Story for something a bit more modern.

    "Gih!" Gify shouts and points her fluffy claw towards the screen.

    "Yeah, God must've gotten the inspiration for you from this movie," I agree with her.

    Ciel pushes Gify deeper into her bare breasts. "I think you're more cuddly this way," she approves.

    "Gih," Gify's muffled chirp makes us chuckle.

    I choose The Shining next to give them a taste of terror, and Lina seems to enjoy it a lot.

    "Can we watch one more of these…?" She bashfully asks, her gloomy eyes looking up at me like a puppy's.

    Of course, I give her another, and we watch Alien.

    "Oh, Gods, that's terrifying," Yunia whines as the "chestbuster" makes its appearance. She's surprisingly bad with horror.

    But we all turn towards Roxanne, who's eerily quiet.

    "I-I'm fine…" She mumbles unconvincingly, trying her best to not touch herself.

    She's coming to terms with the fact that she's the biggest degenerate among us by far…

    Since I already had to explain sci-fi to them, I choose Blade Runner next.

    "How dark," Ciel comments with a frown, but Lina's expression is the opposite.

    "This is… nice…?" Lina confusedly questions.

    "It's 'comfy,'" I explain.

    "Yes, 'comfy'…"

    And we finish with The Green Mile for a tearjerker.

    "How is that not a Wicked thing to do?!" Ciel exclaims amid tears.

    I pat her shoulder lovingly to soothe her. "We don't have Seekers of Truth to help us, so Earthling society has been built upon the bodies of innocents," I bitterly admit.

    Yunia is grimly silent, deep in reflection about a noble's duty, and what it truly means to bring "justice."



    After a bit of comforting, the golems set up a power cable extension, and we take one of my monitors down into the basement so we can watch Spice and Wolf in the background while we take a bath.

    "She's like a younger me…" Alissa mumbles in awe.

    "She's a wolf, though," I point out and open rule34 on my phone.

    Alissa frowns and begrudgingly admits, "Well… visually she's not that much different, which is kind of offensive, really."

    Then I show them some art of Holo, and Ciel seems deeply interested in it.

    I give her the phone and start to explain, "Here, this is called the search bar, so just write 'loli,' and you'll get what you want. There's also this site for doujin, and this one for hentai videos…"

    Lina and Ciel don't help with dinner since the pedo angel instantly gets addicted to hentai.

    We finally have rice, so I make the staple Brazilian meal: rice, cooked beans, fried beef with onions, and steamed veggies. It isn't stunningly tasty like the usual elven cuisine we'd have, but it's extremely nostalgic and comforting for me.

    Maybe Krysta ruined my palate with her level 10 [Cooking].

    "I ate something similar in Dyrmorder," Yunia casually mentions, and I make a mental note for when we return to Rupegia.



    Then I get Alissa and Lina to put on the uniforms again because today is the day I fulfill a life-long dream of mine.

    After getting my fill, Alissa and Hana compete in VR again; Roxanne and Ciel fuck each other when they discover the "shota" tag; Lina and Aoi each monopolize a laptop; Yunia and I continue watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and then The Hobbit; and Gify goes to the backyard to grow some flowers.



    Today is Monday, the second of May of 2050.

    Human-Aoi wakes me up since she's being taught by the girls how to give humanoid blowjobs.

    Though I wake up happy, the reality of our situation starts to sink in, and we all enter rather depressive moods. We all lost our loved ones because someone brought us here, forcefully.

    But there's still hope of going back.



    Everyone's "Intelligence" and "Wisdom" increased by 1. Mine are now 23 and 19, Alissa's are now 15 and 17, Roxanne's are now 19 and 21, Hana's are now 13 and 17, Ciel's are now 17 and 23, Lina's are now 17 and 16, Aoi's are now 10 and 10, and Yunia's are now 17 and 19.

    Alissa increased her [Enhanced Reflexes] by 1 (now 1+9), and Hana learned it, too, with one point. They've quickly grown addicted to Pavlov VR 3.



    For breakfast, we go for some waffles, because why not? I'm not in the mood for doing anything fancy, so we just let the golems serve us.

    Unfortunately, Alissa, Lina, and I have class, so we decided to try things out. If it's impossible for the girls to adapt, then we'll live off the grid with magic, but I'm not sure how that'll affect the environment.

    Roxanne and Ciel definitely aren't fit for their jobs, so we already have to make some plans, anyway.

    We have two cars, my good ol' '45 Honda Civilian sedan, and Lily's new '50 Hyundai Cantata SUV. We were saving up to replace my car once it started to break down, but the Civilian is a beast of a car, and I don't use it enough anyway to wear it down fast.

    Even though they both have auto-pilot, driving an electric isn't that much different from piloting, so the girls could learn how to drive quite quickly, but we just let the golems drive in secret since it's just that much more practical. Thank fucking God we're near summer because I'm terrible at driving in the snow.

    Or rather, fuck God for bringing us back.

    Hana takes us to school in the sedan while Roxanne drives the rest of the girls to Rideau Centre to enjoy some Earthling culture.

    I spread out Hollys and Shads just as a safety measure, but Shad is almost completely blind since there's not a single particle of mana in the air to "illuminate" the way for it to see better.

    Curiously, people here don't have a slick of mana or even souls, but Alissa and Yunia can still detect someone's presence and Life, respectively. I don't know why their skills work, but we'll have time to research it.

    "This is a bit like Mac Gantus, just… darker," Hana mumbles absentmindedly as she looks around.

    "Eyes on the road or the mounties will stop us," I call her out.

    Then a line of geese blocks Essex Drive, getting Roxanne stuck in traffic.

    "Wow, now that's true Earthling culture!" Roxanne exclaims sarcastically.

    "These little animals are cute, though," Ciel replies as she stares at the geese, enamored.

    "Geese are little shits, that's what. They're the goblins of Earth," I angrily chime in.



    The smell of the uniform, the weird feeling of the socks, the weight of the backpack on my back, the chatter of teens, the ringing of the bell, it's all nostalgic, though not truly pleasant. It's one thing to go back to study magic, it's another to go back to high school to study Calculus again.

    I didn't go to a Canadian high school, so I guess it at least might be better than a Brazilian one.

    Though, fuck 8 AM classes.

    I kiss Hana on the lips and fondle her ass in front of the other students, then Alissa does the same. We just don't let Lina do it too because that'd certainly get us in trouble.

    Then the girls link arms with me, and we strut into the school.



    The other girls go to a Starbucks first for a second breakfast, and we use [Bind] to share the flavors with everyone.

    "So good!" Roxanne hums in delight as she drinks her Pumpkin Spiced Latte. Of course, the white rich girl would like it.

    "Is there 'poppy' in this? It's so addictive," Yunia thinks out loud as she stares at the empty cup of White Caramel Mocha.

    Gify remains unmoving, but everyone knows she's staring intensely at their food, her gaze speaking with more words than her chips ever did.

    The girls finish up and bring some of the food to a secluded corner where Gify can chomp it all down in private, then they go to Tim Hortons for some donuts and another injection of carbs.

    While the girls go for sweets, Aoi finds herself in love with the variety of flavors of grilled cheese.

    Ciel savors the creamy chocolate melt on her tongue, then swallows and comments, "This can't be healthy."

    My internal chuckles make the girls concerned, and Ciel stares at the menu again.

    "Wait, isn't everything 'carbs'…?" She notes worriedly.

    "Yeah, this is all junk food," I explain through [Bind], popping their balloons.



    They walk all over the shopping center, buying clothes, some food, oddities, a bit of furniture, then they spend a long time in the book store. The dazzling appearances of the girls rustle the attendants, but they're too shy to bother them, even though it's their job.

    "Ooh~… so colorful," Aoi quietly coos as she goes through the comic book corner, though it's so small there isn't anything worth buying for someone that's not a collector.

    Then Lina forces Ciel to take a look at the game shop, and the nerdy storekeeper boy looks quite happy at staring at my angel, thinking she's a nerd like him.

    The sport's store doesn't please Hana and Yunia, so I guide them to a hunting store, but that's still a meh.

    "The bows are interesting but too complex, and of course, they lack any sort of enchantment," Alissa analyzes through their eyes, and Yunia agrees completely.

    Even the armor is lacking for them, and they only look at the rifles to sate their curiosity.

    "You want to fire a gun?" The skeezy shopkeeper asks Yunia with a suggestive smirk.

    "Know your place, peasant," she haughtily replies, choosing the most snobbish words she can find, and the man gets so stunned that he doesn't even speak a single word more until they leave.

    Then they decide to go to Major's Hill Park to enjoy the sunny, warm day.



    But everything is just downhill from there.

    "Lina…? Lina… Lina!" The teacher calls for her repeatedly.

    She raises her head from her laptop and starts paying attention to the class begrudgingly. Even though she didn't have any education, what they're teaching is just way too boring for her.

    She zones off and starts paying attention to my laptop, where I'm browsing Derrit to not fall asleep in this equally boring class, then she peeks into my memories and quickly learns how to use a VPN to access it on her laptop.

    Just another day, and I bet she'll be in the depths of the internet, scouring it for memes, then it's just a matter of time before she curses us with memespeak.

    Alissa is chatting with the girls through [Bind], so at least she's doing better than the two introverts over here.

    Hana turns off her phone because the photographer is bothering her relentlessly while the other girls have to make up excuses to not show at their jobs. Even Yunia might have problems managing her brand, so I'm skeptical about our ways to make money legitimately.

    "Hey, Heitor, is it true that you kissed your sister?" The pimpled dude beside me whispers.

    I just frown and glance at him. "Which 'sister'?"

    "The red-haired one, with the huge tits," he answers with a shit-eating grin.

    I glare angrily at him and lay it out, "First, don't ever call her breasts 'tits' again; second, she isn't my sister, she's my sister's wife; third, I fuck her, I don't just kiss her."

    I wish I could just say I fuck my sisters, but that might be illegal, so fuck that.

    The dude giggles and doesn't believe me, so I just ignore him, but then I start to remember where I've seen his face before.

    I studied with these exact same people in my high school, and yet they're all as young as me.

    This just makes my mood even more sour. I didn't hate high school, it wasn't bad, it was just "annoying." I didn't choose to interact with my classmates, I was forced to, so the moment I finished high school, I embraced introversion, then I curated the small list of people I called "friends" very thoroughly.

    But to go through all that again is just a big "no."



    The bell rings and break time comes, but the word that I fuck my sister has already spread through the entire class, so some dudes start making fun of me. It's just the usual teenage banter, but I'm feeling quite angsty, so I put on [Intimidate] and glare at them, quickly making them stop.

    You know what? Fuck this place.

    I put on [Charm] and activate it all the time, then I give Alissa a tongue kiss, grab her by the ass, and strut out of the room while fondling her.

    I revel in the stunned looks the other students give me. If I'm leaving, I'm going to do it in style.

    We walk to a secluded corner of the school, where I can easily use [Fly] to escape, but someone stops me.

    "Where are you going…?" A hot teacher stops me, and I grin internally.

    Wide Asian eyes, round cheeks, small dimples of a woman maturing, well-cared dark brown hair raining down one shoulder, agreeable breasts, wide hips, and a cigarette skirt.

    I recognize her as the hot teacher of my previous high school, and then I remember that she was divorced.

    Oh, her daughter also studies here. I must add both to my harem.

    I don't have a harem of maids and concubines on Earth, so I need to rebuild one as soon as possible.

    I quickly put more points in [Charm], and also give Alissa some, too, then the teacher realizes where I'm touching Alissa.

    "Release her, right now! Don't you have shame?!" The teacher shouts with a scowl.

    "I don't," I reply huskily and stare, using both [Charm] and a bit of [Intimidate].

    Words fail her, and both Alissa and I grab her hand, then we drag her into an empty room.



    The teacher, whose name I still don't remember, diligently sucks my cock, staring me in the eye while Alissa fingers her pussy and pinches her nipples.

    This teacher is quite a nice cock-sucker, and she even wears lacy, sexy underwear to school! She's so slutty I didn't even need to say a word to get her on her knees. [Charm] doesn't turn someone into a cum-slave, it just violently pulls what was buried within someone's heart to the surface.

    "Someone's coming," Alissa warns me.

    I know I am.

    "Go get her," I order and groan as I plaster the teacher's face white.

    Alissa obeys and licks her fingers, then she goes out and meets with the shy, squirrel-like girl stalking closer, one of our classmates. I remember that she's a shy, nerdy girl, then I start to realize she might actually like me even though I was supposedly dating Alissa since years ago.

    "Ah!" The girl squeaks when Alissa appears behind her. "I didn't even hear you!" The girl complains embarrassedly and blushes.

    "Do you want to become my… boyfriend's second girlfriend?" Alissa softly whisperers.

    Maybe you should've said third since this teacher is absolutely smitten with me.

    "W-what… second…? S-share Heitor with you…?" The squirrel hesitantly asks, then she grabs a lock of her dark blonde hair and anxiously plays with it.

    I'm starting to really dislike my Earth name.

    Alissa grabs her cheeks, forcing the girl to look her in the eye, then they touch noses, and the girl starts to succumb to Alissa's high "Charisma."

    "Yes. We'll share him, but you can also have me if you want," Alissa states with an unwavering tone.

    "Okay…" The squirrel girl mumbles, and Alissa steals her first kiss, enraging me.

    "AAHN~…!" The teacher moans loudly as my cock scrapes against her insides.

    Alissa grins like an imp as she savors the cute girl's tongue, but she quickly breaks the kiss to let her witness me Ravaging another woman.



    I slide out of the teacher, and she collapses in a puddle of cum, then I walk towards the squirrel girl, my cum-covered cock pointed towards her like a weapon.

    "Spread," I order, but the squirrel girl is too frightened to listen, so Alissa stops playing with her pale nipples and does it for her, then lifts her skirt, revealing cute pink panties with a bunny ribbon.

    The girl's eyes are glued to my cock, and she reacts only with a whimper once I pull her drenched panties to the side.

    I grip both her arms with my human hands, starting to miss my claws, and she finally looks me in the face.

    "Last chance. I'm going to take your virginity, now," I gently warn her.

    But she only whimpers in response.

    "Tell me what you want," I order her with [Godly Language].

    "Put it inside me," she faintly whispers, and I obey. "AH!" She squeaks in pain and hugs me, but a bit of [Regeneration] on her womb and she's good enough to let me start moving my hips.



    While we fuck, a dude rudely interrupts Hana's and Roxanne's passionate kissing, so the dragonkin punches him, instantly knocking him out before I can stop her. To make things worse, a mountie is nearby, so I have them escape from the park while Ciel goes to check on the scum to make sure that he didn't die.

    At least he serves as a guinea pig for [Light Magic], proving that it works even on Earthlings.

    "You can't just punch random people, Hana," I tiredly lecture her.

    "Well, he shouldn't be so disrespectful, then!" She stubbornly replies, but I make sure she understands to not do that again without my permission.

    "At least in Rupegia, everyone respected us," Yunia bitterly complains, and I can't deny it.

    I don't know if my Ring of Fertility still works, but all the other [Light Magic] we've used does, even though Earthlings don't have a soul (that we know of), so it'll be trivial for Ciel to abort any child that could result from this. But if magic works, then there's no reason for this enchantment to not work, so we're all unconcerned with that.

    After going for a round with each of them, including Alissa since she looks so hot in schoolgirl uniform, we leave the two new concubines sleeping soundly and cleaned up in the empty classroom, then we escape the school and meet up with Lina.

    Since I can't kiss my little girl in public, I let her ride my shoulders to appease her.

    Suddenly, something catches a Holly's attention, then it hears a loud crash, followed by screams.

    My mind immediately thinks of the worst, but then we understand that it's just an accident, though it's quite bloody.

    "We have to save them," my chocolate angel immediately suggests, predictably.

    I frown and start thinking.

    That'll be hard to cover up. Even if we hide her identity, everyone will see that someone touched the victims and healed them with a holy light, so I'm sure the religious people will go crazy.

    Then the stupidest idea comes up to me.

    You. Know. What…?! FUCK THIS! WE'LL BECOME THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONQUER THIS DECAYING WORLD, THEN FIX IT!

    But before the girls can reply, time stops.



    "Alright, I made a mistake," God tiredly admits, their androgynous presence everywhere, but nowhere, and panic immediately settles in.

    Nobody can do anything, not even cast a spell or gather mana, but we're still conscious of what's going on, just like with the Intervention in Escanso.

    "We told you," multiple voices reply in unison, sounding quite smug, and their voices actually soothe me.

    "And I worked so hard to make things fine!" God exclaims exasperatedly.

    YOU CALL THAT "FINE," YOU FUCK?!

    "They were far from being 'fine.' You shouldn't have meddled," the voices smugly reply again.

    YEAH, YOU TELL THEM!

    "Don't tell me that after stealing him from me!" God exclaims accusingly. "Do you know how many anomalies I had to fix?!"

    You mean Lily…?

    "That wasn't our fault, you know that," the voices immediately deny, and my mind races with the possibilities.

    "Nietzsche's resurrection," God curses weakly. "I already made a mistake with Christ, so I'm not letting that happen again. Take them back, and undo everything."

    Wait, what?!

    "With pleasure," the voices accept with an audible grin.

    YES, TAKE US BAAAA-…



    Happy April Fools'!



    I cast a strong [Clean] on Allura's drenched panties, then she goes back inside to change them while trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

    "Will your mother get mad if she discovers how intimate I'm getting with your sister?" I ask Alissa through [Bind].

    "No. As long as you don't marry her since she's the Chosen Descendant for the Verner name," she happily replies since this topic "interests" her quite a lot.

    "What about her virginity?"

    "Allura can do whatever she wants with it. Mom could propose that you 'buy' it, but I don't think she's inclined to do that, and Allura is not so shrewd as to sell it herself."

    "What about your father?"

    "I don't know. He has Ofilia, so I don't think he'd be against Allura indulging in her desires."

    Basically, I have all green lights to seduce the tomboyish girl, though I don't think I can actually go all the way with that just yet.

    "But Alissa, why didn't you come to visit us earlier?" Jacques suddenly asks, his eyes looking a bit hurt.

    "Eh…?" Alissa blurts out a silly noise, then shifts uncomfortably on her cushion as she looks away. She grabs her own tail and pats it to calm herself down as she embarrassedly admits, "Shortly after Wolfy bought me, he asked me if I wanted to come to visit you, but I answered 'no' because I didn't think I deserved it."

    "What?!" Jacques shouts, and his jaw drops, flabbergasted. "Why?!" He cries.

    But Léonne comes to Alissa's defense, "She was a Blood Slave, Jacques, she wasn't our daughter anymore. It's good that she didn't let herself indulge in such things, or else it'd invalidate all the sacrifices she'd made," Léonne stoically explains, then gives Alissa a respectful nod.

    Jacques sighs and facepalms, his huge hand covering half of his face while his beard covers the other half. "You were always stubborn," he slowly whispers, sounding defeated.

    "I fulfilled my duty, and then I came back once I wasn't a Blood Slave anymore," Alissa proudly states.

    Jacques remains like that, looking down for a long moment, then he finally gives Alissa a gentle, pained look, but a little bit of pride seeps into his expression as he starts to understand her reasoning.

    "May I see your ID…?" Ofilia quietly asks, and Alissa silently gives it to her.

    Jacques comically scooches closer to her with his hulking frame, and hunches up behind her shoulder to read Alissa's name.

    Ofilia raises her head to give Alissa a warm look and delicately dries the corner of her eyes. "You're a lucky woman, Alissa," she whispers with a trembling voice, then returns the ID tablet.

    Jacques hugs Ofilia from behind, almost hiding her lithe body with his thick arms, and she leans back into his embrace, then closes her eyes.

    Although Ofilia has never asked for her freedom, she's still a political prisoner, so her Fate is out of her hands.



    The Verners invite us for a late lunch since we ate so many snacks earlier, and we have a light assortment of their cultural cuisine. Roasted steaks from a deer-like monster, baked veggie casserole, steamed Chape leaf rolls, and a spicy fruit mix seasoned with acidic Prowler blood.

    The werefoxes would get along pretty well with Osaria since they have the same habit of pairing sweets with bitter things. Checking in on her through my summoned bird, she's currently having lunch with the twins again, and it seems that they're growing resistant to her teasing. Without Klein and the other girls around, she has few toys available for her to play around with, so I guess I'll have to compensate her when we get back.

    Thankfully, the werefoxes don't use chopsticks or other troublesome cutlery in the name of tradition, but they do eat with the same degree of care as the elves, though. Curiously, they use three-pronged forks more commonly than the simpler two-pronged design since it's easier to gather noodles and pasta with it, which is a staple for the commoners.

    If we start selling them not-tomatoes, their pasta cuisine will go through a revolution.

    On the matter of alcohol, commoners only drink at night, while hunters only drink during the day, so Jacques asks for whiskey, and Léonne asks for liqueur, the latter of which I find fairly agreeable, so I drink a little more than the minimum that would be expected for "social drinking." And since we're talking about alcohol, I pull out my bottle of Cinco Flores.

    "Is this the famous elven 'liquid-'… uh, 'liquid magic'?" Jacques hesitantly asks, and I have a pretty good idea of what he was about to say before he caught himself.

    I clear my throat and start my pompous speech, "This is the most popular spice blend among all of elvenkind. Its flavors are all perfectly balanced and arranged in the best sequence that one could imagine, creating the ultimate sweet drink." I uncork it and pour a sliver of the extract into each of the shot glasses, then I cast [Spirit Light] and raise my glass to show them the faint rainbow. "Observe the liquid magic, then down it and let it rest on your tongue until you've felt the five flavors. It's only once your tongue starts to go numb that you're allowed to swallow."

    Ofilia and Allura seem to take my guidance very seriously while Léonne and Jacques are more casual as I think they've already experienced Eia extract before.

    "This smell is… so powerful," Ofilia mutters in awe as she stares at her shot glass as if it were a jewel.

    "It's making my tail tingle," Allura adds in the same tone.

    I lift my glass, and everyone follows suit, then we all down it at the same time.

    Chocolate, coffee, peanut, cherry, and fig. Five wonderful flavors that aren't too strong, nor too weak, nor too sweet. It's a really good accompaniment for basically any sort of dessert, not to mention the weed-like calming effect it has, though it does make me a bit hyper sometimes.

    Léonne stares at her empty cup with a faint smile as she ponders, "Hm. Faiumi chocolate, gnomic coffee, Widebergian peanut, Sommerlande cherry, and elven fig. I hadn't imagined that the elves would use so many foreign spices in their internal products."

    "They aren't actual foreign spices, they're just spiced to resemble those foreign flavors," Yunia explains.

    My jaw drops on its own as my brain takes a moment to process what Léonne just said. "Wait, did you just say gnomic coffee?!" I blurt out excitedly.

    "Oh! That's why coffee tasted vaguely familiar to me!" Ciel exclaims and hits her forehead playfully. "I tasted it once before in Oostlijpost."

    I grab Alissa's hand, give it a squeeze and stare her into the eye as I affirm with deadly seriousness, "We're going to Gnomeria or whatever gnomic town we can as soon as possible."

    "O-okay…" Alissa meekly replies with a nod.

    Jacques plays with his beard as he gives us a rose-coin-like nugget of information, "Gnomeria is accepting any sort of adventurer or mercenary since they're having some sort of monster problem over there."

    I turn my draconic eyes to Yunia and assert, "We're selling our swords to them in exchange for coffee."

    "It's a viable trade…" She stiffly replies.

    "I wish you luck…" Léonne blesses us with a subtle smirk.



    After lunch, we practice the traditional ritual for werefox hunters called "sieste," which is exactly the same as the Spanish ritual with a similar name, i.e. a nap. Plenty of Sworn Hunters have to work during the night since most of the more dangerous monsters in the Misty Low Forest are nocturnal, so the werefoxes are quite knowledgeable about managing sleep.

    The absolute silence throughout the estate and the agreeable, but slightly hot and humid weather makes for the perfect conditions to encourage sleep, and we gladly take their suggestion to have a sieste.

    Gify asks for a [Breeze] magic tool, and she positions it right in front of the crack of the doorway to bring fresh air into the room, which Lina enthusiastically approves of, then the Lordsguard and the golems position themselves around the room that was prepared for us.



    I have a short dream about being hugged from behind, and the gentle female hands caress my hair, then she calls my attention to something straight ahead: a pair of eyes staring back at me.



    I wake up feeling refreshed, and then Léonne informs us that Darcy, the leader of the 24th division of Town Hunters, has accepted our offer of assistance.

    Alissa becomes very happy, but then she feels guilty because she has a "past" with Nenvieu, the second-in-command of the 24th.

    "I don't have any strong feelings for him anymore, but he's still my childhood friend, so I do want to meet him again," she confesses with a low, hesitant tone, her eyes locked on the floor in shame as her pointy ears lay flat against her head from the guilt.

    I pat her head, and she brightens up a bit, then closes her eyes to savor my touch. "It's fine. As long as you don't get too handsy or huggy, my draconic jealousy won't be triggered," I explain my feelings.

    The girls spend a few seconds in silence as they gain an understanding of my use of "handsy" and "huggy," which didn't translate that well into Andraste.

    Then I turn to Roxanne and give her a serious, draconic look as I warn her, "Also, if the men you slept with brag about it, I'll punch them in the face."

    Roxanne giggles earnestly, and her pale skin reddens with excitement. "I'd enjoy seeing that, so don't use that as a deterrent."

    "Alright, I'll find a method for punishing you, then, like ignoring you for a day," I casually retort and give her a lofty look.

    Her thin tail freezes in the air as she tenses up a bit. "Okay, now that is an effective disincentive," she admits and forces a smile as her mind imagines the cold loneliness of being ignored by me.

    "You should ignore her regularly," Yunia mutters, but we ignore her, though it isn't intentional.

    "Thank you, Wolfy," Alissa conveys her love through a breathy, affectionate tone that makes me want to pounce on her.

    But why shouldn't I fulfill that desire?

    I pounce on her and pull her into a tight hug.

    "Hyah!" She yelps in surprise, and I lavish her cheeks with kisses that then progress towards her lips.

    Our tongues seek out each other, then gently rub together, finding comfort in the touch, but the kiss ends after a short while. I've been giving Alissa a lot of attention lately, and the other girls need their fair share of me.



    After lots of kissing and heavy fondling, we decide to leave the siesta room, but first I ask for a status update from Poosh. The simple messaging system is complete, so I just need to send letters through my [Gate], then keep it open while I wait for the reply.

    Absolutely nothing happened in Escanso, which is as expected, but Confiel sent a message that the meeting between him and the noble with Hana's brother is arranged for the day after tomorrow, and he wants confirmation that we'll be able to attend.

    The meeting with Arantos will probably have to be delayed for a day because of it, though.

    "I'm fine, Hana's brother is more important," Ciel gracefully accepts the change in plans.

    "Thanks!" Hana cheerfully replies and gives my chocolate angel a strong kiss on her cheek, then she goes for the lips, and Ciel gets caught off-guard. "You're delicious," Hana whispers with a sultry tone, her domination fetish suddenly triggering.

    Ciel is kind of weak against Hana's forcefulness, so her arms are drained of the strength needed to push the aggressive dragon away as her breasts are squeezed by Hana's strong hands, her resistance crumbling almost instantly.

    "Ahn…" Ciel moans softly as Hana's fingers rub over her thin, lacy panties.

    I breathe in deeply and look around. I'm torn; I don't know if I should join in, stop them, or just watch, so I want to get some second opinions.

    Alissa wants me to join in; Roxanne immediately starts to touch herself; Lina suddenly itches to be forcefully fucked by my draconic cock; Aoi wants to join them; and Yunia suddenly feels a desire to drink wine while watching the show.

    "Mom's waiting, so do it quick," Alissa's words push everyone over the edge.

    Human-Aoi pushes Lina down, then invades her mouth with her tongue; I pull out my cock and grow another one, then I fuck them both at the same time; Yunia sighs and starts fingering Roxanne to help her cum faster; Alissa touches herself silently in the corner; and Gify lifts her little wing to see what's going on, but then she immediately lowers it back down and returns to sleep.

    "May I aid you, Master Alissa?" Jarn suddenly asks, and Alissa immediately turns to me, asking for my input.

    "Warm yourself, and be gentle with her," I order Jarn, and the golem obeys.

    She [Equip]s two metal dildos, each identical to my normal cock, and lubes them up, then gently guides Alissa to get on all fours.

    "Remember, the safe word is 'record scratch,'" Jarn politely informs Alissa, then lifts off her not-kimono.

    Alissa is a bit fearful of what's about to happen, but that just triggers my sadism, and I blurt out on impulse, "Actually, be a bit rough with her, Jarn."

    "Understood," Jarn replies emotionlessly, then shoves both dildos up Alissa's holes.

    "HNGH…!" Alissa grunts as her holes are suddenly stretched wide by the thick, metal cocks.

    Okay, now I really want to use [Bind] on the golems…



    After everyone has had at least one orgasm, we stop ourselves from continuing further and clean up the area, then we finally leave the room.

    Léonne takes us to their best shoemaker, and we decide to go on a little shopping-spree. Elven Snow Weave is stretchy and sexy, but the werefox stamped textiles are cute.

    Of course, only Alissa can actually wear the origami clothes without any clamps, though Yunia can walk a good twenty steps before the not-kimono unravels like a very sexy gift wrapping.

    "How vexing…" She grumbles and tries to tie the sash tightly, but it just looks ugly without all the folds.



    There's not much else to do before tonight, so we return to the estate and spar for a while.

    The werefoxes use small composite bows and focus on speed and extreme accuracy while the elves focus on accuracy over long range and saturation, so our Lordsguard can't win in a werefox archery competition, and their Hunters can't win in an elven competition. Elves are ambushers, werefoxes are hunters, and this distinction is shown in their military doctrine.

    Klein is a good archer, but the Sworn Hunters have way more experience than her with it, and even Alissa is having a hard time against her mother. Their duel actually catches my attention since it's the first time I've ever seen Alissa struggle to win against someone in accuracy.

    The targets are hung on ropes and silently dropped from a raised platform, making them take an arc with their trajectory as they fall, but there's a tarp hiding them from our view, and the target is only visible through an opening for a mere second depending on the height it was dropped from.

    Léonne's posture is that of a statue and maintaining a perfect stance. Her right arm is fully extended, firmly holding the small bow while the right hand keeps the arrow nocked, but the string isn't drawn.

    Out of respect for their duel, everyone stops and remains silent so that she may more easily concentrate.

    I hear the pitter-patter of a small, curious fox coming closer, but it quickly notices the tension in the air and also stops moving.

    We hear far-off whispers coming from the town as the townsfolk go about their day.

    A breeze brings dust into my eyes and makes me squint, but not even that is enough to make Léonne blink, and her chest barely moves as she calmly breathes.

    I blink, and the arrow isn't in her bow anymore, only the vibrating string is left as evidence that she moved at all, then I hear the *thwack* of the arrow hitting the target, and everyone claps. She certainly used [Muscle Explosion], as her hand moved at borderline shounen-anime-speeds.

    Though she was unbelievably fast, she still didn't hit the bullseye.

    "I've been training a lot with [Illusion Magic], at the expense of neglecting to train my senses as much as I should've," Alissa admits with a bitter smile and takes her mother's position.

    "You already lost the moment you compared yourself to me," Léonne coldly replies, and Alissa chuckles heartily.

    She glances at her mother and gives her a gentle smile. "I kind of missed your 'drillmaster' side."

    "Clearly, I didn't train you hard enough since you still remember it fondly," Léonne coldly lashes again.

    Spicy.

    Predictably, Alissa loses, and she isn't even mad.



    On the melee side, Yunia reigns supreme. The werefoxes are less magically inclined than the Chimeras, so there's nobody among them who can cast [Rush] on themselves like the Celestial Horns can, which also means that there's no way for them to counter Yunia's [Precognition].

    Yunia keeps her distance from Jacques. His longer arms and higher strength makes it much easier for him to score a hit, so she needs to wait for an opportune moment.

    He lunges, and their longswords entwine, then they twist and spiral, and Yunia's blade worms around his guard, ending up pressed against his neck.

    The referee gives her a victory, and Jacques suddenly blurts out a question in awe, "So, this is the power of the Eia pills?"

    Yunia pulls her weapon back and coolly replies, "No, this is the power of [Weaverism], but you need the pills to properly use this magic school, so you could say that it's the apex of what you can accomplish with it."



    When it's my turn to spar, the werefoxes turn wary.

    "How's that fair?" One of the Hunters complains.

    "I'm still controlling all these weapons by myself," I retort with a grin.

    I win mostly because of the novelty of my style since my melee skills aren't really high enough to go against someone who has focused on physical combat.



    Hana is the most popular with the Hunters, receiving the highest number of challenges, while Lina receives the fewest since the skittish foxes are afraid of her [Cursing Magic].

    "Wait, you're all magic warriors?" Allura suddenly points out.

    "That's one of our secrets," I reply with a cheeky grin.

    "How… how did you do it?" She stubbornly questions.

    "Ah, Ofilia, look what I've learned," Alissa tries to deflect by casting [Mesmerizing Butterflies], but Allura's single-mindedness makes her resistant to it, so I continue to playfully deflect for a while until she gets so angry that she quits interrogating me.

    Ofilia actually does become mesmerized by the spell, so at least that makes Alissa very happy since the Blood Slave knows a non-combat version of the very same spell, which she had used to play around with Alissa and Allura back when they were children.



    As the sun starts to set, we go take a bath and get ourselves ready for the party.

    Ofilia takes us to the guest bathhouse and quickly takes her leave, her barely contained grin revealing that she knows what we're about to do here.

    The interior is quite warm and humid with a heated, cute, dark cobblestone floor. The weather here is a bit more chilly than Escanso's, so the feeling of our feet on the warm stone is quite welcome. It also has some sort of non-slip texture, which is mildly surprising.

    The square pool of water is large enough for all of us to easily fit, so there are no problems there. I do miss having all my personal maids wash my body for me, though.

    Alissa suddenly grins as she senses someone coming in.

    The sliding door is pushed to the side loudly, and a tall, naked almost-woman advances into the room, then I swallow heavily as my conscience immediately reigns the dragon back in.

    Allura's breasts are quite voluminous, already the same size as Alissa's, and I wonder how much more they'll grow. Her nipples are pinkish, and their areolas are smaller than Alissa's, but they're visibly pointier. Her body shows some early signs of muscles, but due to her height, her "Strength" has been boosted to 14. Her pussy lips are smooth like Alissa's, but her reddish landing strip is a fair bit narrower and thinner. Her thighs are furry, but they're very thick, and her peach-shaped ass cheeks are bare, begging me for anal. Her tomboyish hairstyle and her bold grin give her an air that seems like a mix of Hana's and Roxanne's.

    "Mom said I'm too young to lose my virginity, but she also said that I can watch," Allura announces, and confidently walks towards us, without a hint of shame.

    Alissa narrows her eyes in annoyance and lashes out slightly, "You should've asked us first, but yes, we'll allow you to watch us."

    The rest of the girls share a look and some wry smiles, then shrug and continue cleaning each other.

    Allura grabs a bar of soap and starts washing herself, her eyes glued to my cock.

    "He's smaller than Dad," she points out, and I almost bite my tongue in surprise.

    Alissa rinses my cock, and I immediately grow it into the biggest, spiky, draconic breeding tool that Hana and Aoi have ever taken.

    "Holy shit," Allura mumbles and continues to stare at it, entranced by its manliness, so I grow another one, and she gasps.

    "You said you wanted to watch?" I ask her with a husky tone, almost growling.

    "Yes…" She whimpers an answer.

    Roxanne approaches Allura from behind, and her pale, lewd hands help Allura "wash" herself.

    "Ahn…" Allura moans weakly, but she doesn't look away, or even try to stop Roxanne.

    Aoi approaches me with a mesmerized gaze, like a moth to a flame, then she and Alissa each choose a head to lick, and I let out a growling laugh in delight.

    Alissa's tongue shyly rubs against the large head, trying to avoid the spikes, and it makes me feel almost like I'm being tickled by her cute, submissive dick-sucking. On the other cock, Aoi swallows it whole as her dual-colored eyes beg for me to breed her and give her an egg. But before I'll give them what they want, I have to properly set the mood.

    I turn to Allura and smugly ask, "I heard that you've seen your parents fuck…?"

    "Yes… we did," Alissa answers for her sister. Her memories tell me that it was more of a "sex ed class" than something perverted or degenerate, so I think it's time that Allura watched something a bit more intense.

    Roxanne's hand squeezes the two mounds, and I savor their youthful elasticity through [Bind].

    Alissa suddenly confesses, "I also had a dragon fetish when I was younger. I still do, but it was… 'maddening'…"

    I chuckle evilly as we both think the same thing: Allura might be going through the same phase.

    I control Aoi, who's already letting herself become hypnotized by the musk and taste of my draconic cock, and force her to shrink down until she's the perfect size for breeding. As soon as she notices what I want, she gives in to my will, and I make her bend over and lift her own tail for me, exposing her warm, moist pussy slit.

    I look towards Alissa and command, "Transform." Then I use [Bind] to force her to obey since that turns her on.

    She grins excitedly and glows, then shifts into a large fox and slides under Aoi, assuming the same position as her sister-wife.

    Two female bestial pussies are begging for me to breed them, so how could I wait any longer?

    I shift into my dragon form, assuming the largest size I can, and stand on my hind legs as I spread my wings, then I stare at Allura while I exhale slowly, letting smoke and licks of flame escape from my nostrils.

    "Be honored, as you'll have the privilege of witnessing how true beasts mate," I announce out loud, my dual-voice making me sound much more imposing than my "cute" humanoid side ever could.

    I imagine myself breeding with an army of women, be it humanoid, animal, or monster, they all bend to my cock, addicted to my seed, and my weapon slowly slides out of its sheath with a slimy noise, and it's so hot that a few wisps of steam pour off of it.

    Roxanne's hand drifts down Allura's thick, muscular body, then her middle finger runs along her slit, provoking a shudder to run through Allura, but instead of pulling away, she pushes Roxanne's fingers into her tight, virgin pussy, then uses Roxanne's hand to fuck herself like it were a small dildo.

    I like her…

    I mount both of the female beasts in front of me, then I aim both of my cocks towards their dripping pussies, this little performance of mine exciting enough to already turn them on.

    Fucking in their animal forms is the most intimate thing a wereanimal can do, so Allura watching her fox sister getting fucked by a dragon while she masturbates herself with another woman's hand is extra perverted.

    I bite Aoi's neck and use some tentacles to grasp around Alissa's, then I push it in, without lube.

    The two female beasts growl and force their hips back against mine to fuck themselves harder on my cocks.

    Allura's hands stop moving as she struggles to control herself, so Roxanne takes over the fingering and kisses the back of Allura's neck, who growls like an animal from her neediness.

    My spiky cocks scrape against my wives' insides as I slowly pull them out, and they shiver as the painful, but also mind-numbingly delightful tingles wrack through their bodies.

    Allura's eyes become feral, like an angry beast hunting for prey, as she holds herself back from turning into a fox and joining us.

    "I find it rather entertaining to see them fuck in beast form," Yunia casually remarks.

    "Definitely," Klein earnestly agrees, salivating over the sight, and Lina slowly nods.

    "You wanna get fucked like that, too?" Hana teasingly asks Klein, who breathes in deeply as the question stabs at her weak spot, but she doesn't answer her.

    I grin at them, showing off my white, sharp fangs, and thrust hard, making my two females yelp from both pain and ecstasy beneath me.

    "It's a bit frightening," Ciel shyly adds and hugs her comfort-loli a bit tighter.

    "But not the tentacle monster?" Yunia asks accusingly.

    Ciel shrugs. "They're just tentacles."

    Allura grabs Roxanne's head, and her fingers run through my succubus' silky black hair, massaging her scalp. Allura wants to close her eyes and savor the sensation of Roxanne's delicate fingers expertly massaging her pussy, but her animal desires force her to not miss a single second of my performance.

    I entwine my tail with Aoi's and Alissa's so that the three of us are fully connected through our hearts, souls, minds, tails, and genitals.

    My desire to breed makes my drive to cum get even stronger, and I feel a draconic fire rushing down through my body. I look towards Allura and lock eyes with her as I announce, "Here comes cumshot… number… one!"

    "YES!" Aoi madly shouts out in bliss, and I flood her depths until the cum overflows, but I don't stop thrusting my hips.

    I continue scraping Aoi's insides as I gradually replace my cock with a fake one, pulling the real one back inside me, then I switch targets.

    I slam my real cock into Alissa's warm, punished fox pussy, and she cries out like a real vixen in heat.

    I grin with crazed eyes like the degenerate that I am as I announce the final act of our little show, "Watch, Allura, as I cream your sister! Watch as I breed her! Watch as I reveal her deepest desire: to be my… cum… SLAVE!"

    Then I shoot deep inside Alissa, my legs now quivering in delight as I groan in ecstasy, "Hmmmm~…!"

    Allura's eyes roll back into her skull, and she starts to convulse from a mind-shattering orgasm.

    Roxanne grins like a devil that just successfully corrupted an innocent soul, then licks her fingers, tasting Allura's pussy juices.

    My draconic side feels a strong desire to knot my mates, so I stop moving my hips and spread out my wings, then cover both of my females with them, making a cocoon of warmth as I keep their pussies plugged.

    "I love you," I gently whisper to them and give both of their faces a loving lick.

    Aoi responds by entangling her long, slick tongue with mine, and I push both of our heads down so that Alissa can get some licks in, too.

    Klein's arm has been making some suspicious movements under the water, so Yunia and Hana both decide to help her out at the same time.

    "After you," Yunia concedes.

    "No, please, you first," Hana politely defers.

    Yunia raises an eyebrow as she deliberates for a moment, then suggests, "Why not both?"

    Hana grins like a predator. "Good enough. I claim her pussy."

    "Fine with me."



    Roxanne helps the drained Allura get into the bath, then I give the surviving girls a satisfying round of the tentacle monster.

    After everyone is filled and renewed, we let the Lordsguard take a bath, and I feel a bit disappointed about the fact that I couldn't breed Hukarere since she was on duty. Then we leave the bathhouse, and Anton gives us a worried look as he sees Allura coming out with us.

    I grin innocently at him, but he doesn't have the courage to ask about what we did.

    We walk outside and notice that the sun has already set, with a thick white mist limiting our vision to just a few meters. For some reason, this mist feels more oppressive than Escanso's.

    Ofilia is our guide again, and she's carrying a powerful lamp to light up the way, but its effectiveness still isn't that great since this mist is really thick.

    The 25th Division of Town Hunters is the youngest division of Roubaix, so there aren't that many soldiers in it. Alissa personally trained the original thirty soldiers that came to greet her, but now they have proper footmen, mounted warrior duos, archers, mage support, and healer units, totaling in at over one hundred young men and women.

    For this number of people, an entire restaurant has been reserved for us, making it quite the party. These Town Hunters don't have any work tonight, so the alcohol flows freely, but I have a better idea about how to really get the party going.

    I stand on my chair and push the [Project Voice] gem against my throat. Then, I start my speech, "I'd like everyone's attention." Then I wait until the entire hall is quiet. "Sirs and Dames, experienced warriors, Sworn Hunters, and the Verner family that rules the Misty Forest. Today is a special day for the Misty Low Forest, for Alissa Verner, the daughter of the Chiefs who had been separated from her family, trained the twenty-fifth division, and served as my Blood Slave, has finally returned as Alissa Ryder, my lover, my wife, one of the Crown Lords of the Western High Forest, and a member of the new Royal Family of the High Forest!"

    The crowd cheers and raises their tankards in the air while I observe the revelry with a faint grin.

    Then I extend my hand to Alissa and help her up onto her own chair as she struggles to not glare at me or blush too hard from embarrassment. I pull her waist closer to me with my tail and continue, "This young woman has fought countless battles and overcome unimaginable challenges to be able to return to her homeland with her head held high in pride!" I allow the dragon inside of me to spread its wings and roar, boosting my "Charisma." "So let's honor her achievements by showing our determination, our grit, and our dedication to the endless pursuit of improvement. Let's honor the Goddess of Growth…" -I pull out the air hockey and table football… tables- "with a tournament!"



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Christopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Lord Copey Dunt.
    Lord Dracopuppy23.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Stellerbattle.
    Lord Chris Carter.
    Lord GoodKat.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
  17. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    The White Wolf and her Companions suddenly found themselves in a nest of Foxes. Their yipping and yapping grated on their ears, but their raised lips revealed sharp fangs that showed they could bite back, so none of the Companions had the arrogance to underestimate their opponents. The Companions may be more united, stronger, and well-equipped, but the Foxes were known to be vicious, and they outnumbered the Companions greatly, evening out the odds in a potential battle.

    The White Wolf was the largest among the Companions, and being favored by the Exalted Guardian, she was seen as a venerated elder, though her true authority was still below the Great Primate duo of father and daughter, but in this situation, they gathered around the White Wolf and waited for their orders from the Great Primates.

    "To honor the Fox Guardian, we have to win against her kin!" Great Father announced, his voice booming through the skulls of the Companions, setting their minds on the goal.

    "To show our gratitude for their Protection, we have to put up a good fight!" Great Daughter declared, her love for the Guardians inspiring their spirits and lighting the flame of rivalry in their hearts.

    The Wolf unfurled their silvery flag and raised it high, displaying the black horns of Might, then she walked to the front of the line and looked around. The Great Primates had given the order, and now, they looked to the Wolf to see it through, to anchor the troops and guide them down the path that led to victory; the Companions waited for the Wolf to accept the orders, to say the words, and to pour oil onto the flames; and the Foxes waited, their sadistic grins and mischievous laughter like a constant rain that might douse the flames of passion.

    But dragon fire could never be snuffed out by a mere drizzle.

    The Wolf breathed in deeply, gathering air and courage, then she boldly roared, "For glory! For honor! FOR THE ROYAL GUARDIANS!" And her voice marked the start of the Battle.

    "URAAA!" The Companions roared back, raising their weapons in furor.

    Then she charged, and they all followed her to war.



    The armies were divided into two lanes: Hockey, and Football. The former requires speed and reflexes, while the latter requires coordination and precision. Two very different paths for the soldiers to take, and each competitor went through both, but in general, they each only survived in one of the two lanes.

    There was no time for slow, methodical fighting, this was a meat grinder to separate the weak from the strong.

    No armor, no healing, no support. One after the other, soldiers fell on both sides, their bodies becoming the ground for new warriors to tread upon, the number of felled comrades continuously growing.

    The spirits of the dead would live on and cheer for their comrades, giving them their blessings to absorb their energy and power as they lacked the skill to fully utilize it themselves.

    Even though the White Wolf was seen as an elder, she still hadn't reached the apex of her potential, which led her to fail in the Football Battle, but the Great Father shined in her place and took up the mantle to guide the Companions in that lane.

    The Great Daughter followed them both, supporting them and patiently waiting for the moment that either of them fell so she could take to the front and continue their endless advance.

    The Foxes were gradually thinning, falling one after the other. Their organization waxed and waned like the moons, but it gradually grew stronger as the survivors realized the true power of their enemy and rallied under the gray and orange banner of the Misty Foxes.

    With each bout, the White Wolf felt her enemies getting stronger, faster, and smarter. They changed from mischievous, cheeky foxes into dark, cold predators that kept their rage just underneath their skin.

    The numbers of the Foxes dwindled so far that the Companions started meeting the elites, and each battle was an ordeal on its own.

    "Just one more victory, just one more Fox to defeat," the White Wolf murmured to herself, trying to summon every last bit of grit she had.

    When her tired body started to break under the strain, she looked back and witnessed the encouraging smile of the Great Daughter, giving the Wolf her second wind to fight on.

    "One more victory…"

    But then she finally knew that she'd met her match when she saw the Grinning Fox.

    Young, strong, and unreadable, the Grinning Fox used his mask to hide his emotions, and his narrow eyes made it difficult to see where he was looking, allowing him to become utterly unpredictable.

    His strikes were so swift that the puck blurred as it darted towards the Wolf's side. They went from side-to-side on the table, but they had such perfect accuracy that they were always threatening to enter the goal, forcing the Wolf to desperately defend herself.

    She wasn't in control of the fight anymore. She was forced fully onto the defensive, struggling to survive against his onslaught.

    "Left, right, left, defend!" She coached herself, trying to predict the paths of the insanely fast attacks.

    "Right, left, right, left, defend!"

    "Right, left, right, defend!"

    "DEFEND!"

    The White Wolf couldn't even see the puck any more, just reacting on instinct alone, and the spirits of the dead cheered with every exchange, like the beat of a song with a familiar rhythm, which made her brain briefly pause.

    "GOAL!" The referee announced.

    "I can't pause!" She frustratingly shouted at herself and continued defending.

    "Left, right, left…"

    A rhythm.

    "Right, left, right…"

    She knew this rhythm.

    "Left, right, left…"

    And a predictable rhythm has always been a warrior's weakness.

    "Left, right, left… ATTACK!"

    The puck darted towards the Ginning Fox's side and bounced off the left side of the table once, then slipped into the goal.

    "GOAL!" The referee announced.

    "URAAA!" The spirits roared.

    The Grinning Fox paused, his frozen grin suddenly seeming far colder than before as his narrowed eyes analyzed the White Wolf.

    Suddenly, he struck the puck, and the Wolf scrambled to ready her defenses, then the rhythmic exchanges started again.

    "Right, left, right, left… ATTACK!" The White Wolf repeated her arrhythmic strike, but the Grinning Fox casually defended and resumed the rhythm.

    "Everything has a rhythm," he coldly taunted, his grin unchanged, and the White Wolf sweated cold.

    Her strategy failed a second time, and they continued their endless exchanges.

    Eventually, her arms became tired, her vision blurred, and her reactions slowed.

    "GOAL!" The referee rang the second bell of her death sentence.

    There was only a minute left, and she didn't have enough time to even the score, let alone win against the Grinning Fox, so he only had to hold on for a little longer, and she'd be finished.

    "Father, Daughter, give me the strength to surpass my limits!" She pleaded with all her heart, but her gaze was drawn somewhere else.

    The Fox, the Dragonkin, the Succubus, the Angel, the Dwarf, the Dragon, the Elf, the Little Griffin, and the Exalted. All of the Guardians were looking at her, not with disappointment, but with pride. They were proud that she had gotten so far, and they gave her their permission to rest.

    "This is the end…" She tiredly thought to herself and sighed, the last centimetri of the wick of her candle about to be snuffed out. "But I won't die whimpering! I'LL GO OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY!"

    The Great Father is crushing his opposition, so she shall pave a path through the bodies of their enemies for the Great Daughter! She was determined to become another corpse which the Daughter would step upon to reach even higher, to reach Victory!

    But there was no time to strategize, she had to give it her all, now!

    "Everything I have… in one strike…" She mumbled, then stared at the Grinning Fox, her eyes burning with the flames of Might, hardened by the determination of Okross, and armed with the Will of the Exalted.

    The Grinning Fox's mask cracked, and he growled reflexively in the face of his fearsome foe, "You overestimate yourself!"

    "My body for the Exalted," she surrendered her body and mind to the Guardian, and he answered. The Exalted Eye opened up within the Wolf's mind, and her voice turned emotionless as she achieved her Limit Break. "The Will of the Exalted is absolute, and I'm his chosen vessel," she calmly stated.

    "DELUSIONS!" The Grinning Fox barked.

    Her muscles thickly bulged as she activated [Muscle Explosion]. "Iai Strike…"

    The puck disappeared, only to be seen again within the Grinning Fox's goal.

    "GOAL AAND TIIIIIIIME!"

    "URAAAAAAAA!"

    Both the Grinning Fox and the White Wolf fell in this Battle.



    Before I even noticed it, the Town Hunters and the Lordsguard had started competing against each other. It's fortunate that the Sworn Hunters and the Verners didn't participate because this would be right up their alley.

    It's impressive how seriously some of the participants took the tournament, but it also filled me with pride to see Klein and Anton having their moment of glory. To be honest, Hukarere eliminating Solent allowed Klein to rise unimpeded since he was the one with the most frightening skill of them all.

    I also haven't prepared a third game yet, so if they had tied, they'd have demanded a tiebreaker, and that'd be a real pain to come up with, but since the Lordsguard won 2-0, the Town Hunters gracefully accepted their loss.



    Lina, Aoi, the golems, and I get together and quickly come up with a small, elven-looking crown of steel with details in gold and silver. The former for Klein and Anton, and the latter for the Town Hunters who got second place, while the rest of the competitors get bronze tokens for participation.

    Alissa personally awards the crowns in a medal ceremony, and the drunk men and women congratulate them all with ear-shattering roars.

    Goureuse got second place in table football, but the second place in air hockey is a new archer ace they have, so Alissa doesn't know his name.

    After that, the party shifts towards the traditional singing, dancing, and drinking for this sort of gathering, so I return to my table and relax with Lina.

    As midnight comes around, the party reaches its epilogue, and everyone gets together for a few final songs.

    Traditional werefox songs are more tribal, and they love to make dancing circles. Dozens and dozens of people jumping and stomping in sync, echoing out an entrancing beat as they run in formation around the center of the dance floor, chanting a hypnotizing song that any drunk can follow. For once, they try to make as much noise as they can.

    Then Hana comes back from dancing and sits beside me, her small, almost-lingerie red dress sticking to her skin. Even her mane-like red hair has lost some volume since it absorbed moisture from the hot, humid air of the dance floor.

    "When did you learn how to spice up parties?" She teasingly asks and hugs my neck, then leans on me. Her perfume has mixed with the smell of her sweat, mildly arousing me as I imagine us both fucking like barbarians in the wild. My lap-loli doesn't exactly feel the same way about it, though.

    I rest my head against hers and look down her impressive cleavage, observing every little drop of sweat as they run along the contours of her massive tits. "I know how to have fun if it's related to games, and Yunia helped me learn how to give speeches when we were in Legado," I proudly answer. I'm still a nerd at heart, and I haven't just suddenly become a social butterfly.

    "Today is your win. I'm sure that everyone is content with how the tournament went," Ciel kindly states as she pats my thick tail.

    "Hm…" Lina hums in agreement as we watch Alissa and Allura dancing in the circle.



    When the clock strikes midnight, Ofilia comes to get us so that she can guide us to where we need to be. We need to meet up with the 24th Division now and spend the night with them because they'll be leaving the moment they've found the bandit's encampment that they've been looking for.

    Alissa gives her goodbyes to the 25th, and Ciel gives hers to Fleur and Calum, then the healers start casting [Purify Body] and [Refresh] on all of us. I force Roxanne to drink plenty of water before the spells are cast on her, and we manage to prevent her from getting a hangover.

    "Be safe, all of you," Léonne blesses us, then gives a kiss to Jacques', Allura's, and Alissa's foreheads. The first one is pretty comical as the huge red man needs to bend over so that the short woman can reach him. They're just like Anton and Krysta.

    Then a Space mage opens a [Gate] to where the 24th is, and we cross through it, with Jacques and Allura joining us.

    We appear in a small, forested valley where the Division is making camp. The thick mist doesn't allow us to see anything other than just the first tent nearby, the faint light of a few lamps shrouded in mist, a few Manaflies flapping about, and the four werefoxes that were waiting to receive us.

    The first one I notice is a bald, short man with a rather mean look to him. His stern expression and complete lack of any hair or fur makes him look like an ugly Sphinx cat. He must be Darcy, the Captain.

    Beside him is a tall and rather buff gray fox staring at us with a perfectly neutral look. That's Nenvieu, Alissa's childhood friend and Montague's little brother. He's got some classically handsome features mixed with a few prettyboy ones that would easily qualify him to star in a vampire movie as the werewolf secondary love interest.

    And the last two werefoxes are mere bodyguards wearing pristine metal armor.

    I have to hold back the dragon from starting a literal dick-measuring contest since Alissa really wants us to get along.

    Her eyes meet Nen's, and her heart tightens, then they share a slow nod. Then, Nen gives her not-kimono a quick scan, her cleavage being very hard to miss, but neither he nor Darcy do the same with the rest of the girls.

    For once, I'm actually annoyed that I can feel Alissa's emotions, so I choke the dragon even harder to make him stop annoying me with his jealousy.

    When Jacques crosses through the [Gate], the werefoxes kneel in respect to him.

    "Chief Jacques, it's an honor to have you and Dame Allura aid us in this mission," Darcy announces, his strong voice showing a lot of confidence and high "Charisma."

    "You may rise," Jacques replies in the same tone, and they stand up again. "Think nothing of it. This is merely a decision made on a whim."

    Darcy smiles like an imp, and I wonder how he got to such a high "Charisma," to begin with. "We still benefit from it."

    Jacques grunts with a nod, then introduces us.

    "It's good to see you again, Nen," Alissa softly greets him, and his composure breaks immediately.

    His gray skin makes his blush very visible as he stutters, "Y-yes. It's been a-a while, Alissa."

    She grins like a cheeky fox and teases, "You didn't change."

    "Neither did you," he softly replies.

    Then Allura chimes in, pouting cutely, "Only because Gurrier allowed you to meet with Lis. The last time I saw her, she was still flat!"

    Nen's eyes are instantly drawn to her cleavage. "She has… hm… yes…" He tries to find the right words but quits as soon as he starts.

    "Please, I don't want to suffer through witnessing this embarrassment," Darcy whines as he rolls his eyes.

    Nen clears his throat and recomposes himself.

    Jacques can't stop himself from smiling, his lordly aura completely gone as he gently suggests, "We're all tired, so let's get to sleep early. You'll have plenty of time tomorrow to catch up."

    Alissa nods slowly while the werefoxes salute, but Nen's is visibly stiff.

    "Let me show you where to put your tents," Darcy politely offers.



    I pull out the portable house that Almaria had grown for us. It looks like a simple bark box from the outside, but we can camouflage it a bit with bushes and change its shape and color to look more like a boulder. There's no need to do it right now since we're surrounded by werefoxes, so we just leave it as the default look.

    The interior is quite nice since it's bigger on the inside, but it's just one big room partitioned with curtains, so it feels a bit too "open" to me. I didn't ask for any decorations, but Almaria's perfectionism forced her to add a bit of our heraldry and some other aesthetically pleasing elven patterns all over the inside, so it really does look like high-class accomodations.

    Our bed needs to be wide enough to fit all of the harem plus a few concubines, so it takes up the most space, though there's still plenty of room for a nice dining table, a sofa, an acceptable kitchenette, a bathing corner, and two sound-proofed rooms for the toilets.

    Before the Lordsguard, Klein, and Anton begin to organize the shifts for the night watch, I ask Hukarere if she'd like to come sleep with us tonight.

    "The Spirit mage just recently recast [Solidify] on me, so I won't disappear in the middle of the night this time," she happily reports, then glues herself to me, and I bury my face in between her pale breasts.

    "I think it'll be fine to let you go to sleep while hugging me, but one of the girls will be hugging your back, too," I warn her, my voice muffled by her elastic pillows.

    "That's fine," she readily accepts.

    "Me, me! I claim her fluffy back!" Roxanne immediately shouts out. Hukarere's fluffy, furry back makes for an amazing body pillow, but I warn Roxanne to not grope her too much.

    Then I give Hukarere some warm milk to help her sleep.



    The gentle female hands appear again, but this time, they slap the back of my head and angrily point ahead, directing my attention to a familiar pair of brown eyes.

    I stare at them curiously, but I still don't understand what's going on, then the female hands hug me from behind and caress my head again.

    I feel like kissing these hands and sucking on the long, delicate fingers of this beautiful woman, but I just can't get a grip on her.



    Today is the 17th, Fis, day of Nature. Yunia says that the dryads occasionally appear in the Eia plantations on this day, but Cereleia still hasn't re-established contact with us, so I don't think I'll be able to meet with her again today.

    Hukarere wakes me up this morning, and the other girls stare at her annoyedly since she was too rough and woke me up before they could each get their fill.

    My dream made me a bit horny, so I happily give them all a long spurt of my milk.



    Yunia increased her [Two-Handed Sword Use] and [Dodge] by 1 (now 2+18 and 10). Her sparring with Jacques has proved to be very instructive for her.



    "What's wrong?" Alissa gently asks me as I get dressed, her hot breath tickling the back of my neck.

    I turn around and kiss her nose, then I smile softly and reply, "I'm just trying to remember this weird dream that I had, but I'm already starting to forget it."

    She blinks blankly, and I drown in her orange eyes for a moment, but she can't find any words or ways to really help me, so she just kisses my nose back, and we start setting out breakfast.

    Since our room is large enough, we invite the Verners, Anton, Darcy, and Nen to join us.

    Hukarere declines my invitation and looks almost like an abandoned puppy for a second. "I think I should return to the Lordsguard or else Sandoro will twist my ears in the after-action report," she confesses, and I let her head out to rejoin them.

    The moment that Nen walks in, the awkwardness sets in, and I grin like an imp.



    Alissa's short kimono exposes a narrow stretch of perfect, pale skin, which continues down until it's covered again by her thin Snow Weave white stockings, their hem slightly depressing her skin, leaving a subtle indentation on her athletic thighs. A truly wonderful sight. Never mind her tasteful cleavage; her bright smile; her pointy, twitching fox ears; her silky orange-brown hair that bobs along with her every move; her beautiful orange eyes; her fluffy, wagging tail; her cute feet clad in white stockings… they're all like honey for the eyes, but Nen ignores all of those enthralling aspects as his gaze is instantly drawn to Alissa's absolute territory, and this display of culture increases my respect for him just a bit.

    "Nen… there's only one door," Darcy grumbles from behind him since the small man has no chance of getting past Nen's wide shoulders without pushing him out of the way.

    Alissa silently motions to the chairs while smiling, and Nen's eyes follow her hand, then he notices me.

    "Wh-where are your horns…?" He reflexively asks, and I rest my chin on my completely human hand.

    "I cut them off," I respond nonchalantly.

    The dumbfounded look he gives me is quite delightful. "Your… hands, too…? And your tail…?" He mumbles weakly, and his expression slowly warps in terror. For a wereanimal, just the idea of removing their animal features is pretty effective body horror.

    "It feels good to get rid of those bestial body parts every once in a while," I confess without a hint of a lie, it's just the "how" I get rid of them that's important.

    Nen's shocked face slowly turns back towards Alissa, only to meet her foxy grin, and then he realizes that there's something wrong.

    "Teasing Nen certainly feels nostalgic," she admits and giggles softly.

    "Are you teasing him without me?!" Allura's voice rings out from outside the portable house.

    "Nenvieu! If you don't move, I'm going to kick your ass! Literally!" Darcy angrily shouts, and Nen finally vacates the doorway. Then the grumpy, wrinkly, cat-faced man walks in as he complains, "If you're going to toy with him, at least do it when I'm not here to witness this silliness." Then he notices how big the interior is compared to the exterior and stops for a second to hum in wonder before he takes his seat.

    "Oh, you learned how to change races?" Jacques curiously asks as he comes in, then gives Alissa a quick hug and takes a seat.

    "I'm still a weredragon, this is just an illusion that partially alters reality," I happily reply and point to the glowing gem right above me. "It's [Jalowzeh Magic], a magic school that the Estekabar demon race invented."

    Jacques narrows his eyes as he observes the gem, then he nods sagely. "I see. The Chimeras can change sex, so I thought that you had created something like that with their help."

    I ignore the idle thought of how many of the female Chimeras serving me were at one point men and continue, "Well, I do want to create a skill that lets me become more 'human' at will because of how my children will probably need that ability."

    He grunts in understanding. "It'd certainly be useful to not have sharp claws getting in the way of…" His eyes glance at Alissa. "Well, you know."

    I grin and cheekily add, "They like them, though."

    Allura gives me a knowing grin as she sits, while Jacques closes his eyes to take his mind somewhere happier, and Anton doesn't even react, completely ignoring us.

    But Aoi gives them a way out of the nightmare, "They're why I wanted to become a human. These claws make it difficult to create anything." And she waves her scaly fingers at us.

    "Curiously, hands never seem to be animalistic for wereanimals," Jacques ponders.

    "Imagine having paws for hands…" Allura fearfully comments, and she gets a few chuckles.

    "The children of the God of Creation would have trouble creating anything if they didn't have hands," Ciel wisely points out.

    "My race would barely notice if we had animal hands," Klein chimes in.

    "They'd definitely be uglier, though," Anton replies, his permanent frown deepened as he imagines his wife's small hands replaced with a monkey's, and I remember that Krysta is an enthusiastic consumer of elven skincare products.

    Alissa flashes a smile at Nen, the last one still standing, and turns around to take her seat. He twitches, his arm reaching forward to grab her hand, but he stops himself midway and immediately straightens his back.

    She turns around and gives him a confused look, but he doesn't say anything and simply moves on towards his seat, so she just giggles, making him blush a little bit.

    Lina watches Alissa with envy as my foxy lady takes her seat of honor, on my lap, and Jacques gives us a look that screams of "really?," but I don't pay him any mind as my current mission is to tease Nen relentlessly.

    Alissa and I share a cinnamon pancake with berries. She feeds me a slice, then takes one for herself, all while we share the same teacup.

    "Ooh~, what's this?" Allura excitedly asks as she points to not-babaghanoush.

    "Imperial Purpoles sauce," I calmly reply.

    "And this?"

    "Blue Vein cheese," Alissa answers for me while feeding me a slice of pancake.

    "And this?" She points to the not-tomato, but I refuse to say that abomination of a name.

    "Tomafinger," Alissa answers for me again.

    Darcy and Nen seem a bit wary of the wide selection of unknown dishes, so they just go for the safe choice of pancakes.

    After a bit of chit-chatting and some discussion about the food, Alissa starts to feel a little bad about teasing Nen like this, but Allura is out for blood.

    "Say, Nen, I heard that you're pretty popular with the women in the Divisions. Had any marriage proposals yet?" She coyly asks, then winks at Alissa.

    Darcy raises his eyebrows, turning his forehead into a washboard, and casually comments with a hum, "Ah, the 'Gray Spear'? There is plenty of talk among the divisions about him because of how he won't touch any of the women in our division, and they complain a lot because of it, but the women of the other divisions, though…" And he smirks like a goblin.

    "He's Montague's brother, after all," Allura adds matter-of-factly with a nod.

    Jacques turns to Nen and asks reprovingly with a frown, "You really got that Title…?" His and Anton's expressions are so alike that they may be brothers from other mothers.

    "Yes, I did," Nen answers flatly, looking at his pancake.

    "And I thought Wolf was bad," Jacques mumbles dispiritedly, and Alissa gives him a glare.

    "The price of fame is the curse of Titles," Yunia solemnly states with a faraway look.

    "But Nen wasn't a spearman…" Alissa mumbles and narrows her eyes in suspicion, then her lips slowly warp into a teasing grin.

    "I-it's not w-what you're thinking…" He scrambles to defend himself, but he can't come up with anything to say.

    "Then what is it, really?" Alissa coolly replies and stares him in the eye.

    He maintains eye contact and clenches his jaw, but he can't come up with a good excuse, so he just admits, "Alright, I got a big dick, and I like to use it."

    Jacques chuckles and slaps his back, but his huge hand barely makes the muscular Nen flinch. "Ofilia wondered how big you'd grow to be, and I'm happy to know that you didn't disappoint," he casually shares with the kind of shamelessness that only a parent could have.

    Allura gives her Dad a thumbs up for the critical hit as Nen facepalms to escape this nightmare.

    I grin along with them, but in truth, I'm sweating cold, dreading whatever tease-worthy Title I'm bound to be "awarded" with one day.

    "What about you, Dame Allura? Have you started building your own harem, already…?" Roxanne comes in with a surprising backstab.

    "No," she answers reflexively and remains quiet as the gears spin in her head, attempting to anticipate the next strike.

    "At least you've been thinking of making connections since you've quickly become intimate with us, correct?" Yunia's side hook hits right on the mark.

    Allura's mouth moves without her conscious will, "I was… just… uh…"

    "'Having fun'…?" Jacques reticently questions her with the cold glare of a predatory animal.

    "I told you not to skip those classes on etiquette," Nen coldly delivers a side-dish of revenge.

    Jacques grunts and agrees, "Yes, it seems that her education is lacking in certain matters."

    Allura turns her incredulous, teary eyes towards us, silently asking us why we betrayed her, but the waft of evil emanating from the snobbish duo is the only answer she really needs.



    After playing around for a bit more, we finish breakfast, and the golems clear the table, then Jacques changes the topic to something sobering, "So, what kind of enemy presence are we expecting?"

    Darcy grins, and his already rather ugly face becomes a bit uglier still. "I'll start from the beginning to give our guests some context," he pompously states, then clears his throat and begins his speech. "Over the past few years, 'suspicious' bandit attacks have been carried out all over the north of the Misty Forest, and the Elders' investigation concluded that what they had in common was that they 'inconvenienced' the clans, always hitting at the most inopportune time, and causing a frustrating amount of chaos.

    "There's nothing that says that these attacks are connected, except for their precision and deadliness, which is unmatched by anything we've seen from any other mercenary or bandit groups before. What's more, judging by their tactics, we're certain that they're imperials, but they'd only survive this long in the forest if a clan allowed them to."

    My first guess would be Katasko, but I admittedly know little about matters outside the High Forest since they don't really concern us and we still have our hands full trying to guess the next moves of our Subordinate Lords.

    "Neither do I…" Yunia comments through [Bind], sounding a bit vexed.

    "So, you've found their hideout?" Alissa soberly questions.

    "No, but we know that they're definitely nearby because we've set up the perfect bait," he readily answers as he grins like a lunatic.

    Alissa frowns angrily and quietly groans. "Of course, Darcy would be one with the courage to risk people's lives that way," she complains through [Bind].

    "You don't approve?" He asks with a sinister teasing tone.

    "I refuse to answer that question," Alissa flatly replies.

    Darcy leans back in his chair and crosses his fingers over his lap, completely relaxed and confident in his plan. "You know that this is exactly why Nemie mentored me while Gurrier mentored you."

    "And why Nen was chosen to keep him in check," she grumbles through [Bind], then turns her glare on her father.

    But he merely returns a stern, cold look. "The twenty-fourth is operating within acceptable levels of risk," he states matter-of-factly.

    Alissa shakes her head gently and drops it. "So, how long until they attack?"

    "A few hours, maybe. We're waiting for them to position themselves to ambush our bait caravan when the mist goes away. The terrain in that area is hard to navigate for imperials if they can't see where they're going."

    "Can't you ask the guardian of the forest to help you find them?" I chime in, and that catches Darcy a bit off-guard.

    "Bluebell wouldn't come for such a trivial matter," Jacques shoots it down.

    "Perhaps I could help with that," I confidently state with a smirk, then I wink at Gify.

    "Gih!" She diligently replies and salutes with her wing, then pops out of existence.

    Thank you.

    "We made a deal with the dryad guardian of our forest, so perhaps Bluebell might be interested in something similar," I explain, and Jacques becomes very suspicious, though he doesn't comment on it.

    With the context part out of the way, Darcy explains the plan, and we start talking tactics.

    "You should take the center, of course. Your Lordsguard have a higher level than us," he soberly suggests without a hint of shame.

    The table goes silent as we all try to find any sign of disrespect in his tone, but we find none. It is the most logical choice to have us stay in the center since we're stronger, but we're also guests, so it could be seen as offensive to put us in a dangerous position.

    "Our men are sworn to give their lives for us, but they're not expendable," Yunia coldly states and locks eyes with the wrinkly cat.

    But Darcy resists Yunia's cold intimidation attempt without even flinching. "Of course. I have no intention of having us recklessly charging towards the enemy. They're known to be deadly, after all."

    "We'll also be giving our orders from the center. So, if you fall, we fall," Nen grimly adds, and Darcy nods in agreement.

    "I'll command the mounted warriors," Jacques volunteers.

    "Anton will stay in the middle, and we'll act as mobile support since we have [Fly]," I order.

    "Yes, your Highness," he obediently agrees. It's a bit weird to see him behaving so subserviently, but I guess it's just for appearances' sake.

    Then the meeting ends, and I order the father-daughter duo to check on the Lordsguard and relay the strategy to them.



    Gify pops onto the table, then spreads her wings wide and proudly chirps, "Gih! Guh gih!" Which is her announcement of her triumphant return with the good news.

    I grin and pat her cute, feathery head. This little deal will be the trump card of this operation, and it's all thanks to Gify… and my Thunder Cock.

    The outside is still somewhat cloaked in mist, but it's clearing away quite quickly, so we don't have a lot of time left. It's already clear enough for me to see the uncountable number of tents surrounding our house. They're all partially camouflaged with branches, so they can easily fool the eye from at a distance or from above. The dew gathers on the leaves of the camouflaging bushes, making for a sparkly view as the sunlight begins to penetrate the mist.

    Alissa, Gify, and I quickly cross through the circle of tents and move towards a rather secluded rock face of the valley we're camping in.

    We stop near a lonely tree and wait excitedly, Alissa way more so than me, though.

    We don't have to wait for long, and Alissa feels a presence moving underground. It rises up into the tree, and a dryad starts to emerge through the bark. It's a nearly three meters tall naked man with skin the color of moss and shoulder-length hair made up entirely of light blue flowers. His hair partially covers his round face, giving him an almost emo look. His body is also on the rounder side, giving him a bit of a lazy air, but his horse cock definitely looks threatening to me.

    Oh, wait, it's a man…

    "Geheheh…" Gify giggles… like the little goblin she is!

    Bluebell stops before us, his eyes staring through me as he uses his other senses to read my soul, so he doesn't notice Alissa's visible disappointment in his figure.

    "Hmm… yes, you have great seed. I'll fulfill my part of the deal," he drowsily mumbles.

    "I, uh… I don't have sex with men," I point out with a cringe.

    "Oh…" He hums, and his gaze lands on Gify, who giggles again, making him frown and sigh. "Alright… I'll change into a woman for you…"

    "Just a little question," Alissa anxiously interrupts, but doesn't wait for his response. "Do you remember Nocturna, the Mistborn?"

    "No. It's been too long, so I've lost all memories of her except for the contracts I made," he instantly replies with a completely uninterested tone.

    Alissa's posture lurches slightly as her disappointment grows, so I give her a comforting back rub, then Bluebell starts changing his form.

    His face changes subtly, but it definitely becomes more feminine, his chest balloons into ridiculously-sized, unbelievably soft-looking large breasts, and his cock recedes inwards until it becomes a pussy.

    "Hey, can't you do something like that with your cock by using [Mana Body]?" Roxanne innocently asks through [Bind], then gasps as a word that I wish I never knew surfaces in my mind. "Cuntboy! Cuntboy!" And she cackles with a laugh.

    I cut Roxanne off from my mind and focus on Bluebell, who's now unmistakably a woman. My heart feels a bit weird when I think about how she was a man just a few seconds ago, but I immediately shut that thought down because I need to fulfill my part of the deal.

    I pull out my cock and make it get hard instantly, which slightly surprises Bluebell, who approaches me and gets down on her knees, then she grabs my long, thick Dragonator.

    "We don't have the time for proper sex right now, so I'll just use my mouth," she explains, and I nod, then she swallows it whole without any hesitation. Her mouth is quite accommodating due to her stature, so, for once, my cock actually feels small.

    "Oh… yes…" I moan in bliss. Her mouth is similar to Cereleia's. It tingles and itches a bit, but it's so subtle that it feels pretty good, as if my entire shaft suddenly turned into an erogenous zone.

    Her tongue stretches and wraps around my shaft, then squeezes tight, as if it were a small pussy like Lina's.

    Her blue, moss-textured eyes stare intensely into mine as her head bobs back and forth. Her eyes are entrancing, seeming to contain a gentle kindness that sets me at ease.

    I groan again and grab her head, while being careful to not hurt her flower-hair, and gently increase the speed at which her lips slide along my shaft.

    She grabs her tits and plays with them, pinching her own dark nipples, and I create a tentacle to get in a squeeze of them, too, then she smiles happily and lets them go, so I happily fondle her soft, faux-fluffy tits with my tentacle hands to my heart's content.

    I extend another tentacle and savor her pussy lips, but the tingling sensation they provide is much stronger than her mouth, sending my pleasure skyrocketing.

    "Oh, fuck…" I moan and let out a burst of cum down her throat. She swallows it all without choking even slightly, happily taking in my seed while she moans in pleasure from my tentacles. "Wait, I need the mana…!" I exclaim, and she immediately stops milking me.

    I release her head and sigh dejectedly. The deal was for just one shot of cum, so I can't go using all my mana when we're about to go into battle.

    She releases my cock and smiles happily. "I got a bit more than we agreed to, but I'm sure that we're both fine with it, correct?"

    I chuckle softly and pat her head as I reply, "Yeah, it was pretty good. No harm, no foul."

    She shows me her palm, and a leaf sprouts up out of her skin. It's marked with blue ink, depicting the direction of the enemy camp, but Gify can also guide us there in case we get lost.



    I present the information to Darcy, and he grins like a madman. "Change of plans," he mumbles and starts laughing evilly.

    Then the mist fully clears away, and the scouts detect imperials setting up their ambush.

    We break camp and head towards them, but their camp is nearby, so it doesn't take long for the scouting summons to confirm its location. I even secretly send my own Hollys to the camp and the ambush site to confirm their numbers. They're barely a hundred in total, but they're definitely imperial, and they look more like an army than a group of bandits, which confirms Darcy's speculation.

    Now that we know where the enemy is and how many there are, there's no need for us to let the bait caravan be ambushed. We'll wipe them out to the last man.

    Nen transforms into a huge, gray fox, even larger than a Grey Berserker, a huge monster bear that we fought a few times in the Sea of Trees. He's actually too big to be mounted by a spearman, so his rider is an armored mage woman instead.

    Jacques shifts into an even larger red fox, the size of an elephant, but he doesn't have his rider with him, who would usually be his wife.

    Allura also shifts into a fox, and though she's about a third smaller than Nen, she's still among the largest beast warriors here. She's also without a rider, but that's because she doesn't have such an "intimate" relationship with any werefox just yet.

    Since we're nobility, we're provided with horses to ride, and we're escorted by our Lordsguard while the mounted warriors lead the column, and the werefox footmen march behind us. Even Aoi shifts into her humanoid form to ride her horse, drawing upon the girls' [Riding] knowledge, but her horse still seems to be very anxious about carrying her, so I soothe it with [Animal Tongue].

    Unlike the 25th, which is composed of only newbies, this Division has incorporated a lot of veterans from other Divisions, so Nen and Darcy are actually a bit younger than the average age of their soldiers, though they respect them both for their achievements nonetheless.

    We're not exactly in a hurry, so a few riders slow down to talk to us.

    "So you fucked the dryad in exchange for this information?" One of them asks me, sounding both curious and eager to tease.

    "No time for fucking, but the deal was my powerful seed in exchange for the information," I smugly explain.

    The riders start to joke and laugh, but when Nen glares at them, they become serious again.

    "Thanks for your, hard work," the same rider teases me again with a smirk before he quickly becomes serious, too. "But seriously, thank you for your help. We don't have to use the bait because of you."

    Through the Holly above us, I notice a mounted warrior coming closer to us from behind, and it annoys me because I can't hear their footsteps.

    I turn my head to face them, and they flinch, both the mount and the rider staring at me in an odd way.

    "Yes…?" I casually ask, but then my heart sinks as I remember something.

    I see brown eyes, unremarkable brown eyes. They instantly remind me of my dream, and of the vision I had during the Turn of the Wheel, which was just a day before the attack on the Innocent Nymph.

    In the same instant that I draw my sword, the mount and rider duo disappears, then I notice the black circle of a [Gate] on the ground, right where they were, which vanishes in the next second.

    "THE FUCK?!" Darcy shouts and everyone turns around as they sense the mana from the spell.

    Gify pops out of existence, we [Equip] our helmets, and the girls draw their weapons with the Lordsguard following suit a split second later, then they shout their warnings and form into a wall around us.

    "STEADY, STEADY!" Anton's gruff voice booms through our men, and Klein keeps her head on a swivel, searching all around her for potential threats.

    The girls and I use [Fly] to rise up off of our horses and quickly move into a circle, staring warily at the mounted warriors and footmen that still surround us, but they're all just disorganized and confused and not really moving aggressively at all.

    While Nen and Jacques corral the men back into formation, Darcy's mount takes him to us, and they stop before the spears of our Lordsguard.

    "THE FUCK HAPPENED?!" He shouts angrily.

    "You had spies among your men," I coldly reply.



    Ciel organizes the healers, and they all cast [Detect Evil] on every single soldier in search of more heretics. Fortunately, the spell doesn't consume that much mana, so a single high-grade MP potion should be enough to recover their mana before the battle.

    Meanwhile, we set up a tent and gather around a table, then we proceed with a grim meeting in which the girls and I explain my visions.

    "Visions…" Jacques mumbles in thought, combing through his red beard with his claws. "I know that they're common among the Gifted, but only Léonne would know more about that sort of thing."

    "But how did heretics get in the middle of your men?" Yunia questions Darcy accusingly.

    "Are you sure they're heretics?" He immediately deflects without flinching.

    I frown in distaste and affirm, "It was fast, but I don't doubt what I saw, nor the feeling I had when I looked into his eyes."

    "At the least, they're spies, or working for someone suspicious since they deserted without a single word," Yunia confidently points out.

    "There haven't been any reports from the scouts about enemy movement. The imperials haven't even reacted yet to what happened here," Nen stiffly retorts, a bit intimidated by the atmosphere.

    "What about their camp?" Jacques stoically questions.

    "Nothing," I answer, and they turn suspicious gazes on me, so I explain, "I'm a summoner, so I'm watching both the camp and the ambush site." And that seems to appease them.

    "I don't want to call off this operation just because two of my men decided to disappear!" Darcy angrily exclaims, gritting his teeth like an angry rat.

    "At least one of them is an unregistered Master Porter since I can hardly believe that they walked into a [Gate] coordinate just by coincidence," Alissa calmly points out.

    Darcy grits his teeth in anger, but even he can't go against that argument.

    Jacques hums in thought, his stern look so fearsome that it even makes Allura a bit meek. "I'll call the Sworn Hunters. I don't want to call this off either, but neither can I ignore the warning of danger from Lord Wolf's vision," he calmly decides.

    Anton quickly discusses something with Klein, then he comes over to me, looking so grim that he could pass for having [Intimidate]. He stops right behind me and hurriedly whispers into my ear, "Wolf. Commander Sandoro would advise us to retreat, right now."

    Ever since I saw that pair of eyes, my gut keeps telling me that something bad is coming, but I can't defeat the heretics by running forever. I need to know what they're going to do, and this time, I won't just watch as they cast [Meteor] above me, I… no, we, my wives and I, need to counter them.

    "I'll apologize to him later, but I can't go back now, though I can afford to switch you and Klein with other knights or Oritiki," I coldly dismiss Anton's concern.

    "She doesn't want to leave, so neither will I…" He grumbles back.

    I sigh softly and apologize, "I'm sorry that you got involved in this."

    "Apologize to us by not dying," he grumbles again, and I snort softly, then he returns to his post.

    Sandoro crammed plenty of training into everyone's heads, including the knights', about how to protect us from assassination, and the father-daughter duo already has a lot of experience with keeping the men steady to face off against organized bandit attacks, so while they don't have the same levels as the knights, they're still reliable in this situation.

    "I'd like to know what everyone thinks of this operation," I ask through [Bind].

    "I'm wary. I'd like to follow Sandoro's advice, but I don't want to abandon my family's men," Alissa anxiously replies first.

    "I don't know what to think. I'm scared, but I don't want to run," Roxanne hesitantly admits.

    "Same," Lina quietly agrees.

    "I want to fight," Hana brusquely adds, determination dripping from her voice.

    "Same!" Aoi energetically agrees.

    "The cons of running are just too great," Yunia points out.

    "Elaborate," I quickly prompt.

    "We're set to make the Misty Foxes into close allies, so retreating here and now could damage our relationship since the heretics are after us, not them. Not only that, but I also agree that we shouldn't run from them because I know that we'll definitely meet them again in the future, so we need to learn how to face these heretics."

    "Ciel…?" I hesitantly ask. Her mood seems grim, and it's making me a bit worried about her.

    "We need to stay and fight," she sternly states, then her heart suddenly burns with righteous fervor. "These heretics need to taste our steel!" She angrily exclaims, then goes silent as she feels embarrassed about her outburst.

    She might be having some sort of premonition like I did, so it could be the Gods telling us to fight, but I'm not sure, none of us are.

    "I'm still feeling a bit vulnerable though, so I think we need more men," I confess.

    "Bringing an army would be inconvenient, so perhaps someone with more raw power, like Silvano," Yunia suggests.

    Alright…



    After the roll-call is complete and everyone has been checked, we discover that the two who disappeared were just veterans who had recently been reassigned to the 24th, by chance. The person who made that decision was Nemie, the Elder of War, someone who regularly gets checked for heresy through [Detect Evil], so unless there's some big conspiracy between him and the temple, it was just a coincidence that they were there, just like how I first saw those eyes in the middle of a crowd of people at the Turn of the Wheel.

    Considering all that bullshit about the Threads of Fate, my destiny, and Shade, I don't believe in coincidences anymore.

    Though, the next time I see those eyes, I need to react with [Discharge] and immediately [Equip] that [Gate] "Scrubber" tool I have to prevent their escape. I can't let them escape again without at least interrogating them.

    Silvano saunters into the tent with his usual annoying smirk, then stops before our chairs and kneels. "Your Highness, I've answered your call," he greets politely, but his tone is still annoying.

    "Rise," Yunia coldly orders.

    He obeys and turns to me. "I'm happy that you've chosen me to aid you in this battle, but Sandoro asked me to relay the fact that he's opposed to your decision."

    "Noted," I tersely reply.



    Léonne joins us with the Sworn Hunters, so I get to see her ride elephant-Jacques, which is quite amusing.

    She's taking my vision very seriously, which I find very reassuring. I don't like to base my decisions on gut feelings, but I can't ignore what I saw, and the fact that the two spies teleported away the very moment that I noticed them is very telling.

    The bait caravan will be reaching the ambush site very soon, so we double our marching speed to get there in time. The Sworn Hunters will work together with our Lordsguard since it's extremely unlikely that they're heretics. They've sworn to serve the Chief only, so unless Jacques and Léonne betray us, they're as trustworthy as our own knights.

    We leave the valley, and I notice how the rough terrain looks like modern Verdun with a few suspicious sword-shaped imprints in the ground and spikes of rock everywhere.

    "I think this was the site of an ancient battle between the Symbol of Might and a God-Ruler," Alissa explains through [Bind].

    Scary…

    Fox-Nen slows down and shares a few words with Fox-Montague, his older brother.

    "Things sure got serious, huh," Montague casually comments, barely having to raise his voice due to the almost entirely silent werefox army.

    "I've never seen the Chieftess this serious," Nen quietly replies, though Alissa can still hear them.

    "Try not to drool as you watch them fight," Montague teases and shows his fangs in a frightening grin.

    "Try not to trip and get your hollow head caved in by a rock," Nen bites back and returns to his post.

    "So he can exchange a bit of banter…" Roxanne curiously mumbles through [Bind].

    "Only if Alissa isn't nearby," Hana wisely points out.

    I sigh and give them both a light poke. "Put on your war faces, girls," I calmly urge them to focus.

    "[Sir, yes, sir!]" Roxanne playfully replies in English, then we drop the levity and gradually enter into a trance as we focus on the battle to come.



    Now that I can use any spell up to level 50, there's a specific one that interests me quite a bit, so I make some changes to my skill allocations to give me access to it. [Blessing Magic]'s [Haste] is a very powerful spell, but it doesn't last long, so Blessing mages rarely actually use it since they're typically non-combatants who stay far away from the front line.

    I test [Haste] a few times, and it feels like it slows down time for everything around me, allowing me to do anything I want at double the normal speed without actually requiring me to spend twice as much energy. It's an odd spell, but it's really powerful.

    Our skills are like this now:


    Wolf Ryder Skill Report​

    Physical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sword Use17+13Spear Use12+3Polearm Use12+4
    Dodge12+8Parry14+6Block7+8
    Shield Bash4+1Battlefield Perception8+2Muscle Explosion4+1
    Acrobatics13+2Ekrano Style (creator)4

    Magical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sense Mana0+6Mana Control3+17Mana Recovery0+0
    Mana Efficiency8+7Reduced Mana Cost8+7Mana Overuse Resistance5+4
    Blackout Resistance0+1Fire Magic1+4Earth Magic2+3
    Water Magic4+1Wind Magic1+4Electric Magic6+14
    Light Magic2+13Space Magic7+23Summoning Magic8+32
    Blessing Magic28+22Nature Magic2+18Conjuring Magic1+4
    Spirit Magic0+3Illusion Magic0+2Golemancy0+10
    Redirect Mana (creator)6Sense Soul (creator)6Soul Manipulation (creator)9
    Godly Language30+5Dragon Transformation (innate)7Equipment System5+5

    Miscellaneous​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Dancing0+1Cooking0+4Andraste Language4+6
    Dismantling0+4Piloting0+3Massage0+3
    Oral Technique0+1Mana Body (innate)4

    Info​
    NameWolf RyderAge17RaceWeredragon
    HP100MP1825Magic Power780
    Level57

    Stats​
    Strength15Endurance17Dexterity12
    Speed15Intelligence22Wisdom18
    Willpower19Charisma17Piety17
    Perception17Sanity14+4

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'Nickname "Good Luck", Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge, Golemancer, Scholar of Rabanara, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Shapeshifter, Protector of the Last Crown'
    Affiliations'Helios (Fellowship), Alissa Ryder (Wife), Hanafuria Ryder (Wife), Roxanne Ryder (Wife), Lina Ryder (Wife), Ciel Ryder (Wife), Aoi Ryder (Wife), Yulania Ryder (Wife), Servant Blood Slaves'
    Companions'Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'
    Crimes'NONE'

    Alissa Ryder Skill Report​

    Physical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sword Use9Bow Use41Parry6+4
    Dodge2+8Sense Presence12Hide Presence2+8
    Enhanced Olfact5Enhanced Hearing5Hawk Eyes6
    Muscle Explosion5Quiet Steps5Quiet Action4
    Enhanced Stamina2+3Enhanced Reflexes2+8Tracking3

    Magical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sense Mana1Mana Control1+7Reduced Mana Cost5+0
    Mana Efficiency7+0Fire Magic1Earth Magic5+0
    Water Magic1Wind Magic1Light Magic1
    Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1Illusion Magic1+14
    Fox Transformation (innate)7Equipment System6+4

    Miscellaneous​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Housework3Cooking4Cleaning2
    Washing5Riding2Oral Technique4
    Pain Resistance2Hand Technique2

    Info​
    NameAlissa RyderAge17RaceFox-type Wereanimal
    HP100MP1120Magic Power550
    Level57

    Stats​
    Strength13Endurance19Dexterity24
    Speed20Intelligence14Wisdom16
    Willpower17Charisma16Piety17
    Perception19Sanity18

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'Blessed by the Goddess of Love, Blinding Arrows, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'
    Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Helios (Fellowship)'
    Companions'Wolf Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'
    Crimes'NONE'

    Roxanne Ryder Skill Report​

    Physical​
    Skill NameLevel
    Dagger Use2

    Magical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sense Mana1+3Mana Control8+32Reduced Mana Cost20+5
    Mana Efficiency10+10Mana Overuse Resistance4+1Fire Magic30
    Earth Magic1+0Water Magic7+33Light Magic1
    Space Magic3+12Conjuring Magic5Alchemy1+9
    Potion Brewing12Poison Brewing2Redirect Mana1
    Equipment System4+6

    Miscellaneous​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Housework1Cooking1Cleaning1
    Washing1Riding1

    Info​
    NameRoxanne RyderAge22RaceSuccubus-Type Demon Race
    HP100MP2960Magic Power1280
    Level57

    Stats​
    Strength10Endurance12Dexterity12
    Speed9Intelligence18Wisdom20
    Willpower17Charisma17Piety11
    Perception12Sanity14

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'
    Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Hanafuria Ryder (Wife), Helios (Fellowship)'
    Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'
    Crimes'NONE'

    Hanafuria Ryder Skill Report​

    Physical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sword Use31Spear Use18Bow Use10
    Two-Handed Sword Use10Polearm Use6Dagger Use4
    Shield Bash2+7Block1+14Parry10
    Dodge12Tatesomu Style2+8Muscle Explosion8
    Battlefield Perception10Taunt3Intimidate3

    Magical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sense Mana1Mana Control7Reduced Mana Cost7+0
    Mana Efficiency2Fire Magic1Earth Magic1
    Water Magic1+0Wind Magic1+0Light Magic1
    Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1Illusion Magic5
    Equipment System6+4

    Miscellaneous​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Housework2Cooking1Cleaning1
    Washing1Riding3Massage1
    Pain Conversion1Dismantling4Oral Technique1
    Fire Breath (innate)5Summon Wings (innate)8Draconic Body (creator)6

    Info​
    NameHanafuria RyderAge24RaceFire-Type Dragonkin
    HP100MP940Magic Power455
    Level58

    Stats​
    Strength19Endurance25Dexterity11
    Speed15Intelligence12Wisdom16
    Willpower21Charisma18Piety12
    Perception10Sanity17

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'One Thousand Strikes, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'
    Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Roxanne Ryder (Wife), 'Helios (Fellowship)'
    Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'
    Crimes'NONE'

    Ciel Ryder Skill Report​

    Physical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Glaive Use1+29Sword Use4+5Parry6+9
    Dodge4+11Block9+6Imperial Hasterrum Style2+3
    Muscle Explosion2Battlefield Perception1

    Magical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sense Mana2Mana Control6Reduced Mana Cost3+2
    Mana Efficiency3+4Wind Magic14+26Fire Magic1
    Light Magic10+30Space Magic3Conjuring Magic1
    Diagnosis7Redirect Mana2Equipment System5+5

    Miscellaneous​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    First-Aid3Housework3Cooking2
    Cleaning2Washing1Riding1

    Info​
    NameCiel RyderAge22RaceHuman
    HP100MP1310Magic Power800
    Level57

    Stats​
    Strength14Endurance15Dexterity17
    Speed18Intelligence16Wisdom22
    Willpower16Charisma19Piety25
    Perception13Sanity21

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'
    Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Lina Ryder (Wife), Helios (Fellowship), Templar Knights (Honorary Member), Temple Priestess (Former Member)'
    Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'
    Crimes'NONE'

    Lina Ryder Skill Report​

    Physical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Hammer Use5+25Axe Use10+15Throw2+7
    Parry1+9Dodge4+6Block2+13
    Muscle Explosion2Shield Bash1+1Battlefield Perception2
    Dwarven Pride Style4Enhanced Speed4+1

    Magical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sense Mana1Mana Control7Mana Efficiency4+1
    Fire Magic1Earth Magic1+9Water Magic1
    Wind Magic1+0Light Magic1Cursing Magic13+7
    Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1General Enchanting7+13
    Magic Tool Carving2+8Equipment System6+4

    Miscellaneous​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    General Blacksmithing4Sewing4Housework1
    Cleaning2Washing1Math4
    Riding1Stonebody (innate)8

    Info​
    NameLina RyderAge16RaceDwarf
    HP100MP1225Magic Power540
    Level57

    Stats​
    Strength8Endurance8Dexterity13
    Speed12Intelligence16Wisdom15
    Willpower18Charisma13Piety13
    Perception14Sanity16

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'
    Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Ciel Ryder (Wife), 'Helios (Fellowship)'
    Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder'
    Crimes'NONE'

    Info​
    NameAoi RyderAge2RaceAzurite Dragon
    HP200MP1370Magic Power340
    Level39

    Stats​
    Strength18Endurance22Dexterity7
    Speed14Intelligence9Wisdom9
    Willpower18Charisma13Piety7
    Perception11Sanity19

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protector of the Last Crown'
    Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Helios (Fellowship)'
    Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Yulania Ryder'
    Crimes'NONE'

    Yulania Ryder Skill Report​

    Physical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sword Use3+12Two-Handed Sword Use2+18Parry4+11
    Dodge5+10Silent Shadow Style4+6Battlefield Perception3+7
    Enhanced Reflexes6Sense Presence2Hide Presence4
    Muscle Explosion5Quiet Steps2Quiet Action6
    Enhanced Stamina2+3

    Magical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Sense Mana3+7Mana Control6+4Mana Recovery3+2
    Mana Efficiency2+8Reduced Mana Cost1+4Fire Magic1
    Earth Magic4+1Electric Magic1+0Light Magic5
    Spirit Magic21+19Illusion Magic10Space Magic6
    Nature Magic5+10Conjuring Magic1Weaverism2+28
    Redirect Mana1+0Equipment System5+5

    Miscellaneous​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Riding5Acting3Dancing2

    Info​
    NameYulania RyderAge18RaceGolden Elf
    HP100MP1090Magic Power540
    Level60

    Stats​
    Strength13Endurance16Dexterity19
    Speed17Intelligence16Wisdom18
    Willpower16Charisma22Piety14
    Perception21Sanity17

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown'
    Affiliations'Wolf Ryder (Husband), 'Helios (Fellowship)'
    Companions'Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina, Aoi'
    Crimes'NONE'

    As we approach the ambush site, the soldiers all grow increasingly quiet, so much so that the clopping of our horses and the footsteps of the Chimeras start to seem surprisingly loud. The enemy doesn't appear to have werefox scouts, so even this amount of noise isn't enough to alert them to our presence.

    Hana mounts Aoi, and the two of them join the mounted warriors, who detach from our column to go around the enemies and begin a pincer maneuver. The terrain is thick with rock spikes here, so the footmen split up into multiple groups to use all the available paths to the ambush site.

    Nen, Darcy, and Montague stay with us, and we proceed up a narrow path that leads to a small group of imperial raiders, then we stop just out of sight and wait as the mounted warriors maneuver around.

    Both the enemy ambushers and those in the camp still haven't shown any sign that they know about our imminent attack, so we have to wonder if the two werefox spies were even related to them.

    After a few minutes of waiting in absolute silence, Darcy unfurls a small Misty Fox flag, a cute orange fox in a gray, misty field with a small square tower in the upper-left corner, the symbol of the Town Hunters. He sticks it into a slot on the back of his armor that keeps it firmly secured and ensures that it doesn't get in the way of combat.

    Our flag is much larger, so we need someone to be dedicated to holding it up, and Hukarere gets the honor of that role.

    I watch as the mounted warriors finish getting into position, then Léonne activates her Emergency Ring, giving the signal for Darcy to begin the attack.

    Six mages and I pull out our [Gate] "Scrubbers", and we all activate them at the same time.

    "SCRUBBEEEEER…!" An imperial mage screams at the top of his lungs.

    "ATTACK!" Darcy gives the order, and we rush up the path.

    I sigh tiredly, but I barely have to force myself at all to flood my mind with visions of dragons fucking, then I start to picture the scene when my draconic cock pierced a woman's pussy, when my blades split skin open and drew blood, when I fucked an entire army's worth of women all by myself, when I was face-to-face with death, drenched in my own blood as I fought to live another day.

    I get a boner as my heart is flooded with draconic energy, and the dragon inside of me assumes control of my body.

    It's time to kill, once again.

    The mounted warriors reach the enemy first, and they trample through the imperials, either slaughtering them or forcing them off the cliff they were poised above.

    Hana barely even has to do anything since Aoi's mass is simply too great for the small numbers of men to even slightly slow her down.

    A group of imperials appears further up the path ahead of the other girls and I, and the enemy immediately forms a shield wall to halt our advance.

    "Golems!" I call for their attention, and they raise their huge boulders. "LAUNCH!"

    I'm not sure if the imperials are frozen in fear or just bravely stupid, but they attempt to block the boulders with their shields, and the huge force of the impact blows them off the cliff, breaking their formation.

    We trample through the rest of them like a Border Collie smashing through a sandcastle, and we burst out the other side, right in front of over twenty archers.

    The Lordsguard all have enchanted shields, so the hastily-fired arrows are diverted up into the sky or down towards the ground by our [Wind Shield]s, and now, we're behind enemy lines, so all hell breaks loose.

    On the other side of this shallow valley, the rest of the enemy soldiers are getting trampled by the beast foxes and their riders.

    Silvano doesn't even bother to cast [Earth Armor] or [Amplified Reflexes], he just [Rush]es through the archers and continues down the wide path towards the other enemy shield walls, which are currently blocking the rest of our footmen from advancing up.

    I throw a [Discharge] at a group of mages who were trying to use [Ritualism] to cast a big spell at us, then Nen tackles the archers, forcing a few of them off the cliff and disrupting their attack.

    Anton's poleaxe cleaves heads from shoulders, and I'm certain that he could win against the archers all by himself.

    I notice that a large number of the imperials are actually weredogs, and they aren't a race known to resort to banditry so easily since they're highly valued as soldiers everywhere. They must be working for a mercenary company.

    Silvano opens the way for the rest of our footmen to advance, and the enemies start to surrender, but a few of them try to run by rappelling down the cliff, though they'll quickly meet the caravan's horsemen, who are charging along the road, coming in to capture them all.

    The enemy camp finally begins to stir as they receive word about our attack, but it's too late now for them to send help.

    With this battle wrapping up after just a few chaotic minutes, it's now time for us to end this once and for all. The girls and I join up with the mounted warriors, and we ride towards the camp ahead of the footmen.

    Klein and Anton stay with the Lordsguard, but Silvano rides with me because I'm actually small enough that this huge beast can carry both of us at once without a problem, though it's also because I'll never let him ride with my women, not even Lina.



    The enemy camp is close by since they wanted to be able to quickly secure the caravan goods they intended to steal, so we reach it after just three minutes of sprinting. It's set at the top of a hill, and the gates are already shut, so we encircle it and make sure that the Scrubbers are properly overlapping to prevent them from using [Gate] to escape.

    Since they already know that we're here, there's no point in hiding anymore, though we don't reveal the full extent of our numbers.

    We see a few heads peek out to look at us from behind the palisade on the hill, but none of the imperials move to attack. They're all holding standard-issue bows, just waiting for us to come closer. They scrambled to prepare to defend, not to escape, so we're all on edge, waiting for their counterattack.

    Behind their walls is a small shanty town, which is evidence that they've been waiting here for quite a while, and the men are primarily positioned on the walls and behind the three gates, though I can't say whether or not there's anyone inside the huts and shacks.

    "Grr… I don't like this," Silvano growls like a goblin as he dismounts.

    "Agreed," I coldly reply.

    Jacques takes a few steps forward, his towering figure almost allowing Léonne's head to peek up above the rather low treetops. We're on the opposite side of the hill from them, so we can only see them through my Holly.

    Léonne presses a magic tool against her throat, and her enhanced voice echoes through the forest, "YOU'RE SURROUNDED! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND OPEN THE GATES! I SWEAR IN THE NAME OF THE VERNER FAMILY, THE CHIEFS OF THE MISTY FOREST, THAT YOU'LL BE SPARED IF YOU SURRENDER NOW!"

    But their only reply is more silence.

    "Lord Wolf, can you make out their movements?" Darcy quietly asks.

    "Yes, but they aren't doing anything," I warily reply.

    Léonne is not the kind of person that repeats herself, so Jacques takes a few steps back, and she shouts one last time, "THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!"

    Alissa hears a few whispers, but they're too quiet, even for her, so all we know is that they're shaken.

    A long, tense minute passes, and Jacques retreats back into the trees so that none of our enemies can see us. I want to scout deeper into their camp, but I'm scared of what the heretics could do to my summons. Their souls are still part of me, after all.

    "I smell [Gate], it was cast a while ago," a werefox mana sniffer reports.

    "Reinforcements…" Darcy grimly comments, then he turns to his men. "Archers, aim to assassinate."

    With Alissa's [Sense Presence] and my aerial reconnaissance, she knows the position of every soldier on the wall, so she freely lobs arrows that fall back down right on top of their heads, but after the fourth kill, the imperials realize what's happening and pull up their shields to block the arrows.

    "How long…?!" One of the imperials shouts in desperation.

    "A little longer!" Comes the reply.

    "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Another voice drowns them both out.

    The terrible gut feeling I've had since I saw that pair of eyes doubles in intensity.

    "Darcy, I don't think it's a good idea for us to wait," I advise him.

    He turns to his sniffer, who reports, "I sense no spell being cast in there."

    "If they're backed by imperials, then they could have someone or something with nearly perfect [Mana Efficiency]," I insist.

    "We don't have the power to safely breach through that palisade yet," Darcy calmly retorts.

    "My wives could sneak in and open the gate. The imperials are all spread out, so it's possible for us to overwhelm one side, especially if you provide a diversion."

    Just to make a point, I have Alissa use the power of the Camalo armor right in front of him. The armor has two modes: one provides the option of applying a specific camo pattern based on the user's imagination, while the other tries to blend the armor in with the background. Alissa uses the latter, and Darcy raises his thin eyebrows high in surprise.

    I could move around enough points to allow me to use [Invisibility], but that would waste too much of my mana, and [Ignorance] should be enough to allow them to infiltrate the camp.

    Then Darcy grumbles and makes a deep frown, which turns his forehead into a washboard, but he eventually relents, "Fine, but I'm not sacrificing anyone for this diversion."

    I nod in appreciation. "We have our own way to retreat in case things go wrong." Then I turn to Alissa and Yunia. "Go."

    Yunia switches into her Camalo armor, then Alissa casts [Ignorance] on the both of them, and Yunia casts [Silence].

    Darcy grabs one of the summoned birds on his shoulders and gives the order, "Jacques, we don't think it's a good idea to wait them out, so we'll need a diversion for the Ryders."

    After a few seconds, one of his men announces, "Jacques reports: 'understood.'"

    "Silvano, once we're in, find what they're doing inside the main building," I sternly order him.

    "As you wish, your Highness," he happily replies and draws both of his bastard swords.

    Then the huge, elephant-sized fox charges forward at the same time that the mounted warriors unleash a barrage.

    [Fire Arrow]s and explosive [Fireballs] reach the palisade, forcing the men to cower from the barrage, allowing Jacques to run up the path unmolested before slamming against the gate.

    He runs back a short distance, turns around and slams into it once more before retreating back to the cover of the trees.

    The imperials shoot arrows in a counterattack at the mounted warriors, but they aren't enchanted, so the werefoxes easily avoid them by hiding behind the trees.

    Then they unleash another barrage, but this time, a few brave imperial men shoot arrows at Jacques, and Léonne easily diverts them with her own [Wind Shield].

    Alissa and Yunia activate [Fly] and pass over the palisade, then they switch to Bastión armor and launch their surprise attack on the men on the walkways.

    Yunia immediately drops down to the gate, right in the center of ten spearmen, while Alissa keeps the archers above occupied with [Illusion Magic].

    The rest of the girls and I activate [Fly], and we dart forward ahead of everyone else.

    "Become stronger," I quietly use [Godly Language] to boost our power.

    Yunia dodges every single spear thrust while her [Soul Blade] disables them one by one, then she activates [Searing Blade] and slices through the logs keeping the gate shut.

    "They don't amount to much," she snobbishly remarks through [Bind].

    "DIVERSION, ATTACK ON THE WEST SIDE!" One of the imperials bellows, and half the camp turns their heads towards the girls.

    With the heat now partially off of him, Jacques freely rakes against the palisade gate, leaving deep grooves in the logs.

    "HOLD THE GATE!" An imperial on our side commands, but Aoi crashes into it, and the spearmen on the other side are simply blown away as the gate bursts inwards.

    We're right behind her, so we quickly spread out and start slaughtering every enemy we can see.

    I stay at the gate with golems, diverting all the arrows flying down at us. I can't go too deep on the offensive in case the girls need to be summoned back.

    A flash of silver lightning passes by us, and I summon a Shad and a Nalusa to support Silvano. The Nalusa is my favorite monster, not because of its horrifying, charred visage, but because it can control all of the blood it draws from the enemies it wounds, quickly stirring up a red storm of slaughter in its wake.

    Now that she doesn't have to protect her husband from the archers, Léonne uses a shortsword with [Searing Blade] to open up the gate on her end, and the mounted warriors now pour in from both sides.

    Silvano enters the main building, and four halberds immediately chase after him, but he's fast enough to dodge them all with ease.

    Inside the main shack, dozens of burly men sporting the exact same set of pristine steel armor and halberds are standing in a grid-like formation. The four of them that were the closest to Silvano are the ones that tried to strike him the moment he walked in.

    In the center of their formation, a dozen corpses litter the floor, and a tall man in gray robes grips an unknown man's face, whose limbs are shaking uncontrollably.

    "Fuck…" Silvano and I whisper at the same time. That scene does not look good.

    The Shad following him shoots tendrils at the closest enemy, but there's absolutely zero response from them. It's like they can't even sense the Shad at all.

    Silvano unleashes a [Lighting Bolt] at the robed man, who screams in pain, then all of the armored men turn their heads towards the source of the spell.

    "ON IT!" Hana, Ciel, and Alissa reply before I even begin to ask them to help him.

    The armored Clones all immediately try to swarm Silvano, so he retreats out of the building while the Shad continues to strike, but since it's accomplishing nothing, I unsummon it.

    The moment Silvano attempts to parry a halberd, it erupts with flame as the Clone Soldier activates [Searing Blade], causing it to slice clean through Silvano's bastard sword. Not even his metallic silver skin can protect him against that enchantment, so he dodges backwards before he can lose his arm to it, then he lunges with his other bastard sword, and the blade cleanly pierces the Clone's visor, but he doesn't even flinch back from it in response.

    "DARCY! THE ENEMY HAS DANGEROUS HALBERD-USERS WHO CAN USE [SEARING BLADE], SO KEEP YOUR MEN AWAY FROM THEM!" I scream at him, trying to be heard over the sounds of battle, and he reports my warning to the communication birds on his shoulders.

    The Nalusa shapes the blood it's controlling into spikes to attack the Clones, but the wounds it inflicts seem to draw very little blood, greatly slowing it down from snowballing like it normally could've in a massive battle.

    Fox-Alissa circles around the building while Hana and Ciel land beside Silvano to help him fend off the swarm.

    An uncountable number of men are pouring out of the shacks, and the narrow alleys prevent the mounted warriors from easily trampling over them, so the attack starts to lose some steam.

    Alissa bursts into the main shack from the other side while transforming back into her humanoid form, then she unleashes an [Arrow of Annihilation] the very first moment she can.

    One of the Clones partially blocks her spell with his halberd, but it still pierces through the weapon, hitting the robed mage in the shoulder and severing his arm.

    "ARGH…!" He groans through gritted teeth, then grips the seared stump with his other hand.

    The last few Clones immediately chase after her, so she can't finish him off.

    "I'll keep them busy until Silvano returns!" She declares through [Bind].

    Hana blocks a [Searing Blade] with her shield and activates [Heat Reversal], which absorbs the heat of the Clone's enchantment, then returns it in an explosion, forcing the Clones back momentarily.

    Ciel swoops in and sinks her glaive into the neck of one of the Clones, cleaving through mail and padding in one clean strike, but she fails to actually kill him, then the wounded Clone simply gets back up again and continues to fight as if he was entirely uninjured.

    "WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY?!" Silvano shouts in disbelief.

    "KILL THE MAGE INSIDE!" Hana barks back, then Silvano disengages and circles around the shack.

    Alissa's arrow hits a Clone in the face, and it instantly crumples to the floor, but then it starts to move again just a second later and removes the arrow that was sticking out of its face.

    For them to survive these sorts of attacks can only mean one thing…

    "UNDEEAD!” Ciel angrily howls and casts [Judgment] on her glaive. Her next strike actually decapitates one of the Clones, the spell allowing her to slice through the heretic's neck as if it were made of paper.

    Lina, Yunia, and Aoi arrive to help Hana and Ciel, and the mounted warriors finally gain complete control of the palisade and the walkways, but the imperials in the alleys are still holding on, so the girls are about to be completely surrounded.

    "So many…" Lina grumbles through [Bind].

    I decide to advance with Roxanne and the golems, easily overwhelming the few defenders we encounter with our firepower. We need a clear path for Silvano to retreat.

    The footmen are now approaching the hill, so we only need to hold on for a bit longer.

    Silvano bursts into the main shack, and the robed mage points his finger at him. I instantly get a bad feeling about it, so I get Alissa to instant-cast [Ghost Lights], [Pacify], and [Daydreaming] on him, all at the same time.

    The heretic mage grunts and lurches forward, then half of the shack simply crumbles away into dust without a single trace of a spell, leaving only a huge crater in the floor, which barely missed Silvano.

    "KILL HIM!" Alissa shouts as she runs from five Clones.

    Silvano turns into silver lightning, and in the next instant, the mage's head tumbles from his shoulders, but that's not the end of him. Silvano casts [Earth Bullet] on the head, then he stomps on it until it splits open and his foot smashes through the man's brain.

    "UUGH!" Silvano groans in disgust, his warped face now looking somewhat similar to a Hobgoblin's.

    Alissa immediately smells the scent of corruption wafting from the crushed head, but the mage really should be dead from that kind of damage. "RETREAT!" She orders him and flees from the shack.

    Silvano follows her, and they easily lose the Clones that were chasing after them, then we meet up in the alleys just as I finish carving out a path for him.

    "RETREAT! DON'T ENGAGE THE UNDEAD SOLDIERS!" I order Silvano, and he grimly nods, then Alissa, Roxanne, and I [Fly] back towards Ciel and the others.

    I summon four fire elemental-wives, then I order them to set fire to everything and ensure that the heretic mage's corpse is turned entirely into ash.

    Our foot soldiers finally pour in, and the enemy's resistance crumbles.

    The girls can't hold back a swarm of nearly thirty Clone Soldiers by themselves, and only Ciel seems to be leaving any lasting damage on them, so I think it's time for me to use Patrono.

    A stray Clone Soldier reaches the footmen and immediately uses [Searing Blade] to slice through two werefoxes. The Clone is simply too fast for them to retreat in time.

    FUCK!

    I [Fly] back to them and cast repeated [Lightning Bolts] at the Clone, but he doesn't seem to feel a thing and simply continues barreling towards our Lordsguard.

    "CAUTION!" Anton bellows as he points at the Clone Soldier.

    Klein shoots an [Arrow of Annihilation] at it, and the spell penetrates his shoulder, but even though the armor seems to have absorbed most of the attack, his right arm is now almost entirely useless.

    "IT'S WOUNDED! KEEP IT DOWN!" A female Lordsguard shouts, and four of them quickly drive their spears into the joints of the Clone's armor, locking his arms in place and immobilizing him, though he's so heavy that they can't actually push him down.

    Anton rushes over to them to finish the Clone off since it can't swing its halberd anymore, but the monstrous undead still manages to flick its wrist and use [Searing Blade] to decapitate one of my guard girls.

    NOOOOO!

    "UNDEAD! STAY BACK! THEY DON'T GET WOUNDED!" I bellow at the top of my lungs, and I crash against the back of Clone. It feels like I just hit a solid wall, though the Clone does get tipped over.

    I cast [Haste], and the world slows down around me, allowing me to quickly cast successive [Spirit Lights] as I use my tentacles to shove the shining balls of light into the Clone's armor.

    Just as I begin to feel the stress of overusing my body taking its toll, the Armor starts to be affected by the spells and convulses, giving me enough time to use my own [Searing Blade] to decapitate it, then I dispel [Haste].

    "DESTROY THE HEAD!" Anton howls and sinks his poleaxe into it, then someone casts [Earth Bullet] at the back of the blade, forcing the poleaxe deep enough to split the head open, and the smell of undead corruption quickly invades our nostrils.

    "We're in a bit of a pinch, here!" Hana angrily complains through [Bind].

    The girls can't hold on any longer, so they use [Fly] to escape the swarm of Clone Soldiers, and I unsummon the Nalusa before it can die under the Soldiers' assault.

    I look over the battlefield and feel a horrible ache in my chest. Flames roar throughout the whole of the shantytown, and the imperials are all but defeated, but our footmen are now encountering the Clone Soldiers, and they're getting sliced open immediately upon meeting the monstrous Soldiers.

    Jacques can stomp them down with his hulking mass, but he can't go against more than twenty of them on his own. Ciel can also deal with them, but again, not by herself. Roxanne can kite them, but that would take too long, and I want to minimize casualties. Even Yunia has trouble with the Clones since it's definitely not a good idea to use [Soul Blade] against [Searing Blade].

    Darcy starts to bark out orders, and the footmen hastily retreat, but the Clone Soldiers are giving chase.

    I move the "cursor" in my soul space to [Equip] Patrono, but something stops me.

    And in the very next second, a divine light suddenly blinds everyone and makes the Clone Soldiers recoil in agony.

    "AAAAAAH!" Ciel shrieks as energy gushes out of her like a waterfall. After a brief second of panic, she immediately understands the divine Blessing that has been bestowed upon her and grasps the unending well of power. "A BOON FOR THE WORTHY!" Her triumphant voice echoes through the battlefield.

    She channels the borrowed power into [Judgment] as she raises her glaive, and the clouds are pierced by a blade of pure, divine energy, then she slams her blade down, and everything turns into dust.



    Intermission 27



    "Report."

    "The Oracle's Premonition was correct, but the assassins were spotted before they could activate the bomb."

    "[Monster Summoning]?"

    "Unconfirmed, but likely."

    "A third failure is unacceptable. Stop the assassination attempts until we know more."

    "Understood. Also, the Automaton Soldiers failed their duty, and though the Gods interfered, it was likely that they'd have failed anyway."

    "Allocate more resources to the Oracle. Her Premonitions are still our best tool."






    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Christopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Lord Copey Dunt.
    Lord Dracopuppy23.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Stellerbattle.
    Lord Chris Carter.
    Lord GoodKat.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
  18. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    Death isn't binary, you aren't simply "alive," and then, in the next moment, "dead." When you die, your body slowly shuts down its functions as your heart stops beating and your cells start to die from a lack of oxygen or nutrients, like a spinning wheel that's allowed to come to a stop on its own.

    It's only when the body reaches an irreversible state that someone is considered truly "dead," like how an egg can't be uncooked. People whose heart has stopped haven't really "died," they've just reached a state of "clinical death," and that's something that used to be irreversible, but once Earthling medicine advanced enough to be able to reverse it, those who went through "clinical death" hadn't really "died." So, all those movies about people having near-death experiences where they see "angels" or some other supernatural thing is just total bullshit.

    Death isn't binary, it's a fuzzy set where your "membership" to either the "alive" or "dead" groups is like a value between 1 and 0, and it slowly drifts towards zero until it reaches the "point of no return" for Earthling medicine.




    Soul Info​
    NameLorena BotadoRaceGolden ElfLevel29
    HP0/100MP310Magic Power90
    Strength17Endurance18
    But in Rupegia, once someone's HP reaches zero, they're dead, and no amount of [Light Magic] will bring them back. Once their Thread of Fate is cut, their soul "detaches" from their body, and the gates to Paradise or Hell open for them to spend their afterlife there before their soul is called back into the Spirit Cycle.

    [Heal] merely channels divine power to bring about a miracle where the body "realigns" with its soul, but if the body has no soul attached to it anymore, then the healing doesn't happen.

    [Regeneration] and other derivatives still draw upon information from the soul to heal someone, they just forgo using divine power to fuel it and instead use other, much more varied methods to heal someone.

    Theoretically, I could, through Earthling surgery, "revive" someone's body after they've died since HP is an arbitrary number, but then the body would be alive without a soul, which is an abomination in the eyes of the temple, and the body wouldn't be able to cast magic.

    A few seconds after Lorena was decapitated, she was dead, and there was nothing I could've done to save her at that point.

    Perhaps HP could be a representation of how close one's Thread is to being cut. There might be a way to strengthen the Thread while the body gets ravaged, but that's going a bit too far out of my area of expertise for me to speculate.

    Lorena's spirit kneels before me, and she lowers her head as she holds it in place to prevent it from falling off. "I beg forgiveness, your Highness, for my foolish mistake has caused you so much grief," she earnestly pleads.

    I show her a pained smile as I shake my head. "You don't have to apologize for such a thing. You did your duty until the very end, and you deserve to be honored for it," I politely reply, doing my best to keep my tears at bay. "I also could've-…"

    Could've what…? Scouted better? Fought more aggressively? Communicated better? Not abandoned the Lordsguard? Made better use of my powers? Let Roxanne get in closer to the Clones? Used Patrono from the very beginning…?

    I forced us to charge in without a plan and instead just a lot of fucking hope that everything would work out. That was a massive blunder. I was so paranoid about the heretics that I couldn't think.

    "Are you going to grieve for every one of our soldiers that dies?" Yunia sternly asks, her striking blue eyes narrowed in faint disapproval.

    I glance at her as I nod slowly. "Yes. For as long as my heart can endure." Then Alissa squeezes my hand tighter to reassure me. As per our promise, she'll always be there to mend my wounded heart.

    Lorena raises her head and mirrors my smile. "You honor me with your mourning," she whispers weakly.

    I look at her youthful face and feel guilty that someone like her gave her life for someone like me. Through her transparent blue spirit, I can see her physical body which has been covered in my flag, and the sight of that gives me mixed feelings.

    I hear footsteps coming closer, but I can't turn my head away from Lorena.

    "It's not over yet," Hukarere suddenly interjects. "You can become like us and serve even in death."

    Lorena's face slowly warps in realization, then she smiles brightly and lowers her head again. "If you'll have me, I'll gladly continue to serve for as long as my spirit holds," she boldly declares.

    I'm a very pragmatic person, so I don't really understand honor that well, and I don't think I ever will. I shouldn't, I can't, and I won't stop them from serving me, so I have to make sure that I never misuse their loyalty because I'm walking blind here, which also means that I won't know if I've made a mistake until I see the bodies piling up.

    I breathe in and place my hand on top of her non-material head as I calmly reply, "I'm glad that you find me worthy of so much sacrifice, and I promise to do my utmost to provide you with your just rewards."



    Ciel's mood is as gloomy as mine. She's just standing in place, staring at the destruction she wreaked upon the camp with conflicting emotions.

    The entire shantytown was pulverized. Even if there were some imperials who surrendered, there's nobody left alive in there now. The werefoxes do have dozens of prisoners, so it's not like they were completely wiped out, but she wanted to give them the chance to finally surrender.

    "Léonne gave them that chance, and they ignored her, so they got what they deserved," Lina coldly remarks.

    "We should never wholly dismiss the chance of saving a life," Ciel quietly replies.

    "It'd come at the expense of many werefox lives…" Lina mumbles as she buries her face into Ciel's breasts and hugs her tight. "We did everything we could, so please, don't be so sad."

    Ciel sighs and pats Lina's head. "I just need a moment," she gently whispers, then she opens her "Status" and stares at the new entry in her "Titles."

    "Blessed by the God of the Sun."



    After the werefoxes finish the clean-up, not that there's too much for them to clean since Ciel pulverized almost everything here, we meet up with the other leaders in a tent to discuss what happened.

    Nen stoically reads from a piece of paper, "First up, the death toll: twelve werefoxes, four from the mounted warriors and the rest from the footmen; one from the Ryder family Lordsguard; estimated nearly one hundred and fifty from the imperials, with nineteen of them captured. Since the enemy was hiding within the shacks, we couldn't get a proper count of their numbers."

    "Better than what we had estimated if the bait caravan was to be attacked," Darcy impassively remarks.

    "Indeed. All things considered, this operation was a resounding success," Jacques gives them mild approval.

    Nen waits for a moment for any other comments before continuing, "Moving on… the survivors have all confessed to have been working for the mercenary company 'Praefortis,' which primarily operates in Mistcross, but they aren't known to come into the Misty Forest, and due to their relationship with heretics, the Punishers can handle the company's destruction on their own."

    At least, for once, it wasn't Katasko.

    Yunia frowns in displeasure as she points out, "If they sent reinforcements, then the main branch should already know what happened here. The heretics should already be untraceable for us by now."

    And Nen grimly adds, "Not only that, but there is no conclusive evidence that they were being aided by the White Stalkers. The ones who had that information were apparently killed by the mysterious mage inside the main shack."

    That mage used true heretical magic. A spell that neither Alissa nor Silvano could detect, and the mage didn't even chant. It was so terrifying that even Silvano's nonchalant mood has been disturbed, but Allura is the one who looks the most afraid. She's completely tensed up, her pale face even paler than normal as she quietly listens to all of this serious talk.

    "It's unfortunate that the mage was killed, but I see no way for us to have safely captured someone as dangerous as him," Léonne regretfully asserts.

    And Yunia bitterly adds, "There's also no response from his ashes, so I'm certain that he shattered his own spirit upon death, if he even had one to begin with."

    We stay silent for a moment as we stew in the gravity of this situation.

    Then Nen clears his throat and moves on to the next topic, "Now, regarding the matter of the undead soldiers, there are three headless corpses in good condition, and three more that were completely crushed by Jacques."

    "One for me, one for the Verners, and one for the temple," I immediately suggest.

    "I don't have use for such a heretical abomination," Léonne angrily replies, and I feel a shiver run down my spine, afraid that I've offended her.

    "Give it to your mages and have them study it so that you'll know how to fight the undead in the future," Yunia immediately comes to my aid.

    And I calmly point out, "The Clone Soldiers were lower undead, so only their brains were corrupted, which means that their bodies had been enhanced in some way to make them so resistant to wounds."

    Léonne diverts her stern gaze as she carefully deliberates. "Hm… I understand," she quietly hums.

    "'Clone' Soldiers? Is that what we're calling them, now?" Darcy curiously questions.

    Right, they don't know what 'clone' means.

    I glance at the golems behind me.

    "It has the same meaning as 'copy,'" Ted begins, as always.

    "But it's used for something biological," Suzy continues on cue.

    "Like twins, but also artificial," and Jarn finishes.

    "S-sounds appropriate…" Darcy murmurs as he stiffly nods.

    Then Nen broaches the last topic, "The only significant spoils to divide up are the halberds enchanted with [Searing Blade]. They didn't have much gold since they hadn't attacked any caravans yet."

    "We should just divide it equally," I kindly suggest.

    Léonne nods and quickly replies, "Agreed. My share will go to the twenty-fourth as part of their compensation for their efforts." And Darcy smiles contentedly.

    "That's all I have to report," Nen politely finishes.

    After a few more quick exchanges, the table goes silent.

    "I'd like a word with Lord Wolf," Léonne announces, and everyone immediately moves to leave, even Alissa. It's kind of useless to try to have a private talk with me, though, since I have eight peepers who enjoy listening to my every thought.

    "Gih."

    I just ignore Gify for now and meet Léonne's stare.

    Her demeanor is very austere while mine is weary but stiff. She clearly has the advantage in any potential discussions, though the support from the girls will keep me from failing miserably in any exchange we might have.

    "I now understand the sort of enemy you have to face…" She starts with a grim tone, her orange eyes looking rather lifeless for a moment. Then she takes a sip from her tea and continues, "And I know that you're all going to face this head-on like stubborn orcs."

    I smile wryly and mumble, "I-I wouldn't say it like that."

    "I won't go back on what I just said," she coldly replies, and I sigh in defeat. "But I'll still help you in whatever way I can, not just because you're married to Alissa, but because I believe in you."

    I raise an eyebrow and stare at her curiously. "Oh…?"

    Her stern look starts to wash away, replaced with a kind, wise smile. "Three Blessings, and two Divine Interventions. It'd be irresponsible of any humanoid for them to simply ignore your struggle."

    I look down at my cup with a bitter smile as I start to confess, "I'm not sure why the heretics hate me so much, but I do wish to follow the teachings of the God of Change and bring progress to this world, though I feel as if I lack the support to go down this path." I lower my head respectfully. "So I thank you for your consideration from the bottom of my heart."

    Her voice suddenly strikes at me with a seriousness that I haven't seen from her before. "I, Léonne Verner, Chieftess of the Misty Low Forest, shall give you my aid whenever you need it."

    Oh, shit.

    I straighten my back and respond in kind, "I, Wolf Ryder, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, shall give you my aid whenever you need it."

    She extends her hand, and I pad my claws before I also offer her mine, and then we shake hands to seal this informal alliance, and I feel a tightening in my heart as our vow is heard by the Gods.

    I try to keep myself from savoring the feel of her hand, but it's so delicate and she's so beautiful that it's hard to keep those thoughts at bay, so I feel guilty about touching her. I'm a pervert through and through.

    I release her hand before she does since I'm feeling conflicted, and I notice her flashing a subtle smirk at my brief awkwardness.

    I clear my throat and politely confess, "It gives me great relief to gain your acceptance."

    "You're someone who's worth listening to," she replies in kind.



    After that, another Division arrives to escort the 24th back to Roubaix while we take a [Gate] directly to the Verners' home.

    I [Equip] my formal clothes again and look back at the Lordsguard. Though they're still standing tall with pride, there's a bit of a gloomy air around them as they carry Lorena's corpse on a stretcher. Her spirit is still floating along beside it, so it's kind of an odd situation since Lorena is awfully cheery despite the fact that she's dead.

    I look at my wives and quietly declare, "I wish to go back to Escanso and deliver Lorena…" -I hold myself back from frowning at the spirit's bright smile- "and I think we should hold a funeral for her."

    "I'll go with you," Lina immediately replies.

    "Same," Ciel glumly joins in.

    "There's some business in Escanso that I wish to settle," Yunia shares.

    Hana, and Aoi share a look. "Maybe we can spar some more with the werefoxes…?" Hana hesitantly asks.

    Roxanne gives us a silly grin. "I'll… stay and watch… and gossip with the Elders," she embarrassedly adds.

    I turn to Alissa and quietly assure her, "I'll be fine, so just stay here for the rest of the day with your parents. I'll get Osaria and Poosh to comfort me." Then I gently squeeze her hand and give her a peck on the lips.

    "Thank you," she whispers back and gives me a short hug.

    We give our goodbyes to the Verners, and Allura becomes visibly heartbroken.

    "For the good of our alliance, I hope that you aren't trying to add my daughter to your collection of wives…" Léonne coldly lashes at me.

    "I'm not looking for any more wives," I reflexively reply and wave my hand dismissively, a bit uncomfortable with how intense her glare is.

    Alissa smiles like a cunning fox and makes a stunning announcement, "Breeding Contracts are still possible, though, and we aren't going to negotiate too hard with you since we're not-blood family."

    "Eh…?" I blurt out in surprise and jerk my head to look at her.

    Jacques blinks blankly and reluctantly asks, "Didn't you already give your children to the dryads…?" And his mouth twitches since he just said some words that he would've preferred to not have had to say.

    I scratch my head with my claws, and I'm thankful that I remembered to pad them before doing that. "Dryads can only use my seed to create more dryads, so this is… a bit different," I stiffly point out.

    Alissa grabs my arm and happily explains, a perverted smile gracing her beautiful face, "It'll be quite a while before we're ready for children, though, so you have to start increasing the weredragon population as soon as you manage to create that racial skill you have planned."

    Oh…

    Lina's Trivia: children can inherit a few skills from their parents, and those skills are said to be a child's "talent," so nobles try to have children later than commoners do to help their offspring find their path earlier on in life. Though, the skills someone is born with don't always reveal every talent they have. Alissa wasn't born with [Bow Use], but it's clear to everyone how much of a talent she has for it.

    Yunia raises one thin eyebrow in mild surprise. "You're always concerned about the oddest of things," she remarks offhandedly.

    "I just… wanted to have children with my wives first…" I shyly mumble.

    "Wow, I'm actually surprised…" Silvano whispers to the Lordsguard, his eyebrows raised high, and our soldiers flash a few wry smiles at each other.

    "Awn…" Ciel moans weakly, then gives me a tight hug, squishing her jiggly bits against my back. "That's so sweet, but the survival of your race needs to come first."

    I sigh and whine dramatically, "Alright, I'll make the sacrifice of impregnating as many women as I can the very moment I'm able to."

    "Please, don't brag," Jacques quietly pleads, then ignores Léonne's and Ofilia's glares.

    I grin cheekily and kiss Ciel's hand. "Alright, let's go…" Then I turn to Anton, who seems to have gone into a trance. "Sir Anton…?"

    He blinks, then snaps out of it. "Uh…? Oh, right, yes, let's go."

    I chuckle softly and wave goodbye to the Verners, then we enter the [Eternal Gate] Network.

    "You're always welcome to visit," Léonne gently offers.

    "We will!" I shout back.

    Klein and half the Lordsguard will stay for a little longer with Alissa, but all the newbies come back with us.



    When we arrive back home, Anton, Silvano, and I call the High Officers, and we give them an after-action report on the battle.

    Poosh gives me such a concerned look that I actually feel a bit guilty about worrying her so much. She gets up and comes right over to me, then pulls my head in between her bouncy breasts and fluffy chest wool.

    "I-I'm actually kind of alright, so you don't have to worry about me too much," I try to soothe her, my voice coming out quite muffled.

    "It's my job to comfort you regardless, so please, allow me to do my duty," she tenderly replies as she runs her fingers through my hair, and I feel a shiver run down my spine because she's really good at her job.

    "Your Highness…" Sandoro's impassive tone dampens my levity. "I shall shift the Lordsguard's training focus towards combating the undead. It seems that they already understand their roles in preventing assassination."

    I turn my head to look at him and frown.

    "You don't approve…?" He slowly questions, his aged face looking remarkably wise and rugged.

    "No, I… I feel like I made a mistake in that battle," I guiltily confess.

    "And so did I since I was supposed to be leading the Lordsguard," Anton immediately speaks out, sounding a bit stiff and nervous.

    Sandoro wastes no time to reply to us, his tone as direct as a [Lightning Bolt], "Soldiers die for stupid reasons all the time. I'm not saying that Lorena's death was stupid, but the men were rather aggressive, perhaps a bit too zealous in their desire to serve."

    I sigh and bury my head in Poosh's bosom again. I know that it wasn't really my fault, but… I'm just so conflicted.

    Then Sandoro adds on, another strike against my stubborn guilt, "We don't have that many veterans, and the newcomers haven't finished their training, but neither will they truly ever finish it before they die of old age. Still, it's the leader's job to make the best out of what they have."

    And Alcander joins in, his cheery bluntness making him sound quite fatherly, "People came to serve you because of your power, not your military prowess, so mistakes are expected and accepted so long as the men continue to see you shining beside them."

    "Literally shine in the case of Lord Ciel," Silvano cheekily jokes.

    "At this point, we're expecting every last Ryder to be Blessed," Almaria comments, sounding like she doesn't completely believe her own words.

    "It'd be unfair of us to expect that from all of them in case one of them never receives a Blessing," Poosh points out concernedly and hugs my head a bit tighter.

    Sandoro clears his throat, and the chatter dies down. "We need to deal with the… binding of Lorena's spirit to the land."

    All eyes turn to Sai, and the cute halfling proudly puffs out her flat, little chest. "I can cast [Trap Soul], so I'll do it as soon as possible!" She proudly announces.

    I fondle Poosh's breasts just a bit, then regretfully depart from their warmth and order, "Then let's do it now. I'm uncomfortable with leaving her as a wandering spirit for any longer than necessary."



    We board a few gondolas, and our Lordsguard [Weaverism] mages drive it towards a High Tree near the edge of Escanso's lake. The High Tree in the center is for the Lords, the closest ring around it is for our servants so that they may rest close to their Lords, the next ring out is for the nobles, and the outermost ring is for the commoners.

    This sacred lake is a rather beautiful place, and my mind drifts towards thoughts of fucking my wives in it, or at least while riding in a gondola. I just need to get a mage from the Companions to drive it for me.

    My gondola stops near the chosen High Tree, then I stand up and turn around. The only people present are Sai, Sandoro, Anton, a temple priest, a few Chimera, Lorena's spirit herself, her Lordsguard comrades, and also her handful of commoner friends. She doesn't have any family, which is why she was so happy in the Lordsguard; the comradery runs pretty deep among them.

    I clear my throat and start giving the speech we quickly prepared for this, "High Officers, Knights, Lordsguard, and common folk of the High Forest. Today, we bury Single-Petal Foot Soldier Lorena Botado. She died bravely fighting against an abomination, an undead soldier, but unfortunately, a single precise strike is all it takes to end a humanoid's fragile life."

    I notice that her friends are shaking, both in fear and awe. My presence is having a bit of an unwanted effect on them since they definitely see me as some sort of holy person.

    "Even though she has paid the ultimate price and fulfilled her duty by giving her life for the Lordship, it's still not enough for her. She has chosen to also serve me in death, and I shall honor her by fulfilling her sincere wish. I shall bind her spirit to the land and give her the chance to find glory once more."

    The priest frowns and looks around concernedly. I called for him to join us to give Teresina some reassurance that we're not doing anything heretical, but it's still pushing against the limits of what the temple would normally be comfortable with.

    Lorena stands up and proudly walks up to me, still holding her head to keep it from falling, then we stare each other in the eye, though she has to look down a little to meet mine. She has a bit of a dreamy and tomboyish look to her with her wide eyes and short hair, making my heart beat faster from having a beauty like her staring so intensely at me.

    Sandoro hands me a small red gem, and Sai starts chanting, then I continue on to the final part of my speech, "Your old vow of serving me until death has been fulfilled, so I require a new one. Do you pledge to give me your time as a spirit, to serve me while your spirit still wishes to roam the land, to linger on my branches in exchange for more of my protection, even though it failed? For our resources to help you grow? For another opportunity to achieve glory?"

    Lorena kneels and lowers her head submissively while holding it in place. "I do, your Highness," she declares out loud.

    And finally, I announce with a solemn tone, "Then rise again to serve me, for your second life begins now."

    Sai's spirit-hand grabs Lorena, and her real hand touches the gem. "[Trap Soul]," she quietly finishes casting, and Lorena disappears as she's forced into her new home.



    After we bury Lorena's body, the Chimeras stay with her to help her adjust to her new life, then I quickly take my leave and return to the castle.

    Ciel, Lina, Yunia, Osaria, and Mimi are having a meeting, but after the funeral, I really need my milf to comfort me.

    "O-sa-ri-aaaa~…!" I whine childishly as I burst into the meeting hall.

    She jumps in her seat and turns a surprised face towards me. "O-oh…?! Y-yes, my love…?" She reflexively replies, giving me a boner from hearing her say the words "my love."

    "I want to be pampered!" I exclaim as I pull a chair over to hers, then I sit down and lay my head on her armrest.

    She gives me a warm, motherly smile, and her dark fingers run through my hair. Her touch is a bit more intense than Poosh's delicate fingers, so it's a different experience. She's full of passion while Poosh would show more respect.

    "You did well at the funeral," Yunia kindly praises me, and I smile softly at her.

    "I was actually worried that Sandoro would scold me, but the meeting with the High Officers went much better than I expected," I bashfully admit and close my eyes for a moment.

    "Since when did you become so childish?" Mimi unamusedly questions.

    "He always acted like a baby when it came to my breasts," Osaria teasingly comments, and my wives all nod a bit bashfully.

    "I'm just acting my age," I cheekily reply and show Mimi my tongue, making her snort.

    "How old are you, actually?" Osaria softly asks.

    "Seventeen," I answer with an innocent tone and show her my best wide, puppy eyes.

    "Liar," she immediately accuses.

    I grin and deflect, "Apologies for interrupting your meeting. You may continue now."

    Yunia rolls her eyes and continues the discussion.

    We directly control a good part of the Eia production, but the Lordship also has a few other businesses to complement our income, and she's talking about the direction that she wants those businesses to take since Mimi and Osaria will be supervising them from now on.

    Ciel and Lina also pay attention to this meeting to help them learn a little more about how to govern since we all want to help ease Yunia's burden from managing our territory.

    I'm not an economist, but if we want to get closer to the dream of a socialist utopia, I also need to pay attention to this to help out in the future. My contribution is my (limited) knowledge of Earthling politics, so I may be able to provide foresight in certain matters that could prevent catastrophes in the future.

    My take is that the High Forest's economy is a bit complicated. As Lords, we have absolute power over our territory, but the Tribunal (and the temple, though with less influence) prevents us from abusing our power since it has direct approval from the Elder Council, which lets them do their thing, as long as they also don't abuse it.

    But who watches the Watchmen?

    In the end, only the Emperor watches over the Elder Council, which is why I'd like to find a way for us to enter their ranks.

    But anyway, back to the economy. The Lordship-owned businesses have the advantage of not paying taxes, so it's easy for us to overtake every other business and establish an absolute monopoly, but neither the temple, nor the Tribunal, nor even the Gods want such a thing to exist.

    "Power" in Rupegia is something only to be held by the noble class, so merchant companies growing so big that they can "own" a country is a concern for everyone with even a smidgen of "Piety." But on the other hand, this kind of "power" is to be used exclusively to provide an environment for everyone to "grow." And that growth also needs a certain degree of freedom to actually take place.

    The age of God-Rulers, who had absolute control over everything concerning the commoners' lives, is long gone. In this age, the main philosophy for managing businesses is "balance." The God of the Sun may have been kind of a libertarian, but he also preached about "moderation" to an equal extent.

    The "balance" of our businesses is maintained by controlling a number of the elements of a business, and the most common control is the number of employees that we can hire. It's the Tribunal that dictates those elements so that the growth of our businesses is highly controlled, but in matters of "national security," like the supply of Eia, we're allowed to control a large share of the "market."

    Curiously, this artificial limit forces some of our businesses to cater exclusively to nobility so that they can handle the demand, and as a result, they end up being quite profitable for us since the nobles compete to "forge relations" with the Lord. Though, that also annoys Osaria since it ensures that there's a lot of greedy nobles bothering her with business proposals.

    Tangentially, it's those proposals with nobles that will allow us to build our clan. The limitations are only set on businesses directly owned by the Lordship, so if close relatives open up shop, like the Gilbiks, then they're free to grow as much as they can as long as certain laws are obeyed to prevent monopolies. It's kind of a loophole, but maintaining a loyal clan is harder than it looks, so that's "balanced" enough for the Tribunal.

    Back to the economy, again. These "Lord-owned-businesses" have a lot of financial reports that they have to submit, which the Tribunal uses to keep an eye on them, and that's kind of convenient for us since we need that same process of accounting to implement our intended socialist plans in our territory.

    We don't collect income taxes, so there's certainly a lot of revenue that we could squeeze out of the higher class that currently goes untouched. This money could fuel so many projects that it makes me salivate, figuratively.

    "Taxing the income of the merchants will cause a lot of problems for us," Yunia tries to shoot down my idea.

    I knit my eyebrows in confusion and point out, "I thought that the Tribunal protected the commoners."

    Yunia nods gently, making her beautiful drills bob, and explains in a scholarly tone, "They do, but their goal is to protect anyone from the schemes of nobility, which helps merchants more than commoners. Not only that, but they also enforce the laws through economic threats, like fines and compensation, yet again benefiting merchants more than commoners."

    "But if the commoners unite and rebel against the merchants, then we can keep the Tribunal in check," I riposte.

    Ciel suddenly leans forward and excitedly chimes in, "That's what the temple does. They can rile up the people to go against both the nobles and the merchants in case either class goes too far."

    Nobility, merchants, and clergy. I think I read about something like this being the three pillars of power in medieval society.

    Then my head is struck by a [Lightning Bolt] as an idea suddenly comes to me. "Our social projects would give us the approval we need from the people, and with the support of the temple, we could ensure that the commoners stay on our side!" I exclaim.

    But Yunia's expression turns grim. "This… could cause a lot of change within the High Forest, and the Elder Council would have to approve of our actions first," she soberly points out.

    I anxiously run a claw along Osaria's thicc thigh. "You think they wouldn't?"

    Yunia gives me an apologetic smile. "I'm not sure. I do believe that they'd criticize our fight with the old royals since they've left Heretic's Rest untouched for millennia."

    I grip my milf's thigh and raise my head as I assert, "They deposed your father because he opposed the agricultural reforms. We have to lean on that angle to convince them to accept our plans."

    Yunia frowns grimly and looks at the table, gazing at the colorful recreation of Escanso that's been carved into it while she describes, "The Council is greedy like the merchants, and their focus seems to be the stability of the High Forest. The money for social programs will come from our coffers, which would leave us vulnerable to monetary crises, so the Council might oppose them just for that reason alone."

    And the solution immediately comes to mind. "In the name of the safety of the commoners, it's in our power to forcefully seize funds in response to any sort of crisis," I stoically propose.

    Yunia doesn't spend long thinking about it and speculates, "The commoners and the merchants would definitely resist, and I don't think the Tribunal has the capability to soothe them." Then she turns to Ciel, waiting for her response.

    "But the temple does," Ciel eagerly completes the thought, then her gentle face becomes briefly stoic as she elaborates, "If the temple has the trust of the commoners, the priests can easily raise levies and force the commoners to march to their deaths."

    Yunia closes her eyes tiredly, then Gify pops onto her shoulder and starts her spiritual "massage."

    "Oh, that's good…" Yunia moans softly, and relaxes for a long moment, then suddenly straightens her back and opens her eyes, re-energized, though Gify doesn't stop the massage. "So the plan is: increase the power of the temple, increase the commoner's piety, start social projects to garner the commoners' support, convince the Elder Council to accept our ways, improve the tax laws to increase our income, divert that income towards more social projects, add more protections to the slave class, deal with the reactions from the merchant class, then finally, spread our reforms throughout the empire."

    "The first two parts are already well underway, it seems," Osaria comments and gives me a proud smile as she massages my horns.

    I lay my head back down on the armrest and suggest, "Our social projects can also benefit the other Lords or nobles. For example, creating an Engineering Corps that would build and maintain the bark shield-wall for all villages."

    "Getting the Root Lords on our side," Osaria adds, seemingly becoming quite excited about the future.

    "Sounds like a solid plan to me," Mimi gently accepts.

    But Lina has some concerns, "I'm still afraid about the response from the merchants. Money is power for them, and an increase of their taxes will be resisted by all of them, especially once we start giving slaves more rights."

    Mimi nods in agreement and solemnly adds, "Yes, I'm sure they will respond, but Lords are still feared by merchants since they can always execute unruly merchants in the name of stability."

    "The temple will get involved if we start killing people," Ciel coldly points out.

    "'Involved,' but they won't really 'stop' us, correct?" Yunia asks with a sly smile.

    Ciel sighs and looks down at the table in dejection. "Yes… that's why the temple is always at odds with nobility."

    Yunia assumes a scholarly tone as she preaches, "If we don't enforce our power over the other classes, they'll slowly erode our authority, then take over our position. Humanoid greed has to be constantly trimmed and curtailed to preserve the balance."

    Ciel raises her eyes to Yunia, twitching in annoyance. "Which just makes more work for the Templars, who have to watch the nobles to make sure that they don't go too far."

    "Templars rarely have to come to the High Forest, though," Yunia calmly points out, and Ciel fails to find a retort to that.

    My thick tail lazily wags as I deliberate, "Elven society isn't very pious, but they make up for that with their tightly knit culture. Though, now that I want to open up the High Forest for outsiders, they'll need the help of the temple to keep things under control."

    "Meanwhile, the rest of the empire lacks the same degree of protections that the Tribunal provides," Yunia wisely completes.

    I bend my tail towards her twice like a "nod" of agreement. "Yes, the three pillars of power are unbalanced in both regions. In the High Forest, the pillars of laws and nobility are equal, but it lacks religion, so the commoners here are content with wallowing in their misery. In the rest of the empire, the nobility is too powerful, taking part of the share that belongs to the laws."

    Faith, money, and leadership.

    Religion to protect us from ourselves, laws to protect us from each other, and the nobility to protect us from the outside.

    The temple guides the commoners and keeps the balance, the Tribunal guides the merchants, who push for progress, and the rulers shoulder the responsibility to guide us all.

    This is the triarchy of this society. Though not perfect, I feel like it can become better than the wreck of greed and lies that Earthling society was spiraling down towards. At least there's nothing like climate change looming over our heads over here, so there's no need for us all to unite, like there was back on Earth… or maybe not, I don't really know how things are over there anymore.

    I want to explore the Folder of Cycles some more…

    The girls continue talking about the details of our plan, and I tune out from their discussion just a bit to savor Osaria's caressing, but I still keep enough focus on them to keep learning because the whole talk ends up being very enlightening overall.



    At just an hour before lunchtime, we receive an urgent message.

    "The human Nero Gavalas has passed through customs."

    That's one of the names that we put on a secret list of people that we must keep an eye on. More specifically, he's a suspected agent of Katasko, the one who manipulated the Enforcers to go after us.

    The fact that he entered the town so brazenly means that he's confident that we won't abduct or assassinate him, which is rather concerning. I had made it pretty clear that I was suspicious of him when we met.

    Yunia and I immediately take a [Gate] to the entrance that he came through, then we meet up with the Lordsguard unit that's currently stalking him.

    It's a bit difficult for me to hide my eye-catching horns, even with a cloak, so I put my points into [Illusion Magic] so that I can use [Ignorance] on myself.

    We meet up with the squad leader in an alley to avoid calling attention to ourselves since Nero is currently taking a casual stroll along the busy main road.

    "Your Highnesses," the squad leader politely greets us as he kneels.

    "Rise and report," Yunia sternly replies.

    The leader obeys and keeps his head low as he continues, "Nero had hired a nondescript caravan from Goldcross to escort him here, and when they entered the town, he immediately broke off from them. He seems to be hiding neither his name nor his face. Regarding the reason for his arrival, he simply declared 'for business' with an undetermined length of stay."

    At least, if he truly meant to come here just to get fucked by us, then he didn't lie.

    Yunia and I share a look as we communicate both confusion and suspicion to each other through [Bind], then she orders the squad leader, "Continue stalking him, but be ready to abduct him at a moment's notice."

    "Yes, your Highness."

    And then I do my part, "Describe his face and outfit to me, I'll use my monsters to stalk him, too."



    But Nero still manages to surprise us all by going directly towards the Lord's Hall for the commoners.

    We return to the castle and take an [Eternal Gate] to the Hall, then the confused attendant hands us Nero's request form.

    "Request: meeting with the royals.

    Reason: Katasko.

    Time limit: at any time.

    Demands: none.

    Is the requester a noble?: no.

    Attendant's observations: none."

    Yunia and I share a look, then I shrug.



    The petitioner's hall for the commoners is a bit more imposing when compared to the one for nobility. Our thrones are almost a full floor above the petitioner's stand, and we're protected by a thick glass wall enchanted with Gods-know-how-many defensive spells. The lack of windows also gives the hall a more austere look that's actually quite uncommon in the usually pretty elven architecture.

    It's beautiful here, as usual, but damn, if it isn't overbearing.

    Yunia and I equip our Bastión armor, then we sit on our thrones, and I summon a line of five light elementals behind us to give us a holy air. The Lordsguard line up behind the enchanted glass while two mages feed it their mana to activate its defenses, making the glass faintly glow.

    "Send him in," Yunia orders, and a grim bell is rung.

    The double doors open, and Nero is let in while flanked by two heavily armored Lordsguard.

    He's a tall, bald man with the usual imperial brown tan, a perfectly square black beard, and a bit of a posh mustache. His demeanor seems to be casual, but not completely relaxed, which gives Yunia the impression that he's got a high-level [Acting] skill.

    "You're now in the presence of Crown Lords Wolf and Yulania Ryder. Kneel in respect for the royals," the guard sternly orders.

    He takes off his dark cloak and obeys.

    I breathe in deeply and let my fresh point in [Intimidate] fill my tone as I order, "Rise, and state your business, Nero Gavalas."

    He stands and gives us a smirk, showcasing his shining, white smile. "I've come to offer information on Katasko," his low, gravely voice resounds through the hall.

    "In exchange for…?" Yunia lets the question hang.

    He nods repeatedly in a dramatic way as he completes it, "A fair reward, of course."

    "You defected?" She sternly questions.

    And he nonchalantly replies, "I quit due to 'disagreements' with the direction that the company was taking."

    "I have an idea," Yunia shares through [Bind].

    "Go for it," I encourage her.

    "Arrest him," Yunia coldly orders, and the doors behind him slam shut as all the defensive enchantments activate in the blink of an eye, making the glass between us glow brightly as it's flooded with mana.

    "WHAT?!" He reflexively squeaks, his mask of composure cracking.

    The two Lordsguard flanking him draw their maces and assume an offensive stance, ready to smash his brains into paste, then more Lordsguard pour in from a hidden door.

    Yunia's tone becomes imperious and vigorous, drowning out the clattering of our men. "You're known for engaging in bribes, fraud, and corruption with the Enforcers. You shall await your trial in the dungeon, so you'd better start thinking of anything you can offer us in exchange for a lighter sentence."

    "YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE!" He bellows, his tanned face quickly turning scarlet with anger.

    And I smugly divulge, "But I do, and I'm willing to have my testimony validated by the Truth Seekers."

    Nero's jaw limply drops in disbelief, and he falls to his knees with lifeless eyes, then the Lordsguard put manacles on him and take him away.

    After the door closes again, we both sigh and slump on our thrones.

    "Was he just an idiot?" I mumble to Yunia.

    She shakes her head softly and clutches my claws for comfort. "I don't think that many people know that you can see someone's real name, and though it was a bold, risky move to saunter into our town like that, it was still within reason for him." Then she guides my claws to caress her rosy cheeks, which I promptly do.

    Then something occurs to me. "How far will it spread if I reveal the extent of [Sense Soul] to the Seekers?" I wonder.

    She closes her eyes and answers, "They won't personally share it with others, but the problem will be the trial. It'll be difficult to prevent the evidence from reaching the hands of someone corruptible."

    "So, it'll be based on luck."

    "Yes."



    We tiredly return to the castle for our lunch.

    What a fucking day, and there's still half of it left.

    I happily eat Krysta's cooking again. This time, she surprises us with curry chicken accompanied by cooked beans and steamed grains. It's a Rabanarian dish, though it's usually made with Dragolite. It'd go perfectly with rice, but I still haven't found that in this world, so I have to make do with substitutes.

    I also give Krysta a tip to add not-tomato sauce and make it a bit sweeter so that it tastes similar to Japanese curry.

    After our spicy meal, we cleanse our mouths with a deep [Clean] because I'll soon be sucking on Osaria's clit.

    First, I start with Osaria's mouth, fucking her with my tongue as I grope her jiggly parts. I taste the liqueur that she drank at lunch on her tongue, which feels a bit nostalgic for me since she usually enjoys a little drink every now and then, though I rarely see her actually getting drunk. Knowing her insatiable hunger for cock and pussy, she probably keeps herself from drinking too much to avoid making a "mistake."

    Hngh, how I missed her.

    Though it was just a day apart, she's so fucking hot that my cock gets sad if I can't breed her regularly.

    But today, I want my "moms" to pamper me.

    "Poosh, come help me with Osaria," I gently order her with a smirk.

    She adjusts her round glasses and smiles warmly. "With pleasure, your Highness," she obediently replies.

    Osaria grins like a child on Christmas morning as she gains a new toy to play with.

    My head, my chest, my limbs, and my cock. They're all enveloped in squishy tits and soft fluffiness.

    I cum straight upwards and make it rain as the two women giggle softly, playing with my body as they see fit.

    The needy child within is slowly cleansed from me, wiping the weariness away in the process and replacing it with the draconic hunger that grows hotter and hotter by the moment.

    I gradually shift their caresses from me towards each other to satisfy my lesbian fetishes, then I suck on their clits as they finger each other, their gentle moans making my cock quiver with excitement.

    I need to fuck them now!

    I get them to lay on the table, then I use my tentacles to guide them into my favorite sex position for a threesome: Poosh on top of Osaria as they kiss and finger each other while I use four thick cocks to fuck all four of their holes simultaneously, which are now lined up and ready for me.

    Ah, yes. Fluffiness plus thiccness is the perfect combo.

    The lack of Alissa's Blessing is making me tire out more easily, but this little orgy replenishes my energy reserves.



    I walk out to the balcony, still completely naked, and stretch as I observe my town going about its business. I observe the Sky Docks where my ships are moored and start thinking about what we should do next for our airship plans.

    Hm… how about wind tunnel testing?

    I'll talk to Almaria and Silvano later, but for right now, Yunia is in need of some comfort. She's been working hard lately, so I want to reward her.

    "Yu~…? Do you want to cuddle for a bit?" I cutely call for her.

    She sets her goblet down on the table and comes out to me with a subtle, wry smile. "Are you going to make it lewd?" She amusedly questions.

    "Always… I mean, only if you ask," I cheekily reply with a grin.

    She pouts cutely, but still comes up to me, then I pull her into a hug and use my tentacles to create a platform that makes me as tall as her.

    I give her juicy red lips a series of gentle pecks that progressively grow longer and gentler as we let our steel hearts soften again.

    Suddenly, a female Companion bursts into the dining hall and immediately freezes upon seeing Lina using her tongue to clean the two passed-out women who are still covered in semen.

    I see the nostrils of the mature elven woman flare as she breathes in deeply, taking in the smell of my cum, but then she regains her professionalism and walks right up to me.

    She briefly glances down at my Dragonator and swallows heavily, then hands me a letter and immediately leaves the room.

    I almost tell her to stay, but then I stop and frown when I recognize the Anara family's seal.

    Oh, boy.

    I quickly open the letter and read through it, then Yunia starts to gently caress my head as I feel a headache coming on.

    Vanea wants to arrange a secret meeting with me.

    Oh… boy…



    "You seem to have quite a resistance to mental effects, so I'm sure you'll be fine meeting her on your own," Yunia stiffly assures me.

    I just frown and stare at her while I slowly raise an eyebrow. "Are you afraid of her…?" I confusedly ask.

    She looks away and waves her hand dismissively. "Me? No, of course not, I just don't think it's necessary for anyone but you to meet with her directly."

    I narrow my eyes in suspicion and continue to stare, but I don't probe her thoughts because I want her to admit the truth.

    She refuses to look me in the eye, so I grab her face, making sure that my claws sting her just a little bit, and force her to look at me.

    "Yulania Ryder. Confess," I command her.

    She resists my domineering aura and glares defiantly, her angry but still stunningly beautiful blue eyes giving me a boner as they trigger the degenerate within me.

    However, she knows that there's no way out of this, so she begrudgingly admits, "Her Eyes of Authority can rip my [Mask] to shreds."

    "Wait, why are they called that?" I confusedly question.

    "They're an imperial inheritance that makes people feel submissive to the user, and it's rumored that they got it directly from the imperial royal family."

    "Ooh~… that explains a lot." But then I hum smugly. "Hm… so you really are afraid."

    Her pretty face warps in anger for a brief moment, then she starts grumbling, "Of course not! Out of all of us, you're the one with the best resistance against mental attacks, which we all witnessed during our stay with Arreira, so it makes sense to only send you to meet with her… and she did ask to meet with you, specifically."

    I grin as I pull her face closer to mine. "I'll need a lot of pampering," I whisper with a husky tone.

    "I'll suck your dick until your MP reaches zero," she nonchalantly replies.

    But I frown in dissatisfaction. "You already do that without me even having to ask."

    She becomes flustered as she realizes that she may very well be as much of a cum addict as Roxanne. "W-well, what else do you want me to do?!"

    I hum in delight as I let my degenerate mind wander. "I want to fuck you and Ereia at the same time," I whisper perversely.

    She scoffs and pouts subtly. "That isn't much of an outlandish request."

    I smile and kiss her pouty lips, mellowing them out a bit. "Well, I'm thankful that you're so honest."

    She rolls her eyes tiredly. "It's pretty pointless to lie to you," she mumbles bashfully.

    I grin and kiss her deeply, picking up from where we had just stopped.

    I grab her back and ass with my claws and hug her tight, pressing her luscious breasts against my skin. The incredibly thin fabric of her dousnadeia makes it feel like she's wearing nothing at all as I distinctly notice her nipples harden.

    She hugs me back, and her long, delicate fingers caress my muscles, seeking comfort in the arms of the man that has given her everything she had lost and more.

    Her smell, her taste, her warmth, her touch, her stunning beauty, it's all maddening to me. When my wives open their hearts to me and allow their feelings to seep through [Bind], it gives me such a euphoric high that nothing could ever compare to it. In the name of the Goddess of Love, we need to modify [Bind] into something more pure so that we can spread it all over the world, giving everyone the opportunity to experience true love like we do.

    But it also makes it pretty hard to take it slow with the girls.

    My cock throbs with desire and drips with precum, forcing me to ascend the stairs of love before Yunia is ready.

    I break the kiss, which frustrates her a bit, and move down to her breasts. I realize that Roxanne may have savored Yunia's delicious red lips more than I have, but nobody has tasted my wives' pussies as much as me, so it evens out, in my opinion.

    I suckle on Yunia's nipples like a baby, and I feel her hot breath against my head as it gradually quickens.

    I quickly move on when I feel them become all tingly and sensitive. They need to be able to endure my pinching when I fuck her pussy, so I'll leave them be for now.

    Her defined abs are faintly salty from the sweat that has dried on her skin, but it just tastes like nectar to me as I lick every inch of them, worshiping their absolute perfection.

    "Add 'abs' to your list of fetishes," Yunia teasingly comments.

    "Add every single part of you to the list of things that I love," I ardently reply, making her chuckle heartily.

    She may have her pride and sense of superiority as an elf, but her weakness is my passion; my ardent dedication to loving her and the other wives disarms her completely.

    She strokes my black horns, imagining that they're both my cocks, and it makes me gasp as another jolt of stimulation is sent down to my cock, making it throb even harder.

    I get on my knees and pull her not-panties to the side, then I penetrate her with my tongue. My wives' pussies each have a particular taste, so I'm certain that I could identify them from that on its own.

    After our battle this morning, Yunia's pussy tastes slightly stronger than usual, even if she did use a deep [Clean] on herself after the battle. Perhaps it's not the sweat that gives her this taste; it might instead be her desire to be bred that has this subtle effect on her taste.

    My draconic hunger for women must be what has turned me into such a pussy sommelier. For once, I'm actually thankful to the dragon inside of me for helping me get closer to my wives.

    I play with her lips and clit using my tongue as she holds onto my horns like they're handlebars, trying to guide me to tongue-fuck her deeper.

    Ciel watches the two of us with gentle eyes, happy that two of the people who she loves and respects are so passionate about each other, but the best part of her watching us is that her sight gives me a perfect view of Yunia's pleasure-stricken face.

    I grab her ass cheeks and spread them apart, then I wiggle a tentacle into her asshole and bend my tongue upward until it rubs against her G-spot.

    "HAAAHNGH~…!" She orgasms from my tongue, moaning loudly as her legs fail her.

    Her lewd juices flood my mouth, and I drink it all eagerly, steeling my back and using my tail for stability as she lurches forward, too weak to keep herself standing.

    Her thighs reflexively squeeze against the sides of my head, and if it was Hana in her place, I'm sure it would have hurt me a lot.

    "Stop… please… I need… ah…!" She struggles to speak, but I just wiggle my tongue against her G-spot harder in response. "I need…!"

    I stretch her asshole, making her grit her teeth.

    "I need…"

    I pinch her clit with a tongue-tentacle, making her squeak.

    "AH~…! Your…"

    I make pointy bumps on my tongue to scrape against her labia.

    But she powers through the stimulation to shout, "COCK!"

    And that makes me pause for a moment as a burst of desire makes my cock throb once again.

    "BREED ME!" She demands, not wasting the opportunity now that I've stopped stimulating her.

    The dragon breaks free of its chains and roars triumphantly.

    I use my tentacles to move Yunia off of me and force her to turn around and bend over the railing, then I line up her pussy with my cock and thrust.

    "YES~…!" She shouts in bliss as my superior cock stretches her insides, now almost drooling from the pleasure.

    I cross my arms and enjoy the view as I use my tentacles to drive her waist along my lengthy Dragonator, then I create some suckers to play with her recovering nipples again.

    I love fucking my women on the balcony. The way they lean over the railing is so erotic, the freedom of fucking in the open air is so refreshing, and the fact that I'm looking down upon my town while doing it is truly empowering.

    Yunia's long legs quiver as her pussy drips with lewd juices, and her face scrunches up in effort as she struggles to remain standing.

    My cock is supreme. It's a potent weapon against women, perfectly suited to attack their resolve and force them to submit to my superior genital. Elf, dwarf, dragonkin, Chimera, demon race, or whatever proud race a woman belongs to doesn't matter. My cock is supreme.

    I use my tail to help anchor me in place as I put more power into slamming her waist against mine.

    Her voluminous drills become thinner as her sweat soaks into her hair. Her pride goes the same way as it shrinks and flops under the storm of our passions, allowing her usual stern face to warp into one of unbridled pleasure, the mark of a cum-addicted sex slave.

    As Yunia's mind is filled with pleasure, her entire body relaxes, and she lets her spirit float down the river of heaven without a single care. Just like how I use sex to de-stress and relax, she uses getting Ravaged by me as a way for her to achieve a zen state that provides similar benefits.

    The repetitive movements and constant stream of pleasure coming from my cock helps me enter a trance, too, helping me relax to a level that I couldn't achieve even with Osaria and Poosh working together.

    But since I'm not trying to exhaust her with pleasure, this state of relaxation just further shortens my already naturally short time needed to cum.

    I slam Yunia against my hips one more time, then I unleash it all inside her with a long groan of relief.

    Her depths flood and overflow with a bucket's worth of cum, then I slide out of her and help her lay down on the bench nearby.

    She tries to catch her breath as she admits, "I don't think… I can lay… with Ereia… today…"

    I kiss her lips and lovingly caress her cheek. "It's fine. We can leave that for tomorrow," I soothe her, and she nods slowly.

    I call for a maid to clean up Yunia because she definitely needs her drills to be redone, and Lina isn't here anymore to help with that. My cute little dwarf is already back in her office, sketching out my idea for wind tunnel testing.

    As I turn around, my head sinks into a pair of huge chocolate mounds, and I instinctively grab them, then I pull Ciel down to the floor again so that she can stop using [Fly] to float.

    "Are you feeling better?" I gently ask Ciel through [Bind] since my mouth is occupied right now.

    "Yes, I am. Thank you for worrying about me," she warmly replies and hugs my head.

    "Are you okay to come with me to meet with Vanea?" I cheekily suggest.

    "No," she reflexively rejects.

    "Pbbbtt… and you, stay where you are!" I shout to stop Alissa before she can even offer to come back.

    "Oh… okay…" She mumbles through [Bind] and returns her focus to her family.

    "Well, anyway, I thought you'd be happier about the fact that you got a Blessing," I admit, still a bit concerned about Ciel's mood.

    She nods slowly and confesses, "I've never really worshiped the God of the Sun, so his Blessing was unexpected, and I never imagined that I'd be someone who would ever cause so much destruction, so I'm a little afraid of myself now."

    And I gently try to comfort her, "Maybe it's because of your personality that he briefly gave you that much power. I know that I would've completely fucked up and killed us all if that Intervention had been empowering me instead."

    She gives me a pained smile and kisses my right horn. "Perhaps… but I think Roxanne could've controlled that power just as well as I did."

    I raise my head to glare at her. "Roxanne definitely doesn't have the capacity to limit collateral damage like you can."

    "Hey!" Roxanne complains, but we both shoot her down immediately with memories of her evil grin as she kills monsters, so the bloodthirsty succubus embarrassedly retreats back into her corner.

    Then Ciel continues, "But I still don't understand why I was the target of the Intervention since I completely pulverized everything."

    I theorize, "Perhaps the Gods wanted someone who wouldn't abuse that power since they might have to empower us more than once, so that may be why they chose you, to prepare you for the future."

    She blinks blankly as her face is briefly struck by the realization, but then she frowns again. "Oh… I see what you mean, though I don't really agree with it."

    I sigh and give up trying to convince her. Instead, I straighten my back and rub my cheek against hers. "They also stopped me from using Patrono, so I think there's more to their intentions than we think."

    "Hm…" She hums, deep in thought, but even she doesn't know what to make of this.



    After stalling for what is probably more than long enough, I call for Enomosa and a small detachment of Companions to accompany me.

    Vanea wants this meeting to be a secret, so she's chosen Goldcross as a neutral city for us to meet since it's easy to come up with a plausible reason for why we're both coincidentally visiting it at the same time. She has also suggested a fitting motive for me to go there: to visit a werecat brothel.

    My fucking reputation is already beyond recovery if she actually considers visiting brothels to be just a simple passtime for me.

    The Companions seem to be a bit tense; they might be thinking that I'm bringing them to an orgy. While they've been chosen due to their "attraction" towards me and my wives, some of them might actually be pure lesbians since Hana, Roxanne, and Yunia are kind of like sex icons for gay women, so I have to make things clear to avoid any misunderstandings.

    "We're going to a secret meeting with Vanea with the pretense that this is a casual brothel visit, so nothing sexual is supposed to happen. Please know that, though you're all welcome to approach me at any time, I would never force my subordinates to do anything they don't want to."

    Their reactions to that are varied, from blushes, to smirks, to even a few sighs of relief.

    Enomosa is completely unconcerned. I'd love to fuck her and break that cold, sadistic mask she always wears, but I think that conquering her heart will be as challenging as Teresina's.

    Make no mistake, I don't want to just "conquer" her, as if I were adding another notch on my belt, I truly do want to bring her bliss through my cock. Yes, my motives are completely "pure."



    As Goldport's "sister" city, Goldcross is just as beautiful as I remember. The mix of imperial yellow brick houses with the grass-elf plump tree-houses is adorable and charming.

    The city may be a tourist trap filled with expensive snake oil merchants, but it bustles like a melting pot of cultures thanks to the revived High Road breathing new life into it.

    None of the girls are with me, not even Gify, the little coward, so I don't feel like lingering among the stalls or looking for oddities. Those sorts of little pleasures are only really worth your time when you can share them with someone you love.

    We walk through the Nobles' Quarter and get a few curious looks from the people we pass by. My appearance is simply too unique to not draw attention.

    Fortunately, we soon reach the brothel neighborhood, then we locate the "Oh… Nyan!" brothel.

    The brothel itself follows a "cutesy" Gothic style, which fits nicely with the Gothic lolita werecat maids that populate it.

    "See these skimpy maid outfits? I'd love to have our maids wear them, too," I tell Lina through [Bind].

    She stops her enchanting work and diligently takes detailed notes, including sketches of the designs. "I'll show them to Poosh," she dutifully replies.

    There's a considerable number of actual cats walking about, and even a cat nature spirit, too, yet there's a distinct lack of the characteristic smell that a gathering of cats of this size would typically exude.

    A catgirl with short, brown hair and pink skin approaches us. "Welcome, Grand Sir, to the 'Ahn~… Nyaah!' brothel, nya," she hams up the greeting, even moaning seductively and striking a cute pose as she says the odd name. She has cute, sharp fangs that are even longer than Alissa's, peeking out to be seen every time she speaks.

    What the fuck, Vanea. How did you find this place…?

    I look at her half-naked body and breathe in deeply. She's short and very slender, but she's got a nice, round ass and breedable hips that make me hungry. She's wearing a pair of open high-heels, which exposes her partially bestial feet. She doesn't have fur covering them like Allura, but she does have sharp claws that give her a faintly wild air.

    "I'm Crown Lord Wolf Ryder. I was referred to this place and advised to ask for a 'Lala,'" I calmly announce with a gentle tone.

    The catgirl freezes for a second before bowing deeply. "I'm the one called Lala, nya Lord, and I'll be delighted to fulfill nyour every desire, nya," she respectfully replies, though her mildly nasally tone slightly undermines her efforts.

    "Perfect. Take me to your best room, then."

    She straightens up and smiles adorably. "At once, nya!" Then she grabs my hand without any fear of my claws and energetically pulls me through the lounging hall.

    As we pass the gaggle of catgirls watching us, I notice some very envious looks coming from them, which strokes my ego quite nicely. There are only two other patrons in the lounge, but they keep their curiosity to themselves as they certainly know who I am.

    Lala takes us up a lavish set of stairs and down a corridor, where I hear muffled moans coming from a few rooms, but as the doors become increasingly ornate, the sound-proofing also gets better, and things become silent.

    Their best suite isn't as big nor as ornate as my own room, but it's still a high-class suite furnished with gilded, but also ostentatious adornments.

    Half of the Lordsguard stays outside, while the other half and Enomosa spread out along the walls of the room.

    Lala immediately pushes me down into a lavish chair with a mischievous smirk. Sitting on a chair that hasn't been modified to accommodate my tail is a bit uncomfortable, but this one is so well padded that it doesn't bother me at all.

    As soon as I've gotten comfortable, Lala kneels before me and forcefully pulls down my pants.

    "Hm….?" I hum inquisitively with a raised eyebrow, but I don't stop her.

    "Orders from above, nya," she cheekily replies, then swallows my cock whole and energetically deepthroats me, her large brown eyes staring intensely up at mine, but the way her cat tail waves behind her is just as entrancing.

    We hear a knock on the door, and I permit them to enter, then a nervous Lordsguard pokes her head in and informs us that Vanea is right outside.

    I shouldn't expect any less of Vanea.

    "Yes… allow her in," I amusedly reply and caress Lala's head and fluffy cat ears as she sucks me off. My delicate touch earns me a purr that feels like a vibrator against my head.

    The door opens, and Vanea, followed by Grosnok, a huge lion beastfolk, casually walks in.

    The dark-haired princess looks just as pretty as I remember her being, and though her eyes do scream of "evil sadist," they don't cause my skin to crawl anymore. A few points in [Mental Resistance] helped me retain my composure in our previous encounters, but my new race ensures that it's almost an entirely stress-free experience for me now.

    I never could appreciate before how doll-like her face is, though I know very well that her grin can be a bit creepy. Her princess dress is very cute, but it also has a faint sexy flair to it with its generous cleavage and an opening that exposes her navel. Her long-sleeved gloves finish off the look, giving her the impression of a delicate, yet mature flower.

    Grosnok is a yellow, furry man with a lion's head and an impressive golden mane, and unlike the Chimeras, who usually have human body parts, Grosnok is a full-fledged furry. His build is the same as Jacques', making him a furrier counterpart to the red-bearded beast-like man.

    Enomosa pulls a chair over and offers it to Vanea, who graciously accepts it, then she sits merely a meter away from me. She gives an amused look at the catgirl happily sucking me off, and giggles softly.

    "It's a pleasure meeting you again, Crown Lord Wolf Ryder," she elegantly greets and gives me a perfect business smile, now ignoring Lala completely. I may have some "resistance" to her eyes, but she can still give me shivers when she puts some effort into it, and it seems that Lala notices that my dick subtly deflates for a second.

    "Hm…?" She hums in confusion with my cock buried deep down her throat.

    "Likewise, Dame Vanea Anara," I respond in kind, then run my fingers through Lala's silky hair, and she continues sucking me off.

    "Your growth is stunning, Lord Ryder. Everyone's wondering when the 'Rising Star' of Eastern Avgi is going to reach its zenith, but there's not that many who think you'll stop with 'Crown Lord.'"

    "'Rising Star'…? Is that really what they're calling me?" I calmly question with a tinge of horror in my tone.

    She smirks and touches her lower lip with her index finger in a seductive gesture. "It's telling that you're more worried about a nickname than my comment about your immeasurable potential."

    I nonchalantly shrug. "Well, 'potential' concerns the future, so I'm more interested in the now."

    She nods and lays both her hands over her lap, assuming a lady-like demeanor. "Of course, the entire empire and even outsiders are watching you. Two Blessings, an Intervention, a high-rank Lordship, and a royal legacy. Anyone hearing about you would certainly be envious or at least curious."

    I grin cheekily and pet Lala a bit harder, making her purr again. "Make that three Blessings and two Interventions. They happened just this morning."

    "I-…" Her mask of composure is instantly shattered as a blank look of surprise is stamped across her face. "AHAHAHAH…!" She suddenly bursts into a hearty laughter so loud that even Lala slows down out of worry.

    I push the catgirl's head back down to make her deepthroat me, then I softly sigh in relief as I cum down her throat. Her waving brown tail stills for a second, but then it moves entrancingly again as she happily continues milking me like the good girl that she is.

    It takes a few moments for Vanea to get herself back under control again, and Grosnok even offers her a napkin to dry the corners of her eyes to avoid ruining her makeup.

    Vanea sighs joyfully and continues, "Ah~… Lord Ryder, have you ever heard the saying, 'the stars are the suns of other Realms'?"

    I instantly frown in confusion as I point out, "Doesn't that go against our knowledge of the Star Burst event? We shouldn't be able to see the other Realms of our Cycle with the naked eye."

    She pouts annoyedly. "You damn scholar… of course it isn't literal, that's why it's a popular saying, not a teaching from the Gods."

    "Oh…" I awkwardly hum and smile apologetically.

    "A-ny-wa~y…" She pompously continues, carefully enunciating each syllable. "Being favored so strongly by the Gods makes me wonder how close to them you'll eventually become."

    It's one thing to joke about being a "God of Sex," but having someone like Vanea say that out loud makes me sweat cold.

    "My priestess wife would strangle me if I started thinking like that, so I have no comment," I smoothly reply.

    She rests her cheek on her hand and stares at me amusedly. "Not talking about it won't stop the rumors."

    "I know, but at least it won't inflame them."

    "Fair enough." She relents and looks down at Lala's cute sitting pose as she gobbles me up. "Is she good enough for your standards…?"

    "Yes, she is." I caress Lala's ears with my spirit-touch, making her purr delightfully once again.

    Vanea stares at her with a surprisingly gentle look as she confesses, "Sometimes I use a fake cock just because I find it incredibly erotic to have a woman suck me off, so count me jealous that you can actually enjoy getting sucked."

    I'm stunned by this revelation for a few seconds, but then I immediately make a cock-shaped tentacle. "Perhaps you should learn [Soul Manipulation]. That'll give you the tools to truly fulfill those desires of yours."

    Her smile slowly widens into a grin, and she starts chuckling sadistically. "You're a box of surprises, Lord Ryder. Perhaps we can negotiate for this skill…?"

    I nod slowly and call upon Yunia. "Perhaps…"

    Vanea straightens her posture again, and her expression becomes stoic, sending another chill through me. "Now that we're talking business, I need to say that there are two reasons for why I called for this meeting. The first is to give you the information we extracted from Darean about Dawn of Fire, and the second is to propose a business deal where I supply you with attuned gems from our recently opened mine in the Lapis Waterway."

    The mention of Darean sours my mood, but only for a moment since Lala's skillful mouth makes it effortless for me to forget that Wicked man. "Ah, yes, we still have to 'deal' with Dawn of Fire, but enchanted gems…?" I curiously ask and tilt my head pompously.

    Vanea smiles excitedly. "I heard that you now have a fleet of airships, and the Chimeras who can not only build them, but also refine the gems, as well."

    "Yes, I do…" I proudly hum.



    I cum two more times down Lala's throat, then she gets up and sits on my cock while we continue to negotiate. It actually helps me to remain calm, similar to the support that my wives can give me, though just purely physical instead.

    Vanea gives a signal to Grosnok, who kneels and delicately sneaks his hand down through the opening of her dress at her navel, then I see his fingers moving in and out of her pussy.

    "I'm glad that I've found someone who has similar sexual principles as I do," she softly hums as she orgasms from Grosnok's furry, clawed fingers.

    I don't even know how to answer that, so I just smile back, and then I notice Grosnok licking his lips in hunger as he deeply breathes in the smell of Vanea's lewdness.

    Is this some sort of contest to assert dominance? The first one to get embarrassed loses?

    Well… it's a good thing that I've become such an unrepentant degenerate, then!

    Yunia concentrates solely on helping me negotiate while Ciel and Gify work together to comfort my mind as I navigate this tense and stressful discussion with Vanea. The other wives also help a bit, but the three of them have everything under control, and I gradually become more comfortable talking to Vanea.

    Though, I think Lala also deserves some recognition for helping me to relax.

    Vanea tires out first and orders Grosnok to stop. Though he seems a bit dejected initially, he finds his own happiness in licking Vanea's sticky cream from his furry fingers.

    Then Lala tires out and decides to give me a massage. Vanea feels a bit envious of me, so she orders Grosnok to massage her, too, and our stiff postures crumble under the strong hands of the two feline kin. It's a weird experience, but it does help Vanea and I act more friendly and casual with each other.

    As the negotiations progress, Lala serves us not-earl-gray tea with not-lemon meringue cake, then a few hours pass, and the negotiations conclude successfully.

    "It was a pleasure meeting with you, Lord Wolf," she says her goodbyes with a slow, suggestive tone.

    I nod respectfully. "Likewise, Dame Vanea."

    "Just call me Vanea in private," she kindly replies.

    "Then call me Wolf."

    "Until next time, Wolf," she whispers gently.

    "Until then, Vanea," I respond in kind.

    She giggles softly and leaves, then I ask the Lordsguard for a bit of privacy so that I can have a proper round with Lala.

    Once the Companions are out of the room, Enomosa comes over to me and stoically asks, "Your Highness, are you an exhibitionist, by chance…?"

    I feel so attacked by her question that I struggle to come up with an answer.



    Intermission 28 – Vanea



    Wolf has aged like a fine brandy. The young, skittish, and delicate boy has grown into a mature, confident, and gallant man. It's hard to believe that the rumors were true, that he had become such a heartthrob, but I was certain the very moment I saw him that he had a wild dragon within his heart, constantly wrestling for control as he salivated for females. But the human was definitely in full control, grinning as he rattled the chains before me.

    Hngh… he makes me wet in ways that only Haaran or Dad can. I want him to beg and lick my feet for the privilege of fucking me, but it'll be hard to keep myself under control if we'll be meeting often in the future. I must not give myself to him for free when I could squeeze so much out of him.

    I feel like he's the kind of man who would pay a fair price for Laina's first time. I'm not sure if he's willing to take more wives, but maybe she could become one of his concubines. My little sister does seem to have the aptitude to become a fine Lady, so it'll be up to her to see if she can latch onto his heart.

    But something he said has stuck with me.

    "We shouldn't be able to see the other Realms of our Cycle with the naked eye."

    What a curious phrasing.


    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Samuel Lim.
    Lord Bill.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Colorblind.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Krawn.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Christopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord ImportantNPC.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Lord Copey Dunt.
    Lord Dracopuppy23.
    Lord Freddie.
    Lord Cidant.
    Lord Stellerbattle.
    Lord Chris Carter.
    Lord GoodKat.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble Shawn Plumley.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
  19. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    Intermission – Alissa

    Allura and I lay down on the grass and stare up at the blue sky, trying to imagine what the clouds are shaped like, though we both mention the shape "dick" a bit too often.

    "Hey, do you remember when I used to rub salve on you after your training?" Allura suddenly asks.

    I turn my head to the side to look at her and smirk. "Yeah, I do. But why are you bringing that up? Feeling like ogling me again?" I tease seductively and push my breasts together.

    She just glances at me and scoffs, "Meh, I don't like women that much. What I wanted to say is that I always liked to watch you train."

    "Oh…" That makes me pause and hold back the degenerate within me.

    Then we both stay silent for a moment while Allura gathers her thoughts, and we continue to gaze up at the sky as the white clouds slowly drift by.

    "You trained so hard, but I… was never able to train as hard as you," she finally quietly admits.

    "You lost the moment you compared yourself to me," I coldly reply, mimicking Mom's tone.

    Allura starts to smile, thinking about how to counter-banter, but then realization strikes her, and the smile retreats, making way for a pensive expression. "Fuck… you're actually right. I shouldn't compare myself to you, it isn't fair."

    I sit up on the grass and turn a curious look towards her. "But why did you compare yourself to me?"

    "Because I'm the Chosen Descendant, but I could never train as hard as you did," she wistfully confesses.

    I hug my knees and absentmindedly play with the grass as I think out loud, "That's because I always had a 'goal' that had to be reached in just a few years, while your 'goal' is to one day become the Chief and keep the Misty Forest safe."

    But Allura is still unconvinced, so she frowns and insists, "But you still grew so much that I won't ever be able to catch up."

    And that makes me slightly angry.

    Stubborn little cub.

    "I know how to serve, to comfort, to kill, and to lead, but I don't know how to be a Chief or a Lord," I heatedly point out.

    "But you-…"

    "No buts!" I yell while fuming. "[No butts!]" I playfully pun inside my own head in English, and my anger is the only thing preventing me from shouting my immature thought out loud like a fool, the same way that Wolfy likes to.

    Oh, no. He's "contaminated" me.

    Then I flop back on the grass again and grab Allura's hand. "I don't want to compete with you."

    "Well, I do! How about that?!" Allura flippantly replies and pouts exaggeratedly at me.

    "I won't let Wolfy take your first time," I coldly threaten, giving Allura a chill as her pointy ears become extra pointy in wariness.

    "W-who said I wanted that?!" she squeaks embarrassedly and pulls her hand away.

    I narrow my eyes and smile smugly. "I'm pretty sure you were drooling when you watched my draconic husband fuck my tight, foxy pussy."

    "That sounds disgusting!" She dramatically blurts out a little too strongly.

    But that only increases my smugness. "You know, tails don't lie." Then Allura grabs her slowly wagging tail and scooches away from me, making me chuckle softly.

    She doesn't have a comeback for that, so we both go silent again and slowly calm down as we observe the clouds once more.

    "I'll be crowned Queen one day," Allura suddenly claims.

    "Is Chieftess of the Forest not good enough for you?" I go along with her dream.

    "No," she loudly hums back, and her determined voice echoes across the open field.

    "What are you going to do, conquer all the clans, again?" I teasingly ask. The Misty Fox Clan is like a mini empire that conquered the other fox clans a long time ago, though our "subjects" are consistently unruly.

    "I'll conquer the Colored Sands, tame the wild humans, then irrigate the land, gradually turning it into a flourishing grassland," Allura boldly declares then lifts her clenched fist up in the air in determination.

    I turn to my ambitious sister and raise an eyebrow in surprise. "You actually know history? And the engineering required to achieve that?" I honestly question.

    "I do." Then she turns her "[smug mug]" towards me, as Wolfy would've put it. "This is how I'm going to compete with you."

    I shrug and stare up at the clouds again. "I'm surprised that you can even read-…"

    "Get your tail yanked," she annoyedly curses.

    "… but as long as the empire grows from your aspirations, I'm fine with it. Though, you'd better ask the emperor for permission before you spark an internal conflict."

    Allura frowns angrily and argues, "Not a single emperor has ever done anything to control the Sands, even though the slavers have been raiding us for hundreds of years."

    I give her a kind look and grab her shoulder reassuringly. "We'll always be your ally, but don't go too far."

    She pats my hand and pouts. "Thanks, but I won't get you involved in this."

    "Still. Just remember that we'll be there for you."

    Allura nods in understanding, and we both go quiet again.



    After a bit of frolicking in the grass, lunchtime comes around, and we eat a nice meal of refined and nostalgic werefox cuisine.

    "… then they fatten up on werefox…" I catch a stray thought.

    "Wolfy!" I whine towards the "hole" in my soul space…

    …[but it's my fault that I'm constantly reading his thoughts]. I feel Wolfy's influence guiding my mind.

    "Hmph!" I whine again and resist the [Bind], closing off my mind.



    The news of a letter addressed to Wolfy makes us all tune in and leech off of his sight. It gets a bit crowded inside his soul space, but everyone has learned how to not "elbow" each other. When we read the name of the sender, we all freeze in surprise for a second, then we pretend that we never saw it.

    Cowards! I'll never leave Wolfy's side!

    But I can only meekly offer to go with him to help him in the meeting.

    "It's fine. I think I'm mentally strong enough to deal with her myself," he warmly replies, and the happy, loving tone he uses makes it very difficult to argue against him.

    "We'll have to suck his dick a lot tonight," I warn the sister-wives.

    "Always," Aoi cheerfully replies, but she doesn't count.

    He suggests Ravaging Yunia and Ereia at the same time, and I feel a bit of pride from seeing him being so proactive in collecting other women. Ereia will be a useful noblewoman to have on our side.

    It's totally not my fetish speaking, yup, totally not.



    Then Roxanne, Ofilia, Allura, and I visit the Elder's Library, a semi-public place where I used to study.

    We enter a private study room so that we can speak freely and sit on the comfortable cushions around the table.

    Roxanne is a bit interested in werefox [Alchemy], so we get a few appropriate books for her, then I show them my magic book with Nocturna's spells.

    "Oh, how surprising that you found her magic outside of the Misty Forest," Homvieun curiously remarks as he flips through the book. The old raisin, I mean, the wizened old werefox was my tutor, and he always gets quite happy when I show interest in books.

    Then I speculate on the book's origin, "It's quite the simple book, so it was likely sold as a curiosity from the Misty Forest, but it also lacks in depth, so I want to get my hands on more study material."

    He nods repeatedly in understanding and orders a young page to bring us a few books. "We have spares of these, so you can take them with you."

    "Thank you very much, Homvieun," I earnestly reply, and his heart seems to melt from my Cuteness Attack.

    But then he smirks like a cheeky grandpa and reveals to Roxanne, "When Alissa was a child, she asked me the darnedest of questions. Allura isn't as inquisitive as she was, but the younger sister still has the talent of asking about the most curious of things."

    Roxanne pompously covers her mouth like a Lady as she laughs, then requests, "Ohohoh, I have an idea about what types of questions you may be referring to, but please, enlighten me."

    Ofilia slowly nods sagely and subtly grins. "Oh, I remember it very well. Wasn't she about eight years old when she first asked about sex? She said that she could hear and smell it," she teasingly recollects.

    "Yeah, I could smell your cum-breath whenever you sucked Dad off," I throw the banter right back at her, leaving her speechless.

    "That's kind of hot," Roxanne mutters, her thin eyebrows raised high in surprise.

    Homvieun clears his throat loudly while Ofilia blushes, her "porcelain skin" turning scarlet, as Wolfy would've put it.

    "You routinely gave us hard-hitting questions, even though you were just a child," Homvieun quickly changes the topic and smiles stiffly. "I tried to give you a varied education, but you never liked anything that wasn't related to Blood Slaves and their duties."

    I nod in agreement. "But of course. Though, you never taught me anything about engineering and irrigation."

    He raises an eyebrow in curiosity and glances at Allura. "Well, that's something a Chosen Descendant should definitely learn, but I'm curious why you mentioned those two topics, specifically."

    I grin towards Allura, who just rolls her eyes and sighs, preparing herself for the slap of banter. "Someone seems to have become an expert in them."

    Both Homvieun and Ofilia glance at her too and start chuckling heartily.

    "I hope… I hope that Allura didn't try to give you any advice," Ofilia teases as she dries the corners of her eyes.

    "Of course, I didn't…" Allura sourly replies and pouts.



    After a while, a page arrives, bearing a message for me.

    I stare at the piece of paper as my heart pangs with guilt, but then Wolfy's presence forces me to stand up and walk, so I obey and leave the library.

    Once I cross through the main entrance, I suddenly stop as I recognize Nen standing at the gate, wearing a dazzling silvery Plier-type dress, or "not-kimono," as Wolfy calls them. He's also wearing a simple military sash instead of the more feminine flowery knots, or "origami," as Wolfy named them.

    The flowery knots are just that, knots, so it doesn't make sense to name them "origami," but Wolfy just wants to "meme" and come up with references to Earthling culture at every opportunity he can.

    I'm a little hesitant to meet with Nen alone, and thinking about Wolfy just makes it even harder to move. I don't know why I feel this way, but I don't want to bother Wolfy with my stupid feelings while he makes love to Yunia, so I just clench my jaw and continue walking forward.

    It's time to deal with the goblin waiting outside.

    Nen's overall air is that of a confident, manly man, making him so handsome that I almost blush from just looking at him. I generally don't like to compliment men, and in Nen's case, complimenting him leaves me with such a bitter taste on my tongue that it's making me angry.

    "Alissa," he greets me with a low, husky tone as he smiles.

    "Nen," I reply in kind and look away.

    "We didn't have time to talk, so…" He awkwardly continues, but then loses his train of thought.

    I look back at the grass garden and point to a bench. "Let's talk over there," I suggest, and he wordlessly nods.

    We sit on each end of the bench, as far from each other as possible, then we stay silent, just stewing in the awkward silence.

    After a long minute, Nen sighs and embarrassedly admits, "I forgot what I wanted to say."

    I chuckle softly and reply, "You didn't change. You still have that cute, shy boy inside you."

    He frowns and pouts childishly. "Well, you didn't change, either. You still dodge anything that's unrelated to your Master."

    I raise an eyebrow in confusion and stare at him as I question, "What do you mean by that?"

    He shrugs and awkwardly looks away. "Well, didn't you also have something to say to me?" He mumbles, sulking a little.

    I close my mouth and look away, struggling to come up with a riposte, but he got me there.

    "Touché," as Wolfy would've said.

    Then I realize that what he just said was true. If it isn't related to Wolfy, it doesn't interest me.

    But is that actually a bad thing…?

    I sigh and shake my head.

    Of course, it'll never be bad to seek the fulfillment of my duty, no matter if it's as a wife or as a Blood Slave.

    It does us no good to keep circling around it, so I go on the offensive, "We were never meant to be, so if you want to talk about… that day, then I have nothing to say. I don't love you in that way…"

    Nen remains silent for a long moment, then he suddenly starts chuckling. "Well, if you reject me like that, then there's really nothing I can say in return," he cheerfully admits and continues chuckling.

    I jerk my head towards him and glare angrily. "W-what did you expect?! I'm married!"

    He dries the corners of his eyes and calmly points out, "But your husband lays with dryads and also… uh… your sister…?" Then he becomes boy-Nen again as he blushes gently.

    "She's still too young," I tersely reply and wave my hand dismissively.

    He clears his throat and awkwardly continues, "Right… but he seemingly does what he wants with other women while you…?"

    I flash him a smirk. "Watch. It's my fetish."

    "Uh-hum…" He hums stiffly and looks away, then his gray face glows bright red.

    "We can all do what we want with other women, but not other men. That's the rule," I casually reveal, reveling in his embarrassment.

    "It doesn't sound fair," he mumbles concernedly.

    And I immediately retort, "But it is. There's a lot more that he does for us to compensate."

    Then he gives me a very skeptical look.

    Sometimes, I forget how different this harem's circumstances are in comparison to the average.

    I pensively look out through the gate and observe the commoners passing by, then I rest my hands on my knees and happily sway from side to side as I confess, "We weren't meant to be because what I… what we, the Ryder family has, transcends the usual bond of husband and wives. Wolfy is a champion of the Gods, and we have to give our everything to the champion to support him in his journey. Laying with other men is just one small thing we had to give up."

    After the second Intervention, there's nobody who can deny that Wolfy is a champion.

    Nen stays silent for a minute as he stares at me, evaluating my words. "I'm… sorry that I brought this topic up. It was rude of me," he finally admits.

    And I shake my head in denial. "It was just a loose end," I comfort him.

    "Indeed…" He agrees with a sigh.

    Then we go silent again.

    Though there was desire between us once, there wasn't enough to allow me to say that we were anything more than friends.

    Nen gives me a pained smile and starts to back down, "I do admit that this hurts a bit, so I'll be going now since I want to spend some time alone."

    There's nothing else that I can do here.

    I simply nod and gently reply, "Until the next time we meet, Nen."

    He gets up and bows. "Until then. Come visit whenever you can."

    "I will," I whisper back, then I silently watch him leave.

    I should stop denying that I find other men attractive. It's giving me too much grief.



    I talk a little more with Homvieun, then I return to the Estate and find Mom.

    Just like how I remembered it, she's in her office with Dad as they both work together. It's like seeing Wolfy and Yunia together, though the domineering one would be Wolfy, instead.

    Mom lifts her eyes from her work and greets, "Ah, Alissa, I want t-…"

    But I kneel beside her cushion and pull her into a hug.

    "I love you, Mom and Dad. Thanks for raising me this way," I confess with a whispered tone. Though I'm opening up my heart, this time, I don't feel like crying.

    Mom's hand stays still in the air for a moment, then she hugs me back and whispers, "We're proud to have you as our daughter, Queen Alissa."

    I cringe, but then everything goes dark as Dad surrounds us both with his huge arms.



    Intermission end.



    "I'll deal with Nero, now," Yunia reports through [Bind] as my meeting with Vanea wraps up.

    "Good luck," we all wish for her, then I pull Lala towards me and kiss her thin, pretty lips.

    Yunia takes a [Gate] to the Lordsguard barracks, then an [Eternal Gate] down to the dungeon.

    As she walks past the empty cells, she suddenly senses a wisp of Life and looks into the cell beside her.

    Deep in the darkness, she notices a pair of eyes staring back at her, then she senses the Life of a humanoid, and Nero drops [Hide Presence].

    "Well, I guess that's unlucky…" He awkwardly admits with a grin.

    Yunia [Equip]s her Bastión armor and her weapon, then rushes into the open cell and knocks him out with the flat of her sword.



    The healer finishes chanting and [Heal]s Nero's head, clearing his concussion away and allowing him to wake up again.

    The bound and chained man gasps and looks around in confusion, then his eyes slowly regain their focus, and he realizes where he is.

    He chuckles in his gravely voice and comments, "The God of Luck really isn't on my side…"

    "You really thought that you could escape from a Lord's dungeon?" Yunia immediately questions him sternly, yet also sounding a bit stupefied.

    Nero simply shrugs. "What's the worst that could happen? There was a chance to get past the guards, if I was lucky enough, which I wasn't."

    "If you killed one of our men, I'd kill you without hesitation," she harshly points out.

    "Good thing I didn't kill anybody, eh?" He cheekily replies and starts chuckling again.

    "Check him for Wickedness," she orders the healer, who immediately starts casting [Detect Evil].

    "I'm a spy. I'm more likely to be insane than Wicked," he cheekily admits, then his mustache starts twitching. "Oh, oh, can you scratch my mustache? It's itching!"

    The Lordsguards send a concerned look towards Yunia but don't move an inch.

    "Do it with the scabbard of your sword," she orders one of the men.

    "Ah~… thank you," Nero moans in delight.

    "He's truly insane," Lina comments through [Bind].

    "A man without anything to lose can act as erratically as those who are truly damaged in the mind," Yunia unhappily replies as her frown deepens.

    Once the itch is gone, Nero's expression becomes a bit more stern as he begins, "So, let's get this over with. You want me to work for you?"

    "Hmph…" Yunia scoffs at him. At least he's smart enough to predict that. "Become our Blood Slave, or face the Tribunal."

    His confident smirk is wiped away, replaced by pure surprise. "Oh, fuck. Okay, I didn't imagine that you'd go that far."

    Then she points out matter-of-factly, "You have a fair amount of knowledge about the underworld; you infiltrated the Enforcers and then escaped successfully; and though it was an overall failure, escaping one of our cells is no small feat."

    He blinks blankly, then smiles self-deprecatingly as he admits, "I just slightly miscalculated how devious you'd be. I'd thought that the naive and idealistic Wolf Ryder was the one in charge."

    "Wow, they really look down on me, huh?" I comment through [Bind].

    Yunia grins smugly. "I know you're being facetious, but you have no idea how we truly are. Only a handful of people do, really."

    He shrugs and grumbles, sounding quite miffed, "Well, whatever. What choice do I have?"

    "Serve, or pay for your crimes," she slowly replies.

    His low grunt echoes through the halls. "Hmph. Fine, I'll be your slave."



    "Your Highness, are you an exhibitionist, by chance…?" Enomosa stoically asks.

    I feel so attacked by her question that I struggle to come up with an answer, but then her expression gains a surprising amount of warmth.

    "There's no shame in such a fetish, and I ask merely because some of the Companions and I would like to watch," she gently continues.

    "Ooh~…" I coo in understanding, but then I sigh and scratch one of my horns. "But you're right, I do enjoy being watched, like I'm 'performing' before an 'audience.'"

    "Which is why some like to watch," she smugly points out.

    I smile wryly and awkwardly order, "Hm, yes. Well… ask the Companions if they want to watch."

    "At once, your Highness." She salutes, then quickly leaves the room.

    "Nyou're making me both excited and afraid, nyah," Lala comments with a smile as she sits on the bed, her head resting on her hand and her shapely legs crossed in a very alluring way.

    I walk up to her and kneel, then I run a (padded) claw along her leg, and I notice her hair visibly stand on end from the stimulation.

    "I'll give you an experience you'll never forget," I huskily reply and slowly remove her sandals.

    I bring her bestial feet towards my mouth and lick under her toe, then run my tongue along the edge of her claw, padding my tongue to not get cut.

    She raises her eyebrows in surprise, then her grin widens, revealing her cute little fangs.

    The Lordsguard start to pour in just as I intensify my toe and claw sucking, and I hear them whispering excitedly, though Alissa isn't here, so I can't make out what they're saying.

    Lala removes her top, freeing her cute, perky mounds. They're little bean bags, about twice as large as Lina's, but still adorable nonetheless.

    I run my tongue up along her calf, giving her a faint spirit touch, and sink my claws into her soft thighs, then I spread her legs, allowing me to peek at her cute little pussy lips. She already cleaned herself up from the few times I came inside her, so I need to get them wet again.

    I grin like a dragon that was just presented with its meal, and I feel her thighs quiver under the intensity of my stare, then I push my head under her short, slutty maid skirt and dig in like a ravenous beast.

    She immediately grabs my horns to try to reign me in, but her weak little arms have nowhere near enough power. Though, I admit that seeing her resist just arouses me further.

    I can't have her getting exhausted just from this, so I slow down by my own will, letting her feline moans fully develop.

    "Nyah~… nyaah~… nyaaah~…!"

    Her thighs squash my head, which tells me that I'm doing a good job, but then I continue gradually reducing the intensity, and she stops resisting me completely, which means that I've found her sweet spot.

    Feeling like this is the perfect moment, I stop eating her out and stand up, then we both smirk at each other.

    I gently wrap my left hand-claws around her neck, which makes her smirk become ever so slightly stiff from fear, and I push her down.

    "Nyah! Please, don't be rough, nya," she worriedly begs.

    "I told you that I'd make you experience something you'd never forget," I whisper evilly, and she grips the bedsheets as her breath quickens, but I'm just joking. A little bit of fear goes a long way to heightening her sensitivity.

    I run a claw down her chest and along her exposed belly, and she looks at it warily, her brown cat tail stiff from the tension.

    Timing is everything.

    I make the claws disappear under her skirt, and she gasps in fear, then I wait a long second before I penetrate her with two padded claws, and the tension is released from her shoulders all at once as she feels the jolt of pleasure.

    I sink one claw deep inside her, then I use it to rub her G-spot.

    "NYAAAAHN~…!" She yells, still keeping to her character.

    I stop after a short tickle as I find that it's enough stimulation for her since she's already wet, so I mount her properly and get her into the spread eagle position, giving me easy access to her asshole and tail.

    "Do you remember that I can do this?" I question as I produce a fake cock on my hand.

    "Y-yes, nya," she bashfully replies.

    "That means I can also do this…" And I show her my double dick.

    Her vertical slit pupils widen in excitement, and I grin evilly, then I use [Telekinesis] to bring a bottle of lube from the headstand towards me and oil both cocks thoroughly as I show her all the shapes, sizes, and textures I can give them.

    "Oh, Gods…" She prays and grips the bedsheets harder.

    I lean over her and whisper, "I'm the only God here, and I'm fresh out of mercy." Then I penetrate her.

    "NYAAAAAHN~…!"

    She grits her teeth but quickly starts to relax as she gets used to little spikes.

    "Good luck," we all wish for Yunia as she goes to meet Nero, then I pull Lala towards me and kiss her thin, pretty lips.



    One of my Companion women offers me a cup of Eia. It's not the high-grade stuff that I really like to drink, but it's still good enough to quench my thirst.

    I pull Lala's limp body towards my chest and pet her ears until she's revived, then I cast [Clean] and [Refresh] on her as thanks for enduring a full-blown Ravaging.

    After I'm dressed again, Lala comes up to me and kisses me on my lips. "Come again, one day, nya, but not every day since nyou'd kill me, nya," she shyly requests, and I caress her ears, earning myself another purr.

    "I will," I huskily reply and leave, then we return to the castle.



    Enough playing around. It's time to get back to work.

    I join up with Lina, who's guiding a few Nature and Earth mages in building the wind tunnel testbed.

    A problem that's quickly becoming evident is the lack of standardized measurement units. The entire empire still uses the Rupegia equivalent to imperial units, so we have to develop Metrology in this world to allow manufacturing and interchangeable parts to spread more easily. Also, airplanes are sensitive enough that just eyeballing the measurements would create a lot of inefficiencies.

    There are a lot of measurement units based on the emperor's body, so they aren't really useful for long-term engineering. The most useful units are based on the Throne of Ascension, such as its height and width, but the problem is that these units still vary due to changes in temperature and degradation over time, so we need to use something more stable.

    Curiously, there's a unit that's said to be either the length of the emperor's dick or the depth of the empress' vagina. Legend tells that it's used to find appropriate partners for the emperor or empress, though the temple has no comment about it.

    Anyway, the problem of Metrology will be solved with time, but that's not the only hurdle we have to overcome. I feel like there's a bit of friction among the mages. The Earth mages want to use metal while the Nature mages want to use wood, but there's no clear advantage to using either.

    Metal interferes with magic, so enchantments on wood are better, but elven wood is expensive to maintain. The wind tunnel doesn't really benefit from either of them since the needed enchantment is only a simple boosted [Breeze] at the end of the tunnel, but the planes that I want to build will benefit from this type of research.

    Not only do we need to develop Metrology, but also Materials Science.

    Earth obviously went the path of metal since they didn't have magic to let them shape wood, so there might be some unknown merit in using elven wood.

    I shouldn't put the horse before the wagon.

    "We'll use wood first simply because it's easier for us, but later on, we should also build one from metal since it'll be more useful for the rest of the empire," I decide, and the friction is resolved, for now.



    The testbed and a few toys will be ready tomorrow, thanks to magic making building prototypes so easy, so after getting the boosted [Breeze] enchantment ready, Lina and I retire and join the other girls in relaxation.

    "The Blood Slave merchant Esvisor has arrived," a maid gives us the message, then I sigh and we go down to the main hall.

    Nero is brought before us, and Esvisor frowns when he sees the prisoner. The charming and devilish slaver looks very lofty when he's displeased.

    "Did your Highness check this prisoner's compatibility with a Truth Seeker?" Esvisor warily asks and turns his intense stare towards Yunia and me.

    "No. He's a prisoner, an agent of someone else that we wish would serve us, instead," I calmly reply and pompously lay my claws upon my lap.

    Esvisor narrows his eyes and hesitates for a moment. "May I talk to the prisoner, first? As a Blood Slave merchant, I'll have to answer to the Gods if I make a mistake in turning this man into a Blood Slave."

    "Do as you wish."

    The two walk a good distance away to talk, and while we can't eavesdrop, Yunia notices that Nero's happy-go-lucky demeanor seems to unnerve Esvisor.

    Eventually, Esvisor comes back, and he harshly states as he bows, "I can't approve of making him into a Blood Slave, but I also can't stop you, so instead, I must plead that you be careful, your Highnesses."

    "Though I admit that we're forcing Nero's hand, we don't plan on using him as any less than a humanoid," Yunia soberly replies.

    "I see…" He humbly whispers, then straightens his back and neutrally asks, "Do you wish for any additional [Slavery Magic] spells?"

    "All of them," she immediately answers, and Esvisor's eye twitches.

    If we wish, we could treat Nero as nothing more than a mere doll, but I have a feeling that the Gods wouldn't like it if we did that.




    Nero Skill Report​

    Physical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Dagger Use12Sword Use19Bow Use12
    Grappling13Parry10Block8
    Dodge11Shield Bash2Battlefield Perception5
    Muscle Explosion5Intimidate4Quiet Action8
    Quiet Steps7Sense Presence1Hide Presence9
    Imperial Dulleum Style4Erceptum Style6Unarmed Style5
    Tracking4Enhanced Reflexes2

    Magical​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Fire Magic1Light Magic1Earth Magic1
    Conjuring Magic1Illusion Magic5

    Miscellaneous​
    Skill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevel
    Cooking3Cleaning2Washing2
    Riding4Dismantling5Swimming2
    Charm2

    Info​
    NameNeroAge58RaceHuman
    HP100MP515Magic Power160
    Level44

    Stats​
    Strength20Endurance20Dexterity21
    Speed18Intelligence17Wisdom19
    Willpower20Charisma22Piety9
    Perception18Sanity12

    Other​
    Status Effects'NONE'
    Titles'Beer Hound, Bottomless Pit'
    Affiliations'NONE'
    Companions'NONE'
    Crimes'Minor Theft (Mainland (PAID)), Minor Burglary (Mainland (PAID)), Minor Assault (Mainland (PAID)), Minor Bribery (Mainland (PAID), Antano (PAID))'
    I frown as I stare at his ID tablet. "I thought there'd be more in your 'Crimes'?" I skeptically question Nero.

    "There should be, yes, but nobody ever found out that I did it," he cheekily replies.

    "His stats are really good, but he really is a bit insane," Yunia comments through [Bind], and I agree wholeheartedly.

    With that done, we give him to Sandoro to extract everything he knows about Katasko, and then he'll train him into an acceptable soldier.



    Just as the sun starts to set, the rest of the wives return, and Alissa jumps into my arms, glowing with happiness.

    "I love you," she whispers lovingly and nuzzles herself into my neck as her tail softly wags.

    "I love you, too," I whisper back and caress her fluffy ears, then wrap my tail around us.

    After a bit of cuddling, we go take a bath, and I enjoy my maids again.

    Klein is very tired from training archery all day long with the werefoxes, so I recruit Osaria and Poosh for a special [Massage] session.

    I lick her tight dark abs and gently bite her soft skin, making her squeak like a mouse, then I add a bit of spirit touch to my tongue, and moans of pleasure become interspersed between the squeaks.

    Two pairs of hands and one pair of claws play with her muscles, kneading them rhythmically, providing a cycle of tension and release that relaxes her muscles.

    My tentacles wrap around her limbs, and I string her up like a turkey ready to be eaten, though I wait until I give her bliss.

    The hands all move in erotic ways, gradually stimulating her little by little, but all the while avoiding the erogenous zones so that she finds no release.

    "Wolfy~…! Give it to me!" She starts to beg. "Fuck me…! Please!"

    Her tired muscles become rejuvenated, and she starts to struggle against the binds.

    "Good, good," I soothe her and peck her lips. "I replenished your energies just so that I could drain them all away again." Then I thrust, and she orgasms instantly.



    Though Hana is all worked up from sparring, I don't fuck her, not yet.

    Alissa gets off on watching me do Klein, so I ignore her and focus on the other girls. Since everyone worked so hard today, I even include Poosh and a few thirsty maids in the tentacle monster treatment.

    For dinner, Krysta serves Japanese sweet curry, and though it's delicious, I curse the lack of rice. I've never related to Japanese isekai protagonists as much as I do right now…

    Once our bellies start to bulge a bit, Klein calls my attention.

    "Wolfy…" And the blatantly evident guilt in her tone immediately tells me everything about what she wants to say. "I'm sorry for… getting Lorena killed."

    "I understand, but we made mistakes too, so don't put the blame all on yourself," I comfort her honestly.

    "It happened once, and it'll happen again, so make this a learning moment and grow from it," Yunia sagely states.

    "I understand," Klein soberly replies with a determined nod, and it impresses me how resilient she's becoming.



    For the evening, Hana goes to the Companions' rest area and starts drinking with them, Yunia goes to spend some time with her brothers, Roxanne plays Civil War with Lina, and Ciel has some girl talk with Klein and Osaria.

    I play for a bit in my dragon form with Aoi and Alissa. Actually play, for once. And Aoi gives me some pointers on how to fly, then we joust with the golems as our riders.

    "This is so cute, can I take an [Instant Picture]?" Ciel bashfully asks, her sentiment mirrored in the other wives' minds.

    Aoi instantly strikes a proud pose while I hesitate before the dragon takes over and I follow her lead, then Alissa snuggles up to me.

    "Ehehehehe…" Ciel chuckles perversely as she activates the gnomic magic tool.

    I stare at her with raised eyebrows, stupefied. "Is your loli fetish triggering from little dragons…?" I question and share a look with Alissa.

    "N-n-no!" She yells and hugs the painting, then angrily stomps back to Klein and Osaria.

    The three of us shrug at each other, then we continue jousting.



    Hana's conversation with the Companions gets a bit interesting, so I decide to join them for a bit.



    Intermission – Female Companion



    We all laugh at Hukarere's joke, but the tension in the air continues to increase as Romy and Royal Lord Hanafuria stare at each other like two predators who are about to clash.

    The few Worshipers of Cock start to gather together as the signs that a lesbian orgy is about to begin become obvious to all. They're led by Hukarere, the Favored, but even she finds it amusing to watch Lord Hana, so they break out the Eia to get themselves into a nice mood.

    As an elf, it's hard for me to admit that Lord Hana has charm. She's a crass, brazen, defiant dragonkin, but whenever she speaks of obscenities, I can't stop myself from feeling hot in between my legs.

    She behaves like a horny dragonkin male, acting without a shred of femininity, and even her beauty is contaminated by maleness, yet she has the heart of every Sister of the Cross.

    Little by little, my pride is eroded away, and I find myself wishing even harder for the opportunity to taste her lips, both of them.

    The door suddenly opens, and everyone breathes in deeply as the aura of a man floods into our sacred sanctuary. But it's not just any man, it's the Exalted Lord himself.

    His pretty, boyish looks trigger the motherly instincts of every older woman while also invading the dreams of the younger ones. Coupled with his threatening, yet dignified draconic features, the mothers see him as someone reliable to shelter them, while the maidens look up to the one who shall give them an adventure that they'll never forget.

    An impossible man. He appeals to all types of women, even those who have forsaken sexuality due to his polite and gentle demeanor, conquering their hearts through his soul rather than his body.

    If Royal Lord Hanafuria makes the elves confused, then Exalted Royal Lord Wolf Ryder is like the reincarnation of the God-Rulers of old, never mind the fact that the Last King Arreira himself actually named him his successor.

    Just remembering his grieving face makes me understand why that Lorena girl decided to serve him again even though she wasn't a Companion.

    The Worshipers immediately call him in, and he calmly walks up to the Favored, then he sits on her naked lap, resting his head on her pale, supple breasts, and gradually joins in the conversation. For a part-dragon man, he lacks the boisterousness of his sibling race, but his sweet tone makes every word he says sound pleasant to the ear, which I'm sure is partly due to his high "Charisma."

    The Favored runs her hands down his shirt and plays with his body, making him smile like an innocent child, though it only encourages some decidedly not innocent thoughts to appear in my mind.

    I glance at Lord Hana and sigh. Though I'm a member of both sides, I feel like today's the day that I'll finally Worship the Cock.

    The recreation room gets divided up in two by the two Lords, and the sexual tension in the air just soars up high like a dragon hunting for prey, pun intended.

    "Is Lorena here…?" The Lord gently asks and looks around like a child looking for their mother.

    The Favored lowers her muzzle near his ear and answers, "She's still training with the other Chimeras to learn how to live as a spirit."

    "I see…" He whispers melancholically.

    "She also needed to get her spirit 'unbeheaded,' and that'll take a day, or two," another Chimera Worshiper adds, and his sensible chuckle makes me unconsciously smile.

    Then he turns his eyes to the others. "But what about you girls? How are you all doing? I developed the initial [Solidify], but I think the Spirit mages have already altered the spell quite a lot."

    "I got a lot of my strength back, and now, I just need to increase my 'Magic Power' to regain even more of it," the Favored shares proudly and flexes her arms, showing off her alluring muscles.

    "The efficiency of our MP consumption has increased, so we don't tire as easily," another chimes in.

    "Food tastes good again!" A third happily remarks.

    "Divines bless elven food!" A fourth shouts.

    And that comment gets the whole room to laugh and cheer. Even us elves are growing more frivolous, so we also join in. It's like a wall between us crumbled away after the Intervention, and I no longer remember what it means to be a High Elf.

    With everyone laughing and thirsting over the Royal Lords, the feeling of "otherness" that used to come whenever I talked to non-elves now seems callous and conceited.

    With the previous elven Lords, I'd never experienced this before. It was just a matter of fact that they were above, we were below, and the other races were just too different to fit in alongside us.

    Now, the beacon of light shining from the Royal Lords makes all those differences seem blurred. Though not everyone here bleeds red blood, we've all agreed to serve the same Lords, and once we finally understand how far above us they really are, any difference between us seems so small as to be meaningless.

    The Favored suddenly reaches inside the Exalted Lord's pants and slowly pulls out the Cock. It looks so threatening that it's like a weapon that he uses to subdue the pride of women and conquer their hearts, though everyone says that his benevolent rule over them is worth the submission.

    The conversation almost fully dies down, but the topic quickly changes towards lewdness, and the heat coming from my womb becomes unbearable.

    As I stare at the Favored slowly stroking the Exalted Lord's Cock, I feel the chains of my pride breaking and setting me free.

    I walk up to the Lord and kneel before him, and he releases his noble seed upon my face, then I feel the glory of his touch upon my skin, and I grow from an Initiate into a Believer.

    Blessed by the light! Blessed by his touch!



    Intermission end.



    Today is the 18th, Ros, day of Space. Today, using [Gate] and [Eternal Gate] is actually cheaper, mana-wise, making this the most notable evidence for the existence of the Cycle of Mana that the Tale of Creation talks about.

    Though, paying for transport isn't actually cheaper because Space mages are greedy fucks.

    I'm woken up by Osaria energetically sucking me off with a bit of a pouty look that stimulates the submissive within me. She's a bit thirsty and annoyed because I didn't include her in the orgy I had with the Companions last night, so I compensate her with plenty of cream.



    My "Wisdom," "Perception," [Blessing Magic], and [Oral Technique] increased by 1 (now 19, 18, 27+23, and 0+2), and I learned [Acting] with 1 point.

    Alissa's "Sanity," "Piety," and [Fox Transformation] increased by 1 (now 19, 18, and 8).

    Roxanne's "Wisdom" and [Alchemy] increased by 1 (now 21 and 10).

    Hana's "Speed," [Block], and [Draconic Body] increased by 1 (now 16, 15, and 7), and her [Tatesomu Style] increased by 2 (now 10). She was so fired up that she trained all day with the werefoxes, so it isn't surprising that she leveled up her skills so much.

    Ciel's "Piety," [Parry], and [Dodge] increased by 1 (now 26, 5+10, and 3+12), and her [Light Magic] increased by 2 (now 8+32). She also gained the title "Star of Hope," which gives her conflicted feelings due to how saintly it sounds.

    "It fits you since you're our main support, the backbone of our team. As long as you're there with us, we know that we can still fight on," I sincerely explain, and the strength of my conviction makes her blush.

    Lina's [Parry] and [Block] increased by 1 (now 10 and 1+14).

    Aoi leveled up to 40, and her "Dexterity," "Wisdom," and "Piety" increased by 1 (now 8, 10, and 8).

    Yunia's [Silent Shadow Style] and [Spirit Magic] increased by 1 (now 5+5 and 20+20).

    Overall, everyone earned some nice skill-ups due to our desperate fighting against the Clone Soldiers. Since we're mid-high level, we don't easily level up in mass combat anymore, so only Aoi benefited from the free EXP.



    For breakfast, we just have a light meal since we ate quite a lot of werefox food yesterday, though I do eat a fair bit of meat to replenish all the cum I unleashed last night. A healthy body means a healthy mana organ, which allows me to release more of my blessings upon the world.

    Since we don't have anything we have to do this morning, we return to our mana circulation training, which is a nice break from all the excitement of the last few days.

    This time, we take an [Eternal Gate] to our personal retreat in Fledgling Falls, which is a mountain range that spans the entire border between Faium Principality on the west and the Colored Sands on the east. Since it's a private teleport, it's a lot cheaper to use, though if we travel outside of our private estate, the empire will give us a pretty hefty fine for skipping the Network.

    This mountain range is full of jagged mountain lines and spikes, covered in moss and vegetation, and occasionally also holds a long, long waterfall, which causes a lot of mist to form near ground level. It all reminds me of those Chinese fantastical mountains that are based on some famous real-life location.

    It isn't known how this mountain range was formed, but its jagged topology is attributed to the Axinite Dragons that used to live here and occasionally ate the exposed rock faces. In the present day, this location has been properly tamed and turned into a vacation resort for imperial nobility.

    Our estate hangs between two spikes of thick rock, and at the bottom, there's a whole floor made entirely out of crystal clear glass to allow us to feel as if we were floating up in the air.

    Lina can't concentrate while she's on the glass floor, so she enters one of the spikes and finds it far more comfortable for her to practice the circulation exercise inside the dark, cold cave.

    At first, Hana manages to concentrate fairly well, but she eventually starts to slack off due to anxiety.

    "When it's about family, I find it hard to control my emotions," she melancholically confesses.

    "You've actually been controlling yourself?" Roxanne reflexively asks in astonishment.

    Hana glares at her fearsomely, though that just makes Roxanne get excited. "Of course, I have! You'd all suffer if I just unleashed my dragonkin ferocity all the time," Hana confidently claims, and nobody actually wants to make her prove it.

    I stand up and give my fiery dragonkin a hug, surprising her. "It's fine. I'll help you relax," I lovingly whisper, then I release her and brush her hair while she obediently sits and practices her circulation again, feeling a bit embarrassed about her anxiety and neediness.

    I manage to keep my red lover calm until lunchtime, then we quickly don our social clothes and get ready to go to Mac Gantus. It's time to meet with the noble that has Hana's brother.



    The group this time will be Hana, Klein, Mimi, a small squad of veteran Lordsguard, and I. Since Hukarere wants to get involved in my adventures, we bring her with us too. She's experienced enough as a guard for nobility that she can already be considered a veteran.

    I stare at my watch, and when it hits exactly 12:30 PM, we cross through the [Eternal Gate] to Mac Gantus. There's a timezone difference between the capital and Escanso, so we have to leave a bit late to get there right at lunchtime.

    When we cross through the heavy metal gate, we notice Confiel coming out of the gate right next to ours, the one labeled "Goloria."

    "Greetings, Ryders," he politely starts and gives a nod to the others. His jovial smile is instantly recognizable.

    His own knight and Lordsguard also salute us, and we return the pleasantries.

    "Have you ever been to Mac Gantus?" Confiel asks as we write down our names in the logbook.

    "I haven't," I casually admit.

    "But we have, and I'm kind of happy to be going back after such a long time," Hana answers for the rest.

    "Not a lot should've changed since we last visited, but it's still a beautiful place," Mimi comments and Klein nods in agreement, the former is very serene, but the latter is a bit stiff from talking with high nobility.

    The monkey-girl's quick movements catch Confiel's attention, who then appraises her Camalo armor.

    "Your armor was enchanted by God-Ruler Arreira himself, correct?" He casually questions, and Klein turns into a statue from her tension, her long tail shooting straight up like a pike.

    "It was. Only a few sets like it exist because of his lack of fondness for mass-production," I proudly answer and grin at Klein's anxiety.

    "Fascinating," he mutters as he looks her up and down, then he smiles kindly at her. "I'm sorry for staring so intensely."

    "N-no problem…" She strains herself to reply.



    The Throne of Ascension is the tallest humanoid-made structure, a very wide spiral tower that rises so high above the clouds that it was possible to even see the Sky Lands of the Chimeras before they were gifted a cloaking device by a previous emperor.

    As high nobility, we're allowed to leave the Network at the mid-level of the Throne of Ascension, which is actually higher up than even our own castle can reach.

    We exit into a rather kaleidoscopic hall. Wide and tall as if it was made for giants; covered in colorful, patterned tiles that makes even the elven Lordsguard a bit dizzy; and illuminated by huge, stained glass windows that seem like dwarven murals of epic events.

    The hall itself is populated by dozens of small, but extremely fancy stalls that exude exotic scents. These are shops here that cater exclusively to high nobility, so they offer only the finest (and perhaps most pretentious and overpriced) goods that someone of our class could buy.

    The people walking around here are mostly imperials, easily discernible by their colorful clothes and the abundant use of velvet, and among them, humans make up half, while werecats and weredogs make up one quarter each.

    We, in our delicate elven clothing, easily stand out along with the other non-imperials due to our lack of vibrancy, but we don't lose out in fanciness.

    Though everything is fancy, neither anything nor anyone uses gold or silver as decoration.

    Lina's Trivia: Before the first emperor conquered Mac Gantus, it was a decaying city where the nobles gilded nearly everything in gold and silver to boast about their wealth, which the first emperor melted all down the moment he rose to power, so it has become a faux pas to use gilding as a decoration in the capital. Though the first emperor had his artisans create beautiful things, he despised using expensive materials just because they were valuable.

    We quickly pass by the stalls since we're not here to buy any ostentatious trinkets, then we leave the hall and exit onto the outer spiral of the Throne, which gives us a great view towards the southern area of the capital.

    Mac Gantus is a sea of yellow brick houses with orange clay roof tiles, all carefully measured since there's a height limit for housing. The only thing that can rise above them is the Hyper Loop, the metal rails with proto-trains powered by [Ritualism] that serve as the main means of mass-transport here.

    Beyond the sea of houses, we can see the Three Kings Bay, and it's absolutely swarming with all sorts of ships. I even notice an Ironclad, though it lacks the chimney, so it obviously isn't coal-powered.

    "A rare dwarven ship. They usually use hidden dwarven-powered waterwheels to move," Lina explains through [Bind].

    Another thing that catches my attention is a huge fish, which must be a merfolk submarine made from the remains of a monster.

    We enter a large birdcage, and Confiel tells the weredog attendant that we're going down. The fancily-clothed attendant then feeds mana into a gem, and the cage starts sliding down the huge ramp around the pure white Throne of Ascension.

    The entire capital is basically in a flat plain with a slight depression towards the Bay, so all we can see in all directions is just the same orange sea of clay roof tiles. Though in the north, there's a lake that's reserved for nobility, so there are only a few fancy ships sailing on it.

    We stop near the base of the Throne, and we exit into another hall with more stalls, though these ones are less fancy since they cater to the lower nobility and the rich merchants.

    We take a side corridor that circles around the outer edge of the Throne, and we pass by a few restaurants, shops, and inns before we stop in front of a particular establishment, the Bronze Confidential.

    It's a fancy place that's worthy of someone of our station while at the same time being affordable enough for the other party, who is a lower noble. The bronze that decorates the interior may have a golden-like luster, but it's used sparsely enough that Ciel finds it "tasteful."

    The best feature of this restaurant, though, is the privacy. Each room is enchanted with all sorts of anti-espionage spells that we can control from the inside. And when we enter the room that's been reserved for us, it's clear that it can easily house every Lordsguard we have with room to spare.

    "Hermann!" Hana shouts excitedly and runs to her brother, with Mimi following her at a normal walking pace.

    The tall, dark-skinned, black-haired young man rises from his seat, and I notice that he's wearing a set of shining knight-grade armor. He looks a little older than me, but the truth is that he might be one or two years younger, possibly due to my higher level slowing down my aging.




    Soul Info​
    NameHermann GrosshilRaceHumanLevel20
    HP100MP20Magic Power10
    Strength16Endurance14
    He's not a Tranfkoever anymore…?

    Hermann raises his arms and smiles, which annoys me since his manly face is eerily similar to Hana's. His square jaw is kind of enviable, though. Then he receives her in his arms, and his armor clangs loudly, making me appreciate how silent elven armor is.

    Hermann may be tall, but he's still shorter than Hana, so she easily gains the upper hand in the bear hug, or orc hug in Rupegia-speak, though his armor still protects him from suffocation.

    Maybe I should [Equip] my armor whenever I get hugged by Hana.

    "Don't you dare!" She immediately shouts through [Bind].

    Geez. Do you girls ever not hear my thoughts?

    "No…?" Alissa quietly replies, a bit embarrassed herself, for once.

    Mimi joins in the hug, and the three siblings touch their heads together. Hermann is shorter than Mimi too, so I kind of relate to him a bit.

    I turn my eyes to the other occupants of the room and smile diplomatically.

    The one that's sitting next to Hermann is a mature, gray-mustached, black-skinned man with the build of a mage but the confident demeanor of a noble. His clothes are short and mostly open, tailored to a humid and hot tropical climate, but he's also wearing a semi-transparent, bright blue robe that looks as delicate as elven clothes.




    Soul Info​
    NameStefan GrosshilRaceHumanLevel67
    HP100MP8,050Magic Power4,210
    Strength12Endurance13
    On his other side is a boy with the same build and height, but with a much younger face and slightly curly hair. His face is strikingly similar to mine, though with a darker skin tone and without my draconic features.




    Soul Info​
    NameAhren GrosshilRaceHumanLevel16
    HP100MP2,320Magic Power1,050
    Strength10Endurance11
    So… why does Hermann have the same last name as these nobles…?

    I don't even show their info to Hana to avoid making her suspicious, but now it's pretty obvious why they didn't want to let Hermann go.

    The happy reunion only lasts for a short while because when Hermann and Klein see each other, it's like they both become petrified, their expressions frozen as they just stare at each other in silence.

    "I'm sorry…" Are the first words Hermann has to say to Klein, and her dumbfounded expression would be funny if I wasn't starting to feel a bit bitter about their reunion.

    I was getting used to not being able to have Klein for myself, but my jealousy is now replaced with anger since Hermann didn't have the resolve to not marry someone else. At least Klein declined to join my harem, but Hermann didn't even do that!

    "Hermann…" Stefan sternly warns him, and Hermann's expression becomes stoic as he straightens his posture again, then the old man turns his eyes towards us and smiles diplomatically. "Crown Lords Confiel Rincipio, Wolf Ryder, and Hanafuria Ryder, Dame Klein Foerster, and Miss Mizushina Tranfkoever. I'm honored that such an illustrious party has come to attend this meeting."

    Confiel's knight looks a bit miffed that he wasn't named, but nobody here has any reason to know his name.

    "Dezen Stefan Grosshil," Confiel softly replies with a simple nod, then extends his hands for the elven greeting.

    Stefan has the "Dezen" imperial rank, which awards him a small squad of imperial soldiers, so while he isn't a Lord nor rules over any land, he has the military power of about half of a Root Lord.

    Stefan gets up and walks around the table, his son following close behind.

    After he gently touches Confiel's hand with his forehead, he gently pulls his son forward. "This is my son, Ahren," he introduces his shy boy, who blushes as he touches Confiel's hand, then the duo comes towards us for handshakes.

    Stefan doesn't hesitate to shake my clawed hand, but his boy does, and he also visibly cowers under Hana's glare. They don't shake Mimi's nor Klein's hands, but they at least share respectful nods.

    With the annoyingly complex pleasantries out of the way, we all take our seats, with the knights standing behind us and the Lordsguard taking positions at the walls.

    I'm quite happy that these seats have been adapted to provide enough room for my tail to hang down. The large number of wereanimals that live here must be what drives this chair design to be the standard.

    Klein and Hermann remain standing since they're knights, and it's kind of adorable to see them both making stern expressions when their faces are so young and cute.

    Stefan only has two other servants with him, an unknown mage and another knight, but it actually exceeds our expectations a little that he really brought this many people, considering his lower status.

    Confiel rings a bell on the table, and the waiters bring out the first course.

    "So, Dezen Stefan, as per our last letter, I've brought Hermann's sisters, one of whom is also a Crown Lord," Confiel smoothly starts and gracefully motions towards us.

    We start eating slowly, savoring the perfect croutons with a wide variety of spreads given to us.

    "Yes, I'm happy that Sir Hermann was able to reunite with part of his family," Stefan calmly replies and warmly smiles at Hermann, who awkwardly shifts on his feet, then Stefan's gaze becomes resolute, like a man ready to face a beast head-on. "But as I've said before, I can't simply release Sir Hermann from service."

    We all stop eating and stare at him expressionlessly, slowly breathing to keep ourselves calm as we try to break his composure with our gazes.

    I'm actually impressed with the bastard's audacity.

    Hermann sweats cold in his shining armor while Ahren seems to die on the spot, his eyes becoming hollow and lifeless as he cowers in fear, yet neither of them says a word.

    "It's well past the time for you to tell us the reason why," Confiel coldly demands, and I feel a hint of "danger" in his tone, which likely also affects Stefan, even though he's high-level.

    "Let him speak so that he drowns by his own words," Yunia suggests through [Bind], and I accept.

    The old mage swallows heavily, but holds Confiel's stare and replies, "We've already made Hermann our sworn knight…"

    "Did you call us all the way here just to say that?!" Confiel annoyedly exclaims, his nose beginning to scrunch in distaste.

    "But it also means that we've invested too much in him and his training," Stefan boldly argues.

    Confiel narrows his eyes and points out with a slow, deliberate tone, "Trading knights has been a common custom for thousands of years."

    But Stefan's resistance is fierce. "No money can pay for the bonds that we've formed with Hermann," he fearlessly asserts.

    Confiel leans towards me and covers his mouth as he hurriedly whispers, "They married Hermann to someone important, or he got someone pregnant."

    "The former," I whisper back.

    Confiel snorts softly, but then he instantly shifts and lets anger paint his tone. "If you resist, we can take him by force," the imposing elf threatens with a chilling tone, and the atmosphere in the room instantly changes.

    Hermann, the other knight, and the mage servant seem like they want to cry while Ahren remains lifeless, but Stefan still holds on.

    "My Lord won't be happy about that," the old mage defies him.

    And his phrasing is just too curious to ignore.

    Confiel leans closer to me again. "He's bound by a promise to the Gods, not an alliance."

    And Yunia agrees. The wording "my Lord" is used by those directly under a Lord and commoners. A noble with even a hint of pride would say "Lord Ryder," or similar, but never "my Lord."

    "And doubly bound due to the marriage," I point out.

    "So he doesn't want to break the vows of either," Confiel speculates.

    "Who's his Lord?"

    Confiel replies dismissively, "Someone minor. No chance of retaliation if we force the issue."

    Yunia suddenly takes over my mouth and questions, "Is he trustworthy enough to be made into an ally?"

    Confiel's intense eyes narrow in suspicion of where "I" am going with this. "His reputation is average but spotless. I'd say he's reliable," he answers, forthrightly.

    I give him a subtle smug smile as I propose, "Then we 'kidnap' them all, and you give us your support."

    Confiel fully turns his head to stare at me in surprise. "That's… acceptable, and also unexpectedly bold, coming from you."

    I grin. "Yunia's influence."

    "Hm…" He hums in thought, then rebuilds his stern facade and turns to Stefan again.

    "I declare that we're taking the Grosshil family under our care, forcefully," Confiel states in a firm, unyielding tone.

    Confiel's knight draws his sword, with Klein and all of the Lordsguard following suit a second later, though the three Grosshils, the other knight, and the mage servant all remain motionless.

    Stefan lowers his head and begs, "Lords, please do not separate us from Sir Hermann. He's very dear to our family."

    Then Yunia takes control of me again to add, "We shall give shelter in Escanso to any Grosshil who wishes to come with us as long as Hermann is freed from his knightly duty."

    Stefan finally shows some emotion. He suddenly stands up and grins creepily, like an anime protagonist that just caught the villain in their trap, then he states out loud, "Let it be known that I've resisted as far as I could, but I simply don't have the power to stand against the combined will of two Crown Lords, so I hereby relinquish the title of Dezen, relieve Sir Hermann from duty with full honors, and formally request that the Ryder family of Crown Lords gives the Grosshil family sanctuary so that we may watch over our dear Hermann."

    Confiel and I share surprised looks.

    He was threading the needle all along, juggling not breaking his vow with not offending us, keeping his family together, and hiding the marriage so that we wouldn't force a divorce. All so that he could make us sympathize with him just enough until we would finally force things to go our way while still being as fair as possible. He's like a Chihuahua that suddenly started barking at two Rottweilers, who are too confused and wary at the odd behavior to immediately react with a bite. An exemplar plot of what could be expected from nobles.

    "It ends in our favor, but I feel like I lost a battle of wits," Confiel whispers with a begrudging smile.

    "I wasn't fighting particularly hard, though," I wryly admit.

    "You…!" He glares at me and stops himself from swearing.

    But I just grin back and quietly praise, "Anyway, Stefan gambled high, and he got what he wanted."

    Confiel grunts softly and lets his anger subside. "Yes, it couldn't have gone any better for him."

    I turn to Stefan and state, "The Ryder family accepts you." Then I wave to the Lordsguard, and they resheathe their weapons.

    Stefan's knight excuses himself and leaves the room, then the main course of our meal begins.

    But won't the Gods know that he never had any intention of keeping his vow anyway?

    Ciel explains, "He still did the best he could to fulfill his vow, whatever it was, but it seems that his desire to keep his family together gave him the will necessary to resist the vow."

    "'No law is absolute,' a teaching from the God of Law," Yunia lectures.

    "Just like with a Blood Slave contract," Hana comments.

    Ciel agrees with both of them and adds, "It's risky to work around vows like that, so I'd only recommend it as a last resort, which kind of fits for this situation."

    I guess the Gods aren't just automatons, then.



    "So, who did Hermann marry?" I casually ask, and that finally catches Stefan off-guard.

    "Me," Ahren energetically answers, and now it's Hermann's turn to seem like he just died. Ahren stands up and bows to us as he confesses, "I'm sorry! I took advantage of Hermann's weakness and loneliness, and I persuaded him to marry me in secret!"

    Klein is shocked, her mouth hanging open as she finally realizes the true reason for Hermann's apology. It isn't very knightly to lose her composure like this, but she's excused this time for obvious reasons.

    Stefan gives a sour look to his son, possibly blaming him for the lengths he had to go to in order to succeed with this risky gamble.

    Did they think we'd be offended that Hermann got married without our consent?

    "We're not the ones you need to apologize to," I point out, holding back my annoyance. "But you'll have time to deal with that later."

    Ahren obediently sits down and replies, "Y-yes… I'm so-… I'm sorry."

    Then I smirk towards Mimi and jokingly ask, "Is there anyone in your family who's actually completely straight?"

    She glances at me and hesitates, then simply shrugs instead of answering.

    "Congratulations on becoming a noble," Hana slowly gives her blessing to Hermann, her brain refusing to process the sudden development.

    "I guess it'd be fair to let him sit with us," I suggest with a teasing grin, then I look over at Klein and soothingly order her, "Same goes for you. Sit down and have a drink."



    Klein and Hermann are mostly quiet, so I think they'll need some time alone together to talk after this meeting is over.

    Since we're taking the Grosshils in, we get them to talk about themselves. They're a typical family of Water and Fire mages, and though they have someone born with [Alchemicism], their younger daughter, she's more like a witch doctor, so she's not immediately useful to us.

    Roxanne is quite prejudiced against [Alchemicism], so she grumbles to herself as she eats her meal back at the castle.

    Stefan discreetly watches me for my reaction when he mentions his daughter, so I think he knows about my reputation, but unless his daughter herself shows some interest, I don't plan on giving her the D.

    Then I realize that it's most likely because of me that his wife and daughter didn't attend this meeting.

    Oh, well… I can't fault him, we are quite predatory.

    Hermann is actually quite the talented warrior himself, which is likely due to his strong dragonkin blood, even though he's fully human.

    He'd make a good knight, but now that he's married to a noble, the best we can do is to allow them into the clan.



    The mood isn't right for a feast, so we quickly finish our meal and leave with the three Grosshils in tow.

    As we take the lift up, Confiel approaches Hana and me. "With this, there's only Lord Hanafuria's father and mother to find, but it shouldn't be long now, not after I give them your revered name," he gracefully explains as he subtly smirks, and I smile wryly at the jab.

    "Thank you," Hana breathes, honestly very grateful to him for his efforts.

    "Just our part of the deal."

    "Still."

    He flashes her a gentle smile, then his expression becomes serious again. "Also, rumors have been spreading for some time that Vanea Anara is interested in your family. She's still ostracized by a good part of the imperial nobility, so be careful about how public you want your relationship with her to be," he somberly advises us.

    I assume that's the real reason why she wanted a private meeting yesterday.

    "I understand, thank you for the advice," I cordially reply and nod.

    He nods back, then hesitates for a second before adding, "And… don't cross her. She's vicious."

    I soberly nod again. I know very well how she is.

    When we reach the middle layer again, we find Stefan's knight flanked by two women, Hana's new not-blood mother and not-blood sister.

    The milf has curly, full hair and a curvaceous body, while her daughter has such a youthful face and kissable, full lips that I'll give her the D the very instant she asks me for it.

    However, from the way that they both avoid looking me in the eye, it seems that she probably won't ask for that if I actively pursue her.
     
  20. Manasong

    Manasong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2019
    Messages:
    287
    Likes Received:
    21
    Reading List:
    Link
    We just share some simple greetings with the female side of the Grosshils, then we move on. Apparently, Stefan had them on standby, just waiting for the green light to join us.

    I give in to temptation and stop by a stall to buy a bag of chocolate candy tablets, which I promptly share with the Lordsguard.

    "How did you like your little taste of the capital?" I softly ask Hukarere as she takes off her snout-shaped helmet to eat some chocolate.

    "[The Throne is stunning, but I'm surprised it isn't as ostentatious as what the noble Chimeras like to build]," she casually replies in Reo and throws a tablet into her long mouth, then hums in delight and grins brightly. "Thanks for this gift, your Highness."

    "Just a whim," I reflexively mumble, a little embarrassed. I like giving spontaneous gifts, but now I realize that this one might make me look a bit eccentric since it's so expensive.

    Well, I am eccentric by Rupegian standards, so I guess I should just own it.

    I'd like to spend more time here in Mac Gantus, but then it'd be hard to explain to the emperor why we didn't go meet with him to pay our respects, so we just enter the [Eternal Gate] Network and go back home.

    Confiel's group breaks off from ours en route, and when we enter our castle, we meet with Azador and Iliada, my favorite maid, who are obediently waiting for us in the entrance hall.




    Intermission – Stefan




    I intently observe His Highness Wolf as he greets a mere maid like one would greet a lover. It seems that some of the rumors are true, while others are just exaggerations or false predictions, but considering his eccentric personality, it's expected that people would find it hard to read him.

    His most visible weakness, his tail, seems to have been kept well under control as it only starts to move when he finally drops [Acting]. It wags like a dog's as he kisses the young, pretty elf, which is fitting as he's known to be like a dog perpetually in rut. Or is that just the normal state for a part dragon man? Her Highness Hanafuria is equally as well known for her "appetite," after all.

    My beloved sends me a worried look, concerned about our involvement with this lustful Lord, but a man with two Blessings in his harem is not the kind that would abuse his rank to get women. Though, it wouldn't hurt to teach our daughter to be on her guard around him.

    After he finishes boasting and removes his tongue from the smitten little elf, the stern knight announces, as if nothing had happened, "Noble Grosshils, please come with me, and I'll show you to your new quarters."

    How expedient.

    "Signeur Stefan Grosshil, please come with me. Her Highness Yulania wishes to speak with you," the young maid follows up, and I feel a chill run down my spine.

    The young Yulania is a legitimate noble, and I feel more afraid of facing her than I think I would from facing Wolf in combat, even with his draconic glare. At least the boy would show mercy and make it quick.

    I follow the young elf maid through an [Eternal Gate] and struggle to keep my eyes off her extremely small uniform. She has the famous alluring grace of elves that all races envy, and I realize that the High Forest must be a sort of Paradise for a womanizer like Wolf.

    The maid walks fast, though, which leaves me with little time to observe the splendor of the colorful wooden castle, and I almost stumble when I notice what I believe to be a penis carved on a wall as if it were some sort of heraldry.

    The rumors really don't paint the correct picture about you, your Highness.

    I ignore the engraved penises for now, and we quickly reach our destination.




    After a knock, I'm allowed in, and I feel a small amount of envy at the luxury of the roomy office, but then my eyes meet with Her Highness Yulania's, and I'm not strong enough to look away anymore.

    She's such a beauty that I feel guilty from just looking at her. Her face is that of a delicate porcelain doll, an artistic sculpture rather than something naturally made, yet she's just as humanoid as I am.

    I feel like my darling will have trouble befriending her due to how much more majestic Her Highness' drills are. Her appeal is far too potent to ignore, and even I'm getting jealous of how appealing elven hair really is.

    "Take a seat," she coolly offers with a graceful hand gesture.

    Like a dog before their master, I obediently sit down on the comfortable chair and remain silent.

    Which is exactly what she wanted as she immediately continues with a casual tone, "Signeur Stefan Grosshil, it seems that you have a small fondness for schemes."

    How does she know about our meeting already? I didn't detect any signs that there was someone listening in.

    "I merely maneuver in the way that I believe is the most beneficial to my family and goals, as you yourself have also done," I respond in kind, my [Acting] struggling to keep my emotions hidden in the face of her gaze.

    It's like staring at the mask of a Truth Seeker. Emotionless, judging, and dominant. An unbreakable fortress blocking the way of a young warrior. So imposing that it disarms simply through an impenetrable defense that demoralizes challengers. But to have such a strong presence means that they truly have passed level fifty, which, considering their youth, is comparable to imperial Princes.

    After an unnervingly long pause, she continues, her tone now as cold as [Absolute Zero], "But, as the possessors of three Blessings, and the target of two Interventions, we will not accept such behavior from now on. We require unwavering loyalty from our subjects."

    I immediately lower my head in submission, "I understand, your Highness, and I apologize for my behavior."

    This much is fine… Wait… three Blessings and two Interventions?

    I raise my head and ask, "Are the two numbers you cited correct?"

    She nods sternly. "Yes, that happened yesterday."

    A legend being written right before my eyes!

    I swallow heavily, and I feel it as my eyes are once again locked with her two blue gems as her harsh tone makes me alert again.

    "Continuing on… Since you've stolen Hermann from being our knight by marrying him so hastily to your son, we'll accept an alliance and allow the Grosshils to join the clan we're building. We'll sponsor the couple and have them enter Goloria's Knight Academy, so the Grosshils will be a hybrid family that raises military officers or court mages for us."

    A clan? That's excellent, even if I'm, as expected, not deemed worthy to join it.

    "That sounds like a wonderful plan," I calmly reply and nod respectfully.

    But the harshness continues unabated, "As for you, you'll work with the knights and High Officers on clearing the dungeons in our territory, as well as perform the usual duties of nobility related to town defense and registering for the Expeditionary Division."

    That's just what I used to do anyway, except this time, I'm not bound by a vow.

    "It'd be an honor," I obediently reply.

    Finally, her tone softens, just a little, "In exchange, you'll be given one of the mansions in the outer ring. Do you accept?" Then she offers a handshake.

    I can't say no anymore.

    I take her incredibly soft hand and seal the deal.

    "Yes."

    After that, she dismisses me, and once I break eye contact, I feel like I'm just getting out of a sauna since I was sweating a fair bit without even knowing.

    Things went as well as they could, and now that I'm here, I have my whole life to mend our relationship.

    My darling said that I'd just be trading one chain for another, but anyone would prefer to live in a golden cage instead of an iron one, and most important of all, each generation of our family will be freer than the one before it, as long as Ahren isn't scared of vaginas…




    Intermission end.




    The grilling was kind of fun to watch. Stefan was completely calm, clear evidence of a high [Acting] skill, but he started sweating midway through, so that gave him away.

    "Why did he give up his imperial rank, though?" I ask through [Bind].

    "The Elder Council monopolizes those ranks. They use them to have the Buscuadores trained and equipped, and they even have a law forbidding nobles in the elven lands from holding one," Yunia calmly explains as she stretches, making a cute, girly sound, then leans back in her chair to relax.

    I nudge Gify, and she pops out of existence, then she reappears a minute later on Yunia's shoulder and starts her spirit massage to soothe my hard-working wife.

    Meanwhile, Hana gives Klein a brain massage and I use my tentacles to play with her long furry tail as we watch from a balcony as the Grosshils slowly cross the castle grounds.

    I kind of wanted to make Stefan into a court mage, but I don't think he'd agree to becoming a Blood Slave right after doing so much to escape a vow.

    Osaria suddenly comes out onto the balcony and hugs her favorite toy from behind. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you? We're here for you," she kindly whispers into Klein's round monkey ear, then gives her neck a kiss.

    "I'm just… confused about what I should do…" She mumbles dispiritedly.

    "We can't give you that much advice about that, but we can always hear you out if you want a second opinion," I warmly offer and pat her tail.

    "Thank you," she weakly mumbles as her heart aches from the critical hit.

    I turn to my other two women and announce, "I have a meeting to go to, so you two make sure that she's all giddy and giggly by the time I get back, alright?"

    "Your wish is my command, your Highness," Osaria softly replies with a suggestive grin.

    It's Rupegian custom to soothe a broken heart with mind-numbing pleasure. Though it's unfortunate that I won't be able to participate, I'll still be hearing, seeing, and feeling everything through Hana.




    In an empty "leaf room" of the castle, the High Officers, Alissa, Ciel, Roxanne, the golems, Teresina, a bunch of priests, and a few Chimeric mages are all gathered around a large table as they chat lightly.

    When I enter the room, everyone stands up and bows, except for my wives. Teresina also remains seated, but she's old, so just a respectful nod from her is enough.

    "At ease," I softly order, and they take their seats again.

    Wordlessly, Sandoro opens a large metal box, revealing the chilled, corrupted, and crushed remains of a Clone Soldier's head while I pull the two headless corpses out of my "Items" at the same time.

    The priests immediately stand up again and pull out magnifying glasses to inspect the Soldiers.

    The acetone smell of corruption reaches our noses, and I summon an air and a light elemental-wife to spare Alissa the discomfort.

    "Once could be a coincidence, but twice is a certainty," Teresina's voice echoes above the curious chatter as she stares at me.

    I sit down and gracefully lay my claws upon my lap as I smile. "I told you so," I smugly reply.

    Her left eye twitches in annoyance, but she keeps it well hidden. "I advise you to never leave the caste without a Templar escort."

    I casually shrug. "If they can pay for their own [Eternal Gate] and living expenses, then I'd be happy to have more bodyguards."

    Teresina sighs and turns her eyes towards the corpses. "That won't be a problem," she begrudgingly concedes.

    Then everyone focuses on the corpses at hand, and the dissection begins.

    The first thing we notice is how hard their skin is. It's as resistant as monster hide, yet soft and elastic like humanoid skin, requiring us to buff the scalpels with [Sharp Blades] and [Reinforce] so that they can last long enough for our use.

    The corpses are still warm and bleeding, except for the squashed head, which had to be preserved in an icebox since it's a bad idea to store corrupted material inside one's [Item Box].

    While the first corpse is opened up and the squashed one is "reorganized," Roxanne and Ciel closely inspect the blood pooling under the remains. The former identifies magical signatures while the latter uses a stupidly expensive magical microscope to study its composition.

    "Is this… metal?" One of the priests questions out loud, drawing our attention.

    He pulls out a broken bone from the squashed corpse and cleans off the blood, revealing the metallic shine of steel, but it has an odd blue sheen to it.

    Another priest with a Signature Interpreter looks closely at the bone and gasps, "It's a Kanal and steel alloy!"

    "Look for shards of gems," I advise, and the priests continue their inspection with scholarly enthusiasm.

    A Chimera Alteration mage picks out another broken bone and inspects the shear edge. "It's not just a metal reinforcement; the alloy has smoothly fused with the bone," the naked dog-headed man reports.

    I pick up a bone and realize that it's much heavier than a normal one, which must be one of the reasons why it felt like hitting a wall when I crashed into a Clone.

    As the pristine corpse is skinned, we realize that every single muscle has small tears all throughout them. This is the one that I killed by using [Spirit Light]s to stun it, but the damage from that spell should be nonexistent, except for in the corrupted brain, so we don't understand what could have caused these tears.

    Ciel is having some trouble understanding what's going on with the blood cells. Her microscope allows her to see the red blood cells as if they were the size of grains of rice, slightly bigger than what she could see through the best microscope she had used previously, so she can reliably make out their shape, but they're all bloated and round, pretty different from the biconcave disk they're known for.

    She knows this happens due to problems in the watery part of the blood, so she tries out adding a salt solution, but they just burst and lose all color.

    This greatly confuses her, so she starts an arcane discussion with the other healers and Chimeras about solutions. Apparently, the Clone's red blood cells have some differences when compared with a humanoid's. Then they notice that the blood cells coagulate at a much faster rate, too.

    Just as we start to find pieces of gems inside the squashed body, the dissection team recovers an intact gem from the abdomen of the pristine corpse.

    Lina's attention is drawn away from her discussion with Aoi back in their personal forge, but we also have enchanters here with us, so she leaves it to them and returns her focus to her work.

    "It seems to be something similar to [Blood of Gaia] from [Earth Magic] or the racial spell [Spirit of Gaia] from the dwarves, but this gem is quite decayed, ravaged by the internal mana of the Clone Soldier," one of our enchanters reports.

    Then the Chimeras report finding silver within the bone marrow, which is evidence of a body-wide enchantment.

    "How long do you think these gems would last before needing to be replaced?" I question the enchanter.

    The elven woman shakes her head negatively. "Hard to say. It depends on how much mana they naturally had within their blood."

    "A lot. A bit lower than a one-thousand MP mage, I'd guess," Roxanne reports.

    "Then perhaps it could last for a whole day if used constantly," the enchanter theorizes.

    "That's not very long for a body modification this expensive," Teresina comments pensively.

    And a priest theorizes, "Their muscles are harder than normal; perhaps they had enough strength to move without the enchantment and only used it for battle."

    "Perhaps…" Teresina quietly mumbles.

    The dissection reaches the organs, then we discover that the heart is a massive lump of muscle, and the lungs are much longer than usual because the digestive system is half as big. We could theoretically pierce the lungs by stabbing the stomach, but that's generally a well-protected area in the typical armor design, so not much of a vulnerability.

    Curiously, the Soldier is a male eunuch. There's no trace of his soul left to analyze, so we don't know if they're born sterile or just castrated.

    I zone out for a bit when Hana orgasms, and I have to hold it in to not cream my pants. The dissection is a bit gruesome, so the pleasure of the orgasm goes a long way to making me feel more at ease.

    I dig my padded claws into Alissa's skin as I squeeze her hand, and she pats my scales soothingly, then I stretch and get myself comfortable again in my massive chair.

    Teresina sends me a curious look, likely noticing the sudden release of tension in my body, but doesn't mention it.

    As we find more and more suspicious damage within the pristine body, the enchanters conclude that the gem also pushes the body beyond its limits, slowly damaging it, and then Roxanne and Ciel come to the conclusion that the blood is both magically and physically poisoned due to a variety of factors. Additionally, the alloy they used is toxic to the body, and the silver damages the bone marrow, leading to long-term vulnerability to disease, but the Soldier doesn't seem to have had the metal within its body for long.

    They're lesser undead, so the corruption is limited to the brain and kept at bay by the blood-brain barrier, which allows them to infiltrate humanoid society unless they're revealed by [Detect Evil]. This also means that they don't have the same inherent regeneration of a full undead, but Roxanne quickly finds out that they compensate for that with a variety of spells similar to [Regeneration] and HP potions, but such a combination is toxic in the long term for the average humanoid.

    Then one of the Chimera Alteration mages shares something important, "I know that there are ways to reinforce bones with metals, but the way it's done here is crude when compared to the alterations I've seen before, though I believe it would be relatively cheap."

    Another Chimera agrees with him, "The more difficult part of bone reinforcement is to do it in a way which doesn't kill or poison the patient, which was completely ignored here."

    The final conclusion is obvious: these Clone Soldiers are experimental, disposable weapons with a short shelf-life.

    That the heretics would reveal such an outlandish weapon means that they didn't mind feeding us information about it. Technically, there's no new technology that was used here, just a novel application of them that we won't be able to easily reproduce, so there were few drawbacks to using them against us.

    Even though they're so physically powerful and magically enhanced, it seems their weakness is still [Light Magic]. There's no way to avoid it since becoming a lesser undead is a requirement to escape the kill-switch of the God of Existence, so unless the heretics find an alternative to using the lesser undead, these soldiers won't be too much of a threat.

    I turn my eyes to the golems, and a worrying thought crosses my mind. Are they immune to the influence of the God of Existence? If they are, then the heretics could use [Golemancy] to create a golem that's capable of controlling a brain, perfecting the Clone Soldiers. Worse of all, due to my cheats, only I seem able to create a golem with the same amount of mental capacity as an earth elemental, which was the base for Ted, Suzy, and Jarn.

    I believe I must shift my goal with [Golemancy] towards the creation of a Gods-compliant race instead of the sapient robot servants that I had in mind, just to make sure that nobody can inadvertently give the heretics the solution they need.

    Then Almaria finds extremely subtle signs of corruption within the neck and the heart, so perhaps there is a way to detect lesser undead without needing to use [Detect Evil], it's just impractical most of the time.




    After a few hours of meticulous analysis and many pages of notes being written, we end the meeting, realizing that only the scholars will be able to learn anything further from these corpses.

    Before everyone leaves, I ask Teresina to stay so that I can have a word with her.

    "It seems that the empire has a bit of a heretic problem," I comment casually, and the gilf takes mild offense at that.

    She quickly explains with an angry tone, "The Wicked are everywhere. No matter the place, there's always someone being pushed towards the darker paths. It's something that's natural for humanoids since the God of Change wishes for us to be allowed to make mistakes, though we're not to be shielded from the consequences."

    And I coolly reply with a smirk, "Still, I'm obviously being targeted, as you yourself have said."

    She just snorts snobbishly and doesn't offer a retort, so it's time to get to the point.

    I activate my [Acting] and stoically announce, "I formally request to learn everything you know about the undead."

    She hesitates for a moment, thinking it over quite thoroughly before answering, "Only the Blessed ones will receive the knowledge."

    A futile demand, but okay.

    "I accept."

    But she has more demands, "The books cannot be removed from the temple, and I'll insist on regular [Detect Evil] checks after you start reading them."

    A bit of an annoyance, but okay.

    "Acceptable," I answer with a nod.

    Then she asks for something that actually gives me pause, "And I'll also require that you pass questioning by a Truth Seeker to confirm that you won't use the knowledge for evil."

    I ask the girls about it, but it'll be fine as long as we agree beforehand about what's going to be asked and make sure that the questions don't have any hidden implications. "Since we'll be meeting with the Seekers, we'll also ask them to validate Arreira's will."

    She hums and nods in agreement, then slowly sighs and rubs her eyes. "You're a massive headache, your Highness," she softly remarks with a tired tone.

    I smile cheekily and confess, "It's honestly not my intention; I'm sorry for bringing you so much trouble."

    She sinks down in her seat and slowly explains, "Not trouble, but work. It's hard to say no to a Blessed, especially with one who's implied to be wise, and even in the case of the Chimeras, we've found nothing that could be used to stop you. But still, you bring change that makes us uncomfortable."

    I smile warmly and try to soothe her, "I find that [Massage] followed by some Eia is a wonderful way to help me relax." Then I pull out my precious bottle of Cinco Flores.

    She lifts her head and looks at the bottle, then raises an eyebrow, but she doesn't take the bait.

    "I feel like I'll need something a bit stronger than that," she casually confesses.

    And I shamelessly set another trap for her, "I know how to give someone such an intense experience that they'll never forget about it, but it's something rather intimate."

    She snorts and shakes her head, making her long ears bounce cutely, her mean glare nowhere to be found, but again, she doesn't fall for it.

    "I'll take a shot of Eia if you're offering, but then I must take my leave," she replies and subtly smiles.




    I watch the hot gilf leave, satisfied with the results. She doesn't seem to be a shriveled Grinch or a queen of eternal winter, so I feel like it's possible for our relationship to grow more intimate in the future.

    I like strong women, and her mean and stern behavior doesn't put me off, though it does have the undesired effect of feeding the weed of submissiveness within me, so I guess I'll have to abuse the girls a bit to polish up my throne as the apex sexual predator.

    As I open my "Notes" to add "Research the undead" to my "to-do list," I discover an entry that I don't remember adding.

    "Get rice from Dyrmorder."

    What…? Was I high on Eia when I wrote this…?

    The girls don't remember me adding it either, so I just file it for investigation later, then I leave for yet another business meeting.




    I link arms with my foxy personal battery, then we go down to the main hall of the castle, where a small social gathering is taking place.

    Again, the moment I walk in, everyone bows to me, with the knights all taking a knee. Though I still find it a bit awkward, I'm starting to get used to this sort of respect.

    "At ease," I smoothly order using my outside voice, and the chatter continues again.

    Gathered here are any civilian Chimera with knowledge about Alteration, enchanting, gem refining, or ship-building, and also the Chimera officers of my fleet, Oritiki, a few Celestial Horns, a few scholars from the temple, all of the girls that I love, and the High Officers.

    For now, the wind tunnel is something we want to keep hidden, so we aren't showing it to the other commoners or nobles since the Chimeras owe us a lot, ensuring that we'll get some level of secrecy and discretion from them. The temple scholars aren't greedy, so it's unlikely that they'll try to sell this idea, but the biggest advantage they bring is that they have the baseline knowledge of Metrology, Materials Science, and Engineering that we need, which would make it possible for us to jump-start this venture if they agree to participate.

    There are snacks, sweets, and our traditional Eia extract on tables near the walls, which is where most of the chatter is taking place. At the center, suspended up in the air, is the large green gem that Hihiriwa extracted from a Drifting Island and two smaller blue gems that Vanea sent to us. Below the gems is the wind tunnel prototype, a three-meter wide tunnel of smooth wood with a basketball-sized [Breeze] gem on one end and a dozen pulleys throughout set up with ropes attached to weights on the outside to measure the air resistance.

    I personally greet the few Chimera nobles among our guests, who, fortunately, seem quite comfortable talking to the commoners due to Chimera aristocracy being more varied in professions than Avgin.

    "Wolf, Alissa, please call on us the next time you go into battle. We're technically part of your Lordsguard, too," Oritiki amicably requests.

    I quickly glance at her delicious black cow tits, observing how they've been decorated with jewels, which is considered as "social attire" for the Chimeras, then I smile and reply, "Well, I wanted to leave you to your training since being able to use your 'battle bodies' would make you basically invincible to normal attacks."

    She bunches up her dark tits enticingly with her thick arms, and I have an inkling that she's doing it deliberately. "Some real action once in a while will be good to help us keep our skills from getting rusty."

    I nod and affirm, "If that's what you wish. We can go back to that 'Stinky Goblins' dungeon and finish conquering it, or there's the request for adventurers in Gnomeria that we wish to answer, but neither location will have enough space to really let the Celestial Horns fly."

    Oritiki smiles awkwardly and scratches her long cow head. "That dungeon may have a horrible name, but it's the one with that crystalline infection that we visited together, correct?"

    Alissa answers for me, "Yes, it is. Those crystalline monsters must be a theme switch, though its main focus still seems to be related to 'disease.'"

    Oritiki shrugs casually. "That dungeon has some room for us to fly around, and we never get sick, thanks to our armor, so we should do fine there."

    "Alright, our team will be the Horns and my wives," I agree to bring them with a soft tone.

    She grins excitedly as her cow ears twitch. "Just like the fortress mission in the dungeon."

    I gently smile back and Alissa remarks, "Except, this time, we'll have to cut down everything in our path."

    Oritiki shifts on her lizard feet and deliberately makes a loud noise with her heavy steps. "I was never much for sneaking, anyway. Not when I'm like a star against the dark sky thanks to my shining armor," she jokes with a smirk.

    And I mirror her expression as I follow up, "Still, you could say that it's a successful infiltration if there's nobody left alive to raise the alarm."

    We chuckle softly, and the topic dies down, so we eat a snack as we look around. Lina is talking to Paraaone, who's wearing a loose loincloth that although it can't be considered proper underwear, it at least prevents Lina's line of sight from accidentally falling upon his log, which none of us wish to happen.

    Aoi is, surprisingly, also talking with other people, a few artisan Chimeras and Istante, our quartermaster. My little blue dragon is slowly becoming more sociable due to her growing humanity and desire to learn.

    They grow so fast… seriously, her growth's amazing.

    Oritiki's expression suddenly becomes neutral, and she hums softly in thought, so I just wait for her to quietly voice her question. "But Wolf, do you think it's wise to favor the Chimeras so much? I hardly hear about you interacting with the other nobles."

    I shrug and honestly answer, "Until very recently, we hadn't had that much time to play the social games, so we postponed it. Osaria is also compiling profiles of the ones that try to get closer to us, so we won't be completely blind in our first interactions with them."

    She tilts her head in confusion. "Isn't Yulania the daughter of the previous Lord…?"

    I nod and smile tiredly as my wagging tail slows down from faint weariness. "They're acting differently since I'm not an elf. Case in point: even the other Lords are still behaving rather defiantly."

    Oritiki raises her eyebrows in surprise and nods. "Oh, I understand…"

    "We're still at the beginning of our rule, so we have time to appease anyone who gets offended by our supposed 'neglect,'" Alissa calmly explains.

    "Now you're talking like a noble," Oritiki comments with a wry smile and takes a sip of diluted Eia. The spirits seem to be very sensitive to Eia, so they dilute it to prevent them from getting "drunk" too fast.




    After a bit of stalling, the guests reach an optimal level of enjoyment and casual chatter, so we decide that it's time for the main course.

    Poosh rings a bell, which signals a maid to grow a dais for me under the white velvet carpet in front of the wind tunnel testbed, then the hall goes silent as they all turn to me and wait for me to begin.

    The acoustics here are good enough that I only need to use my outside voice, so I immediately start my speech with the class-neutral greeting, "Gentlemen and gentlewomen, I've called you all here for a business proposal. As you should already know, we have a small fleet of Chimeric ships at our disposal, but unfortunately, they don't fit with our current military doctrine, so, instead of simply recreating Chimeric ship-building infrastructure, we want to build a research institute and improve upon the Chimeric design."

    I pull out a piece of fine paper and fold it just as I used to when I was a child, then I point it forward and gently throw the airplane.

    As we all watch the plane slowly come down just a few meters away from me, I continue the speech, "Current Chimeric airplanes or ships are too reliant on [Fly], creating a situation where too much mana is expended to reduce drag and improve control so that the plane can actually fly, but I believe we can improve a plane's characteristics by advancing our scientific knowledge. That is, by studying aerodynamics."

    I pull out another piece of paper and again fold it into a paper airplane, then I throw it, but this time, I pulse [Telekinesis] on it as I snap my finger, giving it propulsion.

    The plane continues past where the first one landed, and with just a bit of finesse, I can make it turn by changing the location that I apply the propulsion. The crowd immediately catches on and starts to murmur excitedly, but since I'm not done yet, they quickly reign in their chatter and focus back on me.

    "Compare applying [Telekinesis] in this way to applying [Fly] to the whole paper airplane and you'll quickly notice how much more mana-efficient my method is. Though it lacks some of the versatility of [Fly] airplanes, that weakness can be mitigated by simply limiting which scenarios such airplanes will operate within.

    "Besides, there might still be room in the control gem for a simple [Fly] to save the airplane in case of an emergency."

    Almaria hands me a small glider made of wood, which the mages prepared according to my designs, and I show the elevator at the tail of the plane. It can be angled up and down by a string, which is connected to a small wheel that makes for an easy target for my [Telekinesis].

    I hold the glider in the air with [Telekinesis] as I explain, "This glider is slower than that paper airplane, but it's far easier to control and has a better conversion of propulsion to distance traveled, so you can see how the shape of the plane easily alters its purpose."

    I glance at Kaatohe, and it makes me quite happy to see that I have her full attention, her vertical feline pupils fully focused on taking in the demonstration as she stares intensely at the glider.

    Then I grab the glider again and throw it. This time, I control it with a lot more ease than the paper airplanes. Though this glider doesn't have ailerons to control the roll, it's still possible to give it some yaw by applying the propulsion on the wings instead of the body.

    After having it do a loop, I bring the glider back and land it on Almaria's hand, earning myself a short round of applause.

    I turn to the crowd again and announce, "With the shape of the plane being so important for the flight characteristics, I've come up with a tool for researchers to more easily test prototype airplanes in search of the most efficient shape."

    I walk up to the end of the tunnel that holds the gem, and the crowd follows me, then I signal the court mages and let them work on their baby themselves.

    They strap a miniature Wasp airplane to a rod in the center of the tunnel, then they activate the [Breeze] gem, and the rod moves back slightly with the drag, lifting weights that move along some scales on the outside.

    "As you can see, this is 'drag,' the resistance of the air to any motion of objects moving through it. Just like when you use your hand to displace water, there's a big difference between using the flat side or the thinner side. This is fluid dynamics, and the air is also a fluid, just far thinner."

    The crowd reacts with a few "ooh~…"s as they finally grasp my intentions.

    I give a signal to the court mages, and they quickly replace the miniature Wasp with a missile, then they reactivate the wind tunnel, and the weights move a fair bit less along the scale than with the Wasp. This time, the Chimeric shipwrights have the strongest reactions as they should have some basic knowledge of aerodynamics to understand the difference between the two models.

    Then I stop the test and continue, "We shall build more wind tunnel testbeds with varying sizes so that we can test full-scale airplanes for military, civilian, and recreational purposes. It'll be a direct competition with Faium, but instead of focusing on magical prowess, the advantage of our airplanes and ships will be their engineering."

    Then Almaria hands me the second prototype, a little car.

    I grin as I display my little baby to them. It has a crude Ackermann steering system that's exposed on the top of it, making it easy for me to control it with [Telekinesis].

    "But we'll also develop something more."

    I put the car down and give it some propulsion, then I steer it through the crowd, receiving another round of impressed cooing.

    Poosh pulls out a vertical board with a stand. "For those interested in participating, these are the open positions," she announces and gestures at the board.

    The Ryder Royal Research Institute will start with only a Vehicle Research Division, which is split into the teams of Land Vehicles, Light Airplanes, Transport Airplanes, Aerial Weapons Platforms, and Carriers.

    To secure funding, Light Airplanes and Transport Airplanes will be given priority so that we can build a prototype to sell to the empire. Later on, we'll also establish a Gun Research Division, specific science divisions, and a formal Academy to train engineers.

    The Aristocracy gets to pick first, and they're already used to being managers, so they'll get the higher positions. The commoners all go for the worker jobs, predictably, and we fill up both priority teams, though we'll have to properly interview the candidates for the management positions.

    The teams are small, so there aren't enough management positions for all the Aristocrats, which will make it a bit annoying to have to choose one without at least slightly offending the others, but luckily for us, we have the Officers to help us make the selections.

    Oh, no, I've become an office boss, throwing his problems at his underlings to solve… but just this once won't hurt, right?

    Kaatohe enlists as a test pilot, and from among all our pilots, I honestly think there's nobody better for the job.

    While the Officers interview the Aristocrats in private rooms, we begin instructing the workers about what we want from them.

    The focus is on speed. We want the fastest airplane possible as a prototype, then we'll start cutting down on its cost until it reaches a more reasonable budget for mass production.

    For now, there's no specific need for combat airplanes, but the Light Airplanes team should at least keep in mind that the airplane needs to be able to fit a weapon somewhere. The Trinity Cannons are also likely to go through a re-development, so we can't give them anything concrete, but I believe their overall shape will remain about the same. Unfortunately, Roxanne's research isn't far enough along to know whether or not her Draconic Climax will be useful for air-dropped bombs and the like.




    As the sun starts to set, the interviews are finished, but we won't reach a final decision on the positions right now, so the gathering ends, and the guests start to leave.

    Kaatohe sticks around, and I immediately go over to give her some attention.

    "Training has been a bit boring. Hopefully, the first prototype will be ready soon," she casually comments.

    I hug her waist and feel her bronze nakedness press against my thin clothes. "That's just asking for it to break apart the first time it takes flight," I warn her concernedly.

    She pats my head gently. "I can cast [Fly], even in spirit form, so I'll be fine," she assures me.

    I pout and stare into her eyes, then I surprise her with a peck on her cat snout. "Don't go doing anything reckless, okay?"

    She scoffs and looks away as she smiles, revealing her fangs. "I've gained a new set of parents, it seems, but I understand, I won't worry your Highness."

    Alissa smoothly chimes in, "We do care for you, and not in a parental way."

    That sobers her up a little bit, and she nods with a meaningful look.

    Then Hana appears on her other side and grabs her hand, interlacing their fingers together. "We're very fond of our little kitten," she teases with a grin.

    Kaatohe rolls her eyes and grumbles, "Oh, you peasan-… well, you're not peasants, but you still act like it."

    I raise an eyebrow and cheekily ask, "Oh? So you want us to be lofty and domineering?"

    "I'm pretty sure that's what makes her get weak in the legs, yes," Hana immediately affirms without letting Kaatohe reply.

    I grin and sink my claws into her round, bronze ass. "Then bend over, because I'm going to give you what you're craving for," I huskily order.

    Hana forces Kaatohe to lean over the table with one hand while her other penetrates her now slightly wet pussy, then she whispers into the leopard woman's ear, "I knew it. You're too proud to admit that you're a submissive slut, but it doesn't matter, we'll just use you like a sex toy, anyway."

    Kaatohe simply purrs softly and remains stiff, eagerly anticipating what comes next.

    Since I recently leveled [Oral Technique], I might as well put the new skill level to use.

    I release Alissa, kneel behind Kaatohe, and spread her ass cheeks, revealing her two dark, little holes, then I unleash my draconic tongue upon them.




    Intermission – Alissa




    The last few guests watch excitedly as their Lord and King begins another display of his sexual prowess and masculine virility.

    His famous magic dick is still hidden from sight, but his entire body is magical, so his every touch can cause mind-numbing pleasure.

    The way Kaatohe's alluring legs quiver from his touch makes me proud. He has a gift for pleasing women, and though it's not God-given, it's truly too wonderful to keep it all to ourselves. Though, there were no virtuous thoughts going through our minds when we first unchained him.

    I stare at his tongue entering and leaving her cunt, then her brown asshole, and the sight of it makes my lower lips get warm. I savor her taste through our connection, and now my legs are the ones that quiver.

    I don't like women, but I do enjoy bending over and being forced to lick Hana's pussy, or being molested by Roxanne and Ciel, or servicing Yunia, or just being forced by Wolfy to satisfy the depraved needs of others. It's this role of submissiveness that makes me aroused. Acting as nothing more than a slave for my husband to have fun with is what I live for.

    I just really fucking love being dominated.

    I imagine Kaatohe playing with me while Wolfy watches us. I imagine her tongue penetrating my holes, tainting them with her saliva, then she kisses me as her fingers stretch my pussy lips, forcing me to feel pleasure from someone I feel no attraction for, yet it only makes Wolfy more aroused to see two women having sex.

    Am I really still heterosexual if I enjoy other women so much…?

    Even if it's a lie, I'll still consider myself to be that way because it just makes the depravity that much spicier.

    Wolfy glances at me, preventing me from touching myself as I fantasize, then he gets up and pulls his cock out as he grins like a villain about to commit a crime.

    He hugs the tired Kaatohe from behind and rubs his thick meat rod against her wet lips, making her purr loudly in desire. Though his expression is evil, the way he moves and caresses her is still so sweet and gentle.

    It's this other side of him that comforts us all. For as much as we're addicted to the mind-shattering orgasms or having the shameful, depraved desires within us being satisfied, we all need the rest and comfort that Wolfy's human side can give us.

    He goes through a skillful back and forth between dominating and loving, carefully molding his acting to better satisfy our desires, as long as we, ourselves, know what we want. Even though he can read our thoughts, his high "Perception" still isn't keen enough to give him prescience, so we've all learned to quickly accept our dark desires without shame, unless shaming is one of our fetishes like it is for Roxanne and Yunia.

    He teases Kaatohe until she starts to get frustrated, then he immediately penetrates her, and the jealousy I feel in this moment squeezes my heart, almost making me choke. It hurts, but it hurts so good.

    It's such a degrading feeling to see my beloved making love to another, random woman, but I'm such a degenerate that it feels good. I enjoy the pain, the shame, the dirty feeling that wells up from within my heart.

    He's being disloyal and cheating on me, and he takes pleasure in that. He deliberately treats me like a cum rag, hurting my feelings, betraying my love, throwing my dedication to him away as if it was worthless trash.

    But I know it's all a fantasy. Deep inside, he loves me so much that he'd die right after I did. Not through suicide, just a clean, instant death.

    The intensity of these feelings paralyzes me, and I stare at his cock going in and out of her pussy, the pain and jealousy I feel squeezing my heart with every thrust. Their love juices mix and drip onto the floor, evidence of their enjoyment, of their willingness to make love to one another while leaving me in the cold.

    The cream of her orgasms coats his shaft as he gives her mind-numbing pleasure. The most intimate experience we could share, the most intense amount of pleasure we could provide each other, both were given to a random, undeserving woman. I'm just one of the uncountable number of pussies that he has already been in. Everything I've felt, he has given to others, too.

    There's nothing special about me. Except that I own half his soul.

    He feels the warmth of her vagina, her tightness, her slickness, her taste, her smell, her sensual beauty, and compares it all to mine. I'm nothing but a cock-sleeve that he quickly grew tired of.

    Then he cums, flooding her insides with his precious, delicious seed, marking her as just another one of his conquests. Another woman in the long line of cum slaves.

    I wish he could impregnate her, breed her, force her to bear his child. I wish I could watch the conception of his first child, cementing my position as just a lowly cum-slave who's not worthy of being inseminated.

    Well, there are the dryads… though they can't make humanoids, so I guess they don't count.

    I walk up to the tired Kaatohe and caress her, soothing her tired body, fulfilling my duty as Wolfy's slave, then I notice Hana underneath her, cleaning out her cunt.

    Oh, yeah, she was there too. I forgot about her…

    I gently kiss Wolfy's cheek, and he reciprocates, then he sighs and hugs me as we watch Hana do her job. The intense feelings of depravity wash away, leaving only my warm love for him behind.




    Intermission end.




    We take Kaatohe and Hukarere with us to the bath. The Chimeras have a natural fondness for airships and airplanes, especially Kaatohe, so the girls all start talking excitedly about the Institute.

    Klein joins us in fooling around, but she doesn't talk much. She isn't sad, just pensive, which is a state that amuses Hana quite a lot.

    "Klein, we've invited Hermann and his husband for dinner," Ciel tactfully warns her.

    "Oh… I'll eat with my parents this time," she awkwardly replies and sighs as her long tail flops into the water.

    "Don't start avoiding him, now," Osaria gently cautions her little toy.

    "I won't!" She hisses back and pouts. "I just don't have the energy to talk with him today."

    "Oh? What's this about? A lovers' quarrel?" Kaatohe bemusedly joins in.

    Roxanne immediately gossips into her ear. Klein frowns in displeasure, but she doesn't have the energy to stop them.

    Kaatohe suddenly stands up and shouts, "HAH! Enjoy your freedom, woman. Guilt-trip him so that you can ride both of their dicks at the same time while still keeping your name, and then get them to compete to impregnate you! But then, just have both of their children, anyway!"

    "'Both'?" Klein softly questions.

    "This one," Kaatohe swims over to me and grabs my dick, then strokes it. "And the one who broke your heart. Guilt the second."

    "Telling me about this plan ahead of time doesn't seem like a very smart idea," I wryly reply.

    She flashes me a smirk and shrugs. "Not even your magic dick was enough to enslave her, so you already gave her up to another man."

    I narrow my eyes dangerously due to how much her tone offends me. I'm not a slave collector-… well, sex slave collector, so the very idea that it's me who's somehow "giving up" a woman to another man simply because she isn't interested ticks me off.

    I stand up and glare at the Bengal-headed woman. "Do you want me to enslave you?" I growl and grab her head with my claws. "Because I know how to make a cum addict like you beg for it." Then I push her down, forcing her to kneel, and pull her face towards my erect cock, which she gladly welcomes into her mouth.

    "Quantity over quality," Hukarere quietly remarks and ignores Kaatohe's glare.

    "You're one to talk, cock-gobbler!" She shouts and quickly returns to gobbling me up.

    The irony makes Hukarere and the girls chuckle, but Kaatohe is less promiscuous than Hukarere, so she does have a point. Well, they both have a point.

    Klein lightens up a bit and starts to take Kaatohe's advice more seriously. Though she originally wanted a normal, monogamous life, her current lifestyle isn't too bad, either.




    The open wall of the dining hall gives us a great view of the clear night sky and the sea of mist coming from the Eia plants that covers the entire town. I'm really fond of this town, and this view is one of my favorite things about it.

    We take our seats, and Poosh starts playing soothing tunes with her flute, which goes really well with the soft trickle of running water from the small water channels that cross the dining hall.

    A moment later, our two guests come in with linked arms. Hermann looks a bit nervous, but Ahren guides him in, though the smaller boy's steps are also quite stiff. While Hermann's clothes are designed to show off his muscular build, Ahren is wearing delicate, androgynous robes. Honestly, if Ahren were to dress himself as a trap, they'd make a cute couple.

    Hermann is younger than him, but he actually looks older than Ahren, who has the same curse of babyface as I do. In Roxanne's eyes, they're like the perfect gay couple from the women's novels she used to read.

    Then some embarrassing memories surface in Yunia's mind, and she holds back her own blush.

    Of course, Roxanne doesn't miss this opportunity and immediately grips onto the memories so that she can show them to everyone, but I close my mind's eye and forcefully ignore them.

    "Wow…" Lina quietly breathes through [Bind] as intricate BL drawings flash through her mind. Someone put a lot of love into those drawings, or so she believes.

    "You damn fujoshis," I grumble internally as even Aoi's mind is corrupted by the gay.

    "You honor us with your invitation for this meal," Ahren politely announces and bows as he subtly pushes Hermann to bow as well.

    "No need for this amount of reverence. You're our not-blood-brothers, so consider yourselves family," I smoothly reply, and the girls snap out of their daydreaming.

    Mimi comes in next, and her usually fearsome gaze softens into a girlish smile when she sees her brother, then she quickly approaches the couple, her very high heels making muffled loud sounds as she rushes across the grass carpet, which draws their attention.

    "How did you like your mansion, brother?" Mimi asks with a teasing smirk that's so incredibly similar to Hana's.

    Hermann's nervousness starts to clear away as he brightens up and replies, "Stupidly big, but it doesn't even compare to living in a castle." Then he glances at Hana with a smirk.

    "Ah, sweet Sommer child," Mimi hums softly and lands a hand on one of his shoulders. "Have you seen the penises on the walls?"

    Both Hermann and Ahren blink blankly as they stare at her.

    "I'm sorry, what did you say…?" Ahren politely asks.

    Mimi softly shakes her head, and her dark, undulated hair shakes along just like Hana's red mane. "Never mind, then. Just know that this castle isn't a safe place for either of you, but also," -she gives Ahren a sober stare- "don't ever let your sister come here unaccompanied."

    "But I don't hunt men," I protest and pout at Mimi.

    She stares back at me with a pleased smile, her intense stare challenging me to engage in a bout of banter. "You're not even going to deny the rest?"

    "They'll know the truth soon enough," I calmly accept.

    The confused couple shares a look, but Hermann seems to have a better idea about what we're talking about than his husband since Hana's suggestive grin gives it away.

    Mimi sighs softly and continues on towards the table, her alluring, long, dark legs peeking out from the sides of her elven dousnadeia. Her lean body is perfect for elven clothes. "Do you want a Title? Because that's how you get a Title. At least try to deny it."

    I grin as I fuck her with my eyes. "I simply refuse to feel any shame for it."

    "Wolfy's prowess is something that we're all proud of, so we, too, want to see him share his gift with others," Alissa tenderly states.

    Mimi shoots a questioning look at Ciel, who just shrugs in return. "You should try it. He's actually really good," my Star of Hope pimps me up, and she hides her ensuing embarrassment very well.

    "Noted…" Mimi mumbles then takes her seat.

    "Sit down, you two lovebirds, we don't bite," Hana teases with a fearsome grin and motions to the chairs.

    Ahren looks a bit intimidated by her, but Hermann sighs and squeezes his hand reassuringly, then they unlink their arms and sit down.

    Since our guests are from Sommerland, we wanted to impress them with elven cuisine, which is somewhat similar to theirs (though Yunia strongly disagrees), so the chefs prepared a feast.

    The table is filled with a wide variety of delicate veggies prepared in all sorts of manners, and there's also a nice selection of smoked meats that creates a mouth-watering aroma for the carnivorous among us.

    It's almost like a charcuterie board due to how they're made to be savored individually instead of as a proper, complex dish. I'm also quite partial to the dried not-tomato salad with smoked bacon, greens, and grated cheese.

    There are even fresh glowing veggies that are considered old-people food due to their very exotic flavor. Though Roxanne is a bit of an exception, we, as well as most Young elves, don't have much exposure to this sort of weird food, so it's an acquired taste that normally only old people would have.

    "This is pretty good. The flavor of the mana is also nice," Aoi comments, all of her large white teeth now glowing purple. These are the veggies that illuminate the dark parts of the High Forest, and since it's currently night, their glow has dimmed and changed color.

    Lina takes a very small bite and shudders. "This burns my tongue," she whines and uses [Spirit of Gaia] to cleanse her body of the poison.

    Roxanne takes a bite and delicately covers her mouth with her hand to remark as she chews, "It's a bit tingly…"

    Yunia simply stares at her with a deep frown. She hates these glowing veggies with a childish passion, which I find rather endearing.

    I take a bite of one and feel my nose burn with the harsh smell of horseradish, but the taste is quite agreeable, and my tongue only feels slightly prickled. It's like pickled onions with a bit of an herbal freshness.

    Then the feeling of burning quickly fades away as my nerves wilt. Not literally.

    Our three guests also show a sensible degree of aversion to the glowing veggies, so I get a little curious.

    I use [Bind] to sense what the other girls feel when they eat it and notice that only Aoi and I can taste the pickled onions. The rest only feels the horseradish burning their mouth and nose. Roxanne doesn't feel the burning, but she also barely manages to detect the taste of pickled onion.

    "Gih," Gify chirps happily as she chews. This is magical food, so you need to have a high affinity to magic to fully appreciate it.

    "Right, [Mana Body]," I mumble, and Ahren lifts his eyebrows in surprise.

    "You have that skill?" He blurts out, then clears his throat awkwardly and reigns in his excitement.

    "Yeah. A lot happened, and I woke up with this skill one day," I eloquently explain and grin at him.

    The way he immediately breaks eye contact and glances at Hermann is kind of cute. The shy demeanor of the gay little boy makes the idea of teasing him that much more delicious.

    I glance over at Osaria, and her smug smile unnerves me.

    It's totally not gay to tease him!

    "Before we start retelling that long story again, I want to hear Hermann's story first," Hana interrupts us, then turns to her brother and presses him.

    Hermann smiles with a small amount of pride and starts, "W-well, after we were separated, the Grosshils immediately took me in. They knew that I wanted to become a knight, so they didn't hold back on my training."

    "He's a natural with weapons," Ahren chimes in, beaming with pride.

    "Of course. He's got dragonkin blood within him," Hana states matter-of-factly as she nods with crossed arms.

    Hermann grins and starts to become enthusiastic. "Even with a negative soul potential, my skills continued to level up, so they let me go with the soldiers to soak up some 'Experience' in hope of quick level-ups."

    "Then he took down an Orc Striker by himself!" Ahren exclaims excitedly.

    "A lucky strike, really," Hermann tries to diminish it as he puns.

    "But you did it again sometime later," Ahren insists and pouts at him.

    Hermann smiles wryly and shrugs. "That was after I increased my skills some more."

    Ahren's right eye twitches in annoyance. "By then, you were already taking on old Orcs."

    "Because I was given proper plate armor," he deflects again.

    Ahren stands up and wraps his hands around Hermann's throat, then playfully shakes him. "Just accept my love!"

    "I already did, husband!" He shouts back and grabs his waist.

    "Oh, my," Osaria coos, and her perfectly measured teasing tone is enough to make them blush as they touch their foreheads together.

    "I don't even need to say anything…" Roxanne remarks, impressed at the capability of the couple to embarrass themselves.

    "So, I take it that you were impressed with his martial prowess and fell hopelessly in love?" Yunia calmly questions Ahren.

    "Something like that…" He quietly replies and swallows heavily.

    Yunia approves of them since it's kind of similar to our own story.

    "Anyway, I guess I have a new sparring partner, then," Hana comments and sends her fearsome glare towards her brother, who receives it head-on and glares right back.

    For once, there's someone who can go toe-to-toe against her domineering aura. I don't count since her submissiveness towards me has already become firmly ingrained within her.

    "I take it that the only thing he inherited from father was his face," Mimi comments with a fake depressed tone.

    "He definitely inherited Moms' love for dick," Hana teases.

    The stunningly beautiful sisters share a mirrored look. "And to think that her sex lessons actually helped him more than us."

    Hana snorts and flashes me a smirk. "Speak for yourself. She definitely didn't prepare me for the amount of abuse Wolfy gives my asshole."

    "And your throat," I quietly add.

    "And my throat," she repeats with pride.

    Mimi stares at her sister annoyedly for a second, then clears her throat and continues the teasing, "Anyway, I'm at least glad that she taught us how to practice anal safely."

    Then Hermann sinks his face into his hands in resignation.

    "I-is this normal talk for a meal?" Ahren hesitantly asks, a slight edge in his tone.

    "No, but we're definitely not normal, so it fits," Osaria replies matter-of-factly.

    Mimi puts down her glass of not-wine and starts lambasting us, "The Ryders all have the touch of a succubus within them. They know no shame or chastity, they feed on embarrassment and sexual fluids, and they exude an aura of mischief and sexual predation, so remember to not feed these demons."

    Dayum…

    "Please tongue my cunt like you just did our pride! HNGH!" Roxanne exclaims and moans out loud.

    "Hana really didn't change that much, huh?" Hermann dryly comments, then shoots his sister a smirk.

    Ahren looks with concern at his husband and frowns. "I understand my father's warnings, now," he breathes tiredly.

    The ribbing eventually dies down, and the meal proceeds peacefully.




    As we retell our journey to the couple, they become increasingly excited, eager to participate in our legend.

    "Pff… as if we're going to take you two with us," Hana immediately dismisses their dreams.

    "I-I'm part of the clan, am I not? We'll always be ready to give you our support!" Hermann eagerly announces, and Ahren nods energetically in agreement.

    "And you'll support us with simple little tasks where you can't die by stumbling and falling on a sword," she harshly retorts.

    Ahren frowns and defiantly glares at Hana as he announces, "I must express my dissatisfaction with this policy. We're certain to grow more powerful than knights, one day."

    She grins, savoring his resistance, and casually retorts, "'One day.' Until then, you'll keep your precious little pair of jewels on your seat."

    "Hanaa~…!" Hermann childishly whines, then turns a disbelieving look to Mimi in search of help.

    "I'm not a warrior, don't look at me," she immediately evades.

    "Hermann, Ahren," Yunia calls their attention and they tense up, struck by her beauty and charming voice. "We aren't saying that you'll never come with us, but you'll have to grow a lot before we can rely on you. We're all almost level sixty, so it's currently impossible for you to keep up with us or our veteran servants."

    The excitement of the couple quickly deflates back down to the proper, appropriate level for their age, then the meal finally ends a short time later.




    For this evening, I take care of Alissa's fur, going all brushy brushy on her while Poosh waxes my tail and hums an angelic tune.

    My fluffy sheep lets out a breathy hum that sounds pained, "♪ Daughter, Godspe~ed. ♪"

    She follows with a slow, gloomy hum. "♪ I set my sail. Fly the wind, where it takes me. Towards the dream of a new home. Sweet home. ♪"

    Then her voice gains vigor and grows more chipper, making her sound dreamy. "♪ I lay on my back. I see the clouds make a way for me. Follow the stars, the glowing path. My Fate. ♪"

    And then she slows down, sounding soothing. "♪ I've found my place. I'll wait in case you want to come down. This is my role, my home. Mother, I'm he~re. ♪"

    Her short, little song has been translated from the Southern Maokai language, so Roxanne knows the original, and she approves of Poosh's localization.

    Her song sets the mood for a wonderful, comfy evening. An increasingly rare moment of respite in the hectic days of our rule. In fact, there's still so much for us to do that I can't even straighten out our priorities to figure out what we should do first.

    The girls play with the two game tables we built, and I try to come up with ideas about what else I can do to increase the number of recreation activities we have available.

    I could make arcade games with [Golemancy]…

    I sigh and hug Alissa's fluffy tail.

    I want to study golems, but I'm always so busy!

    Tomorrow, there's Ciel's parents' visit, and after that, it'll be Roxanne's, and then we need to go to the capital, and also help Gnomeria to get coffee, but we also need to continue the mana circulation training, and leveling up, and increasing our skills, and building the Institute, and organizing the knights and Officers, and improving our territory, and answering the calls from the other Lords, and scheming against our enemies, and fucking my harem, and researching stuff in a dozen different areas, and making connections with the other nobles, and meeting with the Elder Council, and, and, and, and, and…

    Yunia suddenly hugs me from behind, and I melt in her arms. Her enthralling perfume and lovely breasts are like a sneak attack on my anxious mind, and then her drills fall on my back, and I enter Paradise for a moment.

    "How about we take it one day at a time?" She softly asks, her hot breath tickling my ear.

    "Alright…" I mumble with a sigh, then I let go of Alissa's tail and lay down so that Poosh can wax the scales on my legs.

    Yunia and I start going over our priorities and what we should do next, then I remember something.

    We still have to wipe out Dawn of Fire…

    "Gify, has Cereleia recovered yet?" I question my little white griffin.

    She tilts her head, then Yunia senses a pulse of Life coming from her and going down towards the forest. "Gih… guh gih!" She answers negatively.

    "Damn. Why do Dryads recover so slowly?"

    "Guee gih…!" She accuses me.

    And I smile apologetically. "Oh… I'm sorry."

    A dryad's soul isn't stable enough for that level of intense soul-fucking, so Cereleia has a lot of "soul-bruises" to deal with.

    Yunia gently runs her hand through my hair, and though it's very soothing, her actual feelings right now are like those of a master petting their dog.

    I won't complain, though.

    For some reason, I get a boner, so Alissa pulls down my pants and starts playing with it.

    Yunia's voice caresses my ears again as she continues, "Anyway, as soon as Cereleia recovers and give us the details on their hideouts, we should attack."

    What we got from Vanea was enough to formulate a plan to take them down, but now we just need an update to confirm that things haven't changed too much since Vanea "extracted" that information.

    Poosh continues waxing my scales, then she massages my horns the way I like. Hana gets interested in what she's doing, and my lovely sheep teaches my red dragon how to massage Roxanne's horns.

    Poosh's thigh pillow, her jiggly breasts, and her fluffy wool all envelop my head while I get a calm handjob and a horn massage, bringing me closer to Paradise once again.

    Shortly after I cum, I end up falling asleep.




    Today is the 19th, Nev, day of Spirit. An unofficial holiday where people spend their day with the ashes of their dead ancestors and even talk with their spirits, if they still roam the land.

    Poosh wakes me up. Having slept with us in our bed, the girls decided to give her the honor of freely sucking me off until I wake up.

    "Thank you for the meal, your Highness," she politely gives her thanks with a gentle bow.

    I clutch her pale face and pull her closer, then I kiss her forehead and caress her spiral horns. "Thank you for being such a loving and caring person," I warmly reply.

    She smiles brightly, and I feel her cheeks getting warmer in my claws. "Your words give me a glimpse of the bliss from Paradise."

    "Awn…" My heart melts, and I hug her tight, then I cover her face with kisses.

    After giving my wives their morning kisses twice as intensely as usual to compensate, we head down to have our breakfast.




    First, I prepare the bread by drizzling on some not-olive-oil, then I add a bit of not-onion with a dash of not-oregano, and then I lightly toast it with my own, weak fire breath.

    Now that it's warm, I add three slices of bacon, followed by a few slices of not-tomato, then I top it with a leaf of not-lettuce. To finish it all up, I spread a small amount of mayo and not-mustard on the opposing slice, then I close the sandwich and take a bite.

    The crunchy outside and the soft inside of the sandwich are in perfect balance. The oily and savory bacon, the moist and faintly sweet not-tomato, and the fresh and slightly bitter lettuce make for the perfect combination. The added condiments just gives it a nice after-taste from the smooth mayo and the light hit of spice from the mustard.

    I hum as I savor the divine meal, then I take a sip of my beloved not-earl-gray to wash it down and reset my palate for another bite.

    This isn't just a sandwich, it's a work of art.

    "Wolfy, please," Alissa whispers, with Ciel gently agreeing with her sentiment. They find it calming to listen to my thoughts, except for when I start with my silliness, but that's just too bad because today, I've created the supreme sandwich with my own two hands, and I'll be damned if I don't savor it properly!




    After another pleasant breakfast together, we get ready to visit Rabanara. I ask Klein if she'd like to come with us, but she doesn't know anyone there, so we just go with the usual escort with Azador leading them.

    We arrive in Rabanara at the Lord's Hall in the commoners' area because I want to take a look at the town's charming architecture again.

    This is one of the few places that I could say smells like "home" to me, and I'm happy to be back.



    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:
    Prince PreownedFIN.
    Prince Creamy Spinach.
    Lord Andrew Meyers.
    Lord Novgarod.
    Lord Michale Erwin.
    Lord Bakerdea.
    Lord Maurice.
    Lord Empyrean.
    Lord Mattirro Draca.
    Lord Fullmoon.
    Lord Sean Drake.
    Lord EESDESESESRDT.
    Lord FrostyCube.
    Lord Mike Bartter.
    Lord Cardinal Steiner.
    Lord Warwulfv.
    Lord Jorge Franco.
    Lord Khristopher Welsh.
    Lord DJ.
    Lord Philip.
    Lord Tenebris Lupus.
    Lord The Tallest Joshua.
    Lord Copey Dunt.
    Lord Dracopuppy23.
    Lord Chris Carter.
    Lord Paul Daval.
    Lord Bradly.
    Lord Aubrey Powell.
    Lord AndreyUC.
    Lord Cidant.
    Noble Salty Panda.
    Noble Mild Fracas.
    Noble Aclys.
    Noble CarlBaxter.
    Noble Yeuromain.
    Noble Brandon Lai.
     
    strayCat0 likes this.