ã€ŠLiving the Great Sage Life with my Fairies and Lovers in a New Worldã€‹


 Prologue

    Let me just say first that I love magic. Whether it be in literature, movies, games, especially when manga, anime, and light novels started getting more popular, anything that¡¯s based on magic, I like to look into all of the different interpretations and functions that creators were able to come up with inside their own respective worlds. I guess you could say I¡¯m a sort of ¡®Magic Otaku¡¯ in the east, but even though I was born and raised in the US, putting my Mixed-Mostly Asian ethnicity aside, I was drawn into the concept since an early age.

    It wasn¡¯t like my obsession with all things magic had led me to be single for the past 39 years of my life, either. When it comes to fantasy or any kind of story, really, just as it was in any and all things media displayed for the average viewer, magic had been a means of escapism, a way to keep me sane for all of that time.

    I grew up in a very strict, successful household. Studying, education and the results of those were all that my parents cared about. I wouldn¡¯t say they were bad parents, but if I had to describe them, they¡¯d have to be ¡­ estranged, at best. I don¡¯t think I could recall one moment any of us ever did anything, well, ¡®family-like.¡¯ I was just told that as long as I maintained good grades, then I can get pretty much anything I want along with a good allowance.

    So, when I got old enough to buy the things I wanted online, I spent what my parents gave me into merchandise that had to do with magic, both east and the west. I¡¯d read those stories and special collector¡¯s booklets that would explain the mechanics in those fictional worlds¡¯ magic, too. In my spare time, I would check out any books focusing on the instruction of witchcraft, sorcery, and even their tangents like summons, alchemy, and synergy. I like to think science is where I got most of my knowledge of magic because that¡¯s probably the closest thing to it in real life on Earth.

    Sadly, that did next to nothing in my social-life through all of my years of education. Yes, I maintained my quota in achieving good grades and academics even through college, but while my magic obsession had kept me sane from the workloads, I hardly ever did anything normal students would be expected to do in their time in school: attend clubs, sports events, have get-togethers, finding and falling in love, you know, normie things.

    Oh, and the occasional bullying didn¡¯t really help make my middle and high school life any better, either. Still, I persevered, bit the bullet, and worked through it all in order to get the financial support I needed from my parents, their best, if not only form of love given to me as a family, to invest in my hobbies. I developed social anxiety due to meeting my parents¡¯ expectations and dealing with bullies, though, which made me shut myself away into my hobbies further.

    Finally, after all of my time spent through education to the end of college, my parents then asked me when I was going to start a family. What did they think I¡¯ve been doing up to then? At that point, I wasn¡¯t even sure if getting that degree was worth the money, time, and effort spent on getting it, especially since I¡¯ve been working as an IT from graduation up to then. I¡¯m thankful I was able to get some computer science-like classes in to even get a well-paid job like that.

    I went to a decent college close to my home so I would save money, but it seemed that no matter what I did, even if I went to a prestigious university like Harvard or Yale (which would be possible for me with my grades, by the way), I would never satisfy my parents. I would feel their disappointment in me weighing on my shoulders at their home, and it started to suffocate me. So, I moved out into my own place, shut myself from the world and distance myself from my parents even further while keeping occupied with my hobbies.

    Even then at 39, I still loved magic the moment I first came across it. It had been my stronghold in keeping me sane as well as maintaining my child-like curiosity and creativity. I like to think the joy I gained from that is how the knowledge of this world¡¯s ¡®magic¡¯ had shown its love to me.

    But still ¡­ it wouldn¡¯t hurt to receive love from an actual human being, or at least some form of affection despite my social anxiety. I couldn¡¯t even get a regular pet like a dog or cat because my parents were allergic to most of their dander, keeping something like a fish would serve no purpose, and I heard reptiles were pretty hard to take care of. Even when I started living on my own, the cheapest place I could afford wouldn¡¯t allow pets.

    I had barely seen a few girls over the course of my education in college, but I was swamped with the workload to really give them the kind of attention they should receive from a good boyfriend, but even putting that aside, I just didn¡¯t think we opened up a lot to each other. Then again, I may not have a lot to talk about anyway, considering I only vested into magic-related stuff in my free time, and what girl would want to hear about stuff like that? There were a few cute girls in my IT office, but they didn¡¯t look like they want to get romantically involved with me, and some guys already had significant others of their own. After my days were done, I would occasionally have a drink at my go-to pub, get hammered in the evenings, and still lose myself in fantasy-centered hobbies on my days off. Yep. That was the pinnacle of my life right there.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    It wasn¡¯t going to be any different that night, spending my 39<sup>th</sup> birthday alone with more food and alcohol than usual. Looking back on my life up to then as I drank my ¡­ fourth pint, I think it was? I didn¡¯t regret losing myself in my magic obsession, but I wondered if I really spent the time I had into the things I really wanted.

    I was already getting close to 40 with no sex. With all of the knowledge I had learned in magic up to then, I could¡¯ve been one of the most talented ¡®wizards¡¯ in America at that time, hell, maybe even the world if I¡¯m being optimistic. One more year, and I would¡¯ve become a ¡®sage.¡¯ I then thought about why such a fantastic concept like magic existed. Sure, there was that time when people who practiced witchcraft were executed by burning them at the stake or hanging. Yes, I understood that things would be bad if magic were abused, but if it really existed back then, was wiping out everyone who was capable of pulling it off really the only conclusion they came to when deciding how to deal with that situation? Couldn¡¯t they have tried to understand it better and pass on that knowledge to their offspring and generations beyond that? If magic became an actual thing, then Earth might not have been as dull and depressing as it was back then.

    What am I even still doing here? I thought to myself as I was dragging my feet out of the pub completely drunk. The city lights were bright enough that lit up the darkness in this city as I pulled out my phone on the sidewalk and punched in a number for a cab to get back home. It was then I noticed something familiar ¡­ or I should say someone.

    Ah, Shannon? Looks like she¡¯s on a date right now with one of the guys. I didn¡¯t notice she had that kind of chemistry with him at the office but good for her. I¡¯ll leave them alone.

    I looked in the opposite direction and saw something I couldn¡¯t ignore. A guy in a hoodie that looked to be a young man in his mid-20¡¯s. How long he had been glaring at Shannon¡¯s direction, I couldn¡¯t say, but the handle that was sticking out of his pocket as he reached for it was setting off warning sirens in my mind that sobered me up a little while time seemed to slow down.

    Is he ¡­ no way, in a place like this?! Is this guy drunk or crazy?!

    The guy moved and made a dash for Shannon. He kept his head low to keep himself from being recognized or something, I couldn¡¯t tell. I didn¡¯t know what came over me, but my awakened body moved on its own in response to his premeditated assault.

    ¡°Shannon! Look out!¡±

    The next instant, I felt a powerfully painful heat burning under my ribs. The hooded guy was right in front of me with a handle hilted just underneath my chest.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    The hooded assaulter pulled out and ran off in a hurry. Burning heat turned into great coldness as blood poured out from the wound and my mouth. With the alcohol hindering my adrenaline¡¯s effects and my balance, I collapsed on the spot.

    ¡°Lucas?! Lucas! Someone! Quick! Call an ambulance! Lucas!¡± Shannon was getting hysterical as she crouched over me with tears in her eyes. Her boyfriend might¡¯ve been behind me, I didn¡¯t know. A loud ringing filled my ears while my vision turned white.

    Ah ¡­ Shannon, you shouldn¡¯t cry over a guy like me. It won¡¯t look good for your date, will it? Sheesh, you were just like this that other time, too.

    Shannon was one of our newer hires at the office. I was one of the guys with the highest seniority that had to supervise her over the first few weeks of her time there. She was really pretty that could attract plenty of guys, but what kind was up to one¡¯s imagination. The last time I saw her crying like that was when she broke up with her ex through a phone call. From what I had been told, he was a piece of shit, and whatever he said or did to her then was the last straw, but I know that cutting yourself off from someone toxic to you won¡¯t be painless if you¡¯ve been with them for a long enough time. I couldn¡¯t do much that time and I was hesitant to get more involved at first, but I thought I had to look out for her as a senior. So, we¡¯d occasionally meet up and she¡¯d vent to me some problems in her love life. I felt I haven¡¯t done much for anyone up to that point and wanted something different to happen in my life, so I thought doing that would be the least I could do. My body must¡¯ve felt the same when it took the knife for her.

    ¡°Lucas! Please, don¡¯t die! Not after I just got you your birthday present!¡± Shannon cried.

    ¡­ Wait, was that why she was with that guy? For some help finding a present? For me?

    ¡°Don¡¯t die after everything you¡¯ve done for me! I haven¡¯t told you how much you mean to me! I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop ¡­¡± I croaked while I reached out to her with a shaky hand. She grabbed it as if on reflex. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re about to say, whatever you got for me ¡­ you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about my response. Just seeing someone ¡­ so worked up about this over me ¡­ I couldn¡¯t be any happier.¡± I tried to force a smile, but the wetness from my eyes betrayed what I was really feeling. My body started to get cold with the blood loss and I lost feeling in my muscles.

    I put everything I could into the sensation I felt from Shannon holding my hand. It was so warm, soft, and smooth. Seriously, what the hell? If lending an open ear was all it took for her to be this thoughtful towards me, then why ¡­ didn¡¯t I do something like this sooner?

    Why couldn¡¯t I just ¡­ be bolder? Why couldn¡¯t I be more honest with myself and work towards my desires more boldly? Even if I wouldn¡¯t get something like this, a heartfelt thanks and more chances to talk would¡¯ve been nice, too.

    ¡°Thank you ¡­ for caring about me, Shannon. Thank you. Thank you ¡­¡± My voice faded and my eyes couldn¡¯t hold themselves up any longer as my body fell limp.

    ¡°No! Lucas! Lucaaaaas!¡±

    If only ¡­ I could start over to work and find the things I really wanted ¡­

    At that point, I, Lucas Rantin, a guy who just turned 39, single, and a ¡®wizard,¡¯ was no longer a part of that world called Earth.

 Chapter 1: I Found Magic in a New World

    ¡°What a curious little boy you have here, Carol. Have you named him yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This little angel is named Soar. He really calmed down after looking at the sky outside and watching the birds fly. His father came up with the name because of that and his sky-blue hair.¡±

    ¡°Soar Osmis. What a delightful name.¡±

    ¡°Hi, Sooar~! My name is Dew! I¡¯m a friend of your mom¡¯s! I¡¯m smaller than you are! Aren¡¯t you just the cutest wittle thing~? Yes, you are~!¡±

    Right ¡­ except that wasn¡¯t my original name. Hey. How¡¯s it going? Lucas Rantin, IT. Nice to meetcha. Not that you can hear my thoughts, anyway, but how the hell am I even understanding what you¡¯re saying when it¡¯s not even English? Also, since when did I dye my hair sky blue, why are we so small and are you fucking flying?!

    The first thing I saw when I came to was an unfamiliar woman that looked big enough to eat me. I was so frightened I tried to move and run away, but I found my body to be much smaller than I last remembered ¡­ and much younger at that. It wasn¡¯t until I saw my reflection on the windowsill that I immediately realized I wasn¡¯t the same man as I was before, let alone in the same place I recognized as the U.S. Vibrant colors of nature, a rustic-looking house, even the birds outside had an appearance that would be considered unnatural back home.

    Then there was the tiny woman with cerulean hair wearing a dark blue, skimpy one-piece. While she was making dumb-looking faces and speaking baby-talk to me, keeping herself afloat with fluttering butterfly wings all the while, there was a blue gemstone embedded where the sternum and clavicle join together that shined under the sunlight.

    Finally, there was the regular-sized caretaker-like woman with realistic fox ears and a fluffy tail that would put a professional cosplayer¡¯s outfit to shame as they twitched and moved in tandem with her movements. There was no doubt, she was one of those beastmen I read in those light novels and mangas.

    And like those same media, if I didn¡¯t believe I had somehow been reborn into a new world after dying from that stab up to then, all of my hard work earning that college degree would prove useless for how much I was fooling myself.

    The lady who was holding me in her arms, Carol, was my new ¡®mother,¡¯ and the tiny acquaintance of hers who went by ¡®Dew¡¯ looked to be a fairy. The culture shock ¡­ or maybe ¡®reincarnation shock¡¯ would be a better term for this had me looking around everywhere in the room and made sure I somehow wasn¡¯t dreaming.

    While there were many questions going through my mind, the biggest thing at the moment was how I was understanding what these three were saying even though they weren¡¯t speaking English.

    ¡°All right then, Carol, if you would let me?¡±

    Carol nodded in confirmation before Dew moved out of the way. The fox girl held a hand over my head and it started emitting a glow.

    Huh? What¡¯s she doing? I¡¯m feeling all tingly.

    Seconds later, the fox girl gasped and tensed up while all the hairs on her ears and tail stood on end.

    ¡°Renne? What happened? Is there something wrong with my boy?¡± Carol asked while gripping me a little tighter. Dew also looked to be in a state of shock.

    ¡°N-No, on the contrary. In fact, it¡¯s so crazy that I¡¯m frightened of this one¡¯s potential! Your boy, his aptitude for magic is at S Rank!¡± the fox girl who went by Renne exclaimed.

    ¡°I thought I felt something special when I first saw him! It was a feeling at first, but after seeing his magic being drawn out firsthand, I know for sure now that Soar¡¯s got quite a future in his hands!¡± Dew added.

    From that, my eyes widened. Magic? Did they say magic? Was what she did moments ago magic as well? Is there magic in this world?!

    ¡°Goodness, did Soar understood you? He¡¯s smiling after you said that,¡± Carol said but Renne looked to be rambling to herself.

    ¡°This kind of thing only happens very rarely. Were the gods smiling on this boy? If he applies himself at a young age, he could be a talented Magician, nay, a prodigy!¡±

    Magicians! That¡¯s a thing! Magic¡¯s a real thing here! Did she mention gods? Gods, if you can hear me, thank you! Thank you so much for bringing me here! Goddamn, I thought this kind of thing was only for Asians! Well, technically, I¡¯m part Asian, but still!

    ¡°Renne ¡­ would Soar be trained to serve in the guard if this gets around?¡± Carol asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy the gods blessed me and Gullivan with such a beautiful child but that¡¯s just it. He¡¯s still so young with knowing next to nothing of the world around him. Gullivan had told me some of the nobles he met in his line of work, and ¡­ I don¡¯t want my child to be growing up in such an environment.

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll want to leave for greater things one day, I¡¯m already dreading at the thought, but I¡¯ll have to accept it when the time comes. For now, I want to give Soar here a chance to live in a way Gullivan and I weren¡¯t able to while we grew up. Give him the time and knowledge he needs to know what he¡¯ll want to do, to find a good Fairy Companion on his own that would help him make important decisions in his life. He¡¯s the product of our love for each other, and so we will do everything in our power to raise and nurture him to become a splendid adult who¡¯s loved by all, just like how we were when we arrived in this town.¡±

    ¡°Carol ¡­¡± Dew trailed off.

    Did my old mom and dad ¡­ put this much thought into my future when I was born from them? I thought.

    I had become so estranged with my previous parents that they practically became strangers to me ¡­ no, that might be too harsh. It would be better to say they were more like my living walking ¡®scholarships¡¯ for the education and hobbies I invested my money into from my past life. Trees of money that only let however much I was allowed to use fall from their branches. I didn¡¯t learn much from their own love life or the lives they had before they even met.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Carol really sounded sincere when she talked about me. Like an actual human being. The warmth and heartbeat that sounded from her chest as she held me close told me she was real and alive. Other than the last few moments Shannon held my hand, I wondered how long it had been since I was even held at all.

    ¡°¡­ I understand,¡± Renne then said while bowing her head a little. ¡°I¡¯m positive that there will be many great things for him in the future, but until then, I will keep this hush-hush and do my utmost that¡¯s worthy as a teacher when he grows old enough. You can count on that.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Renne.¡±

    ¡°And you can bet that I¡¯ll help look after him as well! At least until he finds a Fairy Companion on his own!¡± Dew exclaimed, to which Carol nodded in response.

    At that point, I recalled my last wishes before I died in my previous life: to be bolder and work hard towards what I really wanted in life. I didn¡¯t know what, exactly, but I knew I wanted to really be loved, at the least. I saw Carol¡¯s ¡­ no, my mother¡¯s happy smile aiming at me as a sign. I didn¡¯t really do anything worth acknowledging in my previous life, to do something that gave as much impact to those around me as I did when I saved Shannon¡¯s life. Yes, my social anxiety might¡¯ve hindered me from progressing any further with relationships than it did up to then, but that one moment when I actually did something for another¡¯s sake set off something amazing for me.

    If I wanted to find love and other things I desired, as awkward as I would likely be at times, I needed to make an effort and offer my hand out to them first, instead of waiting for them to do the same. One of us had to make a move to get anywhere, or else we¡¯d both assume we want nothing to do with each other or worse.

    With this newly acquired talent for magic gifted by the gods that brought me to this world, I would put more effort into acquiring the things I desired, to reach out to those I wanted to connect with, to help them when they need it, and react accordingly. My passion and efforts in learning magic from the previous life had led me to that moment, reborn as a baby in a caring mother¡¯s arms.

    From that day forth, with the knowledge and memories of my past life to aid me along with my gift of magic, I would start over in my new life, not as Lucas Rantin, but the new me as Soar Osmis, to live and grow again, to become someone who was known to all, and loved by those I cherished most.

    I would do whatever I could to help others with my talent for magic, to gain the approval of those who I sought from, and finally, to find a cute girl who would love me that I would love back many times over. It wouldn¡¯t hurt if I could possibly form a harem in my time here, too.

    Hey, in a fantasy world of magic like this, there are things a guy like me can dream and strive for, you know? How else had I appeased my loneliness in ¡®those times¡¯ when I had magic-related mangas, light novels, and games to fall back on?

    ~~

    One year had passed since I was reborn. My mental age back then would be 40 years old. During that time, since I was a baby, I couldn¡¯t do much other than eat, sleep, poop, and repeat. So, I tried to work my stubby baby limbs as much as I could to get a good habit of conditioning myself ingrained in my body while learning to speak this new world¡¯s language during my development. One may use magic to achieve many feats, but I believed they may not go very far if they rely solely on that while not taking care to maintain their body. So, whatever exercise or conditioning I could recall from my time in the previous life would be essential here.

    Maybe Ms. Renne, the fox girl caretaker/teacher, sort of expected it after she used whatever magic to check my aptitude, but I think being able to speak coherent sentences 2 months after being born and another 4 months after that to walk was an impressive feat. I mean, it was enough to make her faint, so that had to count for something, right? But that wasn¡¯t a big deal to me.

    What was, however, was when I suddenly started seeing something resonate in people¡¯s bodies when I saw them perform spells. Pulsing light that resembled a firefly¡¯s, but they emanated different colors, amounts, and brightness depending on the user¡¯s concentration. When I concentrated to peer into their lights deeper, I would make out small veins that course through their bodies, similar to blood vessels from the cardiovascular system, but far simpler and less complex. They would be akin to paths of diverging streams that came together from the spine, running up to the chest and head where the heart and brain would reside respectively. They would flow differently in various places of their bodies, too. I tried using that same concentration on myself once in a meditative state and found my magic to be quite different from the others. This was how Ms. Renne checked and found my magic aptitude as an ¡®S-Rank,¡¯ and compared to what I had seen from the other townspeople, Ms. Renne¡¯s aptitude was ranked one of the top people in the town I was living¡ªthat I learned its name was Lunargrove¡ªand I would be sitting at the peak.

    It wasn¡¯t just the people I saw the sources of magic where the spells got their power from, either. The air, plant life, food, animals, insects, even running water, rocks, and soil. Whatever it was, it surrounded us every day. There were some cases when I found balls of colorful light randomly appearing and fading away from my sight that resembled Mom¡¯s and Dad¡¯s respective Fairy Companions, Dew and Tyra. Based on that and hearing how fairies normally hide from others in public, I assumed they would be those lights I was seeing, but why I was able to see them, I didn¡¯t know until later. Aside from the occasional stare, I didn¡¯t pay them much attention most of the time.

    Even if I wasn¡¯t getting the full details of what was going on, I learned a lot just from observing and familiarizing them from how they resembled things in my previous life. From watching how other people cast magic and the knowledge I learned about it from Earth, I tried to do it myself when I was alone. Amazingly, I could pull it off, so I tried to familiarize myself with them further when I had the chance on my own. As I cast more magic, I noticed I was getting exhausted, which meant that there was a limit to how much magic I can use per day; however, as I kept practicing, I was able to hold myself out more and more, meaning I can improve my capacity by using what magic I could do, rest long enough to get my strength back, and repeat. Pretty much the same as what you might expect from workout routines like weightlifting.

    What was strange as I practiced from that point though was that I noticed fairy lights would hover around me longer than others while still in hiding, but I tried not to let it bother me. When I wasn¡¯t focused on learning about the new world, I did what I couldn¡¯t do before on Earth and tried to get to know my new parents.

    My new mom, Carol, when she wasn¡¯t looking after me, she was your typical housewife that did most of the chores and housework while tending to a large vegetable garden with the help of her Fairy Companion, Dew, by producing Water Magic. I wanted to help her with those chores, so that gave me more motivation to put myself through my personal workouts and get strong enough to do menial tasks for one of my size at the least.

    Meanwhile, my new dad, who went by Gullivan, was what this world dubbed as a hunter, one of its many available occupations to make a living from. From what I had heard the adults talked about, he was a pretty well-renowned one in a city much larger than Lunargrove while working with his fairy partner, Tyra, with Earth Magic as his specialty and Wind Magic on some occasions just to keep himself polished. They both moved after he married Mom, though. Dad would switch between hunting monsters and herbs, to taking night watch through the town, to teach growing kids the basics of fighting and hunting. He was pretty well-known for his proactive service for the community. On his days off, he and Tyra would take me on walks around the town and show me many things within the safety of its boundaries. I was intimidated by his rugged exterior when we first met as father and son, but like Mom, Dad really cared for me and was proud to have such a gifted son when Ms. Renne told him the news of my aptitude. He took me to a variety of places in the village while showing off his pride and joy when I was able to speak coherently. I wasn¡¯t used to receiving such praises so I got embarrassed, but it was one of those good kinds of embarrassments, you know?

    Either way, this world may not have been as advanced as Earth was, but I was really digging the simpler lifestyle and starting to have fun with it, too.

 Chapter 2: I think I Grew Up Too Quickly

    I was attending school when I turned 5. That time was a bit difficult for me. While I showcased my intelligent and studious nature successfully that received many praises from Ms. Renne and the other adults, it kind of backfired with the kids. Though Lunargrove housed mostly humans and beastmen, it seemed I was the ¡®Weird Teacher¡¯s Pet¡¯ among my new peers. It wasn¡¯t just those around the same class, either. No, even the ¡®big kids¡¯ were looking at me strangely and teased me behind my back.

    I will say right now that I don¡¯t like kids. When I got old enough to work back on Earth, I had a job in retail to help pay for my education and hobbies. I felt more dead than usual as I had to put up with noisy children on a daily basis, and don¡¯t even get me started on the parents that didn¡¯t discipline them because they were ¡®angels¡¯ and would blow up on anyone that said otherwise. With that kind of experience and going to school, as an old man in the body of a young boy in a new world, I tried to avoid any contact with brats. Anybody who would tease or make fun of me for my ¡®weirdness¡¯ when I wasn¡¯t looking, I just minded my own business and not bother wasting my time and energy with them. When I wasn¡¯t practicing magic, I was either conditioning my body or reading whatever books were available at the time.

    I guess my ¡®weirdness¡¯ was to be expected if I attended the ¡®big kids¡¯¡¯ classes along with those around the same age as me, though. Due to the lacking number of teachers residing in Lunargrove, the classes took place in the same building but were divided among two age groups that were held at different times of the day. I was in the class where those around 5-9 years old would attend at the beginning of their education. Let¡¯s call this ¡®Class 1.¡¯ I picked up the basic stuff in that class quickly with no problems: reading, writing, arithmetic, and some history. The other class, ¡®Class 2,¡¯ would teach those around 10-14 years old more advanced arithmetic and math, history that went further back and detailed, cultures of the other existing races, and dancing.

    Yes, you read that right, dancing. While it wasn¡¯t needed to graduate, it¡¯s actually a given for anyone to take it anyway with how important it plays during that time in our lives, but I¡¯ll go over why another time.

    Along with those, there was one more subject I was dying to learn more of since I came to know its existence in this world.

    Yep. You guessed it, magic. It may have been the fundamentals but that kind of lecture was better and more fun than any class I would hope to dream attending. After I was done attending Class 1¡¯s lectures, I would stay behind for Class 2¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t go that far without confiding in Ms. Renne for permission, of course. I was thankful they were flexible enough to let me sit in on the side and listen in at most, so long as I didn¡¯t bother the older kids, which I had no problems with. I couldn¡¯t participate in the magic demonstrations but I got most of what I wanted to know from listening and observing the others before I went and practiced on my own with a better handle on how to cast spells. Plus, watching Mom and Dad perform magic with their Fairies also helped, too.

    As for the dancing classes, it looked fun and interesting for me despite how awkward the big kids were with the subject. Even if it looked weird, I wanted to change myself and try to make the most of my new life, so I would take the time to practice the steps by myself for a bit.

    By the time those classes ended, I would immediately go off on my own and practice magic more. Sure, school and the kids might have been more tolerable if I opened up to them, but even if I did, the mindsets between me and them were too different with our mental ages and I was not willing to act my own [physical] age just to put up a convincing front. I was more used to being alone anyway, so it didn¡¯t bother me as much.

    There was one exception who didn¡¯t bother me though, but I¡¯d have to bring up who that is at another time as I hardly even registered their existence during that period of my life.

    Aside from that, Ms. Renne noticed how alone I was to the point of concern. She one day pulled me away after Class 2¡¯s session ended and gave me a special quiz to check in and observe what I had learned from those classes, and yes that would include casting spells. Maybe she was partially hoping I wasn¡¯t getting anything out of attending Class 2¡¯s sessions and find a reason for me to try and make friends with the other kids. I never really knew her intentions, but with a knowledgeable and open-minded adult like her, I really wanted to wow her with my own brand of awesomeness.

    What was different with Ms. Renne¡¯s magic in school when she was teaching compared to what I had seen from her outside of it was the chanting. It was probably for the sake of the young ones to grasp the concept better but she would voice chants aloud as her magic activated, but it seemed that if you had the talent and know the concept well enough, you could cast spells by speaking them in your mind.

    She broke into tears when she witnessed how I pulled off chantless spell-casting so effortlessly while demonstrating 3 of the 6 elements that existed in magic. I was able to use Wind, Water, and Darkness, then there¡¯s Fire, Earth, and Light to make up the rest of the elements. Before I could even ask what was wrong she hugged me right there and practically begged me not to display my magic to others until I was old enough. Not like I hadn¡¯t been doing it before she asked me, but then I remembered what she and Mom talked about after my birth, about me possibly being sent to the military guard for training and serve the country.

    Now, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t love this new world enough to help protect it, I loved it a bunch; however, I was never into joining military-like factions to serve their country back on Earth due to my perspectives on it, and in a world that uses magic, I could only imagine how much a government would abuse one¡¯s powers for their own gain. Mom and Ms. Renne must¡¯ve had those same thoughts when they talked a while back.

    As I promised Ms. Renne to keep my magic under wraps while trying to console her, I wondered how such a beautiful woman that cared for a child¡¯s welfare and future like her was still single. I would¡¯ve asked her to marry me if I was older, even if the difference between us by then was a decade apart (from my physical age).

    Not to mention that she had quite the bombastic body that went wonderfully with her orange fox ears and tail, but that was the icing on the cake.

    Anyway, at that point, Ms. Renne said she would give me special tutoring sessions in magic and other subjects she knew, probably making an effort to show me I had a friend on my side or something. She would even help me improve my dancing by acting as a partner. I guess that was how I really became the teacher¡¯s pet, but I didn¡¯t mind, especially since some of what she taught me up to then answered things about this world that had bothered me for a bit.

    Plus, I liked Ms. Renne. Sure, our physical ages were different, but she saw I was more mature and reserved than other kids to take me seriously like she was talking to an adult. I appreciated that.

    I may have gotten along better with some adults who¡¯ve known me long enough because of my maturity as well, but if they saw me for the very first time, they would no doubt treat me like a kid with that body. I admit that I was a little saddened when I had that realization and it made me lonely.

    I tried not to dwell on it though. I wanted to learn about magic and I was going to give time and effort into understanding it as much as I could, even if I had to do it alone.

    ~~

    That was the thought I had after that special quiz. By the next morning, though, an unfamiliar voice was talking to me in my sleep.

    ¡°Soar~. It¡¯s time to wake up~. It¡¯s a beautiful day and there¡¯s a special surprise waiting for you~.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    The voice was small like Dew¡¯s and Tyra¡¯s, but the tone was so soothing and melodic that I might¡¯ve fallen into a deeper sleep instead if she said something different.

    I groggily opened my eyes from the noise and my vision took a few moments to adjust itself until I saw a bright firefly circling above me. I say firefly, but this one was too big to call it one and its light was unlike anything I could recall from my previous life, let alone my new one.

    It wasn¡¯t until I looked closer that it wasn¡¯t a firefly, but a tiny human-like being with wings that looked like stained-glass and resembling a butterfly¡¯s. This small person had a silk light green, one-piece dress that only stretched down to her upper thigh, barely covering her sex and butt to make her appearance decent. It sort of resembled one fairy in a story who would help a certain boy fly with some of her ¡®fairy dust¡¯ sprinkled on him. Other notable features included glittery locks that matched her dress; long, pointy ears that she moved some of her strands behind to reveal the seemingly white skin on her face and body; and a dark green gemstone between her clavicles. She was tiny, but the proportions told me she was maybe a woman in her early 20s if in a larger form.

    ¡°Good morning, Soar. Did you have a good sleep?¡± she asked before giving a smile that was warm and bright as the morning sun.

    I was still trying to get my bearings as I sat up half-awake. I looked out the window and saw that it was still fairly early in the morning for the sun to start rising from the horizon. I then turned to my guest and rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn¡¯t dreaming.

    ¡°¡­ W-Wait, no way, you¡¯re a fairy?! The ones that helped shape this world to the way it is?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    This was something I learned from my time in Class 1. There were a total of 9 gods and goddesses that exist in this realm. First, the big 3 that lead the group: the Goddess of Magic and Creation, Elmyra, was said to be the very reason we¡¯re able to use magic today after she created the world we lived in called Manara, the ¡®Great Mother,¡¯ as she was called; then, there are the only 2 gods that were males, the ¡®Two Fathers:¡¯ the God of Mind and Order, Nodem, and the God of Emotion and Chaos, Garem. Between the three of them, they birthed the other 6 goddesses who represented the elements of magic, the ¡®Elemental Maidens,¡¯ and between them and the Two Fathers, they created beings who helped maintain and look after Manara of its magic residing in everything that sits on it. Those would be the fairies like the one that was hovering in front of me.

    What¡¯s that? A father making children with their own daughters is crazy and immoral, you say? Try telling that to the Greek Gods and not get fucked over by becoming a hideous half-animal creature and come back to me. Myth or reality, that¡¯s just how the beginning of the story went in the creation of Manara.

    Anyway, one may increase their magical prowess and capabilities by becoming what¡¯s called a Chaperone. To become a Chaperone, they have to form a contract with a fairy to make them into a [Fairy] Companion. How often that happened was actually pretty common for just one, and how much they would gain is the same for everyone as all fairies start out as equals. The likeliness to make contracts with more fairies into Companions lessens drastically after the first one, though. The capability to use magic by yourself was surprisingly commonplace, but some may not even bother using it if their aptitude wasn¡¯t high enough to do a lot with, hence why the ranking system for it existed. There were those who would go through their whole lives without ever becoming a Chaperone, even if their aptitude for magic was high in rank, the reasons for why varied between people. The same went for fairies to never become a Chaperone¡¯s Companion, but their lifespans were depressingly short unless they make a contract with someone. Until then, they would just work to maintain the nature of the world.

    Basically, everyone in this world can become a Magician once they¡¯re able to learn how to wield and convert the mana in their bodies and surroundings to create magic, but it really depends on their luck and aptitude that determines how well they can manage to pull it off.

    Also, the fairies mostly keep themselves under hiding, with the exception of those they have the interest to make into a Chaperone. After a contract is made, the fairies can hide from anyone under the Chaperone¡¯s will with their combined magic, including other fairies and even their family members. Its success depended on the Chaperone¡¯s aptitude and experience in the art. This was why I only saw Mom¡¯s and Dad¡¯s Companions up to then, aside from a few exceptions on special occasions. Ms. Renne only brought out hers a few times for demonstration purposes only. When I confided in her about what I saw up to yesterday, she said I might have a ¡®gift¡¯ that allowed me to see mana¡ªthe thing that magic comes from¡ªthat a handful of people in history were given at birth. The concept of gifts was also discussed amongst those in Class 2 but I¡¯ll explain that later.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you for the longest time, but this is the first we¡¯ve ever met and talked with each other face-to-face. It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you, Soar,¡± the green fairy said happily before giving a soothing smile.

    ¡°Th-This is ¡­ amazing! A real fairy!¡± I exclaimed before I realized I was getting too loud and I slapped a hand over my mouth. ¡°But ¡­ wait, if this is going where I think is going, shouldn¡¯t that happen when I get older?¡±

    Indeed, it was also discussed in class that people don¡¯t really make contracts with fairies until they were around 10-14 years old on average. The earliest recorded age anyone had ever made a contract with them was 8, and the latest was a surprising 19. Anyway, forming a contract with a fairy was a huge deal. Class 2 would make lots of noise sometimes during breaks, so maybe they were talking about the newly acquired Fairy Companions they gained.

    ¡°That¡¯s usually the case, yes, but you¡¯re not like the others here at your current ¡®age,¡¯ are you, Soar Osmis? Or should I call you Lucas Rantin?¡± the fairy asked before making a cute but mischievous grin.

    After hearing my past life¡¯s name for the first time since I came to this world, I suddenly felt very cold and broke into a sweat while I was still sitting up in my bed.

    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t look so nervous~. You¡¯re not in trouble. It was our Great Mother that brought you here, after all.¡±

    ¡°¡®Great Mother¡¯ ¡­ Do you mean the Goddess of Creation and Magic, Elmyra?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°So, she was the one who brought me here ¡­ do you happen to know of any reason why?¡±

    ¡°She was actually interested in you for quite some time, being so passionate about learning magic even at the age of your death. There was also how you sacrificed yourself to save that coworker of yours.¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right! Shannon! Do you know what happened to her? How she¡¯s doing?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, the Great Mother left me a note about this should you ask that.¡± The green-dressed fairy shamelessly reached down to the cleavage of her chest and pulled out a tiny folded piece of paper. ¡°Let¡¯s see ¡­ says here that they managed to identify and captured the guy who stabbed you and had been charged guilty for murder. Turned out he was this Shannon¡¯s ex-boyfriend who got a liiiiitle nutty after the breakup. Shannon came out of that ordeal uninjured and is happily married while raising her son she named after you. She would visit your grave and pay respects twice a year, and that¡¯s all she wrote.¡±

    That might have been the first time I cried since I came to Manara as I tried to pointlessly wipe away the tears that wouldn¡¯t stop running down my face. ¡°W-What the hell, Shannon? Naming your kid after someone like me? That¡¯s ¡­ goddammit.¡± I¡¯d occasionally have nightmares of that night I got stabbed and was worried about how she was doing. I was more wound up than I thought as a great weight was lifted off my shoulders after this great news reached me. I couldn¡¯t have been more relieved and happier.

    After I finally calmed down, the green-dressed fairy continued. ¡°Anyway, because of your noble deed and your passion for magic despite the hardship you experienced, she and the Two Fathers got a hold of your soul and gave it a gift before having you reborn here.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what is she expecting me to do while I live in this new world? Like, saving it from collapse or something? I mean, I¡¯m grateful to be given a second chance like this, but saving the world is kind of a heavy burden on my shoulders, you know? Plus, I¡¯m not sure if saving one person like that would make me a ¡®good enough¡¯ person to be given such an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Do not worry. Since you¡¯d be living here, of course, you¡¯d need a gift or two to help you fit in. The only thing she wanted was to make sure you¡¯re living your new life as comfortable as possible while enjoying the wonders of Manara¡¯s magic, and that¡¯s what we are here for.¡±

    ¡°¡­ ¡®We?¡¯¡±

    Before I could ask any further, the green-dressed fairy made a whistle loud enough that would wake up my parents, but perhaps it was because of the magic she used that expected outcome never happened.

    Instead, 2 other balls of light appeared from various places in my room that approached the green-dressed one before they both took distinguishable forms as well. 2 other fairies, one in blue and the other purple, appeared with the green-dressed one, making a total of 3. Their different-colored dresses, gemstones on their clavicles, skin, and hair styled in various designs distinguished them from each other.

    The green-dressed one who summoned them before me smiled with maturity and grace as she stretched her tiny hands out towards me.

    ¡°Lucas Rantin ¡­ no, you go by Soar Osmis now, yes? We stand before you as the fairies who bring the wonders of magic that you love so much in the world of Manara, and we 3 would like to make a contract and become your Companions.¡±

 Chapter 3: I Made a Fairy Harem

    ¡°Did we break him?¡± [Violet]

    ¡°Can¡¯t tell. New strangers must be big shock to him.¡± [Blue]

    ¡°Well, other than the adults, he doesn¡¯t make much effort in getting close to other people, so I guess it¡¯s difficult for him to really know how to deal with this. Actually, wasn¡¯t he bullied at this age in the previous world, too? And from what I¡¯ve seen, not much of that had changed with his new classmates.¡± [Violet]

    ¡°No friends on Earth. No friends on Manara. All hope is lost.¡± [Blue]

    ¡°All right, all right, settle down, you two, or we might just make history of giving the youngest boy alive a heart attack.¡± [Green]

    I swear, I really felt like a kid getting excited seeing magic for the first time again as I marveled at the 3 fairies hovering in front of me. I was so dumbstruck that I had no idea what kind of face I was making.

    ¡°You¡¯re all ¡­ so cute.¡± That was the most I could get out of my mouth under those circumstances.

    ¡°Aww, why thank you, Soar. We prettied ourselves up for this fateful meeting, you know,¡± the violet-clad fairy said before giving a flirtatious wink in my direction. On closer inspection, despite her small size, she had the most curves out of the three of them. Her bust and bum looked like they could burst out of her dress containing it all at any given moment. With her long, wavy, violet-black, glittery locks that stretch past her shoulders, if she were human-sized, she¡¯d fit right into a jazz club or a high-class bar.

    ¡°Cute, Soar says ¡­ cute. Hehehe ¡­¡± The blue-clad one was the ¡®smallest¡¯ of the three. Very lithe in figure with barely a chest and butt to stand out with, but it had a charm that made you want to hold her in your arms if she were human-sized. With her long, straight, glittery navy-blue hair that went down to her lower back, not even hindering the wings that kept her afloat, she had a bit of a broody, yet charming appearance. If it weren¡¯t for the creepy stalker-like giggle and look in her eye that wasn¡¯t covered by her uneven bangs, she¡¯d have a mysterious air that guys wouldn¡¯t keep their gaze off of.

    ¡°Okay, girls, we must make haste. We need to make that contract.¡±

    As soon as the green-dressed fairy said that, I was snapped back into reality. ¡°W-Wait! Hold on! I still don¡¯t know why I¡¯m being offered this so soon! Or how to make a contract!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± the green fairy asked. ¡°From how early you started casting magic, do you know how long one would take to be able to do something that advanced without us providing assistance? Calling you a prodigy would be an understatement with these circumstances.¡±

    ¡°With that, we and the Great Mother figured you were more than ready now to take the next step into mastering the magic in this world before most others,¡± the violet one added.

    ¡°Two Fathers butted heads at first. Agree or disagree, majority ruled for former. Truth, we want to make contract now. Would have done it sooner if we could. Could not wait any longer,¡± the blue one admitted with awkward phrasing.

    ¡°As for how making the contract works is really easy to do and would take almost no time at all. That is, of course, if you want to make a contract with us,¡± the green one said before she and the others deflated.

    ¡°No no no! I do! I would love to form a contract with you all! Tell me what it is I need to do to make this happen!¡± I still had some reservations but those were the least of my worries at the moment.

    ¡°Wonderful! Let¡¯s get started, then! First, straighten up and close your eyes. Good! Now, hold that pose ¡­¡±

    I was about to ask what they were doing before I felt a strange sensation on both my cheeks and forehead while I could hear all of their wings beating very close. I opened my eyes and saw all of them taking each spot with their faces pressing on them.

    I¡¯ll admit, I had never played with the idea of 3 tiny and cute girls kissing me at the same time ever happening, even in my most fantastic of fantasies. They may not have been on the lips, but compared to the occasions that Mom would shower me with kisses, my face heated up from the kind of embarrassment I thought I wouldn¡¯t have anymore with my mental age.

    After they savored it long enough, they all pulled back with a peck.

    ¡°And with that, our contract is sealed! Now, we just need to be given our names!¡± the violet one exclaimed.

    ¡°Huh? A-Ah, come to think of it, I did hear about that in class ¡­ please give me a moment.¡± I was still taking in the fact that I got kissed in a unique fashion to answer her. I had to remind myself that was only for the contract and wondered if that should count as my first kiss.

    Something to point out first, but like the number of elements that exist in magic, there are 6 different types of fairies that specialize in each one. I had never named anything other than my video-game avatars before so I didn¡¯t really know where to begin other than knowing that much about Manara¡¯s magic.

    That said, I broke each of their names down like this: the Green Wind Fairy, Breezy; the Blue Water Fairy, Mist; and finally the Violet Darkness Fairy, Shadina.

    That all took me 20 minutes to come up with their names, and it looked like I got it done right as it was time for breakfast when Mom called for me. From there, the fairies made a quick decision of hiding out of sight for the time being. I knew what they were trying to do and I agreed, so I went downstairs and ate breakfast with Mom, Dad, Dew, and Tyra like I would every day. When I looked at the fairies together on the table, though, something had hit me that I didn¡¯t even notice until then. Out of the two, Tyra was distinguishably bigger than Dew, and my new fairies looked to be around the same size as the latter. I would ask Dad why that was later on.

    I ate my breakfast quickly and told my parents I would be playing outside that day, so I quickly cleaned and dressed up before I left the house and my new fairies met me outside. We decided to move to a more distant location that was away from the town, but not so far that I would leave its boundaries. As we moved, I noticed the world around me seemed a lot more colorful and vibrant than before, especially being able to see fairies flying about clear as day. They were either doing their own thing or escorting their Chaperones as they went about their lives.

    I felt like I was in a new magical world all over again. A pair of rose-colored glasses on top of another one I was already wearing.

    Finally, when we got to a secluded spot, we continued where we left off while I sat on a rock, starting with what I had noticed since I left the house.

    ¡°Ah~, that could be a gift of yours at work,¡± Shadina answered. ¡°Once a contract is made, its magical effects are immediately effective, starting with the gifts you were born with. Forming a contract with 3 fairies at once would certainly increase your magical prowess by leaps and bounds.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Gifts ¡­ they were what the Great Mother and Two Fathers gave people in the time of birth¡ªor in my case, my soul before it was implanted in a baby. Everyone has at least one, and it was said that not even they, the ¡®gifters,¡¯ know what it was when we were born. Some were granted to them once they met certain conditions, including making a contract with a fairy. Some may be the same or have similar effects that were expected in whatever occupation one chooses, others were rare and unheard of, they would even ¡®evolve¡¯ after much time and effort training to wield them. You may call them the ¡®skills¡¯ or ¡®abilities¡¯ you might see from RPG games, but in this world, they were what helped a person live while going about their occupations, whether in their daily lives in towns or cities, or in a heat of battle with monsters on the field. Either way, everyone is born with at least one, but some may never find out what their gift is until they make a contract with a fairy. There were services to help those who haven¡¯t done so in order to find some direction in life, though.

    ¡°And since I made a contract with you guys, that means I could see what my gift is now, right?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Correct, as well as many other things. Now, sit tight, and let us take care of that.¡±

    After I followed Breezy¡¯s instruction, she and the other 2 fairies started circling around me at increasing speeds until they all became blurs of light. A pillar of sparkling glitter rained down on me before they disappeared on contact with my body or the ground. They then shot up and cross over each other like one would see at an airshow before a bright metal-like card appeared from the clash of lights. It slowly hovered down that I lightly caught in my hands before I read what was on it.

    [Name: Soar Osmis

    Level (LV): 1

    Aptitude: S

    Fairies: Breezy LV 1, Mist LV 1, Shadina LV 1

    Affinities: WIND*, WATER*, DARKNESS*

    Strength (STR): G-

    Intelligence (INT): S+

    Vitality (VIT): G-

    Endurance (END): E-

    Dexterity (DEX): D-

    Agility (AGI): G

    Magic (MAG): C

    Gifts: Wizard > Sage]

    After I read it all, I felt a sort of insight was implanted in my mind that gave me a general understanding of what my gifts were and how to use them.

    To start off, the Wizard gift. It gave me the knowledge and intelligence I needed to learn and understand the world around me while granting the ability to cast magic with a high aptitude. That was actually the reason why I was able to understand people when I was first born even though they didn¡¯t speak English and how Ms. Renne saw my aptitude for magic as ¡®S-Rank.¡¯ Was it also how I was able to retain my memories in my previous life? I don¡¯t know, but I know that I was very fortunate to be granted such a gift at birth.

    Then, there was the Sage gift, which evolved from the Wizard. Not only did Sage heightened the effects of its previous form, but I was granted the ability to perceive mana in all things of my surroundings. I recalled suddenly being able to see that 1 year after I was reincarnated in Manara, so this evolution from Wizard to Sage was the cause of that change.

    Why that change happened when I did nothing but eat, sleep, and poop from birth to then, aside from conditioning my baby body along the way, I had to think, but then I remembered how I died in my previous life.

    I had just turned 39 years old that day, well past the benchmark of becoming a ¡®wizard¡¯ and one more step away to become a ¡®sage.¡¯ Both of those concepts were likely made as jokes somewhere on the internet, but apparently, they played a bigger role in how I gained these gifts in Manara than I thought.

    I was going through my 5th year in Manara as Soar Osmis, which meant my ¡®soul,¡¯ the one thing where my memories in my past life came from, was 44 years old then.

    Does this mean ¡­ if I wait another 6 years, then my Sage gift would evolve into Great Sage? I thought.

    On Earth, there was a saying that turning 50 while still having no sex would grant you the title as a ¡®great sage.¡¯ There might have been different variations of what happened after reaching ¡®sage,¡¯ but I thought settling with ¡®great sage¡¯ at 50 would be best.

    After I came to that conclusion while talking with the fairies, I slapped my cheeks and pumped my fists in a ¡®guts¡¯ pose. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ve been at it for this long and I¡¯m still considered young with this body, why shouldn¡¯t I try to take it a step further?¡± I asked before turning to the fairies hovering around me. ¡°How about it, ladies? Would you help me in learning to become the greatest Chaperone I can be as a Great Sage?¡±

    ¡°¡°Yeah!¡±¡±

    And so, though it would be a little longer before I could meet someone I could love¡ªnot that I would likely find it in a couple of years from back then¡ªI resolved into bettering myself in magic.

    ~~

    Of course, there was the matter of defending myself should something go wrong with my magic while keeping my body conditioned. I definitely needed to get stronger with how low in rank most of my stats were, which my fairies explained to me as they start from the bottom with H, then G, F, E, D, C, B, A, and finally S at the very top. The (+)¡¯s and (-)¡¯s would mark where I¡¯d be in that specified rank and how close would I be to the next step up, while those not marked with either meaning I was at the middle.

    So, I would go to Dad¡¯s own ¡®classes¡¯ after school some days to learn fighting techniques, some of the monsters in this world and how to deal with them, and skills to know in the field as a hunter. While he tried to be fair with everyone who participated, it was plain to see how happy he was to teach me these things. Hell, even on his days off, he¡¯d take me a little away from the town¡ªafter letting Mom know where we were going, of course¡ªso I would learn more about the arts of battle first-hand. I picked them all up rather quickly, despite some hesitations I experienced at first like cutting open a deer, for example, but even then, Dad couldn¡¯t have expressed his pride for me enough.

    In fact, I was doing so well in his training that he upped the difficulty to crazy heights. If I didn¡¯t know any better, that ¡®proud smile¡¯ of his could¡¯ve been placed on a demon¡¯s face and it wouldn¡¯t change much on how I was perceived. On the bright side, under some drastic measures and with the help of my fairies, I learned to speed up my repairs from muscle damage with recovery magic as well as how I can control my mana to strengthen my body, but for the sake of improving myself, I took the harder way of getting stronger while I actively trained.

    Aside from the cruelty in his training, I was having a lot of fun having these father-son moments with him, too. I didn¡¯t remember having these moments with my old dad on Earth, if I had any memories of that time, anyway.

    Of course, when I was capable enough, I not only helped Mom with the house chores and even cooking like a good son, I took the liberty of helping out the neighbors and other townsfolk. I wanted to change how I was with people in my previous life while making an attempt to create some genuine friendships and relationships, so I thought being more proactive and lending a helping hand when I had the chance would better me that way. I also took those chances to work on increasing my mana capacity, control, and efficiency by constantly running mana throughout the body over the course of my days while taking note of how it affected the functions of different areas accordingly.

    I still wouldn¡¯t get close to the kids, though. Seeing how noisy and immature they all were with each other when I wasn¡¯t in the picture, aside from the one exception I mentioned a while back, I felt I was getting dumber just being near them, and it was suffocating. My new Companions kept me enough company when I was lonely by talking with them and learning more about magic. I also got to know each of them pretty well on a personal level.

    I had to keep my contract with 3 fairies along with using my magic a secret all the while so I wouldn¡¯t attract the wrong attention for various reasons. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t know how to do everything on my own without their assistance since Earth never had magic in the first place, so while I took a break training my mana on some occasions so I wouldn¡¯t learn to depend on it too much, I had gone through most things with no problems. I had then started going outside of the town at one point to better my magic and fighting skills by hunting animals and lower-tier monsters on my own in secret. Though I was sacrificing a few hours of sleep a day, it was worth getting the experience (EXP) needed to level myself up as well as my Companions while growing stronger. I had soon made a routine of hunting a set number of animals and monsters a day. As I got better, I ventured further away from town and took out more of them before repeating the process.

    Time continued on like that while I practiced pretty much everything in secret. Aside from getting better with some of the townsfolk, I invested most if not all of my time into my training and getting closer with my Companions, my parents, and some select adults like Ms. Renne. It was a small handful of people out of the total number in Lunargrove¡¯s population, but it was more than I could ever attain back on Earth, I had those people as well as Elmyra to thank for making my life more worthwhile to live.

    Of course, as happy as I was having 3 cute fairies as my Companions, I still wanted to find romantic love, but that wouldn¡¯t be for a while whether or not I was working towards my ¡®Great Sagehood.¡¯

 Chapter 4: We Spotted a Suspicious Person

    <¡°Soar. Target sighted, northwest,¡±> Mist informed me through telepathy.

    I see it. That¡¯s a good-looking deer. Any potential threats?

    <¡°No danger sighted. Safe.¡±>

    Breezy, you ready?

    <¡°Whenever you are, Soar.¡±>

    Hit me.

    The Wind Fairy, Breezy, focused on lending her power to my own, the green gemstone on her chest illuminated as I visualized a compressed, thin area of pressure to the size and shape of a needle while my eyes were on the unsuspecting deer eating the grass. Just as he was in a good position for me to lock onto a target, I let my Wind Needle spell loose, piercing one side of the deer¡¯s head and out the other while blood was spurted. The deer fell limp on his side without uttering a single noise.

    <¡°Target down. Mist repeat, target down,¡±> Mist confirmed with a tone of pride.

    ¡°Yahoo! And that makes 10 of them!¡± I exclaimed while jumping up in glee.

    ¡°Amazing control as always, Soar! You¡¯ve harnessed the wind well!¡±

    ¡°Very happy for you. Congratulations,¡± Breezy and Mist praised respectively as they approached the deer game along with me and I put it away in my Dark Space, the equivalent of an ¡®item box¡¯ one would see in RPGs thanks to my Darkness Magic. It¡¯s actually one of the basics for a Darkness Magician that¡¯s easy to learn even without a fairy, and so many seek out these types to take along for hunter parties and merchants when transporting goods or carry belongings.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have gotten this far without you all, of course. Thanks again for your hard work today.¡±

    ¡°Goodness, making us bashful as always with your sweet talk. I might turn into a Fire Fairy with this heat,¡± Breezy said with hands on her reddened cheeks.

    ¡°Mist feel like she didn¡¯t do much for Soar, though,¡± Mist said while looking slightly deflated.

    ¡°Aw, come on, don¡¯t be like that. To be able to hide your presence while reporting what¡¯s ahead from a distance through telepathy, you fairies can be wonderful scouts, the greatest, even. You¡¯re also so serious and dutiful about your work, too, and that really helps us with our efficiency. I couldn¡¯t possibly ask for a better teammate.¡±

    ¡°W-Well, Mist not want lose Soar. C-Course, Mist must work hard,¡± Mist twiddled her fingers while her face reddened as well.

    I planted a kiss on my fingertip before gently placing it on Mist¡¯s cheek with a smirk, surprising her. ¡°And I¡¯m grateful to your hard work, Mist. I hope you¡¯ll stick by my side for eternity.¡±

    ¡°Et-t-ternity ¡­¡± Mist stuttered before her entire head turned red.

    ¡°Would you humor this unworthy young man the selfish desire for a kiss as well, Lady Mist?¡± I asked with a bow like a gentleman.

    ¡°Be Mist¡¯s pleasure!¡±

    ¡°Make some room for me as well! Here I come, Soar~,¡± Breezy cooed before she and Mist each zoomed in and gave me a peck on my cheeks.

    It had been 5 years since I made a contract with my fairies and we had grown close enough to share exchanges like those. I previously thought that first kiss they gave me was just part of the ritual fairies did to form contracts, but it apparently went deeper than that. It not only showed me worthy to make a contract with, but the bond I made with them through this unique skinship helped make our cooperation stronger.

    There was that, and I guess a fairy asking someone to become their Chaperone was the same as a marriage proposal. Fairies have watched over the residents in this land for countless years, and like people such as us humans and other races, even if they never officially met first, being enamored by one¡¯s magical prowess and other traits enough to form a contract is like love at first sight for them. They were also very committed to the Chaperones they form contracts with, never to leave them for another. There are exceptions to this tradition when the conditions of certain circumstances are met, but those are just between Companion(s) and Chaperone alone.

    Fairies were apparently also very polyamorous with each other when a contract doesn¡¯t bind them or when their Chaperones aren¡¯t nearby. When I was able to see through their spell that hid them from others¡¯ eyes, I¡¯ve had the unfortunate case of walking into their lovemaking more than once. I had even seen Dew and Tyra ¡®mingling¡¯ that way from time to time in our own home, probably thinking they had their hide detection spell on high enough to think others wouldn¡¯t see them, and fairies consisted of females only. Any fan of yuri back on Earth would pretty much call this a paradise, but it was difficult for me to pretend I didn¡¯t see anything and played dumb.

    Moreover, just the fact that fairies were just as lustful, or perhaps more so than humans kind of crushed my child-like fantasies for a while, but I¡¯ve seen and experienced worse from the dark forbidden depths of the internet, so I got over it not too long later.

    And before you ask, yes, I had walked into my own Companions making out more than once. While I had no problems with this, it made restraining myself hard to do at my physical age. It seemed that even though my mind was mature, the effects of my body going through puberty again made those moments awkward.

    Anyway, perhaps it¡¯s to follow their ¡®example¡¯ that polygamy was allowed in marriages in this continent, but from as far as I had heard, you¡¯d usually see that from wealthy merchants and nobles. Monogamous marriages were the norm in Lunargrove, but it wasn¡¯t like guys wouldn¡¯t fantasize of having a harem of their own now and then. That aside, I couldn¡¯t really pursue that kind of dream around that time as I was still physically a kid.

    There was that, and of course, seeing what would happen when I reached the mental age of 50 while I was still a virgin. To make that happen, I had to keep the contract with my fairies a secret and pretend I was still a regular boy ¡­ well, as ¡®regular¡¯ as one could get while still being incredibly smart, anyway.

    I¡¯m pretty sure I would be the most popular kid in class if I just unveiled my Companions, but then I¡¯d have to worry about people making friends or getting intimate with me for ulterior motives; thus, I still remained as the ¡®Weird Teacher¡¯s Pet¡¯ throughout my education. Even so, just like how I was in my previous world, I persevered in studying my subjects, practicing magic on my own, conditioning my body with my own past experience and knowledge from Earth as a reference while under Dad¡¯s tutelage, and leveling us up from hunting animals and monsters in the wild. I would go to Ms. Renne to show her the fruits of my labor and check her inputs from time to time.

    <¡°Soar, you should hurry! Your dad¡¯s getting worried over how long you¡¯ve been taking out there!¡±> Shadina exclaimed through telepathy, an advanced non-elemental magic a Chaperone can do with their Companions if their aptitude is high enough. I had her wait back in town to keep watch just in case.

    ¡°Roger that, Shadina! Let¡¯s go, guys!¡±

    ¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±

    With 10 deer in tow, I cast the advanced Darkness spell, Dark Gate, opening a black void in space that allowed me to jump from one place to the next at an instant, but only to locations where I¡¯ve been to before, of course. It¡¯s really similar to the portals one would see the antagonists use in that popular video game involving traversal between different ¡®family movie worlds.¡¯ This world thankfully doesn¡¯t associate light and darkness as good and evil, respectfully, but there are some who discriminate each other because of them being opposite sides.

    Anyway, I moved just enough away from the forest borders where Dad and others waited before walking the rest of the way back.

    ~~

    ¡°My God, you managed to get all of these deer by yourself? Within the last few hours?¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re such clean kills, too. One would make pelts with these skins no problem!¡±

    ¡°Not to mention he¡¯s able to use Dark Space, too! And he hasn¡¯t formed a contract with a fairy yet?!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha~! What did I tell ya?! Ain¡¯t my son great?!¡± Dad exclaimed while giving me a hard slap on the back. I swear, if it were anyone else in my place, they might¡¯ve been left with an injury if they hadn¡¯t been put through his training like I had.

    These new people with Dad happened to be members of his old hunting party before he left and married Mom. They would come and visit 2-3 times a year to check in on him while reminiscing and keeping everyone up to date on what was going on in the world.

    I went to get more game than usual both so there would be enough food for our guests to eat during their stay and for Dad to show me off. Putting the soreness from him slapping my back aside, it felt kind of nice to be praised like that.

    ¡°Still, I feel a little humiliated,¡± one of the older men who went by Sam said as he scratched his bald head with a wry grin. He was the main brawn and crowd control person in the hunting field using an ax as his weapon-of-choice. ¡°Here we are to celebrate Soar¡¯s birthday, yet he¡¯s the one getting food for the feast of his own celebration when it should be us and his old man.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention showing us up with what game he gathered at his age while we¡¯d barely gather half of it back when I started out,¡± the woman who went by Lilia said. She was the last person recruited in the party before Dad left later on, making her more youthful compared to the others.

    ¡°Speaking of age, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time you start settling down with a man as well, Lilia? I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I could squeeze you in for a date three days from now. Better act now before your age starts to show!¡± The cocky one who said that was Weiss, who was the newest addition that took Dad¡¯s place after he left. He filled Dad¡¯s previous role in a different way that he put his agility and quick wits to work, drawing ¡®aggro¡¯ and evade enemy attacks before countering cuts and stabs from a dagger while his comrades took advantage of their distraction.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Weiss was what I would call a ¡®light tank¡¯ that used his speed to dodge enemies attacks, while Dad was a ¡®heavy tank¡¯ who relied on his hard defenses to take them head-on. The party definitely didn¡¯t think Weiss would fill the shoes Dad left behind, but honestly, if it weren¡¯t for his specialty in Darkness Magic and being the group¡¯s ¡®bagboy¡¯ with his own Dark Space spell, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d really acknowledge his existence when he first introduced himself.

    ¡°Ha ha ha~, you¡¯re so funny and cool, Weiss! Just as how you will be after I cast my Ice Prison on you!¡± The way she exclaimed that before putting a calm smile on her face would send shivers to anyone¡¯s soul. It certainly did for Weiss that time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lilia! You¡¯re still beautiful enough to make any guy in this town swoon over you! I¡¯m sure a good one will find you soon enough!¡± I exclaimed. While I added a child-like charm that would fit my physical age to act the part, what I said was certainly the truth.

    Lilia looked like she couldn¡¯t bear to hold it in anymore before she collapsed to her knees and embraced me while rubbing her cheek against my own. ¡°Ohh~, such a sweet young man, you are! I know I would be more than happy to date such a gentleman like yourself if you were just a little older!¡±

    It really is a wonder how she¡¯s still single up to now, I thought. Indeed, with how her large chest is pressed against me and the silky smoothness of her face as she rubbed it on mine, calling her ¡®cute¡¯ would¡¯ve been a crime. Not to mention, not only was she the most ¡®Magician-like¡¯ person in the group, she was considered one of the most talented with not 1, not 2, but 3 fairies, just like me. She even got recruited into Dad¡¯s former hunting party around my age. Depending on circumstances, people can register as hunters as young as 10 years old with 1 Fairy Companion at the minimum for qualifications; otherwise, people can register at 12 at the earliest without a fairy. Her aptitude for magic was the same as Ms. Renne, but for one being in her early to mid-20s back then, she would still be considered rather young and quite a catch back on Earth.

    I really liked her. She warmed up to me quickly at first meeting and would actually go out of her way to get presents and souvenirs for me while showing me some awesome magic spells when she found out how high my aptitude was. I learned a lot about magic from her explanations and watching her in action alone. It was a shame we were a little over a decade apart. If she was truthful in what she said, I would¡¯ve tried to win her over.

    ¡°Maybe you should take some pointers from the boy, Weiss. He¡¯s more of a gentleman and a bigger hit with Lilia than you are.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, pretty boy.¡±

    The last of Dad¡¯s old hunting party who teased Weiss while patting his shoulder with pity, Seal, was a man who would perfectly fit into the eastern trope on Earth known as an ¡®ikemen.¡¯ He was next to Sam as the oldest of the new party, but his appearance would make him look like he was still in his mid-20¡¯s. With his intelligence, excellent swordsmanship, noble bloodline, and having 2 fairies at his side, he took the role as leader after Dad left. It didn¡¯t change much since then, considering he was second-in-command whenever Dad wasn¡¯t present, so putting him in charge wasn¡¯t something alien to the remaining members.

    I envied his attractive looks and how popular he was with women, but like Lilia, he also saw enough potential and ability to absorb information from me to even teach me swordsmanship when I showed interest in it. Seal would only come to visit Lunargrove so many times, and so I tried perfecting what he taught me on my own, from basic sword swings to footwork, and everything in between to show him how hard I worked to improve. I was only left with a practice sword custom-made for my stature to be used in my sessions, and so I made sure to ingrain my techniques with it in my hand many times a day. I could only imagine what instructors had done to make him as capable as he was back then, and I was grateful he showed enough interest to pass down his teachings to me.

    ¡°All right, all right, break it up,¡± Dad said while clapping his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get these babies back to my place and prepare them for tomorrow. We can do that much for my young man¡¯s birthday, right?¡± The others nodded in agreement.

    Yes, that was the last day I would be 10 years old. I would be 11 the next day with this body, but my soul would be 50; in other words, if my guess with the Sage gift was right, it would evolve into the Great Sage gift by then. It may have been another birthday like every year for my family and their friends, but that was a huge deal for me.

    ~~

    That said, I couldn¡¯t sleep that night. When I made sure my parents and Dad¡¯s friends were sound asleep, I changed clothes and summoned my fairies before I used Dark Gate to go back into the forest I was in earlier. I didn¡¯t have to worry about waking up for school the next morning because it was on holiday for a few weeks in the spring, so I could sleep in if I wanted to.

    ¡°How much time is left?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Just 9 more minutes!¡± Shadina exclaimed. The fairies in this world were like flying and talking clocks as they had an acute sense of time, which actually lasts a little longer in a day in Manara than there was on Earth.

    To keep note, there were 28 hours a day, but the seconds and minutes were the same. While there was also 7 days in a week, with exactly 28 days in each of the 14 months in a year, I certainly had more time to train and grow to become the ¡®young man¡¯ I was back then.

    ¡°This is so exciting. I want to see it in action as soon as possible,¡± Breez said.

    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have a firm basis that this will happen, right? What if nothing appears?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it, Shadina.¡±

    ¡°Would be very sad, indeed. Mist, much disappointed.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Even if nothing happens, so what?¡± I asked, gaining their attention. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like we¡¯ve been sitting on our thumbs waiting this whole time, right? We all trained and learned to cooperate as a team while getting stronger in mind, body, and magic. Not only that, spending time with all of you has been a blast. No matter what happens from here on out, I want all of us to be together to the very end. I couldn¡¯t be prouder as a Chaperone to have such wonderful fairies as my Companions, and I love every single one of you.¡±

    ¡°¡°Soaar~!¡±¡± they all cried happily as they clung themselves to my chest the best they could. From the outside, it would look like I got really popular with a bunch of butterflies fluttering on my body all of a sudden.

    ¡°Our love for you will always stay true!¡± [Shadina]

    ¡°Making a contract with Soar. Best decision of our lives.¡± [Mist]

    ¡°We¡¯ll protect you no matter what happens, so let¡¯s continue to work hard and live together, forever.¡± [Breezy]

    I gave a light chuckle while being gentle to wrap them all in my arms the best I could. ¡°I really love you guys,¡± I said with my eyes closed before smiling.

    Just as I was relishing that moment, something tickled my senses.

    ¡°Hey ¡­ did you guys feel that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I could feel it in the winds ¡­ it¡¯s another human with a fairy,¡± Breezy answered.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite a distance from here, let alone the town, what could they be doing way out here?¡± Shadina asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go find out before we lose them. Let¡¯s hide our presence.¡±

    Keeping my fairies close by, we activated our advanced hide-detection spell that erases our presence, magical or otherwise. Sure, it¡¯s easy for fairies to cast it on themselves, but to put their Chaperone under that umbrella would require more magic and work. Not even other fairies would be able to see us with our combined powers.

    We quickly moved to where the visitor was with the activated search magic as our guide. One could do this by themselves, but how far they would see would depend on their aptitude, and having their fairies nearby could increase its output dramatically. We had this up just as we stepped into those woods in case there were any dangerous animals or monsters nearby.

    I also had my vision enhanced to see in the dark as well as my hearing to pick up subtler noises in the distance. This was also thanks to concentrating my mana to those specific senses with Dad¡¯s teachings on the experience as a foundation.

    We spotted two figures when we got close enough. One was small and circling around the larger other, making her a fairy. The second person looked rugged and ragged with dirtied, roughed-up clothing as he walked and checked his surroundings that screamed ¡®suspicious.¡¯

    <¡°Soar, could that guy be ¡­ ?¡±> Breezy asked through telepathy.

    Let¡¯s follow him and confirm it for ourselves just to make sure.

    Some minutes later, we watched the suspicious guy and his Companion step out into a small clearing where another man wearing a bandana and a fairy were sitting on one side of a cave with dim lights flickering from the inside.

    ¡°You got it all out there? You weren¡¯t followed, were you?¡± the bandana man asked.

    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re clear.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure? The boss put you out here on watch duty for a reason with how you¡¯ve been slacking lately.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t find anything, okay?! My search spell is pretty accurate, you know, and Blue here knows it as well!¡±

    ¡°Um, yeah, there wasn¡¯t anybody out there, really ¡­¡± she responded with little confidence.

    Pft. That¡¯s what they think. Also, wow, ¡®Blue?¡¯ how very creative, I thought sarcastically as the first man with Blue went to the other side of the cave¡¯s entrance and sat on the ground with a sigh.

    ¡°What a day, right? We caught quite a haul.¡±

    ¡°Speak for yourself, and if I catch you sleeping, I¡¯ll make sure your cut of the pay is smaller than the rest of us.¡±

    ¡°Still, though, the cute beastmen were one thing, but a family of dark elves? We¡¯re gonna be hitting it good once we turn them in,¡± he continued speaking despite his partner¡¯s subtle threat.

    <¡°Soar ¡­¡±> Shadina said with a hint of anger in her voice.

    Yeah, there¡¯s no doubt now. Those guys are bandits, and they¡¯re trafficking people to be sold off as slaves.

    After I confirmed the situation, I focused on my search magic to scan what I could find in the cave.

    Judging by the positions of the people inside, there are a total of 5 bandits with 6 fairies alongside them. That means one of them has 2 contracted, that probably makes him the leader. With that, there are 5 victims separated into two groups, probably by race, that look to be bound, and 3 fairies stuck together in a sort of cage. That must be a Null Cage.

    Dad had told me of these from his experience as a hunter. Null Cages are small travel-sized metal boxes with bars specifically designed and enchanted to trap fairies and cut them off of the Chaperones¡¯ magic they¡¯re bound to. These were mainly issued for military purposes, but it is possible for thugs to steal them or make their very own if they have the skills and aptitude to pull it off.

    Alongside that, there are non-elemental spells and things called Null Cuffs the military uses for the criminals, designed to render one¡¯s use of magic altogether. They give off a different magical signature compared to regular spells, and I could sense that much with my search spell as I scanned the caves.

    Going by this, the victims were overwhelmed by numbers and power before they got captured, likely at different times since those of the elf race are usually talented with magic. These bandits ¡­ were likely former soldiers from the military gone rogue, I concluded after assessing the circumstances.

    <¡°Soar, what do we do?¡±> Shadina asked. <¡°If these guys really are former soldiers, you¡¯re going against them 5 to 1. Even their number of fairies would overwhelm us 3.¡±>

    <¡°Should we go back to town and get back-up?¡±> Breezy asked.

    I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll be exposed to what I¡¯m capable of if I told any of them, and I¡¯m sure Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I stepped out this late at night.

    <¡°Is that really something you should be worried about right now?¡±> Shadina asked.

    <¡°Soar, Mist not like these bandits. Mist see bandits¡¯ fairies unhappy, too. Makes her mad. Mist think we take them ourselves,¡±> Mist said.

    I understand your feelings, Mist, and we¡ª

    Just as I was thinking, a great influence surged through me in my mind and body.

    <Conditions met. Great Sage gift has evolved from Sage and is now activated.>

    W-What the? What¡¯s this strange new voice in my head?

    <¡°W-Whoa! Soar, what happened?! I feel an incredible amount of magic coming from you!¡±> [Shadina]

    <¡°Mist feels stronger, unbelievable. Mist feel she can do anything with Soar¡¯s magic now,¡±> [Mist]

    <¡°The time! It¡¯s midnight! Soar just turned 11 now, or 50 in his soul age! It happened! Just as Soar said it would! He really is a genius! Like Mist said, I feel like we can do anything!¡±> [Breezy]

    <¡°Let¡¯s not get too cocky. We need to take this one step at a time. Soar, how should we handle these thugs?¡±> Shadina asked me.

    I pondered for a bit before I recalled a conversation I had with Dad while we relaxed on the field outside of town. It was about his previous line of work when I brought up a heavy subject: the act of taking one¡¯s life.

 Chapter 5: Thats Why I Dont Care

    ¡°Hey, Dad? You¡¯ve hunted a lot of monsters and animals before as a hunter, right?¡±

    ¡°You betcha.¡±

    ¡°Did you feel uneasy taking an animal¡¯s life for the first time like I was?¡±

    ¡°Aye, but during that time, the circumstances were dire since I didn¡¯t have my own dad to look after me. I guess when I thought my own survival was at stake, I had to make some drastic decisions in order to live. The more I did it, the more the uneasiness didn¡¯t affect me as much.¡±

    ¡°I heard ¡­ hunters have also hunted bandits with bounties on their heads. Have you ¡­ done that, as well?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Aye, that I did.¡±

    ¡°Have you killed them like you did with animals and monsters?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, really, I know you¡¯re bright, Soar, but I expected to have this conversation when you were older at least.¡±

    ¡°Was it too soon for me to ask?¡±

    ¡°Well ¡­ maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯re so bright and mature that I should try to start seeing you more like an adult now. As adults, talks like this can get heavy and can put them into a position in one¡¯s eyes depending on what they say. What I¡¯m about to tell you ¡­ only your mother and our fairies know about it, and I¡¯d appreciate it if it was kept between the five of us.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± I answered with a nod. Though, in reality, it would be between eight counting my fairies who were nearby in hiding. Only Dad¡¯s Fairy, Tyra, was with us as she sat on his lap.

    ¡°The first time I killed a man was actually before I even became a hunter. I was living in the slums when a madman had lost his sanity. I knew of him, how he¡¯d resort to stealing in order to survive along with his Fairy Companion, how they¡¯d frequently get into arguments that quickly turned one-sided in the man¡¯s favor. The fairy was at her wit¡¯s end, though. She couldn¡¯t find someone else to confide into and from how much pain she was dealing with at the time, she couldn¡¯t bear to live with that man anymore, and so, she took matters into her own hands ¡­ as well as her own life.¡±

    ¡°Heart Break ¡­¡± I remembered Breezy was the one who said that from earshot.

    Heart Break is pretty much what it sounds like. The gemstones you¡¯d see on a Fairy¡¯s chest are their ¡®hearts¡¯ that brighten or dim in light and color depending on their well-being when magic isn¡¯t being cast. For a fairy to commit Heart Break, those gemstones would have to turn mostly, if not completely black. At this state, fairies could barely cast magic without hurting themselves if not at all, and until they¡¯re seen to with proper attention and care, it would only get worse as it¡¯s further neglected.

    This was accurately named Heart Break for how the fairy victim forces herself to cast magic despite the increasing pain until the gemstone cracks and shatters, the shards would fall and reveal themselves to the world while their manifested bodies burst and scatter into light that floats up to the sky. It was said that was the soul of a fairy who would go back to where Elmyra and the other gods reside in another realm called Palazim, to confide in her and seek the comfort they so needed.

    In other words, Heart Break is basically fairy suicide. Hearing how a fairy can actually commit such an act was probably the biggest slap of reality I had ever received since coming to Manara. Just hearing about it was heart-rendering enough, but when I talked to Ms. Renne about it in further detail after that, I couldn¡¯t hold myself back from crying when I thought of my fairies going through that same thing.

    Considering fairies were such a huge influence in Manara, their fates depended on the Chaperone. Whether a Companion was miserable enough to resort to Heart Break to be freed or she was forced into it due to the built-up stress, the Chaperone would be left responsible for those outcomes, branding them killers of their own fairies.

    In this world, a Chaperone killing their Fairy Companion was a bigger taboo than murdering one of their own kind or other living-sentient beings. If one were to use magic on the fairy¡¯s remnants from the gemstone and trace its mana signature back to their former Chaperone, they would be immediately executed while volunteering Fairies nearby would perform a sort of funeral ceremony for the shards the victim left behind.

    ¡°I saw that moment with my very eyes,¡± Dad continued. ¡°I watched how that man was getting hysterical trying to stop her, but she went through it anyway. He knew what was going on by the time those shards fell to the ground and what would happen to him when others would catch wind of it. I¡¯m not sure if he gave up on life or was trying to keep himself clean when I look back on it now, but when he saw me there, I had a sense that he didn¡¯t want to have witnesses.

    ¡°I could still remember the loss of life and madness in his eyes as he tried to chase me down and silence me for good, how angry I was at that man, how sad I was for that fairy, and how terrified I was for my own life as I ran. I could still remember how painful it was when I resorted to using a shard of broken glass I found as an improvised means to protect myself despite it cutting into my hand and fingers. Then there was the dreadful warmth of his blood spraying on me quickly turning cold when I cut his carotid until he stopped moving.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really think about what I was doing that time, whether what I was doing was right or wrong, but I didn¡¯t really know that man well enough to even care what was best for him as I thought of my own survival. Even so, the reality of what I did back then stuck to me for a while and I wondered why I even needed to go through something like that at such a young age. It was then I knew something needed to change in my life and I had to work for that change with my own hands. That was when I did what I could to train and become a hunter before I met Tyra.¡±

    Dad then looked to me with a calm, but somber expression. ¡°There are a few things I want you to take away from this, son. One is that you do not follow that madman¡¯s example and abuse your fairies after you make your contract. The other ¡­ if there comes a time when you have to face a similar situation like I did, I want you to think really hard with that great head of yours what the best thing is to do at that moment if you have the time and space. Think of what options are available to you, how and why you came to that choice, and whether that will affect what kind of person you want to become that others might see you when you grow up. If you know your assailant well enough, try to think of what they might¡¯ve gone through to come to where they stand at that moment so you can arrive at a clearer decision.

    ¡°You¡¯re a bright and splendid young man, Soar, and I¡¯ve watched you grow up long enough to know that there are reasons behind every action that you take. If you are ever at a loss for what to do and what¡¯s best, Ms. Renne, your mom, Dew, Tyra, and I will always be happy to lend you a hand, and we will do what we can to provide the support that you need. Ain¡¯t that right, Tyra?¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± she responded from his lap with a firm nod. She wasn¡¯t one that talked very much, but she was very strong like Dad that she¡¯d help out without needing to say anything. Seeing how bright and orange the gemstone on her chest was after learning more about it showed how much she loved and respected him.

    ¡°I understand ¡­ and Dad?¡±

    ¡°Yes, son?¡±

    ¡°Thanks ¡­ for everything you¡¯ve done to raise me. I couldn¡¯t be any prouder and more grateful to be the son of such a great man.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Y-Yeah, of course. That¡¯s what us dads are for, after all.¡± Just from hearing Dad sniffle after that, I saw that he tried really hard not to break into tears in front of me. The smug look on Tyra¡¯s face as she watched her Chaperone spoke levels, too. My fairies who were watching from hiding also cried from how moving the scene was.

    After that, I took extra care in making sure each of my Companions had the kindness and attention they deserved after forming a contract with someone like me. I also took time to really think about how I viewed life, both from my past and my reincarnated life. I thought about it long and hard after that talk with Dad. In a world like Manara with the experience and wisdom I had then, it would be best that I settle to something as soon as possible instead of not worrying about it until I crossed that bridge.

    And so, I came to a decision should a life-threatening situation arise.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ~~

    Okay, let¡¯s think of the circumstances, I said to my Companions telepathically after my trip through memory lane, specifically what Dad advised me. We want the victims trapped in that cave to be safe and set free. Here are a few options of how that can be done.

    One, we sneak in, unlock them from their bindings, and sneak them out, but with the tight security and only one way to get in and out of that cave, that would be difficult if not impossible, so that¡¯s out.

    Two, we incapacitate the bandits without killing them. Is there any way we can put people to sleep through magic?

    <¡°No,¡±> the new voice in my head after I got the Great Sage gift answered for me.

    ¡­ Why is that? We¡¯re able to communicate telepathically and scan our surroundings with our combined powers and mana. Those aren¡¯t elemental like Fire, Water, and the like. Why can¡¯t we do something like putting a person to sleep with magic?

    <¡°Magic is the practice of controlling and converting mana from the Magician, their fairy or fairies, and their surroundings into the desired outcome that¡¯s within their capabilities. What¡¯s within one¡¯s capabilities is conjuring and controlling the natural elements one has an affinity with and establishing a connection between oneself and their surroundings to perform specific tasks, but one cannot control the functions and states of another¡¯s mind against their will as it is protected by their aptitude inside and outside of their bodies. How strong it is would depend on their MAG stat, but the workings of their mind cannot be controlled no matter how small and weak their aptitude is.¡±>

    We all sat there aghast at this sudden info dump from the voice.

    Um ¡­ wow, okay, I guess that explains some things. So, I can¡¯t use something like mind control, either?

    <¡°No.¡±>

    Well, all right then. Is there a way we can cast magic on those bandits without killing them?

    <¡°That would require precise and calculated power at a pinpointed location with a specific trajectory that overwhelms their MAG stat. An example of this would be a blow to their head with a rock conjured by Earth magic.¡±>

    But I don¡¯t know what their MAG stats are, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m trained enough in magic to be that precise in my spells. My aim¡¯s pretty good, though. Can you help me figure all of that out?

    <¡°No. I am not what residents from the planet Earth would call a supercomputer.¡±>

    I can¡¯t help but feel there¡¯s a hint of sass in your monotone, but I guess that one¡¯s on me for asking, then. Going back to our options though, while it may difficult to pull off, according to that voice, it is possible to incapacitate them all without killing them before setting the hostages free. That¡¯s option number two. There is one more option we can do to rescue the hostages.

    <¡°And what would that be?¡±> Shadina asked.

    Simply kill them all. What I¡¯m concerned of though is what will become of the fairies after their Chaperones die?

    <¡°Contracted Fairies have 56 hours from the time of their former Chaperone¡¯s death to remain on Manara and make a decision on one of two choices: 1, the fairies gather the remnants of their former Chaperone¡¯s mana from their bodies and integrate it into their hearts before they give that mana along with themselves back to the world and begin a new life cycle; 2, if the fairy in question is interested in lending their power to another Chaperone, they would either: 2.1, disperse the majority of mana she has gained from herself and her former Chaperone before making a new contract with another while starting at LV 1 again; or 2.2, in the case a fairy of the same type, Fairy B, is already contracted with the new Chaperone, then Fairy A may take the combined energy with her former partner and submit her entire being inside Fairy B¡¯s heart, increasing her power in the process. Should the fairy not make a decision by the end of her limited time, the remaining mana dwelling inside her will follow the procedure of choice 1 in a more painful matter.¡±>

    Whoa whoa whoa, hold up. How come Fairy A in 2.1¡¯s case has to start off at LV 1 again in order to make a contract with a new Chaperone?

    <¡°It is a standard practice among fairies in this specific case as the possibility of the new Chaperone not having the affinity of that specific element is taken into account. If one were to acquire a new affinity that¡¯s unfamiliar to them at such a high level, there is a chance that controlling it would not only be straining, but it could also harm the Chaperone both physically and mentally.¡±>

    Ah, I get it, that¡¯s why it would be okay if Fairy B took in all of Fairy A¡¯s powers that would increase her own level as the new Chaperone is already familiar with that element.

    <¡°Correct.¡±>

    But what would become of Fairy A after she¡¯s ¡­ absorbed? Wouldn¡¯t that mean she died?

    <¡°Answer is ambiguous. All of Fairy A¡¯s knowledge, experiences, and memories will be a part of Fairy B as if she had lived through it all herself. Fairy B¡¯s personality would still remain intact as it is her gemstone that Fairy A¡¯s life will reside in. That fate is up for Fairy A to decide, however, and this procedure cannot be forced.¡±>

    Huh, so it¡¯s both a yes and no kind of thing.

    <¡°Correct.¡±>

    That¡¯s kind of vague coming from you, despite us starting to talk to each other not even 5 minutes ago.

    <¡°As I said previously, I am not what residents from the planet Earth would call a supercomputer.¡±>

    Uh-huh ¡­

    <¡°What¡¯s a ¡®supercomputer?¡¯¡±> Shadina asked Mist, to which she shrugged.

    Well, anyway, those are our three options: sneak in, incapacitate, or kill. What are your thoughts, everyone? I asked, getting back on topic.

    <¡°Mist can see bandits¡¯ Fairies¡¯ misery from here. Mist want them and captives set free. Bad Chaperones be damned.¡±> [Mist]

    <¡°Just so you know, you can put the bandits in your Dark Space once you kill them. Just putting that out there.¡±> [Shadina]

    <¡°It all really comes down to you, Soar. We may have our own viewpoints, but we¡¯ve been with you enough to know that you can be honest with yourself and your reasonings for the things you do. We¡¯ll help keep you from straying off course in a path should you need it, but I want all of us here to be happy together no matter where we are. That¡¯s all that really matters to me. Is that not the same for you two?¡±> Breezy asked the others, to which they nod in response.

    And your happiness is my top priority above everything else as I live with all of you.

    If these bandits really were soldiers once, how they were discharged is anyone¡¯s guess, but they all had a choice of what to do from there. I may not have hit rock bottom in my life, but even if the situation looked bleak, there¡¯s a difference between having difficulty not finding new work and not attempting to find it at all. Whether they were aware of it or not, they had a choice to make something different in their lives and out of the numerous other options out there, they decided becoming bandits that commit burglary and kidnap people to sell off for money was the way to go. No matter how desperate they were at the time or how idiotic their thought process was, they were the lowest of the low in my book.

    There were times in my previous life where I was also a victim in some form: bullying, having the goods in my previous retail job be stolen or blatantly messed around by disrespectful ¡®customers,¡¯ I felt I couldn¡¯t do anything out of either of those cases if I didn¡¯t want to get into serious trouble just from trying to stand up for myself. Those kinds of people, I felt they wouldn¡¯t change their ways until they got what¡¯s coming to them, and who knows how long that would be if the authorities proved to be unreliable, if not at all?And if that somehow didn¡¯t work, then what was the point of having them still loitering around and being a thorn to my side along with everyone else? So many times, I thought ¡®just go die already¡¯, ¡®why can¡¯t I just do everyone a favor and take you down myself?¡¯, or ¡®humanity should just burn in flames if they¡¯re accepting this as the norm in society.¡¯

    My mood may have improved when I finally switched over to my IT job after graduation, but I was exposed to too much negativity of the world, and so I limited my contact with people as much as possible and shut myself away in my home with my hobbies before meeting and helping Shannon. Up to that point, I didn¡¯t care what was going on with everyone along with the rest of world because all I heard was the same thing: ¡®the world is shit, what else was new?¡¯ Boy or girl, young or old, no matter the background, I didn¡¯t want anything to do with them, I didn¡¯t want to care about them. If I had the power and choice to do something about the bad things in the world, I admit, my way of thinking might be oversimplified and to the extreme, but taking the ¡®short and easy way¡¯ was more to my own satisfaction and peace of mind than out of ¡®justice,¡¯ and I already knew from that judgment alone that there was no way I would consider myself a ¡®hero¡¯ by that point, no matter what others might say.

    That was why ¡­ with my new powers, I wouldn¡¯t let these bandits off easy. That was why ¡­ I did not care what their sad backstory was that led them to that point.

    That was why outside of my new family, [adult] friends, and Companions, I didn¡¯t care anybody else and what they thought of me.

    I¡¯d feel really shitty leaving this alone and pretend I didn¡¯t see anything if we can do something about it, I continued with the telepathic talk with my fairies. If they have a bounty, I¡¯m not sure what difference it would make bringing them in alive and I¡¯m not really desperate for money right now. Hell, I think the hostages may need it more if their circumstances are dire, and they¡¯ll take anything they can get if it means they can live for a little longer.

    And honestly? I think it¡¯s too big of a pain trying to hold myself back to keep those bastards alive if they¡¯re gonna fight back, so I say we go the straight and narrow way and kill them all. Is everybody with me?

    They all silently nodded in response with no further objections.

    And so, with my decision set and our hide detection spell still activated, we quickly came up with a planned course of action while moving to a different spot where I could see both of the bandits at their posts in my line of sight. I asked the new voice in my head, temporarily called the Great Sage Voice, some questions all the while and changed how we¡¯d proceed accordingly.

    Our rescue mission commenced when I cast my powered-up Wind Needle spell with Breezy¡¯s assistance, and much to all of our surprises, I made my very first two kills in both lives with one try. It went right through both of their skulls with such speed, power, and trajectory in a single clean shot.

    My Wind Needle became more like a Wind ¡®Bullet¡¯ that was shot from a magic sniper rifle. That was only the beginning to the discovery of my newfound powers as a Great Sage.

 Chapter 6: No Matter What World, There Are Scum That Dont Deserve to Live

    ¡°¡­ ?¡±

    ¡°Did you hear that, too, Fila?¡±

    ¡°Mm. A whistle from the wind, and ¡­ two large things fell outside of the cave. What does this mean, Mama?¡±

    ¡°It means something is going on out there.¡±

    ¡°Is somebody going to save us?¡±

    ¡°I certainly hope so, sweetie.¡±

    That conversation was taken place at such a low volume that they might not even be considered whispers. To hear it at such a quiet tone as well as the events that took place outside of the cave despite the distance was only possible for the mother-daughter pair from the rabbitkin of the beastman race as they huddled close together as possible for warmth. Those two along with another family of three from the dark elf race were bound by gun-black cuffs restraining their wrists behind the backs. 3 fairies, one for each parent of the two families, were sitting in a fetal position inside an easy-to-carry cage with bars of the same color as the cuffs. They were all watching 3 of their kidnappers carelessly eating and drinking their troubles away around a fire in celebration of their latest heist. The bandits¡¯ own 4 fairies were silently watching them for any suspicious activity. That¡¯s what they were told to do, at least, but they weren¡¯t really into their assigned jobs at the moment. The hostages may not see them, but they were aware of the bandits¡¯ fairies keeping lookout nearby, and so they tried to keep their actions to a minimum.

    All except for one, a young dark elf girl who not only was able to see the fairies but the mana signatures of everybody in the cave. This was due to a special gift that she was born with, but she had yet to know what it was called. All she knew was that she had been able to see fairies and the lights of mana that dwells everywhere in the world for as long as she could remember. Her parents were also aware of this special gift, and so when she says she sees something even though they couldn¡¯t, they can trust their daughter¡¯s words.

    Because of the fast rate of maturity from those in the elf race, the young dark elf girl realized early on she could train her gift to see more things in the world if she concentrated enough, such as the different mana signatures at a fair distance even in the dark.

    Hence, just like the mother-daughter rabbitkin, she knew in her own way something happened to the two other bandits of the group that were keeping watch outside of the cave as their mana signatures suddenly turned stagnant and dark gray. She had unfortunately seen this same state once when a dark elf elder from her birthplace passed away.

    From that, she knew that 2 of the 5 bandits had just died outside of those cave walls, but that wasn¡¯t what surprised her the most. It was the new mana signature approaching the scene with 3 others she recognized to be of fairies. They seemed to be confronting the fairies who were contracted with the two bandits who were still alive moments ago.

    Just what is going on? Are my own eyes fooling me? the dark elf girl thought.

    Just then, she felt an uncomfortable rumble in her stomach that growled the same time as Fila, the daughter of the rabbitkin family.

    ¡°Ha! You hear that, guys?! Looks like we got some hungry brats here!¡± the rugged man who was the leader exclaimed before his two accomplices laughed. The dark elf girl couldn¡¯t keep herself blushing from shame and embarrassment while Fila couldn¡¯t look up out of fright, her white rabbit ears tensed from their previously flopped-over positioning.

    ¡°¡­ We didn¡¯t have anything to eat since lunch,¡± the rabbitkin mother said. ¡°If you have any rations left, please, can you spare some for my daughter at the least?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s quite a request you¡¯re making there in your position, rabbit.¡±

    ¡°I beg of you, please, I don¡¯t care about what happens to me, give my share to their daughter over there, just spare some food for my girl.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t care what happens to you, huh?¡± The bandit leader then moved and squatted to the rabbitkin mother¡¯s level. He held her by the chin and checked her features, his lecherous eyes lingered at the larger than normal chest in front of him before a matching grin grew on his face.

    The rabbitkin mother had seen that look enough times in her life to not guess what that bandit leader was thinking. She restrained her eyes from looking at him like scum.

    ¡°For a rabbit, you actually got quite the package, don¡¯t you? All right, I¡¯m in a good mood and I didn¡¯t get some good tail for a while. If you can hold out long enough until me and the boys here are satisfied, I think we can spare some food for the little ones.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Do you promise?¡±

    ¡°Well, if your looks have any value, you won¡¯t sell much for being spoiled goods. The girls, on the other hand, I¡¯m sure they can fetch a pretty price the way they are now. Can¡¯t have them starved to death, can we? You have my word they¡¯ll have something for their little tummies before the end of the night.¡±

    She knew she couldn¡¯t be optimistic. The human bandit leader could very well be lying through his teeth just so he could get a good free lay on top of whatever money they could get from selling off her tainted body. There was a high chance they won¡¯t even leave the young girls a nibble of food by the end of the night, even if what he said about keeping them alive made sense.

    Even so, her daughter was the only family she had and she couldn¡¯t let her die while still at such a tender age. If there was a chance for her to live a little longer, what choice did she have, especially since she threw her pride away long ago to get the two of them to where they were then?

    ¡°¡­ Give them the food first, and you could do whatever you want to me,¡± the rabbit mother said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not your call to make. Play along with us like a good bunny girl, and then we¡¯ll give the brats the food.¡±

    She clicked her tongue. ¡°¡­ Fine, whatever. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    ¡°You heard her, guys! We getting some action tonight! I got first dibs!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going next!¡±

    ¡°Mama!¡± Fila screamed in a panic as the bandit leader picked her mother up by the scruff of the collar and tossed her to the center of the cave.

    ¡°Turn your head away and don¡¯t look, Fila!¡± the mother exclaimed.

    ¡°¡­ Young rabbit, come on over here,¡± the dark elf mother beckoned.

    Fila¡¯s eyes pooled with tears as she was at a loss for what to do as she turned to her mother.

    ¡°You heard her! Go to them, and don¡¯t even glance this way!¡±

    Without uttering another word, Fila slowly crawled over to the dark elf family¡¯s side with her wrists still cuffed, using her legs and shoulders to move the best she could. She tried to ignore the ruffling of clothes being stripped in order to keep herself from going back on her mother¡¯s word.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The dark elf family adjusted themselves to where the little girls were behind them and block their view from the events that were about to transpire.

    ¡°We will keep her safe! Just hold out for as long as you can!¡± the dark elf father exclaimed.

    ¡°I will, and thank you!¡±

    ¡°W-What¡¯s going to happen to Mama?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°¡­ Something that you would rather not see. Onelri, you best avert your eyes as well,¡± the dark elf mother said.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Onelri?¡±

    The dark elf girl who went by Onelri couldn¡¯t register her parents¡¯ words and the actions that took place, for her attention was fully drawn to the scene that was coming from the direction of the cave entrance.

    A young human boy, topless with distinguishable hair of the same color as the sky during the day with 3 fairies fluttering behind him. If he didn¡¯t have his hide detection spell active, the others in the cave would be baffled at the scene like Onelri, the only one who could see it with her gift. He didn¡¯t seem to be aware that he was being watched though.

    The face of cold rage as he tightly gripped a one-handed unsheathed sword suited for an adult was something Onelri didn¡¯t think any boy around the same age as her could pull off, but with his sky-blue hair and eyes that match it while his 3 fairies were behind him, the dark elf girl was looking at the sight in both astonishment and a tinge of fear.

    Soon enough, the three bandits were left with nothing to wear and letting everything hang out in the draft. They were warming up their meat sticks while the leader was slowly stripping the rabbitkin mother bare like a boy opening a present on Christmas morning, holding himself back from breaking it, yet excited and eager to play with his new toy.

    ¡°Hey, maybe by the end of the night, you won¡¯t even need any food. You¡¯ll be stuffed with cum enough that both your hunger and thirst will be satisfied. I hope you¡¯re hungry for some good meat.¡±

    ¡°Disgusting.¡±

    The rabbitkin mother so wanted to say that to the bandit leader¡¯s face before spitting on it, but she was beaten to the punch.

    Before those in the cave could register the new voice, a whistle sounded through the air. Then, just before a thud on the ground could be heard, a loud splash extinguished the fire lighting up the cave, turning everything pitch black.

    ¡°Hey! Who put out the fire?! Lenny! Make a light!¡± the leader exclaimed in a panic as he stepped away from the rabbitkin mother.

    Only silence answered him.

    ¡°Lenny?!¡±

    ¡°H-He¡¯s dead, boss! I think I just stepped on his bloodied head!¡±

    ¡°What the hell are those two idiots doing out there letting an intruder in here?! Marv! Get them in here!¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m on it¡ªguack?!¡± The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed in the cave as Marv¡¯s speech got interrupted. It penetrated straight from his lower back through the stomach before blood spurted and splashed on the leader¡¯s bare body.

    ¡°Marv?!¡±

    The only response the bandit leader got was Marv collapsing on his knees before his head got penetrated by another blade. The sounds of both blades pulled out of the body were followed before a thud hit the ground.

    ¡°Honestly, to leave yourself completely vulnerable for an ambush, and aren¡¯t you guys trained to see in the dark with your magic? Then again, you were discharged only as foot soldiers of the Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s guard, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t expect much,¡± the new voice said condescendingly.

    ¡°H-How¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your iron-alloy swords and daggers are standard issues for those of your former rank, likely stolen along with the cuffs and the cage after your discharge. Not the best quality of metal, but cuts decently when you apply mana into it. I think I¡¯ll keep both of them until I find something better.¡±

    ¡°C-Cinder! Light a fire for me!¡±

    ¡°I got it! I got it!¡± With her annoyed tone, the Fire Fairy who went by Cinder conjured enough mana to create a fire that¡¯s akin to a wooden torch in front of him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Just as the leader was able to see a little of what was in front of him, he finds a sharp point poking at his naked back. The light from the small fire cast a shadow big enough for the little assaulter behind him to hide into with ease

    ¡°On your knees with hands behind your head. Now.¡±

    He was a little inebriated from the alcohol, but seeing two of his former guard comrades killed within seconds, he was sober enough to comply without question or argument. Another sharp point poked onto the back of his neck.

    ¡°Open up your Dark Space and empty all of its contents to that area lit up by your fairy.¡±

    ¡°H-How did you ¡­ all of it?!¡±

    ¡°Did I stutter?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Luna, do it.¡±

    The Darkness Fairy wordlessly responded by opening up a purplish-black hole above the lit spot on the ground before supplies, money pouches, food rations, keys to the cuffs and small cage, and other objects dropped from it.

    ¡°Is that all of it? You know things kept in the Dark Space are lost forever when the owner dies, right? Wouldn¡¯t want them to go to waste now, would we?¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s all of it, I swear! Now please, let me go! I swear I won¡¯t go back to kidnapping and burglary again! I¡¯ll find better and more honest work! Really! Just please, don¡¯t kill me!¡± the leader begged before bawling. Even though he caught hints of his interrogator being much younger than him by the pitch of his voice alone, he was too flustered and scared of his own life to even question it.

    ¡°Did you know you had that chance after you were discharged? Did your other victims also plead for mercy like you are right now? Honestly, as one of the same race, I couldn¡¯t be more disgusted at the look of that pathetic mug of yours. Just as the guard thought the same, your services in this world are no longer required.¡±

    ¡°N-No wait¡ª!¡±

    Then, with a whiff of the sword, a line is drawn through the bandit leader¡¯s neck. His head rolled into the darkness. The rest of his body collapsed on the ground the same time as the one flame lighting up the cave by the Fire Fairy, Cinder, went out. When a Chaperone dies, any spell that was active up to that moment is cut off like strings from a puppet. Blood quickly pooled from both of their openings.

    The cave was pitch black once more and got silent for a brief moment. More sounds of water being splashed were heard, the rabbitkin mother was close enough in the splash zone to get caught in it a little. Dragging through the ground, whistling winds, rustling clothes and some other material, and dirt being moved echoed on the walls soon after, not in that particular order. The only thing Onelri heard out of the others was the whispering between the new fairies and those formerly contracted with the bandits before the latter group left the cave. Then, some jingles of keys were heard and the rabbitkin mother who was lying on the ground half-stripped moments ago was sat back up by some help from one with small hands, much to her surprise.

    ¡°Are you all right?¡± the new voice asked the rabbitkin mother, histone gentler and warmer compared to moments ago. Sounds of jingling as the key worked to open the cuffs were heard.

    ¡°Y-Yes, I¡¯m all right,¡± she answered, still in shock and reeling in what had just transpired. The click of opened cuffs and sudden maneuverability of her hands made her shoulders slack in relief.

    ¡°It looks like you got a little roughed up. Here, I¡¯ll treat them for you.¡±

    A dim white light then appeared in the darkness while the contours of the rabbitkin mother and the small visitor were shown. The scrapes and bruises that marked her body moments ago disappeared within seconds before the white light disappeared, turning the place dark once more.

    ¡°Thank you very much ¡­¡±

    Then, the new visitor made quick work in freeing the others, first the fairies in the cage, then the rest of the people that were cuffed, up to Onelri being the last to be set free.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you all had a crazy night, but rest assured that you won¡¯t find any more dangers from this point on. You can use the money and rations the bandits left behind to get by, maybe bring their bodies I stored in their tarp to a hunter¡¯s guild and receive their bounties for turning them in. I left a couple of fruits wrapped in a piece of cloth as a treat for the kids. I wish you all the best of luck in¡ª¡±

    ¡°NOOOOOO!¡±

    A sudden scream made the hostages and even the rescuer jump in surprise before a tackling sound echoed in the cave.

    ¡°W-What the?! What are you doing?! Get off of me! Hey, did you just cuff me?!¡±

    ¡°Miss Rabbit! Light up the cave! Now!¡± Onelri exclaimed after she finished restraining her rescuer with the same cuffs she was bound to moments ago.

    ¡°Oh! Right! Luster! Help me out!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°Light, I ask of you, shed a light that erases the darkness! Illumination!¡± The rabbitkin mother chanted as her Light Fairy combined her powers with the spell that brightens up the cave at an instant.

    Bright and clear as day, the rescuer that was struggling to escape was revealed, the light stopped him like a deer in headlights that elicited a gasp from the others. Signs of him being wet and hastily dried moments ago was seen, and while his bare torso looked clean, splatters of blood stood out from his still-soaked pants. All of the former hostages sans Onelri looked at the scene in awe.

    ¡°A boy?!¡± the dark elf father exclaimed.

    ¡°It is really him, everyone! He is the one who took out the bandits outside as well as those in here, with help of the 3 fairies above him right now! I saw it all! Everything!¡± Onelri exclaimed.

    ¡°¡°What?!¡±¡±

    ¡­ Fuck. The sky-blue haired boy only thought that much in his mind when his cover got blown.

 Chapter 7: I Got Interrogated by Bunny Girls and Dark Elves (Revised)

    If one were to train their vision enhanced with mana enough, even with multiple people surrounding you, you could tell which fairy was a Chaperone¡¯s Companion by tracing an invisible ¡®mana string¡¯ that connects them no matter how far apart they were.

    That¡¯s how I was able to tell which of the fairies belonged to the bandits and who had a higher priority to be taken out immediately as I eliminated them one-by-one. First, the guy who was bonded with a lone Fire Fairy as he seemed to be most experienced with that element in the group. Then, before anyone could see him drop dead, I cast Water Magic to extinguish the fire lighting up the cave. This would send the remaining bandits in a fluster and confusion, giving me enough time to take out the second of the three remaining bandits. Doing that in the dark was no problem as I had my mana-enhanced vision to help me see things clear as day.

    Finally, the leader, who likely was appointed that position for the magic power drawn from his Fire and Darkness Fairies, despite his inexperience in the former. Since he was the only one who could use Dark Space to carry everyone¡¯s belongings to not slow them down, his cooperation was of the highest importance; thus, pressuring him to empty all of their contents as the last remaining bandit before I offed him.

    Yes, I could¡¯ve just used my stupid powerful Wind Needle to take them out all at once, but if those who can use Dark Space die suddenly with their belongings still inside, while it was said they¡¯d be dropped at very random places around the world, with the chances of having even one dropping nearby being minuscule if not impossible, it might as well be the same as losing them forever. It¡¯s like even if you were brought back to life in an RPG, you¡¯d be lucky to have one item from your item storage found next to you after dying once. Some of the two families¡¯ belongings could be included in that bandit leader¡¯s Dark Space, so it would suck if something outside of their control made them lose their valuables.

    Another thing to consider was the two little girls. I was aware there were hostages inside the cave, but I had no idea who or what they were, only their races from what the first two bandits I killed outside said before that, so I had to step inside with the hide-detection spell on and see for myself. Even though had the mentality of a 50-year-old man, the little girls were still in quite a young and tender age. Watching their parents getting raped in front of them was bad enough, seeing the gruesome sight of one¡¯s life being taken away before their eyes in a messy manner could scar them for life. That was why I put out the flame and darkened the cave first before anyone noticed a dead body. It was also why I had the bandits¡¯ corpses wrapped in the tarp they brought. I even came in with my shirt off so I could rinse their splattered blood off me, the blades I used, as well as the stained cave floors with Water Magic to make the scene less gruesome to see. I used Wind Magic to basically blowdry myself off quickly, but with little success as I was too hasty in doing it efficiently.

    Sure, I could¡¯ve used Wind Needle from a distance to lessen the mess splattered on me, but I wanted to see how different it was taking someone¡¯s life with weapons in their hands. Using magic as a comparison, it might as well have been this world¡¯s guns if they were controlled correctly. Plus, I wanted to see how effective it was to cut and pierce someone with a mana-infused blade for the first time with all of my swordsmanship training up to then.

    It might¡¯ve been cold of me at the end, but I was going to leave the hostages to their devices while I left so I could dry myself off properly on my own, but I didn¡¯t expect one of them actually tackling me to prevent my escape, let alone using the same cuffs they were just bound with moments ago on me. When one is restrained by Null Cuffs, they couldn¡¯t cast magic no matter how high their aptitude and capacity was. The Companion(s) can still keep themselves in hiding, but when their Chaperone is cuffed, they couldn¡¯t really do much as their magic is connected, allowing them to draw power from each other. It¡¯s basically like flipping a light switch that connects or disconnects to the circuit breaker with just a flick.

    Which brought me still topless and cornered by the former hostages as I sat up against the cave wall with my wrists cuffed behind my back.

    ¡°Listen, boy, we understand that you are upset but you have to realize that this is a very unusual situation here,¡± the dark elf father said.

    ¡°And what, may I ask, is unusual? That I''m a kid? Should that matter at all? I just saved you guys from getting enslaved and possibly worse, I was going to leave you guys alone without any harm or demanding anything in return, and yet here I am cuffed up like I''m just as bad as those bandits,¡± I said, trying to keep myself from sounding irritated but failing with my snappy attitude.

    ¡°It is because you are a kid that this whole thing is nothing but unusual at all!¡± the dark elf daughter exclaimed. Under the active Illumination spell, one can see her platinum-silver hair shining under the light while tied in neck-length twin tails. She was currently wearing dark-colored shorts, boots, and a sort of sleeveless tunic. ¡°You are not just any kid, either! A human boy with three fairies and a high magic affinity?! How do we know you were not trying to take us for yourself or take all of the stuff the bandit leader took out from his Dark Space?!¡±

    ¡°You have no proof that what you said about me is true. If me trying to sell you off really was the case then I wouldn''t have released you from your locks, would I? I also would have stowed those things away a long time ago and ran off without saying a word, too, but oh look, there they all are right there, stationary and unmoved since the bandit leader took them out.¡±

    ¡°Gkh!¡± the dark elf daughter grunted.

    ¡°Look, I''m tired, I''d like to put on a change of clothes before I catch a cold, get home, and get some sleep. I''m willing to put all of this behind me, still let you keep all of the stuff, and pretend this thing never happened if you let me go right now. I''ll even throw in the sword and dagger I used to take down the bandits so you can have some extra money to have on your way or ensure extra protection.¡±

    ¡°H-Hold on! There are still a bunch of questions that need to be answered! And my eyes are proof enough to confirm you have both of those things! Even now, one of the fairies in your Companion Trio is giving us the stink eye as we speak!¡±

    ¡°That''s because a total brat shouldn''t be talking to her rescuer like that!¡± Shadina exclaimed.

    ¡°This is not good. I want all of us to calm down but their confusion and fear might be accurate in these circumstances,¡± Breezy said. ¡°Also, did you forget that they can''t hear us while keeping ourselves hidden, Shadina?¡±

    ¡°Seriously, this is really shitty!¡± Shadina continued while ignoring Breezy. ¡°It''s bad enough most of the kids from Soar''s school avoid him like a disease just because he behaves differently from others, let alone talk smack about him behind his back, yet he just ignores all of that while he helps the adults when it''s convenient enough for him. Don''t even get me started on keeping his contract with us a secret for the past 6 years just so we don''t risk his reputation spreading to some certain people that might try to take him away for their own nefarious gains! And now tonight, while he could''ve ignored that bandit taking a piss and not risk putting himself into danger, he made the difficult choice of taking a person''s life for the very first time, even though part of him didn''t want to go to such extremes, just so he wouldn''t feel guilty of leaving somebody behind in dire need of help when he could do something about it. What does he get out of that? Getting captured himself! I swear, if I was big enough to hold Soar myself, these ungrateful pieces of shit would get such kicks to the face!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± The dark elf daughter stood there with eyes wide open, holding a hand up to stop from anyone speaking a word as if she was listening to a speech, even though she and the rest shouldn''t be hearing anything at that time.

    ¡°What did you hear?¡± the dark elf father asked with a hand on his daughter''s shoulder. By the way, they were both wearing similar clothing to their daughter, but the father was wearing slacks while the mother had some short shorts.

    ¡°¡­ The Darkness Fairy''s name is Shadina. She and the other two have been in a contract with the boy, Soar, for 6 years, keeping it a secret from everyone in his town. The other kids treat him like an outcast for acting differently, but he still goes out of his way to help the adults if he is nearby. Whatever reason why other than ¡®not feeling guilty over something he could do himself,¡¯ it sounded to be the same case here rescuing us. It seems he has never taken a life before now, and Shadina wished she was bigger so she could beat us up for capturing and treating Soar like a criminal. That was what she ranted about.¡±

    It was our turn to widen our eyes in shock.

    ¡°Um, Mist thinks the dark elf girl heard Shadina.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Mist, I¡¯m aware of that. Thanks for stating the obvious.¡±

    ¡°Um ¡­ excuse me.¡± The one who butted in next was the other young girl among the hostages that had long bunny ears flopped over her light blonde locks that stretched past her shoulders. She had an old, worn-out blouse and skirt that stretched to the ground while shyly carrying a pouch in both hands as if it was a great treasure while everyone¡¯s eyes were on her. ¡°I may not have seen what happened in the dark, but from what I had heard, you saved Mama and the rest of us, right? And your name is Soar?¡±

    I sighed in defeat. ¡°That¡¯s what I''ve been trying to tell you, and yes, my name is Soar.¡±

    ¡°But you ¡­ killed those bandits, right? They may have been mean and scary, but did you have to kill them?¡±

    ¡°If I let them live, they''d probably try to fight back while letting my guard down, or run away and spread around how a kid like me killed their comrades and spin the story so they would play the victims. Even if the last guy was begging for his life, I couldn''t guarantee that he was telling the truth, so I made the choice of ignoring those pleas myself.¡±

    ¡°And to avoid getting yourself caught, you tried to run away after saving us in the dark so we wouldn''t know who you were and what you looked like. Is that right?¡± the bunny mother asked. She wore a similar blouse-skirt ensemble from her daughter¡¯s, but was clearly more roughed up from its share of abuse of whatever she went through, or maybe even the person who owned it previously as they seemed a bit tight for her fitting, especially around the chest area that was the biggest I had ever seen in this world so far.

    ¡°Yes. I have a home and family to go back to. I didn''t need any of those belongings for some extra money, so I thought it was better to leave them with you guys to distribute amongst yourselves. If I escaped successfully, you wouldn''t know who it was that saved you, my cover would still be secured, and everybody would be happy as they go back to their normal lives.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn''t be happy,¡± the bunny daughter said. ¡°Even putting the bad bandits aside, I''d be sad not having the chance to thank you properly for saving us and leaving these fruits. That''s probably why Onelri caught you before you ran away. Isn''t that right, Onelri?¡±

    ¡°W-What the¡ªare you kidding me?! And do not just blurt out my name like that!¡±

    ¡°You spoke of Soar''s and Shadina''s names without their permission though? You also told us all something Soar and his fairies wanted kept secret. I don''t think that''s really fair for them.¡±

    ¡°Gkh!¡±

    Despite the dark elf girl''s, Onelri''s, shock, the bunny girl turned back to me and bowed. ¡°My name is Fila. I''m sorry we were rude to you. If it means anything, my secret ¡­¡± Fila trailed off, trying to concentrate on what secret she should tell more than necessary. ¡°Mmm ¡­ Mama said a girl should only tell their sizes and underwear to a boy she really, really likes. I don''t know why, but would one of those work?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Fila, do you know where babies come from?¡± I asked.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Then you should avoid mentioning anything like those to guys until you know that first and you''re at least 18 years old.¡±

    ¡°What do sizes and underwear have to do with where babies come from? And why do I have to wait 8 more years before telling all of those?¡±

    Well, at least I know she''s 10 from that alone, I thought. ¡°How about you just tell me what your favorite color is and we''ll stick with that as your ¡®secret?¡¯¡±

    ¡°No! Making a contract with a fairy is a huge deal, right?! I think almost anyone would keep that a secret! It''s not fair that we forced that out of you and I won''t give up until I tell a secret of mine that''s equal of value!¡±

    ¡°I just want to go home and forget this all ever happened.¡±

    ¡°Wait! But being contracted for 6 years is true, right?! How old were you when that happened?! When did you start casting magic?! How did you get all of them?!¡± Onelri exclaimed.

    ¡°Like I''d tell you anything with that attitude.¡± Sheesh, damn kids, always so loud, demanding, and selfish in what they want. And they wonder why I don''t hang around with them. Then again, some of the adults in retail back in my old job on Earth were like that, too. Kind of makes you wonder if they ever really ¡®grew up¡¯ all that time. Well, unless they started screaming their heads off like kids would do when in a tantrum, I¡¯d question their sanity by that point, I thought. I always didn¡¯t like kids for their noises alone.

    ¡°Why, you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Onelri, stop!¡± Fila exclaimed while standing between us. ¡°Why are you bullying him so much?!¡±

    ¡°Bullying?! He just killed 5 people, Fila! I think that is far more severe than ¡®bullying!¡¯¡±

    ¡°But Soar saved us while putting himself in danger! Doesn''t that make him a hero like those in the stories?!¡±

    ¡°I mean ¡­ you are not wrong, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know that killing is bad and it sounds like Soar knows that, too, but what else could he have done if what he said about them was true?! I may not know what they were about to do with Mama, but I know I would''ve done something to save her if I wasn''t so helpless! Are you saying you would stand there while your mama was about to go through the same thing?!¡±

    ¡°Of course, not! I would never forgive them for hurting Mother!¡±

    ¡°Then tell me what you would have done! What would you do to keep everyone alive and not let the bandits speak of anything happening to them that would put the rest of us in greater danger?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Onelri bit her lip while her fists clenched.

    ¡°Before you all continue, could you pipe down to your inside voices, please? I think the cave¡¯s echo is making my ears ringing. Ugh, and I have such an itch, too ¡­¡± I said while trying to scratch that irritating spot.

    ¡°Putting that aside, Fila has a point,¡± the bunny mother said as she kneeled down next to Fila and rests a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I know I would go ballistic on anyone if they did something to my daughter. Seeing the sharpness of a kid like Soar is surprising, yes, but it really didn''t look like he was going to do anything with us after dealing with the bandits. We all had a long day today, so why don''t we let bygones be bygones and pretend we were lucky a hunter was passing by to save us? He has his reasons for keeping secrets like all of us do but I don''t think he''s a bad kid.¡±

    ¡°And what makes you so sure of that?¡± the dark elf father asked with a quirked brow.

    ¡°He''s decent enough to keep my daughter from spilling something precious for a girl and even gave her advice, for one thing. I don''t know about you, but I think he''d rather know my own sizes and underwear if that was an option. Isn''t that right, Soar?¡± she asked while looking back.

    ¡°¡­ I will neither confirm nor deny that statement and you have a very questionable parenting style to even teach Fila something like that at her age,¡± I answered while averting my gaze.

    Hey, I was still a virgin who only saw naked girls in some websites and certain Japanese media. I never even got close to going that far with the few dates I had in my past life and puberty was running its course again in my new body at that time. Cut me some slack. If it means anything, I think her cup size looked like a G, maybe an H at the time. I was still small and growing in my new body back then, so everything seemed big to me. When I looked at her from behind back then, she looked like she had some amazing hips, too.

    The bunny mother chuckled while rustling my damp-wet hair. ¡°I like this kid! Name''s Flomi Gartner. Sorry for putting you through all of this trouble and thanks for saving my ass back there. Come on, you three, you do your part as well, or are you as prideful in the superiority of your race to even do that much as a light elf might?¡±

    Everyone in the dark elf family widened their eyes at Flomi¡¯s question.

    Oof, that¡¯s quite the low blow right there.

    In Manara, while there were elves in the general term, they were actually divided as light and dark elf subraces. All of them were more specialized in magic than other races that at least one of their capable elements matches the names of their heritages. It would be no surprise that an elf of either side had 2 or even 3 elements in their arsenal of magical prowess. It was because they were more talented in magic than others that they tended to be quite prideful of their lineages to the point of narcissism, and since their ¡®primary elements¡¯ were on opposite sides, they were as much at feud with each other as one might expect between an elf and a dwarf in some fantasy fictions.

    Oh, and apparently, based on what I learned in the cultural studies of my school, dwarves didn¡¯t exist in Manara. I was a little saddened at that when I found that realization.

    ¡°¡­ Though I cannot speak for everyone, the three of us know who and when we should give proper gratitude. We would appreciate it if you do not compare us with those of the light,¡± the dark elf father said before looking to his wife and they nodded in agreement. The dark elf spouses then kneeled to my level. ¡°I am Darida Gulzu, this is my wife, Zalfes, and you already know the name of our daughter, Onelri. Please forgive us for our unneeded hostility and suspicion towards you.¡±

    ¡°It is still a shock for us to take in, but we really do appreciate you going through the trouble and danger for us. I hope there is something we can do to make it up to you, Soar,¡± Zalfes then said.

    ¡°¡­ You can uncuff me, to start with.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Darida took the initiative and used the keys to undo the cuffs behind me. I rubbed my wrists from the chafing and scratched the places I need to get that were itching once I was free.

    Finally ¡­

    ¡°Onelri, it is your turn,¡± Zales said while giving her daughter a light push on the back.

    Onelri stood there having no idea what to do with her hands or where to look with her shifty gaze, occasionally going directly at me for a brief moment before averting them. It looked like there was something else she wanted to say that the others weren¡¯t expecting of her, and so when she opened her mouth once, she second-guessed and stopped herself. It was when she lingered her shifty gazes above me where my Companions were hovering about that I realized something.

    She heard everything Shadina said, so she must hear and see her along with the others, right? Wasn¡¯t she looking at them with great interest throughout most of the discussion? Maybe from the very beginning since we walked in?

    ¡°¡­ Onelri.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes?!¡± she exclaimed with a start.

    ¡°Could it be that ¡­ you¡¯re wondering how and why I¡¯ve been contracted with my fairies for 6 years? Maybe they were why you stopped me from escaping, to begin with?¡±

    ¡°W-Why would I be interested in your fairies?!¡±

    ¡°If I think back on it, my fairies and my aptitude were the first few things you questioned me about, and you brought up how I took out those bandits as a reason why you were pestering me, but that doesn¡¯t really add up. Even if I had two or even one Companion while carrying a lower aptitude, if I planned enough, I could still take them out as well. And looking at my surroundings right now, while Flomi has a Light Fairy, Darida has one of Darkness and Zalfes with Water.¡±

    ¡°H-How did you ¡­¡± Darida stuttered while his and Zalfes¡¯ dark-skinned faces turned slightly pale. Even the parents¡¯ fairies started shivering from goosebumps in place.

    ¡°Wait, you can see them and which Chaperones they are partnered with, too?!¡± Onelri exclaimed.

    ¡°I can also see that you and Fila are the only ones here who aren¡¯t contracted with your own fairies right now, too. That said, you¡¯re wanting to know how I managed to have made contracts with my fairies before you have so you can get them yourself. I don¡¯t know why you were so desperate to know that to the point of cuffing me to prevent my escape when you could¡¯ve asked your parents or friends who¡¯ve already made their own contracts but am I on the right track?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Mother and Father always said a fairy would find me one day, and I ¡­ do ¡­ friends,¡± she grumbled under her breath.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have friends, Onelri?¡± Fila asked for me.

    From the way she¡¯s acting tonight, I think I can get why.

    ¡°Everyone around our age back in our home has a fairy except me, even though I have been on top of my magic studies above everyone else. We were out here during a holiday so that we may have a better chance of finding me a fairy outside of our home, and yet there were those bandits having one, the leader with two, and now you with three. It is not fair that you somehow get them so much earlier than me ¡­¡± she grumbled while tightening her fists.

    ¡°Onelri,¡± Zalfes said with a concerned tone.

    ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t really guarantee whether you¡¯ll form a contract with a fairy sooner or later and I don¡¯t think the reasons why I¡¯m contracted with my Companions also applies, but maybe somebody else can help us answer your question.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Onelri asked in response to my suggestion.

    ¡°Excuse me, girls? You¡¯re watching all of this, right? Would you come in here, please?¡± I asked towards the cave¡¯s exit.

    Moments later, 6 fairies of different types flew inside. 2 Wind Fairies, 2 Fire, plus a Water, and Darkness.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the bandits¡¯ Companions, aren¡¯t you?¡± Flomi asked. When a Chaperone dies, all of their Companions come out of hiding against their will as their inevitable departure was approaching.

    When one sees a fairy alone and unable to hide their presence, that basically meant they¡¯re on death row and would soon no longer be remaining in this world unless otherwise.

    ¡°¡®Former¡¯ Companions, to be specific, now that our Chaperones are no longer here, and we do apologize for taking part in all of the trouble we put you through,¡± the bandit leader¡¯s Darkness Fairy spoke for the group before she and the rest bowed down to us.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t always like that when we first made our contracts with them,¡± the fairy representative continued. ¡°They all got a little over their heads when they threw their authority around as guards before they got discharged, and when they weren¡¯t mugging innocents as bandits after that, they would take out their anger and blame everything on us. We all agreed that we¡¯ve had enough being with those guys. We were actually discussing amongst ourselves how we would break free from our contracts. That was when this kid showed up and his own energetic line of Companions.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it ¡­ the gemstones on all of Soar¡¯s fairies are brighter and filled with color in life compared to the bandits¡¯,¡± Onelri pointed out as she took a second look at my fairies.

    ¡°He was able to see us all miserable and closer to ¡­ well, something terrible, before he put himself into harm¡¯s way,¡± the Water Fairy who I heard went by Blue added. ¡°When we opened up our troubles to him and his fairies, he said we could decide what we want to do after he took care of our former Chaperones and saved all of you.¡±

    ¡°After seeing him in action and how he¡¯s been composing himself in front of all of you despite his position, we came to a unanimous decision and decided to lend our powers to him and his Companions. If there¡¯s anybody who¡¯s able to better use their magic than all of us combined, Soar here would certainly fit the bill. He has earned our fairy seal of approval,¡± the representative finished with a thumb up before the others behind her nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Not to mention that we find him rather cute and charmingly mature for one his age. Isn¡¯t that right, Cinder?¡± one of the two Fire Fairies teased the other, who apparently went by Cinder. While they were both the same type, they had differing hairstyles, skin tones, and even dresses to tell them apart.

    ¡°W-What are you asking me for?! He¡¯s got guts, I¡¯ll give him that, but that¡¯s all, okay?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all, huh? Coming from you, that¡¯s not much to say about him, really. Does that mean I get to be his main Fire Fairy, then? Because I¡¯d gladly take him off your hands~.¡±

    ¡°Now hold on just a moment there!¡±

    ¡°Onelri,¡± I then called out to her, making her jolt to me in surprise despite the banter between the Fire Fairies. ¡°I love magic and I love my fairies. They decided I was worthy to be their Chaperone, and there¡¯s nothing more I could ever want than making sure they¡¯re all happy being with me. That¡¯s why I was so angry people like those bandits exist, who would abuse the wonders of magic in this world as well as their Companions who saw them as worthy during much better times. It was drastic, I know, but when I confided the decision to my Companions, they agreed that letting them off would be too dangerous and risky for those around them. I don¡¯t consider myself a defender of justice or good judgment of character, but I don¡¯t ever want to end up like those guys and abuse my powers to harm my Companions and innocent people like you.

    ¡°I think ¡­ we change partly because of how much other people, fairy or otherwise, influence our lives, and from those, we¡¯ll later run into the fairies and people we do want to meet. I know the things I¡¯ve learned and the times I spent with my Companions and the people around me in my town helped shaped me into the guy I am today. I don¡¯t know if this answers all of the questions you may have for me, but I think our meeting here tonight happened for a reason. It would be best that we all remember what happened tonight so we can figure out what we want to do in the future. Don¡¯t you think so as well, Onelri?¡±

    ¡°How other people influence our lives ¡­ meaning in our meeting ¡­¡± Onelri muttered with a hand over her chin while contemplating and nodding to herself. She then turned back to me. ¡°Yeah, I think I understand it a little. Thank you ¡­ for your input, Soar, and what you have done for us tonight, and I am sorry for my treatment towards you.¡±

    ¡°Glad to be of help, and apology accepted,¡± I said with a hand out. Onelri stared at it a little before grasping and shaking it with her own with a smirk on her face.

    With a few growling stomachs echoing in the cave as well, we decided then and there to have a small feast of the bandits¡¯ rations as well as apples and other fruits I brought out from my Dark Space that I shared with everybody, including the bandits¡¯ former Companions. I also took the liberty of putting my shirt back on and swapped my damp pants for a spare pair I kept aside for emergencies.

    It started out bumpy with some misunderstandings along the way, but the bright smiles Fila and Onelri made after thanking me for the delicious fruits left me quite satisfied and proud of what I accomplished that night.

    It was a good start of my 11<sup>th</sup> birthday spent with the first legit friends I¡¯ve made since coming to Manara, and it was the beginning of a new friendship that would last more than I ever thought was possible.

 Chapter 8: My 11th Birthday Didnt Start Out Like My Other Ones

    After we had our small feast and settled some other matters, I used Dark Gate to open a path near the entrance to the city of Brightlas for the two families to get inside. That city neighbored Lunargrove by a couple hours on a carriage. There was a toll, so it would be bad if word got around that a few families got unpermitted entry, but I had never been inside the city anyway. I had only got close to one of the gates during my explorations that Mom and Dad weren¡¯t aware of. I picked Brightlas over Lunargrove so the two families wouldn¡¯t try to find me. They promised they¡¯d keep everything that happened that night a secret in with the majority of the bandits¡¯ loot in exchange, despite their own apprehensions on the deal, but I went to such lengths out of my own peace of mind. They did ask if I lived anywhere there, but I never answered their question as I left them off with a ¡®good-bye¡¯ and closed the Dark Gate between us. The girls tried to stop me but were too slow.

    ¡°Soar, are you sure you¡¯re all right with this? You looked like you were getting along with Fila and Onelri so well,¡± Breezy asked.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than previously leaving them in the cave. They might¡¯ve got caught under some unfortunate events, but since they¡¯re free with some money to get by now, it¡¯s best that we go back to our normal lives.¡±

    ¡°I understand that but weren¡¯t they your friends? Even if you had to part ways, you could¡¯ve at least sent them off with a better good-bye.¡±

    ¡°¡­ It was done this way so that there wouldn¡¯t be as much tears. If they end up disliking me enough to not want anything to do with me after leaving them so coldly, then all the better for them to move on to their brighter futures. Besides, they¡¯re still kids and I¡¯m a 50-year old man in a boy¡¯s body. It should¡¯ve already been clear enough how different our mentalities were and they¡¯re already aware of me being alone from other kids due to my ¡®weird behavior.¡¯ They¡¯d understand soon enough why it would be better to not get close to me.¡±

    ¡°Soar ¡­¡±

    ¡°Whoa whoa whoa, wait, what? What¡¯s this about Soar being an old guy in a boy¡¯s body?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, you¡¯re new to the group, Cinder, so you¡¯re unaware of my circumstances.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain it all to her later.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that, Shadina, thanks. Let¡¯s just get back home and call it a night,¡± I said.

    I know I ended the last chapter mentioning the beginning of a friendship between me and the girls, but I originally intended to keep our contact together short-lived. I got to keep one of the kingdom guard¡¯s issued short sword and dagger, all of the Null Cuffs, the Null Cage, and the keys for both of them from the bandits¡¯ loot for my own purposes while the two families got to keep the rest of their belongings as well as their own, so I figured that much was enough to settle things between us.

    Anyway, after I cut myself off from them, I opened another Dark Gate leading me back to the bathroom of my home where I quickly did nature¡¯s course, changed into my pajamas, and walked back to my room. I then headed to bed, but not before I checked my Status Card. I thought I was getting too tired to see something ridiculous, so I decided to sleep it off before checking it again in the morning. I did overhear some whispers from my Companions who slept under my bed, but it was quiet enough that it didn¡¯t bother me as much.

    Ah, that reminds me. I need to make a bed for Cinder as soon as I can, that thought crossed my mind before I fell asleep.

    ~~

    ¡°Mgh ¡­ I really went too far last night,¡± I grumbled as I shakily open my eyes, finding I¡¯m looking up at the ceiling of my room while in bed. I sat up and rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes before I looked back at my pillow where I kept my Status Card underneath it. ¡°Ah, right, let¡¯s check that card again and see if I wasn¡¯t just seeing things last night.¡± I reached under the pillow, pulled out my card, and reread the contents I thought I misinterpreted last night.

    [Name: Soar Osmis

    LV: 85 >> 90

    Aptitude: S

    Fairies: Cinder LV 1 >> 31, Breezy LV 61 >> 100, Mist LV 59 >> 82, Shadina LV 52 >> 88

    Affinities: FIRE*, WIND***, WATER**, DARKNESS**

    STR: C- >> C+

    INT: S >> EX

    VIT: D-

    END: C >> C+

    DEX: C+

    AGI: C

    MAG: S >> EX

    Gifts: Wizard > Sage > Great Sage, Magic Hands, EXP Acquisition Boost]

    ¡°¡­ Ha ha ha. Noooope, I was not seeing things last night,¡± I muttered in monotone.

    First off, the two Fire Fairies settled on their own who would be my primary of the fire element, which ended up being Cinder. While the parents had to block the girls¡¯ eyes from the gruesome sight, Cinder gave up the majority of mana she collected herself and half from her former Chaperone¡¯s body¡ªthe other half taken by his Darkness Fairy¡ªbefore spreading it around in an area outside of the cave, ¡®giving life¡¯ to nature, in a general sense. After that, like how it was with my first three Companions, Cinder formed a new contract with me by kissing me on the cheek¡ªalbeit a little embarrassingly on her part. At that point, I would be able to cast Fire Magic with her assistance.

    As for the other bandits¡¯ fairies, they had to collect their former partners¡¯ mana as well before they committed to giving themselves and their power to my Companions, but they didn¡¯t have to spread it around. In fact, they needed it for bonding. This included the other Fire Fairy who chose to give her power to Cinder instead of taking the ¡®Primary Fire Fairy¡¯ position in my Fairy Harem. I didn¡¯t realize how much power their fairies would give my Companions after they accepted them into their gemstones, but according to the Great Sage Voice at the time, I wouldn¡¯t exactly receive all of their powers, like transferring all of their levels into my fairies. The mana they collected from their former Chaperones would actually serve as the bonding agent that would link the fairies together in order to make the merge successful. It¡¯s also because of the former Chaperones¡¯ mana that only a percentage of the fairies¡¯ full power¡ªbetween 30 to 60 percent on average depending on the Chaperone¡¯s aptitude, from what the Great Sage Voice said¡ªwould be transferred to my Companions.

    It¡¯s sort of like the resistors you¡¯d see on circuit boards one may have played with inside a high school science lab, controlling the voltage that runs through the circuit in various ways to avoid blowing it up. Just replace the resistor with a former Chaperone¡¯s mana, the ¡®giving fairy¡¯ being electricity, and the ¡®receiving fairy¡¯ as the circuit board, and you pretty much get that as a result.

    How a fairy who lost their Chaperone would give herself to another person¡¯s Companion, by the way, was due to a special dance they would perform as a way of communicating with the gods to help them become one. Like traditional ballroom dancing on Earth, while the pair has to be of the same magic element, the fairies are paired up as one who takes the lead, and the other who follows and gives up their powers to the partner. Since there were 2 Wind Fairies from the bandit group, Breezy ended up doing it twice to take in both of them.

    Everyone who was in the cave got to witness a few of the bandits¡¯ former Companions dance with all 4 of my own¡ªwho had to turn off their hide-detection spell in order to perform the dance¡ªat once as if we were watching a coordinated waltz in a ballroom. You could even imagine the orchestrated music being heard in the background as they moved to the rhythm. It was such a moving, beautiful, and bittersweet moment, especially when the pairings lit up as bright balls of light in colors representing their respective elements until they dimmed down with only my own Companions remaining lined up in a circle. Their partners were already dwelling in the gemstones on their chests by then.

    I could still remember the sad smiles they all had as they said they heard those fairies thanking me for freeing them in their hearts. Cinder had a tough time berating the Fire Fairy inside her for asking me to ¡®take care of her abrasive but caring friend¡¯ with a straight face. It was hard for me to restrain myself from breaking a tear, but I managed. Fila and Onelri, on the other hand, weren¡¯t as reserved for expressing their emotions as they both bawled in their own ways.

    Going back to the Status Card though, there was always one (*) that was next to each element of my affinities, but more appeared for all of them. Dad had let me see from his own Status Card once how two (*) were next to his Earth affinity while nothing was on his Wind one. I didn¡¯t question why that was at the time, but I learned later that those who had no (*) next to their affinity meant the magical power from that element was drawn from their very own mana. In the case they didn¡¯t have that affinity before a fairy made a contract with them, that meant that specified elemental power was mostly drawn from that respective fairy.

    Basically, the more (*) is shown next to that affinity, the more power is boosted to that specified element. If two people of the same aptitude cast a spell, say Wind Needle for example, with the same amount of control and mana applied, it¡¯s likely the one who has more (*) has a bigger display of power than the other. You could even say each (*) represents the number fairies giving their magic to that element at its basest power.

    As for how much, according to the Great Sage Voice, one (*) is 25%, two is 50%, and three, which is the maximum, is 100%, meaning their power would double my own. I had yet to see anyone with the power of more than two (*) in their affinities, but combined with their own powers, only one could imagine how potent their magic would be, and Breezy happened to be the first fairy I had seen in my life who had powered up to her full potential with the other Wind Fairies resting in her emerald gemstone heart.

    Keeping that in mind along with how much more powerful I had gotten after I received the Great Sage gift, especially since there was apparently a step above ¡®S-Rank¡¯ in the stats of my card that was marked as ¡®EX-Rank,¡¯ I really had to keep the use of my mana to a minimum so I wouldn¡¯t go overboard with the magic.

    ¡°¡°Good morning, Soar~!¡±¡±

    I was occupied with my thoughts as I was checking my Status Card when my Companions¡¯ usual greeting¡ªplus one new voice¡ªbrought me to reality. I turned to them hovering next to me in bed before giving a gentle smile. ¡°Morning ¡­ guys? Wait, I¡¯m seeing something strange. You all look ¡­ bigger now.¡±

    ¡°I know, right? How do I look? Don¡¯t I look fiiiine~?¡± Shadina asked first as she slowly ran her hands down her curves.

    ¡°But Breezy grew most last night. Looks so fuller, Mist jealous,¡± Mist added.

    ¡°It was especially a surprise for me, I couldn¡¯t even fit in my own bed anymore, and even the dresses we had on last night ripped from our growth spurts. We had to work quickly and make new ones before you woke up,¡± Breezy explained while smoothing out her new dress, looking the same as her last one, as did the others. I wondered where they even got the materials for them.

    Like humans and other races, fairies came in different sizes and figures, but they usually average around 4.5 inches in height (~11.4 centimeters). My fairies here were about in that range last night with differences as small as the thickness of the coins in this country¡¯s currency called glits. That morning, Cinder, Shadina, and Mist looked to have grown to around 5.5 inches (~14 centimeters) while Breezy was a whopping 7.5 inches then (~17.8 centimeters).

    ¡°How¡¯d you guys grow that much overnight? Is it normal?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, I might¡¯ve been a rarity since I accepted 2 Wind Fairies in my heart, but fairies normally would grow to around their heights around LV 100,¡± Breezy explained as she gestured to the other three. ¡°They must¡¯ve grown a little earlier thanks to the fairies they accepted into their own hearts.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I might¡¯ve been a special case since I¡¯m technically older than all of you and I accepted a Fire Fairy after making a contract with Soar, despite me not being much closer to LV 100 than the rest of you are.¡± Cinder pointed out while crossing her arms.

    When I looked at Cinder then in a better light, I examined her features. She had tanned skin in a lighter tone than the dark elf family¡¯s, and unlike the other girls, her attire was actually a bright-red two-piece that showed a lot of skin, revealing her toned midriff. Her arms and legs were also sculpted, and the mini-skirt she was wearing was so dangerously short that it wouldn¡¯t take much to see her privates, even her toned butt would stick out for the normal viewer without much effort to look. Also, from how Cinder carried her chest on her arms, they weren¡¯t as big as Shadina¡¯s, but maybe bigger than Breezy¡¯s if the two of them were around the same height, so it was a pretty sizeable bust for her. There was even a generous amount of cleavage shown on her part, too. Finally, she wore her hair that stretched to her shoulders in a loose ponytail, bright red and glittery that matched her attire while showing off her nape.

    ¡°W-What? Do I have something on me anywhere?¡± Cinder asked, looking a little defensive as she noticed my staring.

    ¡°No, no, sorry if I was being rude, I was just thinking how different you dressed from the others here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t always wear this. My old Chaperone wanted me to dress differently to ¡­ well, help with his ¡®stress relief¡¯ at one point, and I just wore my clothes like this out of habit from that point. It¡¯s not ¡­ gross to you, is it?¡±

    Being polygamous as fairies were while looking attractive, I did hear how some Companions had helped their Chaperones with their ¡®stress relief¡¯ in various ways if they were lonely, be they boy or girl. I had yet to experience that with my own Companions at that time, despite how eager they were to ¡®help me¡¯ when my second puberty started. I couldn¡¯t stress to them enough to wait for me until my new physical body was older and more developed.

    ¡°I think it looks fine, very bold that¡¯s rather charming in a way, but if you aren¡¯t comfortable wearing that, you¡¯re welcome to change into something that does.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well, if that¡¯s the case ¡­ and you think I look good in this?¡±

    ¡°Quite, but again, if it¡¯s to your discomfort¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just keep it like this, then.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Oookay? Anyway, since you¡¯ve all grown out of the beds I made, I¡¯ll have to come up with new ones for you to sleep in. I have to make something for Cinder anyway, so this should work fine.¡±

    ¡°You know, you could ask us to change up our looks now and again, too, Soar. We won¡¯t mind. You think so, too, right, Mist?¡± Shadina asked.

    ¡°¡­ Mist¡¯s body too bland and boring, but if Soar really want Mist to¡ª¡±

    ¡°*Ahem.*¡± Breezy then cleared her throat, cutting into the topic. ¡°Anyway, we know a lot of things happened last night, but now that things have finally calmed down and it¡¯s just us right now, we can finally do this. Ready, girls?¡± Breezy who took the lead asked the others, to which they nodded eagerly after suddenly remembering something.

    She then counted silently to three with her fingers before they sang the birthday song on cue. It was a special song between Companion(s) and Chaperone sang in melodic acapella no matter if it¡¯s a solo, a quartet like my fairies were doing, or some other. Much more fun and filled with energy than the usual ¡®Happy Birthday to you~¡¯ shtick from Earth, but somehow that had also been the same on Manara between humans and other races, too.

    ¡°¡°Happy 11<sup>th</sup> Birthday, Soar~!¡±¡± they exclaimed at the end before giving me a four-way kiss on my face. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle from how that still tickled from time to time, but the addition of Cinder¡¯s lips was definitely new to me.

    ¡°Thanks, guys ¡­ wonder how long that unique birthday tune had been around?¡±

    <¡°That would be approximately XX,000 years ago, around when music started to become one of the forms of entertainment that attracted fairies to become acquainted with the residents of Manara.¡±> It was the Great Sage Voice from my new gift that answered for me.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I forgot this will start answering things for us from now on,¡± Shadina said with a slight grumble.

    ¡°I admit that I am not gonna get used to that so quickly.¡± [Cinder]

    ¡°Mist don¡¯t like it. Makes Mist feel more useless as Companion.¡± [Mist]

    ¡°Now that is so not true. You¡¯ve all been a bigger help to me than you give yourselves credit for,¡± I rebutted before checking my card again. ¡°Hmm ¡­ you think this gift is also part of how you guys grew earlier than planned last night?¡±

    ¡°It might be possible,¡± Breezy said while shrugging.

    ¡°Still, if it¡¯s like that when you guys approach LV 100, is there a limit to how strong we can be as Chaperone and Companions? A level cap, perhaps?¡± I asked.

    <¡°The maximum level both Chaperone and Companion can achieve is 200, no matter what rank the former¡¯s aptitude is,¡±> the Great Sage Voice answered.

    ¡°What happens when all of us are at level 200?¡±

    <¡°Cannot answer. The result is unknown.¡±>

    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know? Where do you even get all of this information from?¡±

    <¡°Please refer to the administrator for further questions beyond what the Great Sage gift can answer.¡±>

    ¡°The ¡®administrator?¡¯¡± Cinder asked with a quirked brow.

    ¡°That usually means the owner of a computer or system on Earth. If we¡¯re talking about the ¡®owner¡¯ of the one providing the knowledge of most things on Manara given to me through the Great Sage gift, that would be ¡­¡±

    ¡°The Great Mother?¡± Breezy answered for me.

    ¡°Sounds about right, she is all-knowing being the creator of Manara, after all,¡± Shadina agreed.

    ¡°So, basically, talk to Elmyra for any deeper and harder to answer questions, huh? Well, we¡¯ve pretty much reached a dead end unless you guys know how we can communicate with her,¡± I asked the fairies, and they all shook their heads in a deflated manner.

    It might as well be the same as an oblivious kid being told ¡®ask your mother/father/teacher¡¯ when they¡¯re not sure how to answer or too awkward to explain where babies come from.

    ¡°Well, we shouldn¡¯t bother ourselves with it too much if we can¡¯t get an answer right away. I don¡¯t know how long it will take, but let¡¯s just take our time in getting ourselves to the level cap and we¡¯ll see for ourselves, huh?¡± I asked them.

    ¡°And at the rate you¡¯re leveling up since we made a contract 6 years ago, we¡¯ll probably get there before we even know it!¡± Breezy exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you three made a contract with Soar when he was 5,¡± Cinder commented. ¡°Well, at least in that body, anyway. Still, the Great Mother pulled someone¡¯s soul from another world to be reincarnated here. Just as one might expect, her powers as a goddess is something that shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly, but is your soul seriously 50 years old now, Soar?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but more importantly, it would be awkward to keep calling this new voice in our minds ¡®Great Sage Voice.¡¯ Clearly, she ¡­ he ¡­ uh, what gender do you classify as, GSV?¡±

    <¡°I have no gender to classify myself with.¡±>

    ¡°Well, you sound more on the feminine sassy side so I¡¯ll classify you as female to make this easier. Is that all right?¡±

    <¡°Gender has now been confirmed.¡±>

    ¡°Okay, then. Anyway, she clearly has some semblance of self, so I think it would be best to give her a name.¡±

    The other fairies nodded in agreement before I crossed my arms and tried to wrack my head in coming up with good names. How she had talked with me up to then reminded me of the virtual assistant software in smartphones and computers that answer questions or do tasks for you by voice command. While it may be totally awesome at first glance, it will quickly get frustrating trying to have it do what you want because you¡¯re not annunciating your commands clearly or it doesn¡¯t give you the kind of info you wanted to look up.

    That said, the name I came up with was inspired by such programs.

    ¡°How about ¡­ Mona?¡±

    <¡°Name has now been confirmed. The Great Sage gift may now respond to the female alias, Mona.¡±>

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes, but seriously, you should really try to let up on the cold techno computer tone and relax a little.¡±

    <¡°As I said previously, I¡ª¡±>

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know, you¡¯re not a supercomputer, but you catch my drift, right? Anyway, you may not be able to tell me everything about this world but let¡¯s just try to work together the best we can from now on. Okay, Mona?¡±

    <¡°¡­ Yes, Soar.¡±>

    ¡°Great, and with that said, today¡¯s my birthday. Since I did enough physical activity yesterday, I¡¯m going to take it easy tomorrow after the birthday craze ends.¡± I hopped out of my bed and did my usual morning stretches to limber myself up for the day.

    ¡°Your dad¡¯s old hunter party friends are going to test you on your usual stuff today, right?¡± Shadina asked.

    ¡°Right, so I might as well see how far I¡¯ve gone since their last visit¡ª¡±

    ¡°Soooar! Are you up?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Mom! Just waking up now!¡±

    ¡°Well, get dressed and get down here quickly! You have some visitors!¡±

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°¡­ Visitors?¡± I quickly changed into my day clothes and rushed downstairs. Before I could ask who it even was ¡­

    ¡°¡°Soooooar!¡±¡±

    Without my search magic active, I didn¡¯t see my assaulters ambush me from behind when I reached the bottom of the stairs. I was pinned to the floor by two weights on my back.

    ¡°Ha! We got you!¡±

    ¡°Caught you, Soar!¡±

    ¡°Onelri?! Fila?! What are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, calm down, you two. He won¡¯t escape from his own home, which is surprisingly big, I might add.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Soar. Nice that we could meet again so soon.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, rightfully so.¡±

    ¡°Flomi?! Darida?! Zalfes?! How did you all find my home?!¡± I exclaimed.

    ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t remember seeing any of you around these parts. Are you visitors from someplace else? How do you know of Soar?¡±

    ¡°They said he helped them out of some kind of trouble in the past, dear,¡± Mom answered Dad as he walked onto the scene.

    ¡°Yes, and he ran off before we had a chance to thank him properly; hence, why our girls took action of pinning Soar to the floor and not let him try to escape again,¡± Darida said.

    ¡°As for how we found you was simple: we just asked around if they knew of a human boy with sky-blue hair named Soar and they directed us here. We didn¡¯t realize you were related to such a famous hunter, though. It¡¯s also how we found out that today happens to be your birthday,¡± Flomi finished explaining as she bent over and gave a mischievous smile.

    Ugh, curse my damn stupidly-colored hair to make finding me so easy, I berated to myself. But, wait, I dropped them off at Brightlas though, and it should take a couple of hours for them to get here by a carriage. Did they get up so early just to get here?

    ¡°Is what they¡¯re saying true, Soar? Did you help them out? When was it?¡± Mom asked.

    ¡°Uh ¡­¡± I had difficulty coming up with a good lie for covering up what happened last night as I didn¡¯t anticipate seeing any of them again.

    ¡°Just yesterday, when he was hunting game for the celebration, I imagine,¡± Zalfes answered.

    ¡°We got lost and had difficulty finding our way when he found and pointed us to the right direction,¡± Flomi added.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s ¡­ right,¡± I confirmed, trying to go with the flow. I did mention to them how I knew my way around the forest through my hunts, which included the game I scored earlier yesterday, so they couldn¡¯t have pulled up that story randomly out of their asses.

    ¡°*Yawn~.* What¡¯s with all of the noise¡ªwhy hello~, stranger! What brings a beauty like you around these parts?¡± Weiss, as he was coming downstairs in response to the noise, suddenly laid his eyes on Flomi and got his spirits up before trying to put on the moves towards her. He paid no attention to her personal space as he gently held her hand like a delicate flower, much to her surprise.

    ¡°¡­ Hello? Are you a friend of Soar¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Why, yes! I am! More like a teacher, really, I taught him everything he knows about being a hunter to become the strapping young man he¡ªOWW!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie about what you can¡¯t do just to hit up women, Weiss, especially this early in the morning. And besides, you only taught him how to run fast ¡­ as far away from danger as possible.¡± Lilia interrupted Weiss¡¯ ¡®flow¡¯ with a hard bonk on the head with her Magician¡¯s Staff.

    She wasn¡¯t wrong, though. Out of everything he could provide that the rest of Dad¡¯s former hunter party already gave, running [away] was probably the only good thing he taught me ¡­ and his form wasn¡¯t all that great, either. Put him on track against an Olympic runner and he¡¯d be eating dust within seconds. In the end, he didn¡¯t contribute much aside from being an example of what I shouldn¡¯t follow to improve myself.

    Soon enough, the other members of Dad¡¯s former hunting party came in to see the scene. Everyone was able to gather around in one space with more than enough elbow room because the ¡®house¡¯ was previously an inn before a bigger one was built in town. Dad was well off from his savings in his hunting career and bought it for us to live in after making some renovations.

    ¡°I thought I heard some concerning noise and came over to check if anything went wrong, but ¡­ the only thing that concerns me is if Soar¡¯s suffocating under the weight of two little girls on top of him,¡± Seal said, being the second-to-last person who arrived on the scene as he looked in our direction. He came from the back compared to the rest who were upstairs earlier, so he was likely polishing his swordsmanship early in the morning.

    ¡°Ah, right. Onelri, Fila, it is about time you give poor Soar here some air,¡± Zalfes said to the two of them.

    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± Onelri got up from me dutifully without question.

    ¡°¡­¡± Fila, on the other hand, didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Fila, you can get off of Soar, now. He won¡¯t run away,¡± Flomi said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I stay like this for a little longer?¡±

    ¡°I would like to get up sometime today, Fila. Could you move, please?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Aww ¡­ okay.¡±

    Dad then gave a hearty laugh as we got up. ¡°Well! It looks like Soar had finally made some interesting friends!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so happy. With how he¡¯s either by himself or with adults, I was worried if he¡¯d ever make friends around his age,¡± Mom cried while dabbing the tears off her face with a handkerchief.

    ¡°Mom!¡± Even though I made the choice to be on my own, it was still awkward when someone had to put it that way.

    Mom still ignored me and slapped her cheeks together to pump herself up. ¡°Okay! This calls for a celebratory breakfast for the birthday boy! Everyone here¡¯s joining in! No questions asked!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I want to get in on this! Let me help out!¡±

    ¡°I can help you with the cooking. I¡¯m used to doing it for large groups.¡±

    ¡°I will assist you as well,¡± Lilia, Flomi, and Zalfes said, respectfully.

    ¡°Can I do something to help?¡± I asked while raising a hand. While it was partly out of habit, I was concerned of what Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s parents would say to the other adults in the building, considering the events of last night.

    ¡°You already did enough hunting all of the game yesterday, Soar. Having you cook for your own celebration would defeat the purpose of having you to relax. Why don¡¯t you go out to the back and play with your new friends and we¡¯ll call you when the food¡¯s ready?¡± Mom asked.

    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go play outside, Soar!¡±

    ¡°We will not hear any further arguments!¡± Fila and Onelri exclaimed before they took each hand of mine and pulled me outside.

    ¡°Uh ¡­¡± I was so at a loss for words on what was going on that I couldn¡¯t refuse.

    ¡°Have fun while you can, Soar~! We¡¯re gonna go through the usual after breakfast, so prepare yourself!¡± Sam exclaimed from the distance.

    ¡°Yeah, but try not to have too much fun with your girlfriends!¡± Weiss added.

    ¡°G-Girlfriends?!¡±

    ¡°¡­ The usual?¡± Onelri and Fila answered in their own respective ways. I saw the former¡¯s ears suddenly getting red despite her dark complexion.

    And so, against my will, I ¡®played¡¯ with my new friends, but not in a way I was expecting from kids like those two. No, it was the complete opposite of what I was expecting.

    My first ¡®playtime¡¯ with friends in the new world was worse than I could possibly imagine, which really put a damper on my birthday that morning.

 Chapter 9: I Really Hate How Cruel Kids Can Be

    ¡°Okay, this should be enough,¡± Onelri said once we got far enough away from the building. The two girls released their grips on my wrists before turning around and Onelri¡¯s demeanor changed completely from when we were inside moments ago. ¡°Sit.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I said, sit,¡± Onelri repeated while pointing a finger down.

    I glanced over to Fila to see her demeanor changed, too. Instead of being bright and joyful inside, she looked awkward and uncertain.

    ¡°You have 5 seconds to sit or I will scream how you are contracted with four fairies,¡± Onelri threatened.

    ¡°Okay, okay, sheesh.¡± I didn¡¯t know what was going on so I went along with this game of theirs and sat on the grass.

    ¡°Good. Now, first off, how dare you, Soar Osmis!¡± Onelri exclaimed. ¡°How could you have just left us out there like that last night?! Do you know what happened after you cut us off?! Fila cried, Soar! Bawling! Loud enough that actually attracted the post guards to pick us up and take us to the station for questioning, all because she thought you hated her and did not want to see her again!¡±

    ¡°Uh ¡­¡± I admit that I did not expect the events would play out like that after our parting.

    ¡°If that was not bad enough, when we asked them if they knew you, we were damn lucky one of them had only heard of you from your father, and what did we find out? That not only neither of you even lived in Brightlas, but instead in another town that was 4 hours away from there! 4 hours, Soar! Do you even know how early we had to get up this morning just to find a carriage to take us here?!

    ¡°Seriously, it was like you tried to get rid of us! Are we not your friends?! After all that we had been through?

    ¡°¡­ Are we really friends? And why are you all even here, to begin with?¡± I asked. It was the only thing I could get out in the middle of Onelri¡¯s outburst. I didn¡¯t think we actually established our relationship as such at the time. In fact, I didn¡¯t even think I¡¯d see them again after dropping them and their families off in Brightlas, let alone so soon.

    ¡°Are you seriously questioning it?! You said it yourself that there was a meaning in our meeting! That meaning is that I was destined to be your disciple while you help me form a contract with a fairy under the pretense of being friends!¡±

    ¡°Wait, so, if we really were not friends, then there should not be a reason for you to get angry at me here, is there? You just said it yourself that it was under a pretense, and I don¡¯t recall even taking you in as my ¡®disciple,¡¯ either.¡±

    ¡°I am angry at the fact that you made Fila cry! I may not want to be your friend, especially after that stunt you pulled, but she obviously did, and she thought she was! Look at her! Her eyes are swollen from all of that crying she did last night, and that was all¡ª¡±

    ¡°Onelri, stop!¡± Fila exclaimed, stopping her. ¡°I appreciate you being so concerned about me, but I need to settle this myself, and I¡¯d rather not have us yelling at each other.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I understand. The floor is yours,¡± Onelri said while stepping aside and gesturing toward the spot she was standing in moments ago.

    Fila then sat on that spot and took a breath with a hand on her chest before looking up to me with a worried expression. ¡°Soar ¡­ why did you leave us like that last night? Why did you lie that that city was your home? Do you really not see us as friends?¡±

    ¡°¡­ To be honest? No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Onelri exclaimed.

    ¡°I knew the bandits captured you and your families while you were in the middle of your own businesses and I wanted to bring you guys back to that track as fast as possible. I had no place in those tracks and having me be there any further will only be a hindrance to your parents. I didn¡¯t want to risk any of you spreading my secret and the events of last night in my hometown, so I dropped you guys off at a place as far away as I could manage at the time. And for the record, I didn¡¯t lie about Brightlas being my home. I just never answered when you asked.¡±

    ¡°That might as well be the same thing!¡± Onelri exclaimed.

    ¡°But we promised you that we would keep it a secret. Do you not trust us?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°I just met you all last night, and while we had our misunderstandings cleared and a deal settled when handling the bandits¡¯ loot, there wasn¡¯t a guarantee you¡¯d all keep your word, especially your parents. How would I even trust you all so readily? Besides, you all heard what Onelri relayed from Shadina¡¯s rant. I¡¯m pretty much an outcast from the other kids with my ¡®strange behavior.¡¯ You wouldn¡¯t like being friends with me whether or not I left you in Brightlas or someplace else.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that. Why wouldn¡¯t we want to be friends with you after all of what you¡¯ve done for us?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°What, were you scared that we would come to dislike you like the other kids when you tried to make friends with them? Because you¡¯re pretty much doing that regardless right now with me,¡± Onelri commented.

    ¡°For your information, I chose to be alone. I may not have experience making friends with the other kids but I didn¡¯t do it mainly because I couldn¡¯t see myself being with them. I have my own things I want to do that most kids wouldn¡¯t want to be a part of, so while I avoid them and get along with the adults in town, they all think I¡¯m strange and avoid me. Having it set this way, they wouldn¡¯t bother me, so it works out.¡±

    Not to mention that I just don¡¯t like noisy, immature kids in general. That was the bigger truth, but of course, I couldn¡¯t say that out loud in front of the two kids in front of me.

    ¡°¡­ But don¡¯t you get lonely?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°I have my parents, my trusted teacher, their adult friends, and especially my Companions to keep me company. How would I be lonely with that many people surrounding me?¡±

    ¡°I may not know about the other adults, but Mama told me once that a Fairy Companion is as much of a family member as a mama and papa are, and there are things you can¡¯t really tell your family about, right? Things you can¡¯t tell your Companions, specifically? Who do you turn to after that if you¡¯re keeping your contract with them a secret from your parents, let alone everyone else? What about things only kids can do that parents or even fairies can¡¯t? Who do you go to for those?

    ¡°But ¡­ I get where you¡¯re coming from about how hard it is to trust someone, including friends, especially so if you just met them. Not too long ago, I thought I had friends who would help me since I enjoy being around them so much, but ¡­ things happened at school that had lead to Mama taking the two of us away from our old home and find a new one, which brought us to getting captured by the bandits while we were on the move.¡±

    That got both mine and even Onelri¡¯s attention as she sat down along with us.

    ¡°Mama had multiple jobs back at where we lived. It wasn¡¯t great, but I had always seen how hard she worked, so I couldn¡¯t complain. I was honestly happy enough just spending the limited time I had with her every day, especially when she¡¯d often come home so late at night. There were times I was worried about what she did at work, though. She would often come home late looking tired, I would even see hints of bruises she had tried to hide sometimes, but she always forced a smile and told me not to worry about them when I asked. Since Mama couldn¡¯t tell me, I felt I had to find out myself, so I skipped school a few times to follow her and see what she was doing. The thing that stood out to me when I watched her was how I saw her with a different guy every few hours while wearing skimpy clothing. She¡¯d act really friendly with a guy to be brought inside a building, they stay inside for about an hour, come back out, and she¡¯d do it again with the next one. Some of them looked really scary, and I think it was those guys that had Mama walking out with bruises.¡±

    Onelri and I widened our eyes at that statement while we awkwardly glanced at each other. Both of us had the same idea of what kind of ¡®job¡¯ Flomi might have had before they moved out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a papa like other kids. Mama never told me why, and none of those guys who were with her looked like they could be mine. I told my friends at school what I saw and asked them what I should do, but that was when things got worse.¡± Fila¡¯s long floppy ears deflated as she pulled up her legs to hug her knees. ¡°They avoided me from that point before other kids started teasing and pulled cruel pranks on me. My so-called friends didn¡¯t want anything to do with me anymore when I tried going to them for help, and that was when I realized how alone I was. I didn¡¯t want to bother Mama with how hard she worked though, so I tried to be like her and toughed it out.

    ¡°Then one day came when a kid hit and yelled at me. Mama was somehow seen with their papa and both of their parents had gotten into a fight before deciding to separate. Somehow, since Mama was involved with breaking them up, the kid took it out on me. By then, I ran to where Mama worked crying. I had to pull her away from her job and told her everything that happened up to then. By that point, she decided we had to move away from the city of Glamoire with everything that we could carry as soon as possible. We were riding a mostly empty carriage when the bandits came, killed the older humans and the driver before capturing us, which brought us to that cave. Onelri and her family came later after that, and that was how things were before you came along Soar.¡±

    Onelri sat there stunned silent while I was trying to consider every detail Fila explained to me up to that point.

    It really sucks that she actually did end up seeing someone getting killed in front of her according to how she got captured. I can¡¯t imagine how terrified she felt seeing something like that.

    Glamoire ¡­ that actually isn¡¯t very far to the west from Brightlas, and from what Dad¡¯s drinking buddies mentioned, that city¡¯s pretty famous for its red-light district. If Flomi worked at a brothel around there, then her story would certainly check out, but ¡­ ¡°May I ask you something, Fila?¡± I asked.

    Fila nodded in response.

    ¡°All of that bullying started when you told your ex-friends what you saw, right? What made you think it was okay to tell us, two complete strangers, that you just met from last night? We hardly know you and we could be just as capable of telling someone about this as those so-called friends of yours.¡±

    ¡°Well ¡­ I don¡¯t mean to sound rude, but when I knew enough that both of you didn¡¯t have friends either, I felt a little relieved of not being the only one in a similar situation, but at the same time, I knew both of you were different from the kids in Glamoire. You¡¯re both so smart and adult-like to think of such complicated things, and Soar has four fairies now when I had only seen a handful of kids from my old school having only one. I thought that much was amazing and Soar¡¯s fairies looked so pretty and beautiful when they danced last night. I could really see how much they loved and respected you. You may not have trusted us enough to become your friends, Soar, and after really thinking about it now, I can understand why. Maybe that¡¯s part of why I thought it was okay of me to tell all of that to you. And if you really think about it, I couldn¡¯t say that much while Mama was around to hear it. That makes it a secret, right? With that, we¡¯re all even now, right?¡± Fila asked before forcing a strained smile.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Fila ¡­¡± Onelri trailed off.

    ¡°Last night ¡­ I may not have known what was going on, especially in the dark, but I had a feeling ¡­ Mama could¡¯ve ended up a lot worse than she had from those occasional nights. She could¡¯ve been worse than what those from that carriage went through if you hadn¡¯t come to save her, Soar. I really am grateful to you for doing that, but I know ¡­ if we hadn¡¯t left, if I had been tougher to keep things quiet like Mama did, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten ourselves caught by those bandits, but it hurts ¡­ from trying to do it all alone, from Mama not talking to me even less than we had lately. I feel like I don¡¯t know Mama as much as I should, she never told me why Papa was never around.

    ¡°I want to ask her so many things, but I¡¯m scared, more scared of what bad things she might say to me than those bandits, and that along with this loneliness is making me hurt like something¡¯s eating my chest away. I know this is all my fault, I know, I wish I was as strong as Mama so we wouldn¡¯t have gotten this far, but I¡­ I don¡¯t know how much more I can take ¡­¡± Fila¡¯s voice cracked while her eyes pooled up before she started breaking down, hiccupping with trembling shoulders as she choked herself from crying as loud as she did last night when I left them behind.

    I couldn¡¯t see or hear any more of it. The way Fila was then, I saw a little of myself in her place as I sympathized with that pain she was dealing with. A pain I was all too familiar with, but learned to swallow and distract myself with my hobbies back on Earth, which led to my ever-growing estrangement between me and my old parents because I was too scared to come to them for anything other than financial support, even from when I was an adult up to my death.

    I really didn¡¯t like kids for how much they could cry on cue for even the littlest and mundane things, if not for no reason at all, but when they do it like Fila was then, I would pretend I didn¡¯t see anything and walk away as fast as possible so I wouldn¡¯t risk looking suspicious.

    ¡°Please ¡­ help me.¡±

    But when no one else is around, when you could feel and hear it from your heart just how much that kid is crying directly to you for help without even voicing it in their own words, it really makes ignoring them more difficult and annoying to deal with in your own conscience.

    Fila didn¡¯t have that luxury of distracting herself with materialistic items and entertainment like I did and I didn¡¯t want her to end up in a state worse than I was during the time I felt I had nothing to turn to.

    I wordlessly reached into my pocket and pulled out a handkerchief Mom would have me carry around. I moved in close to Fila¡¯s face and forced one of her hands from blocking it away before I started dabbing the tears off of her cheeks, much to the young bunny girl¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°Fila, I will just say this: everything from where it began up to now, I know for certain that none of that was your fault. You are not to be blamed for any of that, and you have every right to know what is going on, but you¡¯re scared to face the truth on your own, right?¡±

    Fila had a hard time speaking, so she only nodded in response.

    ¡°If someone was there with you, will that make you braver? Would you ask your mama everything you want to know then?¡±

    She nodded again.

    ¡°Would you settle for me to be there with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­ C-Can you?¡±

    ¡°I can ¡­ I will, if you¡¯d let me.¡±

    Without speaking another word, Fila jumped, reached around and tightly gripped the back of my shirt before planting her face into the crook of my shoulder and broke the dams that were her eye sockets. Like a scared rabbit, her body trembled in place before my shirt quickly got damp. I felt really awkward getting embraced so suddenly from out of nowhere, I was really tempted to push her away and maintain my sanity and personal space, but I restrained myself and tried to adapt to it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll ¡­ get through this, Fila,¡± I said while lightly rubbing her back, both albeit rather awkwardly. ¡°I know it¡¯s scary ¡­ but no matter what happens, I¡¯m on your side.¡±

    ¡°And so am I,¡± Onelri said as she shuffled into our view. ¡°I want to know about this as much as you do, Fila. With my eyes, she will not hide any secrets from me, especial¡ªLEEE?!¡±

    Fila pulled Onelri into the hug as well and she went on to cry on both of our shoulders. She looked a bit flustered and was at a loss for what to do with this sudden intrusion of her personal space like I was. I guessed she wasn¡¯t used to being on the receiving end compared to being the initiator going by her previous tackles on me, or maybe that was her first time receiving something like that from a friend, I didn¡¯t know. She looked to be concerned with me the most as her eyes shifted back to me repeatedly from different directions.

    ¡°Kids~! Breakfast is almost ¡­¡± a familiar voice trailed off before footsteps were quickly heard approaching us.

    We looked up and saw it was Fila¡¯s mother, Flomi.

    ¡°Fila? Why are you crying? Did you get hurt?¡± she asked as she squatted to our level. Genuine concern was written on her face.

    ¡°Fila didn¡¯t get injured, but ¡­ something had been bothering her for quite a while, and I don¡¯t think she could really hold them back any longer,¡± I answered.

    ¡°Fila, is that true? Is something bothering you this badly?¡± Flomi asked.

    Fila couldn¡¯t look up to her mother, but she nodded erratically in response.

    ¡°She wants to ask you something, but too scared to do it by herself.¡±

    ¡°Do you think we could talk in someplace private with Onelri and I there for her?¡± Onelri and I said, respectfully. Flomi then changed her gaze between the three of us as she pondered before setting her eyes on me.

    ¡°¡­ Would one of your guest rooms be okay?¡±

    ~~

    With Mom and Dad¡¯s permission when we got back inside, the four of us made way to one of the unoccupied guest rooms of our inn-turned-home. Fila sat in the middle of the bed between Flomi and me on the edge while Onelri took a seat behind us. It started out a little bumpy, but Fila got a little braver when I held her hand for moral support.

    Then Fila listed out her troubles that she started feeling just last night after I parted ways from them. What she felt during their captivity and how she felt their run-in with the bandits had been her own fault, how she felt such a burden for them to go so far as to move to a different town due to what happened at her old school, how she was unsure of whether or not she wanted to bother her mother and be tough like her while trying to ignore the pain in her chest and everything in between.

    Throughout that whole thing, aside from pausing in between to ask questions for clarification, Flomi didn¡¯t ever reject or made an outburst on some of Fila¡¯s concerns. She only listened very carefully, like she was speaking to another adult woman instead of her own daughter. Perhaps she knew a little of what direction the conversation was taking and made decisions in her mind on how she¡¯d speak to Fila accordingly.

    Onelri and I only sat on our butts and acted like two halves of a mediator. I would use my handkerchief to dab Fila¡¯s tears away again when she got to the touchier parts of her worries.

    ¡°¡­ Okay, I think I understand everything now,¡± Flomi said after Fila finished speaking. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. ¡°Let me just say something first to clear most of your doubts, and I¡¯m telling you this as a growing woman. Do you understand?¡±

    Fila nodded.

    ¡°I will admit that there were difficult times that came from raising you. Some were to be expected as a parent, others I didn¡¯t ever imagine happening to us in our lives. Heck, even I, your own ¡®tough mama,¡¯ was terrified when I realized I would become your parent. I felt I didn¡¯t know the first thing about it, and your ¡®papa¡¯ ¡­ do you really want to know what happened to him, Fila?¡±

    Fila nodded, trying to look prepared for anything, but the death grip she had on my hand said otherwise.

    Flomi sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t really know a better and gentler way to put this for you, but your ¡®papa¡¯ ¡­ though he said he¡¯d be there for us through thick and thin, he lied and ran off on me without further notice, not willing to take part of the responsibility in raising you.¡±

    ¡°There really is no way for me to see my own papa in person, is there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, honey. I don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s still alive at this point, knowing his history.¡±

    Though she tried not to interrupt the flow, we could hear Onelri grumbling curses behind us, likely towards that bastard of a father. I myself was gripping my free hand into a fist so much that my nails might¡¯ve dug into the skin of my palm.

    ¡°His lack of confidence made me more scared and uncertain to whether I could be a good parent for you, especially at my age at the time, which wasn¡¯t too far off from how old you all are now.

    ¡°But then, the next thing I knew, you were right there in my arms, Fila, and when I first looked into those large eyes of yours, a warm and passionate fire was lit inside my chest. I wanted to do everything I could to see what kind of person you¡¯d grow up to be, and to this day, I have not regretted making that choice.¡±

    ¡°So ¡­ my being here doesn¡¯t bother you, Mama?¡±

    ¡°Of course, not. You being here was one of the best things to ever happen to me. Still, even after all of these years, putting aside some things I¡¯m not proud of doing, I guess I still haven¡¯t become the kind of parent I wanted to be if I¡¯m making you so worried about me. I didn¡¯t tell you everything to try and avoid you worrying about me, as well as not have you be ashamed of the things I had done in order for us to get by. I¡¯m really sorry I gave the wrong idea by not being clear with you, Fila.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re always working hard, Mama, but I want to help make living our lives easier, too, especially yours. What would you have done to make me feel ashamed of you? Wait, you didn¡¯t steal anything, did you?¡±

    Flomi couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the worried look on her daughter¡¯s face. ¡°No, no, I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s that serious, just ¡­ something that¡¯d give me an image that I hoped wouldn¡¯t be spread to your school ¡­ and yet it did, and here we are.¡±

    ¡°Does it have something to do with those men I¡¯d sometimes see you with? Was that part of your job you couldn¡¯t tell me about?¡±

    Here it is, the thing Onelri and I were worried about the most. Fila seemed to have noticed how I tensed up my hand as she glanced at me with a confused expression.

    ¡°Yeah ¡­ it does, sadly. Before I go any further, you really don¡¯t know where babies come from yet, do you, Fila?¡±

    She shook her head in response.

    Flomi then looked over to the two of us. ¡°What about you guys?¡±

    ¡°Um, I probably know a little about it ¡­¡± Onelri answered while pushing her fingers together with a blush.

    ¡°I might know more about it than every adult in this building,¡± I followed. The girls looked at me with varying expressions.

    I didn¡¯t know why I tried to play it off as a joke, but that wasn¡¯t a total lie. Even without my Great Sage gift, I knew enough about that subject that could advance the progression of this country by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t like anyone would listen to a kid and condoms weren¡¯t even made yet. The closest thing to a contraceptive that I overheard from Dad¡¯s drinking buddies once was this ingestible drug made from medicinal herbs that would leave girls impossible to impregnate for a day, possibly three or four from higher strengths, but they would leave some side-effects if they were abused. You would not find one guild in this country that didn¡¯t have the job of collecting these herbs as what they called a quest. Brothels used them all the time for the girls taking part in their services.

    Just before the air in the room got weirder, a few raps on the door interrupted us.

    ¡°Finish what you¡¯re doing in there! Breakfast is ready and we¡¯re all waiting for the birthday boy!¡± It was Weiss behind the door.

    ¡°Yes! Safe!¡± Flomi exclaimed as she stood on ovation.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°Uh, we¡¯ll go over it a little further later, but in the meantime, Fila, has what I said answered any questions for you at all?¡±

    ¡°Mm ¡­ there are still a few, but I¡¯m really not bothering you at all?¡±

    ¡°You can drive me a little crazy sometimes, but not so much that it¡¯d go to whatever you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    ¡°And you still love me?¡±

    Flomi then lightly touched her head against Fila¡¯s with a smile and eyes closed. ¡°I haven¡¯t stopped loving you for even one second. Do you still love your mama?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°That settles it, then. And from now on, if there¡¯s anything you need to talk about, Mama will try to take you more seriously and start treating you like a big girl as you ask me whatever¡¯s on your mind. In exchange, just like a big girl, you must listen to whatever I need to tell you and try to understand why things are the way they are instead of whining about it. Deal?¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡±

    Flomi kissed Fila¡¯s forehead and rustled her hair. ¡°Now, let¡¯s cut the chatter and get some grub, I¡¯m starved!¡± she exclaimed before leading Fila out of the room by the hand, a good image of mother and daughter.

    Seeing that our mission was accomplished, Onelri and I slapped our hands in a high-five.

    ¡°You are going to tell me what you meant by ¡®knowing more than every adult¡¯ at some point. You know that, right?¡± Onelri asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you think you can handle it?¡±

    ¡°Please, we elves always strive for new knowledge, light or dark.¡±

    ¡°Even if it means becoming a pervert?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Is that knowledge so taboo that one would be labeled with such a derogatory term?¡±

    ¡°After how long you think about it once you know of it, it would already be too late.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Well, that is just great. I want to know about it even more now.¡±

    By the time we got down and started breakfast, we were asked how our private talk went.

    I think the guffaws from the guys after Fila screamed ¡®Mama¡¯s going to tell me where babies come from soon!¡¯ was probably the biggest highlight of my birthday that year.

 Chapter 10: Once Again, My Prowess Was Tested

    ¡°Is this part of ¡®the usual¡¯ that happens every year on Soar¡¯s birthday?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°Well, on Soar¡¯s birthday and every other time they¡¯d come to visit,¡± Mom answered. ¡°It started out as games of sorts, but somehow, they changed into a variety of tests to check on his progress.¡±

    ¡°So, not only Soar¡¯s father but his old hunting party had also trained him over the years ¡­ that actually explains a lot,¡± Darida commented as he looked over to Zalfes, who nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Yeah, except whether they were ¡®games¡¯ or ¡®tests,¡¯ even against a kid like me, they never went easy and always won so one-sidedly, like how it will be soon when Sam beats me in our usual arm-wrestling match,¡± I said with pessimism as I warmed up my arms, eliciting a hearty chuckle from the brawny baldy we called Sam.

    ¡°Aw, come on, Soar, if we went easy on you, then you¡¯d never improve, and you certainly have been doing so over the years! You may have a thing for magic, but it¡¯s important to keep your body in shape as well!¡±

    ¡°Though, I can¡¯t really say these arm-wrestling matches are really such indicators for checking one¡¯s strength,¡± Seal commented while shaking his head.

    ¡°Besides, this year¡¯s different, since Soar¡¯s gotta look good in front of his new girlfriends,¡± Weiss teases.

    ¡°I am not his girlfriend!¡±

    ¡°Huh? But, Onelri, after what we went through together with him, we¡¯re his friends now, right? Friends that are girls? Isn¡¯t that what the playboy was trying to say with calling us Soar¡¯s ¡®girlfriends?¡¯¡±

    ¡°I-It is not like that, Fila! ¡®Friends¡¯ and ¡®girlfriends¡¯ are completely different!¡±

    ¡°¡­ Uh, my name is Weiss, and where did you hear the word ¡®playboy?¡¯¡±

    I ignored the noise in the background as I got into position with Sam across a wooden table that was left behind when the building was still used as an inn. Considering the differences in height as well as how tall the table was, Dad had to create a block made of sand for me with Earth Magic to use as a stool. With our elbows on the surface for support, Sam and I locked our right hands. Putting the two of them together, one would clearly see how much I was at a disadvantage already from how Sam¡¯s hand was big enough to completely envelop my small, still developing one.

    ¡°All right, boys, are we ready? Sam, you better not break Soar¡¯s poor arm, somehow,¡± Lilia said as she held our hands, acting as the referee.

    ¡°No promises.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Soar didn¡¯t actually break his arm in this, did he?¡± Fila whispered to Mom.

    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s just trying to get under his skin.¡±

    ¡°Good luck, Soar! Kick his butt!¡± Flomi exclaimed.

    Everybody¡¯s fairies were pretty much doing their own thing. Some were mingling, others were watching the match, especially mine who were clumped together in one group so others didn¡¯t see them in their combined hide-detection spell.

    ¡°We¡¯ll start on the count of three,¡± Lilia announced before Sam and I adjusted our grips to get more comfortable. ¡°One. Two. Three!¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    ¡°?!¡±

    As soon as Lilia let go, I tried to pull Sam¡¯s arm toward my side with everything I got. Normally, up to then, with my small stature, I couldn¡¯t even get him to budge. Not even at 50% of his full strength, he was still as a statue.

    That time on my 11th birthday, though, was the first I had ever seen such an expression of shock on Sam¡¯s face as his grip gave a little, and so before I could get in the lead, he quickly straightened himself up and put more effort into his force until we were back at the starting point.

    Sam slowly pulled me down to his side of the table within seconds.

    ¡°Sam¡¯s the winner yet again!¡± Lilia exclaimed while holding Sam¡¯s fist in the air.

    ¡°Aww, and I thought Soar actually had shinyhead for a moment there,¡± Fila said.

    ¡°Actually, it looked a bit that way to me, too. Sam looked quite shocked,¡± Seal pointed out with a hand to his chin.

    ¡°What do you think, Sam?¡± Dad asked him.

    Sam took a moment to grab his wrestling arm and open and close his hand while staring at it. ¡°¡­ Either he¡¯s actually getting quite strong, or I¡¯m starting to get old. His sudden power surprised me for a moment there. You didn¡¯t use strength-enhancing magic, did you? I know your old man taught you.¡±

    ¡°No, that was my base strength at full blast.¡± That¡¯s what I said, but that wasn¡¯t actually true. I got surprised how caught off-guard Sam was at the beginning, myself, and I was a little afraid of how I¡¯d be viewed if I actually won on accident. So, just as I was close to taking a good lead, when I felt he was exerting more pressure than usual, I pretended I was being overtaken from behind and lost slightly on purpose.

    I went along with these things knowing I¡¯d lose against him from the beginning, but with how far I had improved up to then, if I actually had applied strength-enhancement magic in my arm, I¡¯d likely beat him within seconds. I didn¡¯t realize then how significant my C+ rank in strength was for one in my age.

    ¡°No way, Sam actually got surprised? He must be getting old. Okay, Soar, you¡¯re facing me now. It¡¯s time you go up against some fresh blood.¡± Weiss immediately took Sam¡¯s place and had his arm up and ready to go.

    I looked over to Dad for confirmation.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see why not, just for comparison,¡± he answered while shrugging.

    I followed Dad¡¯s gesture and set myself up for round 2 against Weiss.

    ¡°Get him, Soar! Kick that playboy¡¯s butt!¡±

    ¡°Beat that playboy!¡± Onelri and Fila exclaimed, respectfully.

    ¡°Looks like that little show he put in front of you earlier is affecting his rep with the girls more than we thought, huh?¡± Sam asked Flomi.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a shame I don¡¯t go out with guys of his type, either.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Sheesh, crush my spirit, why don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°And with that said, we¡¯ll start round 2 on the count of three!¡± Lili exclaimed as she held our hands together. ¡°One. Two. Three!¡±

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    The round lasted only a few seconds, ending with Weiss¡¯ right arm pulled to my side.

    ¡°¡­ Ah ha ha, you know, it might¡¯ve looked easy then because I¡¯m left-handed. Come on, one more round with the other arm. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be easy that time.¡±

    ~~

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°Just what has this world come to when a guy like me loses to a kid in an arm-wrestling match?¡± After getting beaten twice with both hands, Weiss sat in the fetal position at a corner of the building. Weiss¡¯ Darkness Fairy, instead of consoling her Chaperone, only shook her head with crossed arms in disappointment and shame while other fairies were snickering behind his back.

    Whether they were contracted or not, fairies tended to be a little mischievous with people on some occasions. Depending on the character, they can either be easy-going and light-hearted, or they can even be a little antagonizing. Despite some of their more mature, woman-like appearances like Shadina, they can be pretty childish in moments like those. My fairies weren¡¯t any different, especially when aimed at me if they giggled at something stupid I did, but I knew they didn¡¯t do it out of malice and so I learned to laugh at myself from those times.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    During that time, however, they did not hold back in busting their gut at Weiss¡¯ misery. It¡¯s amazing they were even still able to hold their hide-detection spell up while being that open about their emotions.

    ¡°That¡¯s really amazing, Soar! You beat a hunter at an arm-wrestling match!¡± Fila exclaimed.

    ¡°I guess, but it¡¯s just Weiss, you know? Not really something to brag about compared to Dad or Sam here.¡±

    The sad thing was that compared to Sam, I only used about 65% of my full strength, and yet I still managed to beat him easily both times. Weiss¡¯ strength must¡¯ve been ranked around E that time, or I don¡¯t think he¡¯d even be in the hunting party at this point if it was any lower.

    ¡°Yeah, he looked like that kind of guy the first time I saw him.¡± [Onelri]

    ¡°It is Weiss we¡¯re talking about.¡± [Mom]

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just Weiss.¡± [Lilia]

    ¡°No doubt about it.¡± [Seal]

    ¡°Oh, yeah?! Well, I¡¯d like to see you try it, pretty boy!¡± Weiss exclaimed, looked to be having enough of the biggest roast I had ever seen in both of my lifetimes.

    ¡°Actually, I thought it¡¯d be time for us to move on to Soar¡¯s next test.¡±

    ¡°All right, sword practice! I¡¯ve been looking forward to this for a while!¡± I exclaimed while pumping my fists.

    ¡°I say that, but ¡­ it¡¯s a little past the appointed time I asked her to come. I told her how to get here, did she get lost?¡± Seal muttered to himself.

    ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Who¡¯s ¡®her?¡¯

    Just as I was wondering, a few knocks were heard from the front door.

    ¡°I got it!¡± I exclaimed before rushing to the door. When I opened it ¡­ ¡°Ah! Ms. Renne! Good morning!¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Soar, and happy birthday,¡± she greeted before kneeling to my level and we exchanged a hug. She might¡¯ve been my teacher while we were in the classroom, but since she had known me for as long as Mom and Dad had and the time we spent together in our ¡®extracurricular lessons,¡¯ we were pretty much family to do something like that outside of school. I say we were family, but I still had an attraction to her as a woman with her beauty, intelligence, and maturity. The cute fox ears and tail are like bonuses to me. She was one of the few who treated me more like an adult than others and was straight with me on things I needed to hear. I appreciated that sort of kindness from her.

    If I actually was 11 years old in body and mind right now, I wonder if my ¡®puppy-dog¡¯ crush on her would persevere up to that point and so on, I thought.

    ¡°Sorry that I arrived a little late,¡± she apologized after we broke off the hug.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! We were just getting to the swordsmanship ¡­ test?¡± I trailed off as I looked to the side and noticed she had an unfamiliar guest with her.

    It was a kid around my age, slightly taller than me, a human with medium-short scarlet locks and matching eyes, wearing dapper clothing suited for a young male of nobility. There was a Fire Fairy hovering behind the boy, alongside Ms. Renne¡¯s Companions, and behind them was an experienced human maid in black and white with a Darkness Fairy and a Water Fairy of her own hovering alongside her.

    The moment I laid my eyes on the boy, though, as he was slightly taller than me, the first thing I saw on his face was scorn, like he was looking at something disgusting he had just stepped on.

    Well, this is new.

    ¡°I got late because I was helping these two make their way here. From what I had been told, I guess they have some business with you?¡± Ms. Renne asked.

    ¡°Ah! Lady Agnes! You have made it!¡± Seal exclaimed from behind me.

    ¡°A thousand pardons, Master Galveston, but Milady was so entranced by the shops on the way over that we lost our way. Lady Renne was kind enough to lead us here when she saw us in a bind.¡± It was the maid who said that while bowing deeply.

    ¡°And you said you were fine getting here on your own by foot ¡­ well, since it¡¯s so unfamiliar from your home, I suppose it makes sense to be enamored.¡±

    ¡°Seal, do you know those two?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°I will make the introductions. All of you, please come inside,¡± Seal said, to which the group responded in kind. The boy ¡­ or girl as Seal referred her, let out a huff through the nose as she passed me.

    What¡¯s her problem? I thought.

    ¡°Oh! I see we have some new faces here, too!¡± Ms. Renne exclaimed at the sight of the girls and their families.

    ¡°Allow me to start things off. This is Lady Agnes Zanri, the only daughter of Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s Knight General, Tristen Zanri, and the maid who¡¯s escorting her, Melissa Walters.¡±

    ¡°¡°HUUUUH?!¡±¡± Everyone who wasn¡¯t my parents and Dad¡¯s former hunting party exclaimed. Fila, Onelri, and I only stood there confused.

    ¡°Knight General¡¯s ¡­ d-daughter?!¡± Darida exclaimed.

    ¡°I was guiding such an important person?!¡± Ms. Renne added.

    ¡°I was appointed to be Lady Agnes¡¯ sword instructor while her father is busy with work,¡± Seal continued. ¡°She¡¯s my only other ¡®student¡¯ who I¡¯m teaching my swordsmanship to. I have mentioned Soar¡¯s name and his prowess and the lady expressed an interest to meet with him. It took quite a bit of convincing towards her father to make this arrangement in private, that¡¯s for sure. Lady Agnes, this is the young man I¡¯ve told you about, Soar Osmis, the only son of my great hunter colleague, Gullivan Osmis.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Lady Agnes,¡± I greeted with a hand out, offering a shake while remembering my manners in front of nobility like Seal taught me. I was still taking in the fact that ¡®boy¡¯ was actually a girl. The short hair and clothes really threw me off. Her behavior toward me had been rather uncalled for, too, but I thought I¡¯d try to mend things a little if I showed I didn¡¯t mean any harm.

    Sadly, my attempt ended up in vain as she furrowed her brow at my open hand.

    ¡°Put that filthy thing away. I do not make such contact with commoners from the countryside,¡± she stated with every word dripping with venom.

    I could¡¯ve sworn something inside of my head snapped the moment that comment passed through my ears.

    ¡­ Oooooh, if only this ¡®filth¡¯ can be smacked onto your face right now. Despite my violent thoughts, I shakily turned my head to my parents. ¡°Mom, Dad, were you aware of this?¡±

    ¡°A-Aye, it was a shock to me as well when Seal told me while we were alone. He actually wanted to introduce her to you when they arrived yesterday, but from what the lass said, she wanted to spend time polishing herself after the long trip here for today,¡± Dad answered with a strained voice while Mom nodded in agreement. They didn¡¯t make any comment about their own son getting dissed right in front of them, but both of their arms were trembling, desperately resisting to do something that put all of us in deep shit later down the line. Considering we were dealing with the daughter of the kingdom¡¯s Knight General, their social status was nothing to be sneezed at compared to us, no matter how much she needed to be disciplined for such toxic comments.

    ¡°Polishing herself ¡­ wait, you mean?¡±

    ¡°I will get right to the chase,¡± Agnes then said before pointing her finger at me. ¡°I will not stand to have Mr. Galveston waste his valuable time and teachings to such an ignorant boy while someone such as myself is more deserving to receive them. So, here is what will happen: we will have a three-round match to see whether you have as much right to continue receiving his tutelage as I do. If I win two of those rounds, then he will never show his face to you ever again.¡±

    ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t think that¡¯s your right to call,¡± I argued.

    ¡°I thought it¡¯d be interesting to have my two students have a spar with each other, considering their talents in the sword, but I didn¡¯t expect things to develop like this,¡± Seal said, looking awkward at the events unfolding. ¡°And unfortunately, even as a noble of a household myself, the Zanri family are in a higher position of social power than us of the Galveston name. If I refuse, my reputation as a hunter as well as the Galveston lineage¡¯s will take a nosedive just by Lady Agnes¡¯ word.¡±

    ¡°And if you refuse this declaration to a duel, then that will be an automatic forfeit and Mr. Galveston will belong to me,¡± Agnes continued before giving a sneer. ¡°Basically, you have no choice in the matter. For filthy plebeians to fall under the nobles¡¯ rules, that is your fate.¡±

    ¡°Stop being so mean to Soar, you¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Fila! Stop!¡± Flomi exclaimed while locking Fila¡¯s arms to stop her attempt to approach Agnes.

    Onelri, meanwhile, bit her lower lip and looked down while her fists trembled, putting everything into restraining what she wanted to yell at Agnes. Both of her parents noticed this and tried to console her the best they could.

    ¡°So, what will it be? Humiliate yourself and lose in the grandest mess possible, or know your place and hand Mr. Galveston over willingly? It is your choice,¡± Agnes said.

    I never really crossed swords with anyone other than Seal, Dad, and sometimes some of the latter¡¯s ¡®students¡¯ in his hunting class. The students, by the way, weren¡¯t really much of a challenge and actually avoided sparring with me at one point after I won on numerous occasions, so I was left with Dad most of the time. On some occasions of my secret hunts, I would run into goblins with a weapon of some form in their hand, but compared to Seal¡¯s and Dad¡¯s swordsmanship, those monsters were more like living practice dummies for me to play around with as I pleased, even if I was only using my dull practice sword at the time. I¡¯d take them down with my magic once they started to get some sort of feel to my fighting style before they could really fight back, though.

    It had been a while since I sparred with anyone around the same age, and since it was Seal¡¯s only other student, under normal circumstances, I would have a lot of work coming for me all at the last minute.

    But during that time, the circumstances were anything but normal.

    As if I was back in my retail job on Earth with the difficulty level set at ¡®master professional,¡¯ I put on the best business smile I could muster despite my lack of experience in the practice. ¡°Well, Lady Agnes, it would be a shame for you to leave so soon after you came all this way if I declined. If you see me worthy enough for your time, then I would be more than happy to have a match with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­ So be it. Just remember that this decision you have made on your ¡®special day¡¯ will be your downfall.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I will remember it, all right.¡± I will remember the face you¡¯ll make once I completely annihilate you, you snot-nosed bitch, I thought while my ¡®business smile¡¯ was still on.

    I didn¡¯t care how far apart our mental ages were or keeping my ¡®maturity¡¯ intact. I had never wanted to deliver so much karma and discipline to a deserving brat as I did then, and dammit, I would not let this chance to take advantage of my new young body to partially get away with it slip by.

 Chapter 11: I Destroyed the Knight Generals Daughter

    We moved to the yard at the back of the building where most of my training and sparring with Dad and Seal took place. Fila, Onelri, and most of the adults were all standing close to the back entrance watching in on the yard where Agnes and I stood on the grass with our own practice swords in hand. Seal was there with us standing as our instructor/referee.

    As I felt the practice sword¡¯s weight in my hand, the events of last night flashed through my mind. How with two of the bandits¡¯ own weapons, sharp and lethal tools with my mana infused in the blades, I made quick work and killed one of the lackeys and the leader so easily while I was hiding in the darkness, the splatters of their warm blood quickly cooled as they settled and dried on my bare torso. I could still recall in good detail how messy and soaked in blood the blades were at the end of the one-sided slaughter.

    One of the few moments I wasn¡¯t keeping my cool that night was when I killed the first two bandits standing guard with one Wind Needle. I was used to seeing blood from all of the animals and monsters I hunted, but I never looked at the corpse of a fellow human being before, let alone two at once. I almost vomited from the grotesque sight at first. Even as I recalled the imagery of last night¡¯s events while I held my practice sword, I gagged a little at the thought.

    ¡°Soar? Are you all right?¡± Seal asked.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, I got lost in thought. Actually, I¡¯m a little sore from the arm-wrestling matches. Excuse me for a moment.¡± I channeled my mana into recovery magic, specifically to repair the slight tears in the muscle fibers of my arms, but I took my time with the healing while I tried to calm myself down from the post-traumatic experience with deep breaths.

    ¡°Ooh~, recovery magic, huh? Just as Master Galveston said, that boy has talent in the magical arts,¡± Melissa commented.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he?¡± Ms. Renne asked while puffing her chest. ¡°I taught him that along with everything I know, and yet he even teaches me things I wasn¡¯t even aware of, such as how concentrating on the finer details of the healing process and the flow of mana channels makes recovery magic more effective.¡±

    ¡°Interesting ¡­¡±

    Recovery magic, by the way, is one of the non-elemental types of magic where one¡¯s success depends on the Magician¡¯s aptitude. It sort of works like a pyramid. Even if you train your mana capacity to large limits or if you fully understand the process and concept of a spell, if you don¡¯t have the aptitude, you can¡¯t cast it. Non-elemental spells work in that the higher your aptitude is, the more you could accomplish, including everything that¡¯s below your rated rank.

    When I finished recovering my soreness and collecting myself, Seal started us off with warm-ups as we both had in every one of his training sessions. I could tell Agnes was judging me in every fiber of my being but I just focused on my form and control like normal.

    ¡°All right, it looks like you two are plenty warmed up. Shall we start in our match?¡± Seal asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. The sooner I am finished with this, the sooner I can take Mr. Galveston back to the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Right. I¡¯m ready to go.¡±

    <¡°Good luck, Soar!¡±> <¡°Do your best!¡±>

    As we got to our positions, the cheers of my Companions hiding off to the side with hide-detection magic filled my mind with telepathy while I was thinking of the unique circumstances in that situation. I was keeping in mind how much I controlled my power output so I wouldn¡¯t get the wrong attention, especially in front of the adults. And yet, there Agnes was, a boyish-looking girl around my age, who came all that way after hearing about my talents from the instructor we both shared, just to diss me and take advantage of her social status to try and ¡®claim ownership.¡¯

    I remembered then that her dad was the freaking knight general of the Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s Guard. Agnes¡¯ maid, Melissa, may have been escorting her out of safety, but what if she reported what she saw from me that day to her father, the man of the house? She was certainly interested in my magical prowess from how I overheard her and Ms. Renne talking, what if she saved my name for the knight general, Tristen, to draft me later when I got old enough? What if I got targeted for defaming a noble? I wanted to avoid either of those cases at all costs.

    Even so, despite my concerns for the future, the only thing I had in my mind was how much I want to make that brat cry for being so rude, especially to someone on their birthday of all things. If I was going to become an enemy of a kingdom just for knocking down the general¡¯s daughter a peg, then that speaks for itself how petty their guard really is and how much I wanted to deal with them, let alone join their ranks.

    By that point, I might as well have secluded myself and trained my magic enough to try and take over the world just to set those people straight, but I had neither the ambition for such a cause, nor the intelligence, patience, skills of leadership, and ¡®compassion¡¯ for others¡¯ well-being to even pull it off. If anything, I¡¯d rather knock those egocentric people out of their high horse and scare them shitless by my powers if our lives weren¡¯t on the line.

    And so, I decided to give that match with everything I had. I didn¡¯t take her gender into account because since everyone in Manara is capable of casting magic, including strength enhancement, the girls can be just as strong as guys under any circumstances. Mom and Dad were the perfect examples of this. No matter how experienced Dad was in life-threatening situations, when it came to Mom ¡­ he knew what lines shouldn¡¯t be crossed with her if he didn¡¯t want to experience whatever hell she would bring from getting ticked off. It spoke levels of her experience in handling aggressive hunters in her previous work as a guild receptionist before settling down as a housewife with Dad.

    Anyway, since we were having a proper match and were experienced with enhancing our strength by magic, we were both allowed to use it at a certain extent to even the odds and neither of us would be at a disadvantage by the limits of our physical compositions. But once again, I had yet to realize the significance of my C+ ranked strength, as well as the average after putting my stats together, not counting my EX ranked intelligence and magic, of course, the highest rating above ¡®S¡¯ that even left my Companions stumped when they first saw it. There was also how my experience with the bandits last night affected my senses, too.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Our audience watched us with mixed expressions as Agnes and I took our fighting stances across from each other. Condescendence and superiority were blazing in her scarlet eyes.

    ¡°Ready ¡­ begin!¡± Seal called out.

    Everything seemed to slow down around me as I immediately enhanced my legs and burst my way in with C ranked agility and I winded up for an enhanced two-handed backhand swing with C+ ranked strength. My eyes were directly on Agnes¡¯. There was a delay in her reaction before she widened her eyes, realizing how quickly I was closing in. She instinctively moved back half a step while prepping her sword to parry my initiative attack.

    I initiated my backswing from low to high, a form I practiced a hundred times every other day as I did with the other sword motions and steps. She quickly adjusted herself from parrying to guarding position, the last-minute change was her downfall.

    Blades clashed, a loud ¡®clang¡¯ ran in the air along with a practice sword out of one¡¯s grip. The mobile weapon fell and, despite its dullness, pierced the tip into the ground upright. Some distance away, an unarmed and surprised Agnes was caught off-balance, frozen in place. The tip of a dulled sword pointed to her chest, one thrust to pierce the heart, and that would be the end for her if the blade was sharpened. The holder of that blade aiming at the chest was me, standing close to her as I was still locked into her eyes since the beginning of the match.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    The audience and the referee played by Seal were struck silent. Even my opponent, Agnes, was also at a loss for words right up to when she fell on her butt from loss of balance. I felt like I was in that fight with the bandits from last night again, but I was facing the leader head-on in broad daylight, and I aimed to kill him quickly with everything I had before he had a chance to collect what had just happened. My initial rage in that duel added fuel to the fire.

    I still remembered who I was dealing with, though: a precocious upper-class brat with no experience of the world outside of her luxurious home if her getting lost in a town like Lunargrove was anything to go by. I came at her with intent to kill, only to stop at myself short to show her just how hopeless it would be to go against me in a real fight, a true battle to the death, and how merciless I was when it came to opposing those who¡¯d look down on me.

    ¡°¡­ The first round goes to Soar!¡± Seal announced after a slight delay.

    While Agnes was still sitting on the ground, I pointed the tip of my dull blade right between her brows. My glare at her eyes was still as smoldering as it was from the beginning. The formalities I displayed at the start were no longer present.

    ¡°Pick it up,¡± I said, wanting to finish this duel with little time wasted.

    The only responses I got from Agnes, however, were the growing dark stain between the legs of her trousers and watering eyes.

    ¡°DAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYY!¡± she bawled as the waterworks broke loose while the stain between her pants grew ever bigger and even leaking a little.

    Melissa rushed in and picked her up from the grass princess-style. ¡°E-Excuse me, where are your facilities?¡± she asked in Mom and Dad¡¯s direction.

    ¡°¡­ The door to your right as you go into the kitchen,¡± Mom answered calmly.

    After receiving that answer, Melissa rushed back inside with a crying Agnes in her arms. Their own fairies also followed behind them. The scene wasn¡¯t any different than an embarrassed parent taking their crying child out of the movie theater in the middle of a horror film, surely annoying everyone in it with thoughts like ¡®why the hell would you even bring a kid to this?¡¯ like it did for us in that backyard, some of which probably had thoughts of ¡®what¡¯s the point of picking a fight if you¡¯re gonna cry about it?¡¯

    The backyard fell immediately into silence as we all watched the door where Melissa and Agnes ran into. Well, silent to the majority of people, however, but I¡ªand likely Onelri from the way she was shifting her gaze around¡ªheard all of the fairies in the area laughing their heads off. My fairies in particular, who were hiding out of Onelri¡¯s sight, were especially loud.

    <¡°W-Well ¡­ that could¡¯ve gone better for her,¡±> Breezy commented while failing to stifle her giggles.

    <¡°Ha! Serves her right for talking down on my Soar!¡±> [Shadina]

    <¡°I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t have to be that girl¡¯s Fire Fairy to put up with that humiliation.¡±> [Cinder]

    <¡°So wet ¡­ yes~, such wet mess. Tears from above and below from fright. Mist is pleased.¡±> [Mist]

    It seemed my Companions had similar thoughts to what I had at that moment as I lowered my sword.

    Pathetic, just like a spoiled brat.

    A few claps broke silence between all of us. ¡°All right, all right, let¡¯s get back into business here,¡± Lilia said as she approached Seal and I. ¡°From this, I think we can assume Soar¡¯s the winner. Unless Seal wants to have a go at him next, I¡¯d like us to move onto my tests for the young man.¡±

    ¡°¡­ No, I think I¡¯ve seen what I wanted to see as well,¡± Seal said, his eyes locked in my direction with a serious undertone. Nobody else in the field opposed her suggestion, either.

    I don¡¯t even care what everyone thinks of me at this point. I¡¯m satisfied with what I accomplished, I thought.

    ¡°Um!¡± Onelri then cut into the talk as she ran to us. ¡°You will be testing Soar in his magic, yes?! If it is ok, I would like to showcase my capabilities as well!¡±

    ¡°Ooh~, eager, are we? What about you, Fila? Would you like to try as well?¡± Lilia asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve ¡­ never practiced magic before. I don¡¯t know what my affinity is. I don¡¯t think I have what it takes.¡± Fila¡¯s ears deflated in accordance with her mood.

    ¡°¡­ You have what it takes.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Fila, as well as the others, looked to me after I said that.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling I have, but I¡¯m confident you have some talent that has yet to be touched. If you weren¡¯t properly taught the basics yet, I can teach you while we learn what your affinity is.¡±

    ¡°R-Really?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not lying. I can see it as well,¡± Onelri then said. ¡°Honestly, I am amazed you have yet to touch magic yet. Your aptitude is on the same level as Mr. Osmis and my mother as C, and I am an A.¡±

    The others had jolted toward Onelri with widened eyes at the sudden revelation of their aptitudes, and she wasn¡¯t wrong. Like her, I saw it from them thanks to my gift and experience in seeing the aura of mana. Honestly, it was a bigger shock that so many people with such high aptitudes were gathered around in the same area.

    Just to note, how a person¡¯s magic aptitude is rated is similar to what¡¯s shown on the status cards they would receive after making a contract with a Companion, going from H to A before S followed after that at its highest, but without any (+)¡¯s and (-)¡¯s added into them for simplicity. Having Fila¡¯s, Dad¡¯s, and Onelri¡¯s mother¡¯s aptitudes being ranked as C meant they¡¯re just above average compared to most.

    ¡°If ¡­ If what Soar and Onelri said was true, then I want to try! I want to cast magic like the two of them!¡± Fila exclaimed, looking pumped then compared to a few moments ago.

    ¡°Well, you are at that age, so this should be a perfect opportunity,¡± Lilia said before raising her Magician¡¯s Staff. ¡°That said, let¡¯s set up our dummies!¡±

    Nobody even questioned what became of the crying spoiled brat until we found out later, much to our dismay.

 Chapter 12: We Showcased Our Magical Prowess, and as for Mine ...

    A couple of minutes later, Dad and Sam brought out three dummies made of logs arranged into human-like figures that the former used for his hunting classes and my training. One could see how much they had been through from the cuts, scrapes, and marks from a variety of spells and weapons. Speaking of weapons, Seal took the privilege of bringing Agnes¡¯ practice sword she left behind back inside someplace for her to pick it up after she was done settling down and cleaning her ¡®mess.¡¯

    Since this would be the first time Fila would be casting magic and learning her affinity, she was going first. She and I stood a couple of yards away from the dummies in front of us. Onelri and the adults were watching from behind.

    ¡°All right, Fila, first we¡¯ll see what affinity you have. Do you know what the existing elements in magic are?¡± I asked while I was next to her.

    ¡°They sort of represent colors to a rainbow: fire for red, earth for orange, light for yellow, wind for green, water for blue, and darkness for purple.¡±

    ¡°Very good. Have you ever attempted to cast magic before?¡±

    ¡°I tried saying exactly what Mama chanted with her light magic once for the Illumination spell, but nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°All right, that rules out Light Magic, then. Chanting may play some part in how spells are cast, but when you just say the words without thinking of anything, you won¡¯t get much output if you have an affinity with it. If nothing appeared, that just means that element isn¡¯t what you¡¯re capable to pull off.¡±

    ¡°I think I get it ¡­¡±

    ¡°Now, we could say whatever words come to mind that¡¯s related to a specific element and see if something happens, that¡¯s usually how people find out what their affinity is, but if you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking of along with the meaning of your words, the result might not even be distinguishable to the eyes. Not to mention, some have even injured themselves because they couldn¡¯t focus clearly.¡±

    ¡°P-People can even hurt themselves with their own magic? I don¡¯t really want that ¡­¡± Fila shivered a little at the thought.

    ¡°Definitely, so we¡¯re going to try something different without causing any injury. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow whatever you say, Soar,¡± she answered with a firm nod.

    ¡°First, close your eyes. Take slow, deep breaths. In through the nose, and out of the mouth. Think of filling your stomach with air like a paper bag before blowing it all out, relax your shoulders and try not to let it rise to a shrug. Just focus on breathing for a bit. Now, take notice of what¡¯s happening in your body. Do you feel tense or stiff in some places? Lightly shake them off until you feel your whole body is relaxed and loose with no distractions.¡±

    ¡°This feels really ¡­ nice. I can almost feel the wind kissing my cheek, and I can even hear our hearts in sync.¡±

    ¡°Good. Focus on your own heartbeat and follow its beats inside yourself, like you¡¯re walking in a dark hallway and tracking the sound of whispers. Keep the breathing steady and in rhythm. Even though it¡¯s dark and you can¡¯t see, you¡¯re not alone, because your heart is your guide. You¡¯re following its beat to the light that shines in your chest. Keep your breathing steady. Can you see the light?¡±

    ¡°I ¡­ think so.¡±

    Hushed whispers were heard in the background.

    ¡°Can you describe it to me? What do you see in that light? Can you feel anything from it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ orange. I can feel warmth in my chest. I¡¯m not tensing anything in my body, but the more this orange light surrounds me, I feel ¡­ strong, like even if something dangerous approaches me, I can keep calm, because the light wants to help me protect Mama and those dear to me.¡±

    ¡°Fila ¡­ hold onto that feeling, slowly open your eyes, and look at yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­ ?!¡± Fila complied and was startled at what she saw. Everyone around us was in shock as they saw the young bunny girl in front of me glowing a radiant orange. ¡°Um ¡­ Soar?¡±

    ¡°This is it, without a shadow of a doubt. Fila, with this glow and the feelings you felt from that light, it¡¯s now clear. You have an affinity to earth. Your specialty is Earth Magic.¡±

    ¡°My affinity ¡­ is earth?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Now, while your magic is drawn out to this extent, let¡¯s have you cast your first spell.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know any Earth Spells, or what chants to follow them.¡±

    ¡°You honestly don¡¯t need to know a lot if we¡¯re doing something basic. My dad¡¯s specialty is Earth Magic as well, so I know a few spells from watching him alone. You ready?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! Definitely!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to try the basic Earth Magic spell, Rock Shot. To put it simply, you¡¯re really conjuring a rock to hit your target.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Couldn¡¯t I just pick up a rock and throw at it on my own without magic?¡± she asked with a quirked brow.

    ¡°You could, but since you¡¯ll be making the rock yourself with magic, you will throw it at harder forces with more oomph than just using your arm alone.¡±

    ¡°I guess it sounds better when you put it that way.¡±

    ¡°Now, rocks are really tightly packed, condensed bunches of sand, so we want to take some sand and really squeeze it all nice and hard.¡±

    ¡°Like a snowball, but with sand?¡±

    ¡°Right! I want you to make an image of that in your mind as you set your eyes on that dummy over there. Call it out in your mind that you want to make a rock as tight, hard, and tough as steel.¡±

    Fila nodded and concentrated with both hands in front of her. Within seconds, many grains of sand and earth appear and swirl together until it made a jagged, misshapen rock that hovers in place.

    ¡°Good! Now, when you¡¯re ready, focus your aim at that dummy and scream ¡®Rock Shot¡¯ in your head!¡±

    Not a second later the misshapen rock hurtled toward the dummy in the middle at an incredible speed, striking towards the head before the projectile practically exploded to pieces on impact, leaving a small indent in the wood. The orange glow that was surrounding her body faded away immediately afterward.

    ¡°You did it, Fila! You just cast Rock Shot without chanting it aloud!¡±

    ¡°¡­ I did?¡±

    ¡°You did!¡±

    ¡°I cast it without voicing it like you have?¡±

    ¡°You did!¡±

    ¡°I did it ¡­ I really did it,¡± Fila repeated before her eyes got sparkly when the realization hit her. To my surprise, she wrapped her arms around me hopped in place like an excited rabbit. ¡°I did it, Soar! I can cast magic! Mama! Did you see that?! I used magic!¡±

    ¡°I saw! I saw!¡± Flomi exclaimed as she rushed over and suddenly wrapped both of us in her arms. ¡°I¡¯m so proud and happy for you, Fila! And Soar, thank you so much for helping her! You¡¯re a wonderful teacher!¡±

    ¡°Um ¡­ my pleasure.¡± I was a bit distracted by Flomi¡¯s chest that trumped Lilia¡¯s and Ms. Renne¡¯s pressing against me. Being small really did have its own perks for me, for sure. Off of my peripheral, I saw one of the few passing Earth Fairies staring at Fila in awe. She looked to have watched the whole thing herself.

    Looks like you might have a Fairy Companion soon, Fila. Good for you, I thought as the feeling of accomplishment as a teacher for a brief time filled me with content. Next to that Earth Fairy, however, was another one who was staring at me, but I didn¡¯t notice her gaze at that time.

    ¡°For her first time, too. It could still use some work, but it was definitely impressive. Wouldn¡¯t you say, Gullivan?¡± Lilia asked Dad.

    ¡°Aye. Speaking as an Earth Magic specialist myself, not even I was that good when I was around her age. If a teacher like Soar continued to supervise her growth, I have a feeling she may surpass me at some point in the near future.¡±

    ¡°Soar! Could you teach me more magic, please?!¡± Fila asked with sparkling eyes filled with hope.

    ¡°Uh ¡­ well¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold it,¡± Onelri said, cutting into the moment. ¡°I hope nobody forgot that I was appointed as Soar¡¯s disciple first.¡±

    ¡°I never agreed to that.¡±

    ¡°Regardless, if Soar really is offering to teach magic, then I have as much right and am even more qualified to receive his teachings and I will prove it to you all right now. Please, step aside and observe.¡±

    Flomi, Fila, and I looked at each other and shrugged before obliging.

    Onelri took our spot and cleared her throat. ¡°First, some things about me. It is true that my aptitude is A rank, and if you know a little of us dark elves already, you know that Darkness Magic is one of our stronger points in magic, that much is true. I am also capable of Water Magic, both of which I will now demonstrate to you ¡­ taking what I heard from Soar¡¯s explanation in mind.¡±

    Like Fila, Onelri followed the procedures down to the letter, the breathing, the loosening of joints, and the concentration. Soon enough, her body radiated with purple and blue-colored lights, and moments later, a head-sized ball of purplish-black matter appeared on her left, a Dark Ball, one of the basic Darkness Magic spells, that she quickly shot at the leftmost dummy, hitting it with such force that it gets knocked over while the spell followed through its trajectory.

    The audience was in awe at the display and the parents of the caster applauded. From the look of Onelri¡¯s surprised face, even she didn¡¯t expect how effective that was, but shook herself off and continued the demonstration. She conjured a condensed, perfect sphere of water the size of a fist that hovered in place on her right. That was the basic Water Magic spell called Bubble Blast, which I must formally complain that the name is inaccurate to what it actually was, but I digress.

    Onelri then hurtled that ball of water toward the rightmost dummy¡¯s head, splashing on impact with such a powerful force that the inanimate target also got knocked over like her first spell. The audience¡¯s reaction at that time was about the same.

    ¡°Very impressive, Onelri! It looks like listening to Soar¡¯s explanation was quite the payoff, huh?¡± Lilia asked.

    ¡°I only took the visualization of condensing my spells into consideration as I chanted them in my mind, but as you can see, I have a lot more control with my magic than most other dark elves around the same age, and I have not even made a contract yet. What do you think, Soar?¡±

    ¡°I thought it was great! Compared to Rock Shot, Dark Ball and Bubble Blast are a little more difficult trying to think about what makes them up as a whole, so being able to do that much after making whatever changes you had to make from before was amazing. Plus, casting those spells at such speeds without chanting it aloud is also an impressive feat.¡±

    ¡°You were really cool, Onelri! You looked like a real magic specialist back there! A professional Magician, and with Soar¡¯s help, who knows how much better you¡¯ll be?! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make a contract with a fairy soon enough, too!¡± Fila exclaimed in excitement.

    It looked like Onelri was not used to receiving such praises, more so from Fila than me, and so she averted her gaze and scratched her reddened cheek. ¡°Um ¡­ thanks.¡±

    Dad and Sam took a few moments to set the knocked down dummies back up as Lilia approached me. ¡°Well, Soar, I guess that leaves you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold it!¡±

    Oh, god, what does she want now? I thought as we all turned back to the source of that annoying voice. Her scarlet eyes were puffy and reddened in the scleras from the bawling a while ago, and at a glance downward, the stain that was between her legs was gone. Agnes had not only calmed down, but it was likely she changed into a clean pair of trousers and underwear provided by Melissa who stood behind her.

    ¡°We have not settled our match yet! I did not admit defeat! I was just ¡­ in a state of emergency to put our match on hold!¡± Agnes argued.

    ¡°Quite the messy emergency from what we saw,¡± Onelri whispered to Fila before both of them snickered. Agnes¡¯ glare didn¡¯t really faze them at all.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°We will continue where we left off, but before that, since everyone is playing with their weak spells, I thought I should show you all what real magic is. As a noble with S rank aptitude, it is a given that my magic would be superior.¡±

    ¡°S rank, huh ¡­¡± Lilia said while not sounding impressed before she glanced my way. She didn¡¯t explicitly ask me, but her eyes spoke enough already.

    I only shrugged and shook my head in response. ¡°Might as well humor her, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d let up, otherwise,¡± I answered.

    Agnes wasn¡¯t lying, though. I saw it the moment I first saw her mana aura at the front door that she had the same aptitude rank as me. I was just too peeved at her to really pay that much attention, and after winning the first round in the sword spar with such fashion, she wouldn¡¯t stand out to me even if her rank was somehow higher than mine.

    Regardless, we all stepped aside and made room for Agnes to take the stage next, whether or not we asked for it.

    ¡°My affinity is fire, by the way. I had formed a contract with a Fire Fairy I named Flicker 1 year ago, and so my power may be affected because of that. I will now cast Ember Flare for my demonstration.¡±

    She took a deep breath and closed her eyes while her Fire Fairy whispered some things in her ear. ¡°Breaths. Loose joints. Sound of heartbeats ¡­¡± Agnes muttered.

    It seemed while Agnes was absent, her fairy stood in for her to watch the earlier demonstrations before relaying what she observed to her Chaperone. Since I was paying attention to Fila, I didn¡¯t even notice she was there.

    Agnes must have picked it up quickly as her body started glowing a bright red, but it was more brilliant than the other girls¡¯. The moment of surprise on her face confirmed that suspicion more so, but she relaxed quick enough to not let it dwell long enough to show. She stuck a hand out in front of her to prepare her spell, and what appeared surprised us, even me.

    ¡°A yellow flame?¡± Mom asked.

    ¡°The average Fire Magician¡¯s flame in their spells is usually red. One having a yellow flame instead means this is Advanced Fire Magic, upping the heat power in the caster¡¯s usual spells,¡± Lilia explained.

    What she said was true. There are advanced forms in the 6 existing elements of magic that make each of them stand out as their own power. Casting ice of any form, for example, is referred as Advanced Water Magic, which showed how capable Lilia was in casting Ice Prison, and Dad would use Advanced Earth Magic by bending and manipulating metal and steel. I think I mentioned Dark Gate was an advanced spell, too, but I like to think that is one of the lower tiers of Advanced Darkness Magic one is capable to pull off compared to other things one can also do with it, such as reducing the force of gravity acting on an object to make it lighter than it appeared.

    With Agnes¡¯ yellow flame, she cast her basic Fire Magic spell, Ember Flare, at the rightmost dummy that Onelri hit with her Bubble Blast earlier. The water that soaked the wood would¡¯ve dampened the spell¡¯s effects. Since yellow flames are hotter than red ones, though, either the liquid didn¡¯t get deep into the wood enough or it evaporated quickly, because the dummy spontaneously combusted with a great pillar of fire for a brief moment. It sent a heatwave that passed us before the dummy was getting burnt with an orangish-yellow flame.

    ¡°Whoa ¡­¡± Onelri said as she and the others looked at the burning dummy with awe.

    Only Seal, Agnes, and her butler Wilfred were unfazed at the development out of everyone else. Instead of watching her own work though, Agnes turned her eyes to lock on mine.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I could practically hear the ¡®jiiii¡¯ in Agnes¡¯ stare as that along with the silence was starting to annoy me.

    Was she expecting me to say something like I had with the other two? Well, there was something I needed to bring up, anyway. ¡°First off, someone should put out that fire before it spreads,¡± I pointed out.

    ¡°Oh! Right! I¡¯m on it!¡± Lilia made quick work of putting it out with her Water Magic.

    ¡°Agnes, may I ask you a few things?¡±

    ¡°Lady Agnes, but what do you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°Do you know what fire is and why it burns? Like how it was with that dummy, for example?¡±

    Agnes expressed confusion as she tilted her head to the side.

    Right, should¡¯ve expected that. Even Ms. Renne was stumped when I asked her those same questions. ¡°Let me ask a different question, then. Do you know how people made fire if they didn¡¯t have its magic or a fairy helping them?¡±

    ¡°Da¡ª¡­ I mean, Father taught me once during my training in the outdoors, should I not have efficient enough mana to make a fire with magic. We set up a circle of rocks, he piled some dry sticks and wood in the middle along with some grass and leaves. He took flint rocks and made sparks with them until they lit the leaves, which later grew to set the sticks aflame.¡±

    ¡°Do you know why that happened?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Of course, I do. It is just so easy that I would rather not waste my breath on an uneducated commoner who would not understand something so simple, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Which means she actually does not know why,¡± Onelri rebutted. Agnes stiffened up from Onelri¡¯s on-point accusation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Soar meant by that question, either. Do you, Onelri?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°Not a clue. Compared to Agnes, I can admit that much, at least.¡±

    ¡°Lady Agnes! Refer to nobility properly!¡±

    Is it possible she just made the flames yellow by forming it differently from others by coincidence? Is there a gift that might boost one¡¯s Fire Magic enough to make that effect easier for the caster? Well, I¡¯m only speculating. At this point, even if they¡¯re one of nobility, I should assume the majority if not everyone in this world doesn¡¯t know as much about the basics of science as I could fathom. Sure, they¡¯re able to craft weapons, build ships that float on waters, and even have a sort of plumbing system, but if it weren¡¯t for the assistance of fairies and magic, civilization may have had come across those things on happenstance and accident, made use of it to their fullest extent, and tried to improve them with trial and error. That was my theory on how some of the things in Manara¡¯s civilization came to be as I observed everything with a scientific perspective over the eleven years of my new life in that world.

    That was before I had my Great Sage gift, though, which brought me to asking Mona that same question.

    Mona, can you tell me how fire is made and why it burns?

    <¡°In summary, fire is the result of a chemical reaction called combustion that occurs between fuel and an oxidant to create flames, producing heat to keep the reaction self-sustaining until one of the key components is depleted.¡±>

    Yes! That¡¯s just what I wanted to hear! A bit oversimplified, but definitely a start! Oh, Mona, I could kiss you for how much I love you right now!

    ¡°Th-That doesn¡¯t matter, anyway! More importantly, what do you think, Soar? Are you in awe of a noble¡¯s magical prowess?¡± Agnes asked while puffing her chest.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, right.¡± Agnes¡¯ question snapped me out of my train of thought and I cleared my throat. ¡°Uh, yeah, your Ember Flare was very nice and powerful. I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Is that it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Nothing else to say?¡±

    ¡°What else were you even expecting?¡±

    ¡°W-Whatever! Just try and top that performance and realize why I am superior!¡± Agnes then turned herself away but I didn¡¯t help but notice she looked to be sulking a little. Her Fire Fairy, Flicker, looked to have known what she was going through and patted her back in comfort.

    ¡­ Sheesh, no matter their background, I could never understand kids.

    After Lilia extinguished the fire, leaving the dummy blackened in some parts, I was the last to showcase my own demonstration, showing how far I had gone in my magic training, which was the main point of this test before the girls decided to try it out at the last minute. I stood by myself some yards away from the dummies while the rest kept their distance in the audience. I couldn¡¯t help but feel Agnes really judging me with her eyes from behind.

    Ms. Renne was the first to know of my S Rank magic aptitude before Mom and Dad followed. They were also the first to know of me being able to use three magic elements, but Dad advised I should only reveal two of those three, my Wind and Darkness Magic, to his former hunter party and public. Unless one or all of them leaked any of that info to anybody, Fila, Onelri, and their families came along and had become the first to know of my aptitude rank, three magic elements, and contract with three fairies before the latter two became four by the end of last night. Not only that, even when I only used the Wind Needle spell to attack the bandits last night before switching to blades, it was drastically different when my Sage gift evolved to Great Sage. Then there was Breezy along with my other Companions who had received the power of the fairies after their bandit Chaperones died. Let¡¯s not forget my increased rank in intelligence and magic in my Status Card from S to EX, too. That would mean my Wind Needle along with all other Wind spells, heck, the entirety of my magic arsenal had received one hell of a boost. Other than conjuring Dark Gate with better ease to drop off the girls¡¯ families at Brightlas last night, I had yet to try it out before the next morning.

    I wanted to avoid receiving suspicion. Avoid the possibility of Melissa relaying what she saw that day to the knight general of the Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s guard and attract the wrong attention, but the stress that I endured the night before, the verbal abuse I received from an ignorant, spoiled brat, trying to keep all of those secrets about my magic and fairies to myself all of that time, they were pushing me to the brink of the edge.

    This is starting to get ridiculous. Just how far will she go to try and show me up? Why doesn¡¯t she see I don¡¯t want anything to do with her? I thought that duel would be enough to scare her off but she¡¯s grasping straws at what she could beat me in at this point. I¡¯m getting tired of it. Tired of putting up with this spoiled brat messing up my day. Tired of all the damn labels slapped on me for not wanting to participate in their pointless shit. Tired of needing to hold back just because I¡¯m worried about how people would see and treat me. Would it be any different as it is right now? Would they leave me alone if I shut them up by showing them what I could really do?

    ¡­ I have yet to try out my powered-up magic after all of the boosts I gained from last night. Perhaps I¡¯ll take this opportunity to let loose a little and really blow them all away.

    From that, a decision was made, not realizing how powerful my EX rank magic from my Status Card really was.

    First, I asked my Companions telepathically to move away from my location as far as possible while still being able to see me. This is because a fairy¡¯s influence can increase a Chaperone¡¯s magic output just from their proximity. Even then, I was told that 10% of a Companion¡¯s full power is shared with their Chaperone if they aren¡¯t actively lending it to them no matter how far they are from each other, so that much couldn¡¯t be helped.

    The other was how I had cast magic in these tests up to then. To prove I was getting better, I only used the same percentage of my full power in my demonstrations: 50%. That¡¯s what it was from the start, but then I started noticing how much I was improving and how ridiculous my power output was, and so I had to decrease how much I¡¯d put into it more and more over time while still being able to produce results of training as expected of a kid like myself.

    Last night, I had only used 30% to take out those bandits with Wind Needle after my gift upgraded to Great Sage. That was the same I used to take out the game yesterday. With how much of a boost I got last night, I can¡¯t imagine how strong I am now with that same percentage.

    ¡­ I¡¯m tired of holding myself back. 100% full power, coming up, I decided, along with how I¡¯d present myself to those in my audience, old and new.

    I turned to everyone behind me and stood with good posture and formality. ¡°My name is Soar Osmis ¡­ my aptitude is ranked S. I will now demonstrate my Wind Needle.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Rank S?!¡± Agnes and Melissa exclaimed, but I ignored them and turn back to my target, the dummy in the middle. I took a deep breath and limbered myself up.

    Magic. I had done it many times since I came to Manara without chanting to where it had become an extension of myself, more so than when I started getting assistance from my Great Sage gift. That aside, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten close to how I was up to the time before I got it if I hadn¡¯t trained myself every day with my Sage gift and the knowledge I remembered in my past life. Ms. Renne was also helpful in giving the guidance I needed for the magic that¡¯s applied in Manara. As I trained, I thought time and again what I wanted to do with my new life, what I could do with my gifts to make living it easier. I still had no idea as there was so little of the new world I explored so far, but I knew of one thing.

    I wanted to be the best I could be in magic, to make something of myself with it and not have my decisions be influenced by outside forces. I wasn¡¯t going to do that just to prove a point, or even for the sake of my new parents who had raised me up to then since my rebirth. I wanted to do it out of my own volitions, and thanks to my Companions, I wanted them to watch and see how much they meant to me as I gave everything I had up to that point.

    The next step of my new life will begin from this moment ¡­ After that thought passed, I effortlessly conjured 100% of power I can put in my Wind Needle towards the middle wood dummy without much prep time like the girls before me, not even being showy with the light show, either. It¡¯s one thing if you¡¯re focusing more mana and power than usual in a basic spell like Wind Needle, to show your efforts through the magic aura radiating from your body, but in the end, it was still a ¡®basic spell.¡¯ Depending on how you control your mana for the input, you could achieve much with less of it than one may think.

    Wind Needle is similar to using a blow dart used by hunters from Earth, except building air pressure in the ¡®tube¡¯ and the surrounding object¡ªin this case, a compressed, dense piece of ¡®air¡¯ shaped into a needle with magic¡ªbefore creating an opening to release that pressure all at once, sending the object flying.

    I practiced those procedures enough over the years to make it all happen instantaneously, and with more mana and power applied to it than normal, one may have seen the ¡®flash¡¯ of my magic aura to appear for a brief moment. It was too quick for everyone to even catch a glimpse of what the colors of my magic aura comprised.

    A low whistle, then a powerful explosion followed along. I made out some collective screams, but the noise from the explosion was loud enough to drown all of that out.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    Dead silence filled the yard, everyone tried to collect what had just transpired.

    ¡­ The dummy, and half of the other two, where did it all go? That was the first thing that came to mind as I saw the aftermath of my target. Many shreds and pieces of bark, wood chips, and residue were falling from the air like snow behind where the middle dummy once stood, completely gone after the spell was done. The other two on each side of it had half of their bodies cleaned off. Even the grass as I looked down was wiped out in a wide, straight path with only the dirt and soil from the ground remained. The path of destruction continued until it stopped at a rising hill much further behind the backyard, leaving a crater blown away as it stopped the spell¡¯s onslaught.

    The total distance looked to be about 100 feet (~30.5 meters), and the width of the path was about a couple inches short to the inner lines of a tennis court.

    When I turned back around, everyone stared at the scene of destruction with awe and other various expressions. That was when I realized I had really done it then. We were at a distance from town, but it was possible some passerby heard the noise as well. Soon, everyone would come to the scene, see what happened, and ask many questions, leading to how strong I had really become to pose a big threat to the town, and I would surely have to face the consequences. That was what I thought, but I wouldn¡¯t run away, not until I knew what my fate would be, but at the moment, I really didn¡¯t want to speak or talk to anyone then.

    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll be in my room.¡± I could only utter that much before I made my way back inside, ignoring some voices from others to stop me. I invaded Agnes¡¯ personal space along the way as I stopped and slapped a hand on her tiny frail shoulder, giving it enough of a squeeze to make her flinch a little. My eyes must have been filled with disillusion and coldness like dry ice as they locked onto hers.

    With that display of power, no matter her age, I wanted her to know what true despair was, to know how I really felt about her with nothing holding me back, to know her place in my eyes no matter if she was a noble or even royalty. Even if she was right in front of me, I would only see her the same as everyone else with similar thoughts as her, and so I whispered ¡­

    ¡°You ¡­ are nothing to me.¡±

    With that, I lightly shoved Agnes and went inside, the weight of loneliness on my shoulders was ever great as I stepped out from my world of ¡®normalcy¡¯ up to that point with no way of ever getting back in it.

 Chapter 13: The Thing That Happened After the Tests Was ...

    By the time I made it to my room, I made sure everything was closed and just laid down on the bed. My Companions came in after I called for them through telepathy and I just held them in my arms.

    Fairies are capable of making such contact with the world around them while performing feats like phasing through walls because of how they can manipulate the mana inside themselves and how they interact with their surroundings. They could even cast some magic themselves to an extent depending on their levels, but if they¡¯re not contracted with a Chaperone, they can only do so much at LV 1, but it¡¯s enough to keep the nature, wildlife, and etc. maintained for all of that time. They can thankfully avoid any dangers that nature would bring like heavy rainstorms and rockslides, but it is possible to injure them with your own magic. This is why they keep themselves hidden until they know for certain they want to form a contract with us. I think that also plays in why they do it while the potential Chaperones are at younger ages, as they¡¯re more ¡®innocent¡¯ and honest with their actions once they¡¯ve gained some form of intelligence.

    That¡¯s just my summarized guess, anyway, but this isn¡¯t a good time to go into further detail on that subject.

    I didn¡¯t really want to talk, I just wanted someone who was close and understood my situation the most to keep me company, hence why I just ¡®cuddled¡¯ with my Companions to the best of my ability despite our size differences. Even with the window closed, it was hard to ignore all of the noise that was going on outside. I could tell from the voices it was the town¡¯s mayor and some other townsfolk who were nearby that were demanding answers on what was going on. I tried to block them out of my mind as much as I could.

    ¡°God, what the hell was I doing?¡± I asked aloud, not being able to think straight right then. ¡°To be pushed that far because of a damn kid ¡­ I really acted my ¡®age¡¯ that time, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think that happened, Soar?¡± Breezy asked.

    ¡°It could be a number of things. The stress of last night¡¯s events putting me on edge, anxious of what Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s parents talked to mine about, my renewed hormones or whatever taking advantage of that, maybe all of this energy that¡¯s been so high all of these years was finally getting too much for me to control and not go overboard?¡±

    ¡°What are ¡®hormones¡¯?¡± Mist asked, but I continued without answering.

    ¡°There¡¯s not a lot I can do to expend all of this energy that isn¡¯t training and hunting. Even controlling smaller amounts while not letting loose has been making me feel aggravated lately. I have not felt the exhaustion that I had after my ¡®hard work.¡¯ I¡¯ve continuously controlled mana through my body until I run out as part of my training and yet that has started becoming a breeze unless I put more into it. Even after how well I did my tests today, especially the magic portion, while I do feel mentally and emotionally exhausted, I don¡¯t feel that way in my body at all. I¡¯m starting to question what my true limits are, especially after our recent large power boost and I¡¯m getting a little worried about it until I go all out and feel that satisfying exhaustion again.¡±

    ¡°So, basically, you¡¯ve gotten tired and bored with how you lived with your magic up to now and want something different? Something that challenges yourself to expend more than what you normally would?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Thank you, Breezy, I don¡¯t think I could put it any better. I want to see more of what I could do with my magic, but after that performance with just my Wind Needle, I¡¯m afraid I might destroy an entire forest if I go any further than that.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Maybe what you did back there was something that needed to be done.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Shadina?¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Up to now, you¡¯re usually seen as a kid with talent, but that¡¯s just it. You¡¯re a ¡®kid,¡¯ in that body right now, anyway. You¡¯ve done all you could to hide what you can really do to avoid attracting unwanted attention while trying to gain the adults¡¯ respects as a sort of equal, people who can take you seriously without thinking ¡®he really doesn¡¯t know much for one of his age.¡¯

    ¡°In reality though, you know a lot more than others think, a lot more than they may in their entire lives. Even without the Great Sage gift and the forms before it, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d still be a very intelligent man, and your willingness to learn about us and the world with such perseverance has greatly earned my respect. I think Renne is the only person in this town other than us five who feels a similar way about you.

    ¡°Sure, things might¡¯ve turned into a disaster at the end and your birthday may be a bust, but now they all know what you¡¯re really capable of and will have to think about how to treat you from now on. They¡¯ve seen how you¡¯ve ¡®grown up,¡¯ in a sense. Isn¡¯t that an accomplishment in itself?¡±

    I had to think about it for a bit. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s true that I wanted to be taken more seriously, and there were times I want to ¡®grow up¡¯ into an adult quickly, but ¡­ a part of me is kind of attached to this simpler, easier life. When I wasn¡¯t training, I would either talk and spend time with you guys, immerse myself in books, take naps, or help the adults in town. It¡¯s more than what I¡¯ve ever done in my previous life. Mom may be suffocating at times to show her ¡®motherly love¡¯ and Dad may show me off around a bit more than needed to the point of annoyance, but they¡¯ve done a lot more than what my previous parents have ever done for me, and that kind of makes me a little happy.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m starting to see these things now than I have before because of how much my life will change from now on ¡­ and I¡¯m kind of scared of that. If I knew these things before all of this, then I might¡¯ve not taken Agnes¡¯ provocations so personally and not go overboard if it means I could live this simpler life for just a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Soar ¡­¡±

    ¡°Speaking of Agnes ¡­ don¡¯t you think what you said to her was rather harsh?¡± Breezy asked.

    ¡°Yeah ¡­ even though I knew how harsh it would be, I feel kind of shitty about it now. Annoying as she was, she was still a kid, and a girl at that. They can get really literal on some things and take them very personally despite not knowing how much they do the same to others. I don¡¯t know what got her to antagonize me so much, but there wasn¡¯t much reason for me to stoop down to her level, either. I know I intended to be that way so she wouldn¡¯t bother me anymore, but saying it aloud then, that might¡¯ve been going too far.¡±

    I sighed in defeat and close my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m gonna try to nap and figure out what to say to her if she sticks around. I think I could at least apologize for going so out of line, but I¡¯m not going to do the same for totally beating her in sword and magic.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that brat really needed to learn the taste of defeat this time around. Some people don¡¯t really learn until they fail at something. I know that much from watching my old Chaperone firsthand,¡± Cinder commented.

    ¡°You just rest however much you can, Soar. We¡¯ll nap along with you and figure out what to do next after that,¡± Breezy said.

    ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡± With that and my Companions in my arms, I tried to relax and zone out from the noise going on outside.

    ~~

    Sometime after Soar went inside, some of the nearby townsfolk came in and was stunned in fright at the sight of the destruction left behind by a ¡®young¡¯ man¡¯s Wind Needle. As his parents, as well as the other adults nearby, tried to calm everyone down to explain the situation, Fila and Onelri looked at the door where Soar went inside with concern. Agnes blankly stared at the aftermath of his magic demonstration, sitting on her knees, not even bothering the stains the grass would leave on her extravagant pants after collapsing on them from what he said to her before parting.

    ¡°Soar¡¯s really upset, Onelri,¡± Fila started out of the adults¡¯ earshot.

    ¡°Gee, you think? I am sure he is from how he ignored our calls as he got inside.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just that ¡­ did you hear what he said to Agnes?¡±

    ¡°No, what?¡±

    Fila closed in and whispered what she heard in Onelri¡¯s long elf ears.

    ¡°Whoa ¡­ he said that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried, Onelri ¡­ what if Soar ends up running away from his own parents like he did with us? I¡¯ve known a few kids back in my school who did that when they were the same way.¡±

    Onelri shifted her gaze in various directions before whispering into Fila¡¯s bunny ears then. ¡°I can still see his magical aura and it looks like his fairies are with him, too. After something like that happening, while I do not know how much magic he really has, I am sure he is resting right now after everything today. If I see something different, I will let Mr. and Mrs. Osmis know.¡±

    ¡°Still, I wish there was something we could do for Soar, though ¡­¡±

    ¡°Um, excuse me.¡±

    A new voice broke the silence before Onelri and Fila turned to the visitor. It was a girl taller than them, but look to be only a couple years older, wearing a modest blouse and skirt while hugging a wrapped package in her arms. Her skin was rather pale while her black locks cut in a bob shined in the sunlight. Hovering behind her was a Wind Fairy with her cerulean hair tied in a short ponytail.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but overhear. Did something happen to Soar? Are you two friends of his?¡±

    ¡°¡­ And who are you to invade in our private talk?¡± Onelri asked with a quirked brow.

    ¡°Ah! Please excuse me for being rude. My name is Claire Galloway. I¡¯m one of Soar¡¯s classmates in this town¡¯s school.¡±

    ¡°But you look so much older and bigger though?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°We have very few classes where the age gaps between students are quite big. I¡¯m one of the oldest being 14 years old.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Fila Gartner, and this is Onelri Gulzu. We came from out of town. I want to say we¡¯re Soar¡¯s friends, but ¡­ I¡¯m not sure right now.¡±

    ¡°He told us he never interacted with the other students in his class, though, so what brings you, a classmate of his, out here asking for him?¡± Onelri asked.

    ¡°¡­ Huh? He didn¡¯t mention me?¡± Claire asked more to herself as she looked away with a hand to her chin.

    ¡°Not even once.¡±

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s true that I¡¯ve never seen him play with the others but he¡¯s always let me sit in the same table as him at the library while we read books together, though he always seemed so immersed that not much would distract him from reading. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think he even looked at me at those times, let alone talked. Did I ever give him my name?¡± Claire mumbled to herself further.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Um, have you known Soar for a while, Claire?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°Huh? Oh! Yes, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯ve known him personally, but I¡¯ve seen him in class since he first enrolled in school.¡±

    ¡°Could you tell us more about how he was with the other kids in school? What they think of him, possibly?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see ¡­ what he said about not interacting with the other kids is true. He was fixated on his studies the moment he started school and always shut himself away from the other kids. Even when one or two of them tried to invite him to play, he¡¯d turn them down politely at first, but when they get persistent enough to bother him, he¡¯d have Ms. Renne come in and break it off. By that point, they¡¯d talk behind his back about being a teacher¡¯s pet in a bad way.¡±

    ¡°The foxkin beastman? He does seem pretty close to her,¡± Onelri commented as her eyes shifted to Renne who was calming the other townsfolk down. The fox-girl teacher¡¯s own eyes would occasionally shift up to one of the windows of the second floor of Soar¡¯s home, showing not only how concerned she was about her star student but how she even knew where his room was.

    ¡°He looked like he knew what they were talking about but he didn¡¯t confront them about it at all and just went on with his studying,¡± Claire continued. ¡°Even though he was bad at getting along with the other kids, he was very intelligent in class. He even asked Ms. Renne and the other few teachers at our school to allow him to sit in on the older kids¡¯ classes after his own would end for the day. You would think a kid his age at the time would be distracting everyone in the room but things went on like he wasn¡¯t even there. Thanks to that, even though I moved up to the ¡®older kids¡¯¡¯ class by the different age group, I¡¯d still get to see him and how he observed everything. A short while after that, I even caught him practicing magic on his own once.¡±

    ¡°Soar was good at using magic back then, too?¡± Fila asked, eyes widened and floppy rabbit ears perked straight up in shock.

    ¡°Um ¡­ how old was he when you saw him?¡± Onelri asked.

    ¡°That had to have been when he was 5 or 6 years old if I remember right.¡±

    ¡°¡°What?!¡±¡± the two girls exclaimed. Even Agnes, who was listening into Soar¡¯s school life, jerked her head to them with widened eyes.

    Onelri dropped to all fours on the grass and hung her head in defeat. ¡°What the heck ¡­ me, a dark elf, could not start magic until eight years old, and yet here is Soar, a human boy, who started three years earlier. Even if he is a ¡®Fairy¡¯s Child,¡¯ what kind of cruel joke is this?¡±

    ¡°¡®Fairy¡¯s child?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ah, she means a person who¡¯s blessed with magic,¡± Claire explained to Fila. ¡°While there are talented Magicians of any race, there are some who are more apparent by their distinguishable bright hair and eye color that match. Since fairies have a similar color scheme, we call these people ¡®Fairy Children,¡¯ but some would call them the ¡®Maidens¡¯ Children¡¯ as it was said the Six Elemental Maidens who helped bring fairies to this world were the ones that blessed these people a gift in magic. They don¡¯t show up very often, though, I heard there are usually 1 in every 300 people. The owner of this town¡¯s popular restaurant is the only local other than Soar who¡¯s one with light green hair and eyes, but that handsome man with the navy-blue hair and eyes along with the girl here having them in the scarlet color would also be called as such.

    ¡°Anyway, going back to Soar, he seemed really interesting to me, he wasn¡¯t like the other kids,¡± Claire continued as she looked down on the grass and smiled while hugging the wrapped package close to her chest, recalling the memories. ¡°I wanted to get to know him, become a friend of his despite our differences in age, but I didn¡¯t want to bother him and his studies. So, I settled with reading books next to him in the library and watched him from afar. I guess he didn¡¯t really notice me all of those times, and from the sound of it, I don¡¯t think he ever really learned anybody¡¯s names from our school, other than the teachers¡¯, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Wait, so you basically stalked him all of this time?¡± Onelri asked while looking up from her defeated pose.

    ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t stalking! They were all coincidences! Really! It wouldn¡¯t be hard seeing him since he helped the adults in town with chores or some other community service!¡±

    ¡°Wow ¡­¡± Fila said, her eyes brightened and sparkled with interest the more she heard of Soar¡¯s exploits.

    ¡°So ¡­ Soar does not get along with other kids around his own age, but he does it well enough with the adults. He started casting magic at a young age but did you ever see him do it anymore after that first time?¡± Onelri asked after getting back up.

    ¡°¡­ Actually, now that you mention it, no, I didn¡¯t. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him cast magic again until he officially moved up to higher education with the rest of those in his age group. In those classes, we would start participating in demonstrations and practice sessions involving magic. I have heard him receiving some private tutoring from Ms. Renne at times, so it¡¯s possible he¡¯s practiced with magic more with her at the least, but when I first saw him participated in the practice sessions with the rest of the class ¡­ it didn¡¯t look like he improved that much since I first saw him, which surprised me from how much he studied on the subject.¡±

    ¡°And yet, Soar¡¯s parents, Mr. Osmis¡¯ former hunting party, and even Ms. Renne talked how much he has improved over the years ¡­ which means he has been holding back his full potential for far longer than any of us had realized,¡± Onelri concluded.

    ¡°Why would Soar do that?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°Well ¡­ just look at that and the answer is clear. I do not think even he knew how powerful that was until today,¡± Onelri tilted her head at the direction of the aftermath from Soar¡¯s magic demonstration.

    Claire and her Wind Fairy looked over at the site and both of them paled. ¡°W-Wait, he ¡­¡± Claire stuttered while pointing at the destruction.

    ¡°Soar knew his talent would bring a reaction like yours on other people, too. He did not want to cause a disturbance and he did not want others to bother him, either. With that in mind, he has been controlling how his magic would be seen by other people for the longest time, to show that he was indeed growing, but not so much that it would go above and beyond anyone¡¯s expectations over a kid.¡±

    ¡°As expected of a dark elf, you are a sharp one for your age.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Osmis ¡­¡± Fila trailed off as she and the others saw Gullivan, his wife Carol, and Renne joining in the conversation. Gullivan¡¯s former hunting party continued with talking the townsfolk down and out of earshot. Fila¡¯s, Onelri¡¯s and Agnes¡¯ respective parents/guardians were talking amongst themselves off to the side.

    ¡°Wait, have the three of you known how capable Soar was all along?¡± Onelri asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ve known Soar was a special boy since he was a baby ¡­ just not how much,¡± Carol started before giving a wry smile.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Gullivan followed. ¡°We were in shock when Ms. Renne here told us Soar just destroyed the record for being the youngest human to cast magic for the first time. We were wondering how soon it would be for him to make a contract with a Fairy Companion ¡­ and wouldn¡¯t ya know it, he shattered another one not too long after Ms. Renne first broke the news to us. He didn¡¯t just make a contract with a Companion at the youngest age of 5, he made it with three at once. I believe one would expect some elves and those from nobility to be a Chaperone of that many. It¡¯s uncommon for someone in a backcountry town like ours to even be a Chaperone for two, let alone three.¡±

    ¡°Th-Three fairies ¡­¡± Agnes stuttered.

    ¡°How do you know Soar had three of them?¡± Onelri asked.

    ¡°Ms. Renne here¡¯s got some perceptive eyes,¡± Gullivan answered. ¡°She was able to see his fairies not too long after she told us of his magic demonstration. We¡¯ve ¡­ also known how he started training and going off to the woods on his own once he got a handle of battling monsters, despite us telling him not to unless we say otherwise. We had her keep an eye out for him whenever she could. Us three were the only ones who knew of this.¡±

    ¡°Why have you not punished Soar for breaking the rules? Or actually, why have you trained him to battle monsters to begin with?¡± Claire asked.

    ¡°Well, he was the one who asked me to teach him how to use a sword to start with,¡± Gullivan crossed his arms and closed his eyes, taking a trip through memory lane. ¡°Even back then at his age, he possessed remarkable talent and he took my lessons well. I had him show his stuff to Seal and the others not too long after we started and they took an interest in teaching him their specialties as well. I guess at some point, we didn¡¯t need to worry much because of how well he could watch out for himself without causing problems for others, and with three fairies watching over him? Don¡¯t even get me started. I suppose you could say we made his training sessions harder as an unannounced punishment for ignoring our rules, but from the look of it, we might¡¯ve gotten carried away despite how he had gone through them with little to no issue.¡±

    ¡°I had some feeling he was holding back some time after he started training,¡± Renne said. ¡°When I heard how well he was doing, I think all of us had the same idea of wanting to see what Soar could do at his full potential.¡±

    ¡°Seal had that idea in mind when he brought Lady Agnes over,¡± Gullivan continued. ¡°He was starting to get some sense of Soar holding back as well and was wondering what to do to pull out his full potential when Lady Agnes mentioned wanting to see Soar. Having someone of a similar age, experience with the sword, and at the same aptitude for magic, even if we took the number of their fairies out of the equation, I guess both of us thought the competitive rivalry would draw it out of him.¡±

    ¡°So, Soar ¡­ was pushed to giving his all not just by Agnes, but his parents and their friends as well, even though he didn¡¯t want to. And now he¡¯s upset because he felt he did something really bad. I could tell that much from the tone of his voice and how quickly he ran up to his room as he left,¡± Fila summarized while pointing to her ears, showing how she could tell with her hearing.

    ¡°I guess at the end of it all, Soar only wanted to live in peace without others bothering him ¡­ he didn¡¯t think his own family and their friends would do the same,¡± Claire added.

    ¡°No,¡± Onelri argued, ¡°it is because of them, all ¡®responsible¡¯ adults, that Soar felt he should not let their egging-on get the better of him and continued to ¡®train¡¯ with minimal effort up to today. He had probably got used to the treatment over time, and things would have been the same this time around, too ¡­ if it were not for one girl who he knew that method would not work on if he wanted her to stop bothering him for good.¡±

    ¡°You mean Agnes ¡­¡± Fila trailed off as she and the rest look over to the boyish-looking, red-headed girl as she stared at the ground, bangs covering her eyes to make her expression unreadable. Her lips were moving, but the words were quiet and incoherent.

    ¡°Lady Agnes, are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Claire Galloway!¡± Agnes exclaimed while her head was still down, interrupting Renne and surprising her along with the others around them.

    ¡°Y-Yes?!¡± Claire responded in slight fright.

    ¡°That restaurant you mentioned! Does Soar frequent it?!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, uh, yes. I¡¯ve seen him go there sometimes for lunch while studying and he has been there for dinner with his family. I think he and the restaurant owner are good friends.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, are you sure you are not a stalker?¡± Onelri asked with a quirked brow.

    ¡°What¡¯s a stalker?¡± Fila followed while tilting her head in confusion.

    ¡°Never mind that! What is the name of that restaurant, and do you have a popular place for sweets and pastries?!¡± Agnes exclaimed.

    ¡°The restaurant is called the Hungry Wolf, and for sweets and pastries ¡­ that would be Donovan¡¯s Sweets. They both should be around the same area.¡±

    ¡°Melissa!¡± Agnes called. The maid who was with Onelri¡¯s and Fila¡¯s parents quickly came to her call soon after, despite drawing the attention of some of the remaining townsfolk who were hanging around inspecting the damage on the yard.

    ¡°We will return soon. Please excuse us for our abrupt exit¡ª¡±

    ¡°Have you not done enough already?!¡± Onelri exclaimed, making Agnes jump. ¡°You crashed Soar¡¯s birthday and you have done nothing but antagonize and talk down on him! He floored you in both sword and magic! What more could you possibly want after all of that?! I do not care where you stand in class and talent, Agnes Zanri, if you are looking for a rematch, you will have to go through me first and we will see who is ¡®superior¡¯ between the two of us!¡±

    Onelri silently summoned a Dark Ball while holding a hand up, ready to unleash at any time while staring down on Agnes¡¯ scarlet eyes with her own that burns with determination and resolve. Fila stood next to her dark elf friend, uncertain of how to stop her from going too far.

    Though surprised at first, Agnes didn¡¯t cower or falter under the young dark elf girl¡¯s heated gaze. On the contrary, her face is collected and poised.

    ¡°¡­ Onelri Gulzu, and Fila Gartner, correct?¡± Agnes asked while exchanging glances between the two respective girls. Then, much to everyone¡¯s surprise, she gets on one knee and lowers her head before the two of them. ¡°If I have offended either of you, then please accept my sincerest apologies.¡±

    ¡°¡°Huh?¡±¡± the two girls uttered, Onelri deactivated her Dark Ball spell in the process.

    ¡°I also assure you that I no longer harbor any further ill will towards Soar,¡± Agnes continued as she got back up and stared straight into Onelri¡¯s silver eyes with a fist to her chest. ¡°It is because I must return as soon as possible in order to atone for my disgraceful behavior towards him and the rest of you all today. That said, Onelri, Fila, if you would allow me a moment, I wish to ask the two of you a favor ¡­¡±

 Chapter 14: I Sure Was Surprised Back Then

    Whoa ¡­ did I sleep until the evening?

    The sun was setting by the time I woke up. I was sure I had messed up my internal clock and would not get some good sleep that night, but that was the least of my concerns. The outside was quiet, which meant the people who were there making that racket a while ago finally left, but the near-deafening silence was too much for my comfort.

    Did nobody come to check up on me?

    <¡°We woke up and hid when your mom came and called for you. She saw you sleeping and left you alone,¡±> Cinder answered.

    That¡¯s it? She didn¡¯t do anything at all?

    <¡°Well, she did kneel to your side, brushed your bangs, and kissed your forehead before she left,¡±> Shadina said.

    ¡­ That could either be really good or really, really bad. Did any of you check and see what she was doing afterward?

    <¡°We didn¡¯t feel like it was safe enough to leave you alone around that time, even if we only sent one of us over to check in on them. If something happened, we¡¯d rather be together and ready to protect you.¡±>

    <¡°More like we want to sleep with you more than check outside. Mist and others not want to leave,¡±> Mist corrected, uncovering the truth Breezy hid.

    <¡°Onelri and Fila have been fiddling outside your door for a while, though,¡±> Cinder said.

    I stiffened up a little from hearing that. With ¡®what could they want?¡¯ in my mind, I quietly put on my shoes and approached the door. My Companions hovered right above it as I turned the knob and opened a crack.

    ¡°Ah! Soar! You¡¯re finally up!¡±

    ¡°You must have been tired to sleep that long. Well, considering your performance earlier, I suppose that is to be expected.¡±

    Fila and Onelri delivered their greetings while I opened the door fully. ¡°How long have you been out here?¡±

    ¡°Not for very long,¡± Fila answered.

    <¡°That¡¯s a lie. The two of them have been standing in front of the door taking shifts at first before waiting together,¡±> Cinder refuted.

    What are they, post guards? ¡°What happened to the people that came here and made all of that noise earlier?¡± I asked despite my doubts.

    ¡°Your father and his former party managed to settle things down and covered for you before they left. I suppose they have experience handling that much being hunters for so long, huh?¡±

    After Onelri answered, I exchanged glances with the both of them. I was at a loss for what to say.

    ¡°Are you okay, Soar?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but ¡­ what about you two?¡±

    ¡°What about us?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you ¡­ I don¡¯t know, scared of me? Cautious at least, after the stunt I pulled?¡±

    ¡°Well, seeing how you were last night and getting all of those fairies¡¯ powers, those of us who were there that time sort of expected you to have quite the power-up, but not that much. We did not expect your family and their friends to be so shocked, though. Have they never seen that extent of your power up to then?¡± Onelri asked.

    I shook my head. ¡°I held myself back up to that point so I wouldn¡¯t draw any suspicion and only conjured enough to show improvement from the last time they saw it.¡±

    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s just like you said, Onelri!¡± Fila exclaimed with excitement. I only stood there with a quirked brow.

    ¡°So, why did you pick then to let off more than usual?¡± Onelri asked.

    ¡°I think what happened last night had still left me on edge. I wanted to deal with it on my own but Agnes¡¯ interference didn¡¯t help at all. I wanted her to stop having anything to do with me and leave, to not bother me again. That, and I was honestly starting to get tired of holding myself back for so long. I didn¡¯t account for how much I had powered up after last night, though.¡±

    ¡°Did you really have to say something so harsh to Agnes after that, though?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°¡­ So, you heard that huh? I tried to be really quiet about it, too.¡±

    ¡°Mama and I have really good senses of hearing.¡±

    ¡°Though, to be fair, for someone like her, she needed quite the blow to her pride to even get the message. Heck, I thought the world might have gone upside down seeing how someone of my age can actually be on par with one of my hometown¡¯s elders and they were the greatest Magicians I have seen, emphasis on ¡®were,¡¯¡± Onelri said.

    ¡°What happened to Agnes?¡± I asked. ¡°After reflecting on it, I really should apologize to her for that uncalled for comment.¡±

    ¡°She left a while ago, but ¡­ you might want to come down with us.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    With knowing smirks on their faces, each of the girls took one of my hands and led me down the stairs like they did when they took me to the backyard for my ¡®interrogation.¡¯ My Companions followed close behind, but still out of sight and close to the ceiling.

    By the time we reached the bottom and made the turn ¡­

    ¡°There¡¯s my young man!¡±

    ¡°W-Whoa! Dad?!¡± I exclaimed in shock as I was suddenly lifted from the ground and set on his arm, putting me on the same level as him.

    ¡°Boy, you¡¯ve really gotten bigger. I have to start using strength enhancement magic to even carry you now.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even ask you to carry me! What¡¯s going ¡­ on?¡± I trailed off as I looked over to the lobby and my eyes widened.

    In the center of the lobby, everybody was there with smiles and waves. There¡¯s one more among them, a girl some years older than me with black hair cut in a bob, who I was unfamiliar with as she tried to hide in the crowd while peeking out of it. In the middle of them was a table with a large cake and some other sweets. Another table had many appetizers that were already starting to get eaten and I could smell more food was being cooked from the kitchen. Everyone was in the lobby, so I wondered who was even cooking. Finally, on one more table was a pile of objects in various sizes wrapped in thin brown paper and string. That was how most gifts in that world were wrapped and presented on special occasions. There were ways to color the paper to make the wrapped gifts look better along with some accessories like ribbons, but they cost more due to the process of making them more complicated than just regular brown paper and string. You¡¯d see more gifts like those in parties held by nobles compared to commoners like me and my family.

    Other than that, there were decorations of little flags hung above me, a banner on the wall that read ¡®HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOAR!¡¯, and a couple small tables and chairs set up with empty plates and silverware, ready for people to occupy. There was one table in particular that only had four seats, and one of the chairs had a sign that read ¡®FOR SOAR ONLY¡¯ in this country¡¯s main language of Auran that hung from the back. Like the banner, the sign was drawn with charcoal pencils that had some cute pictures and images spread around, including five faces at the top with simple-drawn hair and ears that bore a striking resemblance to me and the girls, plus Agnes and the new unfamiliar girl who hid in the crowd. The sign practically screamed it was made by a kid or two. Then there was one table with many tiny tables and chairs on top of it, along with some toothpicks and leaves that are likely used for ¡®tableware¡¯ for a fairy¡¯s use, taking all of the people¡¯s Companion guests into account to partake in the celebration.

    My previous birthdays were never that extravagant, and while it seemed big enough already with just my parents and their friends, the additions of Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families along with the new girl made the party even bigger.

    ¡°W-What is ¡­ this? Aren¡¯t I in trouble?¡± I asked, at a loss for what was going on.

    ¡°Well, from seeing your expression earlier, you were just as surprised by that outcome as the rest of us. It caused quite a stir from the other townsfolk, but thankfully, nobody got hurt,¡± Dad answered as he carried me to the center of the lobby.

    ¡°I¡¯m probably gonna have to do a lot of chores to repair the yard and those dummies I broke, right?¡±

    ¡°I think ¡®broke¡¯ would be an understatement here,¡± Weiss comments.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Your old man knows how to use Earth Magic to repair damages like that in a jiffy. Honestly, I¡¯ve seen much worse, and there¡¯s always more lumber for us to make into more training dummies,¡± Dad said.

    ¡°Soar, you¡¯ve done a lot more for us over the years than you might think. It would be one thing if a neighbor¡¯s belongings and property got damaged, but we¡¯re well off enough to pay for our own things, no problem. Most importantly, we have much to apologize for as we¡¯re partially to blame for how that turned out,¡± Mom added.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a talk about what happened today and where things will go later. For now, though, you got a birthday you need to enjoy with your new friends and that is something we cannot overlook!¡± Dad said before laughing heartily.

    ¡°Food¡¯s on!¡±

    ¡°Feast for the birthday boy, coming through!¡±

    ¡°Wait, Wallace?! And Enya, too?! They were the ones cooking in the kitchen?!¡± I exclaimed as the husband-and-wife owners of the popular restaurant in Lunargrove, the Hungry Wolf, walked in with large dishes of freshly-cooked food. Wallace had a large build that was more on the rotund side compared to Dad. He was the main founder of the restaurant I paid regular visits to over my magic studies and eating out for dinner on occasion. I got to know him personally because he was the only other person in town who had distinguishable, matching hair and eye color he was born with like mine¡ªhis features were light green with mine being sky blue¡ªthat he had a bit of a complex over, and so we made a camaraderie from that. His wife, Enya, was more youthful, fitter, and is of the wolfkin from the beastman race with light gray hair, wolf ears, and tail. She had a bulging stomach that wasn¡¯t hindering her work in the slightest, but it was clear she was expecting.

    I had sometimes seen one or both of them in the market picking up ingredients for the restaurant, but that was the first I ever saw both of them in my own home and cooking our food, no less.

    ¡°Surprised? This was a bit of a last-minute thing for us, too, you know?¡± Enya asked.

    ¡°It was an interesting change of pace, though, catering for an occasion. That rich red-headed lass really brought up some good ideas for business opportunities,¡± Wallace added.

    ¡°¡­ Rich red-headed lass?¡± They couldn¡¯t have mean ¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s just what you¡¯re thinking, Soar. The food, cake, sweets, decorations, too. The lass provided all of it while we set everything up,¡± Dad answered for me as he gestured the lobby¡¯s current condition.

    ¡°¡­ Why? Doesn¡¯t she hate me? Being a ¡®filthy, ignorant commoner?¡¯¡± I asked.

    ¡°I might have to apologize for that,¡± Seal said as he approached me, his soft smile was a little awkward and apologetic. ¡°I was sort of aware of how Lady Agnes was with other noble kids that¡¯s completely different from how she behaved around me when I gave her lessons. I thought Lady Agnes would be different this time when she would meet you since she brought up the idea first, but I didn¡¯t think it would come to what transpired today, especially when I had her come along for my own selfish reasons.¡±

    ¡°Where is she? And her butler?¡±

    ¡°They left after finishing these arrangements. Lady Agnes even told me to take my time on my return before we start another lesson, and she said she would not prohibit me from coming to see you with yours as well.¡±

    ¡°Huh ¡­¡±

    ¡°Soar, things may not have started out the way I had hoped, but I think you did a good thing with Lady Agnes today. From what Melissa had told me, she had not been so humble and mellow throughout the rest of her time here before she even met you. Today¡¯s events might have really opened her eyes, something that she desperately needed.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Agnes even apologized to Onelri and me, too! She asked us to watch over and distract you for a while until the party was set up.¡±

    ¡°Though she did not directly insult us, while the thought was fine, I told her I would rather she apologized to you directly. I thought how she handled things after you left was kind of mixed, but I suppose I could understand why she did it this way,¡± Fila and Onelri voiced their own points on the matter.

    I was at a loss for what to say, for that brat to go to such lengths after I said something so awful to her, even if my feelings towards her during that time were true.

    ¡°Lady Agnes also wanted me to give this to you before she left,¡± Seal then said while holding up an envelope towards me.

    With Dad supporting me on his arm as my seat, I opened up the envelope and read the contents of the folded letter found inside.

    [I will work hard to become ¡®something¡¯ to you.

    Until then, while we both work towards our goals, let us cross paths again, so that I can show you how hard I trained to catch up to you.

    Happy Birthday, and may the gods bless you another good year and more.

    Agnes Zanri]

    The writing that was made in the letter looked refined, practiced, and clean while it was done in ink. I didn¡¯t know what Agnes used to write it, or if she even wrote it herself at all and had her butler do it for her instead, but one could see how much care and thought was put into writing each letter in this short message.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Soar?¡± Dad asked. Since I was next to him, he could¡¯ve very well seen the contents of the letter as well, but I could tell he looked away for my own sake of discretion.

    ¡°¡­ I have a lot to think over for a while.¡± Now I really need to apologize next time I see her.

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Well, enough with the sappy stuff! The man of the hour is here, the food¡¯s hot, so let¡¯s party!¡± Weiss exclaimed.

    ¡°Easy, playboy, there¡¯s still one matter left to take care of.¡±

    ¡°Et tu, Renne?!¡±

    Ms. Renne ignored Weiss¡¯ comeback and looked over to me with a mature smile. ¡°Soar ¡­ isn¡¯t it about time you introduce us?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Ms. Renne looked up to her right, her gaze pointing at the three fairies I had seen from her class, her three own Companions that are of Wind, Darkness, and Fire. I couldn¡¯t tell if they had their hide-detection spell off for others to see since I could see them regardless of my magic-enhanced vision, but they all look to me with knowing smug smirks.

    I looked around the lobby and the majority of them had similar expressions. Wallace and Enya were confused to what was going on and felt out of the loop, but they all noticed their gaze directed at me, and so they did the same, silently asking me to fill them in.

    ¡°¡­ Why¡¯s everybody looking at me like that?¡±

    ¡°Come on, Soar, it should be obvious to everyone here at this point,¡± Lilia said.

    ¡°That, would not have been possible by your own magic alone,¡± Seal added while pointing his thumb back behind him, to the backyard where the destruction I left from my magic demonstration was still there.

    ¡°I was wondering what happened with that!¡±

    ¡°Wait, that was you, Soar?! Did you finally make a contract with a fairy?!¡± Enya and Wallace pretty much asked the question for everybody in the room. Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families weren¡¯t as invested in the question since they knew the answer already.

    My face still paled from that question as I broke into a cold sweat. I didn¡¯t know how likely it was for an experienced Magician with no fairies to be able to pull off what I did, but it would be more than stupid for anybody to believe a kid around my [physical] age to do that same thing under those circumstances (even though that was sort of the case as I had my Companions to move as far away from me as possible beforehand).

    I knew I would be questioned after that but I didn¡¯t have a chance to come up with a convincing story. As I tried to come up with some good excuse, Ms. Renne walked up and cupped a hand over my ear. ¡°Don¡¯t even try to refute, Soar~. I¡¯ve known for a while~, and I told your parents about it, too~.¡±

    The whisper that was surely meant to tease me seemed seductive the way she phrased it and how her hot breath hit my ear, making me redden a little. I¡¯m sure a prepubescent boy who got caught ogling a woman¡¯s large breasts would react something similar.

    ¡°Soar,¡± Mom said, making me jump a little since I didn¡¯t see her get so close to me until then. She brushed my bangs to the side and cupped my face with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have your reasons for keeping them a secret up to now and we¡¯ll go over it after the party, but for now, we really want to meet your Companions. They¡¯ve looked after you all this time, right? We want to thank them properly and accept them as part of the family, like Dew and Tyra.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Soar! Introduce us! I¡¯ve been ripping my hair out pretending not to know all this time!¡±

    ¡°Mm. Please, do.¡± Dew and Tyra also made their own statements as they both hovered next to my face.

    Since Dad was carrying me, I was basically cornered from all sides with no way out.

    <¡°Soar ¡­ you¡¯ve been frustrated keeping it a secret this whole time, too, weren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time?¡±> Breeze asked in my mind through telepathy. They had to have been hiding off to the side with their hide-detection spell on full blast, to keep themselves from being noticed by other people and fairies alike.

    With that, I sighed in defeat. ¡°¡­ Breezy, Mist, Shadina, Cinder, would you all come in, please?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Wait, what¡ª?¡± Dad asked first when my Companions came in from the stairs and appeared themselves before everyone in the lobby. They all uttered a collective gasp, including the adults¡¯ fairies and even Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s parents when they were already aware of my circumstances. They were likely shocked by the drastic growth spurt my Companions went through compared to what they saw last night. The four fairies hovered together as they slowly spun around in a circle so everyone would have a good look at them.

    ¡°Everyone ¡­ these are my fairies. Three of them I made a contract with all at once when I was 5, I made one with the fourth just recently.¡±

    ¡°Hello, everybody, I¡¯m Breezy! Nice to finally meet you all properly! We¡¯ve gotten much bigger due to recent circumstances but I hope we get along!¡±

    ¡°I am Shadina. There¡¯s nothing more I and the rest of us want than our adorable Soar¡¯s happiness. We hope you all can help provide it as much as we have.¡±

    ¡°Mist¡¯s name is Mist. Soar took great care of us. Will become awesome Magician one day. Mist will do best to help make happen, like rest of us.¡±

    ¡°Yo, name¡¯s Cinder, I just joined the group recently after some stuff happened. We have yet to see what he can do with Fire Magic, but with how talented he is, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll have much trouble.¡±

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    The lobby fell into deathly silence for a brief moment until a loud thud broke it.

    ¡°Ms. Renne!¡± I exclaimed.

    For the second time in my life, I saw Ms. Renne fall from going faint.

    With that, one of my many secrets was known by everyone in the lobby that evening, and honestly? I was relieved more people knew about it then. Keeping such a heavy secret hidden can take a big toll out of you. I can now sympathize a little on what superheroes have gone through to keep their identities hidden. It kind of makes us lonelier than what others might think. I was lucky I even have my Companions to confide into at times, but it still made me feel out of place that others didn¡¯t know about it, or at least I thought they didn¡¯t know, since Ms. Renne and my parents knew about it for a while then.

    Regardless, putting the approaching serious talk I¡¯d have with my family and Ms. Renne on the backburner, I continued with my most colorful and eventful birthday yet.

 Chapter 15: That Party Was Going So Well, Too ...

    While Mom was helping Ms. Renne recover from her faint, we got our helpings for dinner and I explained how I met my first three fairies, Breezy, Shadina, and Mist from the beginning, how I trained with them and got to know them while they put in their own inputs and side stories. I came up with a story on how I met Cinder in the meantime. I ended up with how she was given to me by a dying old man experienced in Fire and Darkness Magic who was a former soldier of the Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s guard.

    ¡°How terrible. Watching a man dying from a monster¡¯s poison, digging a grave at his request, wrapping his body with the emergency tarp you carried in your Dark Space before putting him inside and bury him, all within the few hours of the early morning while in the middle of your training ¡­ you must¡¯ve been so stressed after doing all of that. It¡¯s clear now why you looked so on edge when Agnes came and antagonized you,¡± Mom cried along with some of the other ladies in the room. Even Wallace was getting choked up and having difficulty holding back his tears.

    ¡°You¡¯re a good man, Soar. Couldn¡¯t have done it any better than you did,¡± Dad added while patting my back. The guys in his former hunter¡¯s party made their own silent prayers. ¡°Plus, with Cinder and that Darkness Fairy adding her power to Shadina¡¯s through those rituals, those are blessings not many can come by easily. You must cherish it as you have with your Companions up to now.¡±

    ¡°I will ¡­¡±

    The only ones who weren¡¯t affected by the story I pulled out of my ass was, of course, Fila, Onelri, and their families as they knew what really happened with that ¡®old man.¡¯ They only looked at me in shock, probably of how I managed to come up with all of that on the fly with a straight face.

    It helped that Cinder, Shadina, and my other Companions agreed on parts of my story. Fairies, while they can be mischievous, they can also be as big liars as any normal person would. If they¡¯re really ethereal beings that could only tell the truth while incapable of lying, I¡¯d be screwed a long time ago.

    From how the majority of people in the lobby reacted to my story, I have confirmed that Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s parents really didn¡¯t tell my own anything about what actually happened. It was honestly a surprise to me that they¡¯d keep their word after everything within the last day and a half.

    To top it off, I showed everybody the kingdom guard¡¯s standard-issue iron shortsword and dagger that he ¡®gave¡¯ me, saying they were old and he was satisfied resting with his own weapons. I cleaned them before getting back home, of course, and I was granted permission to keep them on hand as I hunt for monsters and animals from then on, but only if I don¡¯t show them off to others in public. Not that I would do that, anyway.

    As for how my other Companions got to be so big, especially Breezy being the biggest of them all, I only told them how I trained with them a lot as we were hunting monsters, some of them dropping elemental stones (e-stones) that I gathered and gave to my Companions. E-stones are sort of like rare drops from some monsters that can give fairies a boost of power if one collects enough of them. They resemble the gems that are embedded in the fairies¡¯ chests while giving off a brilliant luster, compared to the regular dull gray-colored magic stones that monsters drop after getting killed. E-stones along with magic stones can also be used to synthesize weapons and give them a special power-up, especially when mana is applied in them.

    While it was true that I had collected these e-stones over the years, I had not once used one for any of my Companions up to that point and thought it¡¯d be best to gather enough before powering them up altogether. Even so, it was a higher likely story for how my Companions got bigger due to those power-ups than running into stray fairies who lost their Chaperones but still wish to live in this world in some way, leading them to combine their powers with my Companions¡¯ own.

    I¡¯ll admit that a part of me felt a little guilty coming up with these lies but I didn¡¯t want to bring further suspicion of what I could really do with my ¡®prowess.¡¯ Besides, when I asked Mom and Dad in secret what they told the curious townsfolk, they also lied how it was Lilia who made that destruction during our magic demonstrations when she got spooked and messed up her spell casting¡ªone of her Companions is a Wind Fairy like my Breezy, so it¡¯s somewhat legitimate. That meant the secret of my talents was also kept under wraps, save for the people that were there as well as Enya and Wallace who heard the whole story. Mom and Dad gave an extra generous tip to the restaurant owners for keeping quiet in exchange. With how much of a kind regular I was to them, I didn¡¯t have much to worry over them spilling the beans so willingly. That said, I didn¡¯t feel as bad about lying as I was previously and enjoyed myself as I could as the party went on.

    The food that was catered by Wallace and Enya turned out delicious as always. In between helpings, I showed off some of the more advanced magic I had been holding back when it was asked of me.

    Demonstrating my Advanced Water Magic¡ªor Ice Magic to keep it simple¡ªby creating small, detailed figurines made of ice. I also made shaved ice as an additional treat to go along with the other desserts, which the girls really enjoyed the most despite the lack of flavored syrups. It was also fun seeing them go through brain freezes.

    With Advanced Darkness Magic, I altered the gravity that acted on one of the chairs to lift it with ease, balancing Fila and Onelri on both of my hands, and I did the same with Wallace and Sam despite their large bodies. I also had some fun by altering my own gravity to be able to walk on walls and the ceiling like a ninja. I wasn¡¯t told what the name of that art was but I like to call it Gravity Magic.

    Wind Magic, its advanced form is to create electricity and cast what¡¯s called Lightning Magic. I had yet to find a good location to experiment and not attract attention or cause a disaster at the time, so I had to skip it and wait until I find a suitable place to do so.

    Aside from that, everyone in the party had been ecstatic at how I was showing off my stuff up to that point. I was having more fun letting myself loose than I even realized.

    But then came the last, but not the least. The latest addition to my magic arsenal, Fire Magic. Ms. Renne, having that type of magic as one of her specialties, gave me a quick tip to help me get started and I had no problems following it through. I started out small with a red flame that danced wildly above my palm, the people around me gave a round of applause at my succession. Then, I controlled the output of my mana like I was adjusting a bunsen burner back in my high school and college days, upping the amount of fuel flowing through like it was in a tube to produce greater heat, resulting in a yellow flame that shot up like a pillar. My ¡®audience¡¯ was shocked at how I managed to do it so easily. I imagined ¡®choking¡¯ the hypothetical tube like a valve to adjust the height of the yellow flame with no problems.

    But then the surprise twist came in: like a bunsen burner, I tried to control the ventilation that came with producing the flame, allowing more oxygen to flow through with my mana that acts as the fuel. The result ¡­

    ¡°A blue flame?!¡± [Wallace]

    ¡°How is that possible?! I¡¯ve never seen such control of the flames before, either!¡± [Lilia]

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of pretty ¡­¡± [Fila]

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it! Even from here, I can feel the heat from this is far more intense than what the yellow flame can emit!¡± [Darida]

    ¡°¡­ You know, after seeing everything Soar had done before this, I¡¯m not even surprised he could pull this off.¡± [Ms. Renne]

    ¡°Yeah, no doubt. Seeing as he knows what he¡¯s doing, I don¡¯t think I need to worry about the place burning down.¡± [Mom]

    ¡°Just think of what he could do to monsters with that thing ¡­¡± [Dad]If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Is it even okay for you three to be this calm?!¡± [Weiss]

    ¡°¡­ Soar?¡± Cinder asked as she helped channel her Fire Magic alongside mine as a way to commemorate our first attempt at the art together, watching our product in awe.

    ¡°Yeah, Cinder?¡±

    ¡°I have a feeling ¡­ that you and I are going to get along awesomely. Let¡¯s work together and make some more sweet-ass Fire Magic tricks we can come up with.¡±

    ¡°Definitely. I¡¯ll look forward to working with you.¡±

    Cinder expressed her delight and mutual feelings with a big kiss on my cheek.

    Using my new Fire Magic (lowered down for safety, of course), I lit up the candles on the large two-tiered cake before everyone sang the usual birthday song. I blew out the candles and we went right to dessert.

    As we were all enjoying the cake and other pastries Agnes bought for the party, there was one matter that I needed to be settled as it had been bugging me the moment I came down from my room.

    ¡°So ¡­ who are you again and why are you here?¡±

    ¡°He really doesn¡¯t remember me!¡±

    Sitting with me alongside Fila and Onelri at my personal ¡®birthday boy table¡¯ was the new girl with the black bob cut. I was questioning who that older girl was and why she was there at the party to begin with. From my eyes enhanced with magic, I saw she had a D rank magic aptitude, one tier below Fila, making her ¡®average¡¯ among others. Following her ¡®mana string¡¯ directed me to a Wind Fairy with a ponytail that was currently having an ecstatic chat with Breezy at one of the small fairy tables as they ate their own pieces of cake and sweets.

    ¡°She said she was a classmate of yours from school,¡± Fila explained.

    ¡°I would be careful with her, though. I think she has been stalking you since day one,¡± Onelri added without even trying to keep it quiet.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t stalking him! Soar, it¡¯s me, Claire Galloway? One of the older kids in class? I wasn¡¯t in Class 1 after the first year you came in but you sat with us in Class 2¡¯s lectures? I was sitting the closest to you while you were only in a chair?¡±

    I shook my head when the memory didn¡¯t ring a bell. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to who I was sitting next to since those older kids ignored me anyway. The others around my age group weren¡¯t that much different towards me.

    ¡°We would read in the same table at the library sometimes after school? We even talked briefly?¡±

    I tried to wrack my brain as I recalled my times in the library until familiar ¡®conversations¡¯ came up.

    ~~

    ¡°Excuse me, could I sit here?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yeah, sure, go ahead.¡±

    ~~

    ¡°May I sit here?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Mm.¡±

    ~~

    ¡°Nice weather we¡¯re having.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Uh-huh.¡±

    ~~

    That was legit most of what I could recall from our ¡®brief¡¯ talks. I recognized the voice since I heard it every time I went to the library and wondered why she¡¯d sit in the same table I was in when there were plenty of other vacant ones available. Not like I was trying to claim a sort of territory every time I visited. If it was crowded and limited seats were available, I wouldn¡¯t mind giving a seat under those circumstances, but when it¡¯s so quiet and empty, even if it was in another world, there had to be some unspoken rule about personal space in the public library, right? That should apply to both introverted and extroverted people. It¡¯d just be weird having a stranger sitting next to another one when it wasn¡¯t the only option.

    Moreover, I usually sat in one of the tables at a corner of the library where I¡¯m out of everyone¡¯s sight. I can understand another going to the same area for a similar reason but there were other tables available to sit, and yet that girl always sat in the same one I was in.

    My Companions didn¡¯t butt in during those times because libraries tend to get pretty boring for fairies who usually like to be outgoing. There was a sort of play area that one might see for toddlers back on Earth, but this one is more catered for fairies to while away their times while their Chaperones did their studying and reading. My Companions weren¡¯t much different, as they either hung out there or went outside, oblivious to what was going on inside unless I called them back through telepathy. Mist was one of the odd fairies that liked to see what I was reading and so she¡¯d sit in front of me to read along at times, which was kind of nice and pleasant to have. Mist¡¯s company when that weird girl came along was helpful, but it wasn¡¯t like I could ask her to do something to make that girl go away.

    So many times, I wanted to tell her ¡®there¡¯s an open seat over there,¡¯ but that could be the same as ¡®go away, don¡¯t bother me,¡¯ which can be really rude and uncalled for, and from what I had experienced in retail from my previous life, it doesn¡¯t take much to set some people off and escalate into a heated conflict. I didn¡¯t want to risk getting into something so bothersome and possibly get kicked out because of the disturbance we would cause. It wasn¡¯t like she did anything wrong to me that I felt slightly uneasy around her, either, it was just ¡­ weird, out of the ordinary, and so I tried to avoid eye-contact with that girl at all times while I just let her did as she wished. That went on for a couple of months before my birthday rolled around.

    That one kid I mentioned a few times that ¡®didn¡¯t stand out to me¡¯ as much as my other classmates? This is that kid, outside of the library, that is. Through that weird girl¡¯s behavior, I came up with a bit of a fitting nickname that I would know of every time I heard her voice. As Claire spoke back then, my senses of discomfort were tickled in such a familiar way, it wasn¡¯t until she mentioned ¡®library¡¯ while I tried to remember that it came to me.

    ¡°¡­ Anomaly.¡± Claire¡¯s nickname slipped out of my mouth at that moment.

    ¡°Who are you calling an anomaly?!¡± Claire exclaimed.

    ¡°What¡¯s an ¡®anomaly?¡¯¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°It means something that is strange and out of place and it seems Soar has realized how dangerous this girl really is. Should we call our parents and make her leave?¡± Onelri then asked.

    ¡°Really, like Soar¡¯s one to talk about what¡¯s ¡®strange and out of place,¡¯¡± Claire argued. ¡°Ever since he started school, when kids were playing and having fun among themselves, he would read books and do homework. The kids¡¯ idea of having fun, especially among boys, is playing tag, kick the can, and roughhousing in mud. Soar instead studied magic with Ms. Renne, practiced swordsmanship with his dad, and helped with chores that some adults in town needed to be done. Let¡¯s not forget how he always stayed behind after his class is done so he could sit in on another¡¯s specifically for the older kids.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me doing all of those?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not normal! Kids around that age usually aren¡¯t so ¡­ serious about everything, and they don¡¯t worry about their studies until the last minute because they don¡¯t want to do it at all! Why aren¡¯t you like that?! That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been trying to figure out every time I saw you! I¡¯ve been trying to talk to you about it in the library for the last couple of months yet you always close yourself off as you had from your other classmates!¡±

    ¡°Only the last couple of months?¡± Onelri asked with a quirked brow.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t see why you¡¯re making a big deal out of it when you could¡¯ve just asked me directly,¡± I said. ¡°Like when those kids asked me to play with them, I told them straight I didn¡¯t want to, they wouldn¡¯t listen and pester me, and so I close them off for that reason alone.

    ¡°To answer your question, I would rather read and study magic on my own, have Ms. Renne and Dad teach me magic and swordsmanship respectively because I like doing them, and they¡¯re wonderful people to do them with. I like to learn about things, and so I stay for the older kids¡¯ classes so I could learn more stuff I didn¡¯t know. I only help with chores when it¡¯s convenient enough or if Mom and Dad want me to help a neighbor out because they know I can do it, and it¡¯s something I¡¯d rather do than playing tag and getting dirty in the mud.

    ¡°I only kept our ¡®talks¡¯ brief when you greeted me all of those times because one, it¡¯s a library, and unless we were studying together, it¡¯s a place that should be kept quiet as other people are reading, which is something I prefer to do, and two, I¡¯ve never met and talked with you before so of course I¡¯d be weirded out when you suddenly come up to me all of those times. I go to the library, alone, so I could read and study under peace and quiet, alone. Even though you were there sitting in the same table as me when there were other ones available, I would continue to do just that unless you ask me something worth answering, but you don¡¯t. You just make some vague, roundabout, subtle small talk that has little to nothing to do with me until it gets quiet and the air gets awkward after that. It was enough that I would have to move to another spot to do my things or just end my time there earlier than planned because I couldn¡¯t be left alone like I wanted to when I went in there, to begin with.¡±

    Claire sat there wide-eyed along with Onelri and Fila, staring at me as they took all of what I said in.

    I sighed deeply and got up from my seat. ¡°I know I¡¯m not like the other kids, how ¡®strange and out of place¡¯ I am. I¡¯ve known that for far longer than you even realize. It¡¯s because I know of how little I can understand you, how little I want to do things they like to do and vice-versa that I don¡¯t see a point in making friends with you all. Even if I can¡¯t understand you, I can at least understand what I want to do, what I like to do, and how I like to spend my time. Whether or not I have Companions at my side, I can at least be certain of what I want to do is right or wrong, like how I¡¯m going outside to get some air and not say something I¡¯ll regret. You can see me as weird as you wish, but please ¡­ unless there¡¯s something you want of me, just leave me to my peaceful life like I had up to today.¡±

    ¡°W-Wait, Soar ¡­¡± Claire muttered as I walked past our table and went to the back. I was glad the others were enjoying their time enough to not notice me as I stepped outside to the backyard.

 Chapter 16: I Talked to Ms. Renne About Some of My Future Plans

    I took a moment to take in the sight of the damage I had caused during my ¡®magic trial¡¯ earlier before I walked to the storehouse that was off to the side, the same place where Dad stored the practice dummies among other tools.

    I took a seat and leaned against the wall that was the farthest away from my home, blocking any source of light from behind me before I looked up at the sky that had turned dark.

    You never see this many stars back home.

    I tend to go out there just to look up and see the night sky for any occasion. After the first time I was able to see that sky when I was reincarnated as a baby, considering how I couldn¡¯t see very much through the light pollution the city from my previous world produced, I couldn¡¯t get over how breathtaking it was.

    Especially at that moment, as I was looking up at the stars and got engrossed in the view, it was almost like I was floating through the never-ending reaches of space. If I had fallen asleep there, I wouldn¡¯t mind waking up sore the next morning after doing it in an unusual posture.

    The crunching of grass that got closer told me something else would happen, however.

    ¡°Quite the exit you made back there.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Renne ¡­ how much of that did you hear?¡±

    ¡°I heard enough. May I sit with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Sure.¡±

    Ms. Renne helped herself and smoothed out her skirt before taking a seat closely next to me, enough that our shoulders touched while her fox tail curled around and moved leisurely. Since we¡¯ve known each other long enough outside of school, we were comfortable enough to make that much contact with each other outside of hugs for greetings. Like a good teacher and friend, she listened to some of my struggles, complaints, and concerns while letting me talk at my own pace, enough that I would drop my ¡®mature adult¡¯ fa?ade briefly, just like then.

    ¡°I really ¡­ don¡¯t like my other classmates very much. I don¡¯t want to play their games, and I wasn¡¯t desperate to make friends. I just want to learn and spend my time the way I want to. I¡¯m not even forcing anyone to do any of that with me, either, and yet they still find one way or another to bother me. I tried to politely refuse them but they just. Won¡¯t. Listen. I tried ignoring them so they¡¯d take a hint, but of course, that doesn¡¯t do much better. So, what does that leave me with? Either walking away, which is what I have usually done with most of the classmates or if they asked for it, be bluntly honest and tell my honest feelings to them straight while looking like a jerk in the process like I did to Claire. I don¡¯t like resorting to this method but I don¡¯t know what else I could do to make it all stop. Is it so wrong that I want to be left alone? Does that really make me so ¡®strange and unusual¡¯ enough for them to keep antagonizing me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, Soar,¡± Ms. Renne answered as she petted my head. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I do worry over who and how you make friends with people at times, but I¡¯ve known you enough that that¡¯s just how different you are from others and that doesn¡¯t make you any less of a student, let alone a person. We can¡¯t like everybody and nobody can be liked by everyone, that¡¯s just how things are. This world would be easier to live in, otherwise.¡±

    ¡°You have nooo idea how true that statement is. Some of Dad¡¯s stories as a hunter taught me that much, at the least. Mom¡¯s as a former guild employee helped me just as so.¡± And then there¡¯s all that I¡¯ve seen, learned, and experienced in my previous life that I¡¯m not even sure where to start comparing with this one, I thought to myself.

    Ms. Renne couldn¡¯t help but let out a giggle. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure they have. Even so, when you do want to connect with someone of your interest, you really know how to do it with what you can do. Your tutoring session with Fila and Onelri earlier was the most I¡¯ve ever seen of you getting involved with someone else of your age.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re ¡­ a special case. I felt like I had to help them one way or another, you know?¡± Otherwise, they or their parents might snitch on me for how I really got Cinder and my other fairies¡¯ increased power. I didn¡¯t think about it at the time, but when I thought about it right there with Ms. Renne next to me, that could be a likely possibility. From what I had seen from Onelri especially, she could very well try to pull that on me. Whatever opinion I had of her then got dampened as I remembered that.

    ¡°Still, I was impressed with how well you did it in a way they could understand it,¡± Ms. Renne continued. ¡°It was then I had seen how far you came to be today, Soar. I¡¯m very proud of you, and I¡¯ve always enjoyed our times together, always thankful to know such a bright and kind young man who would spend their time with such an old lady like myself.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Renne, you look anything but old. Even if the foxkin have the longest lifespans out of the other beastmen races, I still wouldn¡¯t believe what your true age is, whatever number that may be above twenty-four ¡­ no, twenty-three in human standards.¡±

    ¡°My, such a flatterer you are, but looks can be more deceiving than you might think. Even now, I still wonder what your true age is, Soar.¡±

    From how Ms. Renne phrased that last sentence, I suddenly felt chilly while my stomach dropped.

    ¡°¡­ What?¡± I asked with a slight shudder in my voice.

    ¡°Sure, you may be a bit cold to the other kids and I do wish you could get along with them better, but the way you have put yourself through so much to improve in magic and studies, how well you get along with your parents and other adults, even going out of your way to help them out at times, I respect you for that. You¡¯re always so mature and thoughtful, it¡¯s almost like I¡¯m talking to an adult with a child¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°¡­ H-Ha ha, you think so? That¡¯s kind of funny.¡± So, that was just a joke. Thank god for that, I thought I was about to die again for a moment there, I thought.

    ¡°Anyway, since you are one year older now, I¡¯m going to act like a teacher for a moment and ask what your plans are for the future. Last time, it was in your first class and you only wrote, and I quote, ¡®I want to be the greatest Magician like no one ever was.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Huh, is that right? Felt like it¡¯s been so long now.¡± I said that, but I remembered what she was talking about very well. While it was kind of true at the time, I wrote it like that so I could keep up my child persona in some way while not sounding too adult. I mean, what kind of kid would write about something so complicated like ¡®find a stable job that doesn¡¯t involve politics,¡¯ as a sort of example.

    ¡°Have your plans changed since then, or are you still pursuing to become ¡®the greatest Magician?¡¯¡± Ms. Renne asked, a little jokingly.

    ¡°Well, I do want to be the best I can be with magic, which isn¡¯t too far off from my original goal, but if I were asked what I want to do with that magic ¡­ I want to use it to make living as easy as possible. I would make money with a job as a hunter thanks to Dad teaching me all this time, and when I do enough to pay for necessities like food and such, I want to live a simple, slow life. Invest in a hobby like reading and spend time with my Companions, among other things. I don¡¯t have a lot of specifics in mind, but that¡¯s what I can think of from the general standpoint.¡±

    If there was one thing I learned from the previous night¡¯s ¡®drama,¡¯ it¡¯s that I want next to nothing to do with heavy stuff. Taking a life, even if they didn¡¯t deserve to live with how cruel they were as criminals, it weighed more on my conscience than I thought after things calmed down. Even when I carefully judged the situation with a clear mind before taking action, I still had some doubts within myself, mostly on whether I had the qualifications to make such a judgment on a person¡¯s fate.

    Moral and ethics are not my strong suits, whether it was in my previous life or my new one. I was exposed to enough bullshit of the previous world, especially in retail, to know how hopeless people can be, how much I want some to just die off. That negativity led me to find a new job as an IT where I wouldn¡¯t be exposed as much, where I wouldn¡¯t have to feel so antagonistic against the world. Even after the time I spent there, those thoughts still lingered, and other than going out to see movies or drinking my ass off, I didn¡¯t want to go out much because of it. I just wanted to be at peace and that hasn¡¯t changed when I reincarnated in Manara.

    With that said, it was best that I move to some secluded place where I would be oblivious to the true nature of the world around me, to be ignorant of all the drama. To live a simple life with only me and my Companions while using magic to make living as easy as possible. I would only get involved in something if I had to, like if it was part of my job as a hunter or whatnot. Whether I¡¯d find a girl or not is debatable, much less a harem as I was questioning how ¡®good¡¯ that was for me, especially if they want to have kids, which reminded me why I didn¡¯t bother finding romance from the beginning. Even at 29 years old back on Earth, I had not once thought of having kids if I got a girl, and after 11 years on Manara with my mental age at 40 then, that hadn¡¯t changed. More like any lack of interest I had left of it dropped to nothing after being surrounded by my classmates, especially after reliving my days as a baby, myself, which was not fun in the slightest.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Hmm, I see ¡­¡± Ms. Renne said while crossing her arms and nodding in understanding.

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s after when I get done with school. The most I can do now is hunt monsters as I have and stockpile magic stones to sell back for a large profit.¡±

    ¡°That does sound to be a smart plan, but what would you say if I can help you finish school early?¡±

    I jolted my head to her in shock. ¡°Wait, what was that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been going over it with the other teachers at school and discussed it with your parents ¡­ I would like to give you an opportunity to graduate school early. That is my gift for your 11<sup>th</sup> birthday.¡±

    I had to restrain my excitement and not make the decision on the spot. ¡°What would I have to do?¡± I asked.

    ¡°First is a final test that goes over everything you have learned, both in Class 1 and Class 2 as you¡¯ve already sat in the latter¡¯s lessons more than anyone there. If you get a passing grade on it, you may stop coming to school and will graduate at the same time as Claire and the other oldest kids in class.¡±

    ¡°I can do that no problem!¡±

    ¡°I know you can, which is why there¡¯s another condition. Are you aware of Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s situations?¡±

    ¡°Well ¡­ I believe Fila and her mother were in the middle of moving to a new home, and Onelri¡¯s trying to form a contract with a fairy outside of her village?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I had brought this idea up to all of the parents while you weren¡¯t present, and if you agree to these terms, they¡¯ll be all for it.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Which is?¡± I asked, suddenly getting uneasy of where this was heading.

    ¡°Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families will move in with yours while you become the girls¡¯ personal at-home tutor, both for school and magic. During the day, you can do whatever you wish, doing hunter quests or otherwise while the girls attend classes, and after they¡¯re done, you help them with their studies and magical prowess. This will only be for three years, or possibly less if they excel in their studies and you won¡¯t have to step onto school grounds again whatsoever. Would you be interested?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Only the parents are aware of this right now, right? Fila and Onelri aren¡¯t aware of it?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Whatever you decide, they will tell them what will happen accordingly. I will also notify the other teachers about their possible enrollment. You don¡¯t have to decide now, though. You have until the last day of the holiday break to make your decision while the girls¡¯ families will stay with yours for the time being. Think of it as a sort of trial period for staying with them under the same roof. Your parents, of course, are all for this plan.¡±

    Since my home was previously one of Lunargrove¡¯s inns, there were plenty of rooms available to occupy along with a large bath for the guests¡¯ use. Even with Dad¡¯s former hunter party currently staying a few nights with us, there was still enough room for Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families to stay as well. Heck, once the hunter party left, the girls and their parents could each have their own rooms, if they wanted.

    That aside, I figured that arrangement was something Ms. Renne came up with on the fly in hopes that I become friendlier with kids to some extent. I wondered if me getting along with the adults was even enough for me to pass off as a decent citizen. Moreover, if Onelri found out about this deal, despite my benefits, she¡¯d certainly take advantage of that and would likely threaten to blackmail me again if I refused, so I was glad this wasn¡¯t brought to her and Fila yet.

    ¡°¡­ I need time to think this over,¡± I said after thinking.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. In the meantime, I would at least give those girls a chance and get to know them, Claire included. Despite her awkward approach, she was genuinely interested in becoming friends with you, Soar. She even came to me for advice and I suggested spending time with you in the library.¡±

    ¡°So, you were the main cause of that.¡±

    ¡°I admit that I didn¡¯t expect her to be that way and I¡¯m partially to blame for her approach, but she is a bright and kind girl. I understand why you were put off by her advances but please, try not to be too harsh on her. It may have been difficult for her trying to reach out to you knowing how little you involved yourself with your classmates. At least try to view it from her perspective.¡±

    ¡­ Well, if I was seeing a guy like that, I know I would have a hard time getting his attention, but I would likely give up quickly if he didn¡¯t budge. It should be pretty obvious how much he wants to distance himself from his classmates, so why would Claire persist in such an awkward and somewhat creepy manner?

    ¡°Soar?! Are you out here?!¡±

    ¡°Ah, speak of the devil,¡± Ms. Renne said before she stood up and held a hand out to me. ¡°Shall we see what she¡¯s up to?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t really come up with an appropriate response so I just took her hand and pulled myself up before she led me out of hiding from behind the storehouse. Claire¡¯s figure perked up after seeing us before jogging over with something in her arms.

    ¡°Um ¡­ so, your parents sent me to tell you it¡¯s time to open the presents,¡± Claire started while looking down.

    ¡°All right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ Is there¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please hold on, I¡¯m trying to ready my heart,¡± she interrupted with a hand up.

    What¡¯s she trying to do? Make a confession? She does know I¡¯m only eleven in this body, right? She¡¯s gotta be in her teens by now.

    ¡°Please ¡­ open mine first,¡± Claire said meekly after some time before practically thrusting the wrapped gift towards me.

    I quirked a brow while gingerly taking it in my hands. The length and width were about the same as a tablet from Earth, but the thickness was almost like a dictionary along with its weight. It looked like she couldn¡¯t say anything else until I opened the gift, and so I untied the string that kept it together before unraveling the paper. My eyes widened at what I was seeing.

    ¡°This is ¡­ a ¡®Book of Understanding Ancient Practices!¡¯¡± I exclaimed.

    After centuries of interpreting and transcribing scriptures written in the ancient language of Shimmerlin by some of history¡¯s greatest scholars, they compiled all of their research into those books that were less than thirty in number at the time. They not only taught readers how to read and speak Shimmerlin, but they also described the studies of much earlier practices in magic that include summoning familiars from the realms ruled by the Two Fathers. It was a practice earlier Magicians used to help support them for survival and other tasks when fairies hadn¡¯t revealed themselves to the world and started forming contracts yet.

    ¡°I practically begged the librarian to find some way to get a copy when she first told me about it but these are really hard to come by!¡± I continued before looking up to Claire. ¡°How did you get this?!¡±

    ¡°Well ¡­ my uncle runs a bookstore in Brightlas and knows his away around getting some valuable reads. I asked him to put one on hold for me until I earned enough money to pay for it myself. I know you¡¯ve been wanting to read it for a while, so I thought I might surprise you getting this as a gift.¡±

    This ¡­ could not have been cheap.

    <¡°The market price for a copy of ¡®The Book of Understanding Ancient Practices¡¯ is¡ª¡±>

    Do not finish that sentence, Mona! I don¡¯t want to know! ¡°Why ¡­ would you go this far for me?¡± I asked. ¡°What about all that I said? I would¡¯ve second-guessed about gifting a book like this after hearing all of that if I was in your shoes.¡±

    ¡°About that ¡­ I didn¡¯t mean what I said earlier to come out like that,¡± Claire said as she fidgeted in place, still having difficulty making eye contact. ¡°I was a little put off by you not remembering me for a moment and I didn¡¯t think about what I was saying. I didn¡¯t realize it until after everything you said and thinking it over. Fila and Onelri kind of helped me figure that out, too.

    ¡°Soar, you¡¯re different from the other kids, and I don¡¯t mean that in a bad way. I¡¯ve been wanting to get to know you for a while now because of it, wanting to really talk to you about the books you¡¯ve read and the things you do, wanting to be friends with you, but I didn¡¯t know how to approach you and it came out as weird as you made it out to be.

    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is ¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry for making you so uncomfortable up until now to get that idea, and if possible, I want us to start being friends ¡­ in a more normal way.¡±

    I exchanged glances between the large book and Claire who still had her head down, likely out of worry from how I would respond. I then looked over to Ms. Renne who was watching and waiting for my next move, nodding her head in Claire¡¯s direction to urge me on.

    I held myself back from letting off an exasperated sigh. Her reasons are still iffy and how she even heard me wanting to get this book is rather concerning, but to even go this far ¡­ what kind of person would I be to even refuse it?

    ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ sorry for what I said back there, too,¡± I said a little awkwardly, thinking I should start off with that much. Claire jolted her head up in shock. I averted my gaze and scratched my head. ¡°Despite how well I can talk with adults, I¡¯m not used to doing the same with kids around my age and end up saying too much. I don¡¯t really know a lot about what you guys want to talk about or do, so I may not say very much because of it. I think you should know that much about me if you want to be friends, but if you change your mind because of that¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all!¡± Claire exclaimed with no hesitation, but then reeled herself back when she noticed how excited she got. ¡°I mean, getting to know each other is part of how being friends work, right? I¡¯m more of a bookworm myself, so I don¡¯t really go out much, either.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Right. And, if you¡¯re interested in reading this, I can let you borrow it some time, if you want.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like that very much, Soar.¡± She then smiled in a surprisingly cute way that fitted with the light from my home shining on her from behind. I glanced over to Ms. Renne and she made a thumbs-up in approval.

    Fila and Onelri also want to be friends with me, right? Both of them even want me tutoring them in magic, too, and I haven¡¯t really taught anyone anything since I supervised Shannon over the beginning of her employment. Wonder if this is even okay? Well, if they realize I¡¯m not as good to be friends with as they thought and decide to stop being with me after that, I shouldn¡¯t hold anything against them. Aside from practicing magic occupying most of my time, my current interests must be aligned with an old geezer¡¯s right now and that isn¡¯t too far of a stretch to describe me, considering what my ¡®true age¡¯ is.

    With that, the three of us went back inside so I could open my presents as I was called back in for. What I got went like this:

    Weiss got me a new pair of boots that¡¯s good for moving through many terrains while lasting quite a long time and magically enchanted to fit me comfortably no matter how big I would grow; Sam got me light leather armor that included a cuirass, shin guards, and gauntlets, all also magically enchanted to fit me like a glove no matter my age; and Lilia and Seal pitched in together to get me a custom-made dagger wand made of mithril with a green e-stone embedded in the blade, allowing me to channel mana into it to not only increase the power and cutting ability of my attacks, but to also give my spells¡ªmy Wind Magic in particular, being my specialty¡ªa bigger oomph than with just my own magic alone. That last one made me want to immediately sell the iron dagger I got from last night¡¯s events for how much it paled in comparison to the beauty and luster of one made especially for me. It was a little big for me then, but I would grow up enough to handle it properly.

    All of those gifts, representing each member of Dad¡¯s former hunter party who contributed to my training in some way up to then, were suited together to fit a common theme for me. When I realized what it was, Mom and Dad came up last to bring up the finisher as their ¡®gift¡¯ that would complete the theme going for me.

    Immediately the next morning, I would be going to the Brightlas Hunter¡¯s Guild with Dad to register myself as an official hunter.

 Chapter 17: I Really Didnt Know What Was Going on in Her Head Back Then

    ¡°Is the meal to your liking, Milady?¡±

    ¡°Mm ¡­¡± The young boyish-looking lady was apathetic in her response as she ate and gazed out the window of the inn where she and her butler were staying, having a late evening meal after a long carriage ride before settling down to clean themselves and head for bed. The young lady watched the activity of Brightlas¡¯ nightlife before her scarlet-colored eyes. Their Fairy Companions sat on a fairy-sized table on top of their Chaperones¡¯ own as they ate and took in the same view.

    ¡°Since we left much sooner than scheduled, we can take our time getting back home within the next day or two. How about we take a look around in the city and explore tomorrow? Maybe we can find something for your father as a souvenir?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Milady?¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking ¡­ do you think Soar will ever forgive me? When I apologize to him earnestly the next time we meet? Even though I was so rude to him before?¡±

    ¡°If you ask me, I¡¯m more worried of how you said we shouldn¡¯t mention anything of what happened today to your father. I mean, the ¡®accident,¡¯ I can understand, but Master Soar? Won¡¯t it be more dangerous to leave him be as a potential threat to the kingdom? If we had him on our side, we would be more at ease.¡±

    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s only if we tempted him like I had foolishly done today. From what his family and acquaintances had seen, that was the first they had witnessed such power before I forced his hand. If he was holding himself back up to today, he is more intelligent than he appears to know what he¡¯s capable of. If Father does anything to force his hand further, then it would be on him ¡­ on me, for our kingdom¡¯s downfall.¡±

    ¡°Milady ¡­¡±

    Agnes thought back to everything her sword instructor, Seal Galveston, had mentioned about his other student and how that compared to what she saw from him in person. From the moment he greeted her to how strong his eyes that matched the sky-blue pigments of his hair were during their spar, to how ecstatic he was when he taught the rabbitkin girl magic, to how focused and manly he looked when he cast his own spell with such power and certainty. He may not have revealed it to everyone there, but it was confirmed by his parents and teacher he was contracted with not one, not two, but three fairies (before they discovered his fourth later on), and that just showed how incredible he really was.

    If there was one thing she had learned from her encounter though, it¡¯s that her general experience paled in comparison to his. Whatever hardships he had gone through to produce the results he displayed then, he doesn¡¯t consider anybody worth his time and breath if they ever dared question his prowess, let alone antagonize him.

    ¡°You ¡­ are nothing to me.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t have made that statement, his feelings towards her clearer as Agnes recalled those words that pierced her chest in pain. She had brought that to herself when trying to prove her superiority to him. Despite her rudeness from the beginning, he only tried to pay prudent respects to her. She was no better than others who had done the same to her because of her gender, despite how the magic in Manara can even the odds of battle no matter the circumstances. He wasn¡¯t like the other noble brats; he didn¡¯t care about gender or social status. He faced her head-on with no fighting words spoken, royally defeated her fair and square in both bouts of sword and magic, and showed just how far above her he really was when she only acted so big.

    What¡¯s more, Agnes knew ¡­ she could tell, he was holding back from their spar, yet he still managed to make her fall. Even with a blunt practice sword not imbued with mana, he could take her life in an instant. For a brief moment, she felt the presence of death trailing a finger up her spine, scythe resting on her neck as her life flashed before her eyes. When she looked into the boy¡¯s own, they were unlike anything she had seen from other kids. They were what she had seen from adults like her sword instructor and her father when they got into their own spars.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Eyes that have seen things that kids shouldn¡¯t see, have done things kids shouldn¡¯t do, and yet this boy who was 1 year younger than her had been through both. It was terrifying enough for her to make that ¡®accident¡¯ in response.

    As if that weren¡¯t enough, if that spell in the magic demonstration was ¡®Wind Needle,¡¯ a basic in Wind Magic, then who knows how powerful his higher-tier spells are? That meant he was far stronger than she could possibly imagine, and since he was young, he could grow even stronger still.

    That¡¯s why she thought it was best to not tell this to her father who headed the Knight Guard. They¡¯d be wasting their time trying to recruit Soar to their ranks, and if they pushed him like Agnes did that day, she couldn¡¯t fathom how her home, how the entirety of Reskondant Kingdom, would turn out if he¡¯s able to leave such destruction on his yard from a ¡®basic¡¯ Wind Magic spell.

    In his eyes, Agnes truly was ¡®nothing¡¯ to him, and it would be the same to those who oppose him. She had experienced true fear twice that day, and she didn¡¯t wish that on anyone else who was foolish enough to do the same.

    From that fear, she had reflected her actions. From what she overheard of the boy¡¯s life by his family and Claire, she reflected further still. In the end, she had not only felt fear, but guilt and a tinge of respect for Soar. Unlike her, he didn¡¯t boast his powers, he never felt the need to. He didn¡¯t abuse his powers, either. Up until then, he had only wanted to be on the same level of connection as those around him (except maybe the kids around his own age going by what she heard), to keep and maintain memorable bonds with his family and friends, and he didn¡¯t want to do something that could distance himself so far from them.

    Agnes might¡¯ve done just that by forcing his hand in order to push her away and he may have put up a wall between himself and everyone else in the process. Force him to show something she had wanted just to affirm her superiority, whether it be towards those from her own home or the bullies that had done wrong to her. She couldn¡¯t look at herself in the mirror without feeling disgusted then.

    That was why she used up the majority of pocket money her father gave for the trip to pay for the catering from Soar¡¯s favorite restaurant, sweets, and decorations in order to not end his birthday on a bad note. In order to atone for her mistakes, as well as show him how she realized how much she was in the wrong.

    And of course, hopefully reconsidering the possibility of overthrowing the kingdom with his power alone.

    ¡°¡­ To answer your question,¡± Melissa the maid continued after a long pause, ¡°you did all you could with the arrangements for Master Soar at the last minute, and after many tries, you made sure you wrote your letter to him with all of your heart and feelings put into it. I must express how proud and grateful I am to be able to witness such a compassionate deed. I¡¯m confident he will see those feelings in your letter and the two of you will come to be long-time friends the next time you meet.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yes, I think that would be nice.¡±

    If she could wind back time, she¡¯d wish to do the day over again and leave a better impression of her character than she did towards the young man. Maybe she¡¯d celebrate his birthday with everyone there properly by then, and maybe learn more about him personally than from what she heard other people had mentioned.

    She couldn¡¯t simply face him and apologize after what happened. With their distance between them, for how much he could even hear from her, she might as well have been an annoying fly buzzing around his ear. It would be hopeless to even make him look her way if their distance didn¡¯t change, and he could grow even further away still. Agnes really was ¡®nothing¡¯ to him, in every true sense of the term.

    That was why she needed to get stronger, to start climbing the tall pillar Soar stood on. Even if she couldn¡¯t see much change from when she started, she just had to keep climbing, because, at some point, he would see and hear her when she called out to him. He would know something was there, and Agnes would be that ¡®something.¡¯ Just as she wrote it in the letter.

    Agnes really left a bad impression in Soar¡¯s eyes. She wanted to earn his respect like he had done with hers. She wanted to show the young man how much she wanted to get closer to him, not just on the scales of power, but as individuals that aren¡¯t defined by gender or social class.

    With that said, there was no time to dawdle and daydream. If there was a chance for her to start improving, she could not let it wait another day.

    ¡°Hey, Melissa?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Milady?¡±

    ¡°How about tomorrow after breakfast ¡­ we make a stop at Brightlas¡¯ hunter¡¯s guild first?¡±

 Chapter 18: Despite the Downside of my Gift, I Met a Surprise Visitor

    With the celebration over, party decorations cleaned up, the restaurant-owned spouses bidding good-bye while wishing me luck, and my plans for the next morning set, me and the guys took the bath that Mom warmed up beforehand. Public bathing is a pretty common thing in Manara¡¯s culture, sort of like what¡¯s seen in Japan as well as ancient Greece and Rome. Most commoners would go to a public bath owned by a city or inn, but actually owning a bath in one¡¯s home is a sort of symbol of how wealthy a person is. It¡¯s kind of like seeing chubby guys back in ancient times, but that showed how well off they were to afford the food that filled their stomachs to such a degree (whether that¡¯s an attractive feature of theirs is another story). With that said, my family is in a sort of upper-middle-class of commoners since Dad bought the place that was previously an inn, which already had its own bath at the time.

    The procedure of taking a bath is similar to what I¡¯ve seen in Japanese culture shown in anime and manga: cleaning yourself comes first, then you soak and unwind for some time either by yourself or others around you sharing the same bathwater. I¡¯ve thankfully experienced this over a college program back on Earth that involved a homestay in Japan to not get too weirded out by it, but the exposure also helped me acclimate to Manara¡¯s norms to some degree. I¡¯m just thankful there was a decent amount of hygiene that existed.

    I preferred to soak by myself or with my Companions in peace, but with the older guys there trying to pull me in conversation¡ªWeiss was especially notorious that night for bringing up the topic of the new ¡®girlfriends¡¯ I made¡ªit was difficult to ignore it all. Considering what had happened that day though, it was sort of understandable I was the center of that attention.

    After I soaked enough, I went up to my room with all of my gifts and decided to relax a little while. I was honestly so eager to get started reading the Book of Ancient Practices Claire gifted me that I had to cut my bath time shorter than usual. All of my Companions were already there, finished with their own bath that Mom prepared before ours, which didn¡¯t take long as it was only taking a few wooden tubs of hot bathwater. Everybody¡¯s fairies in the building had their own cleaning and soak first before me and the guys went in the bath afterward. In public baths, there were usually separate small kiddie pools for fairies to soak themselves into if they prefer to bathe that way than sharing a bath with their Chaperones. Their admittance is free, of course, as we owe them a lot for helping us live all of that time.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m bushed after that hectic day.¡± [Breezy]

    ¡°And I thought the time with my previous Chaperone was exhausting enough.¡± [Cinder]

    ¡°It was nice to finally talk with everybody, though. I got some good compliments on my looks, too~.¡± [Shadina]

    ¡°Mist preferred to keep Soar to herself, but this fine, too.¡± [Mist]

    ¡°Seriously, a lot of stuff happened, some more aggravating than others, but it turned out surprisingly okay. I¡¯m sort of glad everyone knows about you guys now, but we still have to keep you hidden from the townsfolk and the public. On the bright side, we can shop for materials to set up your new beds suitable for your sizes after my business in Brightlas,¡± I said as I set up my new hunter gear for the next morning. I then pulled out my Companions¡¯ ¡®beds¡¯ that were in a box that looked more like a diorama for an elementary school project¡ªwhich was actually something I did during my time in Class 1¡ªand made some last-minute adjustments to be suitable for that night. Up until that day, I always made sure their beds were well hidden and I kept my room clean enough so Mom wouldn¡¯t do it herself and discover my secret on accident. Since everyone in the building was aware of them then, I could leave it out in the open and I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about hiding it again. The night before was an exception with how crazy things got with the bandits and I was too exhausted to pull their beds out.

    ¡°Aside from the occasional naps, it¡¯s a shame we aren¡¯t big enough to sleep with you and not worry about being squashed.¡± [Breezy]

    ¡°Hey, maybe if we continue to level up and receive power from e-stones, we can grow big enough to make that possible.¡± [Shadina]

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really get my hopes up.¡± [Cinder]

    I jumped onto the bed with the new book in hand. ¡°Well, we can still work hard and see what happens, right? In the meantime, I¡¯d like to get through a chapter or two of this book before heading to bed.¡±

    ¡°Oh~, Mist want to read with Soar, too,¡± Mist started as she flew up to my lap while I have the book in hand. Despite how bored they got from books, the others also expressed similar interest from how excited I got after receiving the Book of Ancient Practices from Claire. They occupied whatever spots on my body were open and took their seats. They were slightly heavier with their new grown-up sizes, but even with the latest addition, Cinder, in my fairy harem, it wasn¡¯t much to give me discomfort.

    ¡°All right, everyone comfortable? Let¡¯s get started.¡± With eagerness swelling inside me, I flipped the cover and glimpsed at the first page ¡­ and then the next, and then the next, and then the next, and then the next ...

    ~~

    ¡°W-Whoa! Soar! Slow down! We haven¡¯t even started on the first page!¡± [Shadina]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Soar?¡± [Breezy]

    ¡°He¡¯s just flipping through the pages with that weird blank look in his eyes now! Is that normal?!¡± [Cinder]

    ¡°No! Mist never saw Soar like this!¡± [Mist]

    ¡°Sh-Should we call his parents over?!¡± [Shadina]

    ¡°Soar?! Can you hear us?! Say something!¡± [Breezy]

    <¡°Information input, completed. Content from the Book of Ancient Practices has been successfully stored in the Great Sage gift. Scanning for consistency to facts and credibility may now commence.¡±> [Mona]This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ~~

    ¡°Soar! Answer me, please!¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Breezy¡¯s shout in my ear made me jump in place, dropping my book to the floor in the process. The room went quiet.

    ¡°S-Soar? Are you back with us?¡± she asked again.

    ¡°Uh, yeah? I¡¯ve been here the whole time. If you needed something, you didn¡¯t need to shout in my ear.¡±

    ¡°Dude, we¡¯ve been trying to get your attention, but you were in some sort of trance while flipping through those pages,¡± Cinder pointed out.

    ¡°Wait, what? I was? But I hadn¡¯t even started reading yet? How long was I in that state?¡±

    ¡°Almost a minute. Soar start slow, then flip pages fast until end,¡± Mist answered as I picked up the book from the floor. I sat there and stared at the cover.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Soar? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shadina asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think ¡­ I actually read anything yet, but I feel like I already know everything in this book now.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I set the book aside on the bed, got up, and paced around the room. As I thought deeply about the book, some subjects automatically came to mind. I focused on one subject to start with before words started spilling from my mouth.

    ¡°When summoning a familiar, one must first draw a magic circle that acts as a gateway between realms. There are a variety of factors that play into what kind of familiar is summoned, including how the summoner pronounces and annunciates the chant to call them forth in Shimmerlin. Then there is the intention, the idea of what kind of familiar the summoner desires, the clarity of what they can do, their character, all while keeping a stable state of mind. Once the summoner has these clear in their mind as they pour their mana into the magic circle, their character, performance of the chant, as well as the qualifications for their familiar are judged by the Two Fathers: Nodem of Mind and Order that rules the realm of Zaleese, and Garem of Emotion and Chaos ruling over the realm of Zalecks.

    ¡°Only one of them can judge the summoner worthy to form a contract with a familiar suited for them. Should they be worthy, the familiar that appears will be the representative of their ¡®father,¡¯ the realm of their homeland, as well as the character and ¡®heart¡¯ of the summoner that they will forever be bound to by the contract, until death do them part.¡±

    <¡°This information has yet to be analyzed as consistent to the facts provided by the Great Sage gift. Results of scan may differ from the content¡¯s original source,¡±> Mona then stated in my mind.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°¡­ What the fuck did I just say and why did I know that?¡±

    ¡°It like Soar read straight out of a book aloud,¡± Mist commented.

    ¡°Is it perhaps the work of the Great Sage gift?¡± Breezy asked.

    ¡°Was that your doing, Mona?¡±

    <¡°Yes. I am able to collect any information recorded in books and the like that you touch and see instantly. Depending on the contents, I may compare it to the true facts about the world and see whether it is accurate and legitimate.¡±>

    ¡°Huh, and that can be with any book I pick up and the gift will do the work automatically?¡±

    <¡°Once the contents are in contact and viewed clearly, yes.¡±>

    ¡°I see ¡­ I don¡¯t think I can ever ¡®read¡¯ books the same way again if this thing can¡¯t be controlled to restrain itself. Even if I tried reading something again for the fun of it, it wouldn¡¯t be the same because I already know what to expect in it with 100% certainty. It also means I have no further use of the book Claire went so far to get for me as a gift¡­ this kind of sucks.¡±

    ¡°Well, look on the bright side. If you¡¯re going to take the test that goes over everything you learned in school, you just need to skim through your books and notes and you can ace it with a perfect score. Students going in higher education would kill to have a gift like that,¡± Cinder said.

    ¡°That may be true, I guess ¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah~! Finally, I got a moment alone with you¡­ well, as ¡®alone¡¯ as I¡¯ll ever get, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I utter as me and my Companions jolted up from the sudden new voice in the room.

    ¡°Over here, by the window.¡±

    We all turned to the source and our eyes widened. Sitting on the windowsill was a fairy, one that¡¯s shorter for her size than what I had seen, sporting wild orange locks that stretch past her shoulders, matching eyes, gem on the chest, and a ¡®dress¡¯ that consisted of a bikini-like top and a daring loin cloth, letting her toned midriff bare for all to see as well as her sculpted legs and thighs. Fairies are usually simplistic in their design choices for attire, some more minimal than others, and this one was on par with Cinder of wearing the most revealing clothes so far. She gave a sort of easy-going, nonchalant ¡®warrior¡¯ air from how she leaned on the windowsill while letting one of her toned legs dangle over the edge.

    I saw many fairies with different clothes, looks, and how they behave themselves over the years that are far off the norm of what humans and demi-humans would appear. So much so that I had grown accustomed to it enough to easily forget them like the customers I checked out back in retail, aside from a select few that I would remember after seeing them again because of how they stood out to me in some way. It was the same case here with the new fairy in the room.

    ¡°Wait ¡­ aren¡¯t you the Earth Fairy who was with another one watching our magic demonstrations earlier?¡± I asked, recalling her appearance that I saw while Fila and Flomi were excitably hugging me out of the former¡¯s success of casting Earth Magic for the first time.

    ¡°So, I wasn¡¯t mistaken. You did see me back then,¡± she said while flying off of the windowsill and hovered in front of me. ¡°You may not have noticed, but I was also there when you completely floored that girl in that sword spar earlier, too.¡±

    ¡°¡­ May I help you with something?¡± I asked, having no idea how else to respond.

    The Earth Fairy then looked at my other Companions in the room. ¡°¡­ These are all the Companions you have, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Are you capable of casting Earth Magic?¡±

    ¡°Nu-uh.¡±

    ¡°And yet, you were able to explain how to cast Rock Shot to that rabbitkin girl perfectly. How did you know that Earth Magic spell would work like that when you couldn¡¯t do it yourself?¡± she asked while crossing her arms and tilting her head in confusion.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen my dad who¡¯s an expert on it cast it and other spells on multiple occasions. He ¡­ couldn¡¯t really explain it well, but going by what I watched and what I¡¯ve learned in my studies, I just came to that conclusion.¡± By ¡®studies,¡¯ I mean my experience in science classes over the course of my education on Earth. While I love magic, science would also be up there on my top list of favorite things. It¡¯s really helpful with improving my magic knowing how I could apply the concepts of general science into practice.

    ¡°To be able to pull that off from observation and studying only, even teaching that girl to do it while not making any chants, and then there was that power you displayed with Wind Needle ¡­ your name is Soar, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Soar Osmis.¡±

    ¡°Your performance with that sword spar caught my attention, and while I was impressed with the rabbitkin girl¡¯s first attempt to casting Earth Magic, I¡¯m more interested in the potential you have for even being able to teach it to her without doing it yourself, especially after what I had seen from your own magic demonstration. Do you want to be able to cast Earth Magic?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t believe where it was going so I tried to stay calm and not get my hopes up. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to do as much as I can from what I have learned, sure.¡±

    ¡°And from the looks of your Companions here, you look like you¡¯ll have a lot going for you in the future, hmm ¡­ and no other Earth Fairies came before me?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what the heck they were thinking, but I want in on this bandwagon.¡±

    Before I could react, I was met with a tiny pair of lips pressed against my cheek.

    ¡°And with that, my dear Chaperone, our contract is set. Just grant me a name and you can count on me for Earth Magic assistance at any time. Let¡¯s have as much fun as we can together from now on, ¡®kay?¡±

 Chapter 19: Fairy Pinky Promises are More Hardcore Than You Think

    ¡°And that¡¯s how things went between me and Soar here. Anyway, the name¡¯s Marble, and I¡¯ll be Soar¡¯s main Earth Fairy from now on. Nice ta meet ¡®cha!¡±

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    It was the early morning after my meeting with the new Earth Fairy of my group who I named ¡®Marble.¡¯ I figured I should fill everyone in on what happened since they all knew of my other fairies already, so when we all gathered for breakfast before heading out to Brightlas for my hunter¡¯s registration, I introduced her to everyone then. The reactions that followed were varied.

    Some were too tired to react like they had seen everything up to that point, others the same for a different reason, and one particular young dark elf was grinding her teeth with her head on the table before muttering ¡®why?¡¯ repeatedly.

    ¡°Welp! I see no problem with this! Welcome to the family, Marble!¡±

    ¡°Dear, you¡¯re only in for this because Soar can finally use Earth Magic like you do.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t entirely the case ¡­¡± Dad and Mom exchanged the usual spat at the news.

    With that, we went right to eating and energize ourselves for the day. All of the fairies in the room other than my own introduced themselves to Marble and quickly got friendly with each other as they ate at their own fairy-sized table.

    ¡°Still, to think one could possess five Fairy Companions ¡­ if there are others, then you are the very first I have ever met to make this feat possible. I must say I am quite honored to bear witness it,¡± Seal said with a more formal tone towards me than usual like one would expect a noble to address another.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a saying that guys with more Fairy Companions have better chances of achieving a harem than others? I gotta admit that I¡¯m rather jealous, and this one¡¯s bolder than most I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    ¡°Yeah~, I can already tell Soar¡¯s got quite the future ahead of him if that were true.¡±

    ¡°You two, keep yourselves from drooling on the table, would you? You look like wolves ready to breed,¡± Lilia talked down on Weiss and Sam who were eyeing Marble¡¯s form while she ate obliviously.

    I did hear about that ¡®more fairies equal more girls in harem¡¯ saying from some of Dad¡¯s bar buddies as well but frankly, with the luck I had with girls up to that point, I wondered if achieving such a thing was worth it. I knew I wanted to try living a bolder life and find some girls to love but when you¡¯re literally a child in everyone¡¯s eyes and they can¡¯t take you seriously because of that, it makes things difficult. Of course, I couldn¡¯t do anything with those around my physical age and I didn¡¯t want to anyway with how loud and annoying they could be. It may be another story if my mind regressed to fit the body¡¯s age but at that point, I thought it wasn¡¯t worth attempting the ¡®childhood friend¡¯ route and it would be best to wait it out until I got older.

    It''s too early to even be thinking things like that but I should at least follow through on Ms. Renne¡¯s advice and try to get better acquainted with the girls.

    With that thought, I first turned to the one sitting closest to me before I noticed the change of demeanor. ¡°Hey, Fila, you okay? Did you sleep well?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Just ¡­ a little tired.¡±

    ¡°I think Fila might¡¯ve gone through a nightmare last night,¡± Claire said as Fila wiped the tiredness out of her eyes. After getting permission from her parents, Claire stayed over with Fila and Onelri and had a bit of a girl¡¯s sleepover in one of the rooms, agreeing to come with me to Brightlas for my hunter registration and ¡®cheer me on.¡¯ ¡°I woke up in the middle of the night noticing she was moving around. She also muttered some things about bandits hurting Soar.¡±

    The grip on my fork tightened from hearing that.

    ¡°A-Ah, yeah, she was like that the night before, too, worse, actually,¡± Flomi then spoke. ¡°Onelri had to come to wake me up because Fila was crying in her sleep during that time while they were sleeping together, too. I guess our encounter with the bandits took more of a toll on her than I thought.¡±

    ¡°A hunter passing by came and saved you all, right?¡± Lilia asked. ¡°After Soar directed you a way out of the forest you got lost in, those bandits captured you and was going to sell you all off. I can¡¯t imagine how terrifying that must be for a girl her age.¡±

    So, that¡¯s the story they came up with, huh? Still, I made sure to make the conditions hard to see so the girls wouldn¡¯t get traumatized. I didn¡¯t expect Onelri to have eyes that can see in the dark, though, and I suppose a rabbitkin¡¯s hearing is sensitive enough to make out most of the details while the rest can be left to the imagination.

    When I came to that conclusion, I felt my insides eating themselves away. I did what I could to lessen the blow at the time, but since I was taking part in the scramble, I felt somewhat responsible for Fila¡¯s current condition. Even after the misunderstanding was cleared, I was surprised Onelri was able to start moving on despite her wariness towards me from the beginning. She seemed fine, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about checking her condition, but Fila¡¯s was on the top of my priority after hearing the details of her sleeping habits the last few nights.

    That was why after breakfast, as we were preparing ourselves for departure, I took advantage of the activity and brought Fila outside behind the storehouse where I spent time with Ms. Renne during the party. The food helped pick her up, but she still looked rather subdued as we sat on the grass. I brought Breezy and Mist to keep watch in case someone came by and I was already equipped with the new hunter gear everyone got me for my birthday.

    ¡°Listen, Fila ¡­ I need to sincerely apologize to you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Fila¡¯s rabbit ears perked up slightly when I started.

    ¡°I know ¡­ I could¡¯ve done things where that night wouldn¡¯t end up the way it did, where it wouldn¡¯t be as scary, but I didn¡¯t want to take any chance of them possibly taking revenge on me or coming after you all again. I made that place dark not only to confuse those bandits, but mainly so you and Onelri wouldn¡¯t see what could happen, to avoid what you¡¯re going through right now, but it looks like I failed to do even that if you¡¯re having those nightmares. I think how I left you behind like that didn¡¯t really make the situation better, either. I feel partially responsible for bringing that towards you, something that you never needed, and so I must apologize for that.¡±

    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t take that all on yourself,¡± Fila says while waving her hands. ¡°It may have been scary, but you were there and I really am grateful for you helping us, especially saving Mama from getting hurt. I feel I should be the one apologizing for bothering you after we came here.¡±

    ¡°¡­ It was a surprise, yeah, but you didn¡¯t bother me. Actually, a part of me was kind of happy you came all that way to see me.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really. Still, I feel bad I brought those nightmares to you, so I want to make up for it in some way ¡­ I got it. You ask me of any one thing, and I will do it for you.¡±

    ¡°Anything?¡± she asked with widened eyes.

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s something I can do, I will do it if it means getting you feeling a little better.¡±

    ¡°Hmm ¡­¡± Fila crossed her arms while closing her eyes to go into deep thought. Her bunny ears perked and twitched to a few subtle sounds in different directions before they both rose up a little at once.

    ¡°Then ¡­ I want you to make friends with me, Onelri, and Agnes.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± I blinked my eyes.

    ¡°Claire told us how you finally made friends with her, and since it hadn¡¯t been decided for the rest of us, it wouldn¡¯t be fair if we were left out, would it?¡±

    ¡°I can kind of understand you and Onelri, but why Agnes?¡±

    ¡°I know she was really mean and rude from the start to make you upset but I think you were also the same when you said she meant nothing to you. I don¡¯t think anyone would want to hear that from anybody no matter who or what they were. I know I would be really hurt if you ever said that to me. Wouldn¡¯t you feel the same?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I guess.¡±

    ¡°She also seemed really sincere in wanting to make up with you. I saw her writing a bunch of letters after setting up the dinner and dessert until finally coming to one that would truly express her feelings. I have never seen anyone put so much thought into how they want to apologize before.¡±

    I did notice a bunch of crumpled up papers in the trash bin earlier. So, they were rough drafts for her letter of apology.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I think becoming friends with her may be the best way to make up the fight between you two and start over,¡± Fila continued. ¡°Of course, Onelri and I haven¡¯t changed our minds in wanting to be friends with you, too. I would be really happy if you accept ¡­ is that too much to ask?¡±

    Goddamn it, don¡¯t look at me like that! This is why I can¡¯t stand kids thinking they can get away with everything with those eyes!

    Despite my internal agony, I held back an exasperated sigh. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s say if I do agree to become friends with you. Since I haven¡¯t made any friends up to now, I¡¯m not really sure what kinds of things they even do, other than maybe playing games. Can you give me some examples?¡± I worded it this way in hopes of gauging what she wants out of our friendship as well as a little of her character. I understand friendship enough that it comes in many different forms, good and bad, and I¡¯d like to avoid the latter kinds as much as I can.

    ¡°Well ¡­ playing games is fun and I would like to play some with you, maybe even learning magic with you may also be like that, but I like talking with you like this. I want to hug and have sleepovers with you, too.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t the last two something done between girls?¡±

    ¡°I have heard boys from my old class having sleepovers from time to time. I don¡¯t know about hugging, but I know I want to do it with all of my friends. Ah, I did ask Claire and Onelri if you could join our sleepover last night but Claire said you needed to rest for the hunter test though.¡±

    Huh ¡­ were the boys back on my world like that, too? Going over to play and hang out is one thing, but spending the night? I know just the thought of going into another person¡¯s home makes me tense, but maybe that¡¯s just my introversion and social anxiety speaking. Fila has been pretty huggy since she came yesterday. I don¡¯t know if she knows how awkward it might be to invade someone¡¯s space like that, but I¡¯ve quickly adapted to not make a big deal of it ¡­ it¡¯s honestly kind of nice, too.

    But still, shouldn¡¯t Claire be saying it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing to sleep with me because I¡¯m a guy?

    ¡°Actually, just being with you like this makes me feel glad, too, that things would be okay no matter what may happen,¡± Fila continued. ¡°I was wondering if sleeping with you might stop the nightmares from coming. It wasn¡¯t as bad last night knowing you were nearby.¡±

    If she thinks it would help, it might not be a bad idea to try. I want to do what it takes to help her recover from this trauma. It¡¯s the least I can do after putting that stress on her. ¡°¡­ Okay, I think I kind of get it,¡± I said after some thought. ¡°I won¡¯t mind being your friend, Fila. Agnes, I was planning to apologize to her the next time I see her, but it would be up to her whether she wants to be friends with me or not. As for Onelri ¡­ I honestly don¡¯t want to be friends with someone who threatens to snitch on me every time they want to get their way.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. So, if she doesn¡¯t threaten to snitch, would you want to be friends with her then?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Maybe? I don¡¯t really know.¡±

    ¡°Wait right there. I¡¯ll go get her.¡±

    Before I could even respond, Fila dashed off without any hesitation like a speeding rabbit. All I could really do then was wait.

    Still, sleeping with a girl, huh? I haven¡¯t even gone that far with the few dates I had back in college on Earth. I slept with a few sexy dakimakura, though, and it did wonders with my sleeping habits. I can still manage to sleep like that with a regular pillow while I¡¯m this size, but cuddling with a girl like Fila ¡­ no, no, don¡¯t go there. She¡¯s just a kid, I shouldn¡¯t expect much to come from it. This is only to help quell her nightmares. I¡¯m taking responsibility to atone for what I¡¯ve done like the adult I am inside this small body.

    Before I knew it, Fila came back leading Onelri by the hand. I stood up and patted whatever grass I had off of my pants.

    ¡°Onelri, you still want to be friends with Soar, right?¡± Fila asked first.

    ¡°¡­ I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Then you need to stop threatening to snitch on Soar about what really happened that night or he won¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think I would?!¡±

    ¡°Onelri, you did just that yesterday to make me explain why I ditched you two the night before, and I bet you a glit that you were thinking about doing it again so I could teach you more on magic.¡±

    Glits, by the way, are the currency used in our continent. They¡¯re basically coins made of copper, silver, and gold of different sizes.

    ¡°I would not ¡­ do thaaaaat.¡±

    ¡°You hesitated there.¡±

    ¡°Onelri, just promise you won¡¯t do it,¡± Fila said. ¡°Our parents agreed to keep Soar¡¯s secret in the first place and you should follow through. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to him, otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Only if he tells me how he managed to make a contract with five fairies at his age and I still have not even gotten one.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know what I can tell you there without sounding like a jerk.¡±

    ¡°¡­ How am I even supposed to respond to that?¡±

    ¡°Look, if you¡¯re really that desperate to make a contract with a fairy, I can at least help you with it. If I help you find one Fairy Companion, can you promise to not threaten to snitch on me anymore?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Very well, then.¡± Onelri then takes a hand to her chest while raising another in the air with both of her eyes closed. ¡°In exchange for being your friend and helping me get a Fairy Companion, I solemnly swear to never threaten to snitch on you about that night ever again.¡±

    ¡°You promise?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You have my word as a proud dark elf.¡±

    ¡°Fairy pinky promise?¡± Fila then asked.

    ¡°¡­ What is this ¡®fairy pinky promise¡¯ you speak of?¡±

    I honestly didn¡¯t think that was actually a thing on Manara, either, so I was as confused as Onelri was.

    ¡°Ah, then let me show you as we do it together!¡± Fila then took all of our pinkies together and link them three ways before singing a song while our hands moved in rhythm.

    ¡°With our pinkies joined, we will now swear~! Whoever breaks their promise must swallow a fairy¡¯s broken heart~! Fairy! Kiss! With that, our fate is now sealed!¡±

    ¡°How can a promise that twisted be sung like that?!¡± Onelri exclaimed.

    ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s such an important promise that it must never be broken. I honestly didn¡¯t know what it was until Mama recently told me what a fairy¡¯s Heartbreak is. I¡¯m guessing it means it would make fairies so sad that they would go into it and you wouldn¡¯t want to be under them with your mouth open when that happens, so ¡­ yeah! This means we¡¯ll be friends forever! Yay~!¡± Fila cheers before pulling us both into a hug.

    ¡°¡­ I do not think I have ever been more terrified of something before than I do right now.¡±

    And I thought the swallowing the 1000 needles thing from Japan was dark. This is as hardcore as that one rocker eating a bat¡¯s wing.

    ~~

    By the time our promise was made, solidifying our friendship, it was time for us to depart. All of the adult men along with Fila, Onelri, and Claire were coming with me to Brightlas while the adult women would stay behind and have a ¡®girl¡¯s day off¡¯ of sorts while getting dinner prepared on our return.

    How we would be getting there was obvious: using my Dark Gate as I did when I dropped Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families off the night before. I had only traversed that far on foot while I was training on my own and never really got through the city gates. Dark Gate only allows one to move between places they¡¯ve been to before if they have enough mana to pull off the distance. Dad and Seal would lend me some mana potions to recover some of what I would lose to get there so I could still be in shape enough to take on the exam. Frankly, though, it was getting difficult trying to use up all of my mana without going all out to start with, and that was before I even got Cinder, Marble, and all of those power-ups for my other fairies.

    Contracted fairies actually serve as mana reserves for emergencies along with powering up our magic, like extra batteries, and since I had five Companions then with four already powered up so much, it was difficult for me to tell when I would even be at my limit.

    Dark Gate apparently takes more of a toll on someone than I thought if they went a far enough distance, so the guys¡ªDarida especially being more of a specialist in Darkness Magic than Weiss was¡ªwere quite surprised to see me not even the slightest bit fatigued. They were hesitant on the idea of me using Dark Gate to get us all there when I brought it up during the party from the start, so I either had a lot more mana in reserve than I thought or I just knew how to use that spell and spend as little as possible.

    Dad paid for my toll as well as the girls as we went through Brightlas¡¯ gates. It was my first time stepping into a place that wasn¡¯t Lunargrove so I was surprised by how big the city was as we walked the streets as a group. Claire wasn¡¯t as surprised, likely because she had been there on multiple occasions, especially since she picked up my gift from the bookstore her uncle ran. We apparently had to pass by the inn Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families stayed in the night prior in order to get to the hunter¡¯s guild.

    It was as we were approaching that inn that I encountered someone I didn¡¯t expect as she stepped through its doors and loosened her joints before spotting me.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    Agnes and I stood there staring at each other while Dad was at my side and everyone else was behind us.

    ¡°Uh ¡­ hey¡ª¡±

    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!¡±

    ¡°Milady?!¡±

    I attempted to make the greeting first before Agnes screamed and ran in the opposite direction. I made out her face was as flushed as her boyish scarlet hair and eyes. Her maid, Melissa, stepped out just as she did so and was flabbergasted at her behavior.

    I didn¡¯t think what I was doing other than I needed to catch up to her. Like I was chasing one of the deer in the forest as part of my training, I focused mana into my legs to increase running power and burst at great speed, the slight wind pressure blew what was in my trail.

    Agnes was such in a panic that she didn¡¯t even notice me passing her within a few seconds. I stopped right in front of her with a stable stance and used Gravity Magic to increase my weight.

    ¡°Oof!¡±

    ¡°Gotcha.¡±

    Like an unbreakable wall, Agnes slammed right into me as I trapped her in place with my arms around her torso. Despite our slight height differences, the increased weight didn¡¯t let me get knocked over by her force.

    Agnes screaming stopped, and in its place was her poor attempt to restrain from crying, utterly failing to do so as she sobbed over my shoulder.

    ¡°Why did you run from me?¡± I asked calmly.

    ¡°I-I ¡­ I¡¯m so embarrassed I want to d-diiiie!¡±

    Well, with how everyone¡¯s staring now, that makes two of us.

 Chapter 20: Along with Agnes, We got to Meet with Brightlas Guild Master

    ¡°Son! Is everything okay?!¡±

    ¡°Define ¡®okay!¡¯¡±

    Dad and I had that short exchange as he and the others caught up to us. The passersby who were nearby tried to go back to their business while pretending to not see anything. I heard a few of the kids trying to ask what was going on but were led away by their parents.

    ¡°Milady, please do not run off on your own like that. Master Soar, I thank you for stopping her,¡± Melissa said as she bowed to me while I was still holding the trembling, sobbing Agnes by the waist.

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble, Melissa ¡­ Agnes? I¡¯m going to let go of you now. If you run off again, I¡¯m going to give you a bop on the head.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Okay.¡±

    Agnes stopped her sobbing and immediately mumbled a reply after I made the subtle threat. I slowly pulled myself away as I noticed how she suddenly tensed up, trying to stop herself from trembling with all of her might. Even her eyes were shut tight to keep herself from breaking any more tears.

    Okay, maybe that might¡¯ve been too much of a threat from me to scare her into silence. I really have no experience with shit like this ¡­

    ¡°Well, I may not have tested him on it but from that display, he¡¯s definitely faster than me now. Seriously, this is hurting more of my pride by the day.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the time for that, Weiss,¡± Sam chided after Weiss¡¯ remark as he scratched his head.

    ¡°Still, this is quite a surprise. For you all to get here at this time from a town so far away ¡­¡± Melissa trailed off before perking up. ¡°Ah! Of course, being a dark elf, it would make sense that Master Darida would cast Dark Gate to transport all of you here, as expected of one from the race that specializes in Darkness Magic.¡±

    ¡°Pardon me, Melissa. While it is true that Darkness Magic is our specialty and I am capable of casting Dark Gate, I personally would not be able to cast it at such a distance without breaking a sweat. That was the work of this one here.¡± Darida pointed his gaze my way after making the correction.

    Melissa and Agnes followed his line of gaze toward me and were stunned speechless.

    ¡°To run at such speed with mana-infused legs and to travel from Lunargrove to Brightlas by Dark Gate ¡­ I don¡¯t recall you telling me of your son being that capable, Gullivan.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I looked over at the new older gentleman who spoke of Dad¡¯s name that approached us.

    I say he was older, but his build was similar to Dad¡¯s in that he may still pull off telling people he was still in his late thirties if it weren¡¯t for his graying locks tied in a short ponytail and subtle wrinkles. He had a brown leather vest over his beige tunic while wearing slacks of a darker shade from the former and matching boots. Hovering behind him were three fairies, Fire, Earth, and Light, the first two being around the same size as Breezy, while the third was similar to Dad¡¯s Tyra and the rest of my own Companions sans Marble.

    ¡°Ah, Grayson! Just the man I was looking to see, and I had found out my son was even more amazing than I realized just yesterday!¡± Dad exclaimed before giving a hearty laugh and slapped my back. ¡°Soar, this is the man that runs Brightlas¡¯ hunter¡¯s guild, the guild master, Grayson Vals!¡±

    Going by the size of his fairies, Grayson¡¯s specialties are Earth and Fire Magic, huh? He must¡¯ve been quite the experienced hunter before becoming a guild master, I speculated.

    ¡°G-Guild master?!¡± Agnes exclaimed. She then wiped whatever was on her face with a sleeve and smacked her cheeks together before facing Grayson and gave a noble bow with a fist on her chest. ¡°Mr. Vals, my name is Agnes Zanri, the only daughter of Tristen Zanri. I am 12 years old with one Fire Fairy and I would like to register as a hunter, please!¡±

    ¡°¡°Huh?¡±¡±

    The majority of us, including Dad and myself, had mixtures of shock and confusion from her introduction.

    ¡°Is that right?¡± Grayson asked with a quirked brow while crossing his arms. ¡°You¡¯re the knight general¡¯s daughter, yeah? You think a brat like you can handle the work of being a hunter with all that cryin¡¯ I heard back there?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Damn, he doesn¡¯t even give a shit about Agnes¡¯ social status to call her a brat right there. Wonder if that comes with the job of being a guild master? Also, is this noble girl seriously a year older than my physical age?

    ¡°I-I do not usually get that flustered, sir! I have trained with swordsmanship and magic diligently under the guidance of my father and Mr. Seal Galveston! I am willing to do whatever it takes to prove myself to qualify!¡± Agnes still had her head bowed down and eyes to the ground, not even talking back to Grayson¡¯s degrading name.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I can vouch for her, Mr. Val.¡± From Grayson¡¯s silence, Seal stepped up and stood by Agnes¡¯ side. ¡°Hearing of her registering as a hunter was new to me, certainly, but I can guarantee that her skills in sword and magic are top-notch among those her age.¡±

    ¡°And you think she has what it takes to be a hunter?¡±

    ¡°I believe this is a good way to expand her horizons and grow. I can guarantee as her master that Lady Agnes can excel in practically anything that she sets her mind to.¡±

    ¡°I see. Gullivan, seeing you here with your son now ¡­¡±

    ¡°Aye, I¡¯m here with Soar for the same reason. He¡¯ll also be registering as a hunter. While he just turned 11 yesterday, we had also learned many things that will make him more than qualified to take the job. I¡¯m putting my word in not just as his father, but his master, too.¡±

    When one wants to register as a hunter between 10-12 years old, they need at least one of two things as a prerequisite: being contracted to at least one fairy as Chaperone and Companion, and a recommendation from their instructor as master and apprentice. One could register even without being in a contract with a fairy as long as their master¡ªwhose reputation at the time would also be taken into account for legitimacy¡ªdeems them qualified in skills to make up for the lack of provided magic power.

    There are many circumstances that could make or break their qualifications and it¡¯s up to the guild master who¡¯s assessing them at the time to judge them worthy to take a trial. Seal and Dad had respectively made their recommendations as masters of Agnes and me to help deem us qualified to register as hunters. With their own reputations as successful hunters in mind, it would be difficult to not discredit their recommendation.

    ¡°¡­ All right, then,¡± Grayson said after a pause. ¡°Come with me to the guild and we¡¯ll get those two set up.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much, sir.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t regret it, Grayson!¡± Seal and Dad made their respective responses before we all followed Grayson to the hunter¡¯s guild. Agnes and I were next to each other as we walked behind our ¡®masters.¡¯

    Aside from the bustling activity from the city, there was an awkward silence between us until someone cut in.

    ¡°Agnes! Thanks so much for the food and party decorations yesterday!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! It turned out really well, thanks to you!¡±

    ¡°¡­ What they said.¡±

    ¡°Eh?! O-Oh, right, it was no trouble ¡­¡±

    Fila, Claire, and Onelri gave their respective thanks to Agnes for her contribution to last night¡¯s party before she tried to be humble in her response despite the surprise.

    Fila then poked my shoulder and urged me to say something as well. I knew the moment Fila cut in what they were trying to do.

    ¡°I had fun last night. It wouldn¡¯t have turned out that way if it weren¡¯t for what you did, so ¡­ thanks for that.¡±

    ¡°The catering and sweets were to your liking?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They were all very delicious.¡±

    ¡°I am glad. It was the least I could do after all that happened.¡±

    ¡°Right ¡­ listen, Agnes, about that¡ª¡±

    ¡°So, you came to Brightlas to register as a hunter, yes? You are certainly well-equipped for the job,¡± Agnes interrupted without making eye contact.

    ¡­ Maybe this isn¡¯t a good time and place for that talk. ¡°Uh, yeah. I got all of these as presents from last night¡¯s party. Were you planning on becoming a hunter while on this trip, too?¡±

    ¡°No, this was more what I decided on impulse last night.¡±

    ¡°Will your dad be okay with this? Would he even let you out to take on dangerous quests? Have you even defeated a monster before?¡±

    ¡°It will be fine! After what I had experienced firsthand, I feel like I can take on anything!¡± Agnes seemed to have realized what she just said before her face paled and waved her hands in front of me. ¡°I-I am sorry! I did not mean to make that sound so rude! I was not trying to imply anything at all!¡±

    I then recalled what she meant by what she ¡®experienced firsthand.¡¯ That is, my aggressive display in our match and how I showcased my magic. She pissed herself at least one of those times and after looking back on it, I could only imagine how terrified she might have been from witnessing it.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine, Agnes, water under the bridge.¡±

    ¡°Y-You are not mad?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Agnes then breathed a sigh of relief like she got off of a dangerous situation.

    ¡­ Crap, I think I might have broken her more than I thought. I really need to find a way to mend this over. Just as I thought that Seal tapped my shoulder to catch my attention.

    ¡°Do not worry, Soar. I will be with her while we explain things to her father. When we get back to our lessons, I will take full responsibility for looking after her while she takes on quests. I will make sure everything that happened yesterday does not reach his ears, either,¡± he whispered. I nodded in confirmation.

    While I did want to make something of myself as a hunter, the last thing I needed was the attention of such high military power. Even if Seal¡¯s family was of a lower social status than Agnes¡¯, I could only hope he would use the influence of both that and his rep as a hunter to be able to mend this situation over.

 Chapter 21: Agnes and I Gave Our Motives for Becoming Hunters

    The girls talked among themselves the rest of the way, mainly to ease Agnes¡¯ worries while the guys and all of our fairies above us were doing the same. I overheard how Claire actually started off as a hunter at H rank when she turned 13 years old. A hunter¡¯s rank is under the same system as our magic aptitude from H at the bottom and S at the top. Those who have no experience on the field and not under an apprenticeship of a registered hunter, whether or not they¡¯re contracted with a fairy start off at H rank as young as 13 years old. This can be done at any hunter¡¯s guild location, whether it be the main headquarters of a district or the outposts that branch from it. Quests of this rank would include doing odd jobs like loading supplies, gardening, cleaning, any job that can be done within a town¡¯s or city¡¯s boundaries with the lowest risk of being in danger.

    G rank is when you start doing collection quests outside of a town¡¯s borders, mainly medicinal herbs or some other particular vegetation. There is some risk of running into monsters, but they¡¯re usually rather low in threat levels and the guild takes this into account when sending hunters of this rank out in the field. They do expect them to be fit enough to fend for themselves or run away at any sign of danger, though. Then, from F rank and up is when hunters are expected to, well, hunt, for particular game and monsters using their honed skills in magic or weapon of specialty.

    Claire was apparently at E rank when we finally became friends. She mainly took the job as a hunter to earn enough money to buy the book for me, taking quests in town two to three times a week after school when she started out as H rank, then worked her way up as she honed her magic and watching Dad¡¯s hunting classes from the sidelines. Her weapon of choice was a single dagger and was under training for dual-wielding two of them¡ªthe same fighting style Weiss used in his work¡ªat the time she officially made friends with me. It was then I finally noticed how she had two daggers holstered at her lower back, ready to pull and strike from behind at a moment¡¯s notice.

    I might not have gotten a close look at her face until recently but even I was rather surprised I didn¡¯t notice her being at Dad¡¯s hunting classes all of those times. I wondered how she managed to hide so well for me or my Companions to not even notice her presence.

    To be that stealthy while using such weapons that can be well-hidden, Claire would fit under a rogue or thief class in RPGs surprisingly well. That thought gave me a tinge of unease while recalling how Onelri mentioned Claire had stalked me for a period. Aside from that, for Claire with no field experience getting from H to E rank within a year after she turned 13 and no penalties in her record, I could tell she worked very hard and it sounded like she was actually having fun working part-time as a hunter.

    To go through all of that to earn enough money and buy my gift, I felt guilty for not giving her my proper attention sooner, especially since I never had friends who got me thoughtful gifts as a kid in my previous life.

    Maybe I should form a party and help her out on quests. It¡¯s the least I could do after all of that time and effort she put into such a gift that I have now no further use for other than leisure. I made that resolution in my mind.

    By the time we made it to Brightlas¡¯ guild, Agnes was especially surprised at the building¡¯s sight both outside and inside. I was also taking it in while the other girls were looking around them in a more subdued manner. I guessed Claire had been to the building a few times and Fila and Onelri probably came in with their parents to cash in the reward after reporting the bandits¡¯ bodies.

    The large rustic brown building in question was moderately paced with activity and many people, hunters, guild clerks, and the like from a variety of races going about their businesses. Some were checking out quest postings on boards, others were in line to either pick up those jobs or their rewards after completing them. There was even a bar that served drinks, and so there were hunters gathered around tables drinking some sort of alcohol or eating their fill of food as they talked about work. The hunters in question were mostly guys of different body frames and the number of girls in the same field were scarce, but all of them were around or above their mid to late twenties. The guild clerks were about the reverse in their male-to-female ratio and had plenty of attractive employees among the latter group in various ages while in stylish uniforms. And of course, there were countless fairies doing their own thing with or without their Chaperones. If one were to use magic-enhanced vision to try and make out which fairy belonged to who by their string-like mana bonds, they would resemble those complicated laser security systems you might see in spy movies to have them all clustered together.

    We immediately caught the attention of everybody in the room when we came inside. A large group would probably turn some heads but with my magic-heightened hearing, I could already overhear some whispers among the hunters that were sitting in tables that said otherwise.

    ¡°Oh, Gullivan¡¯s back.¡± ¡°Looks like the majority of Platinum Arms is back with him, too.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the brat with him?¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that the son he¡¯s always boasting about?¡± ¡°He looks nothing like him!¡± ¡°Seems him being a Fairy¡¯s Child is true, though.¡± ¡°That other red-headed kid looks to be one, too. He a noble?¡± ¡°Wait, weren¡¯t the two girls behind them here early yesterday, too?¡± ¡°Where are the attractive mothers?¡± ¡°I feel like I had seen the rabbit mama once before.¡±

    I then felt something clinging my back and shivering in place.

    ¡°Fila? What is the matter?¡± Agnes asked.

    ¡°Scary hunters said weird things about Mama last time we were here, too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, it would make sense for you to hear whispers with your ears.¡± I can only imagine the kind of gross stuff they might have said about her mother, too. That must¡¯ve been unpleasant for both of them, I thought after hearing Fila¡¯s explanation while she gripped on my leather armor from behind.

    ¡°Huh? What were you doing here last time?¡± Claire asked.

    ¡°It was uh ¡­ about that ¡®bandit¡¯ thing that was mentioned a few times.¡±

    ¡°Ahh ¡­¡± Claire seemed to have got it from Onelri¡¯s vague explanation.

    Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families had gone to the hunter¡¯s guild first thing in the morning to turn in the bandits¡¯ bodies before picking up a carriage ride over to Lunargrove and see me afterward. The bandits¡¯ drawn mug shots were apparently seen on ¡®wanted criminal¡¯ quest postings that were ranked as D for their charged crimes and danger level. Believe it or not, but this is usually expected of lower-level bandits who¡¯ve repeatedly mugged merchant carts on the road while keeping them alive.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    From what Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families reported to the authorities and the guild though, these bandits killed a few of the passengers from the carts they were riding from Duston, a town to the northeast of Lunargrove, before getting kidnapped and were about to be trafficked for slavery. That had raised their rank up to C as their bodies got turned in.

    That was what Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s parents reported when they told me later on and how my ¡®directing them out of the forest¡¯ story came up first to tie in with theirs. By ¡®directed,¡¯ the others probably figured I took them out with Dark Gate at however close I got them to Duston¡ªwhich was lucky because I had also traveled to the borders of that town over the course of my personal training, making the story¡¯s legitimacy even stronger¡ªbefore they ran into the bandits and the ¡®mysterious and powerful¡¯ hunter who saved them. The families were then sent over to Brightlas by that hunter¡¯s Dark Gate after that with the bandits¡¯ bodies packed and stowed away in Daridas¡¯ Dark Space. While there was some truth of what really happened mixed in there, it seemed they really planned out that story well. Brightlas¡¯ hunter¡¯s guild was tight on money at the time, so the families received part of the necessary rewards for bringing them in dead and was given a sort of receipt to show and pick up the rest at a later date.

    Checking with the guild to see if the rest of the reward was ready to pick up was actually part of why Daridas came with us while I was getting registered as a hunter, but what they did with that money will be explained at a later time.

    Fila had to be forcefully pried off my back and I assured her that we would be back soon before me, Agnes, and our ¡®masters¡¯ were led by Grayson to the back of the guild while the others, including our own fairies, stayed behind. Grayson spoke to one of the guild clerks along the way before she went and picked up a sort of crystal ball contraption along with a few blank cards.

    Wait, that crystal ball-like device writes in the ID cards after having a person¡¯s mana or some sort identified, right? Didn¡¯t I see something like this from an isekai anime before? Well, considering how many there were already when I left, it was hard to come up with original ideas, anyway. Who knows whether or not it had already been done before I saw it the first time?

    ¡°All right, you brats, pay attention.¡± Grayson¡¯s call snapped me out of my thoughts before I realized we were moved to what looked like his private office. ¡°Before we get started, I just got one question to ask the two of you. Why do you want to become a hunter?¡±

    ¡°W-Why?¡± Agnes asked.

    ¡°Many people get on this job for many reasons. Whatever you say won¡¯t affect your chances of getting registered, I just want to know where you two stand.¡±

    Ah, so like an interview process of sorts. Guess something like this is to be expected in any civilized world. Taking his words into mind, I cleared my throat to go first. ¡°Why I want to be a hunter isn¡¯t really all that grand. I want to start working and make a stable income as early as possible so I could save up and live a simpler life in the future. I also want to do the best that I can do at my job and just settle for my earnings without pursuing fame like Dad and Seal have achieved. There¡¯s all that and I just think working on the field sounds kind of fun.¡±

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°¡­ What? Was my reason too weird?¡± I asked as I noticed everyone was staring at me wide-eyed.

    ¡°¡­ You were right, Gullivan. Your brat¡¯s surprisingly as mature for his age as you made him out to be.¡±

    ¡°I admit I did not even believe it when he told me at first but hearing it right out of his mouth ¡­ I question if he is even related to you by blood.¡±

    Grayson and Seal made their respective responses to my motivations. Agnes looked to be as shocked on that as she was after getting beaten in sword and magic during my birthday. Dad was behind me, so I couldn¡¯t see how he was, but I got the feeling he was a bit uneasy.

    Though I did have to agree with Seal though. Even though I woke up as a baby in my new mom¡¯s arms, I couldn¡¯t believe my new dad was like that and I was kind of worried I¡¯d end up as bulky as he was. I personally preferred a slender, lean physique myself.

    ¡°Well, that aside, it was realistic and well-said, Soar ¡­ Agnes, you¡¯re up.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh! Right!¡± Agnes remembered where she was after Grayson called to her before standing at attention like a soldier. ¡°Why I want to be a hunter ¡­ I believe Mr. Galveston said it well that it would be good for my growth and expanding my horizons. What is most important to me, however ¡­ I want to be able to stand amongst the strong, to be able to fight for what I care about in a time of crisis, to become dependable for many people around me that is different from how my father does in his job as our kingdom¡¯s knight general. To be able to fight because I am my own person and not for being the knight general¡¯s daughter.

    ¡°I had honestly forgotten it and went overboard with my focus in strength for some time until some recent events happened. I want to prove that I am better than that, though. I want to improve further to not only set example to those that may look up to me but so they know that I too have someone that serves as a role model and that there are no limits to what one can achieve. I think being a hunter, a job that involves seeing and experiencing something new every day would be the best thing for me to do.¡±

    ¡°Lady Agnes ¡­¡± Seal muttered while looking away. He was trying really hard not to look vulnerable. I only stood there and broke into a cold sweat from my back.

    ¡­ I don¡¯t want to sound like a stupidly-dense harem protagonist but you are talking about Seal here, right, Agnes? Otherwise, I think you need to get your eyes checked in order to properly see what makes one a good role model ¡­ something that I definitely am not. I really gotta get this ¡®awkward superiority¡¯ air cleared soon.

    ¡°I see, I see,¡± Grayson said. ¡°I may not know what you brats have been taught but whatever reason you have for becoming a hunter, know that it isn¡¯t all fun and games. The brats of my own son are younger than you two and I wouldn¡¯t urge them into this kind of job for how dangerous it is, and it isn¡¯t just the monsters you need to be on the lookout for. You get where I¡¯m goin¡¯ with this?¡±

    Agnes and I nod in unison.

    ¡°¡­ Right, then. We¡¯ll start by getting you your ID cards through this magic device here. Do not lose these cards, or replacing them will cost you greatly. Once it reads your mana signature and inscribes some info in your cards, it will keep track of whatever monsters you defeat, no matter how many there are, that will be displayed if you hold your cards over that same device. This is how we can see whether or not you have defeated the number of specific monsters for the quest you submit. It will not know whatever monsters you may have defeated before you registered, but if you have their magic stones, you¡¯re welcome to submit them at any time and we will give you the necessary money in exchange.¡±

    That¡¯s actually a good deal for me, I thought. This way, nobody would know how many monsters I had defeated over the last couple of years and I can just submit a couple of magic stones at a time without garnering too much attention ¡­ it will be a while to get rid of them all through that method, though.

    ¡°Once we get you two your registered cards, we¡¯ll be putting both of you through an entrance exam of sorts,¡± Grayson continued. ¡°This will give us a chance to see where your skills lie and what rank you should start off with as a hunter. We would not have you do this if your masters didn¡¯t give their recommendations.¡±

    ¡°If anyone was given that kind of opportunity without a recommendation, they probably wouldn¡¯t even make it through the first day alive if they don¡¯t have the skill and talent to show for it, no matter if they¡¯re kids like us or even young adults.¡±

    ¡°Very good, Soar, that¡¯s the main reason we only have rookie hunters with recommendations from their masters be given this chance to prove themselves.¡±

    I made a speculation that Grayson confirmed to be true. Though it may be expected of me to know that much with my mental age, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little prideful of my intelligence.

    ¡°A-And ¡­ what will you have us do for this exam?¡± Agnes asked with a slight shake in her voice.

    ¡°You will be going through one of the areas that helped brought the hunter job to existence on this continent: the Myron Dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 22: Dad and I Had a Moment in Graysons Office

    Agnes and I went through the process of getting our ID cards inscribed by the crystal ball magic device as Grayson explained the details of our exam. Myron Dungeon has a total of 30 floors below the ground, swarming with monsters that are ¡®born¡¯ inside and prowl around its chambers, and they get stronger and more difficult to beat as you go deeper into its depths. On the 15<sup>th</sup> floor, there is a mid-boss monster you must defeat in order to move on, and the 30<sup>th</sup> floor houses the dungeon boss you must do the same to in order to clear it.

    For our exam, we must go as deep as the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor in order to pass and we start off as F Rank hunters, the minimum for one to start hunting monsters. If we go further down to the 8<sup>th</sup> floor, we¡¯d start as E Rank, and beyond that, we would be judged and ranked accordingly.

    The guild would provide us only two mana potions each along with a complimentary basket of goodies for our lunch¡ªthe latter Dad and Seal had to pay extra with the registration fees for us as our masters¡ªto keep ourselves energized through the dungeon crawl and making it back to the entrance on foot. They would also send one examiner to evaluate our performance and one experienced hunter as our escort in case of emergencies.

    Considering the rookies are between 10-12 years old, it would make sense they¡¯d have this much assurance for their survival while being able to pass the exam to a certain degree. I had even seen glimpses of monster subjugation quests from the postings on our way in that were ranked accordingly with the thresholds of our exam. One of them included a C-Ranked quest for an item that can only be dropped by Myron Dungeon¡¯s boss. That meant an average C Rank hunter or a party of hunters that can take C Rank quests would be enough to take down the boss and clear the dungeon, and as long these monsters respawn after certain periods, providing resources from their drops that the guild can use, those quests would stay up there for quite some time.

    As the last of our cards were getting inscribed, I asked Grayson if there was something at the end of the dungeon after you defeat its boss. Apparently, there¡¯s a chamber in the back of the dungeon boss¡¯ room where it judges your performance in the crawl.

    If it judges you worthy, one of these three things happen: one, you will be given a new gift that will appear along with its effects on the Status Card your fairy made; two, a full-sized e-stone appears that you can either use to synthesize into a new weapon or give it to your respective Companion in terms of its element attribute; or three, a fairy appears before you¡ªher type dependent on what you don¡¯t have and the dungeon you are in as there are others spread around the continent¡ªand asks to form a contract with you in recognition of your achievement.

    If nothing appears at all, it means you aren¡¯t worthy of any rewards yet, but you can try going through it all again until the chamber judges you otherwise. Of course, if you have cleared the dungeon and received a reward already, you won¡¯t get another one from its chamber, so what you¡¯re given after that first approved clearance is a one-time deal.

    With that in mind, I thought carefully about what course of action would be best for me as we took our finished cards.

    ¡°Hey, uh, Grayson, before I leave Soar to you, you mind if I talk with him for a bit?¡± Dad suddenly asked as we were about to set out of Grayson¡¯s office.

    ¡°¡­ Try not to mess with anything in here and don¡¯t take too long.¡±

    Grayson was getting what Dad wanted to do, so with the latter¡¯s nod in understanding, the former led the others out of the office. Dad and I were left as the only ones there.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Dad?¡± I asked to start things off.

    ¡°Soar, uh ¡­ is this, what you really want to do?¡±

    I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°What brought this on? Isn¡¯t this what you brought me to this point to do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just it. I know, I have been especially hard on you in your training, and even though I already found how capable you really are before you revealed your fairies to us, I still got worried, not knowing what you¡¯re doing out there on your own. Part of me wanted to go out there to find you, but you¡¯re either so far outside of what I expected to do anything about it or you¡¯re back before I noticed how long you¡¯ve been gone.

    ¡°I¡¯ve personally taught you everything I could from what I learned on the field, trained you the best way I know how, convinced my former party to help me with them as well, mainly so you¡¯re prepared to defend yourself when you¡¯re on your own, but it wasn¡¯t until I heard your plans of being a hunter for the first time that I questioned myself possibly forcing this job on you.¡±

    Dad then got on his knee to be at my level. ¡°Son, over the past eleven years of being parents, you have not asked your mother or me for a lot of things. Even as a baby when I held you in my arms, you only wanted necessities like food, water, and sleep and you made those clear to us when you need them. You were even potty-trained and able to eat solid food so early with little to no help from us, earlier than what we¡¯ve heard from other families, and that was when we started to worry about how well we¡¯re doing as parents.¡±

    I only tried using the toilet as early as I could because I hated being in diapers, and don¡¯t even get me started on when it was time to change them. It was also very strange getting breastfed under my circumstances, so having solid food early on was also another goal for me along with walking and talking. I didn¡¯t care how much I stood out as someone ¡®gifted¡¯ from other babies during that time, I wanted to be independent with the simplest of tasks as fast as I could.

    Still, I knew when I was ¡®born¡¯ that my parents were worried about my potential future with my magic aptitude at S rank, but I didn¡¯t think my fast development would actually have someone worry over me than otherwise. They always brag about me whenever I was nearby but perhaps there were some things that they didn¡¯t want to risk me overhearing when I wasn¡¯t around.

    ¡°Instead of toys and playing games with us, you asked for books and stories,¡± Dad continued. ¡°Instead of candies and sweets all the time, you wanted real food and didn¡¯t whine about whatever¡¯s on your plate. And then, later on, you asked to learn magic, how to wield a sword, ways to get stronger, even how to do chores to help around the house. We gave you those things with all of our ability because we didn¡¯t know how else to make you happy, and you never gave us a chance to spoil you. We feel like ¡­ if you¡¯re not depending on us, we aren¡¯t doing what we¡¯re supposed to do as your parents. There were times we feel like you kept things to yourself to not be a bother to us, like you¡¯re ¡­ a guest in our home, and not as our son who you can come to us for anything about.

    ¡°I¡¯m going off-topic here. The point is, if I ever gave the impression of forcing you into being a hunter, I apologize for that. You¡¯ve come so far at your age, farther than I¡¯ve ever gone around that same time. I tell everyone how proud I am of you at every chance I get and I mean it, and I¡¯ll keep doing it even if their ears bleed, even after you leave Lunargrove for your own journey one day. Whether you want to be a hunter, be a guild employee like your mother was, hell, you could even work your way up as a noble if you want, I know in my gut that you have what it takes. You could even run business for an inn, a restaurant, a store of some sort, if you¡¯re planning on building a brothel, I¡¯ll pay the highest service with your best girl as your first customer at the grand opening.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I think Mom would kill you if she heard you say that.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, as long as you¡¯re happy as a respected, dignified man, your mother and I will support you in whatever path you may choose because we love you, Soar. We will help you up if you¡¯re ever in trouble because of that, so don¡¯t ever think about holding back for our sake, that you¡¯re a bother to us enough to abandon you if you make a wrong move. We would never do that to our own kid.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve changed your mind about being a hunter after hearing my rant, we can drop everything and head straight back home, or we could spend the day to explore Brightlas with everyone before doing so. You have a choice, Soar, and I will support whatever decision you make because I love you, and I couldn¡¯t be any prouder to be your father.¡±

    I had to take a moment to absorb all of that. It was the most I had ever seen of Dad being so serious about something, and he looked to be on the brink of tears that he was desperately trying to keep himself from breaking.

    I think how the parents of my previous life raised me affected what I thought was best for my new ones there. Considering my circumstances, I had a strange perspective of seeing Mom and Dad as both my parents and not at the same time, wanting to be happy living and growing up again with them, yet try not to develop strange feelings because in my perspective, they were different parents from my previous ones related by blood on Earth. I¡¯ve had instances of reminding myself of where I stood with me and Mom because of technicalities, but my adult mind would say otherwise knowing who my real mother was. All of those baths with Mom didn¡¯t really help me in the slightest.

    I didn¡¯t know how to be happy with them with those in mind, and it seemed they also had similar feelings.

    Why couldn¡¯t I have something like this with my previous parents? I thought briefly, but I knew I shouldn¡¯t dwell on it. At that time, I needed to assure Dad of his uncertainties that he could pass onto Mom.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, too,¡± I started. ¡°Part of me didn¡¯t ask for much to be spoiled because of what you said, about becoming a bother to you and Mom like other kids would for their own parents, but I didn¡¯t need much mainly because ¡­ I was already happy with what I had.

    ¡°When I see how the other kids are with their families, I feel blessed to be living with what I have now. Our home, you two, your friends like Seal, Lilia, and Ms. Renne, even Dew and Tyra, too. I¡¯ve had so much given to me by so many people and I wanted to show how grateful I am to have you all, and ¡­¡±

    Before I realized it, my vision grew blurry and streaks were made down my cheeks. Dad closed in and pulled me into an embrace.

    ¡°H-How much I ¡­ love you, too,¡± I said with a crack in my voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, son. I hear you, now.¡±

    We take a moment of silence to relish this feeling of comfort and ease after our uncertainties were cleared. Only sniffles echoed in Grayson¡¯s office.

    Just how long was it ¡­ that I heard ¡®I love you¡¯ from them back on Earth? I thought briefly.

    I was used to hearing my Companions saying it for how long we had spent together, and most of them were aware of my circumstances, too, but as long as I was ¡®Soar Osmis,¡¯ I was the son of Gullivan and Carol Osmis, the son of two very loving, proud parents who genuinely wanted the best for me. For their time and effort to raise me and show me affection, I wanted to pay them back at whatever chance I could get. That¡¯s also part of why I wanted to ¡®grow up¡¯ so early, so I could be the son who deserved their love after all that they did for me.

    ¡­ I should tell them the truth, one day. They deserve that much, I resolved in my mind, concerning the bandit thing from the night before. I may get a scolding from it, but compared to my previous parents, I was confident Mom and Dad here would only do it out of their love for their son, something I didn¡¯t know I needed for the longest time.

    ¡°We both know what¡¯s going on with each other now, yeah?¡± Dad asked after some time of silence.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And we didn¡¯t cry. That was the onions from the guild¡¯s kitchen reaching toward us, but that doesn¡¯t need to be known outside of this room, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    I may not have been his whole son, but we sure shared one thing in common: we both have our own appearances to uphold in public, and we definitely don¡¯t want to be made fun of for our vulnerable sides being shown.

    With that, we quickly gathered ourselves and removed whatever traces of our ¡®crying¡¯ we had from our moment.

    ¡°Okay, son, I will ask again: what do you want to do?¡± Dad asked.

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not entirely sure what I want to do in the future yet, but right now, I want to make the most of what I can as a hunter, a great one. I think I want to start it off with passing this exam after getting to the 15<sup>th</sup> floor of Myron Dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Really, now? Ain¡¯t that where the mid-boss lurks?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m going to beat it. I¡¯ll see about whether to continue further or not afterward.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like you have a plan. I would tell you to be careful, but after seeing that Wind Needle of yours ¡­ those words are probably better for the mid-boss¡¯ sake, maybe even the dungeon boss. Anyway, don¡¯t forget you have Agnes with you, too. Try to help her out if she needs it, okay?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and one last thing before we head out. When we get back home, your mother and I have some special news to share with you, so you best not slip up if you want to hear it.¡±

    ¡°Huh. All right, I¡¯ll be careful, then.¡± Wonder what the big news is? I thought briefly as Dad led the way out.

    Just as he opened the door and stepped through first ¡­

    ¡°Gullivan! Thank goodness you came back in time. Oh! Is this your son?¡± Greeting Dad first before noticing me was a woman with dirty blonde locks that stretched just past the shoulders, fading into white while speckled with spots. She was dressed in a brown leather crop jacket over a yellow crop top, leaving her midriff bare. She also had fingerless gloves, short shorts, and knee-high boots that matched her jacket with black stockings underneath them. The most distinguishing features, however, were the large feline ears jotting out of her head while a thick, long tail swerved side to side in curiosity, both of which matched her hair. If one looked closely, the pupils in her light green eyes were also slit like a cat¡¯s.

    Ah, a pantherkin. Looks like she resembles more to the leopard species, I deduced. The pantherkin are the feline types of beastmen that exist in Manara. Cat people, in short. Interestingly, their race¡¯s name is scientifically accurate with Earth¡¯s taxonomy. I won¡¯t bore you with the details, but basically expect the [snow] leopard, jaguar, lion, and tiger variants of this race existing in Manara as they¡¯re all part of the ¡®panther¡¯ line of feline type animals; hence, the pantherkin of beastmen.

    I only know this much to tell this woman apart from other species because I was vested in one of them as part of a science project in high school. I looked up the other species out of curiosity. Also, Dad introduced me to a former hunter colleague who was a ¡®lion-man¡¯ that visited Lunargrove once. I shit you not, I couldn¡¯t put as much effort into not laughing at how ridiculous he looked with that ¡®mane¡¯ of his as I did from anything else in both my lifetimes.

    It just goes to show that catgirls are just cuter than catboys. At least in Manara, and this woman who was staring at me with curiosity was no exception.

    ¡°Aye, this is Soar. Soar, this is Rala Naiwan, she¡¯s a hunter who¡¯s also registered as an examiner for newcomers. She¡¯ll likely be the one to judge your performance, as well as Lady Agnes¡¯,¡± Dad introduced me.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Naiwan,¡± I greeted politely while bowing.

    ¡°¡­ Cuuu¡ªwait, no! This is not the time for that!¡± Ms. Naiwan exclaimed, shaking herself out of some sort of trance. ¡°Gullivan, you have to steel yourself, because¡ª¡±

    ¡°Did I hear Gully¡¯s name being called? Ah! There he is! Gully~! Yoohoo~!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Get back here! I am not through with you yet!¡±

    ¡°¡­ Oh, Goddess Elmyra, have mercy.¡±

    Interrupting Rala¡¯s warning was another woman calling out to Dad with a strange nickname. The three of us turned to the source just as she was approaching us while Onelri was yelling angrily at her from behind. Dad paled and broke into a cold sweat as he muttered his prayer, something I had never seen of him before.

    The woman approaching us in question had clear, light skin as fine as silk; locks of gold-platinum blonde hair that practically shines like polished chrome as it¡¯s in a unique style of a short ponytail with her bangs free, whereby revealing her ears, long and pointy like Onelri and her family¡¯s, decorated with matching earrings; smooth, luscious lips as pink as peach; brilliant light emerald eyes; and a bust that rivaled Flomi¡¯s in size as it filled out her violet robe-like top that¡¯s suitable for mages, a furry-white muffler wraps over her shoulders while also accentuating her cleavage even further.

    As it does with Onelri¡¯s lineage, the natural beauty of the approaching woman¡¯s race far exceeded what one may comprehend. It was said that this beauty both halves of this race held were on par with those of the Elemental Maidens.

    On one side was where Onelri and her family originated, specialists of Darkness Magic, whose beauty was said to shine the brightest under the moon¡¯s light: the dark elves. And then there was the woman that Dad was acquainted with, where her race was blessed with the talent for Light Magic and her line¡¯s beauty practically radiates like the sun itself.

    ¡°A light elf? Here?¡± I asked aloud, more confused about the sudden change of events than anything else.

 Chapter 23: The First Light Elf I Met was Somebody Id Rather Not Meet

    This took place shortly after Agnes, Seal, and Grayson left the office to leave the father and son to their moment. The young boyish-looking girl stared at her new hunter I.D. card while recalling the conditions of the exam she and Soar would have to take.

    I may not have known him much yet, but after seeing his power first-hand, I imagine he will want to clear the whole dungeon in one go, Agnes thought briefly. I can share sentiments in that but after putting us into comparison, would I even be considered ¡®worthy¡¯ after clearing it with him? Would I not be riding along as he clears a path? I want to pass this test but the last thing I want is being a burden for him. I have to do what I can to keep up with him.

    ¡°Milady? Are you all right?¡± Melissa asked, snapping Agnes out of her thoughts. Her Fire Fairy Companion, Flicker, flew to her side and set a small hand on the shoulder in comfort. Agnes sighed in resignation.

    ¡°I guess I am just a little nervous.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be okay, Agnes!¡± Fila exclaimed, surprising the young lady with her sudden intrusion. ¡°From what I watched yesterday, you looked like you knew how to use a sword, and your magic was amazing. Whatever it is you¡¯re being tested on, you¡¯ll definitely pass!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been to where you two will be going,¡± Claire added as she joined in the talk. ¡°I may not have seen your skills myself but I only made it this far through observation and self-teaching methods while working on the field for the past few years. Since you¡¯ll only need to get to the 3rd floor, from what monsters I had seen up to that point, your odds are good with your experience in the sword.¡±

    ¡°The thing is ¡­ I have never fought off a monster before, let alone defeat one. Will I not hold Soar back just being there?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. Soar¡¯s had to work with us in some of our small-time subjugation quests around Lunargrove and there were times he was looking after us more than the other way around.¡±

    ¡°More like looking after you, Weiss. You were just starting out in the party and was miffed to ¡®babysit a snot-nosed brat¡¯ when you first met Soar. He not only showed you up, he even scolded you for not paying attention to your surroundings. You wouldn¡¯t even think the kid was just seven back then with the lip he was giving to someone older than him.¡±

    Weiss cut in the girls¡¯ talk to point out Soar¡¯s experience in working with others. Sam put in his piece involving Weiss¡¯ blunders when he first joined the party in his mid-teens. Weiss sulked after having that embarrassing time of his life pointed out to him.

    ¡°He was rather harsh when his patience was being pushed to the brink back then,¡± Seal commented while getting to Agnes¡¯ level. ¡°Despite how things were yesterday, he has gotten a lot better working in a party and was able to teach you a little something in magic, too. The point is, he will not think of you as a burden, Lady Agnes. He will show and tell you what you need to know if you ask him.¡±

    ¡°¡­ You really think so? Even after what happened?¡±

    ¡°Only if he knows you are serious enough about the task at hand. You will be fine.¡±

    Seal assured Agnes¡¯ uncertainty before giving her a smile. Seeing her instructor having so much confidence in her, the young lady¡¯s anxiety was replaced with determination.

    ¡°Hunting monsters at seven years old ¡­ Soar really is amazing,¡± Fila muttered while looking down with a blushing smile.

    Onelri, who was silently observing the conversation from the side, took Seal¡¯s words to mind as she thought of her own goals as well as how she had treated Soar from their first meeting to the present.

    [¡°If you wish to grow stronger, I would take Mr. Galveston¡¯s words to heart, Onelri.¡±]

    [¡°Father?¡±]

    Onelri was surprised mid-thought when her father, Darida, whispered to her long and pointy ear in their native elven tongue while on his knee.

    [¡°Our acquaintanceship with Soar did not start out well, true, but if what Ms. Renne said was also true, he may help improve your magic while finding a fairy for you to make a contract with during our stay. I know you had some ¡­ difficulties with other kids back home, but this may be a good opportunity for you to get to know the new friends you have made. You could open yourself more to Soar like Fila has to start with.]

    From Darida¡¯s advice, Onelri glanced over to Fila and mentally compared the bunny girl¡¯s experiences with Soar alongside her own.

    ¡­ I do not know about sucking up to him but I should follow her example to some degree, right? Onelri thought.

    ¡°Hey, Darida, I didn¡¯t notice you came back. Did you get your money situation sorted out?¡±

    Weiss¡¯ question got Darida back up to his feet.

    ¡°Yes, I have received the rest of the bounty that the guild owed me,¡± Darida answered while holding up a pouch jingling with money. He then chanted the Dark Space spell to open a small black hole in space for him to drop the pouch into.

    The bounty was in regard to the bandits that captured Onelri¡¯s and Fila¡¯s families after their reportedly ¡®unknown hunter¡¯ had done them in, saving those said families and leaving the bodies to exchange for reward money in the process. Considering the crimes committed as former guardsmen of Reskondant Kingdom, the reward was quite a hefty amount.

    ¡°You had to use some of it for carriage fare to Lunargrove, yeah? What are you going to do with the rest?¡± Sam asked, and just as Darida opened his mouth to answer ¡­

    ¡°Yes~, what will you do with all of that money, I wonder?¡±

    The interruption of a woman¡¯s voice dripping with seduction and teasing close to his long, pointy ear startled the dark elf, more so when he recognized that same voice.

    ¡°Z-Zalena?!¡±

    ¡°¡­ Vaxine.¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    ¡°The one and only~.¡±

    Weiss¡¯ surprise, Darida¡¯s grumble, and Onelri¡¯s accusing shout brought the attention of everyone in the guild towards the mentioned woman. The hustle and bustle of activity in the guild came to a complete stop. Most of the men¡¯s cold, hard exteriors dropped to the ground with faces of great self-conscience and lacking confidence the moment their eyes laid on the radiant light elf. Most of the women, on the other hand, were either glancing at said men with disappointment or glaring at the subject of interest with sheer jealousy.

    As for the younger girls, Claire and Fila suddenly got uncomfortable from the sudden change of air, Agnes stood agape at seeing both dark elves and a light elf in the same building, and Onelri was practically foaming at the mouth.

    ¡°Are you acquainted with Zalena?¡± Seal asked with a slight surprise.

    ¡°¡­ We have only met a few days prior, moments before we left for Lunargrove, actually.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so that was where you all were going. I wish you had told me. I wanted to say hello to an old friend of mine over there since my recent quest was finished.¡±

    ¡°What we do with our time is none of your business!¡±

    Darida answered Seal while staring Zalena down coldly, said light elf expressed her slight discontent, and Onelri yelled her disapproval.

    Zalena then looked down at Onelri and the other young girls with a half-lidded smile. ¡°I see the little dark elf and bunny girls are still as cute as ever. Hm, I think I have seen you around but we have never been properly introduced, yes? And oh~, look at this young and handsome-looking fairy boy! Are you a new hunter?¡±

    ¡°U-Um, my name is Claire Galloway, E-Rank, ma¡¯am! It¡¯s an honor and pleasure to properly meet you, Ms. Vaxine!¡±

    ¡°¡­ Agnes Zanri. Yes, I am a new hunter ¡­ and I am a girl.¡±

    Claire formally introduced herself towards Zalena, one of a much higher rank in both as a hunter and a woman, and Agnes gave hers monotonously with dead eyes as well while correcting her assumed gender.

    Zalena gasped and covered her open mouth. ¡°Goodness, please pardon me for my misperception, but that just makes you even cuter!¡±

    ¡°Gullivan, you have to steel yourself, because¡ª¡±

    ¡°Did I hear Gully¡¯s name being called? Ah! There he is! Gully~! Yoohoo~!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Get back here! I am not through with you yet!¡±

    Hearing a familiar man¡¯s name called, Zalena averted her attention and made her way to the back of the guild, not minding the stares around her in the slightest, let alone Onelri¡¯s yells.

    ¡°Wow ¡­ she¡¯s so much more than I ever imagined when I first heard of her,¡± Claire said as she stared at Zalena with awe. ¡°And to think, she¡¯s been with the guild long enough to become the S-Rank hunter she is today.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Agnes jolted her head to the young teen. ¡°Wait, what?!¡±

    ~~

    ¡°A light elf? Here?¡± I asked aloud, more confused about the sudden change of events than anything else. I noticed my Companions were above me, specifically on the beams where many other fairies were talking amongst themselves, but my own also looked concerned at the scene here.

    ¡°¡­ Zalena. Done with another difficult quest, I see?¡± Dad asked. He had an especially difficult time keeping a straight face as he watched his voluptuous acquaintance approach him.

    ¡°Indeed! I was wiling away my time with some errands while thinking of coming to see you.¡±

    Dad sighed. ¡°You know you can¡¯t do that, yeah? You¡¯ll cause more drama than there needs to be just being there.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come now, Gully, I know how to be good when I ¡­ hm?¡± The light elf woman said before she noticed something that caught her eye, slowly following a trail before stopping on me.

    Alarm bells ring in my head when I realized that ¡®trail¡¯ was the mana strings connecting between me and my Companions. The smile the woman showed on her face while looking at me at that moment not only ascertained my assumption but when I glanced at her own mana strings that connect to four of her own fairies watching in at the scene, my inner alarms went full blast.

    ¡°Well, who do we have here~?¡± she asked.

    ¡°This is my son. Soar, this is a hunter who I¡¯ve worked with on some quests in the past, Zalena Vaxine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Ms. Vaxine ¡­¡± I greeted before bowing. The light elf woman¡¯s name bounces in my head for I felt I had heard this name a number of times before.

    ¡°This is the famous son you¡¯re always boasting about?! But he looks so cute with no resemblance to you at all, Gully! I mean, just look at these cheeks! Yours weren¡¯t even this pinchable when you were around his age! And you didn¡¯t even tell me he was a fairy boy, too!¡± Ms. Vaxine gushed and lightly pinch my still baby-faced cheeks as she was down to my level. Her large cleavage that was practically in my face was difficult to ignore.

    ¡°I get that a lot ¡­ wait, what was that about Dad being around my age?¡±

    ¡°Really, Gully, have you even told him anything about me? Why I am hurt. Who taught you how to use Earth and Wind Magic when you were just a boy? Who looked after you while you were so reckless in your first few quests as a hunter? Who helped you become a man¡ª¡±

    ¡°Zalena! There are children here!¡±

    I was staring at Dad wide-eyed long before he interrupted Zalena¡¯s rambling on, and it was at that moment that I remembered where I heard her name.

    ¡®Zalena the Meat-Eatah,¡¯ ¡®Virgin-Curing Vaxine,¡¯ ¡®Prize Ball Crusher,¡¯ and the ¡®Shameless Succubus of Light,¡¯ these were just a few of the names Zalena went by with her promiscuous off-times when she wasn¡¯t taking hunter quests. Dad and his drinking buddies had talked about some of her ¡®exploits¡¯ from time to time but I had no idea that same woman was actually a light elf. It was almost no wonder how she hadn¡¯t been the subject of violent hostility for long periods with her infamous rep.

    From the stories I had heard, a light elf being able to do at least four of the six magic elements (if her fairies were anything to go by) on top of being an S-Rank hunter, if you mess with her, you would likely die in one of two ways, and some have wished they would crawl in a hole and rot to death instead.

    Elves, in general, were known to have long lifespans while not aging so it may not be a surprise to some when they hear them talk about their long distant pasts. When I heard how Zalena was the one who taught Dad how to use magic since he was a kid, I realized then how much of a dangerous adversary she could be, but that wasn¡¯t the jarring fact that rattled my head after hearing some of their moments together.

    Just how old is she to know Dad for that long?! And wait, is she seriously suggesting that she ¡­ and Dad before he met Mom?! I desperately kept myself from screaming that thought aloud.

    ¡°Um, what does she mean by ¡®helping him become a man?¡¯¡±

    ¡°I uh ¡­ think your mom can answer that along with where babies come from, kid,¡± Weiss answered Fila who brought up the question.

    ¡°Anyway, what a lovely surprise to have two fairy children in the same building. Are you also starting out to become a strong hunter like your father?¡± Zalena asked me. Despite the circumstances of the situation, I had to keep calm and play the part of a ¡®mature, growing boy¡¯ to some degree.

    ¡°¡­ More or less. Agnes and I were going to take an exam to determine our rank.¡±

    ¡°That is until we find a hunter escort,¡± Grayson then said while scratching his head. ¡°Typical that not many experienced hunters in this building would want to look after some brats while not hitting on Rala on the job as an examiner, and she can¡¯t do that at the same time as assuring their safety. Of course, we can¡¯t have the brats¡¯ masters, Gullivan and Seal, go with them, same goes for the latter¡¯s party members he¡¯s registered with.¡±

    ¡°Were these exams rigged from the past? Is that why those rules are set like that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Unfortunately. While we are making sure the brats can handle being by themselves without their masters, we have to make this fair for everyone involved or it will affect their chances of passing, for better or worse.¡±

    Suddenly, a loud clap grabbed everyone¡¯s attention, directing them to Zalena who had glimmers in her eyes.

    ¡°I-dee¡ªa~! If no one else has volunteered, then I will be their escort!¡±

    ¡°¡°What?!¡±¡± The only people in the building who didn¡¯t react to Zalena¡¯s proposal that way were the girls in my group, myself, and Grayson.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a registered party member with Gully or Seal, I¡¯m not into girls, and I¡¯m an S-Ranked hunter with some spare time in my hands. I think I should be plenty qualified, right?¡±

    ¡°You sure about this, Zalena?¡±

    ¡°Oh, come now, Gray, this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve looked after kids, you know, exam or not. Been a while since I took part in this but I can handle this fine. Besides, Gully¡¯s son and the girl over there are both fairy children. I¡¯m curious to see what they can do.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, Grayson?¡±

    ¡°What is it, Rala?¡± he asked while turning to the pantherkin.

    ¡°I honestly think I¡¯m capable of looking after the kids while being the examiner. I mean, it won¡¯t be just me who¡¯ll be protecting them. Flinto!¡±

    Suddenly, a puff of smoke came out of nowhere at Rala¡¯s side. When the smoke dissipated, a very large cat appeared. Fiery orange, fluffy fur with white markings coursing through them like grapevines coated the cat, and he had wings that matched to said markings. Despite the vibrant fur colors and wings, he sort of resembled the maine coon breed of domesticated cats from Earth.

    ¡°Good morning, Milady. As always, I will work my best today,¡± the cat spoke with a very mature, sophisticated voice and tone like a gentleman¡¯s. It reminded me of that one guy you see sitting in a luxurious chair next to a burning fireplace as he was ready to tell a story. Somehow, picturing the cat in that same chair fitted the setting surprisingly well.

    ¡°Oh my gosh, he talks! And he looks so fluffy! Can I pet him?! Please?!¡± Fila asked excitedly while bouncing in place like the bunny she was.

    ¡°As long as Flinto¡¯s okay with it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, pet away, but please be gentle. I just cleaned myself.¡±

    With Rala¡¯s and Flinto¡¯s permission, Fila quickly came up to the large cat and gently brushed his head with her hand. Claire suddenly came from the side to occupy a spot pet as well.

    ¡°He¡¯s so soft!¡±

    ¡°I might just die and go up to fluffy heaven with this fur!¡±

    Fila and Claire exclaimed with amazement and stars in their eyes. Agnes and Onelri, meanwhile, were fidgeting in place, looking like they really want to pet Flinto, too.

    ¡°Amazing, he¡¯s a familiar from Zaleese, isn¡¯t he?¡± I asked Rala.

    ¡°The realm ruled by God Nodem of Mind and Order, Zaleese? How did you know that?¡± Claire asked me with widened eyes.

    ¡°I skimmed a little of that book you got me last night. It read one can see where familiars hailed from by the markings on their bodies.¡± Of course, ¡®skimmed¡¯ was definitely an understatement from how much I really read last night.

    ¡°Well, your studying paid off because you¡¯re right! Yes, I made a contract with Flinto first thing after I registered as a hunter. I didn¡¯t have a Companion at the time, I still don¡¯t, but Flinto¡¯s been my trusty partner from that first meeting up to now. We¡¯ve worked and trained together for years, and with Flinto at my side, I¡¯m confident we can look after you two ourselves.¡± Rala puffed her chest with pride while glancing at Zalena with a cocky smirk. I had a slight feeling she didn¡¯t want to let her be our escort.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rala,¡± Grayson apologized. ¡°I know how capable you and Flinto are and it might be one thing if we¡¯re examining only one brat. That isn¡¯t the case here as we got two. We gotta go by hunter¡¯s guild regulations under these circumstances.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Anybody else here who wants to volunteer?!¡± Rala exclaimed to everyone in the guild, sounding desperate, but no answer came to her. ¡°Oh, come on, people! This is Gulliver¡¯s son and what looks like a noble¡¯s daughter, for crying out loud! Sharla! You¡¯re a C-Rank! Help me out here!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like kids!¡±

    I can share your sentiments, lady, but my god, that raspy voice, though. Were you smoking from birth? You should have your throat or lungs checked, I thought jokingly.

    It was then I felt a very subtle tap on my cheek. I turned to that direction to see a Darkness Fairy hovering beside me. Specifically, the same fairy who¡¯s contracted with Darida. Not only did I recognize her but the mana string connecting her to Darida confirms their Companion/Chaperone relationship.

    I opened my mouth to ask what was up but she put a finger over her lips before nodding her head in Zalena¡¯s direction, signaling me to keep quiet and take a look at her.

    I did as she silently requested, not seeing anything strange besides Rala quickly going around the guild looking for a volunteer to replace Zalena, but then the Darkness Fairy hovered up to my ear.

    ¡°Pretend you¡¯re not hearing me while I give you a message from Darida,¡± his Darkness Fairy instructed. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely Zalena will be your escort and Darida wanted me to warn you to use your magic with caution. Zalena has surely already figured out how many fairies you¡¯re contracted with right now, and from what he had overheard from other hunters in this guild, she had apparently done her own little investigation on our incident with the bandits. She had even left for Duston early yesterday, probably to confirm the ¡®incident¡¯ near the town¡¯s borders.

    ¡°If Zalena¡¯s able to look at the bandits¡¯ bodies with her position as an S-Rank hunter, then she may have some idea of how they were killed. If you don¡¯t wish for your secret being exposed, he strongly suggests you using magic in a different matter than you have up to now, if not doing it at all is something you can¡¯t do. Finally, most importantly, do not let the ¡®disgusting vixen¡¯s¡¯ charms get the better of you, his words, not mine.

    ¡°That is all. Best of luck on your exam, Soar. We¡¯ll be rooting for you two and your fairies.¡±

    With that, Darida¡¯s Companion flew away and towards the dark elf himself, staring at me seriously with arms crossed, as if he was seeing me off for a trip to a war zone.

    I definitely appreciated Darida¡¯s warning at that point. I already had some idea I should be wary of Zalena¡¯s advances but I had no idea she would even investigate a murder on bandits. Why did she do it? What was she looking for? Is there more to why Zalena was so enthusiastic about being mine and Agnes¡¯ hunter escort for our exam? I didn¡¯t have an answer to any of those questions in my mind at the time.

    When Rala finally deflated and collapsed on the floor in defeat, the moment Zalena smiled as her eyes met mine, a cold chill ran down my spine. I had no idea what was going on in her mind, but I knew one thing: I had never been more afraid of women other than Mom when she was angry than I did then.

    Little did I know that Zalena Vaxine was only one of the few who would rouse such feelings from me, and she was definitely not the last.

 Chapter 24: Agnes and I Settled Our Misunderstandings

    While the preparations for our exams were finalized and Zalena was distracted, I had all of my Companions come and get close to me, hiding in whatever pockets I had available. This was to shorten the ¡®mana strings¡¯ between me and them to non-existent and I don¡¯t risk other people having eyes like Zalena and Onelri see how many fairies I had, though I wasn¡¯t sure how effective that method was.

    With everything settled, everyone bid us off with the best of luck, some with more concern on their faces than others. Grayson gave us a bit of a time limit to come back to the guild by the end of the day or we¡¯d fail if they end up having to send another party to check on us. Since fairies have a better sense of time than Earth¡¯s radio clocks and we had an S-Rank hunter looking after us though, we didn¡¯t have much to worry about that. The weather was partially cloudy, but still quite warm for a morning in spring, a beautiful day to go on an adventure.

    And so, our small party of me, Agnes, Rala, her familiar Flinto, and Zalena departed for Myron Dungeon, going out through one of Brightlas¡¯ exits first to get on the nearest forest¡¯s trail to get there. For the record, Agnes¡¯ Fire Fairy sat on her shoulder, and Zalena¡¯s own four, consisting of Light, Wind, Earth, and Water, hovered close behind her. What made Zalena¡¯s Companions intimidating, in particular, was how they¡¯re all about the same size as Breezy, the biggest of my own harem of fairies. That just meant Zalena¡¯s rank was not just for show. Even if she didn¡¯t have a ¡®gift¡¯ enhancing her vision like Onelri did, or didn¡¯t train them with magic to do the same like I did, the magic capacity and power her Companions provided would more than make up the difference needed to see others¡¯ fairies, including my own, whether or not we masked our presence. I think her race being one of the elves, a race who are more inclined to magic than others, also played a part in her capabilities.

    Either way, I really had to take Darida¡¯s warning to heart and watch how I perform in front of her. I also needed to talk to Agnes about my current circumstances, but thankfully, she took the initiative as we made our way to the dungeon on foot.

    ¡°Soar, do you think we should really trust Ms. Vaxine with this task?¡± she asked in a whisper. We were both walking behind Zalena, Rala, and Flinto who were directing us to the dungeon¡¯s entrance. It was a considerable distance to where they shouldn¡¯t overhear our conversation.

    ¡°We don¡¯t really have much of a choice,¡± I answered in kind. ¡°No one else was willing to participate and look after us.¡±

    ¡°But Rala said it herself, did she? You are the son of Gullivan Osmis and I am a noble¡¯s daughter. Would it not be in one¡¯s favor to increase their reputation if they looked after us?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s also why they don¡¯t want to. Dad¡¯s a strong, respected adventurer who boasts about his son daily. What would he do to the guy responsible for my safety if something were to happen to me? The same applies to you, more than twofold since your dad¡¯s the knight general of the kingdom. Unless you¡¯re high in rank and confident in your abilities like Ms. Vaxine is, I don¡¯t think anyone would want to risk their hide.¡±

    ¡°I suppose you have a point ¡­¡±

    ¡°Think about it this way: some quests may require more than one hunter party to get the job done, which means they¡¯d have to cooperate with complete strangers, and that isn¡¯t an uncommon occurrence in the field. Ms. Vaxine may not fully support us as she watches our backs, but learning to cooperate with the people we have in the group can also be part of this exam as well. This especially applies to the two of us, the main test-takers.¡±

    ¡°You mean our teamwork as a party will be tested as well as our performance?¡±

    ¡°Right. If you can¡¯t follow instructions and cooperate with others, even if your abilities excel as high as Ms. Vaxine¡¯s, you won¡¯t make good hunter material. You may be more of a threat to those around you than anything ¡­ which is why while we¡¯re talking, I want to take this moment to apologize, Agnes.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Agnes looked over to me, startled.

    ¡°For how I was with you yesterday, and especially for what I said to you last, that was uncalled for. No matter what was going on or what I was going through, you didn¡¯t deserve that. I felt uneasy after looking back on it, even more so when you left those things for me, so I ask that you please forgive me and¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s I who should be begging forgiveness!¡± Agnes interrupted, startling me then. ¡°I barged in on your special day, thinking how low you are, especially to get Mr. Galveston¡¯s teachings in the sword like some kind of big shot, and how I was going to knock you off your high horse when it was really the reverse that happened! To be defeated not once but twice, both with so much ignorance on my part, I had never felt so humiliated and embarrassed in myself before!

    ¡°Y-You had every right to be mad at me, t-to see me as nothing. I was s-so scared ¡­ of how I sh-should face you again and I c-couldn¡¯t ¡­¡± At this point, Agnes couldn¡¯t speak anymore and just started sobbing on the spot, hiding her crying face with an arm.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Oh, boy. This is awkward. Great, now the adults and the cat are staring. ¡°Uh, could we have a moment? She¡¯s a little nervous about this exam,¡± I lied.

    ¡°Oh, yes, take your time. We aren¡¯t in a hurry. Let¡¯s step over here, Zalena.¡±

    ¡°Ehh? But I want in on this.¡±

    ¡°Move.¡±

    At Rala¡¯s urging, she and Flinto pushed Zalena to the side and out of our sight.

    I sighed in slight relief before using Dark Space to open up a hole in space and I took a handkerchief out of it. ¡°Here, use this,¡± I said while holding it out to her.

    ¡°Th-Thangu ¡­¡± Agnes took the handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face before blowing into it.

    ¡°So, I think we can both agree that we started off on the wrong foot,¡± I said while she was occupied. ¡°We both said some things with misperceptions on each other, and now we want to right our wrongs, right?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh ¡­¡±

    ¡°You definitely did your part with what you left for me yesterday, so let¡¯s do this for my end: have you defeated monsters before?¡±

    ¡°No ¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, I will teach you the best ways to go about them, along with some other hunter skills, and even how to improve your magic capabilities. We¡¯ll do those while getting as far down in the dungeon as we can today, walk out of the guild with upgraded hunter cards, and we can call it good and start fresh as friends. What do you think? You onboard?¡±

    ¡°Y-You want to be friends ¡­ with me?¡± she asked between sniffles while looking over her shoulder.

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

    Agnes sniffled and wiped what remained on her face with a sleeve before turning back to me. She muttered ¡°sorry¡± while passing back the used handkerchief, but I shrugged and tossed it back in the Dark Space, making a mental note to clean it later.

    ¡°M-May I ¡­ make some selfish requests?¡± she asked while averting her gaze, fidgeting all the while.

    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine with me.¡± It¡¯s the least I could do after what I did and all of the stuff she left afterward, I thought.

    She cleared her throat, getting some composure back. ¡°Since we live far from each other as friends, I want to keep in touch. At least one letter a month describing how we¡¯re doing, even if it¡¯s menial like what good food we had recently, I want to know about it.¡±

    ¡°Sure, that sounds nice.¡± So, we¡¯d be like long-term pen pals or something. Kind of wanted an experience like that for a while before the internet was a thing back on Earth, so this ought to be a little fun, right?

    ¡°You also have to come to my birthday parties, too, especially next year¡¯s when I turn thirteen. I¡¯ll send a formal invite to you and the others with everything, then. Oh, and I¡¯ll come to yours next year, with much better relations than before, of course.¡±

    Finding a gift for a noble girl is gonna be a bitch, but ¡­ ¡°Done. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Just one more thing ¡­¡± Agnes took a moment to shift her gaze in various directions as if looking for any unwanted observers. She then took her hands behind her and rocked on her heels with a slight blush on her cheeks. ¡°That ¡­ thing yesterday, between you and Fila during the magic demonstrations.¡±

    ¡°Thing? You mean the tutoring?¡± I asked while tilting to the side.

    ¡°Not that, what happened afterward, after she cast a spell successfully ¡­ kind of like what you did when you caught me earlier?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Hugging?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, that. I-I want to do, that too ¡­ with you,¡± she mumbled at the end while looking down with an even redder face, but I heard her enough.

    ¡­ I¡¯m not sure how different it is between nobles, but if such a common gesture between girls in any world was weird and awkward enough for Agnes to make a request out of it, I¡¯m now highly concerned about her social capabilities and shouldn¡¯t pry into it.

    ¡°It¡¯s a weird request, right? Just forget¡ª¡±

    I wrapped my arms around Agnes before letting her continue further. I felt her body tense up briefly but then relax after a few seconds.

    ¡°Is this good?¡± I muttered.

    Agnes entwined her arms around me. ¡°Very.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to these anytime. Don¡¯t be a stranger. Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Okay.¡±

    Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d take the initiative like this, but I guess Agnes isn¡¯t so bad after ¡­ all. My thoughts fell short just as I was relishing the moment when I saw the adults and the cat watching in from behind a tree. Rala was covering her mouth and gazing at our moment with glimmering eyes as if she was watching a video of kittens and puppies cuddling together; Flinto, getting caught in the act, couldn¡¯t stop himself from snickering and poorly hid it; and Zalena had a mischievous glimmer in her eyes along with that smile, as if she just picked up some good dirt to blackmail us into her teasing moods.

    ¡°Oh, no, please, do not mind us~. Continue with your little show, you love fairies~,¡± Zalena teased.

    ¡°Eep!¡±

    Figuring out she was caught, Agnes jumped away from our embrace. Despite her flushed face, she fixed herself and cleared her throat. ¡°R-Right, then. I apologize for holding us up. Let us make haste and complete our exam while there is still light, shall we?¡±

    As Agnes tried to walk naturally on the forest trail, I noticed her Fire Fairy Companion, Flicker, snickering beside her. She voiced her argument as quiet as possible.

    That was when I remembered my own Companions who were in my pockets and I heard a collective snicker as I was following Agnes¡¯ lead, ignoring the adult women¡¯s mixed gazes all the while.

    <¡°I see someone¡¯s becoming quite the player~.¡±> [Shadina]

    <¡°I remember you looking quite happy being hugged by the bunny girls yesterday, too~.¡±> [Marble]

    <¡°A little rough on the edges, but not a bad start on forming your non-fairy harem.¡±> [Cinder]

    <¡°Mist knew Soar can get any girl if Soar try. Two waifus already in arm¡¯s reach.¡±> [Mist]

    <¡°I¡¯m not sure if this was ever mentioned but we¡¯re more than happy to see you being the same with any girl to your liking, be it one or many. Just let us know when you get to the main event so we can get in on it.¡±> [Breezy]

    Okay, one, that is not what this is; two, ew, they¡¯re kids; three, I¡¯m an old man in spirit; four, ew, they¡¯re kids; and five, they¡¯re fucking kids if that isn¡¯t completely obvious. Come tease me about this shit again when my body¡¯s at least eighteen years old. I¡¯ll be saving myself up to then and I won¡¯t do it with anyone until they¡¯re that age, either.

    <¡°¡°But that¡¯s so long from now!¡±¡±>

    End of discussion. Now shut up and let¡¯s focus on the exam.

 Chapter 25: We Spotted Our First Monsters in the Dungeon, and ...

    After some time from that dramatic moment, I asked Agnes to keep my ¡®performance¡¯ yesterday and what she knew of my magical capabilities a secret. She thankfully accepted my request with complete understanding. On our way over to Myron Dungeon, I told her a few things she needed to know about dealing with monsters, the first being ¡®go for the heart if you¡¯re looking to survive,¡¯ a quote for all hunters to remember. Those ¡®hearts¡¯ are the magic stones they drop. They may not be worth as much while taking them to the guild damaged, but losing some potential glits is better than your own life if you can¡¯t strike the monster¡¯s vitals like their neck or head.

    Speaking of magic stones, Agnes and I were allowed to collect them as we went down the dungeon to turn them in for profit at the end of our exam. We were even given pouches to store them in. Agnes had hers hanging on the holster while my own was kept in my Dark Space, along with both of the complementary lunches that we¡¯d eat later as well as our mana potions.

    When we got to the entrance of Myron Dungeon, which was basically a large cave on the side of a mountain, I discussed how we¡¯d go about our formation: Agnes would take rearguard as she watched me from behind how to go about dealing the first couple of monsters with only a weapon in hand¡ªmine being The Conductor, the name I chose for the e-stone-embedded dagger wand that Seal and Lilia gifted me. Rala, Flinto, and Zalena were impressed when I showed it to them, and Agnes was especially in awe at the sight.

    With our plan set and Rala reminding us of the rules of the exam while advising to keep our Companions close at all times, we started our crawl down Myron Dungeon. I took point as vanguard while Agnes was close behind. My Companions were still in the pockets of my clothes while Agnes¡¯ Flicker was kicking back on her Chaperone¡¯s head.

    As for Rala, Flinto, and Zalena off to the side, as they observed our movements, they would be very minimal with involvement for our battles, watching their own backs at best unless it¡¯s a dire emergency. Even Zalena¡¯s four Companions were fluttering above her keeping watch, confident in their own powers to help out their own Chaperone, but her Wind Fairy only had one thing she kept her eye on, myself. I was sure Zalena instructed her at one point to observe me for any suspicious behavior, so I had to watch myself while pretending to not notice her presence. This was something that I had done quite well thanks to all of my experience playing dumb while fairies were ¡®getting it on¡¯ (especially Mom¡¯s and Dad¡¯s Companions in particular) in my presence, thinking no one would see them doing it.

    With that and their lack of involvement in mind, Agnes and I would have to keep watch from what¡¯s behind us as well as our front. Thankfully, I and Agnes knew how to cooperate with our Companions and use the search spell for anything that got in our range. I only imagined Agnes knew that much with magic since her dad was the knight general of the kingdom¡¯s guard. With that kind of social power, it wouldn¡¯t be strange that he got her a capable magic instructor to teach her magic alongside Seal for swordsmanship.

    I sensed how Agnes¡¯ control was different from mine, though, especially with how much mana was used for her search spell. I advised her a more cost-efficient way to use her search spell as we made our way down while being out of the adults¡¯ and Flinto¡¯s earshot. Just as it was displayed in the magic demonstrations yesterday, Agnes picked up my advice quickly and without question.

    As for how the search spell was used, I noticed most people would create a ¡®field¡¯ around them that caught whatever stepped in its range, which required continuous consumption of mana in order to keep it up and more so to expand to a wide area. My method of the search spell was taking a chunk of mana and spreading it in a sonar-like effect. This was especially useful in enclosed spaces as it would bounce off the walls, covering even more ground with less mana used, and it would only be done every few seconds to know what changed in our surroundings.

    A plus-side for those specialized in Wind Magic like myself, one could do this similarly by sensing changes in the wind, whether it be the direction, speed, pressure, or temperature. Dad told me how a hunter who was especially good in Wind Magic was able to do this. Though he could also use that magic alongside Earth, he wasn¡¯t as good at it as the latter, and so he never got the grasp of how it was done when they tried teaching it to him. It was rough, but I took what I could from him and adapt it with my own understanding. Due to the help of my Wizard and Sage gifts at the time, I learned to do this trick pretty quickly to where I could even predict some weather patterns if I focused enough. When I used that trick alongside my search magic, I found the former used even less, if not no mana at all than the latter. It was especially easy in closed-spaces, which made me perfect to take the point position in a dungeon crawl as I would sense incoming intruders both in the front and the back with the wind trick, but I wanted Agnes to feel like she contributed something, too. So, I kept this little tidbit to myself and sensed my surroundings quietly with the trick while she did the same with her improved search magic as we went down.

    It didn¡¯t take us long before we encountered our first monsters in the crawl, lower-imps on the first floor. They were humanoid, child-sized monsters with bat-like features such as large, pointy ears, claws for hands and feet, fangs on a grotesque face, and wings to glide. Slow on the ground, but quick on the offensive once they take to the air and pounce their prey. They¡¯re especially dangerous when there are even just two of them, and this is just the lowest tier of their species, hence the name.

    Normally, like bats, they would hang back on whatever footing they can from above or walls, hiding in the darkness before making their ambush, but there were three currently on the ground feasting on their latest catch, a pair of goblins. Like vultures scavenging for sustenance, the three lower-imps were feasting on whatever flesh they could get their claws on. I even caught one of them swallowing a magic stone whole as we all were hiding behind a large rock after catching their presence in our [magic] radars.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Ugh ¡­ how savage,¡± Agnes muttered while covering her mouth, stopping herself from vomiting.

    ¡°This is a good opportunity,¡± I whispered. ¡°There aren¡¯t any other monsters near here, either. Agnes, you watch my back and just observe as I demonstrate how taking them down without magic is done, all right?¡±

    Agnes nodded without argument, Rala informed me to be careful while Flinto steeled himself for any surprises, and Zalena¡¯s expression turned complex, curious to how I¡¯d do in this situation. Zalena¡¯s Wind Fairy was especially ready to observe me for any surprises, and even though the rest of her fairy crew were tasked to watch their surroundings, they were just as curious to see how I would do.

    Are you all ready? I¡¯ll try to be careful but expect some movement, I warned my Companions hiding in my pockets through telepathy.

    <¡°We all have our wings put away for this situation. Don¡¯t mind us, we¡¯ll hang on while you do what you need to,¡±> Breezy answered for everyone. Aside from sleeping overnight, fairies would sometimes control their mana-made wings to disappear in an attempt to preserve their mana supply as well as better to hide from potential threats. This was very handy for a fairy¡¯s survival, especially for this case while we¡¯re in the dungeon infested with monsters and more so to keep them hidden from Zalena''s observant eyes.

    With the Conductor out and ready to strike, I focused on erasing my presence, controlling my breath and picturing myself light to make minimal sounds. This was something Weiss of all people taught me over some of our training sessions as he was surprisingly just as adept in creating ambushes on foes as he was moving quickly and being an evasive tank. From what he told me, he was actually an able thief before he joined Dad¡¯s former hunter party, getting his experience from living in the streets and former acquaintances of the shady trade giving him tidbits.

    At the time, I had mixed feelings using such skills in the hunter field as I practiced, especially since I could just as easily hide my presence with magic. Since I was being watched by Zalena and her Companions though, I had to be careful of how I use my magic and not go to such lengths that are nearly impossible for an eleven-year-old to achieve. However strong her eyes for magic were, she could possibly pick up the slightest activity of it in use under her watch.

    I never thought I¡¯d be so grateful to that annoying playboy for teaching me this shady skill as I was then.

    I made my move, walking up to the lower-imp pack naturally like I was in a moving crowd of people in a marketplace, blending into my surroundings like air with dagger-wand in hand. The monster pack did not take notice of my approach.

    As I got closer, I picked up speed, still keeping light on foot, but the slightest crunch of rock and dirt of the dungeon¡¯s ground could be heard if one¡¯s hearing was sharp enough. With the lower-imp I was closest to having one of their large ears perked up, being the biggest of their group, that could¡¯ve been their leader bearing that sharp-enough hearing to pick up my movement.

    But the moment it noticed the noise was too late.

    When the biggest lower-imp turned and caught me, my Conductor was moving in course, approaching its frail, thin neck.

    I barely felt any obstruction in my weapon¡¯s path as it cut my target¡¯s neck clean before they could even utter a yelp of surprise.

    The lower-imp leader¡¯s head went flying, the bandit leader¡¯s own from nights before appeared in its place in a flash, his expression was mixed with fear and confusion.

    Within that darkness that night, even if I hadn¡¯t increased my vision to adapt in the dark back then, having that fire being that place¡¯s only source of light, his expression would still come in my mind clear as day as it was when it appeared again in the dungeon.

    Something clicked in me. My heart was racing, but I paid it no mind as I was unusually calm. It may have been that ¡®zone¡¯ feeling professional athletes use when they were really focused on something, but I¡¯m not sure whether having that kind of thing here was a good or bad thing.

    The other two lower-imps while in the middle of eating caught sight of their leader¡¯s head in the air. The next closest target that was to my left turned to me with blank confusion and carrion still in its maw.

    With my Conductor still outstretched from my first attack, I quickly rose it up and delivered an overhead attack towards the second lower-imp. Just like my first attack, the second was just as clean as my Conductor cleaved part of the monster¡¯s head, from the top to the side of its chin in a diagonal line. It wasn¡¯t completely chopped off, but the second lower-imp¡¯s head was soft and small, about cantaloupe-sized. My Conductor may have reached three-quarters deep before I followed through, enough to kill the monster instantly while its face split and flopped open, revealing its bloodied innards.

    The third lower-imp was in shock of its two packmates dying in an instant. It was about to cry and attack in retaliation, but I quickly took a few steps over, not even registering the goblins¡¯ corpses beneath me, and with my Conductor in both hands low to the ground, I thrust forward and pierced its chest. A clink like a jewel breaking was heard as the Conductor went deep and poked out of the third monster¡¯s back.

    I stared into the third lower-imp¡¯s large, beady-black eyes as it cried strained, cracking screeches of pain before it sputtered blood. It was likely a mix of the goblins¡¯ along with its own as it was in the middle of eating, but I didn¡¯t even flinch as some got on my face while I continued to stare up the last of the pack from below.

    I pushed the Conductor through further, silencing the monster¡¯s pained screeches. The momentum brought me close to my third and last target, our eyes met at the same level then, but it felt more like I was staring down at something small and insignificant, something that was as much of a hassle to me as it was a threat to everyone and everything around it, something that was better left gone and not be a bother to anyone any longer.

    Just like with those bandits a few nights prior, I felt no remorse taking the lives of those hideous monsters as I forcibly pulled my Conductor out and just watched my latest foe in this one-sided battle collapse before me. Even with all of the other monsters I killed before my exam, I didn¡¯t feel nearly as intense then as I was over those times. Up to that point, I only saw monsters as dangerous ¡®training partners,¡¯ ¡®opportunities for growth,¡¯ and money to put away in my life savings, hardly giving them much thought to what they actually were despite the lore I heard and read of them while living in the new world.

    I guess my experience with those bandits gave me enough of a reality check that I wasn¡¯t sure whether I wanted to know about Manara or not, that I wasn¡¯t in a fantasy I had read in books or played in games back on Earth, and that the people outside of my circle weren¡¯t just extras to those stories¡¯ plots that I could choose to ignore like I had with the kids I didn¡¯t want to deal with in school.

    The image of the bandit leader¡¯s disembodied head disappeared a while ago, but I didn¡¯t realize how much it was stuck in my mind until I noticed the lower-imps¡¯ corpses started brightening up.

 Chapter 26: We Had a Lesson on What Monsters are and Why they Suck

    After the lower imps¡¯ bodies, blood, and all were lit up, they scattered into the air as balls of glowing mana. They then sunk into my body along with my Companions¡¯ who were hiding in the pockets.

    This was the typical response after a person, be they human, elf, or other, defeats a monster. Their remains turn into a special mana called experion (or ¡®experience¡¯ in game speak) that grants the victor, his/her Companions, and/or familiar like Flinto power for growth, becoming stronger. As you might expect, the stronger the monsters are means more abundant experion for the victor to earn. Even if you didn¡¯t deal the finishing blow when fighting in a party or if you only killed game like deer, or if you¡¯re only training your body and magic, you¡¯ll still gain experion based on the extent and intensity of your performance. It¡¯s something that builds up in our bodies as we grow, but this is something that normal eyes can¡¯t see. Unless you have magically enhanced vision or have a gift related to it like Onelri, you wouldn¡¯t be able to see that kind of experion being absorbed and growing inside you, your Companions, and even your familiars. It¡¯s sort of like eating green peas when you know you¡¯re getting some nutrients you need to live, while breathing in molecules of oxygen is also something you need for functioning, even if you can¡¯t see it.

    That said, even if you absorb a lot of abundant experion, you may not notice much change in your growth. This may be because of the difference of power between you and the monsters you fought, or how much of that is being distributed to your Companion (s) and/or familiar. As you might expect, you, your Companions, and your Familiar will level up once you absorbed enough experion in your bodies, and that growth will show in your status cards.

    <¡°Wow! Those lower-imps must have been strong, because I feel so much stronger already!¡±> Marble exclaimed through telepathy.

    <¡°Well, you just joined us yesterday at level one, so it makes sense you got stronger so quickly even if you didn¡¯t get much experion. Compared to when I was with my ex-Chaperone, I didn¡¯t notice much changes in me.¡±> [Cinder]

    <¡°It¡¯s probably because of the powers we absorbed from the bandits¡¯ fairies the other night, let alone how many of us there are now for experion to go around. I hardly felt anything at all.¡±> [Shadina]

    <¡°Mist not notice much change, either. Will Mist get stronger at this rate?¡±> [Mist]

    <¡°Soar? Are you okay?¡±>

    ¡°Excellent work. You¡¯re really something else, fairy boy.¡±

    Before I could answer Breezy, Zalena came up and praised me for my performance. The suddenness made me jump and almost swing my Conductor in her direction as I was just coming down from my battle mode. ¡°O-Oh ... yeah, thanks.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Gullivan¡¯s son, all right. You cut and pierced through those monsters like they were nothing,¡± Rala also praised as she, Flinto, and Agnes came out of their hiding place.

    ¡°That¡¯s likely my Conductor¡¯s doing. I knew it was sharp, but I didn¡¯t think it would be that effective. Mithril¡¯s a very capable metal, indeed.¡± I take another look at my blade and see no traces of the lower imps¡¯ blood on it as it had into experion along with the rest of their body necessities; thus, leaving my weapon spotless.

    ¡°So, this is what happens when you defeat a monster, but why didn¡¯t the goblins¡¯ bodies disappear like the lower imps¡¯ did?¡± Agnes asked as she browsed the scene.

    While the goblins¡¯ corpses and fluids were still intact, in the lower imps¡¯ places were magic stones, dull and dark gray, each in different sizes, shapes, and conditions, with one roughly split in two from the last one I stabbed in the chest. There was also a lustrous black lower-imp talon next to the magic stone in place of the pack¡¯s leader, a bonus drop that can act as material for crafting along with the haul I can turn in for money.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of the effect of the mana within our bodies that makes this reaction,¡± I answered as I approach one of the two goblins¡¯ corpses. ¡°While the monsters¡¯ bodies have a physical form, their mana is in a different state compared to ours called ¡®tainterion.¡¯ When we attack them, we¡¯re damaging the magical forces called ¡®shells¡¯ acting as their bodies that protect the magic stones dwelling inside them, the source that regulates the tainterion coursing through their forms. We try to break through their shells with our fighting skills and magic, while our own mana influences theirs in places where they¡¯re most vital like the head or chest, stopping the flow of tainterion and ¡®purifying¡¯ them into experion we absorb in ourselves.

    ¡°Until someone deals the finishing blow to the monsters, be they alive or dead, with or without their magic stones, their shells will just sit out here in the open indefinitely, empty and without life, husks of reserved tainterion left for other monsters to feast on. That¡¯s something we have to avoid at all costs, which is why we have to do this.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    I then took my Conductor and stabbed it down, right through the nearest goblins¡¯ head, before pulling it back out instantly. The stabbed goblin¡¯s body and its blood reacted the same as the lower imps¡¯ seconds later, but their experion was far less abundant than their predators¡¯ as they slowly sunk into mine and my Companions¡¯ bodies. Unlike the lower imps¡¯ case, my stabbed goblin left nothing behind. No magic stone, either, since a lower imp already ate it.

    ¡°Go ahead and stab the other one and see for yourself,¡± I suggested to Agnes.

    Despite her slight hesitation, she took her sword and followed my example with a look of cringing disgust on her face. Her body then shivered like someone dropped ice down her back as the second goblins¡¯ remains-turned-experion sunk into her. Agnes¡¯ fairy, Flicker, also behaved similarly.

    ¡°Yeah, you get used to that,¡± I said.

    ¡°Wait, I can understand fighting monsters for self-defense in dire emergencies, but if these monsters go after each other if we do not approach them, why do hunters risk their lives to go after them on quests, anyway? Sure, you may get good materials to craft gear, but that is just from luck, right? You would not even get a magic stone for cashing in after stabbing a monster¡¯s shell husk, so why go this far?¡±

    ¡°Good question, and you¡¯re right if you¡¯re thinking logically. Let¡¯s gather up the stones and move on while I explain ¡­¡±

    When a person kills a monster, the latter¡¯s shell and their fluids turn into experion almost instantly, leaving behind the magic stones that is their hearts, e-stones, and/or a piece of themselves like claw talons and teeth that serve as materials for crafting items. When a monster does the same to another though, their corpses remain for the ¡®victors¡¯ to feast on, consuming their flesh of tainterion, magic stones, and e-stones (if they¡¯re lucky) to grow stronger and possibly evolve, making them more dangerous than previously.

    What¡¯s more, monsters can even see fairies and attempt to eat them. Out of everything that exists in Manara, when a fairy isn¡¯t under a contract, monsters are the greatest threats to their tragically short lives, which is why their act of hiding is a part of their nature until they find a Chaperone that could benefit them the most. Fairies have very potent and powerful mana even by themselves without Chaperones, for a monster that lives off of mana from others, they are their greatest sources of nutrition and confection. The rest of us, humans, elves, and others are the monsters¡¯ second choice of a nutritional meal, and if they consume the mana of an individual with such a large quantity and potency ... one couldn¡¯t imagine how dangerous they¡¯d be afterward.

    To subjugate monsters, whether they¡¯re out in the field or in dungeons, before they grow too strong and become a threat to the people and the fairies who help keep the world of Manara alive, are why hunters even exist. It was said Goddess Elmyra created races like humans, elves, and others as means to protect the world and the fairies she created, our own mana ¡®cleanses¡¯ the threats that grow more dangerous by ¡®tainting¡¯ mana to consume and make into their own. This was perhaps why things like gifts, status cards to track our growth, and magic itself existed to eliminate the threats of monsters, scattering them into experion that goes back to the world, into ourselves, instead of leaving it for others to grow stronger until it gets out of hand.

    I explained all of this to Agnes as we collected the goods left by the lower imps¡ªwe agreed that I could keep it all for taking them on my own¡ªand continued our trek through the dungeon. It seemed this was the first Agnes heard of such information, because she paled as she realized how gruesome the monsters were after I finished. Her Fire Fairy, Flicker, trembled in terror on Agnes¡¯ shoulder.

    ¡°I-I had no idea they were so terrible ... and hunters sound so much like heroes,¡± Agnes commented.

    ¡°Yeah, well, not every hunter out here fights for ¡®justice¡¯ and all that shit, unfortunately,¡± I said.

    ¡°... Repulsive language aside, what do you mean, Soar?¡±

    ¡°You give someone a knife, you¡¯d think they¡¯d use it to prepare food to cook. That¡¯s usually the case most of the time, but others, you get where I¡¯m going with this, right? It¡¯s the same when we¡¯re given power to use magic that does countless things, but like a knife and any other tool, we can abuse our magic and other powers just as badly. From what I had heard from Dad and his friends, there are hunters more dangerous than monsters, and even if they weren¡¯t under such an occupation, they could very well clash against each other, hurt each other ... and kill each other. You need not be a bandit to go that far, and that applies to everyone of any race from any social class in any occupation, and some are sharper than others to go about it without getting their hands dirty or using their own magic. As fantastic as this world can be, nothing¡¯s ever perfect.¡±

    ¡°... Yes, I think I can agree with you on that.¡±

    The grown-ups behind us were only silent throughout my talk with Agnes. I could only imagine what was going through their minds then like ¡®Is this seriously a kid?¡¯ or ¡®Should a child even be that mature?¡¯ I especially felt how much Zalena was staring at me from behind.

    I admit my older mentality leaked out as I spoke my piece and it may be much for a twelve-year-old like Agnes to hear, but if she was seriously considering being a hunter, I felt she should know at least that much if she hadn¡¯t learned it yet as one from a noble family.

    If I want to tutor Onelri and Fila magic under that tutelage Ms. Renne proposed to me, I would have to consider explaining this much to them, too, I thought. Annoying as kids can be, anything in their environment can influence them so much. I¡¯m not sure about handling that kind of responsibility, but I would want them growing up to be responsible adults, at the least. Would I even be capable of that? Those thoughts lingered for some time.

 Chapter 27: We Had Lunch While Going Over Our Next Move

    The first few floors of the dungeon we went down were much bigger than I thought, with ceilings being tens of hundreds of feet from above, there were still walls surrounding us, giving our monsters not as much room to hide other than obstacles like large rocks and stalagmites. The only light source that was revealing our path were special luminescent magic stones embedded in the walls and ceiling, bright enough to show us a path, but plenty of places where the light didn¡¯t reach for potential enemies to hide and ambush us. With our ways of tracking monsters, though, we didn¡¯t run into those problems.

    My talk seemed to influence Agnes as I had her try the next couple of battles after my demonstration. While I initially had her be rearguard to cast magic from a distance, she wanted to follow my example and see how she fared without it. I had no problems with that and she¡¯d be saving her mana for the bigger battles ahead. So, we both played vanguard and defeated low-tier monsters on sight, attacking them from behind and delivering fatal blows while their guards were down. Agnes was cooperative and attentive as she followed my instructions almost perfectly. I never gave her a chance to shine during our duel yesterday, but it was clear how much Seal disciplined her into swordplay as I saw her easily cutting through enemies with a well-crafted shortsword.

    I didn¡¯t get more flashbacks from that time with the bandits after my first battle with the lower imps. I wasn¡¯t sure how much that night affected me but I probably didn¡¯t see those bandits in the monsters because I wasn¡¯t alone, that I had to watch out for Agnes as her friend and temporary party member. Not to mention the adults were with us, too, so I had to try to not let my dwelling on that night show on my face and rouse their concern. With all of those things to think about, I guess it would be difficult for my mind to pull another fast one.

    Before long, we made it to the 3rd floor; the requirement needed for us to start off as F-Rank hunters. Agnes and I still had plenty of energy to spare and wished to continue the exam. Rala gave her approval as our examiner, and Zalena was on board for pretty much anything. And so we kept going down.

    For what monsters we faced, the first two floors when we came in had lower imps, goblins, and these dog-like monsters called henchhounds. From the third floor, the previously mentioned monsters were stronger, basically more numbers of the one lower imp playing leader that I killed when we first started. There were some evolved versions of those first few monsters that played the leader part more aggressively, though. These were low imps (a step up from ¡®lower¡¯ imps), a few hob goblins, and omegahounds, each with characteristics that make them stand out from their pre-evolved, weaker selves.

    From that point, after defeating the first few and getting a taste of their power, we agreed to avoid fighting them, making the most of our search spells to find ways around the monsters. We only fought them when we had to, when all routes to go around them were closed, and when we fought, we tried to beat them as quick as possible, even resorting to magic.

    I first thought using magic to its minimum while not rousing suspicion would be difficult, but then I remembered I had my Conductor that can play the part of a wand and a dagger. The wind type e-stone in the weapon was especially useful to my advantage. While they¡¯re not needed, hunters who primarily use magic for attacking and defending (the ¡®mages¡¯ of this world) used wands and staves as means to better channel their mana to cast spells. When said weapons have e-stones and other special jewels, they give casters a boost of power in their spells. These staves and wands were expensive, so the best most mage-type hunters would make do were those made of cheap, decently crafted wood. Knowing that, Seal and Lilia¡¯s collaboration in my gift held a much deeper meaning.

    When I had to resort to magic on these monsters from the 3rd floor down, I put my Conductor¡¯s capabilities to its full use, mainly to shoot Wind Needles at the lower end of power levels that I could manage: 5%. Why that absurdly low percentage was for a few reasons. One was to test how powerful my Conductor would be as it was the first time I had the pleasure of using a wand-like weapon to cast spells, especially one that has an e-stone matching to my specialty in Wind Magic. Since there¡¯s mithril in the weapon, a metal that¡¯s highly conductive to mana, it would make casting certain kinds of magic all the easier to use and more powerful. The other was my Companions. Even if fairies tried to conserve their magic, they still give their Chaperones a boost of power just being near them, and there were five of mine in my pockets.

    As a result, even when I tried dulling the piercing power of my Wind Needles down to practically ¡®Wind Pellets,¡¯ blatantly casting the spell wrong, the combined additional power of my Companions and the Conductor was enough to make holes into the monsters¡¯ shells. They didn¡¯t go all the way out to the other side, but it was deep into their vitals enough that killed the monsters within seconds. Compared to the very first two bandits I killed instantly the few nights before, the monsters¡¯ deaths looked more gruesome. My power surprised Rala and Zalena, and while my shock was genuine, I played it off by saying how effective the Conductor was.

    While Rala tested our performance, our main goal was to get as deep into Myron dungeon as possible. With our ¡®avoid and fight quickly when needed¡¯ strategy and using our search magic to find their whereabouts, we practically breezed through to the 8th floor, the requirement for us to start as E-Rank hunters, the same as Claire. Since there were some decent-looking rocks to sit on and there weren¡¯t any monsters nearby, we found this to be a good time to have our lunch and discuss our next strategy. I took out the lunches the guild gave us from my Dark Space, some sandwiches, jerky, and we brought our own canteens to store water. I asked Agnes if she needed a mana potion, but she said she was fine.

    ¡°Well, by this point you¡¯re both accomplished and more than ready to start as hunters, especially at E-Rank,¡± Rala started as the two of us ate. The guild gave Rala, Flinto, and Zalena lunches for taking part in observing our exam. ¡°The most reasonable next course of action while we still have energy is to get out of the dungeon and head back to Brightlas. It will take more energy to go up the incline than it is to go further down.¡±

    ¡°Is there really no other way to get back to the surface?¡± Agnes asked.

    With Dark Gate, I could get us out of there easily. I could even take us right back to the guild if I wanted, but since it was an advanced spell that takes more out of someone the further distance they go from the start, an eleven-year-old being able to pull it off would raise the grown-ups¡¯ eyebrows. Agnes was already aware of me capable of that since I went from Lunargrove to Brightlas at an instant with that method, and Grayson was near enough to hear it when I reunited with her. Agnes was doing what she could to keep my capability a secret, hence playing dumb about no other way to get out of the dungeon, but I wasn¡¯t sure if Grayson filled Rala and Zalena in on that before we left. At the very least, he could have requested them to keep a close eye on me in particular for any suspicious behavior while playing dumb on what they know about my prowess.

    ¡°There is one other way,¡± Zalena said, catching all of our attention. ¡°At the end of the 14th floor, there is a magic transport circle that can take us right back outside of the dungeon¡¯s entrance. We all stand on the circle, channel our magic at once on it, and we would be home free.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°But that would mean going deeper down and running into more monsters, stronger than what we had seen so far.¡±

    ¡°That said, I would like to see you two going to the 15th floor,¡± Zalena continued, ignoring Rala¡¯s comment. We were all shocked at Zalena¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°¡­ You want to see us take on the mid-boss monster?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Has all of that ¡®playing around¡¯ finally messed up your brain?!¡± Rala exclaimed after getting back to her senses. ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re saying?! These are children here! I tried to keep it down, but I¡¯ve been growing anxious the deeper we¡¯ve been going down this dungeon!¡±

    ¡°You were not against going further down when we made it to the 3rd floor,¡± Zalena argued.

    ¡°I thought they¡¯d change their minds part way through! Look, I know Soar¡¯s dad and I¡¯ve been on the receiving end of his boasting on how great his son is. Since this is Gullivan we¡¯re talking here, I could only imagine how strong Soar was. I expected him or Lady Agnes, surely from an influential noble family herself, would go back after halfway through the 5th floor, or even at start of the 6th floor.

    ¡°Usually by halfway through the 3rd or 4th floor, other kids would want to go back after seeing how strong and intimidating those monsters were. Then I¡¯d help them get right back up to the surface and to the guild, praising their efforts to Grayson while treating them to cookies from my favorite bakery for a job well done!¡±

    Just how childish does she think we are to be ecstatic over cookies?

    ¡°¡­ Cookies. That is a kind of sweet that commoners like to eat occasionally, yes?¡±

    ¡°Wait, are you saying you never had a cookie before?¡± I asked Agnes.

    ¡°Father only lets me have cakes and tarts on special occasions, like birthdays and having tea with esteemed guests. I heard about them and only saw them the first time when I ordered those treats for your birthday party, I had been wondering how they tasted, since.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Agnes, when we get out of here, I will treat you to the biggest damn cookie we can find in Brightlas,¡± I said with a hand on her shoulder. I may not like kids, but even I knew they should relish the little things like those while they¡¯re still young. Hearing someone around Agnes¡¯ age who never had a cookie before was as shocking to me as a kid finding out Santa Claus doesn¡¯t exist.

    ¡°That¡¯s my line!¡± Rala exclaimed. Flinto then came up and placed a paw on one of her legs while looking up. Rala saw it and looked to have gotten whatever message Flinto was trying to cross before she sighed and turned back to the two of us. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, the two of you exceeded my expectations. Kids around your age getting this far in the exam are rare around these parts and this is a first for me, so please forgive me if I¡¯m acting over the edge.

    ¡°That aside, watching how the two of you work and fight together, whatever training you went through was worth it to get this far. Both of you have potential to be fantastic hunters, you may even surpass me at a shorter time than I thought previously. Starting off at E-Rank would be perfect for kids like you, I see no more reason needed for you two to prove yourselves. I can guarantee it as I¡¯ll talk to Grayson about it myself.

    ¡°With that said, you need not go further down to prove yourselves and I highly recommend we go back. Forget cookies, I¡¯ll get each of you a whole cake of your choosing to celebrate your achievement, so ¡­ what do you say?¡± Rala looked on at us with hopeful and desperate look in her eyes. Flinto sat next to her and stared at us, waiting for our answer.

    Since I heard what I needed to hear from Rala¡¯s side, I turned to the other adult. ¡°Ms. Vaxine¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please, call me Zalena,¡± she interrupted. ¡°You have more than earned the right to address me casually. That goes for you, too, fairy girl.¡±

    ¡°So, we will still get referred to as fairy boy and fairy girl, huh?¡± Agnes asked with slight annoyance.

    ¡°¡­ Zalena, going back to the question I asked earlier, were you wanting to see us how we¡¯d handle the mid-boss monster at the 15th floor?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I had the feeling you differ from other kids, this was when I first set my eyes on you before finding out you were Gully¡¯s son. You have piqued my curiosity, fairy boy, and I want to see more of what you can do as I learn about you. Oh, and I cannot forget our cool little fairy girl here, too. From my time, it is rare to see nobles with enough backbone to stand up against something as scary as monsters, much less for kids.¡±

    ¡°Is that right ¡­¡± I have a feeling there¡¯s more to that, but I probably shouldn¡¯t act so paranoid around her for the time being. I don¡¯t want to give away why I have to stay on my toes around her.

    ¡°Agnes, what do you want to do?¡± I asked Agnes next.

    ¡°I checked my status card and saw how much I had grown since we started. I could even feel it, too. I want to go as far down as possible, but only if you think I am ready for it, Soar. I will trust your judgement and go along with whatever you want to do.¡±

    ¡°Down to me, huh?¡± I crossed my arms and thought.

    <¡°I say we go for it!¡±> Marble exclaimed through telepathy. <¡°I¡¯m getting so tough that I feel I can take any monster on!¡±>

    <¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. Sure, we may not have problems with our mana reserves, I don¡¯t even notice a dent of change since we started, but keep in mind that we gotta help look after Agnes, too. That said, I also want to see how far we can go.¡±> [Cinder]

    <¡°I¡¯m fine going along with whatever you want to do, Soar.¡±> [Shadina]

    <¡°Mist getting anxious with more monsters around, but Mist will tough out to help Soar.¡±> [Mist]

    <¡°It¡¯s safe to say it¡¯s unanimous from here, Soar. The only thing I ask is that you don¡¯t push yourself. We still have plenty of time before we need to get back to the guild, so if we go, I advise we continue the strategy we¡¯ve been using up to now, but don¡¯t be in a rush.¡±> [Breezy]

    ¡­ Mona? Any thoughts?

    <¡°The probability of you going down to the 15th floor and defeating the dungeon¡¯s mid-boss is 99.99999%. The other 0.00001% is the likeliness you will get killed instead, and that is with or without Agnes in your current party.¡±>

    ¡­ What about going to the 30th floor and defeating the dungeon boss with the two of us together? What are our odds then?

    <¡°There is a 97% chance the two of you will succeed the way you are now. The other 3% is that at least one of you will get killed in the battle with Myron Dungeon¡¯s boss monster.¡±>

    That¡¯s quite a jump. Do you know what the monsters we¡¯d be facing from this point on are like?

    <¡°No. These statistics result from comparing the combined power levels of everyone in your party, Soar Osmis and Agnes Zanri, to the previous participators¡¯ and their success rate of clearing the number of floors in Myron Dungeon. As for the monsters, I can keep a record of all the monsters you have defeated up to this point and give you a detailed analysis the next time you meet them.¡±

    Wait, so, if I want to know what a monster¡¯s weakness is, how much life they have left before dying, even the rates of item drops and how much their magic stones are worth, you can give me all of that info and more?

    <¡°TL; DR, yes.¡±>

    You¡¯re a fucking walkthrough/strategy guide!

    With that, my answer was obvious, but I had to confirm something with Rala first. ¡°Is there a point where you¡¯d need to intervene to stop the exam?¡±

    ¡°Usually when they¡¯re seriously injured with little to no means of recovery or that the escort, that¡¯s Zalena here in this case, had to step in and help secure victory enough that examinees wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve on their own¡ªwait, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re seriously considering?!¡±

    ¡°Do you have any authority to deny our request of going down while we¡¯re still in good health?¡±

    ¡°¡­ No,¡± Rala deflated in defeat.

    ¡°Welp, I guess that settles it. Agnes, you¡¯re doing very well for yourself so far. I want to see how far we can go, too. Can I count on you to watch my back?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Of course! I will do whatever you need me to do!¡± she answered excitedly while pumping her fists. Her eyes burned with determination.

    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s spare the rest of our rations and save them for later. It¡¯s good to make the most of the energy you have when you can, and leftovers would be especially useful under emergencies.¡±

    ¡°I see, that makes sense! I will take this knowledge to heart!¡±

    ¡°Uuu ¡­ just what did I sign myself up for here?¡± Rala practically bawled while slumping over. Flinto and Zalena did what they could to console her.

 Chapter 28: We Faced Miron Dungeons Mid-Boss

    Once we finished lunch, we continued with our dungeon crawl that went beyond what the exam required us to pass. Agnes at one point asked Rala if she and Flinto had ever gone to the dungeon very far.

    ¡°I cleared it with a small party in the past and I got a gift as a reward for my achievement,¡± she explained. ¡°Not counting Flinto, there were four of us hunters, three F¡¯s and one E Rank when we started out. The F¡¯s were still young and inexperienced, not much older than you two, but not even they would go this far down on their first try like you did. The monsters from this point on would be more difficult, dealing with them in larger numbers than before, and don¡¯t even get me started in the mid-boss, let alone the main boss. We had to make so many trips before finally clearing it in just over a year, and we were all D Rank by then.¡±

    ¡°But you all didn¡¯t have masters to teach you how to fight like Agnes¡¯ and mine did, right?¡± I asked. ¡°To clear a dungeon like this in a year without guidance, relying only on each other and what you can learn through trial and error, I think that¡¯s very admirable. You should take pride in the experience you gained from that to become who you are today, something that Agnes and I were lucky not to go through with the families we were born into.¡±

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°Uh, was it something I said?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, but do not worry,¡± Flinto answered. ¡°Rala¡¯s just so happy that she¡¯s having problems trying to process it all. Not even her few ex-boyfriends had ever said anything so charming before.¡±

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t just blurt out my love life in public!¡±

    In response to Rala¡¯s outburst, we heard a couple snarls and growls from a distance.

    ¡°Soar? I am picking up seven monsters coming this way with my search magic,¡± Agnes reported with aggravation.

    ¡°¡­ They seem to be aware of our presence. Now, just what could have caught their attention?¡± Zalena asked with annoyed sarcasm.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! That one¡¯s on me!¡±

    Rala tried to help us, but Agnes and I subjugated the monsters on our own, albeit messier than we usually did with how much more oomph we had to put into our attacks and magic. At the end of it all, Rala gave each of us a spare vial of mana potion as apology and said she¡¯d report her slipup to Grayson when we return. Zalena cut in and said she¡¯d make sure of that, too. Agnes downed her mana potion while I saved mine in the Dark Space for emergencies.

    After picking up the item drops the monsters left, we continued down the dungeon as we had, avoiding them when we could and fight them when we had to. There were more evolved forms of monsters we ran into from the start than we did the last couple of floors. Some were distinguishably stronger than others, there were even elemutations¡ªmonsters evolved in a different branch than most that can perform elemental attacks and even magic to an extent¡ªthat we had to subjugate at all costs as they can be very lethal, more so if they eat a fairy in that form. Though elemutations pose a bigger threat, they¡¯re more likely to drop e-stones in bigger sizes than regular monsters. I stored most of the dropped e-stones in my Dark Space while I let Agnes take all the fire ones. She could use all the extra power she could get by letting her fairy, Flicker, taking them inside her.

    ¡°Well, slipups aside, we made it,¡± I said as we all stood in front a large archway that looked at least 10 feet tall, leading to a long line of stairs going down. We were at the end of the 14<sup>th</sup> floor, which was more like a grand hall stretching straight towards the archway that lead us to the 15<sup>th</sup>. It was straight-forward with no place for monsters to hide and ambush us. Maybe it was more like a rest spot you would see in RPGs where you could gather yourself before a big, climactic boss battle that lies ahead. There was only a mid-boss waiting for us, but the atmosphere the floor gave off would get most people tense.

    As Zalena mentioned earlier, there was a smaller entrance off to one side that lead to a small room with a large magic circle inscribed on the floor. That was the way for us to get back to the surface instantaneously with a bit of magic while standing on that circle, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing there.

    ¡°Where does that other way lead?¡± Agnes asked as she pointed the opposite direction from the transportation circle. The entrance was similar as it had no door, but pitch-black darkness only filled the path.

    ¡°That is one of the handful of paths leading to Daran Cass Labyrinth. You could say it is the ¡®mother¡¯ of all the world¡¯s dungeons branch from,¡± Zalena answers. ¡°Some experienced hunters like myself would use these paths to get to some destinations in the country quicker than by carriage on the surface, even crossing overseas from below if they are daring enough. There are even services and quests from the guild where those hunters escort travelers and some merchants to get to their destinations. You would need to be at least a C Rank to take on those jobs.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the labyrinth like?¡± I asked.

    ¡°If I had to describe it in one word, it would be ¡­ surreal. If you are not careful, you would get lost and wind up dead with no one ever finding you. It is as if the caverns in that labyrinth are alive and would gobble you up, leaving no trace of your being behind.¡±

    I felt a tight grip on my arm and I looked to see Agnes trembling and clinging on it for dear life as she warily stares at the darkness. Flicker had her whole body clinging to her Chaperone¡¯s neck the same way.

    Speaking of fairies, my own were also shivering in my pockets.

    <¡°D-Don¡¯t ask. I feel an uneasy pressure coming from that direction,¡±> Marble answered for everyone through telepathy.

    ¡°Well, getting lost is not as much of a problem now after many hunters mapped out the caverns and made plaques showing which goes to where,¡± Zalena continued. That eased up Agnes¡¯ nerves and loosened her death grip on my arm. ¡°But the labyrinth is so large, no one has ever been able to ¡®clear¡¯ it like one may would with dungeons, and so nobody knows what lies at the very end of it, and we have not gone deep enough to get some idea how close we are to the final destination. When you get to where others have not trod, you may wind up disappearing before realizing you got lost at all.¡±

    Aaaaand Agnes¡¯ grip tightened around my arm once more.

    ¡°C-Cut it out, Zalena, you¡¯re scaring the kids,¡± Rala said, though her buckling legs, folded leopard ears and straightened tail didn¡¯t really mark her as unafraid, either.

    ¡°Oh, lighten up, I am just having a bit of fun here, but does it not get a hunter¡¯s blood pumping for an adventure to the unknown? What do you think, fairyboy?¡±

    ¡°I admit it sounds interesting, but I don¡¯t have any plans of clearing something like that. I¡¯d probably only go deep enough to accomplish whatever quest I have that needs to get done.¡±

    ¡°Hmm ¡­ well, suit yourself.¡± Zalena shrugged, but the way she smiled said she wasn¡¯t dropping the topic so easily. ¡°Anyway, that is that, and this is this, so what do you say? Think you two love fairies can take on the mid boss down these steps?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°¡­ Gah!¡± It took Agnes a moment to realize she was still clinging to my arm before jumping back flustered. ¡°U-Um, sorry about that, Soar ¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cool, but are you all right taking on the mid-boss with me?¡±

    Agnes had some difficulty getting the words out, so she slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath. ¡°I will go with you ¡­ to the very end,¡± she answered slowly while looking into my eyes.

    I met that gaze head-on with both my hands on her shoulders, massaging them a bit while applying some mana to loosen some knots. With my Magic Hands gift, I could relieve these physical conditions with better ease and allow her mana channels to flow fluently. My parents, Lilia, and Ms. Renne can attest to how effective my treatment is. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t push yourself and don¡¯t worry. You got this.¡± I then turned her around and focused my treatment more on the upper back.

    ¡°The three of us will be off to the side and not get involved unless we need to. Right, Zalena?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh, yes, I know a way for us to hide from them, so you need not worry,¡± Zalena answered after Rala. I noticed her eyes widened slightly as she watched me massage Agnes¡¯ shoulders.

    Could she even see my magic like that, too? Well, it¡¯s not a very grand cheat-like gift like my Great Sage so it should be fine if I tell her when she asks, right?

    After I loosened up Agnes¡¯ joints, I took the mana potion Rala gave me from my Dark Space. Truthfully, I felt like I still had plenty to spare, but I needed to show my mana pool wasn¡¯t bigger than expected of an eleven-year-old.

    We did a few other minor preparations before going down the stairs. They led to a large entrance to a room as big as the archway we came in with stone double doors wide open. Inside, there was a large black wolf-like monster. Even when it only sat at attention, it was almost twice as tall as Dad. That was an alphahound waiting for its next prey. I was sure we weren¡¯t its first one because there was a mess of blood and abandoned equipment on the floor.

    We made out that much just looking in from the outside of the room. Agnes covered her mouth to stop vomiting from the grotesque sight, but the look of fear was very present on her face. I didn¡¯t blame her, though. Monsters usually respawn around the same level in dungeons after some time, but the mid-boss and dungeon boss would always respawn in the same floors at the same level. Like other monsters, though, mid-bosses and dungeon bosses can get stronger from consuming fairies and people, and they¡¯d keep getting stronger until someone defeats them and they respawn again at their default level and strength. If they get too strong, the barrier that keeps us attacking from outside of each other¡¯s rooms wouldn¡¯t be enough for them to break out free and escape the dungeon on their own. That is the worst-case scenario for everyone, person, fairy, and monster alike, and that¡¯s when the nearest guild needs to issue an emergency subjugation quest for any hunter capable of taking them down.

    In our case with the alphahound, there were signs of about two, maybe three unlucky hunters who met their demise. If it caught their fairy Companions, then it just raised the challenge¡¯s difficulty by some notches.

    Zalena and Rala explained to us all the dangers I just described and the workings of the barrier separating us between rooms. They acted like the sensors with automatic doors for stores back on Earth, but these worked oppositely. Once we step inside, the stone doors will shut behind us, and that and the other one that leads further down the dungeon won¡¯t open until our battle with the mid-boss was over, whether it be in our victory or death.

    It would be safer for Zalena to go in, take it out, come back, and we wait for the alphahound to respawn at its default strength. Capable as Zalena was, it would take time for the mid-boss to respawn again. We may still be okay on that, but I was one who wanted to make the most of what I had, if I could. If we could defeat it, even though it was stronger than what we initially thought, we would surely earn extra points in the exam. Zalena said she could take it out with or without our help, but she had a feeling we may still pull it off on our own, and she¡¯d jump in to deal the finishing blow should things go south. I imagined she thought we would ¡®barely¡¯ pull it off from how she and her Companions had observed our progress up to that point.

    Agnes and I looked to each other briefly. We didn¡¯t exchange words, and I didn¡¯t talk to her through telepathy, but we were both on the same page on what we wanted to do. We confirmed our decision and made a few plans for safety measures (despite Rala¡¯s nervousness throughout it all). When we were ready, Agnes and I stepped inside, phasing through the barrier first with our weapons in hand. The adults and familiar followed close behind with a Light Magic spell surrounding them to be visually invisible by those outside of it, courtesy of Zalena.

    Despite the tension and seriousness of the situation, I was as much in amazement of such a spell existing as a kid was watching a magic show for the first time. That didn¡¯t change even when the stone doors shut behind us.

    At that moment, my obsession with magic overthrew the seriousness of the situation and I had a greater interest in Zalena¡¯s Light Magic than the monster in the room. Keep in mind that there weren¡¯t many people in Lunargrove specialized in Light Magic. You can¡¯t blame me for getting caught up in something so new and unique.

    ¡°Whooa~, that is raaad~!¡± I exclaimed in excitement. I could have sworn there were stars in my eyes that distracted me from our opponent.

    ¡°Why are you so enthused by that in this situation?!¡± Agnes followed in panic.

    Because of our noise, the alphahound noticed our presence and immediately went into battle formation with a snarling growl before launching itself in a sprint, heading straight toward me while my guard was down.

    ¡°SOAR!¡±

    Agnes¡¯ scream snapped me out of it before I noticed the alphahound quickly approaching me. It was so big I could¡¯ve mistaken it for a speeding train to take me out instantly. Time seemed to have slowed down for me.

    I panicked, directed my Conductor toward it, and chanted a spell aloud instead of in my mind, but it wasn¡¯t the Wind Needle spell at the usual 5% power up to that point that I used.

    ¡°Air Cannon!¡± I yelled.

    Unlike Wind Needle, which is like blowing darts through a tube, Air Cannon was as the name implied, blasting air compressed into a tightly condensed ball at your target. That ¡®ball¡¯ would normally blow the target away, knocking the wind out of them and pushing them a fair distance back depending on its power. Some could be enough to break their bones on impact.

    In my Air Cannon though, instead of a regular ball of air, I trained it alongside my Wind Needle to shoot balls of sharply spinning air that¡¯s like a hurricane¡¯s, kind of similar to that one ninja¡¯s r*s*ng*n in his manga. I practiced it enough to where I could should shoot it like that on instinct, but I only did it with 5% of power while aiming it up to the clear sky. I did it that way knowing how much destruction my Wind Needles caused when I only had three Companions and I got serious about it.

    Now, imagine how that would be with my Conductor and five Companions to amp its effect at 50% of power ¡­ at point-blank range against the alphahound.

    I was just that flustered to take it further than I needed to.

    The r*s*ng*n-like ball of air in volleyball-size appeared at the tip of my Conductor for only an instant, right inside the alphahound¡¯s open muzzle about to eat me. The ball launched and immediately tore through the monster¡¯s body, ignoring its shell, rapidly cutting and phasing through its flesh with winds at high speeds. The ball was too fast to stop its assault towards me, and so as my spell tore through, almost splitting it in two, only the front half of its body passed by me at both sides. The rest from the chest down exploded into blood and guts with the blast that went well with its ¡®boom.¡¯

    Directly behind the monster, a large splat of red appeared on the wall on top of a massive crater, there were signs of the spell¡¯s spins and cuts etched into it. The Air Cannon¡¯s explosion cut the alphahound¡¯s roar, and the room fell into near-deaf silence after the monster¡¯s remaining pieces fell behind me in plops and thuds. However big its magic stone was, I may have blasted into dust from the spell¡¯s power. As far as I know, it mixed with the crater and blood.

    Zalena, her fairies, Rala, and Flinto were out of the invisible veil as they stood there with jaws to the floor. Agnes dropped her weapon and collapsed her knees as she blankly stared in my direction.

    Me, after taking a moment to realize the battle was well over, I fell to all fours on the floor, dropping my Conductor, and hung my head. It wasn¡¯t out of exhaustion from mana depletion. Believe it or not, despite my power output, I still had lots of mana left. I was down realizing the gravity of the situation.

    I fucked up ¡­ again.

    It was moments after that thought the alphahound¡¯s leftovers turned into experion and it all came to me. My Companions and I took them in our bodies without resistance, and traces of that monster and the fallen hunters disappeared. The equipment and an alphahound tooth remained. Perhaps since I defeated their killer, I set the fallen hunters and fairies free and they would finally rest in peace in the afterlife. It was hard to say why their bodily remains disappeared with the monster¡¯s, but that¡¯s what I wanted to believe what happened.

    With the mess of blood clear and the room clean, I noticed something etched in the floor, lines and patterns cut into familiar characters and shapes.

    That¡¯s when I realized we were standing on a familiar summoning circle, and that was where me and Agnes met our next long-knowing friends in our lives.

 Chapter 29: We Summoned Our Familiars

    ¡°Um ¡­ sorry, but what ¡­ what the fuck was that? What. The fuck. Was THAT?!¡± Rala exclaimed.

    ¡°¡­ Dumb luck?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to smile out of this with that cute baby face of yours, mister!¡± Rala then pinched my cheeks and pulled them to the sides.

    ¡°Ow, ow, ow! Muh jeeksh!¡±

    ¡°To use that spell at such power at your age, why aren¡¯t you knocked out from mind down?! Who even taught you that spell?!¡±

    ¡°Muh dah?¡±

    ¡°Gullivaaaaaaaan!¡±

    ¡°Breesh dun dag dish ou on me!¡±

    ¡°Um, what should I ¡­?¡± Agnes asked while shifting glances between us, having no idea what to do.

    Zalena then stepped in and pulled us apart ¡­ well, it was more like she pried Rala¡¯s hands away from my cheeks. She then gave Rala a strong flick to the forehead. ¡°Calm down. Are you not supposed to keep an open mind when examining rookies?¡±

    ¡°Ow. Even if you say that, this is abnormal, isn¡¯t it?! Grayson himself told us to be mindful of his magic but I don¡¯t think he was expecting this!¡±

    So, Grayson did tell them what he heard from me and Agnes, at least to some extent.

    ¡°What¡¯s next?! That he has over two fairies?!¡± Rala continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been scratching my head how much mana he had until he took my potion before we went in! That¡¯s the only reason I can think of for him to not fall into mind down after that! Heck, even having three fairies is questionable for someone of his age!¡±

    Mind down, by the way, is a state one falls into when they spend too much mana that their bodies or Companions could take. You¡¯re out cold, and you won¡¯t wake up until you regain a minimal amount to move around within a couple hours, on average. It can be a dangerous thing to be in depending on where you are, especially for fairies.

    ¡°Sheesh, lighten up, will you?¡± Zalena asked. ¡°Yes, that display of magic was ¡­ surprising, to be sure, but it is not like he has to tell us what is really going on, including how many fairies he has, if he has any. Like us adults, kids like Soar have their reasons for keeping secrets to themselves.¡±

    ¡°And you are okay with that?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, come now, Rala, you know of me well enough that I keep things discreet unless someone really gets on my nerves. For example, telling everyone why you really have no luck with men if you do not drop this right now.¡±

    Zalena¡¯s change of tone as she glared at Rala was a surprise to everyone, especially me.

    Is Zalena ¡­ sticking up for me?

    ¡°W-What are you talking about?¡± Rala asked, just as startled.

    ¡°Let us step over here and have a little girl talk, shall we? You two just stand by for a bit. We will be back shortly.¡±

    ¡°O ¡­ kay?¡± I answered for us.

    We then watched Zalena pull Rala to a corner of the room. Flinto followed close behind.

    ¡°What do you think they are talking about?¡± Agnes asked.

    ¡°No idea. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d get serious like that.¡±

    ¡°Me neither ¡­ but did you notice?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°She did not call you ¡®fairyboy¡¯ earlier.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°You think that ¡­ thing with the monster changed something in her for you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Well, I am glad you are okay, Soar, but I ask that you please do not be so careless next time. That outburst from you really surprised me. That may not compare to your ¡®performance¡¯ earlier, but still ¡­¡±

    I chuckled nervously and put up a wry smile. ¡°Right ¡­ sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°That aside, do you know what this is?¡± Agnes asked while pointing down to the magic circle that covered most of the floor.

    ¡°Ah, right, if I remember correctly ¡­¡± I pulled the Book of Understanding Ancient Practices from my Dark Space and flipped through the pages to find a specific illustration. ¡°¡­ Yeah, it¡¯s as I thought, this is a familiar summoning circle.¡± I even remember the details clearly in my mind. I guess the Great Sage gift recording stuff like this was no joke.

    ¡°Why would there be one here?¡±

    I then explained how these dungeons were where these magic circles came from. There was even a slate on the wall with a passage in Shimmerlin that described the chant required to summon the familiar. No matter what went on in these dungeon rooms and how long it has been, the circle and passages would still be etched in the floor and slate as if they were freshly made.

    To keep it short, some people in the country of Dustarga, where I reincarnated and grew up in, had helped make summoning familiars more convenient after many years of trial and error. They replicated the magic circle in ¡®summoning rooms¡¯ that are in sacred places around the country called sanctoriums that bishops manage. To get into those rooms and receive the needed help to summon a familiar, you need to pay an expensive fee that those from the lower noble class can afford, at the least.

    These days, since we can make contracts with fairies for access to greater magic and power, people don¡¯t really need familiars. You would usually see successful hunters and nobles, whether or not they have fairies, have a familiar at their side for various reasons. Since there are summoning circles at sanctoriums now, nobody really goes to dungeons to do the same unless they want to summon one for free through some questionable means.

    ¡°But you have a drawing of the circle right there in that book, right? Could you summon a familiar now if you want to?¡± Agnes asked after I explained my piece.

    ¡°I could try, but it won¡¯t do anything. They¡¯ve tried this in the past, and it didn¡¯t work. These circles are gateways between realms that acts the same as one would use a door. If it isn¡¯t big enough, there¡¯s no chance the familiar would appear, which is why they¡¯re as big as this. I haven¡¯t seen one myself yet, but it said in the book they made the summoning rooms as big as these in dungeons. There¡¯s also how you need to chant the summoning spell properly with the Shimmerlin language.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. I suppose summoning one is not possible if you do not know how to speak the chant in Shimmerlin.¡±

    ¡°That is true, but ¡­ I think I can.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have the passage in the book, but I think I can read it in the slate here. I, uh, skimmed a bit of this section after Claire gifted the book to me last night, but I have some idea on how it goes ¡­ you want to see me give it a go?¡±

    ¡°I would love to! Please, fire away!¡± Agnes answered excitedly.

    ¡°All right, it will be the first I¡¯ve spoken in this language and the circle detects accuracy. I may not get it right the first try, so don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± I took one last look at the slate and Mona deciphered the characters into a readable script I could see with my mind. I turned back to the direction of the circle and took a deep breath. My Companions wished me the best of luck from the pockets.

    Just think of this like reading captions from subtitled anime, I thought to myself. The words are there, but unlike how you¡¯ve cast spells up to now, you need to speak up with your heart to give them life, make it so that the gods themselves can hear ¡­

    Determined, I took my Conductor, stepped into the circle, and pointed the dagger-wand straight ahead with both hands. I wasn¡¯t sure if using wands or staves to summon familiars would change anything, but I thought I might as well.

    It was then the adults came back from their talk when Zalena spoke up.

    ¡°Sorry for the wait, kids! We had a bit of a disagreement and¡ª¡±

    ¡°[Great Gods watching me from a world beyond mine, I require thine aid!]¡±

    The circle below me brightened. A mysterious wind blew from inside the circle outward. I almost got blown off by surprise, but I stood my ground.

    ¡°W-What is happening?!¡± [Agnes]

    ¡°No way, is this ¡­ on his first try, even?¡± [Zalena]

    ¡°Are you freakin¡¯ kidding me?!¡± [Rala]

    ¡°[Heed mine call, I require a servant!]¡±

    The light brightened enough to fill the room, and the gusts picked up enough speed and power to kick the dust on the floor. It was quickly getting hard to tolerate, but I was almost done with the chant. I yelled the last of the chant with the loudest volume I had done in my second life.

    ¡°[COME FORTH, MINE FAMILIAR!]¡±

    The light exploded like a flash bomb, gusts blew like a powerful storm, and the dust was almost like smoke by that point, or maybe it blended with the actual white smoke that appeared, I didn¡¯t know. Everyone outside of the circle shrieked in shock. I only stood my ground with eyes tightly shut, but I didn¡¯t move my Conductor from its original position.

    The noise from the wind died down, and then there was silence ¡­

    ¡°[Goodness~, so that was being summoned? Quite the rush.]¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    An unfamiliar voice of a mature woman broke the silence. Despite it being a different language, even though this was the first I heard someone else talk with it, I immediately understood it was Shimmerlin, and I could interpret like I also spoke it fluently. I slowly opened my eyes and made out a figure in the clearing smoke. What stood out first were the two large wings that spanned out to the sides, resembling to those of a bat. The one spanning out those wings looked tall with curves, a humanoid shape of a female.

    As the smoke cleared, I got a better picture of her profile. She wore very little clothing; the majority was practically underwear made of black leather, hence why her curves from before were so distinguishable. Thigh-high black stockings mostly covered her legs. Matching leather platform boots with raised heels were her main footwear. She also had special black fingerless gloves that stretch up to the elbows.

    As for the unclothed parts, her skin was a reddish pink color covered with black grapevine-like markings that stretched down her limbs, the sides of her waist, around her exposed bellybutton, and across the collarbone. It was as my eyes scrolled around that last area that I noticed hot big her chest was. It didn¡¯t quite match Zalena¡¯s and Flomi¡¯s, but they were still an impressive size as they were practically spilling over her bikini/bra-like top. The rest of her curves were also as deliciously plump, it was a devilish mix of muscle and fat that was pleasing to the eyes.

    ¡®Devilish¡¯ described her best as I noticed a black tube tail with an arrowhead at the tip curling behind her. There were also matching horns curling toward the temple, standing out from her hair that was even whiter than a dark elf¡¯s, bearing a likeness to fresh snow as they stretched to the mid of her back with straight bangs. And then there were her eyes as pink as rose quartz as she stared at me curiously.

    ¡°Hmm? Are you perhaps the one who summoned me?¡± she then asked me in Dustaran, the common language for residents of Dustarga.

    Words got caught in my throat as I was trying to process it all. I only got a few of them out after I lowered my Conductor. ¡°I-I ¡­ think, so?¡±

    Her face brightened up, and she clapped her hands with glee from hearing my answer. ¡°How delightful! Oh! Pardon my excitement, I need to introduce myself!¡± She then took her unfurled wings in her hands, holding them like a skirt, and did a curtsey.

    ¡°I am Sarise, of the devils. It is a pleasure to be under your servitude, Master.¡±

    ¡°A devil ¡­¡± Once I grasped the situation, a big, goofy smile grew on my face. ¡°Y-You mean you¡¯re really going to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sooooooooar! Did you know what you have just dooooone?!¡± Rala screamed as she rushed to me and went straight to my cheeks.

    ¡°Ow! Ow! Ow! I shummun a vamiria, lai?!¡±

    ¡°Not just any familiar! That¡¯s a freakin¡¯ devil! A high-class demon from Zalecks! Some bishops took years to speak Shimmerlin fluent enough to even summon a low-class demon, much less a mid-class! And you just summoned one from a high-class on your first try¡ªOWOWOWOW?!¡± Rala was shaking me by the collar of my shirt in hysteria before a reddish hand took the leopard-girl¡¯s wrist and twisted it. It looked easy to hold, but there was enough force in the grip to break her bone like a twig. Rala succumbed to the pain and released me.

    I glanced over and see it was Sarise who pried Rala away before she pulled me to her generous bosom. My face went right into the chasm that was her bare cleavage.

    Whooooooa! It¡¯s so soooooooft! And this scent¡¯s incredible! I hadn¡¯t even gotten this far with the few dates I went to on Earth! Is this what women smell like?!

    ¡°I do not know what relationship you have, but I will not have you treat my master this way in front of me. Bother him like that again, and it will not just be your arm that I will snap in two.¡± I didn¡¯t see Sarise¡¯s face, but I could only imagine how scary she looked then from the tone of her voice.

    ¡°Y-Yes, ma¡¯am! Never again!¡± Rala exclaimed in panic.

    ¡°Are you all right, Master? Are you hurt?¡± Sarise then asked me while pulling my head up to face her. She gently ran a thumb over one of my cheeks that Rala pinched. Her eyes were on me like one would towards an abandoned puppy.

    If I wasn¡¯t as red as Sarise¡¯s skin was before, I was at that moment, maybe even redder. I felt like a budding teenager again, being so embarrassed in front of a beautiful woman treating me like that, which brought some realizations after remembering what Rala said.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, but ¡­ is it really okay for you ¡­ to be my familiar?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°But of course, why would it not be?¡±

    ¡°Well, as she said, you¡¯re a high-class demon, and I¡¯m still a kid, you know? Wouldn¡¯t you rather be with someone older? Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, don¡¯t devils want our souls as payment for fulfilling a contract?¡± Sure, my soul mindset was that of an old man¡¯s, but first impressions and appearances is a universal thing. As mature as I sounded when I spoke, some adults might have thought I was just ¡®acting like a grown-up¡¯ and wouldn¡¯t treat me like one.

    As for the devil wanting souls, I only got that out of the few things I read in Christian mythology before they got popular in modern media. I may have sounded rude asking about Sarise¡¯s devil culture like that, but if I could get away with it being a ¡®curious, young kid,¡¯ I might as well play that card.

    ¡°I will admit it was a surprise for me, but it was not bad by any means, quite the contrary. His Greatness, Garem, was the one who brought us together after he judged you worthy, and for the Two Fathers who manage our realms picking one of us to serve as a familiar is a great honor for everyone. In which case, it is unforgivable for us to kill our masters, and an even greater tragedy to let them die in our hands, no matter what bloodline we come from, but those are not the only reasons I am going along with this.¡±

    She then held my face in her palms with a gentle smile. ¡°Before that scaredy-cat intervened, this cute little face here made a big, beautiful smile. ¡®We will live a long, happy life together,¡¯ was what I thought when I saw it.¡±

    ¡°Sarise ¡­¡± Her words touched my heart like when I first made a contract with Breezy, Shadina, and Mist. I hurled any further doubts I had for this devilishly beautiful woman over a cliff.

    ¡°Now, before that scaredy-cat rudely interrupted us, I believe she called you Soar?¡± Sarise asked.

    ¡°I will have to get used to her calling me that now, am I?¡±

    ¡°Most likely,¡± Zalena answered to Rala¡¯s question.

    ¡°R-Right! I haven¡¯t introduced myself! And there was the rest of that tradition, too!¡± I gently pulled myself away from Sarise¡¯s hold and cleared my throat. ¡°My name is Soar Osmis. I will look forward to us working together, Sarise.¡±

    ¡°Soar Osmis ¡­ I will forever burn your name in my heart, Master. I am in your care.¡±

    It was a tradition that after a successful summon, the master would kiss their familiar¡¯s head, and I did just that as Sarise kneeled down to my level (I had to quell my embarrassment doing that as I sort of expected doing it to an animal-like familiar like Flinto at first). Just after I finished, she then closed in and cupped her hands over one of my ears.

    ¡°Regarding your age, if a splendid boy like you could summon a devil like me, then you will no doubt grow to become an even greater man. I will wait in anticipation for when that time comes~.¡±

    Sh-She makes a very convincing argument ¡­ I must not let her down.

    <¡°I like her! I wanna come out and say hello!¡±> [Marble]

    <¡°No, Marble! We need to keep hidden while at least one person in this group doesn¡¯t know about us!¡±> [Cinder]

    <¡°Oh, I have been very aware of your presence for a while, you know? We will make proper introductions later, but I look forward to the six of us working together for Master,¡±> Sarise said through my mind, surprising all of us.

    ¡°So! Soar made a pact with a familiar, and a devil at that! Very well done!¡± Zalena exclaimed while clapping her hands in applause. ¡°Before we continue with business, is there anything else one of us would like to share here? How about you, fairygirl?¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?!¡±

    Honestly, I was so occupied that I didn¡¯t notice Agnes had gone quiet. All of us were looking toward her while she fidgeted in place.

    ¡°¡­ Did you want to try summoning a familiar, too, Agnes?¡± I asked.

    ¡°U-Um ¡­ truthfully, I was told I could try summoning one on my thirteenth birthday. That is the usual age we of the noble class try to do it. It had been a tradition among us before we even realized it, a rite of passage towards adulthood, if you will, but ¡­ after seeing Flinto and Sarise here, I cannot help but want to try it even more now. Is that bad?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, and I don¡¯t know how your father will respond when he sees you coming back with a familiar, or even a hunter¡¯s license, but if you really want to do it, I¡¯ll help you out.¡±

    ¡°Well, I am sure I stepped out of line just taking part in this hunter¡¯s exam a long time ago, might as well go all the way, right? And actually ¡­ with two more allies helping us, do you think we have a chance of clearing the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see the harm of us trying it out. Sarise, think you¡¯re up for your first job right after coming here?¡±

    ¡°Whatever you desire, I shall oblige, Master,¡± she answered me while bowing.

    ¡°Is this okay with you guys?¡± I then asked the adults.

    Zalena and Flinto only looked towards Rala.

    ¡°¡­ Screw it. Do whatever you want. I¡¯ve already lost my third, maybe even the fourth of my nine lives putting up with the stress of this disaster.¡±

    ¡°You heard the examiner. Let us get fairygirl¡¯s summoning underway while we still have daylight,¡± Zalena proposed, and my growing party nodded in agreement.

    With a paper and charcoal pencil from my Dark Space, I wrote out how someone should speak the summoning chant. Agnes and I then went over the pronunciation and did some practicing outside of the magic circle¡ªyou only have one shot to summon a familiar, but as long as you¡¯re outside of the circle, you could say the chant as many times as you like. Sarise even stepped in and gave her own inputs on speaking Shimmerlin after requesting my permission to do so. It might have been out of formality for familiars to ask permission on several things, but I told her she could speak her mind any time.

    Finally, after about fifteen minutes of practice, Agnes stood on the circle with my Conductor in her hand (I loaned it to her for that occasion) and began the chant. The light show and theatrics weren¡¯t as grand as my own performance, but it was still impressive seeing it from the outside.

    ¡°[Come forth, mine familiar!]¡± Agnes exclaimed before a large flash filled the room. Sarise shielded my eyes from the brightness with an unfurled wing.

    When the light faded, and the smoke cleared ¡­

    ¡°Well, you are quite the charming-looking young child, are you?¡± another mature woman asked. What stood in the center of the circle that time was a yellow falcon with black tips on the feathers, a white underbelly, and matching markings spread along her back and head. From that, this familiar came from the realm of Zaleese.

    I was worried since it wasn¡¯t someone like Sarise, but Agnes seemed satisfied as she kneeled and stared in awe.

    ¡°You are ¡­ beautiful. Did I really summon you?¡± Agnes asked.

    ¡°I thank you for the delightful compliment, and yes, that seems to be the case. I am Dhalia, and I will be your familiar from this point forward. It would be an honor if you took me under the wings of your servitude, Mistress.¡± She then unfurled her wings and made a bow.

    ¡°N-No, the honor is all mine. I am Agnes Zanri, and this is my Companion, Flicker. We would be glad to have you.¡±

    ¡°Then, I shall be in your care, Mistress.¡±

    Like me, Agnes followed the tradition and kissed Dhalia on the head. We all gave them a round of applause and then went around to introduce ourselves. We then found Sarise and Dhalia hadn¡¯t eaten from how their stomachs growled. Me and Agnes agreed to share the rest of our lunches with them, and they gratefully accepted.

    ¡°Okay! Now that we all have our familiars and got acquainted; I will bring us up to speed and go over our next course of action!¡± Zalena announced. ¡°After I had a word with Rala, we agreed to record Soar¡¯s earlier victory in the report as ¡®dumb luck.¡¯ Sarise¡¯s and Dhalia¡¯s arrival, however, cannot be overlooked and must get registered with you two as their masters¡¯ familiars, but we will worry about that at the end of the exam.

    ¡°As per the kids¡¯ request, we will go further down Miron Dungeon with the goal of defeating its boss and clearing it. Once we clear it and you two earn your rewards¡ªshould you be worthy to receive them¡ªthere is another transportation circle at the end that will take us right back to the dungeon¡¯s entrance, and we would be home free by the time we make it back to Brightlas¡¯ hunter¡¯s guild.

    ¡°From this point forward, there will be monsters even stronger and greater in variety than before, and the floors will be more expansive that can take more time to traverse. We are in the afternoon now and have until the end of the day to make it back and you two get a passing grade. Most hunters would call it a day and head right back through the circle before this room. To clear the rest of these floors, some hunters would require spending the night in the dungeon if we went now, and we will not have a chance of getting out of here by magic circle until the 18<sup>th</sup> and 29<sup>th</sup> floors.

    ¡°Taking all of that into account, are you two certain you want to do this?¡± she asked us.

    ¡°We just have to breeze past the monsters as fast as we can, defeat the boss, and make it back by dinner. Putting it like that, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have any problems.¡± Still, why would Zalena cover for me like that back there? What are her motives? I need to figure them out soon. Since they¡¯re mostly aware of my powers already, I¡¯ll resort to Dark Gate to get us out of here if we ever get in a pinch. I thought.

    ¡°I will make sure to not hold Soar back and take this on with my strength.¡± [Agnes]

    ¡°For Master¡¯s succession, I will clear us a path if we need to.¡± [Sarise]

    ¡°I will give it my all for Mistress, too.¡± [Dhalia]

    ¡°I¡¯m ready to go home ¡­¡± [Rala]

    ¡°I think they overrule us on that option, Mistress.¡± [Flinto]

    ¡°Then, it is settled!¡± Zalena exclaimed, taking over Rala¡¯s position at this point. ¡°As soon as we open those doors, there is no going back, at least until the 18<sup>th</sup> floor. As always, Rala, Flinto, and I will mostly observe, only providing support when we need to.

    ¡°Without further ado, let us take this dungeon by its balls and do this thing~!¡±

    ¡°Zalena! Language!¡± Rala yelled with a flustered face.

 Chapter 30: We Prepped for a Boss Fight

    Sarise was serious when she said she¡¯d clear a path for us as she literally did just that. No matter how many monsters that stood our way, no matter how strong, Sarise was relentless in how she dealt with those obstacles, whether some were new faces, or others were further evolutions of those we previously fought. Punches, throws, kicks, whether it¡¯s using the resources around us or even the monsters themselves as temporary weapons. She did it all on her own with a physical strength that went beyond what muscles I could see on her promiscuous body. I didn¡¯t detect hints of strengthening magic, either. That was all her raw power. The only thing Agnes and I did was collect the magic stones and other items the monsters dropped while Dhalia was keeping a lookout from the air, all at a light jog¡¯s pace. It was like that until we made it to the first resting point on the 18<sup>th</sup> floor. That took a little more than half the time it would for regular hunters to make it to that point.

    Forget Agnes, I worried I wouldn¡¯t get anything at all if Sarise ended up taking all the spoils from clearing the dungeon for us.

    ¡°I heard some familiars took more work for their masters and the latter would still end up getting the dungeons¡¯ clear rewards as if they did it all themselves. We familiars are extensions to our masters. Our powers are theirs. As long as we proved our worth and usefulness for our masters¡¯ successions, those are great honors by themselves. That applies to myself in our relationship, Master.¡± Sarise said that when I told her my concerns while we ate fruit picked from some trees on the 18<sup>th</sup> floor to replenish our energy. I made sure my Companions had some to eat while keeping them hidden from the adults.

    As we went further down the dungeon, logic, reason, and laws of science would slowly deteriorate as there was more vegetation growing in places where they shouldn¡¯t. If you look up at the ceiling, you would almost mistake the magic crystals lighting up the way as the sky itself, and it reflects the real time outside by their colors. They darken as time goes to the evening, too, so it would make sense hunters would spend the night inside, taking shifts in case they get ambushed in their sleep.

    It was still bright when we were there, though, so we were making great time, but I wanted to give Agnes a chance to gain experience as a hunter as well (especially if we want her to get a dungeon clear bonus, too). I also felt bad making Sarise doing all the work, so I told her the changes to our battle tactics for the rest of our dungeon crawl.

    Regardless, I wanted to give Sarise the praise she deserved, so I put my Magic Hands gift to work and gave her a massage while treating some minor muscle soreness with my healing magic. The erotic dripping moans she emitted while I did it made that treatment really awkward, though. Sure, Mom, Ms. Renne, and Lilia would also leak some noise when I treated them in the past, but Sarise wasn¡¯t as reserved and self-conscious in letting her ¡®enjoyment¡¯ being known. It might have been exaggerated. It didn¡¯t help I was touching bare skin while being on top of her part of the way through, either. I was glad I knew how to use Wind Magic to block out noise¡ªI like to call it the Silencing Winds spell. All of my Companions expressed how jealous they were over how much fun Sarise was having, though.

    Since we had time, I treated Rala, too. Sarise was against it for fair reasons, and yes, she pinched my cheeks more than what was comfortable, but I was at fault for putting her through so much stress while she was doing her job, especially since I was keeping secret of having more power than what Grayson told her. Despite her apprehensions, she went along with it.

    Not only did Rala melt from my touch, I learned that pantherkin girls can purr like cats. They can also be as affectionate. As soon as I finished, she was clinging and rubbing herself on me while profusely apologizing for how she treated me. I wasn¡¯t unwelcoming to that kind of attention and I felt we both had made our amends, so we let bygones be bygones. She got really embarrassed after realizing what she had done, though.

    With time still of the essence, I promised Zalena I would give her a treatment after the exam for a variety of reasons before we continued our dungeon crawl with a new battle strategy.

    For my ¡®familiar-master¡¯ pair, Sarise would weaken and gather monsters together, giving the rest of us a chance to contribute our efforts while going in for the kill. I controlled my Wind Magic more efficiently than I had before since the adults were more aware of my powers, but not so much I¡¯d give Zalena ideas on how my capabilities linked to the murdered bandits like Darida warned me about. After each battle, Sarise didn¡¯t let any chance of praising my efforts pass her by, and I thanked for hers in kind.

    As for Agnes¡¯ pair, she took my demonstrations as foundations to control her own magic, whether it¡¯s Fire Magic, infusing mana in her blade for better results, and strengthening magic to improve her agility. Dhalia also shone, literally, using Light Magic to shoot arrows of light to attack, blinding some monsters, and just distracting them until Agnes came in to deal the lethal blow. Though the two of them had only met a few hours ago, they were working together really well. The same was said for Sarise and I.

    We fought battles we couldn¡¯t avoid, vice versa, and collected what we could carry with little break in between. Zalena followed close behind with that same Light Magic invisibility trick from the mid-boss battle while Rala and Flinto stuck close to her.

    If I asked Mona what the chances of my current party clearing the dungeon were after Agnes and I formed pacts with our familiars, compared to what she had before, it would be like this: she would either say 100%, or considering how accurate she liked to calculate these things with room for error, there would be so many places of 9¡¯s that the ¡®1¡¯ numeral of going against those odds would be near non-existent.

    Going through the rest of the dungeon was just that easy. We made it to the 29<sup>th</sup> floor before we even knew it. Like the 14<sup>th</sup>, it was a grand hallway that lead to stairs going down to the final floor with one room having a magic circle to take us out of the dungeon. The difference between that and the 29<sup>th</sup> was the lack of a path to Daran Cass Labyrinth, and instead of stone ground and walls, there was grass and many luminous crystals, reflecting lights of multiple colors as we walked by. Everyone in the party who had been to that floor for the first time were looking around in awe, including myself. It really gave off an air that we were approaching the final battle. The hallway in the 14<sup>th</sup> floor definitely paled in comparison.

    ¡°We are really here, Master,¡± Sarise said.

    ¡°Yeah, we couldn¡¯t have gotten this far so well without you. I can¡¯t thank you enough, Sarise.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Master, you are making me blush~.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of scary how she can be cute like that while being a violent savage towards her enemies ¡­¡± Rala trailed off before laughing nervously.

    ¡°Hey, fairygirl, you doing okay there?¡±

    Zalena¡¯s question snapped me out of my awe and turned to Agnes. She was flushed and sweating all over the place, even her hair. The clothes underneath the armor was clinging to her skin, and she was short of breath. Even Flicker was revealing exhaustion while poking out behind Agnes¡¯ leather vest (there was a special pocket in the vest for her a fairy to rest in).

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine ¡­¡± she wheezed, not even bothering to keep formalities in her speech. She went to her canteen for a drink of water, only to find there was none left. There was a stream of fresh water on the 18<sup>th</sup> floor, so we took that opportunity to refill our canteens, but Agnes drank all of hers quickly after we moved on.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    We were trying to get past the monsters as fast as possible, but we took breaks when there weren¡¯t any nearby. I had noticed her exhaustion for a while, especially when we went deeper and she needed the breaks more than the others. Even though she trained in swordsmanship and magic before then, that was likely the first she had ever moved around so much in one day. Being part of a noble household with more room for luxury than others, I can speak from relatable experience how one may not want to go out as much if they could.

    ¡°I beg to differ,¡± Zalena said with a furrowed brow. ¡°You used your last mana potion a while ago, and now you are on the brink of mind down, if not fainting from exhaustion. You used up your rations and water, too. You did well to make it this far, but it would be best for you to get back to the guild while you are still drawing breath.¡±

    ¡°N-No! I said I was fine! I promised ¡­ I promised to stick with Soar to the end! We¡¯re so close!¡±

    ¡°You realize you will only hold Soar back if you have him look after you while he fights the dungeon boss, right? If one of you makes a mistake, you would pay for it with your lives.¡±

    ¡°Um, Zalena, doesn¡¯t that sound harsh?¡± Rala asked, but Zalena continued.

    ¡°If you are this bad now, just how do you think things would be if your familiars were not around? If you were taking this exam by yourself¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know I¡¯m weak!¡± Agnes practically screamed while hitting the crystal wall with her fist. That burst of energy took more out of her than I thought as she used that same wall for support immediately afterwards. Her body shook while she hung her head. Tears fell to the ground.

    ¡°I know ¡­ even before meeting Soar, I knew for the longest time how weak I was, but I looked away from it. I pretended it wasn¡¯t there, well enough that I nearly forgot, and it was because of Soar I needed to face that fact.

    ¡°I wanted to get stronger, but this is the first I¡¯ve ever wanted to do it for reasons that I can take pride in, to not let others look down on it. I have to get stronger, and this may be my only chance to take that first step to get there.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just using one spell, just one last spell to help Soar, to help us clear this dungeon, I don¡¯t care if I fall to mind down afterward, I don¡¯t care if I don¡¯t get a clear bonus. I want ¡­ I want to start the rest of my life at the same time as Soar. Just, please ¡­ please don¡¯t leave me behind ¡­¡±

    The floor went silent. I closed my eyes and confirmed my next course of action with my hidden Companions through telepathy.

    ¡°¡­ Well, guess I can¡¯t help it at this point.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Agnes muttered at my comment.

    I took out one fruit and one mana potion, the last of each I had in my Dark Space, and both of our canteens. I then used Water Magic, the first time since I walked into the dungeon, to conjure a ball of floating water and fill our canteens with it.

    ¡°W-Wait, have you always been able to use Water Magic?¡± Rala asked, but I ignored her.

    ¡°Here. Take these, and do them slowly,¡± I said while holding the stuff out to Agnes.

    ¡°B-But ¡­ won¡¯t you need these more?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna get this done and make it back before dinner. I can hold out until then. You need these more than I do, and I need you at a good enough condition to pull off one last big spell that will have this dungeon begging you to take its clear bonus. You want to get to the starting line, right? I¡¯ll carry you over there if I have to, and I will do it in a way to embarrass you for making me go along with this. You would do well to steel yourself when that comes around.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± Despite the tears, she was giggling and sniffling before taking my offerings. She wiped her tears and ate the fruit slowly first.

    ¡°Dhalia, how much left can you do?¡± I asked.

    ¡°If we are talking magic, I only have enough to cast one Blinding Flash spell. Anymore, and I would fall to mind down, too.¡±

    ¡°That may be just what we need. Sarise?¡±

    ¡°I hardly used magic throughout our venture and I am still raring to use all of my body at your command.¡±

    ¡°Great. Agnes, turn around and have a seat so I can remove your armor and give one more motivational massage.¡±

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m rather smelly and sweaty.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not bothered by either of those.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Okay, then.¡± Agnes obliged and turned around before downing my mana potion. Her face got redder than earlier.

    Seeing my chance, I efficiently removed Agnes¡¯ leather armor vest and started my treatment. While I was attempting to loosen her up, I had a few other goals in mind involving my Magic Hands gift. The first, opening her mana channels so they¡¯d flow fluently right from the source, enabling faster spell casting for a period; the second, to implant some of my mana into that source and give her a little boost, something like a second mana potion.

    There is a spell that allowed one to transfer some of their own mana to another person, but there were a few requirements for its succession. You¡¯d have to have a high enough magic aptitude to make the spell possible (no problem for me being S rank), and when you do, you had to do it with direct physical contact ¡­ with nothing in the way between involved parties.

    It¡¯s like sharing your body heat with another person with little clothing under extreme cold conditions, only with kissing¡ªI mean ¡®mouth-to-mouth¡¯ being an additional pathway to transfer mana, and if you do it altogether, all the better. They usually do this under dire circumstances, such as trying to get someone out of mind down quicker with no mana potions nearby. Even then, the most one would do is transfer mana by holding hands or placing one on another¡¯s bare back, but with the little surface area involved in contact, the mana won¡¯t transfer fast enough as one would like.

    I think you already know how awkward it¡¯d be if I suggested that to Agnes, regardless of whether she covered in sweat. With my Magic Hands though, I could do that faster, even over the clothes they¡¯re wearing, but less blockage, the better, hence why I had to remove Agnes¡¯ armor.

    My treatment was receiving immediate effects as a jolt ran up Agnes¡¯ spine, eliciting a shaky gasp.

    ¡°S-Soar, this feels different from the last massage you gave. I feel ¡­ funny.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s normal. Just relax, and let it be while I give you one last magic control tip for now, something that you¡¯ll need for this battle.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay ¡­¡±

    Making sure the adults don¡¯t hear, I whispered my ¡®tip¡¯ over Agnes¡¯ ear while doing the treatment.

    ¡°Think you can do it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Y-Yeah. I won¡¯t forget if I remembered that funny feeling with it. I feel strangely ¡­ empowered, though.¡±

    ¡°If you feel that good, then you¡¯re gonna be fine,¡± I said while strapping Agnes¡¯ vest on before giving her back a hearty slap.

    ¡°Really, Soar, this means a lot to me. I can¡¯t tell you how much I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah bap bap. Let¡¯s hold off on the thanks until after we cleared this dungeon. You can say whatever you like over good food and cookies while we celebrate.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah, okay,¡± she answered before giggling a little.

    Once we prepared, we all went down the stairs that lead to the 30<sup>th</sup> floor. At the bottom was the same set-up with the mid-boss. The opened stone doors were much larger than the previous pair. The same goes for the room on the other side.

    Sitting in that room was a large, obese-looking goblin that stood as tall as two-and-a-half alphahounds from the mid-boss room (though there were some of those within the last few floors, too). There was only a loincloth to keep himself ¡®decent,¡¯ and at his side was a club that looked carved from a large tree, or maybe it was still a tree before the monster pulled it straight out of the ground and it wore down overtime. I saw some roots at the base to tell that much.

    Myron Dungeon¡¯s boss was a goblin king, and on the other side of the room filled with the most trees and vegetation out of everywhere else was a door bigger than him. The end was in sight, and he was barricading it with his own body to not let us pass. There were so many crystals surrounding the room reflecting light from outside, it was as if we were really out of the dungeon. The ¡®sky¡¯ was near perfect to the real thing, reflecting yellow, orange, and red lights to replicate the dusk signaling the closure of the day.

    It was the perfect setting for the climactic final battle between rivals in an amazing action movie.

    Once I got a feel of the room, I gathered our party for a quick rundown of the battle plan while the adults stood by. With our plan set, we told them we were ready to go before all of us headed inside. Like before, Zalena, Rala, and Flinto would stand by and observe, leaving the rest of us to fight the boss ourselves. Zalena warned that if she needed to step in, that would dramatically affect our final score for the exam, but that wouldn¡¯t be necessary.

    Zalena put up the invisible spell around her, Rala, and Flinto before they got behind a large rock while the rest of us moved forward in a square formation. Dhalia and I were at the front, Sarise and Agnes were at the back. The latter of the rearguard was already concentrating for something big.

    The stone doors behind us shut with a loud thud. The goblin king stood up immediately upon our arrival with the tree club in hand before letting out a guttural roar that shook the ground.

    Thus, our final battle in Myron Dungeon begun.

 Chapter 31: We Had a Boss Fight

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I exclaimed, and we moved to action. I ran to the boss head-on with the Conductor in hand while Dhalia flew to the side. The goblin king raised his club overhead to strike me down.

    Concentrate ¡­ ¡°Dhalia!¡± I yelled while continuing my run ¡­ with eyes tightly shut.

    ¡°Blinding Flash!¡±

    Using my sensory magic to be my secondary eyes, I picked up Dhalia flying right up to the goblin king¡¯s face before she unleashed her spell.

    The boss cried in shock midway his attack, blinded by the bright light. The tree club hit the ground, shaking the place. I picked up speed in the nick of time to avoid it, and I ran right to the boss¡¯ stubby, stout legs.

    I prepped my Conductor with mana while focusing on a wind magic spell called Aerial Slice. Upon swing, it unleashes a thin, sharp piece of pressure cutting through the air and slash the target. Its effectiveness depends on a variety of factors.

    In my case, the Aerial Slice went right through the goblin king¡¯s thick leg, severing it clean.

    The goblin king roared in pain and confusion. The opening he made after attacking left him unbalanced. He fell to all fours ¡­ or technically ¡®threes¡¯ in his case and was completely vulnerable.

    ¡°Sarise!¡±

    ¡°Take this, you cretin!¡± she exclaimed while flying right up to the goblin king.

    He looked up right as Sarise delivered a flying uppercut to the chin. The impactful force was enough to knock off one of the two large canines sticking out from the lower jaw, sent his body right back up, and crashed into the wall before sliding to sitting on the ground.

    ¡°Just a little more! Sarise! Take me up to his head!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

    Sarise swooped in and took me off the ground by the waist. She carried me over to the boss¡¯ head, and at my command, dropped me at the top.

    I put my Gravity Magic to work, keeping myself stable while standing on his head, before I crouched down and stabbed both of his eyes with the Conductor. The boss roared in pain and rage, taking both of his hands to try to pick me up, but Sarise read his intentions and knocked them away.

    I then shifted my Gravity Magic to a different direction with great force just as I jumped, stabbed the boss¡¯ chest, and let the added weight pull me down while my Conductor drew a large line over the torso. That created a cavity on his shell, revealing where the magic stone, his heart, set.

    I shifted Gravity Magic once more to make myself lighter and push away from the goblin king. That made me do a large leap in the air. It wasn¡¯t intentional, but I ended up making a backflip.

    ¡°Agnes! Noooooooow!¡± I screamed in the air just as Sarise picked me up and stopped my descent.

    I saw Agnes standing right before the goblin king, between his spread legs, aiming two open palms toward his upper torso, and in her hands ¡­

    ¡°A blue flame?!¡± Rala screamed from the distance.

    That last magic tip I gave her earlier was how to make her Fire Magic hotter and more powerful with the right control, resulting in the same furious blue fire ball in her hands I showed in the birthday party. She was putting in enough effort to send heat drafts blowing past her.

    ¡°FIIIIIIRE CAAANOOOOOOOON!¡±

    Wait, was there a spell like that before? I don¡¯t think I taught her how to do that ¡­

    That brief thought passed before a large, blue pillar of inferno shot out in front of her, completely engulfing the goblin king from the shoulder up before he even spoke. A large heat wave spread through the floor, too hot for comfort. It was as if all the moisture in the room had dried up completely. I had to cover my face hoping I wouldn¡¯t get burned.

    ¡°Master ¡­ look at that.¡±

    When the blast subsided, and the heat cooled down, I uncovered my face at Sarise¡¯s suggestion. My eyes widened at the sight.

    Part of the stone door charred black in a perfect circle, matching the space occupying where the goblin king¡¯s head and shoulders once stood. Only the black char remained. The spell burned the holes that would bleed closed. There was only the open crevice I made left on his torso, but the heat resulted in burning the wound¡¯s edges, and whatever blood that dripped was as dry and dark like charcoal. The light from the magic stone that shined with the monster¡¯s life had dimmed to nothing but still intact.

    ¡°Did I really ¡­¡± Agnes trailed off before collapsing and falling to the dry grass face first.

    Sarise quickly lowered me down next to Agnes¡¯ body. I carefully rolled her over to facing up. Dhalia also flew to her side in a hurry. Flicker moved fast enough before she got squished from Agnes¡¯ fall. She¡¯d be able to phase through without getting hurt if she had enough mana in her, but with the lack of it in that case, she ended up flying off and hovered close to Agnes¡¯ face.

    ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ okay. Just tired ¡­ can¡¯t move,¡± Agnes answered before I even asked. The adults rushed over soon after. When I told them she was okay, they sighed in relief.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Hey, Soar?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Was that ¡­ good enough?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but smirk while I moved Agnes¡¯ dried bangs to the side. ¡°That¡¯ll do, girl. That¡¯ll do.¡±

    Moments later, the goblin king¡¯s body converted to experion that split among the four of us, plus our fairies, with most going to Agnes for dealing the finishing blow. A magic stone the size of a volleyball and his knocked-out tooth remained from his glorified defeat.

    ~~

    ¡°You ¡­ really weren¡¯t kidding about making me embarrassed with this carry,¡± Agnes said as we went to the room the dungeon boss was guarding.

    After we gathered the goods and Rala gave Agnes an emergency mana potion, the adults helped open the large stone door for us while Agnes was in my arms, princess-style. Her face was as red as a tomato while Flicker and Dhalia were snickering on the side.

    Though she didn¡¯t fall to mind down, there are some cases when people would collapse while at the very brink of mana depletion. We call those instances ¡®forced down.¡¯ Even after she got more mana inside her through a potion, it would take a while before energy came back to her body again.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed over this, too?¡± she asked me.

    ¡°Not really, this is kind of fun.¡±

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel right to me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t all girls wish to be carried this way?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rather mixed ¡­ and aren¡¯t I heavy? Aren¡¯t you tired from all of this, too?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good. Compared to my training, this whole thing was like an exciting nature hike to me.¡±

    ¡°Just what the hell did Gullivan put that guy through to get like that?¡± Rala muttered to herself.

    Soon enough, we were at the very back of the final room, the end of Myron Dungeon. At the very center was a stone platform stage that some people may use for sacrificial rituals. In front of it was a pedestal with a panel that had a magic circle inside. Surrounding those was another magic circle as big as the summoning one from the 15<sup>th</sup> floor, but this one had different characters and symbols written on the floor. The only source of light in the room was a large crystal from the ceiling that had the liking to a disco ball. Off to the corner was the teleportation circle to get us out of the dungeon.

    ¡°All right, let us move along, people. We need to get going while there is still light out,¡± Zalena said while clapping her hands. ¡°Soar, Agnes, each one of you will place their hand on that pedestal, and we will see how this dungeon judged your performance.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do yours first, Agnes.¡±

    ¡°W-Wait! My heart isn¡¯t ready yet!¡±

    Since Agnes could barely lift her limbs, I placed her hand on the pedestal while ignoring her pleas to stop. Both magic circles on the pedestal and floor glowed, their lights moved toward the crystal on the ceiling. It shined brightly from the rays before shooting a beam straight down to the stage. That went on for a couple seconds before everything dimmed down, and on that stage ¡­

    ¡°Whoa, look at the size of that fire e-stone!¡± I exclaimed after a ruby-colored gem appeared that was the size of a baseball.

    ¡°That is what a full e-stone should look like,¡± Zalena said. ¡°Give that to your fairy, and they will get quite the boost in magic, giving you more power in your Fire Magic spells. Pretty good for your first clear bonus in a dungeon, Agnes. You will go far from here.¡±

    ¡°You hear that? You can get stronger just like you wanted,¡± I said.

    ¡°Yes ¡­ I¡¯m very satisfied with this result.¡± She then smiled with great relief.

    Flicker took that chance to fly on up and take the fire e-stone into her own person. With the shards Agnes collected throughout our dungeon crawl, it was a good start for her to become a strong magician specializing in Fire Magic.

    ¡°All right, my turn now,¡± I said. Sarise held Agnes for me while I placed my hand on the pedestal next. The process was the same as Agnes¡¯ with no distinguishable differences between them. At that point, I thought I would be fine getting an e-stone like Agnes, but when the ¡®judgement¡¯ ended and I approached the stage ¡­

    ¡°Oh, my~. This is a pleasant surprise, indeed~,¡± Zalena spoke first.

    Being a specialist in Light Magic herself, it would make sense why she¡¯d be so happy ¡­ since my clear bonus ended up being a sleeping Light Fairy, and she was in the most vulnerable, shameless position that would question her femininity value.

    Lying flat on her back, arms and legs splayed in different directions, with her two-piece ¡®dress¡¯ looking more like drape-like pajamas riding up her tiny body, exposing the tinier sex and the bust that looked to be an average cup size for a normal human woman, between a B and C cup. She was like that, snoring loudly, and drooling on the stone stage, even scratching her exposed tummy without a care in the world. Those aside, the bright yellow gem on her clavicle and the matching wavy locks that spread out under her head were telling indicators that this was a genuine Light Fairy.

    ¡°¡­ I feel bad staring at her like this,¡± I said.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stand there, wake her up!¡± Rala exclaimed.

    I climbed up on the stage and got to sitting. With no idea where it would be appropriate to touch, I went with lightly tapping her head. ¡°Psst. Hey, Light Fairy. Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey.¡±

    ¡°W-Wha? ¡®Zit breakfast time already?¡±

    That was a strong enough trigger to bring her awake, albeit groggily. She sat up, yawned, and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, not even noticing the state of her dress or her bedhead. When she finally opened her bright yellow eyes, it took her a moment to process where she was, seeing everyone surrounding the stage staring at her.

    She then finally turned to me before giving a delayed, dopey smile.

    ¡°Whoooa~, this for real~? A kid like you really cleared this dungeon?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yeah? I¡¯m sure I was the one who brought you here, too.¡±

    ¡°Daaaamn, talk about the times we livin¡¯ in, huh? And I see you got five other girls on your person, too. Preeeetty rad, man~.¡±

    I could have sworn I felt the insides of my body crashing like glass after hearing the bomb that aloof Light Fairy dropped in the room.

    ¡°U-Um, wait ¡­ five, other girls?¡± Rala asked shakily. ¡°As in ¡­ five other fairies? Y-You had five Companions on you all along, S-Soar?¡±

    ¡°Uh, no¡ª¡±

    ¡°Course, he does~,¡± the Light Fairy interrupted. ¡°Can¡¯t you feel the wicked aura he¡¯s givin¡¯ off? I haven¡¯t even formalized the contract yet, but I can already feel the sweet, sweet magical connection between us. It¡¯s pretty tight~, I could feel it in my girly bits.¡±

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°Well, I cannot say I expected things to turn out like this, but I have known for a while,¡± Zalena said before turning to me. ¡°Kind of unfortunate to have it revealed like this, but you might as well show them to us now, Soar.¡±

    ¡°Finally! I¡¯m free! I¡¯m freeeeeee~!¡± [Marble]

    ¡°Wait! Marble! Don¡¯t just leap out of Soar¡¯s pocket like that!¡± [Cinder]

    ¡°Oh, dear, this is not going well.¡± [Breezy]

    ¡°Mist not like this. Not one bit.¡± [Mist]

    ¡°I had an inkling that things would go in this direction.¡± [Shadina]

    ¡°I-I was told Soar was in a contract with three fairies? Since when did he get two more?¡± Agnes asked, staring up at all of my fairies out and about with awe.

    ¡°W-Wind, Darkness, Water, that¡¯s three he¡¯s shown here. Then there¡¯s Fire and Earth, making five, all of them with surprising sizes, at that. And now with Light ¡­ s-six comes after five, r-right? S-So Soar can use all six of the elements?¡±

    ¡°That seems to be the case, Rala,¡± Zalena answered calmly.

    ¡°S-Six fairies ¡­ haha, ha, ha ¡­¡± Like Ms. Renne would if she were in the room, Rala fainted and fell to her side on the cold dungeon floor.

    ¡°Uh ¡­ did I say something I shouldn¡¯t have? Aw, crap, my skirt¡¯s ridden up. Figures I was feeling too drafty.¡± [Light Fairy]

    ¡°YOU JUST NOTICED THAT NOOOOOOOOOOW?!¡±

    And that was how I met the last of my fairy harem, the spacey and lazy Light Fairy I named Nova.

 Chapter 32: We Held a Party to Celebrate Passing Our Hunter Exam (Revised)

    ¡°So, let me see if I got this right. You both not only cleared Myron Dungeon, but you each successfully made pacts with familiars while you were down there, and as for the dungeon clear bonuses, Agnes earned a fire e-stone, and Soar made a contract with that Light Fairy. Did I miss anything?¡± Grayson asked after summarizing our adventure.

    ¡°Nope, that¡¯s about as clear as it gets,¡± I answered while Nova was sitting on my shoulder. The rest of my Companions, after I gave them time to stretch their wings back in the dungeon, were back to hiding in my pockets.

    ¡°Can I say something?¡± Nova said while raising a hand.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°From what I know of dungeons, clearing them is not easy. It took some people, like, years before they got to know even one dungeon enough to clear it. So, for these two do it like they did at one go, on their first try? Like, ¡®dope¡¯ doesn¡¯t begin to say how far out they are. If they¡¯re like, ¡°Dude, that¡¯s wicked,¡± right now as kids? Then they¡¯ll be like, ¡°Duuuuude, that¡¯s wickeeeeed,¡± when they¡¯re adults. You get what I¡¯m sayin¡¯, man? Anyway, Soar¡¯s a gnarly dude, and I¡¯m itchin¡¯ to be this dude¡¯s dudette, dude.¡±

    Nobody in the room could come up with the right words to respond.

    Uuuuuuuugh. This is as bad as putting up with those damn stoned hippies back in retail. I mean, she isn¡¯t a bad person, and thank god I haven¡¯t seen or smell a hint of weed ¡­ yet, but is there really no way I can make an exchange?

    Spoilers, there isn¡¯t.

    ¡°Erm, I can agree they are really something, Graysie,¡± Zalena said. ¡°Even though Rala messed up part of the way, I didn¡¯t even have to lift a finger to help. Well, aside from pushing the last door open for the kids to go through, that is. Soar had to carry Agnes inside. It was so adorable. Everyone we passed by in Brightlas thought the same, too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Agnes really has her cute moments here and there,¡± I added.

    ¡°P-Please stop,¡± Agnes said while hanging her flushed head. Seal, who was sitting next to her, patted her back in comfort. Dad was speechless as he sat behind me.

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m sure Sarise was the one that was making everyone¡¯s heads turn 180,¡± Rala pointed out.

    Dad glanced over to Sarise, then shifted away, having no idea where to look, ¡°Yeah ¡­ she surprised everyone at the guild. I¡¯m still tryin¡¯ to reel mine in.¡±

    ¡°Did I do something wrong, Master?¡± Sarise asked, ¡°Is my attire not acceptable? I promise you that my outfit is of the latest fashion for a demon of my high social standing.¡±

    I didn¡¯t think about it until we got back to Brightlas, but having a humanoid familiar nearly in the nude can really give people strange ideas. I asked Sarise if all the staring bothered her. She said no, but she knew of magic to change her attire should I require her to.

    Regardless, everyone at the guild had their jaws dropping to the floor the moment Sarise stepped inside. They were all still as statues while our party met up with Grayson and went into his office to report our performance. Dad and Seal, acting as mine and Agnes¡¯ ¡®masters¡¯ followed us inside. I had Nova hidden until we got to the office, and I pulled her out as we made our report. Dad and Seal had the same level of shock as Sarise¡¯s debut when Nova made her appearance, realizing what that meant for me, but they said nothing.

    Grayson cleared his throat. ¡°And there was nothing else to report? Nothing out of the ordinary?¡±

    ¡°Noope. Just some very talented kids with bright futures ahead as Hunters,¡± Zalena answered as she pulled us in her arms. The softness of her breasts pressed against the side of my face. ¡°You think so, too, right? Rala?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, very talented.¡±

    We had to wake Rala back up and discuss our plan before leaving the dungeon. We agreed to only reveal Nova as my clear bonus in terms of what fairies I had, not unveiling my other five and my capability to use all six magic elements. From what Grayson overheard earlier, he likely already knew I had three, at worst, with Nova making four then.

    Agnes asked at one point in our discussion if we could lie about me earning an e-stone or a gift instead. Zalena said we could, but we shouldn¡¯t lie too much and risk mixing our facts together. Rumors would quickly go around if someone conveniently saw me cast Light Magic one day when they knew I shouldn¡¯t, and I couldn¡¯t outright say I didn¡¯t earn any clear bonuses as that would raise even more questions. Sometimes, it¡¯s just better to stick to the truth as much as possible. I agreed with Zalena on those points.

    Nova looked down after realizing what she had done back when she first woke up, blurting out the existence of my contract with the other five fairies. I figured it was okay to forgive her if she was sorry. I got across how secrets kept between the eight of us¡ªmy fairy harem, Sarise, and myself¡ªmust stay that way from then on, unless I said otherwise. She looked like she understood the gravity of the situation after that.

    Zalena also made sure that Rala didn¡¯t reveal too much of my prowess, reminding her of that ¡®talk¡¯ they had back on the 15<sup>th</sup> floor. I realized Zalena was blackmailing Rala by that point, and while I still didn¡¯t understand why she was doing it and questioned her methods of keeping secrets, I was no less grateful for her efforts. Rala followed it through to the dot in our report.

    Grayson sighed and scratched his head. ¡°Well, you also brought back the item drops the mid-boss and dungeon boss left, and the subjugation records in your Hunter I.D.s clearly stated you fought and defeated them. Don¡¯t even get me started on all the magic stones and other item drops you collected. We¡¯d need some time to total it altogether and give you your rewards in return. That aside, if what they said was true about providing little support, I don¡¯t think I need further proof to confirm you brats cleared the whole damn thing on your own. You two pass the exam with flying colors, and as for your ranks ¡­ how do you feel about starting off as C¡¯s?¡±

    Agnes and I looked to each other with smiles and smirks, nodding in agreement before turning back to Grayson, ¡°We¡¯ll take it!¡±

    With that, we had our Hunter I.D. cards changed to match our ranks. Agnes and I high-fived at completely annihilating the exam. The guild gave us part of the reward for the magic stones and item drops we turned in, along with a receipt to present when we came back to collect the rest.

    We also took that chance to register Sarise and Dhalia as our familiars with the guild. They were both required to wear a special pendant tag that showcased their status as familiars and who was their master. The tags served as identification, which was definitely essential if they were out and about on their own. Rala¡¯s familiar, Flinto, had one, too, but his hair was so long and fluffy that it hid his own, which was why I hadn¡¯t noticed it. When Grayson finished his guild master business, he asked us to shut the door behind on our way out of the office as he needed to get back home to look after his grandkids for the night. He then left the room, leaving our group to discuss what to do next.

    Sarise bent over in front of me and presented her new accessory with a smile, her breasts pressed together between her arms, ¡°How do I look, Master? With this, everyone will know that I am only yours.¡±

    I caught myself staring at her display and awkwardly averted my gaze, ¡°It looks cute on you.¡±

    Since they clipped the pendant to a collar, it gave Sarise a kinky pet-like image. I honestly hadn¡¯t expected that she could look even more erotic than she did before.

    Even Dad and Seal were looking a little hot and bothered before the former cleared his throat, ¡°N-Now, son, I understand having a familiar now is an exciting thing, and I would normally be more than happy to accept them into our home, but I didn¡¯t think your familiar would be ¡­ someone like Sarise.¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem with Sarise staying with us?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well ¡­ we¡¯ll talk about it together, later. For now, though, we gotta get home and celebrate you passing your exam!¡±

    ¡°Yeaaaah, babyy, it¡¯s party tiiiime! Let¡¯s get funkaaaay!¡± Nova exclaimed while dancing on my shoulder.

    ¡°W-Wait, that¡¯s in Lunargrove, right? Isn¡¯t that a long carriage ride ¡­ wait, no, I think I know where this is going and I feel dumb for questioning it,¡± Rala said, remembering how we got back to Brightlas through my Dark Gate after we left the dungeon.

    ¡°Hey, Dad, do you think we have enough for seven more people in the party?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Seven, son?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s Sarise, then Agnes, Dhalia, Wilfred, Rala, Flinto, and Zalena,¡± I answered while counting out the names.

    ¡°¡­ Huh? Us three, too?¡± Rala asked while gesturing to their group.

    ¡°To thank you for putting up with us. Nobody else here wanted to volunteer and help with the exam, right? None of this would be possible without you three stepping in. Can we bring them over, Dad?¡± I asked, looking up at him with my best puppy-dog-eyes.

    Dad looked up to the three of them, more in Zalena¡¯s direction, who only stared back blankly. Dad then sighed and scratched his head. ¡°¡­ I owe ya three for giving our kids this opportunity. If you¡¯re not too busy, you¡¯re welcome to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I would be delighted to accept your offer, Gully! This will be the first time I¡¯ll see your home, won¡¯t it? And I¡¯ll get to see Carrie and the other girls again, too. Ooh, this¡¯ll be so fuun!¡± Zalena exclaimed while clapping her hands with glee.

    For the record, ¡®Carrie¡¯ was the nickname Zalena gave to my mom, Carol, back when she worked as a guild receptionist.

    ¡°¡­ Will you have any alcohol?¡± Rala asked Dad.

    ¡°We got some good stuff while you were out.¡±

    ¡°Good, ¡®cause you won¡¯t by the time this is over.¡±

    ¡°Is it really okay for me to come, too?¡± Agnes asked me.

    ¡°Sure! You got as much right to celebrate your passing as I do. It¡¯s better that we do it together, right?¡±

    Agnes smiled warmly, ¡°Yes. It is. I will humbly accept your offer.¡±

    ~~

    When we broke the news to the rest of our group, some were unhappy with Zalena joining the party¨COnelri and Darida especially¨Cbut they tolerated it when I gave them my reasons. Fila lightened the air a little with her optimism and enthusiasm knowing so many people would be at the party. I couldn¡¯t be more thankful for her childish innocence being put to good use.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Before we left, Rala and I made a quick trip to the nearest bakery for two whole cakes¨Cthe kinds Rala promised us back in the dungeon with her own money¨Cand two baker¡¯s dozens of cookies in different flavors, with two stupidly big ones for Agnes and I¨Cpaid with my own earnings.

    With a hop, skip, and a jump through my Dark Gate, we were all back in Lunargrove in an instant. When we eventually made it to my home, the ladies who stayed behind had mixed feelings seeing Sarise and Zalena. Hell, they were the main attraction to the townsfolk we passed by on the way over.

    Dad had to talk things out with Mom before we moved on to dinner. Since Agnes paid for all the food on my birthday, we ended up putting aside the deer I hunted for the congratulations party. I had hunted enough deer for the ladies to cook and serve at least two helpings to everybody attending.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the party to get into full swing.

    First, I brought up Ms. Renne¡¯s offer last night about graduating school early. I announced my acceptance of her offer and that I would start studying for my final exam immediately. Everyone was ecstatic, and Fila almost tackled me in joy. We then clinked glasses in cheers to a bright future for me and Agnes.

    Being Fila and Onelri¡¯s tutor and having them stay with us was another condition I would have to follow, but I didn¡¯t think it was that bad. When I looked back at how I supervised Agnes¡¯ progression through the dungeon, I felt accomplished in helping with her achievement. I was happy for her to earn her clear bonus after all the hard work she did.

    Back during the magic demonstrations that morning, I felt Fila had some potential after she quickly picked up my teachings to cast Earth Magic for the first time. I wanted to see how far she could go while she was still young. Onelri ¡­ well, I respected her pursuit of knowledge, at the least. Even if she made a contract with a fairy, the likelihood that she¡¯d do something she¡¯d regret if her attitude wasn¡¯t checked worried me. I didn¡¯t want to be nosy in other people¡¯s personal affairs, but I would help her if she asked nicely.

    Then, there was me being a C rank Hunter. I would definitely need to spend more time on quests and earning my living, and if I didn¡¯t have to worry about my education, all the better.

    Putting all of those into consideration, this seemed like the best option for me.

    Then, with the promise to not speak of it to anyone outside of the building, Agnes and I ended up doing most of the talking on our dungeon crawl while we ate. We both introduced our familiars, and I reintroduced all of my fairies to everyone who wasn¡¯t in the know, including my latest addition, Nova. While I initially shocked everyone with my new devil familiar, most were even more surprised about Nova joining my fairy harem, realizing my capability to use all six magic elements. The reactions to the revelation were widely mixed, with one incredibly jealous dark elf girl screaming into one of our sofa¡¯s pillows in frustration.

    ¡°Dude, you gotta chillaaax,¡± Nova drawled. ¡°You¡¯re a cute kid, you¡¯ll form a contract with one of us soon enough. Getting this stressed will be bad for your skin down the line, maan.¡±

    ¡°I do not want to hear that from you!¡± Onelri exclaimed.

    ¡°Still, to think in my life that I would know of two people, children at that, to have six Companions with them,¡± Seal said. ¡°The only other person who does is the kingdom¡¯s princess, and like me, Soar, and Lady Agnes, she is also a Fairy¡¯s Child. They dubbed her the Golden Princess for her yellowish-gold locks and eyes.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you think Soar might have a chance at royalty if he introduced himself with his fairies?¡± Weiss asked

    ¡°Even if he did, he still may not even be a duke,¡± Lilia answered. ¡°There¡¯s the older crown prince, and he¡¯ll take the throne with his queen by birthright. Unless something happened, Soar would just be the princess¡¯ accessory, or at best, a highly successful noble, but it would be something big having spouses with a dozen fairies together.¡±

    Ms. Renne looked down with folded ears, ¡°I can only imagine how much trouble she has if there are people out there aiming to kidnap her for that reason.¡±

    ¡°And Soar might fall in the same boat if word got out on his fairies,¡± Sam added. ¡°Sure, he¡¯s proven he can look after himself well enough, but those around him may not be as safe.¡±

    ¡°Which is why we need to keep this amongst ourselves. Who knows what someone could do to get their hands on Soar?¡± Seal asked, to which everyone around him nodded in agreement, ¡°Gullivan, that means toning down on your bragging rights from now on.¡±

    ¡°As much as it pains me, you are right on that, Seal,¡± Dad said, ¡°It¡¯s especially important for us that everyone¡¯s safe. Things will be much more hectic around here with so many additions to the place.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! We get to move into the same town as Soar! It will be a lot of fun having everyone here!¡± Fila hopped in place with excitement.

    ¡°And I may finally get a fairy of my own,¡± Onelri added.

    ¡°It would be fun ... taking Hunter quests with Soar, too,¡± Claire muttered while pushing her fingers together.

    Agnes looked down with a smile, but there was a hint of loneliness in her eyes, ¡°That all sounds really nice. I am envious.¡±

    ¡°It would be nice for our new kid to grow up in a safe environment with these wonderful people here,¡± Mom said.

    ¡°Come on, Mom, I think we¡¯re past that point of me growing up with ¡­ wait, ¡®new¡¯ kid?¡± I asked.

    Dad then huddled next to Mom with a hand on her shoulder. Mom rested a hand on her stomach with a warm smile.

    ¡°That ¡®special news¡¯ we¡¯ve been wantin¡¯ to tell ya, Soar? You ¡­ will be a big brother,¡± Dad said.

    My heart skipped a beat, and my stomach dropped.

    Onelri blinked, ¡°Soar? A ¡®brother?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Putting it like that, does this mean ¡­¡± Agnes trailed off while looking down in thought.

    Fila¡¯s eyes glimmered, ¡°Soar¡¯s parents are having a baby?!¡±

    ¡°WOO HOOOO! GO CAROOOL! OW!¡± Rala screamed with a wine bottle in hand, clearly drunk.

    With that, everyone in the room was ecstatic, filling the room with noises of cheers, congratulations, and questions like what to name the baby. They were all thrilled for us. All the fairies that were either enjoying their food at tables specially prepared for them or flying about were also showing their enthusiasm, including my own.

    I, on the other hand, felt cold from head to toe. Instead of trying to warm up, I did the exact opposite and stepped outside with my food and drink in hand. I hid my presence with magic to not catch anyone¡¯s attention. It was already dark out as I sat on the porch, staring into space while the cool breeze slapped my cheeks, making me shiver. I saw my breath as I sighed.

    ¡°Is something the matter, Master?¡±

    ¡°Sarise ¡­ and Zalena?¡±

    I jumped a little at the former¡¯s voice, but I didn¡¯t expect the latter to be with her, either. Both of them took a seat on each side of me. Zalena held a half-full glass of red wine in one hand, while Sarise was close enough for our thighs and sides to touch. I didn¡¯t realize this with the excitement back in the dungeon, but Sarise had a surprisingly warm body temperature.

    ¡°Master, I noticed you leaving the festivities after activating your magic so none would observe your departure,¡± Sarise said.

    ¡°You could tell?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Like Companions and Chaperones, a familiar and master also share a special link. We can tell immediately what our masters are doing and how they are feeling.¡±

    ¡°And I think I¡¯m one of the few in our group that can still see your movements with my enhanced vision. You want to have a talk with women like us?¡± Zalena asked after Sarise answered.

    Just so no one else would hear, I cast Silencing Winds around us. A subtle breeze could be felt, signifying that our talk would not be heard from outside of the spell¡¯s field.

    ¡°You must tell me how you did that later,¡± Zalena said. ¡°I can already see myself putting that to good use. Now, tell us what¡¯s on your mind, Soar.¡±

    I looked down with my glass of juice in hand, ¡°I just ¡­ can¡¯t believe it. Mom and Dad, having another kid.¡±

    ¡°I knooow, your parents had sex. Amazing, right? Just imagine, while you were out, they did it over and over before they saw some signs. Knowing your dad, your mom is quite the trooper in wanting another one.¡±

    I furrowed my brow at Zalena, ¡°Okay, I did not need to think about that, and thank you for reminding me you and Dad were actually a thing a while back.¡±

    ¡°So, you did have an idea of what was going on between us. Ah, the vivid fantasies and joys of young boys growing into men.¡±

    I rubbed my eyes, ¡°Please, stop. I thought we¡¯re talking seriously?¡±

    ¡°I asked if you wanted to talk with women. I didn¡¯t say that it was serious. I don¡¯t roll that way, and you shouldn¡¯t be fretting over things so seriously all the time, especially while you are still at your age,¡± Zalena booped me on the nose as she made her point. ¡°You¡¯re getting a brother or sister. What are you getting so hung up over?¡±

    ¡°Well, I understand now why having a familiar like Sarise is concerning for Dad, for starters. I don¡¯t know what their rep is around here, but I¡¯m sure weird rumors will circulate to the point where some people might look at my new sibling strangely for living with an exhibitionist. I don¡¯t mean that to offend you, Sarise.¡±

    Sarise waved it off before I continued, ¡°I have a history of being bullied by the kids in school, but I got through it by distancing myself from them and confiding in my fairies and Ms. Renne. My sibling may not deal with it the same way when there are some rumors they can¡¯t control, and I¡¯m sure my parents want to make sure their second kid grows up in a healthy, safe environment. I would also need to look after them as their older brother. How can I do that if me and Sarise end up being the main source of their problems?¡±

    ¡°Master, if it is my choice of attire that is raising these concerns, I can change into something more acceptable in this environment,¡± Sarise said. ¡°I would do it not only at your command but also that I would not be a bother to you. That is the last thing I want in our pact.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a bother. Unless it¡¯s a special occasion, I want you to wear what you¡¯re already comfortable with during the day. I want you to feel right at home while you¡¯re staying with me, if you¡¯re into that.¡±

    ¡°Staying at my master¡¯s side in his own home would make me happy,¡± Sarise said immediately.

    I looked down, ¡°I just feel there¡¯s a conflict of interest going on and I may have to argue with my parents a little ¡­ I¡¯d rather avoid that.¡±

    It was especially hard since I grew so close to them over the past decade of my new life on Manara. Compared to the parents from my past life, I felt a lot closer to them. I wanted to avoid falling out with my new ones, no matter the reason.

    ¡°Well, first, who said that looking after the new kid is your responsibility?¡± Zalena asked with a quirked brow. ¡°If you want to help and support your new sibling, that is all you, but nobody is asking you to look after them like a parent would. That¡¯s the job your parents must do. Second, in terms of rumors harming your sibling, that is not your fault, and it is not your obligation to guard them from those attacks, either, especially since you have as little control over them as the new kid would. If you want to help them and they need it, that is fine, but not everyone needs your help. They may not even want it, and if they refuse your offer, that is on them. You have no reason to invest your time in something they do not want. I know that better than anyone. Third, I think their concerns about keeping Sarise around fall more on you than their unborn child, which brings us to the conflict of interest issue.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how intelligent you really are, nor do I care. From how often I¡¯ve heard Gully¡¯s bragging about you, he has more love for you as a father than what his large, beefy arms can hold. I¡¯m sure the same can be said about Carrie as your mother. I don¡¯t know what liberties they gave you as you grew up, but whatever disagreements and concerns they have over you keeping Sarise as your familiar, they are going that far with your best future in mind, as good parents should. I doubt they are so authoritarian to decide your future for you without hearing you out, though.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure of that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m one who has taken the brunt of that parenting style, and I had to do some shameful things to get to where I am today. After talking with the many different humans I had seen since I left my birthplace, I don¡¯t think you need to go as far as I have to get what you want.¡±

    ¡°Huh ¡­¡± She must have had a heck of a complicated lifestyle back in her birthplace. Now I just feel bad for her, I thought as she downed her half-full wine with no regards to appearances.

    Zalena then rubbed my head, ¡°You¡¯re a good, smart kid, Soar. Within the short span of our time together in the dungeon, I can say with confidence that you¡¯ll work things out with your folks. You just need to have a little faith, in yourself, and in them. I will say right now that I might have some idea as to why they are concerned about you keeping Sarise around, and it goes far beyond a wardrobe malfunction. If you want, I can come with you to talk to your parents about why it is better to keep her around than to kick her out, speaking as a witness to her capabilities displayed in the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°You would do that for us?¡± I asked with widened eyes. I felt a glimmer of hope warming up inside me.

    Zalena held up a finger, ¡°I just have ooone, itty-bitty-little condition for you to fulfill.¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Zalena bent over my ear, cupping it with her hand to make sure Sarise couldn¡¯t hear her, ¡°The bandits that kidnapped the bunny and dark elf girl¡¯s families? I want to know the truth of what happened to them ¡­ from the killer¡¯s own lips.¡±

 Chapter 33: We Discussed How I can Keep Sarise

    Zalena¡¯s condition, to reveal the truth about what happened to the bandits that kidnapped Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families, made my stomach drop. I forgot Darida¡¯s warning about that, I thought.

    The way Zalena worded it, she might as well have said, ¡°I totally know you were the one who killed the bandits, so you will explain to me the details.¡± My muscles tensed up from the sudden accusation.

    ¡°Are you all right, Master? I am sensing great distress from you,¡± Sarise said.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m okay,¡± I answered, barely getting it out of my throat.

    I remembered how not only Sarise, but Marble and Nova also didn¡¯t know about what happened that night, along with a few other secrets like my true age. I had to sort out what secrets I should reveal and what I should still keep to myself. Right now was just not the best of times to be making major decisions. If Zalena could help convince my parents about letting Sarise stay with me, considering how the others who were still celebrating inside all had mixed opinions about the devil, I needed all the help I could get.

    After whispering her condition to my ear, Zalena was surprisingly considerate enough to give me space and time to think it over. Once I made sure we were still the only ones out there with my search magic, and checked that my Silencing Winds was still active, I took a deep, shuddering breath, ¡°Zalena, I confess that I am the one you are looking for. Can we leave it at that for now and I¡¯ll tell you the details at another time? We can talk about it over sweets and tea. My treat.¡±

    Zalena looked up in thought, ¡°Mmmm ¡­ alright, fair enough. And don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t snitch on you to your parents or anybody else. I only want the truth of what happened. From how well you get along with the bunny, the dark elf girl, and their families, I can see you as trustworthy enough to keep your word. Fair warning, though, I can have a bit of a sweet tooth if I want to, and I¡¯ll likely pick the most expensive treats the place may have.¡±

    I sigh a breath of relief, ¡°Thank you, Zalena, and don¡¯t worry about the expense. Money is not an object for me right now. Can Sarise join us in that talk, too?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±

    ¡°I apologize, Master, but I am lost as to what you two are talking about,¡± Sarise interjected while tilting her head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it for now,¡± I answered, ¡°This is for a talk that we¡¯ll need to have at a later time. Right now, we should go over how to win over Mom and Dad to let you stay with us.¡±

    ¡°I should probably explain why they have their concerns. But first, let¡¯s go over some things that should be known about demons and their culture ¡­¡± Zalena then went on about some of the demon familiars in history.

    Zalena then explained that having just a demonic familiar was a bit of a controversial topic in Dustarga¡¯s society. The lower-class demons summoned from Zalecks had gained a bad rep over history as they were mostly seen with the most wanted criminals. They performed nefarious deeds and acts like destroying walls for robberies, taking parts in kidnapping, and even pillaging on some small villages, all on their masters¡¯ behalf. If all of that was caused by lower-class demons, then the general thinking was that just being in the presence of a high-class one like Sarise might mean trouble for all those around them. I didn¡¯t know how other demon familiars looked in Manara, I only had Sarise with me as an example at the time, but it seemed they were just as badly viewed as the ones portrayed in Earth¡¯s religious mythology.

    Sarise admitted that she had heard about these events back in her time at Zalecks. She didn¡¯t bring it up until then because she was worried that I really would try to get rid of her. When I further questioned her, she confirmed that demons of any class only followed orders from their masters just like any familiar would. Sarise also added that she only wanted what was best for me. If it meant she could stay by my side, then she¡¯d do whatever it took to make that happen.

    I assured Sarise that I wouldn¡¯t drop her just because of the demonic races¡¯ bad reputation, and that I saw her as her own person. Lastly, I couldn¡¯t think of any other familiar that could take her place based on how she performed in the dungeon that day, and I wanted her by my side until my very last breath.

    Sarise then started bawling in joy while pulling me into an extreme hug. It wasn¡¯t just dangerous because of it¡¯s crushing strength, popping the bones in my spine, but because of how firmly I was pressed into her exposed cleavage. Zalena only giggled at my expense.

    Once I finally tapped out from Sarise¡¯s death hold, accidentally gripping her tail that was very sensitive if her twitching and shuddering meant anything, she loosened up and let me turn around. However, she didn¡¯t let me go fully, continuing to hold me in her arms like a cherished teddy bear. Though, with how fantastic her breasts felt as a thermal neck pillow, I had no complaints. I didn¡¯t question why her top didn¡¯t pop off from my head pressing down into her incredible cleavage, either, as I could faintly sense the stirrings of magic.

    We then moved on to the topic of demon culture, but it was more about pointing out the elephant in the room: Sarise¡¯s choice of attire. We confirmed that she was more comfortable wearing her default ¡®risque¡¯ outfits during the day than dressing modestly. She could bear wearing modest clothing if it was short-term, like being in someone else¡¯s home as a guest, or taking part in a special occasion like a wedding or ball. However, she¡¯d become very stressed if she wasn¡¯t dressed like an ¡®appropriate devil¡¯ for too long. I imagine this is a part of Zalecks¡¯ demonic culture that¡¯s been ingrained in her since birth. It¡¯s something like how some people back on Earth wore turbans, nun outfits, or certain caps as part of a religious practice.

    When we talked over how her attire attracted so much attention, from both men and women, Sarise remembered something that she called her Aura. Apparently, Demonic Aura is a special type of magic only accessible to some middle-class and above demonic races. The type of Aura is dependent upon the demon¡¯s race, as it is a projection of their essential nature upon the world. Zalena had to cut in on Sarise¡¯s explanation at first when words like ¡®desire¡¯ and ¡®arousal¡¯ were mentioned, whispering something that caused her to change her explanation. After Zalena interrupted the explanation of Sarise¡¯s essential nature, Sarise revealed that her Aura affects how people perceive her, no matter what she is wearing.

    Sarise had honed and practiced her magic long enough to make it become second nature for her thanks to a close succubus friend back in Zalecks. This not only confirmed my curiosity of succubi being a thing in Manara, but Sarise even took a moment to point out how different they and devils are, such as the durability and color of their skins, as some mistook them as being of the same race. That aside, her magic skills in this regard are apparently as good as your above-average succubus.

    Normally, Sarise¡¯s Aura would function such that she could make people¡¯s jaws drop even while wearing the dullest of baggy sweatshirts and pants. For our purposes, she would actually be doing the exact opposite, making it so that no one would pay any special attention to her, even if she wore the most revealing of micro bikinis.

    This inversion, an otherwise utterly inconceivable act for any demon, was only possible because Sarise could tap into a secondary, unconscious and uncontrollable aspect of her Aura. This secondary ¡®child protection¡¯ aspect automatically negated her appeal to anyone below the age of majority, the age of adulthood and consent on Manara. Of course, this isn¡¯t how Demonic Aura is designed to work, and thus inverting it isn¡¯t easy or effortless. Sarise probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do it all the time, and would likely also forget on occasion, but hopefully it would be enough to satisfy my parents. Especially since the child protection aspect was effortless and always on, no matter what.

    So ¡­ she didn¡¯t tone down her succubus-like attraction magic, and that¡¯s why everyone was looking at her, even more so than her outfit? That was how I interpreted it in the simplest of terms in my head after listening to Sarise.

    Sarise then adjusted her aura to demonstrate, ¡°And, there. Master may not feel anything different as my particular Aura is unique and only affects adults, but ¡­ hm?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sarise?¡± Zalena asked while tilting her head.

    I couldn¡¯t see Sarise from where I was sitting, so I looked up and over my shoulder. Her eyes briefly met mine before she averted her gaze and adjusted her grip around my waist, ¡°Um, it is nothing. I must be getting a little fatigued.¡±

    I quirked a brow, then gazed down in thought, She said this would only affect adults, but I have been self-conscious around Sarise because of how stunning she is since she first arrived. I think I feel something slightly different than a few moments ago, but Sarise¡¯s still as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as she always is. Is it because of the adult soul inside of me, or does it work differently between masters and familiars? Could it be because of one of my gifts, or maybe it¡¯s me going through puberty again?

    Sarise and I were both lost in our own thoughts until Zalena clapped her hands, pulling us back into reality, ¡°Well! If everything you said so far is true, Sarise, then we may be able to pull this off. If this works out, Soar¡¯s parents may have you follow some strict rules. Unless they go outside of your comfort zone, like with your choice of attire, are you willing to compromise?¡±

    Sarise tightened her grip around my waist while still being careful, then buried her face into my hair, ¡°I am willing to put my life on the line for my master in the face of danger. What is this in comparison? Whatever compromise I would have to endure to be with him is a small price to pay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes. Sarise, you put that Aura back to what it was so that we can show Soar¡¯s parents how harmless you can be when you do it again in front of them. Soar, you just sit back, relax, and let me be your stand-in as Sarise and I talk with your parents while you take your bath. We¡¯ll take care of everything from here.¡±

    Sarise straightened up at attention, suddenly full of energy, the complete opposite of how she was moments ago, ¡°Oh! May I join him and wash his back, first? We have heard how bathing together is a precious bonding experience for us familiars to share with our masters. Many low-ranked familiars could not do it, as they lack opposable thumbs, and while high-ranked ones like me do, we are seldom chosen to pair up with the right master. It has always been one of my greatest dreams to get to enjoy a bath with a capable master like this one here.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    I looked up and saw Sarise¡¯s eyes glimmering as she stared at me with an excited smile, just waiting for me to say yes, ¡°¡­ Maybe another time.¡±

    Not gonna lie, I really considered it, but with the way things were with Sarise and my family, I didn¡¯t want to make things more complicated than they already were. Still, seeing how deflated she was after getting rejected was breaking my heart.

    ~~

    When we got back inside, things had started to calm down in my home. Since it was late, and some people were hammered from booze¡ªespecially Rala¡ªMom and Dad let the guests spend the night. Everybody¡¯s fairies had moved up to the attic for a fairies-only after party, all of them still bustling with about threefold the energy of children.

    When you put fairies and alcohol together, one must be prepared for noise, especially knowing how sexually active they are. My parents had soundproofed the attic just for those occasions and would clean that area regularly. This after-party was special for my Companions, as they properly celebrated the welcoming of Cinder, Marble, and Nova into my fairy harem in that order. There was no doubt they¡¯d be thoroughly ¡®acclimated¡¯ into the group, just as the rest would enjoy each other¡¯s company throughout the night. As was traditional, the water in the bath was kept warm for the fairies to use last after they released some energy.

    The others were just discussing who would take the prepared bath first when Sarise, Zalena, and I came back inside. All of the adults¡¯ eyes were on Sarise with mixed expressions. Remembering how everyone else we passed by saw her up to now, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, Is everyone really reacting to her Aura and not her outfit?

    The women pulled my parents aside and Zalena quickly explained that she and Sarise would like to privately talk to them about the familiar situation. Zalena even explained why they weren¡¯t including me, as the talk would include very ¡®adult¡¯ topics. Mom and Dad, though flustered, got the gist of it and let everyone else know that the men would take the bath first. Since there were a lot fewer boys in the building than girls, they wouldn¡¯t take as long soaking in the bath. Everybody went with it and the guys went off for their business, including me. I glanced over to Sarise and Zalena, who were following Mom, Dad, and apparently Ms. Renne, to what looked like the study. I knew Zalena said she¡¯d take care of things, but I still felt uneasy in my heart as I stepped into the bathing area last.

    ~~

    Sarise couldn¡¯t keep her tail and wings from twitching as she watched Gullivan and Carol ask Renne to come with them for their talk with Zalena and her. I have been told this fox-kin teacher/caretaker has watched over Master since his birth, Sarise thought, his parents must value her opinion highly to ask her to mediate this situation. I will just have to impress her as much as I will Master¡¯s parents. I will not fail you, Master, I swear it.

    The five then moved to another room, a private study that was originally an office for the previous owner of the building when he used it as an inn. The parents converted it into a study when they noticed how much Soar liked books since he was very young. He had spent much of his time in that room for his studies since its conversion, but it was just as special to his parents as it was where they read stories together with their son. Over the years they had collected books, so many that the large bookcase against the far wall as the group went inside made the room almost look like a personal-library. It would be more so if it weren¡¯t for the fancy cabinet that held a line of fine liquors and exquisite glasses. Knowing they could trust Soar to follow their house rules, his father only told him to not drink until he was older.

    Gullivan asked if anybody wanted a drink, but they all politely declined the alcohol and instead asked for water. He took out the glasses and Carol used her Water Magic to chill them before filling them all with water. The group took their seats on the provided furniture. Soar¡¯s parents sat together on a couch from one side. The stunningly beautiful elf and devil sat on the other in single chairs, representing the boy and his wish to keep the latter of the pair at his side. The teacher was between them while sitting in a chair of her own.

    ¡°Before we go into the details, I want to ask you something, Sarise,¡± Carol started.

    ¡°I will answer whatever I can, Lady Carol.¡± Sarise rested a hand to her bosom and bowed her head.

    ¡°Do you know why we¡¯re concerned about you being Soar¡¯s familiar?¡±

    ¡°I am aware of what those from the lower-class demon races have done after they were summoned here in the past. Allow me to say that while I am capable of doing the same, that would only be if Master told me to so, as at the end of the day, we are all only familiars doing as we are told by our masters. Speaking as my own person, Master is a very kind, intelligent, and mature boy who will no doubt grow to become a splendid man. I only want what is best for him as his familiar, just as you do as his parents.¡±

    Carol, Gullivan, and Renne blinked in surprise and looked to each other. They didn¡¯t expect such a dignified response to come from a woman who was oozing sex appeal like an exotic dancer while barely wearing anything at all.

    Carol took a sip of water to clear her throat, ¡°Yes, well, since I used to be a receptionist for a hunter¡¯s guild, I know that familiars are bound to their masters¡¯ word and must follow any order given to them, whether they¡¯re opposed to it or not. I¡¯m a little relieved to know that you have a good head on your shoulders to think that much about our son, but that is only part of our concerns regarding your pact with him.¡±

    ¡°May I ask what else is there that has you so concerned?¡± Sarise asked.

    Carol trails fingers over her water glass while biting her lip, ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ well, you and I both want to make sure Soar grows up healthy, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t just go to his body, but to his state of mind as well. Do you also agree on that?¡±

    ¡°Of course? That is a given, is it not?¡± Sarise asked while tilting her head. Wonder where Lady Carol is going with these questions?

    Seeing how confused Sarise was, Carol rubbed her eyes, realizing she wasn¡¯t getting anywhere. Renne then intervened, ¡°Let me see if I can make this clearer for her, Carol. Sarise, as a teacher, I want my students to learn, experience life, and grow into healthy young adults, but there are important times in their development when they¡¯re not ready to learn certain subjects until they¡¯re a little older. Wouldn¡¯t it be awful if Soar was ¡­ ¡®exposed¡¯ to something drastic enough that it could stunt his mental growth? Something too ¡­ ¡®revealing¡¯ for him to see at his age?¡±

    Master was quite capable in the dungeon today, Sarise thought. He is clearly no stranger to facing monsters and the dangers they bring, showing his experience which is surprising enough for him as he is still a child, and he is intelligent, too. I cannot think of what could overwhelm him more than a stronger than normal foe, but I would tend to his needs no matter the¡ªoh! Maybe it is something like that? Very well, then it is time to sell yourself, Sarise.

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Sarise started. ¡°I mean, going by how he was at the dungeon today, he seems mentally strong already, but it would be terrible if Master went through such a traumatic experience while still so young. If such a dreadful thing does happen to him while not under my watch, I will do everything in my power to help him back up to a healthy state of mind. I have experience in cooking that my friends back in Zalecks said was quite delicious and heartwarming; I have good cleaning skills; I can give good massages¡ªbut not nearly on the same level as Master¡¯s, however, his skills are beyond compare; I have trained myself in the art of pampering for years, just so the level of service my master receives is the best that a devil of my rank can deliver. For your son, Master Soar Osmis, I, Sarise of the Devils, give my word that he will receive nothing but the best from me as his familiar,¡± the air around Sarise was practically glowing with the purity and sincerity in her words after she finished promoting herself.

    The adults in front of Sarise stared in confusion. She seems to be speaking fondly from the heart, but ¡­ Carol trailed off in her mind.

    With such a stark contrast, there¡¯s no doubt ¡­ Renne mused.

    This devil has no idea what the real problem here is, does she? Gullivan unknowingly finished their shared thought.

    Hmm, they do not seem convinced, Sarise thought. Did my answer not sound genuine? I do not know what else I can do to make it clearer. Not to brag, but I would welcome myself aboard after hearing something so passionate ¡­ hearing, is that the issue? I am sure I enunciated clearly. Do I stink of sweat? We did get out of a dungeon earlier, after all. Despite that, my appearance is still in good shape¡ªSarise then gasped while covering her mouth, ¡°Oh! My word, now that I think about it, I cannot believe I overlooked something so obvious!¡±

    Did she realize the problem?! all three adults desperately hoped.

    ¡°As a proper familiar, I need to be in the appropriate attire to serve my master whenever I am in their home. I put a lot of thought into this design with that idea in mind, so if I may ¡­¡± Sarise trailed off before standing up, and with a snap of her fingers, she was obscured by a shimmer, much like the one that occurs briefly whenever fairies hide themselves, only this haze was persistent.

    Soar¡¯s parents and his teacher raised their hopes when they thought Sarise could lessen the awkward tension she¡¯d bring with her choice of clothing ¡­ but then those same hopes crashed to the ground when the devil reappeared.

    In place of the black leather bikini top was a black silk bra-like ensemble with frilly white trimmings crowning the top rims of the cups, a white silk ribbon bow rested in the center that¡¯s more decorative than functional. It supported her powerful bosom no better than the previous top, it pressed her breasts together in a way that made them stand out even more than before, and it covered more from below, letting the top half inch of brick-red areolas just smaller than tennis balls peek out. Instead of the black leather bikini bottom, there was a black silk super short miniskirt under a small, frilly white apron that barely covered Sarise¡¯s privates from the front, but most of her ass was clearly visible from the back. The only things really hiding her treasure cove up front and canyon in back was a black lace thong and her tail. Going further down, thigh-high fishnet stockings with white frills at the top replaced her previous ones, and she had black high-heels instead of her platform boots, which made her slightly shorter than before, but not by much. Then there were her accessories, wrist-length black silk gloves with white frilly cuffs to replace her fingerless elbow-length ones, a black choker with white frills took the place of her familiar ID tag given by the hunter¡¯s guild, and finally a white lace cap attached to a hairband that blended with Sarise¡¯s snow white locks.

    The entire ensemble pulled off the slutty maid look that was the staple of kinky master-servant roleplays to perfection. Not even Seal Galveston, who had been born and raised in a noble household maintained by real maids, would have kept his usual level-headed composure if he saw the outfit Sarise was wearing.

    I was hoping to save this as a surprise for Master when I officially start serving him on my first day, but I suppose some exceptions had to be made, and it certainly paid off! Sarise thought excitedly, feelings of gratitude for her succubus friend welled up in her chest.  Jily, you have done it again! They are stunned speechless, and Lord Gullivan cannot keep his eyes off me, just like you said all men would!

    ¡°What do you think? Is this acceptable?¡± Sarise asked before spinning once. Even with her reddish skin, a hint of blush could be seen on her face. ¡°I admit ¡­ that I am not used to this attire, but my friend from Zalecks said this would suit me perfectly whenever I would serve my master in their home. I want to look my best for them as their loyal familiar, after all. Do you think Soar would be pleased to see me in this?¡±

    SHE DOESN¡¯T GET IT AT AAAAAAALL! Soar¡¯s parents and teacher screamed internally.

    Zalena, who hadn¡¯t expected this sort of development, was trying her hardest to hold herself back from giggling since the questioning started, but the drastic wardrobe change made her turn to the side while covering her mouth and stomach, even more desperate to keep from bursting into laughter than before, I can¡¯t! I just can¡¯t! This is too good! I haven¡¯t seen anything so hilarious in years!

 Chapter 34: Instead of Waiting, I Went into Action

    While Sarise and Zalena were talking to my parents and Ms. Renne, I was getting lost in my thoughts as I washed myself before soaking in the bath with the guys. Weiss, even though he was sitting a ways away, surprised me by jolting up in the water.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Sam, who sat next to him, sighed, ¡°That time again, Weiss?¡±

    Weiss went on in an excited whisper after remembering I was nearby, ¡°You don¡¯t get it, Sam, my Sexy Sense was going crazy for some time, but now it¡¯s going off the charts! Something big is happening in this building, and I gotta find out what!¡±

    ¡°¡­ Sexy Sense?¡± Onelri¡¯s dark elf father, Darida, asked with a quirked brow.

    ¡°It is Weiss¡¯s idiotic nickname for his strange gift, Sexual Insight. It triggers when he senses something ¡­ unchaste, in the proximity. It usually does not go well when he tries to investigate it,¡± Seal explained in a quiet voice while rubbing his eyes, ¡°Which is why, Weiss, you need to calm yourself. Considering the circumstances, it must have something to do with Soar¡¯s new devil familiar, or maybe Zalena, or even both. This is nothing like what happened in that ¡®bathing incident.¡¯ If you do not take care, you could very well lose your life.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Y-You might be right about that.¡± Weiss then sat back down and forced a smile towards me. ¡°Sorry for scaring you like that, Soar! A ¡­ water drop surprised me! Yeah, that¡¯s it!¡±

    I stared at him half-lidded, ¡°Sure.¡± Even without heightening my hearing with magic, I can still hear you all, you know? Still, what the heck kind of gift is this Sexual Insight? Is it like that Spidey Sense, but for ecchi situations? What even happened in that ¡®bathing incident¡¯ Seal was talking about?

    No, I shouldn¡¯t worry about that right now, I thought before sighing and crossing my arms. If what Seal said was true, then something weird might have happened between the five of them in our study. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust Zalena to be capable of convincing Mom and Dad, but there must be something I can do to ensure their full approval. They¡¯re only concerned for me being alone with Sarise, right? Having such an adult body like hers, no matter how you dress her, she can look just as dangerous as Zalena in certain situations. But Sarise is my familiar, and if what the Book of Ancient Practices stated was true, familiars like to stay around their masters almost all the time. That means it would be inevitable she and I would be alone together at one point or another ¡­ why does that thought make me nervous? Goddammit, I need to calm down.

    Even when I was Lucas back on Earth, I would get a little excited from ogling girls at the local strip club I took a few trips to when I was of legal age¡ªeven for an obsessed fantasy hobbyist like myself, I was still a guy who was curious on these matters, you know. I would burn quite a bit of money for the drinks and the intimate lap dances I had from the dancers, especially one who was really friendly with me from my first visit. Sure, I knew she and the other girls were trying to suck my wallet dry before I even first visited that club, but I figured it wasn¡¯t as bad if I went in knowing what to expect, you know? So long as I gave myself a limit on how much was burnt on girls, I wouldn¡¯t be nearly as spent as some other guys would. Not to mention that girl had some amazing, and natural, tits and ass, so would you blame me for blowing it all on her? She was more expensive than the other girls for a good reason.

    Sarise was better than that stripper, though. Her friendliness and kindness were not only more genuine, but her intimacy was much warmer and not filled with intentions that were business-friendly only. Since she was also my familiar, she would do whatever I told her to, and the stray thoughts of what I could have her do made me guilty.

    Not to be insulting to that stripper, but you really can¡¯t do anything to some random girl without guilt unless they put out as sluts, huh? I continued in my thoughts. Then again, even if she offered sex for the right price, putting STDs aside, I wouldn¡¯t want to lose my virginity that way, not back then, and certainly not now. Would I not be as hesitant if I wasn¡¯t a virgin? I don¡¯t even know. Ugh, I¡¯m straying from what¡¯s important. What should I do? What would solve the problem of me being alone with Sarise, a familiar? A familiar that I would not have summoned on my first try today if it weren¡¯t for that circle in the room and speaking the chant that I learned to read thanks to my ¡­ book.

    My mind flashed back to the talk I had with Agnes about familiars, summoning circles, and what requirements for the spell were. It was Agnes¡¯ question, ¡°But you have a drawing of the circle right there in that book, right? Could you summon a familiar now if you want to?¡± along with an entry I remembered in the book involving the number of familiars one could have that caused something to click in my mind.

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± I muttered with widened eyes.

    ¡°Soar? Is something the¡ª¡± Seal started before I interrupted him by quickly standing up from the bath and stepping out.

    I used Wind Magic to give myself a high-powered, thorough blow dry like the high-tech machines in some bathrooms that you slowly pull your hands out of. In my case, I directed the air flow all around me from head to toe as I walked before pulling some clean spare clothes from my Dark Space and tossing my dirtied ones and the pajamas I had set aside earlier inside it.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna step out to get some fresh air for a bit. Tell my parents that I¡¯ll be back before the girls get done with their bath,¡± I said while dressing up.

    ¡°Hold on, Soar! Where are you going?!¡± Seal asked while standing up, but I ignored him.

    <Marble, Nova, are you busy right now?> I asked them via telepathy.

    The two of them answered promptly.

    <W-We¡¯re taking a break right now ¡­>

    <Duuude, that ride was wild, maaan.>

    I nodded,

    <What¡¯s the plan, my man?> Nova asked.

    <We¡¯re going to summon another familiar ¡­ from the realm of Zaleese.>

    ~~

    The three of us met right where I told them to. After using magic to enhance my night vision, I cast Dark Gate, and we stepped through to a familiar area.

    Marble gasped and her eyes sparkled, ¡°Wait, wait! This is where you killed those bandits, right?! The others told me about this! Does this place reek of blood?! So dark and scary! Hellooooo! Echooooo!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly thrilled for something so dark, man,¡± Nova said, ¡°Are you into those scary deals? Anyway, I¡¯m not smelling anything like blood, but while we¡¯re talking about what we¡¯ve been told, Soar, are you seriously, like, an old fart?¡±

    ¡°Ah, did the others tell you about my complicated history?¡± I asked, ¡°Yes, as of yesterday, while this body is eleven, my true age is fifty.¡±

    ¡°And you never had sex over those fifty years?¡± Nova asked.

    ¡°Yep. Never.¡±

    ¡°Fuck me, dude, I may be small, but I¡¯m not too little to help! Do you want me to give you some relief at least, man?¡±

    I shook my head, ¡°The rules may be different in this world, but I¡¯d like to still follow my own moral guidelines that were shaped by my previous life. I¡¯m not going that far with a girl until this body¡¯s twenty one years old.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said you¡¯d wait until you¡¯re eighteen?¡± Marble asked, ¡°That¡¯s what you told us when we went delving in the dungeon before Sarise and Nova came along. Won¡¯t that make your true age sixty by then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking since then. My Sage gift was upgraded to Great Sage on the same day as my birthday,¡± I answered, ¡°Heck, it came at the stroke of midnight. If I turned out like that after turning fifty, I¡¯d like to see what happens when I wait another decade. I already got this far, so I might as well wait a bit more, and this body will be mostly developed to its fullest by then. I¡¯d like to have sex when I¡¯m at my peak, and I want to do it with someone I truly cherish, with someone I love.¡±

    ¡°Dude, that¡¯s a decade¡¯s worth of blue balls, maybe twice as much now that you have Sarise on your side. How will you even get any release?¡± Nova asked.

    ¡°Well, it might be difficult finding some alone time, but I¡¯ll manage somehow, and I don¡¯t want any of you ¡®helping¡¯ me when I¡¯m physically old enough to legally do that with others. I know myself well enough that once I get a taste of it, I won¡¯t stop.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a hard road of commitment you¡¯re trekking there, man ¡­ I can dig it. Mad respect, bro, I got your back,¡± Nova said while thumping her chest, ¡°You can be sure none of us or any of the other fairies will ever tell other Chaperones about your circumstances. It¡¯s part of our Fairy Code, after all.¡±

    The Fairy Code is basically a list of unwritten, but ingrained rules of conduct that fairies must never break under any circumstance. One of which is Companions telling other people that aren¡¯t their Chaperone personal information without said Chaperone¡¯s consent. The inverse is also true, they are not allowed to share confidential gossip learned from other fairies with their own Chaperone. This code was set so that fairies can¡¯t be used as the world¡¯s greatest spies and relay information valuable enough to start a war. The proper role of Companions is to be an extension of their Chaperones, almost like a tool. When it comes down to it, Companions are about as limited to what they could do as Chaperones are.

    ¡°I appreciate that, Nova ¡­ and speaking of sex, you two reek of it and bad life decisions,¡± I said while covering my nose. I didn¡¯t notice because I was occupied by our talk, but the stench suddenly hit me like Truck-kun isekai-ing my sense of smell, ¡°Oh, god, what the hell did you two do up there?! Wait, don¡¯t answer that, that was a rhetorical question!

    ¡°Ugh, we can¡¯t move on while you¡¯re both like this. Give me a sec.¡± I opened a Dark Gate back to the bath at my place where I picked up a wash bucket, scooped up some hot bath water, and cast a controlled Aerial Slice spell to shave off a couple of pieces from a bar of soap. The guys were still there and were watching me, wondering what the heck I was doing. ¡°It¡¯s a smelly emergency!¡± I exclaimed to answer the question they didn¡¯t ask. I then stepped right back into the cave before closing the Dark Gate behind me. I thankfully cut Seal off just before he could get a word in.

    ¡°Here, soak in this and clean yourself with these, quickly, please,¡± I said while setting down the bucket of hot bathwater and holding out the two pieces of soap I cut.

    The two ripped the dresses off their bodies, not worried about being modest in front of a child when their Chaperone had the mind and maturity of an adult. Then they took the soap pieces and dove into the bathwater, making a splash. They made their mana-made wings disappear from their backs to clean the hard-to-reach areas better, providing me an unobstructed view of their small and delicate backsides. I thought I was used to this sort of sight after living with a fairy harem for so long and the number of times I walked in on fairies having sex. This time, however, I found myself staring at them a little bit, noticing how their tiny and smooth bodies glistened from getting drenched in bath water.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Could it be because we established a connection as Chaperone and Companion that I¡¯m thinking of them differently from other fairies? No, maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯re my Companions that I¡¯m paying more attention to them than I do with other fairies? I wondered, but I didn¡¯t have the time to think further into it, so I pulled my attention away from the topic as well as Marble¡¯s and Nova¡¯s surprisingly sexy bodies. In the meantime, I took this chance to check the surroundings of the cave and make comparisons to Myron Dungeon¡¯s mid-boss room. After all, I felt certain that watching my fairies bathe wouldn''t help me reach my next upgrade goal.

    Nova asked while she cleaned, ¡°So, what¡¯s this about summoning a familiar from Zaleese?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t we need a summoning circle like the one in that dungeon room?!¡± Marble added.

    ¡°We do,¡± I answered, ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to make one, right here, out of sight where others won¡¯t see it. With some adjustments, we should be able to replicate the size of the room and the circle needed to make the summoning a success. Since this will be the first time I¡¯ve ever seriously cast Earth and Light Magic, I need you two to help me make this work.¡±

    Marble stared wide-eyed, ¡°Are you some kind of genius?!¡±

    ¡°Wait, but you already have Sarise, right? Do you not like having her around anymore?¡± Nova asked, looking just as surprised.

    Right, they weren¡¯t around when I talked with Zalena and Sarise earlier, I remembered, ¡°Of course, I still like her, but it¡¯s because of Sarise that I¡¯m doing this. Tell me, what would you two do if you both were alone with an attractive fairy?¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯d join together as one, getting to know each other as well as learn a little about ourselves, and achieve sexual enlightenment, man. Like, just earlier, I realized I like to be the bottom in a pairing, and I¡¯d be as high as a cloud if my partner took charge to get me places. I also learned that Breezy, despite how mellow she seems during the day, has some aggressive tongue work when she ate me out ¡­ and I did not dislike that, man.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more of a top that wants to have a good time, myself. I would also give that attractive fairy a good time too,¡± Marble answered before turning to Nova with half-lidded eyes and a smile, ¡°I noticed you had a good time back there, too, Nova. Since we seem so compatible, why don¡¯t we see how high I can take you later?¡±

    ¡°Dude, you had me at ¡®top.¡¯¡±

    I rubbed my eyes and tried to stay calm, ¡°Guys? Cleaning, please? And don¡¯t get dirty again until after this, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okaaaay,¡± they answered.

    ¡°Anyway, going back to my point,¡± I continued, ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt. Because of how sexy Sarise is, my parents and the other adults may be uneasy with the idea of me being alone with her for the same reasons mentioned in your answers to my question. I mean, sure, I have you guys to keep the two of us company, but you know my true age, and we all know how sexually proactive you are, probably enough to cheer us on rather than to stop us.¡±

    Nova chuckled, ¡°Yeah, that totally sounds like me, man.¡±

    ¡°Same,¡± Marble added.

    ¡°And of course, I can¡¯t always have a responsible adult supervising us every minute of the day we¡¯re awake, so where does that leave us?¡± I ask, ¡°I summon another familiar that can be around all the time to keep Sarise company and act as a chaperone to help keep us in check. According to the Book of Ancient Practices, every person, no matter what their race or magical aptitude, can have up to two familiars, one representing each of the realms of Zalecks and Zaleese. Apparently, if you chant the correct lines in Shimmerlin, you can also exchange one familiar for another of the same realm, or just cut them off altogether. It pains me to think this, but my parents may want me to use one of those methods if they feel Sarise is too dangerous for me to be around ¡­¡±

    Nova and Marble sat there in silence, deflating at that thought.

    ¡°The bright side is that I can¡¯t do anything with the familiar respecting that realm until one full day has passed, measured starting from the time they were first summoned,¡± I continued. ¡°My parents can¡¯t do anything to permanently get rid of Sarise until that time has passed. However, I can summon another familiar from the opposite realm on the same day. Basically, I¡¯m limited to opening one portal for each familiar from their realm per day.

    ¡°Knowing this, if there are some familiars from Zalecks that are considered ¡®bad¡¯ to most people here, then there are likely familiars from Zaleese that most consider as ¡®good.¡¯ I¡¯m not saying that everyone thinks that of all Zaleese familiars, but you get where I¡¯m going with this. We just need to summon a ¡®good¡¯ familiar from Zaleese to balance out Sarise¡¯s reputation, and then nobody would have to leave and everyone will be happy. That said, we need to look, and smell, our best when we welcome whomever will come here, so be thorough with that cleaning and then we¡¯ll get started with the set up.¡±

    With the two¡¯s confirmation, they focused on cleaning themselves while I kept focused on the upcoming summoning. Once they were done and smelled good, something that pleased me for no reason as I had used that same soap before, they settled on my shoulders and I tossed the used bathwater outside of the cave before we got to work.

    First was lighting up the cave with Light Magic, which takes less mana than continuously pumping it in my eyes to enhance my night vision. This was also for the new familiar to be able to see us as well. I focused on casting the spell Agnes¡¯ familiar, Dhalia, demonstrated back in the dungeon, Illumination, with Nova¡¯s help. This is one of the easier Light Magic spells, so it wasn¡¯t too challenging to master and light the cavern up in an instant, as if daylight had been brought inside, which allowed me to see every nook and cranny of the cave.

    Then, just like how I taught Fila yesterday, I focused on what I understood about Earth Magic thanks to what I¡¯ve seen from Dad and cast some spells for practice with Marble¡¯s assistance. Whether or not one was able to cast a magic attribute before making a contract with the fairy associated with it, that fairy can help their Chaperones make the magic more effective as contracted Companions by staying close to them in proximity, or in physical contact, which is the most effective. It¡¯s sort of like learning to ride a bike with training wheels, and having Nova and Marble sitting on my shoulders helped make casting their respective magics a lot easier while I got a feel for it.

    Once I had the hang of Earth Magic, I went right to work. I made more space in the cave, being careful to not cause a collapse. All while also making the changes seem ¡®natural,¡¯ until the cavern was about the same size as Myron Dungeon¡¯s mid-boss room. Next, I morphed the dirt and rocks on the ground into a hardened, flat floor. After I finished my summoning, I planned to change it back to its natural state. Finally, Mona, from my Great Sage gift, helped me get a clear image of the summoning circle in my mind before I engraved it onto the hardened floor. It was like carving molds for wood block prints, with Mona helping me make sure it was the same size as the one in the mid-boss room.

    ¡°Okay, this should do it,¡± I said after thoroughly double checking my work.

    ¡°Are you sure we have to take it all down after we¡¯re done? It looks so nice and pretty, it would be a shame if no one else could see this, at least,¡± Marble said.

    ¡°Yeah, man, and wouldn¡¯t this attract people into moving into Lunargrove? This could make a sweet tourist attraction, too,¡± Nova added.

    ¡°We can¡¯t ignore the possibility that someone could abuse this,¡± I answered, ¡°One could abuse this circle by getting people to pay for using it without a bishop properly manning it, and then there would be an army of criminals with their own familiars before we know it. Plus, I¡¯m sure it would cause a scare to the bishops that manage sanctoriums, too, that being the place where most of today¡¯s familiar summons are held.¡±

    Nova sighed and shook her head, ¡°And we can¡¯t ¡®borrow¡¯ their magic circle to summon a familiar at this time, since it¡¯s closed, and we probably don¡¯t want to rouse suspicion on how a kid knows the lines to the summoning chant without them giving it to us. Man, that¡¯s just whack.¡±

    I pulled my Conductor out of Dark Space and spun it with style, ¡°Okay, you guys ready? I¡¯m going to start the chant now.¡±

    ¡°Best of luck, Soar!¡± Marble cheered.

    ¡°Blow our minds, man!¡± Nova followed.

    Just like the first time, except now with fairies on my shoulders, I stepped into the man-made summoning circle. I held my mithril dagger straight ahead while closing my eyes in focus, taking a deep breath, I know this is selfish of me to ask after all you have given me already, but my friend¡¯s future is at stake here. Please, Goddess Elmyra, I¡¯ll accept whatever the consequences for my actions are, just send me a capable enough ally to watch over Sarise and me, I prayed in my mind.

    I opened my eyes and mouth before speaking in Shimmerlin, ¡°Great Gods watching me from a world beyond mine, I require thine aid!¡±

    Just like the first time, the engraved circle below me brightened and mysterious winds blew from inside it. The magic was working, but I couldn¡¯t relax yet, so I continued, but with a louder volume and more power in my voice than before, ¡°HEED MINE CALL, I REQUIRE A SERVANT! COME FORTH, MINE FAMILIAR!¡±

    I didn¡¯t bother waiting for the theatrics that followed after each line, so I just went for the rest with one go. I¡¯m not sure if it was what I did differently that time, or maybe it was the change of location, but the flash/smoke bomb explosion was a lot more intense than before. Nova and Marble gripped my clothes to keep from getting blown away as they screamed for dear life. The explosion and light reached all the way outside. I could hear birds in the woods beyond flying off in a panic when the noise died down, but then another sound took their place.

    ¡°Hm, hmhmhmm, hmhm-hm-hmm. Yummy yummy honey, so sweet, it makes me fly. Tasty tasty on toast, on white, and even on rye,¡± a young woman hummed and sang to an unfamiliar song in Shimmerlin, but it had an awkward rhythm and sounded out of tune. Making it rhyme really didn¡¯t do it justice.

    Based on the silhouette¡¯s curves from the clearing smoke, this woman seemed more voluptuous than what I have seen so far in Manara. Then the smoke disappeared, and I was left dumbstruck by the sight before me.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ll have for breakfast tomorrow, with eggs, bakey, and juice! Things didn''t work out today, but even so, I will, not ¡­ lose?¡± The woman spun about while thrusting a hand holding a bar of soap in the air in a victory pose.

    Only then did she open her aquamarine eyes and notice my presence just as she finished her song. Frozen, she stood there, butt-naked, the used soap bar falling from her hand in shock. Her body was all curves with soft, plump, but not overly thick, feminie flesh. Light beige skin was still dripping with water and soap suds from head to toe. A glowing yellow halo hovered over slightly-lathered red-orange locks that reached to her broad shoulders, and these weren¡¯t formed from muscle after lifting weights. Compared to Sarise, who was tall and bodacious like an adult model, this one was shorter and stouter, yet with everything bigger than my demonic familiar.

    [To follow the rules on this site''s sexual content, this and other parts later in the chapter will be redacted. If you wish to read the full, completed version, please check it out on webnovel as listed in the author note down at the bottom.]

    I don¡¯t know how summoning works functionally, but based on her behavior, I had pulled her here in the middle of her shower time, and she was too preoccupied with her song to even notice the change of scenery. I was so dumbfounded, I didn¡¯t know what to do at that moment other than raise my hand and smiled awkwardly, ¡°Uh ¡­ hi?¡±

    She then let out an ear-piercing scream before a pair of pure white, feathered wings resembling a dove¡¯s appeared and flapped forward to cover her front. They were large and dry, unlike the rest of her soaked body, soft and fluffy like clouds, but couldn¡¯t bend far enough in front of her to hide her privates. Even so, the sudden appearance of such heavenly appendages sent me for a loop.

    Wait, a halo and wings? Could this one be ¡­ an angel? I thought briefly.

    [Redacted]

    ¡°W-W-What is a human child doing in my bathroom?!¡± she cried in Shimmerlin, ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not possible! W-Where the heck am I?! D-Did I just get summoned?! T-Towel! I need a towel¡ª¡± flustered, she didn¡¯t notice the dropped soap bar, and, like an 80s cartoon, she stepped on it, slipped, and flew with amazing, comical, finesse, ¡°¡ªWAAAAAA!¡±

    Time moved in slow motion. As she flipped in mid-air, I saw everything ¡­ and I mean everything, unobstructed and spread wide eagle before me. Right up to when my new naked familiar hit the back of her head on the hardened ground and flopped bonelessly to the floor. The crack of something making hard contact with stone was far from subtle, making my fairies and I flinch. She laid there like a soaking wet rag doll, her halo now broken with a piece flown off to the side of the cavern. Her wings that sprouted from her back moments ago scattered into many feathers before disappearing, completely different from how I saw my fairies¡¯ mana-made wings would behave when dismissed. [Redacted] Nova and Marble looked at the scene from over my shoulders.

    ¡°¡­ Au naturale. I can dig it, man,¡± Nova said with a thumbs up, but her comment didn¡¯t even register for me.

    ¡°Um ¡­ are you okay?¡± I asked, greatly concerned, but from where my eyes were looking, I might as well have been talking more to her garden than the person who owned it. In my defense, I was far more rattled than lustful in that moment. Not that any of my fairies ever let me live it down.

    The broken halo-wearing familiar covered her reddened face and broke into body wracking sobs. Her cries echoed through the cavern [Redacted]. That marked only the beginning of a very long night ahead of me.

    ~~

    Meanwhile, back in the bath,

    ¡°Whoa! I tried amplifying my Sexy Sense gift with magic to cover further distances, and I felt something unbelievable!¡± Weiss exclaimed. ¡°Somewhere out there in that forest, there¡¯s a pair of kinky lovers doing it out in the open with many possible dangers surrounding them!¡±

    The other men, finishing up their baths, could not believe what they had heard. Sam was the one who spoke all of their thoughts as he sighed and placed an arm on the young man¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Weiss, me boy, you have got to get yourself a steady woman to settle down your love life.¡±

 Chapter 35: The Girls had a Bath Talk

    [Onelri]

    The young dark elf girl was in a state of internal conflict. This started when Onelri saw Soar stepping outside, making her one of the few people at the party who first noticed his actions after Carol¡¯s pregnancy was announced. She saw how he was hiding his presence through magic, too. As she was about to follow him, though, Sarise and Zalena headed out in the same direction, likely for the same reason she had.

    The moment the promiscuous light elf left, Onelri¡¯s intention to check in on Soar was thrown out the window. Whatever. He would probably rather open up to those two than me, anyway, she thought while sulking. Every minute since then, though, her gaze had shifted to the three mana signatures sitting together outside, checking to see if they had moved somewhere out of her gifted sight. By the time they finally came back, the adults had already decided who¡¯d take the bath first, and it wasn¡¯t long until the three of them parted ways. Onelri¡¯s mind has been drawing blanks over the situation ever since then.

    After the men had finished their time in the bath and it was the girls¡¯ turn to take over, Onelri noticed one particular boy was missing. She went to her father, Darida, and asked what happened. Going by Darida¡¯s testimony, Soar had left a little over ten minutes before the other guys left the bath. As Onelri and the girls were now starting to soak in the bath after washing each other, this meant Soar had been gone for half an hour, and there was still no sign of him returning.

    Onelri¡¯s gift allowed her to naturally perceive a person¡¯s mana signature without needing to magically enhance her silver eyes. Even if the person she was watching tried to hide, through some spell or otherwise, she would know someone or something was there. This went for all beings, elves, humans, and even fairies, the last of which she was very aware many were ¡®partying¡¯ up in the attic of Soar¡¯s home. As for what those fairies were doing up there, well, Onelri had seen a lot of things in her life, whether she wanted to or not. And boy, did she not want to. Seeing the many colors of mana signatures moving and shifting through the ceiling above her like a broken kaleidoscope, she knew what those fairies were doing up there, and it was taking everything she had to play dumb. Yet, despite her gifted sight, Onelri saw no hint of Soar anywhere on the premises, which meant he had to be quite far away, and that made her all the more confused, concerned, and conflicted.

    ¡°Something on your mind, Onelri?¡± her mother, Zalfes Gulzu, asked her daughter in their native elven tongue as they soaked in the bath together.

    Onelri furrowed her brow, ¡°Just how annoying Soar has been tonight since the news of his new sibling came out. He¡¯s been acting so weird since then. I also just cannot believe Soar would get so chummy with that homewrecker of a light elf after one trek through a dungeon,¡± Onelri complained in the elven tongue while crossing her arms, ¡°And from what I understood from their story, she hardly did anything! I don¡¯t know what is so great about her other than that chest and her good looks!¡±

    ¡°Onelri, I understand you¡¯re worried for Soar, but no matter what background or race they are from, it¡¯s not right to gossip about other people like that,¡± Zalfes lightly scolded.

    ¡°I-I am not ¡­ I am not worried over that jerk!¡± Onelri stuttered with reddened cheeks and ears, ¡°And why shouldn¡¯t I gossip over someone who is clearly no good?! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the only one doing it! Other kids, even adults, do it, too!¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t give you more right to badmouth someone, especially if they hadn¡¯t done you wrong,¡± Zalfes argued before rubbing her daughter¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I know how perceptive you are, Onelri, so I will say this straight. A lot of us adults did not understand this when we were young, but we came to learn as we grew older that if we don¡¯t stop perceiving and judging others negatively, we¡¯ll eventually regret defiling their name down the line. It would be wise of you to change that attitude now while you¡¯re still young and free of old regrets.¡±

    ¡°What could I possibly lose by badmouthing someone who deserved it?¡± Onelri asked with a skeptical quirk of her brow.

    Zalfes¡¯ stare hardened, as did her next words, ¡°But you don¡¯t really know if they do, and if you don¡¯t change, you will not make more good friends like Soar, Fila, Agnes, and Claire, possibly none at all.¡±

    Onelri¡¯s rebuttal got stuck in her throat. Despite the hardships she had with each of the girls her age, no matter how big or small, her life had been more interesting during the last few days than it had been  in her hometown. Back there, no one around her age made any attempt to talk to her directly. If it weren¡¯t for Claire and Fila being there with her as they waited for Soar¡¯s and Agnes¡¯ return, Onelri would¡¯ve been more bothered by how long they were gone than she was back then. She was certain the same would happen if the roles between pairs were reversed. They may have had their flaws, but Onelri was not so harsh as to gossip about her new friends who have been mostly kind to her.

    If anything, I don¡¯t want things to go back to where they were back home, Onelri thought, admitting that much to herself.

    ¡°Take it from someone who didn¡¯t learn that harsh truth until much later,¡± Zalfes continued in elven tongue, making Onelri jolt to her in surprise. The dark elf woman then stared up, looking back to her past, ¡°It is almost a miracle I got together with your father and had you. If I had learned it much earlier, we might have had a second mother for you, as well as a sibling for you to love and enjoy. I don¡¯t know how much of my history contributed to other kids avoiding you, but if I played any part in it, then I must apologize for not being as good of a mother as I should have. You deserve much better than what you were given, Onelri, I guarantee that.¡±

    ¡°N-No, Mother, I do not blame you in the slightest, I had no idea ¡­¡±

    Zalfes smirked and rubbed Onelri¡¯s shoulder again, ¡°This is nothing for you to worry over. Right now, while we live with Soar¡¯s and Fila¡¯s families, Lunargrove will be our new home. This will be a fresh start for all of us, so we need to make the most of it. That includes making new friends. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Onelri! What¡¯cha talking about?!¡± Fila exclaimed as she suddenly hugged Onelri from the side.

    The rectangular bath in question was large, about the size of a small swimming pool, capable of holding a little over a dozen people stretched out with their hands barely touching along the edges, and deep enough for one to submerge themselves in the water to their shoulders. As such, there was plenty of room for four adult women and four young girls to sit and bathe together. Since Soar¡¯s home was previously an inn, the bathing area was used by all patrons who stayed for the evening, with schedules for when the men and women would occupy it. There was even a washing area for people to clean and scrub themselves before submerging into the bath, the standard for bath house etiquette across the continent of Dustarga.

    ¡°We were just speaking of Onelri¡¯s worries for where Soar has gone,¡± Zalfes teased in Dustaran.

    ¡°Ugh, Mother! I said I was not worried!¡± Onelri exclaimed in the common tongue before crossing her arms, ¡°He is a C-rank Hunter now, yes? Even without taking that into account, his magical ability is ridiculous. Whatever he is doing, he can handle it himself.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he seemed a little closed off since his parents made that announcement,¡± Fila said while staring into the water, ¡°And Sarise and Zalena are talking with them and Ms. Renne right now in another room, right? Could that be why Soar went off on his own?¡±

    ¡°That is highly likely,¡± Agnes said as she waded through the bath water and joined in the talk, with Claire following behind her, ¡°Demonic familiars have a bad reputation throughout the entirety of the Reskondant Kingdom. There have been many reports in the past where criminals used them as accomplices for their crimes. Not that I would lump Sarise with them. Even so, I can see why Soar¡¯s parents would be worried for his future if he does keep Sarise by his side, as that would affect his own reputation by leaps and bounds.¡±

    ¡°You mean if Soar keeps Sarise, he might get into more trouble than he has already?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°With how things are right now, yes, but he might improve his situation in two ways,¡± Agnes started while keeping up two fingers, ¡°There is one thing I should point out, however. If Soar was planning to keep himself and his magical prowess on the down low, even if all of us in this building agreed to not blatantly spread the word out in the open, he can kiss his chances of that being a success good-bye.¡±

    ¡°Is it because of how powerful he is?¡± Claire asked as she also joined in.

    Agnes nodded, ¡°Among other prodigies like myself, Soar is too powerful to be put on the same level, and that was before he dove into Myron Dungeon with me. Now, after clearing it with a new devil familiar and a Light Fairy added in his personal roster, it would be much harder for him to not stand out. I am sure right now, as we speak, Brightlas¡¯ citizens are already spreading word about a high-class demonic familiar serving a Fairy¡¯s Child. That is more than enough reason for the general populace to direct some, if not a lot, of attention at Soar.¡±

    ¡°True, even if he started out as an H-rank Hunter at the bottom like I did, it wouldn¡¯t take long for him to quickly rise up the ranks,¡± Claire commented with a hand to her chin, ¡°And that¡¯s with or without Sarise. It would be different if he was in a different occupation, but whether or not he knew what he was getting into, Soar¡¯s fate was sealed the moment he decided to become a Hunter.¡±

    ¡°Why does that sound like he signed a death wish when coming from you?¡± Onelri asked with a quirked brow.

    Claire blinked in confusion, ¡°Huh? Is that really what it sounds like?¡±

    ¡°Back to what I was saying before, Soar has two ways going forward,¡± interrupted Agnes before holding up one finger, ¡°One solution is to summon another familiar from Zaleese and pray they are on the opposite end of the spectrum from Sarise in their reputation. The other ¡­¡±

    ¡°Soar completes as many difficult quests as fast as he can and rises up to S-rank?¡± Claire asked.

    Agnes nodded, ¡°Correct, this would not only benefit him, but his connections, that is, us, too.¡±

    ¡°Wait, it sounded like Soar getting a lot of attention was a bad thing, now you think he should get even more by becoming an S-rank Hunter?¡± Fila asked while tilting her head, her floppy bunny ears hanging down and dipping in the bathwater.

    ¡°I think I get it,¡± Onelri said while looking down in thought, ¡°It is bad for him to get the attention he has now because adults would be skeptical that a kid could jump up to C-rank all of a sudden. Being such an exception from others of the same rank and even those below that, it is likely he will receive some harassment from other Hunters. They may think of him as a brat with an inflated ego that needs to be taught a lesson and know his place.¡±

    ¡°For adults to be like that towards a kid ¡­ doesn¡¯t this go beyond what could be called bullying?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°It sounds cruel, but I¡¯ve unfortunately heard gruesome stories where things like that actually happen,¡± Claire pointed out, ¡°Some rookie Hunters resigned from the job immediately after being put through a rite of passage brought on by those with more seniority. There are even a few cases where those rookies were left barely alive. What makes this even worse is that the Hunter¡¯s guild has a policy of not interfering affairs between registered Hunters, unless one or both of them does something that makes the Guild look bad or poses a danger to Non-Hunters around them. At that point, the guild would step in to stop it before things escalate further, but lots of damage and loss would¡¯ve already happened.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Fila¡¯s floppy bunny ears drooped, ¡°That¡¯s horrible ¡­ and Soar will be put through the same thing?¡±

    ¡°Not if he proves himself,¡± Onelri answered, ¡°Which brings us back to Soar becoming an S-rank Hunter. If he becomes one of the greatest Hunters in the country, not even those with more experience would dare challenge him. He would be almost untouchable like that promiscu¡ªI mean, like that light elf. And that protection would then apply to us as well. Since we personally know Soar, if they knew we are associated with him, they would not want to risk their hide to harass one of us if it meant receiving his wrath.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Proving his strength in this manner would drastically decrease the harassments he, and others with him, would face, and with Soar¡¯s magical prowess, I daresay he could become a legend,¡± Agnes concluded while crossing her arms. Her chest swelled with pride over the talented boy she¡¯d befriended, along with some other strange, unknown feeling tightening her chest as she recalled Soar¡¯s performance in the dungeon. She tried to push that unfamiliar emotion down, though.

    ¡°There is one thing he would have to be careful of,¡± Claire interjected as her eyes suddenly hardened and turned sharp, ¡°If he does become an S-rank Hunter, sure, he¡¯d less likely be challenged by those beneath him in rank ¡­ the others who are the same as him, however, are another story. Can you imagine how things could turn out if a Magician as strong, if not stronger than Ms. Zalena Vaxine, approaches Soar and challenges him to a duel? The end result may not be pretty for either or both of them.¡±

    Aside from Onelri and Agnes, none of the other girls had any idea of what Zalena was capable of. Despite what Onelri heard about Zalena only supervising the examinees from the sidelines, she was certain Agnes had witnessed at least some of the light elf¡¯s power back in the dungeon. Meanwhile, the young dark elf had known for some time that the light elf was contracted with four Fairy Companions thanks to her gifted eyes. One or two of them were as big as Soar¡¯s Wind Fairy, Breezy, and elves, be they light or dark, are well-known to be the most attuned with magic of all the races. It was practically guaranteed that elves of both kinds would become prosperous Magicians in whatever occupation they desired. If Zalena could pull off a Wind Needle spell of the same caliber as Soar¡¯s back in his demonstration yesterday, then Onelri couldn¡¯t fathom how strong the light elf was with magic of higher tiers.

    The mere thought sent enough chills down the young dark elf¡¯s spine to ignore the high temperatures from the bath water. Great, now I am worried for that big jerk, Onelri thought.

    ¡°Well, even if Soar does face someone like that in the future, we can be at ease knowing Sarise is by his side,¡± Zalfes intervened, ¡°I know that most demonic familiars have stood out negatively in history due to their involvement in crime. However, there have been some well-renowned leaders back in our birthplace, Moonaura, who had high-class demons like Sarise as their familiars.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Onelri asked with widened eyes.

    Zalfes nodded, ¡°Oh, yes. Before making contracts with fairies became commonplace, our race had a hard time surviving. I cannot fathom what would have happened if our heroes and their high-class angelic and demonic familiars were not around to help pull us back from the brink of destruction. If today¡¯s high-class demons have not faltered in strength and/or magic since then, then Soar is very fortunate to have a capable ally like Sarise by his side ¡­ that is, if his parents allow her to stay with him. I do not know if this discrimination against demons is shared by all humans, but I cannot fathom why Soar¡¯s parents would not let her stay. If I was Soar¡¯s mother, I as well as everyone back in Moonaura, would welcome Sarise with open arms.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about being that enthusiastic, but I wouldn¡¯t be that harsh towards Sarise, either,¡± Flomi, Fila¡¯s mother, commented as she rested a hand on her generously full and wet breasts as they bobbed on the surface of the bathwater, something that drew impressed and envious attention from Onelri and the other girls,  ¡°This might be biased coming from me and my previous line of work, but I wouldn¡¯t turn someone like that straight away if they don¡¯t mean any harm. Plus, I ¡­ as well as Fila¡ªunfortunately enough without my knowing¡ªhave seen plenty of other women who dressed similarly where we came from. Seeing Sarise like that on a daily basis wouldn¡¯t be much different for us. Right, Fila?¡±

    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right!¡± Fila exclaimed while splashing water in excitement, ¡°When I saw Mama working outside in pretty dresses, I saw other women dressed in lots of different outfits! They were so unique and cool-looking! I thought the same for Sarise when I first saw her! You think I would look as cool and grown-up if I wore them, too, Mama?!¡±

    ¡°Sweetie, you¡¯re already well on your way to become a cool and grown-up woman just the way you are. Zalfes can agree on me on this, right?¡± Flomi asked as she shifted glances between Zalfes and Fila.

    ¡°O-Oh! Yes! Darida and I agree that you are a delight to be around, Fila. Onelri thinks so, too.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Fila exclaimed with her eyes sparkling with joy while turning her full attention towards Onelri.

    I know where you two are going with this, but did you have to drag me into it, too, Mother?! Flustered to be put on the spot, Onelri blushed and had trouble where to lock her eyes while forming coherent words, stumbling and lisping while briefly forgetting how to speak Dustaran, ¡°Y-Yesth. P-Pletty ¡­ Fila, isth.¡±

    Moved with emotion, Fila glomped Onelri once more, ¡°Aww, I think you¡¯re pretty, too, Onelri! I still want to try on those cool outfits, though.¡±

    Flomi could only wear a strained smile while patting Fila¡¯s head,¡°We¡¯ll talk more about that when you¡¯re older, sweetie, when you¡¯re older.¡±

    It was no surprise to Onelri that Agnes looked confused with no idea what the rabbitkin mother and daughter were talking about. The young dark elf knew Agnes wasn¡¯t just a crimson Fairy Child, but the young lady of a noble household with little knowledge of a commoner¡¯s lifestyle, after all. Onelri, along with the other girls who were listening in, however, had mixed, awkward expressions. The adult women in particular had a clear idea what Flomi¡¯s previous line of work was from Fila¡¯s description alone.

    Awkwardness aside, Onelri looked down on her reflection in the bathwater as she took in her mother¡¯s words, So, some heroes had demonic familiars, huh? she thought.

    History was one of Onelri¡¯s least favorite subjects, so this was the first time she had heard that Magicians with demonic familiars were heroic figures among dark elves in their district-capital of Moonaura. From that perspective, having a high-class demon like Sarise was a perfect fit for Soar, seeing how he had saved her and Fila¡¯s families a few nights ago. The topic actually shed new light on the dark elf girl¡¯s perspective of familiars, since she had seen more kids around her age contracted with fairies than familiars.

    Since Soar was able to summon a familiar on his own ¡­ ¡°If I somehow do not form a contract with a fairy, would he help me summon a familiar of my very own?¡± Onelri thought aloud.

    Zalfes couldn¡¯t help but smile and rub her daughter¡¯s back for finding other possibilities to prosper as a Magician. Whether her daughter ended up with a fairy or a familiar, the most important thing to her as a mother was to see Onelri happy being whatever kind of Magician she wanted to be. If one fairy, or a single familiar, or even a whole bunch of them, could help do that for her, then Zalfes would wholesomely welcome them to her family.

    Meanwhile, Lilia of the Platinum Arms Hunter party, the one Soar¡¯s father was formerly the leader for, and Rala, the pantherkin Hunter that observed Soar and Agnes as their examiner down Myron Dungeon, were talking among themselves from another area of the large bath. Onelri and Fila couldn¡¯t help but pick up their conversation while the others in their group were conversing with each other.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I may not be a mother, but I can get where Carol¡¯s coming from over her worry about taking Sarise in,¡± Lilia started, ¡°I would be reluctant in keeping a demonic familiar, no matter what their class ¡­ it might be another story if he was handsome, though. I¡¯ve heard of a few girls who happened to have summoned incubi in the past, and they saw no point in seeing another man ever again after that. Based on how attractive Sarise looks, though Soar¡¯s still young, I can see him wanting to keep her around for similar reasons. As a familiar owner yourself, what do you think, Rala?¡±

    ¡°Uuuuuuugh, all I know is that I am so done with this,¡± Rala groaned as she slouched back in the bath, still flushed and drunk from the binge drinking she went through that night at the party.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you overreacting a bit?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Lilia. Soar and Lady Agnes? Those two are Not. Normal. Kids. Yes, they¡¯ve been raised by a well-renowned Hunter and the freaking knight general of the Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s guard. Both of them likely incorporated their own disciplines and martial schools into their roles as both parent and trainer of those kids, but my issue is what those two have gone through to get like that! Lady Agnes, I can get from her intelligence, talent, and who her father is, but Soar? I can¡¯t make heads or tails of him! Even if you put him being a Fairy Child aside, his level of control, quantity, and the repertoire of magic he¡¯s able to do is outside of common sense for a kid his age! Don¡¯t even get me started on his blade work with that dagger of his!¡±

    Rala then held her chest that was tightening from recalling her time in the exam, ¡°It was the first time I saw him taking out three lower-imps on his own that got me. His movements were so quick, fluent, and had no wasted energy. That intense concentration in his eyes that were cold as ice, as if he forgot we were there. He didn¡¯t even flinch when the blade made contact with the monsters¡¯ flesh or when their blood spilled on his clothes. All my hairs were standing on end like I was watching a natural-born killer do his work. That is something I never want to see from a child! It was like he has seen and experienced as much as an adult has, or even more!¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, Rala, it¡¯s like you¡¯re making Gullivan, and me, into villains who put Soar through an awful ordeal,¡± Lilia finally interjected, ¡°Yes, I have also been on the receiving end of his training methods while he was still leading our party, and I admit they were harsh, but he would never force me into something as bad as what you might be imagining, and that goes double for Soar while he¡¯s still so young. If you ask me, he¡¯s not how he is now solely from training with his father, or all of us from Platinum Arms.¡±

    ¡°You all trained him, too?¡± Rala asked with widened eyes.

    Lilia nodded, ¡°Yes, but no more than a couple times a year whenever we visited Lunargrove. We¡¯ve actually been told that Soar would go off on his own whenever he didn¡¯t have his lessons with Gullivan or schoolwork to worry about. I imagine it was around those times Soar did his own training, but as to whatever he did to look like, in your words, a ¡®natural-born killer¡¯, in battle mind you, your guess is as good as mine.¡±

    Rala sighed heavily, ¡°Yeah, no, I¡¯m not risking myself to put up with that again, no matter how unlikely it is that another kid like that would come around. I think I lost more cat lives from that one trek in the dungeon than I had throughout the entirety of my time as a Hunter! It might be about time I finally step down from the job,¡± Rala concluded while nodding her head.

    ¡°Seriously? After just that one time? What would you do for a living then?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you would not be that lax if you had the same experience I had,¡± Rala argued before doing a very cat-like stretch of her arms and slouching back in the bath, ¡°As for what I¡¯ll do from now on, I¡¯ll just settle for being a guild receptionist. This way, my chances of meeting an interesting guy will go up, and I could help the adorable children from behind the counter, too.¡±

    ¡°Still looking to help young rookie Hunters, huh?¡±

    Onelri and Fila decided to stop listening in from there and pondered a similar thought, A natural-born killer ¡­ was it because of those bandits?

    ~~

    [Claire]

    Unknown to the dark elf and rabbitkin girls, one human girl among their group was also listening in to Lilia¡¯s and Rala¡¯s private talk. Her way of hearing such gossip, however, was as natural as if she was right there next to them, even if they were many yards away from her. That was just how Claire Galloway gathered such information after training her hearing and other senses over the years. She moved her black locks behind her ear while getting lost in her thoughts, A boy who is a natural-born killer, and who also not only has six fairies, but was able to summon a high-class demonic familiar with the magic circle in Myron Dungeon? I didn¡¯t see him go into a sanctorium at any point in our trip to Brightlas, and it¡¯s impossible to purchase the translations from them ahead of time, since the special parchments they¡¯re written on turn to ashes after one day.

    The only way he could have known the lines to chant the summoning spell was by translating the Shimmerlin language etched into those walls with the help of that book I gifted him. The problem with that answer, however, is how easily he translated it when it takes the bishops managing the sanctoriums two years to become somewhat fluent in the language. Even if the familiar selection is random, the chances of summoning one from a higher class is raised the more fluent you are in Shimmerlin. I would be a little more at ease if Soar had read the Book of Ancient Practices before, but from how he reacted seeing that book¡ª

    <Mistress! I found the boy!> a male voice exclaimed in Claire¡¯s mind through telepathy, interrupting her thoughts.

    <Where is he, Dranos? What is he doing now?> Claire asked, calm and collected.

    <It¡¯s crazy, Mistress! He and two of his fairies are in the cavern in the woods! The one near the area where you used to train, and there¡¯s a summoning circle that wasn¡¯t there before! What¡¯s more, a naked, crying angelic familiar is with them, too! I-I think the boy summoned her with the circle!>

    Claire gulped as her throat suddenly went dry, cold sweat mixed with the droplets of bath water on her back, Soar Osmis, just who ¡­ or what ¡­ are you?

 Chapter 36: The Fairies Gossiped at a Cumming

    [Breezy]

    If the goddess Elmyra, the Great Mother, is the creator of Manara and everything that lives on it, then the fairies are its protectors, maintaining the balance and beauty of its nature. These fairies were born from the six goddesses representing all of the existing elements, the Elemental Maidens, and their courtship of the Two Fathers, Nodem and Garem.

    These fairies were gifted with the bodies, knowledge, personalities of adults, and magic exclusive to them. With those powers, they did all they could to keep the nature of the world at balance, before their tragically short lives ended after only 3-5 years. This had been going on for countless years since the birth of Manara, each generation doing their thankless, but rewarding, job while hiding in plain sight using Fairy Magic. The growing numbers of monsters, however, didn¡¯t make this easy or peaceful. Monsters in Manara grow in strength and power by consuming fairies as well as each other.

    As the danger grew, the fairies became more desperate to find a solution to their problem. One day, a bold fairy revealed herself to the sapients they previously hid their presence from¡ªthe knowledge of which humanoid race was lost to history. The fairy begged the larger intelligent children of Elmyra for help. In exchange, the fairy would bend her powers and her body, yes, her entire being, to their will.

    Thus, the very first contract between a Chaperone and a Companion was born. With this unity, they both gained stronger powers and extended life spans, something neither of them ever knew was possible. The other fairies and sentient lifeforms followed their example, and before long, contracts between fairies and humanoids became commonplace. As Fairy Companions helped their Chaperones fend off monsters, they fulfilled their purpose in protecting Manara¡¯s magical nature. Fairies who weren¡¯t contracted yet benefited the most as Chaperons and Companions prioritized their safety to protect future bonding opportunities. With contracted Companions both protecting their non-contracted sistren and working to maintain the balance of nature, they quickly became renowned as heroes among fairykind.

    The fairies of Manara, whether or not they¡¯re under a contract, in the end were hard workers, accomplishing their lifelong racial goals in their own ways. Just as humans and other lifeforms need moments of reprieve, however, fairies are not so different in this regard. Whether it¡¯s receiving rewards for their hard work as the heroes and protectors of nature, celebrating special occasions, or even killing the short moments of time in boredom, fairies of all kinds spend those moments in their favorite recreational activity: sex. If any humanoid child ever found out what the fairies did during those times, it was certain their innocence would forever be shattered.

    That night, since it was a celebration of Soar and Agnes becoming official Hunters, it was as good an excuse as any to hold a Cumming. A Cumming is a party where many fairies gather in one place for a night long orgy. It wasn¡¯t limited to just contracted Companions, non-contracted fairies were invited as well. Many more still were drawn in by the moans and screams of pleasure, as well as the pheromones a fairy can only emit while in coitus.

    If one were to go up to the attic of Soar¡¯s home where it was taking place, they¡¯d be surprised at the scene. Instead of finding bare wooden floorboards with junk scattered in the room, everything was shoved aside to make room for a few old, queen-sized mattresses put together and covered by a large sheet. On those covered mattresses were many tiny pillows and cushions of various shapes, plus benches, platforms, and other miniature bits of furniture obviously designed to aid fairies in getting freaky. Moving among it all were countless wingless fairies shuffling about without a shred of mana-made clothing on.

    One could make out groups of fairies of a single element just by the like-colored hairs and gems that were clustered together. Others had mixed elements melded together, either because they were trying something new, or because they were already acquainted in some way.

    [To follow the rules on this site''s sexual content, this and other parts later in the chapter will be redacted. If you wish to read the full, completed version, please check it out on webnovel as listed in the author note down at the bottom.]

    At the corner of the attic were two open wine bottles and a stack of hollowed-out acorn seeds for use as cups. Fairies worked together to lift a bottle and pour its contents into a large bowl for easier access. Just like any other fun, radical party, alcohol was almost an essential item at a Cumming. Care had to be taken, however, to give the beverage area enough space so as to not risk spilling the strong and bitter contents all over the floor.

    One small Wind Fairy, along with a Darkness Fairy of the same size, both of which were not contracted with Chaperones, were especially careful as they scooped some of it from the bowl into acorn cups. Cautiously, they stepped over, dodged between, and weaved their way through the sea of fairies [Redacted]

    Their destination was one of the biggest Wind Fairies in the room, the main attraction and the real reason for tonight¡¯s Cumming, as it was her Chaperone¡¯s parents who put it all together. Breezy, Soar Osmis¡¯ main Wind Fairy Companion, as well as the leader of his fairy harem, was the queen of this show. She, and three others of Soar¡¯s Fairy Companions, Shadina of Darkness, Mist of Water, and Cinder of Fire, were grouped together. The harem all lay with their upper bodies propped up side-by-side around the same conical cushion. The specially shaped pillow allowed their bodies to fan out in a semicircle, [Redacted]. Agnes¡¯ Fire Fairy Companion, Flicker, had also joined them, sitting next to Cinder while receiving the same treatment. Situated in the middle of the covered mattresses, the group relaxed, [Redacted].

    Seeing as how there weren¡¯t others waiting nearby, the approaching Wind Fairy bowed deeply while holding out the acorn cup full of wine towards Breezy, ¡°Lady Breezy! A cup of wine, as an offering to your beauty and grace!¡±

    ¡°S-Same, Mistress Shadina,¡± the Darkness Fairy partner said while looking down, copying her friend¡¯s gesture towards Shadina.

    Breezy, [Redacted] gratefully took the wine offering with a gentle smile, ¡°Thank you kindly, sweetie. Okay, little one, that will do. It¡¯s time to let the next one take over.¡± Breezy patted the light green hair of another Wind Fairy [Redacted]

    ¡°You, too, darling. Gotta give the other Darkness Fairies a chance,¡± Shadina said to her own partner while taking the acorn cup of wine.

    The first pair of fairies thanked Breezy and Shadina for giving them their time, then left and went to another part of the attic where they could help each other [Redacted]

    ¡°Alright, they¡¯re all yours,¡± Breezy said for the both of them.

    [Redacted]

    The entire act, [Redacted] was a part of a special custom in fairy culture called Fountaining. [Redacted]

    Nobody knew who came up with Fountaining, or if it actually worked. The consensus among fairies asked about its legitimacy was, ¡°It¡¯s fucking hot, so who cares?¡± It didn¡¯t seem like any fairy, whether they were contracted or not, had any complaints over the practice, so no new fairy pressed further into the subject than needed. What mattered was that Fountaining had to be done during a Cumming. This tradition would happen not just upon the contracted fairies who were hosting the party or those for whom the celebration was thrown. Any Fairy Companion who happened to show up for the occasion would also bless as many non-companion fairies as they could. After all, there were many, many, hopefuls eager to meet with their Chaperone one day.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Breezy and the rest of Soar¡¯s fairy harem were drawing the most attention that night. First because they were some of the largest fairies that were present in the room. Second, their exploits had been known among all the fairies in Lunargrove for some time. Yet, this was their very first time being hostesses of a Cumming, the Companions of Soar¡¯s parents weren¡¯t involved in the hosting at all. Anybody who was anybody in the nearby fairy community wanted in on the action [Redacted]

    Of course, none of the other sentient races, not even those who were Chaperones, ever knew what went on at a Cumming. This was another of the principles of the Fairy Code ingrained from a fairy¡¯s creation. Everything that happens among fairykind, stays among fairykind. It was because of the principles of the Fairy Code that Manara was able to thrive under the fairy¡¯s watch and care.

    [Redacted]

    ¡°Yeah, I just can¡¯t see myself being in either of their positions,¡± Cinder said as she walked over and sat next to Breezy¡¯s open side before sighing, ¡°Fuck ¡­ how long was it since I last got eaten out?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re the oldest among us, are you?¡± Breezy asked, ¡°Despite the circumstances, you seem to be getting along well with the others.¡±

    Cinder¡¯s joining Soar¡¯s fairy harem was a special case. She was previously the Companion of the bandit leader, Gus. Cinder and her Darkness Fairy partner, Luna, had been suffering from depression and questioning their ability to move forward for a long time. Though the bandits¡¯ Fairy Companions, including Cinder and Luna, were disheartened to lose their Chaperones, they didn¡¯t dwell on the feeling for very long. On the contrary, they were very impressed by Soar¡¯s performance. Add to that how he put himself in harm¡¯s way to help those families, and they all felt their powers would be given to someone who knew how to use them better. Nevertheless, no matter how low one had gone in the world, the moment of parting was sad for all Fairy Companions, including Cinder and Luna. After a final mourning ceremony for their lost Chaperones, the former Companions literally merged together with Soar¡¯s fairies through a special ritual. This left Cinder as the only one of the former bandit¡¯s Companions¡¯ who remained after the rest merged into the other fairies of Soar¡¯s harem, making those fairies stronger than ever before. And all this had happened only the day before.

    Cinder was just starting to get some energy back after doing her duty as a Fountain as she leaned back to look up to the ceiling with a smirk, ¡°You girls may be a handful, but ¡­ I never thought I would have this much fun being someone¡¯s Companion.¡±

    ¡°Was the time with your former Chaperone that awful?¡± Breezy asked with drooping brows and shoulders.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Cinder answered before looking straight ahead with a solemn expression. One of her hands rested on the crimson gem centered over her sternum just at the top of her breasts, ¡°My former Chaperone, Gus ¡­ the guy had a rough life when he was younger. On the day we met ¡­ he was mourning the death of her parents from a house fire. For a boy so young, he looked very lonely, and my heart ached at the sight. ¡®I have to cheer him up, somehow,¡¯ I thought. He named me Cinder while staring at the blackened remains of his former home.¡±

    Breezy had no words with which to respond. She only sat there and waited while resting a hand on Cinder¡¯s back.

    ¡°Life after that was rough, but we managed to get by, especially when we met his Darkness Fairy, Luna, sometime later,¡± Cinder continued before giving a brief, nostalgic smile, ¡°She and I would get a smile out of him from time to time. It made Gus look cute, I¡¯ll admit that much, but thinking back on it now, I wonder if he was putting up a front for our sake ¡­ for mine. Maybe that was why he got angry over everything later on, including us, enough to be dismissed from Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s guard. By that point, it was pointless to argue with him, and it was better if we just did what he said. Even now, I wonder how Gus would have turned out if I tried harder to make him happy, if I didn¡¯t give up when he turned away and began walking down a darker path.¡±

    ¡°Cinder¡ª¡± Breezy started as Cinder¡¯s face contorted with pain.

    She was halted when the Fire Fairy held a hand up, silently asking Breezy to wait until she finished. Sad, but realizing she needed to go on, the Wind Fairy settled for rubbing her companion¡¯s back as the latter took a shaky breath to calm down.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think ¡­ becoming his Companion was a mistake, though,¡± Cinder said, closing her eyes and pondering, ¡°I know that in my heart, I wanted to be with that boy that day, the same goes for Luna. Still, it hurt ¡­ questioning how much continuing my life was worth the effort. And as strange as it may sound, those same feelings of needing to provide a missing piece that I had when I first met that lost little boy, they came up again when I watched Soar fight last night. He seemed happy enough already with you, Shadina, and Mist, happier than I could have made my former Chaperone, possibly. But it still felt like he was missing something. Maybe ¡­ everything that happened up to then was in preparation for my meeting with Soar, to help him find that piece he was missing, even though I hadn¡¯t been able to do so for Gus. If anything, I want to take this second chance to actually make a difference in someone¡¯s life. Just like how Soar¡¯s working so hard to make his own second chance at life in this new world be a life worth living.¡±

    Cinder then opened her eyes and turned to Breezy, ¡°Do you think ¡­ I can actually do it, Breezy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can, Cinder,¡± Breezy answered while pulling her friend into an embrace, ¡°In fact, I know you can, because you¡¯re not alone on this. Me, Shadina, Mist, Marble, Nova, maybe even Sarise, we will help you when you need it. Most importantly, however, Soar will be there for you, too, because he cares about your happiness just as much as you do about his. The same goes for all of us. You just have to believe that you can do it. Judging by the color of your heart, I think you¡¯re well on your way to having your goal be realized.¡±

    When Soar¡¯s Fairy Companions first ran into Cinder, they noticed how her ruby-colored gem, a fairy¡¯s heart, was getting worrisomely dark and dull, as were the other fairies¡¯ in that bandit troupe. A fairy¡¯s heart reflects their state of mind and affects their performance at casting spells. If they¡¯re not properly attended to, casting spells could actually cause damage. If a fairy¡¯s heart gets too dark, she will eventually succumb to Heart Break, one of the more painful and tragic deaths possible. It was one that no fairy would ever want to witness. Worse is if she does so intentionally just to escape from the abuse her Chaperone inflicts upon her.

    Since becoming Soar¡¯s Fairy Companion, however, Cinder¡¯s gem heart had started to get some color and luster back into it. A fairy¡¯s heart shows how happy she is with her life by the brightness of its color.

    Cinder smiled warmly as she rested a hand on her gem heart once more, ¡°That means a lot. With my experience living in this world, I¡¯ll try to help out however I can and watch over the others with you. If this flame in my heart grows small and weak, I¡¯m counting on you to fan it back up to blazing, Breezy.¡±

    Breezy smirked, ¡°I gotta admit, that line was very clever.¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡±

    Breezy and Cinder couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at that before the latter looked straight ahead, ¡°Still, for Soar to summon a high-class angelic familiar with a summoning circle carved by his Earth Magic, an element he just picked up last night is impressive. The dude¡¯s older than his dad, or even my old Chaperone, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of anyone else around his true age being that skilled with magic.¡±

    Cinder and Breezy were aware of Soar¡¯s summoning efforts due to a Fairy Magic ability called Hive Mind. A type of telepathic magic, it connects all of the fairies contracted with the same Chaperone. This allows them to communicate and exchange information with each other over a certain distance. That distance is increased as the fairies in the harem grow in number and power, and it can be extended further with mana. Of course, the harem¡¯s Chaperone can be included in this telepathic communication. And, unlike the telepathy found in Aptitude Magic, Hive Mind requires no mana to use when the distance is small enough.

    Nova and Marble, the Light and Earth Fairies who were escorting Soar, notified the others in the group through Hive Mind almost immediately after he summoned the angelic familiar. Cinder was the most shocked when she heard the news, but Breezy, Shadina, and Mist? After being with him for so long, they were practically numb to whatever surprises he might pull by this point.

    ¡°Well, we sort of figured he¡¯d go that far knowing how bad demonic familiars have it in some parts of this world,¡± Breezy said while looking up, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d manage an angelic familiar, though, and from what Nova has said, she sounds pretty cute. I¡¯m eager to meet her when they get back. Hopefully by then, she¡¯ll have calmed down some.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like it will be a bit before they get back, but in the meantime,¡± Cinder said before turning to straddle Breezy¡¯s hips, facing her with a sly, seductive grin, ¡°I still need to give my new leader a proper ¡®thank you¡¯ for treating me so well ¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, and just how do you intend to ¡®thank¡¯ me, Cinder?¡± Breezy asked, before giving her own half-lidded smile and wrapping her arms around the tanned Fire Fairy¡¯s neck.

    Cinder hummed, ¡°How about I show ya how a girl with experience gives real lip service?¡±

    ¡°Only if you give it to these lips first.¡±

    ¡°I can live with that,¡± Cinder said before going right in to assault Breezy¡¯s mouth with her own.

    Cinder¡¯s tongue got inside while Breezy gave it a warm, moist welcome. [Redacted] As Breezy was receiving Cinder¡¯s thanks, her eyes opened slightly as her mind drifted onto her Chaperone, I really hope that you¡¯ll join us in our fun one day, Soar. Even if it takes a little longer, I¡¯ll wait for as long as I need to show you that we fairies know how to treat our Chaperones right and show them a good time.

 Chapter 37: I Met an Angel

    The large, naked, angelic familiar¡¯s cries lasted for a couple minutes until she finally calmed down. She was still on her back, but instead of trying to cover her shame, her limbs were splayed out as she stared up at the cavern¡¯s ceiling like the end of the world had arrived. Besides the angel¡¯s face, which was trailed with tears and snot, I noticed upon closer inspection that there were white grapevine-like patterns spread over some parts of her body, similar to Sarise, though hers were in black. Seeing this pattern on the angel proved not only that she was a familiar, but one from Zaleese like Rala¡¯s Flinto. That aside, though I had read records about some influential people in the Reskondant Kingdom who had one, I still couldn¡¯t believe summoning an angel to be a familiar was possible, even now.

    ¡°Are you okay ¡­ ma¡¯am?¡± I asked, ¡°That was some fall there, and your ¡­ halo? It looks broken. Are you injured badly? How many fingers am I holding up?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Two?¡± the familiar asked with a cracked voice, speaking now in Dustaran like me, as opposed to the Shimmerlin she used earlier.

    ¡°Okay, you can see clearly and you can speak, good. Does your head hurt? Let me see if I can do something about it. Oh, and here¡¯s a handkerchief to wipe your face,¡± keeping myself composed, I handed the angelic familiar a handkerchief I pulled from my Dark Space. I then scooted behind her while Marble and Nova hovered above us. Resting my hands over her damp temples, I asked Mona from my Great Sage gift, <Mona, are there any injuries on her?>

    Mona diagnosed, <No bleeding, bone fractures or misalignments have been detected. Due to the head trauma and broken halo, however, the subject is experiencing a severe lack of coordination and light-headedness. Healing magic can reduce the symptoms of pain and soreness, but it is recommended that the subject takes things slow and is checked periodically every few hours tonight while the subject rests to monitor for signs of worsening conditions.>

    Well, at least her condition is treatable, I thought, Still, to take such a dramatic fall and only have some pain on the back of her head? She¡¯s more durable than she looks!

    I had discovered this trick while dungeon crawling with Agnes earlier as I treated a few of her injuries. If I make physical contact with someone who¡¯s injured and ask Mona, she can scan them and give me the low down on their condition as well as recommend treatments. It¡¯s like a super high-tech MRI scan, but far better. I don¡¯t know if this is part of the analyzing aspect of the Great Sage gift, but it really helps to know what¡¯s going on in front of me. Best of all, that information is relayed to me almost instantaneously, so there¡¯s hardly a wait time.

    ¡°I¡¯m Soar Osmis, by the way. The fairies hovering above us are my Companions, Nova and Marble. May I ask for your name?¡± I asked, figuring we might as well make introductions under these strange circumstances when trying to come up with some small-talk.

    She was cleaning her face with the handkerchief and set it on the ground before answering, ¡°Melody?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty name. Okay, Melody, I¡¯m going to apply some healing magic. Let me know if you feel anything,¡± I said before closing my eyes.

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    <Mona, help me pinpoint the location of Melody¡¯s receptors in her head that need relief from pain and soreness.>

    <Analyzing. Affected receptors found. Marking locations,> Mona stated.

    I was deeply focused as I applied healing magic to the specific areas that needed treatment, starting with the back of her head, as that was affected the most. From my hands on her temples, I could feel her shuddering from the effects of my mana connecting with hers. My Magic Hands gift helped me control mana flow and increased the power of some spells that involved direct contact. This served to make my healing efforts far more effective. In my mind¡¯s eye, back when I treated Agnes¡¯ wounds, I would see a silhouette of her form and what places on them needed treatment. This time was different as I focused on Melody. Instead of a silhouette, I was met with an almost blinding light that made the locations Mona marked hard to find.

    Despite whatever this blinding light is, I was able to fully treat Melody¡¯s head with physical contact and by putting some of my mana through her channels to help show me a way. Is this her mana obstructing my mind¡¯s vision, or is this an Aura like Sarise¡¯s? Either way, I can¡¯t see the places where Melody¡¯s sore like this. I¡¯ll have to search them by touch and apply mana as I go. ¡°Are you okay with me lifting your head for a bit, Melody?¡± I asked with my eyes still closed.

    ¡°H-Huh? Um, sure, my head feels totally fine now.¡±

    ¡°Good, then, if you¡¯ll excuse me ¡­¡± I carefully lifted Melody¡¯s head before scooting forward, making sure my knees didn¡¯t pin her hair to the floor before finally setting her head back down.

    ¡°Um ¡­ M-Master Soar?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Melody?¡± I responded.

    ¡°What is my head propped on?¡±

    ¡°My lap.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh ¡­¡± I then felt her shifting below me.

    ¡°Please try to keep yourself from fidgeting so I can pinpoint where you¡¯re affected.¡±

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°Hold your arms as close to you as possible, like you¡¯re hugging yourself, and focus on taking deep breaths. That should keep you still. It¡¯s what I was taught in case I got nervous over something.¡± Granted, this is something I learned from my past life when I was dealing with my social anxiety and stress. It¡¯s a hybrid of things I read about in some books that I tried for myself and found to be pretty effective.

    I felt Melody shifting below me, and with my sense of sight closed off, my hearing was heightened enough without magic to catch her slowed breaths.

    ¡°This is actually kind of relaxing,¡± she said.

    ¡°Good. Just keep doing that while I work.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    I then felt my way to her shoulders, using touch and the connection of our mana as my guides. Either her shoulders got really sore from the fall, or she¡¯s been living with this stiffness for some time. I should try to get her into as good a condition as possible, I thought as I applied healing magic and inserted my mana to her channels to fix the stiffness.

    ¡°Mmph!¡±

    ¡°Sorry if this hurts, it will only be a moment,¡± I said with my eyes still closed.

    I pinched her shoulders with some pressure to apply some of my massage technique while using healing magic. For some reason, that massaging pressure actually helped push my mana deeper into the angel¡¯s flesh, pushing through the obscuring light and highlighting the state of her body more fully to me. I had never seen so deeply into the inner workings within the flesh and organs of another before, and the experience was both fascinating and absorbing.

    ¡°Ooooh, this feels ¡­ really nice.¡±

    Okay, that should do it for the shoulders, I thought, Her arms seem to be in good condition, too. What¡¯s this area below?

    I bent forward, sliding my hands further down, moving towards the next trouble spot, when my fingers unexpectedly sank into something big, soft, and slightly damp. Hard, marble-sized objects poked into my fingers and I closed my digits around them, giving the strange pebbles of flesh a light, exploratory pinch. This caused everything below me to shudder, and I heard an ¡°Eep!¡± I issued soothing shushing noises, not wanting to be distracted from my work. Gently inserting more mana into the nubs as a test, I found it unexpectedly useful, more so as I rolled and tweaked the knobs between my thumb and index fingers.

    The squeezable flesh below these beads was somehow slowing the flow of my mana and moving it in an oddly shaped pattern. I think electricity running through resistors in electronics back home reacted similarly.  The mana patterns were both unexpected and captivating. However, the sensation of this flesh molding and conforming around my hands was even more enticing and strangely pleasing. Trying to wrap as much of it in my palm as I could while still holding the nubs between my fingers, I began pumping more mana into the slowly swelling pebbles. Melody¡¯s body below me trembled more, but she tried to contain her squeal behind closed teeth, as far as I could distractedly tell from sound, anyway.

    The beads of flesh had begun to rapidly swell and harden as soon as I started inserting mana into them, strangely enough. This response didn¡¯t get a negative reaction from my healing magic, however, so I didn¡¯t pay it any mind, not wanting anything to distract me from getting Melody into perfect working order. Pinching, pulling, rolling, and twisting with gentle firmness, I practiced forcing mana through the now rock-hard and engorged protrusions, focusing my attention on the injured area deep beneath where my fingers gripped and lightly squeezed. It wasn¡¯t enough to see the problem clearly, however, but I felt I had my new technique down now. Plus, I didn¡¯t want to be too rough with my angelic familiar''s body.

    Needing to see more, I released the engorged knobs and adjusted my hold, slipping the swollen pebbles between my fingers as I gripped the springy flesh underneath them. I then began using my newly discovered mana penetration massage technique while repeatedly squeezing, tweaking, and kneading the bountiful flesh beneath the greatly enlarged marbles. Unexpectedly, some of the mana rerouted itself up through the hardened nubs before moving down to the rest of the body, eliciting strong twitches and gasps from Melody. I know mana channels are as complicated as the nervous or circulatory systems, but do they actually follow either of their lines? I speculated excitedly as I carefully examined the mana flows, trying to better identify the various cellular structures.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Throughout all this, I had peripherally noticed the angel¡¯s slow deep breaths becoming shallower and quicker, but they didn¡¯t sound pained, so I ignored her lapse in concentration. What was important, however, was the fact that my hands couldn¡¯t get a proper hold of the damaged area directly, what with the over abundant amount of softness filling my palms in the way. Larger and firmer kneading seemed to compensate well, though, eventually allowing me to reach the entirety of the injured area. Besides, if I was being honest, the soft female flesh overfilling my hands was surprisingly smooth and pleasing to the touch.

    Alright, looks like the soreness below this area is better, I thought, It wasn¡¯t too severe, but it seems to have been caused by constantly carrying heavy loads around. It would have been worrisome if left alone without proper care. There¡¯s more even further down that needs to be treated, too. Just what did she go through to get like this? Hopefully, I can address the issue so that it doesn¡¯t get this bad again.  I¡¯m certainly willing to help carry some of her load if it will lighten the strain on her back. Anyway, I¡¯ll have to move down if I¡¯m to reach the nest spot for direct healing.

    I reluctantly dragged my hands back from the two very soft, moldable mounds of flesh until they flopped from the tips of my fingers. On impulse, I gave the greatly enlarged buds one final tweak with a touch of mana, which made Melody¡¯s whole body shudder, A strong reaction, as I predicted if mana channels follow the nervous system. I¡¯ll have to remember to ask her how that felt. With that, I carefully set her head on the floor before feeling my way down her body from the side while keeping my eyes closed in concentration.

    I eventually stopped with the next part that I could sense more soreness from directly below my hands. Between my hands and that sore spot, I felt this next part of Melody¡¯s body rapidly inflating and deflating like an air pump. This was an area I could pinch and squish a bit with both of my hands, which also allowed me to transfer my mana into the affected area more directly. It was quite large, though, so with my hands still on it, like getting on a bicycle, I stood up and tried lifting one of my legs over to the other side. I managed, putting one foot on each side of her form, facing up towards Melody¡¯s head. From this position, I had a better angle to run my hands over areas I couldn¡¯t reach before. My thumb went into an unexpected hole at one point, making Melody gasp, but then relax. Encouraged, and with the leverage from my new position, I continued massaging my hands around this area while trying to help calm her down some more.

    ¡°How are you doing there, Melody?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know ¡­ I feel weird.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s an unusual, unfamiliar feeling that makes you slightly tingly, maybe ticklish, I¡¯ve heard the same from others I treated, so that¡¯s normal. Just hang in there a little more, I¡¯m almost done. There¡¯s only one more area a little lower from here,¡± I explained.

    Aside from Sarise when I massaged her in the dungeon, the other adults said something similar when I first treated them. Mom, Ms. Renne, and Lilia were not only taken aback, but looked a little awkward for some reason when they first received it and had to stop me midway. When I explained to them what I was doing, they instructed me to not insert and spread my mana so far in the future. I was told to only go about a finger digit and a half deep, and they only let me massage as far down to their lower backs. Since it didn¡¯t really matter for a normal massage, I followed their recommendations on how to improve my technique.

    Here, however, the blinding light in my mind¡¯s eye made it difficult for me to navigate the pain receptors in Melody¡¯s body.  Add to this the depth I had to penetrate to reach the points in question if I didn¡¯t want to risk moving her, and this meant that I had to insert my mana deep into her channels for clear and precise treatment.

    ¡°L-Lower?¡± Melody squeaked after I told her where I was aiming next.

    While still facing towards Melody¡¯s upper body, I slowly stepped backwards for a better angle and slid my hands even further down to the final area. It wasn¡¯t too far below the hole my thumb went into. I felt a tender spot once I added a little more pressure with my own weight over the area I was targeting. The bone here is quite wide, I analyzed, But I recognize the line of this soreness enough to know that¡¯s the spine. Looks like it¡¯s where the spine¡¯s sitting that¡¯s causing all the aching and soreness, highly likely her lower back. I¡¯d flip her over, but even if her injuries aren¡¯t that severe, I probably shouldn¡¯t move her body so drastically after such a fall. I¡¯ll try getting my mana to penetrate deep and work my way around to that area first.

    For this last and hardest effort, I made full use of whatever mana channels passed from where my hands were touching the angel to her lower back. I massaged the area above them with slow motions while applying as much pressure my small body could provide. Melody emitted a shuddering gasp when my mana went down and passed over a lower area before circling back up to her lower back, causing her entire body to tremble and contract.

    ¡°I-I feel ¡­ so strange. W-Why am I blanking out?¡± Melody asked.

    I was so focused on what was in front of me that I didn¡¯t fully absorb what the angel was trying to ask, but I could sense she was feeling very scared. ¡°Just try to relax, okay? I¡¯m almost there. You¡¯re going to feel fine, just let it all go,¡± I said, referring to her stress.

    ¡°L-Let it go?¡±

    ¡°Let it go,¡± I said with a more demanding tone than I intended before sending a small burst of mana inside with one final push.

    That last bit might have been a little too much, as the angel let out such a high-pitched squeal in response that my ears popped. Her body straightened and stiffened, back arching for a moment before dropping back down. Whatever Melody just went through while screaming, she was definitely out of breath now from how much she wheezed.

    ¡­ Quite the reaction, I hope she¡¯s alright, but it looks like that should do it. <Mona? Anything else?> I asked her in my mind.

    <Healing treatment completed. All of the subject''s pain and soreness receptors have been relieved. The area that used to contain the cranial injury should still be kept under observation, as previously advised, however. Subject is currently experiencing conditions of exhaustion, relief, and high levels of embarrassment, self-loathing, and shame,> Mona concluded.

    Huh? Why would Melody feel¡ª

    As I pulled myself back, one of my hands brushed over something scraggly and hairy, something that shouldn¡¯t be there as I was far from the angel¡¯s head of damp, but flowing, orange-red locks. While this hair was also damp, it seemed more so than what would be produced in a shower. With my eyes still closed, I recalled where I started and how I worked my way down to where I was now. Remembering what sensations I felt as I scoured Melody¡¯s body, I was terrified of opening my eyes to see what hair my hand was hovering over as I broke into cold sweat.

    ¡ªself-loathing?

    Once I backed off and gave the angel some space, I opened my eyes to find Nova and Marble staring uncertainly from the sidelines. Melody¡¯s naked body was red and drenched in sweat as she covered her face again and quietly sobbed. I looked at my palms, flexed my fingers a little, and dreaded what parts of her body they¡¯d treaded. I prayed I wouldn''t get some kind of severe divine punishment for what I did to the angel in my afterlife.

    ¡°... Melody? Are you feeling okay?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°No ¡­¡± she answered with a cracked voice.

    Right, why did I even bother asking? Idiot ¡­ For once, I didn¡¯t find it hard to keep my eyes from focusing on anything but the angel¡¯s face, but I couldn¡¯t derive pleasure from the personal accomplishment. I moved and sat next to Melody before lowering my head, ¡°Melody, I am so sorry. I was only trying to¡ªno, I can¡¯t make any excuses for this. You must feel so hurt, I realize that what I did to you was wrong, even if I didn¡¯t know what I was doing at the time. Heck, none of this would have happened if I hadn¡¯t summoned you here like this.

    ¡°I want to make it up to you. Please, ask for anything you want, say whatever you want, yell at me, tell me you hate me, all of it, I¡¯ll take full responsibility. I want to make this right between us.¡±

    ¡°W-What ¡­ What are you talking about?¡± Melody asked hoarsely, ¡°You were only trying to help heal my injuries. It was strange, but it felt really good. I¡¯m the one that¡¯s ashamed of being in such a disgusting state after peeing myself. What kind of a reaction to healing is that? Oh, lord, how I want to die right now ¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ Pee?¡± I was afraid to look, but I had to confirm for myself, so I peeked over her thickly perfect thighs and saw a large puddle on the floor, with more viscous fluid dripping from her extremely wet and exposed holy ground as we spoke. Did I actually ¡­ ¡°Um, Melody? That isn¡¯t pee,¡± I stated.

    ¡°W-What else could it be other than pee?¡±

    ¡°Wait, do you not know ¡­ uh, Nova? Marble? Help me out here?¡± I asked, unsure of how to answer while maintaining my cover as an innocent young boy.

    ¡°I got this,¡± Nova said before hovering over to the side of Melody¡¯s face, ¡°Melodeedee, my dudette, Marble and I saw the whole thing, and you didn¡¯t piss yourself. Well, there might have been a little bit of piss, but even if you had a lot of water before this, regular piss would not come close to being as clear and as syrupy as what you just climaxed out of your system, man. Whew, is there a lot of it, though. You¡¯re definitely a squirter, for sure.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, it would take at least three, maybe four Water Fairies climaxing together to get this much liquid nectar. You must have been really pent up before Soar helped you let it all out,¡± Marble added as she hovered to Nova¡¯s side.

    ¡°... Climax?¡± Melody asked while peeking between the fingers over her face.

    ¡°You know, cumming,¡± Marble answered.

    ¡°Coming from what?¡±

    ¡°Not coming from, cumming what, and that¡¯s a whole lot of pussy juice from your honeypot,¡± Nova said.

    Melody moved up into a sitting position and tilted her head in confusion, ¡°Pussy juice? Like cat pee? Why would that come from a honeypot? I don¡¯t even have one. I do like honey, though, and I wouldn¡¯t want cat pee in it.¡±

    I was quickly regretting asking these two for help in explaining this, while at the same time dreading how serious this blissful ignorance of Melody¡¯s was. I had to step in, ¡°Let¡¯s forget about that for now. More importantly, Melody, you felt really good from my healing treatment, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Melody answered uncertainly while staring at the puddle between her legs.

    ¡°Well, you know how our bodies sometimes react in ways that may look like one thing when you¡¯re really feeling something else, right?¡± I asked before looking up in thought, ¡°For example, you may cry when you¡¯re really happy. I would never want to make someone cry out of hurt or sadness, that¡¯d make me feel really terrible, but if they¡¯re really happy, then I¡¯d feel happy, too. If that massage made you feel so good you let off that liquid that isn¡¯t pee¡ªlet¡¯s call it happy juice in this case¡ªthen not only is that a natural reaction, but I¡¯m very happy to hear I treated you so well that your body reacted that way.¡±

    When I turned back to her, I found Melody rubbing the liquid from her puddle between her fingers and smelling it, painting a surreal scene for me. I didn¡¯t know whether to feel ashamed or fascinated at her level of innocence as I watched. She then turned back to me after hearing my honest thoughts, ¡°Y-You are?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, this kind of thing would definitely boost his confidence,¡± Nova commented, taking more from the puddle and holding it out Melody, ¡°When a man is able to make a woman feel good enough to let their ¡­ happy juices out, that¡¯s a huge accomplishment any guy should be proud of.¡±

    ¡°And if you felt that good from his healing magic, then I¡¯m sure you¡¯d love his massage technique!¡± Marble exclaimed in excitement, ¡°I¡¯ve only seen it a few times first-hand, but from what I heard the others say, Soar¡¯s massages are legendary! His parents and teacher always felt so much better after asking him to massage their tired bodies! There¡¯s also the girls we traveled with in the dungeon earlier, and I could have sworn one of them almost responded the same way you did, Melody!¡±

    ¡°Dude, I got it! My mind is blown from the sheer awesomeness of this idea,¡± Nova said before turning to me, ¡°Soar, you have to give Melody a massage too. Give her a repeat of what she experienced, but twice over, no, three times over, the full-body shebang. Once she sees how natural it is, she won¡¯t feel guilty whenever she has a gushing climax of happy juices like that again in the future.¡±

    ¡°Whooa, I think you blew my mind, too, Nova! You¡¯re a genius!¡± Marble exclaimed.

    ¡°Heh, I can have my moments from time to time,¡± Nova said, then buffed and checked her fingernails with a smug smile.

    Why would I want to make her climax again? I¡¯m already conflicted about all this as it is.

    ¡°I-I simply couldn¡¯t!¡± Melody exclaimed, ¡°Master Soar has already done so much for me, and as much as it pains me to be selfish and ask this of him, I need to get back to Zaleese!¡±

 Chapter 38: The Devil Had a Fashion Show

    [Renne]

    Back in the study at Soar¡¯s home, the group had calmed down after the surprise Sarise¡¯s wardrobe change caused. After giving Sarise a cue, Zalena used that opportunity to explain the effects of Demonic Aura as the devil inverted hers. The transition was surprisingly smooth, Renne wondered if Zalena planned this out ahead of time. Little did she and Soar¡¯s parents know, but Zalena was completely ad libbing on the fly.

    For devils or succubi, projecting their Aura normally would make them irresistible to the eyes of any viewer, male or female, depending how well they trained it. The Goddess Elmyra, in the interest of protecting children, added an exception to this effect, called the Child Protection Inversion. This effect takes a devil¡¯s or succubus¡¯ Aura and reverses it from a lust-inducing to a de-sexualizing Aura on anyone below the age of majority. When a devil or succubus learns to apply this inversion to their normal Aura, they replicate this effect, turning their attention attracting Aura into an attention dispelling one. There are limits on how long an Aura can be inverted and to what degree. Nevertheless, as long as she has a moment or two to release herself for a short period of time, Sarise explained that she could put herself through the stress of inversion for a whole day. She was willing to do much more to stay with Soar.

    After inverting her Aura, Sarise took a moment to make her wings disappear so her audience could get a better look at her back. Only her devilish black, smoothly rounded tail with its arrowhead remained. She then went on to change into different outfits with her clothing magic with her Aura inverted at Zalena¡¯s suggestion.

    [To follow the rules on this site''s sexual content, this and other parts later in the chapter will be redacted. If you wish to read the full, completed version, please check it out on webnovel as listed in the author note down at the bottom.]

    Sarise¡¯s little fashion show followed a theme. As she transitioned, each outfit covered less than the last, yet her Demonic Aura remained inverted for all of them. This allowed all the adults to see that no matter what the demonic familiar wore, no matter how promiscuous and near nude she made herself, she would possess zero sexual appeal so long as her Aura was inverted. She couldn¡¯t even be looked at sexually, the mind of the viewer would be utterly blocked from seeing or thinking anything that was inappropriate for a child.

    Strange, so this is how Sarise¡¯s Demonic Aura affects our perceptions? I thought it was strange how little of a deal her maid outfit became to me earlier after she inverted her Aura, compared to when she first changed into it. The difference is quite baffling. I can technically see even more of her now than before, and yet I¡¯m able to notice even less of her. I¡¯m not even the least bit attracted to her ¡­ like I was before, either, Renne pondered, using her experience as an educator and a Magician to observe the effects of devil¡¯s Aura despite being affected by it, as Sarise¡¯s fashion show wrapped up.

    Renne also noticed how much fun the surprisingly innocent devil was having as she changed into different clothes. From how she smiled, though, told the fox-kin teacher that there was something she lacked to make the experience all the more enjoyable. The truth, that Renne almost glimpsed, was that Sarise wished her master was in the study watching her as well. She wanted him to praise her for her sense of style and how amazing she looked, to have her voluptuous form be drunk in and ogled at in awe and curiosity. Sarise wanted Soar there to do it all and then some.

    The teacher also noticed how calm and collected Gullivan was as he watched the show. Earlier, the husband had practically drooled over Sarise in her slutty maid outfit before receiving a death glare from his wife, Carol. Maybe that¡¯s the bigger reason why Carol¡¯s reluctant to keep Sarise around, Renne thought as she held back from giggling at the memory. The way her fox ears perked while the tail wagged told more of how amused she was at the flashback than she wanted to show.

    After the nearly non-existent bikini, Sarise turned to Zalena, ¡°Would you like for me to try making something for you as well, Lady Zalena?¡±

    ¡°You mean you can change other people¡¯s clothes, too?¡± Zalena asked with widened eyes.

    ¡°I can conjure new clothes, or change what you have on,¡± Sarise explained, ¡°The change would last for only a certain amount of time if I am not nearby to maintain it. You may tell me what you would like to wear, or I can give my own recommendations, and you may do with them as you wish up to the end of the day. That is when they will disappear if they are new, or change back to what you had on before. I can bring out that same set again at any time as long as Master permits it. Just say the word, and I will produce anything you desire.¡±

    ¡°Anything, you say?¡± Zalena then looked up and tapped her chin in wonder.

    Oh, no. I was told about some of this from the others, Renne thought as her fox ears and tail stiffened, I haven¡¯t heard anything about her getting involved in other couple¡¯s business, but after learning a little of the history between her and Gullivan, would she really try to seduce him in front of his wife? Zalena must have her reasons for not being in a committed relationship by now, polyamorous, monogamous, or otherwise. Else she¡¯d probably be with Gullivan and Carol by now if the latter was into the idea. Should I step in and stop¡ªwhy is Zalena looking at me while smiling like that?

    ¡°It sounds fun, Sarise, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not feeling up to it at the moment,¡± Zalena answered before gesturing to Renne, ¡°I think she¡¯d like to give it a shot, though.¡±

    ¡°W-What?!¡±

    ¡°Carrie, why don¡¯t you join in as well? Give Gully here a good show on what his beloved wife¡¯s made of. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice how jealous you were earlier,¡± Zalena added while wagging her finger.

    ¡°H-Huh?!¡±

    Zalena clapped her hands, ¡°Come on, chop chop, we haven¡¯t got all night, you know.¡±

    With a wave of her finger, Renne and Carol were lifted out of their seats, shocked by the powerful force of Zalena¡¯s levitation magic. The teacher and mother were carried to the other side of the coffee table with ease, while the father remained in his seat, equally stunned.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Now, before we begin, I must ask, Sarise, can the clothes you make for other people give them the same amount of attention and desire you would receive? If they¡¯re within the range of your Aura, will it also change how they are perceived?¡± Zalena asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Sarise answered while shaking her head, ¡°Whether they are children or adults, wearing the clothes I conjured or not, or are within range of my released Aura or outside it, how they are perceived will not be affected either by my Aura or it¡¯s inversion.¡±

    ¡°Then, this will demonstrate how their change of clothes would make those around them, Gully and I, react naturally, providing a contrast against Sarise with her inverted Aura ,¡± Zalena stated, ¡°That said, let¡¯s get Renne and Carrie into the most dangerous, sexiest, outfits you can think of, Sarise.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Lady Zalena.¡±

    ¡°W-Wait! Hold on! We never agreed to be a part of¡ª!¡± Before Carol could finish speaking for both her and Renne, Sarise snapped her fingers and enshrouded the two of them in a blurry haze. It didn¡¯t take long before the veil cleared, and Gulliver¡¯s jaw hit the floor at what he saw.

    [Redacted]

    It took Renne and Carol a moment to take in what the heck they were wearing before squealing and desperately covering themselves with great embarrassment. Sarise¡¯s and Zalena¡¯s eyes were gleaming with excitement after seeing how amazing the two of them looked. [Redacted]

    Some banter was exchanged between the five of them, with Gullivan becoming very touchy and flirty with Carol¡ªwho wasn¡¯t putting up much resistance to his advances despite other people being in the same room. There were also lots of teasing from Zalena¡¯s end, but she and Sarise had made their point on how the latter¡¯s Aura affected a viewer¡¯s perceptions. After that, Renne¡¯s and Sarise¡¯s clothes were changed back to normal and they all went back in their seats. Carol was still in nothing but the naked apron, held by the waist on Gullivan¡¯s lap, who convinced her to stay in it for a little longer despite her half-hearted reluctance. Sarise¡¯s Aura remained inverted throughout the rest of the conversation.

    As much as I¡¯d like to be with someone someday, I don¡¯t think I could pull off that look without dying from embarrassment, Renne thought, exhausted by her brief clothing transformation, before glancing over to the still mostly-naked Carol, I gotta hand it to her, she¡¯s pretty bold to follow her husband¡¯s request with the rest of us still in the room.

    Once things calmed down, Carol turned back to Sarise, ¡°Just to make sure I understand, is this really how your Aura affects Soar and other kids? Would they be exposed to it uninverted once they grow older?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is correct, Lady Carol. For children, my Aura is always inverted,¡± Sarise answered with a nod, ¡°It doesn¡¯t require any special effort on my part, nor can I change it in any way. But that¡¯s only for children, once they become adults they lose the Goddess¡¯ protection.¡±

    Carol crossed her arms [Redacted] while she looked up in thought, ¡°I suppose after seeing how affective Sarise¡¯s Aura is, it might be okay to let her stay, but the thought of leaving Soar alone with Sarise is still making me uneasy. Soar may be a sweet boy who doesn¡¯t take advantage of others, but when he grows up to be a young man, there¡¯s still the possibility that something may happen. I just don¡¯t think I can be comfortable with this knowing what could happen.¡±

    ¡°Come on, honey, I know you¡¯re worried about Soar, but he can¡¯t stay a boy forever,¡± Gullivan argued, ¡°He¡¯s not even a teenager, yet he¡¯s getting popular with girls around his own age already. It feels like only just yesterday we were worried over whether he¡¯d ever make any friends with other kids, much less potential girlfriends.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with Gully on this,¡± Zalena added, ¡°He¡¯s quite mature for his age. It won¡¯t be long before he gains an interest in one of those girls. Actually, with everything he has going for him, he could pull off forming a harem in a snap. If you¡¯re worried of Soar being curious of Sarise as he gets older, you could ask her to invert her aura around him when he gets to that age.¡±

    As the three of them talked among themselves, Renne noticed how Sarise¡¯s form deflated as she began to lose all hope, I understand Carol¡¯s concerns, but Sarise doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯d cause Soar any harm if he ordered her to keep a modest distance between them. Despite how crazy her clothes might be without her inverted Aura, she must have put a lot of thought into their designs. Thoughts filled with consideration and anticipation over whether she¡¯d pair well with her future master, whomever that proved to be. Would she really be that untrustworthy if her demonic lineage wasn¡¯t added into the equation?

    ¡°If it¡¯s leaving the two of them alone that¡¯s the problem, I have two solutions for that,¡± Zalena said, raising a finger and jolting everyone¡¯s head in her direction, ¡°One is very simple. We just have Soar summon another familiar, but from Zaleese this time.¡±

    ¡°I have heard people can summon up to one familiar per realm. Soar could pull that off, no doubt, but what kind of familiar would be able to keep him and Sarise¡¯s company?¡± Renne asked.

    Gullivan and Carol furrowed their brows. ¡°Zalena, you can¡¯t possibly think that Soar could pull that off ¡­¡± Gullivan trailed off.

    ¡°I was there when he summoned Sarise. His chant in Shimmerlin was flawless,¡± Zalena explained, ¡°Heck, to make things quicker and cheaper, I¡¯m willing to go down to Myron Dungeon with him again, and he can take care of the rest from there. When he does his thing at that dungeon¡¯s summoning circle, I¡¯m positive he¡¯ll bring forth an angel this time.¡±

    ¡°An angel?!¡± Renne exclaimed, her fox ears perked up in surprise. Sarise also looked over to Zalena in shock.

    ¡°Yes, if Soar managed to summon an angel, I wouldn¡¯t have nearly as much concern letting him keep his demonic familiar as I do now,¡± Carol admitted, ¡°If there¡¯s a chance he¡¯s able to summon an angel alongside a devil, not only would I be at ease, but his image in public would be improved. That¡¯s if he can pull it off, and I wouldn¡¯t want him to settle for anything less if they¡¯re going to keep him and Sarise company. What would you do if it doesn¡¯t turn out like that, Zalena?¡±

    Isn¡¯t that too high a hurdle, Carol? Even if his pronunciation is perfect, the familiar that¡¯s summoned is still random. Still, I hadn¡¯t realized that she was worried about how Soar could make a good impression on others while having a high-class demon like Sarise by his side. That sort of concern is valid, regardless of how people may be affected by her Aura, Renne considered.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯d like to bring up my second solution:¡± Zalena said while holding up a second finger, ¡°let me look after the two of them, as a member of Soar¡¯s Hunter party.¡±

 Chapter 39: I Negotiate with an Angel

    ¡°¡­ Wait, what?¡± I asked while tilting my head, Nova and Marble following my gesture in kind.

    Melody paled in complexion, ¡°Do you not know how to do it?¡±

    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know the specific chant to do it, but I¡¯m sure the summoning process works the same in reverse. Even so, I can¡¯t really do it now as we have to wait until tomorrow night at the same time to be able to send you back,¡± I explained.

    ¡°¡­ Oh, right,¡± Melody deflated.

    ¡°Anyway, that isn¡¯t the point, why do you want to go back to Zaleese after you just got here? Isn¡¯t being someone¡¯s familiar like a huge honor for you guys?¡± I asked while scratching my head.

    ¡°Um, well ¡­¡± Melody pushed her fingers together while avoiding eye contact. No further words were spoken, and the cavern grew awkwardly quiet.

    There has to be something up, I thought, If being someone¡¯s familiar is as big a deal as Sarise implied, there must be a story as to why Melody doesn¡¯t want to do it. Even if there is, though, I can¡¯t let this chance slip by me, not without at least trying to change her mind. How often does one actually make a pact with an angelic familiar? I don¡¯t even know what she¡¯s capable of yet, but I have a feeling that just having her by my side would really improve the situation with Sarise and I. Which means, if I don¡¯t want her to leave, I have to get to the bottom of this ¡­

    ¡°You know what? I think you might be onto something with that massage, Nova,¡± I said as I started popping my knuckles like I was prepping for an all-out brawl, ¡°My Magic Hands have a way of getting my patients to relax and open the floodgates to their troubles. You¡¯re holding something back, Melody. You¡¯re keeping secrets from me, your master, and that¡¯s not acceptable. So, I¡¯m going to give you one of my legendary massages, and you¡¯re going to tell me everything.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh, no, you really don¡¯t need to¡ª¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a request, Melody,¡± I interrupted Melody boldly.

    ¡°Y-Yes, sir!¡± Melody folded as easily as a wet blanket.

    With Marble¡¯s assistance, I took a few moments to create an Earth Magic-made, box-shaped tank full of sand with a spare blanket I pulled from my Dark Space on top to serve as her massage table. The sand inside the tank was there to cushion and conform around whoever lay on it. The blanket on top served to keep said sand from clinging to Melody¡¯s body, while I made the tank short enough for me to be able to reach across it. Despite how hesitant Melody was, she got on the completed table at my firm command.

    Once Melody was on the table and my fairies were hovering to the side, I clapped my hands and quickly rubbed them together. Within seconds, they were completely enveloped by a warm heat like a thermal blanket. I had forgotten this when I was cold outside earlier¡ªthe shock from my parents¡¯ news might have also occupied my mind¡ªbut this was actually a little trick Agnes taught me back at the party. It was called Heat Armor, a spell that uses Fire Magic to warm up your body to keep it from getting cold. This is especially useful if you¡¯re ever stuck on a mountain in a blizzard, but I only manipulated enough mana to warm up my hands.

    I came up with the idea on the fly, but what came next was unexpected even by me.

    <Conditions met. Magic Hands gift has now evolved to Mystical Hands,> Mona announced before all of the details of the upgraded gift were automatically downloaded into my mind.

    <Duuuuuuude, that is wicked,> Nova said with telepathy.

    <I so wish I was human-sized right now,> Marble added while I tried to make sense of my upgraded gift¡¯s mechanics.

    With Mystical Hands¡¯s improved external mana control, I was easily able to adapt the Heat Armor spell into a new one called Warming Touch. It allowed me to convert my neutral mana into fire mana, a term that refers to mana imbued with the aspect of fire, it forms the basis of all Fire Magic. In this case, I was using that fire aspect to warm up areas I touched as I transformed fire mana into heat. Mystical Hands also increased the effectiveness of manipulating mana from my previous gift, Magic Hands, which had already allowed me to transform mana in ways I don¡¯t think is normally possible. The new fire mana control hinted at improving my massage technique enough to make it into an addictive drug. And that wasn¡¯t even taking into account what would happen if I could get a hold of some good oil to work with as well, or could I somehow transform mana into my own oil?

    I wouldn¡¯t have thought about doing any of this with magic to this extent prior to this. I had no idea how I even came to such conclusions when I haven¡¯t even read books on magical theories related to this yet, either. Perhaps this is another benefit I received from the Great Sage gift? I thought. I would have to carefully experiment how far I could go during a massage with Mystical Hands without it becoming dangerous, but that could wait. Right now, I had an angel that needed to confess her sins.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to start now, Melody,¡± I said in a gentle, authoritative tone.

    She only nodded, probably too nervous to make a proper response.

    With my hands warmed-up, I placed them in the middle of Melody¡¯s back, then injected my mana like I had many times before with my other massages. Only this time, I was inserting the fire mana from my Warming Touch into the angel¡¯s large, naked body while exercising tight control over it. Within my mind¡¯s eye, I could actually see how warmth from the contained fire mana spread from her mana channels throughout the inside of Melody¡¯s body. This elicited a large, long, shaky gasp of shock from her. I was still relatively new to both Fire magic and Mystical Hands, so I was careful to keep the fire mana from getting too hot or out of control.

    ¡°W-What is this? Why do I feel ¡­ so warm?¡± Melody asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s part of a technique I¡¯m using that uses Fire Magic, don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t hurt you. Just relax, take it all in, let your mind wander, and let me melt all your troubles away,¡± I whispered into her ear, making her shiver.

    I then got to work with the treatment, starting at her shoulders where I melted the minor knots inside her joints while beginning my questioning, ¡°So, Melody, if you could remind me again, being chosen as someone¡¯s familiar by the god in charge of your realm is a great honor. Is that not right?¡±

    ¡°Th-That is right, yes ... but I¡¯m not cut ou¡ªooooo¡ªt for it,¡± she responded as I treated one of the tender spots in her shoulders.

    I then worked my way down her back, ¡°What makes you so sure? Were you someone else¡¯s familiar before me?¡±

    Melody shook her head. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t that. I just know I wouldn¡¯t be able to fulfill my duties properly as a familiar. The way I had slipped earlier? I¡¯m ashamed to say that I¡¯m that much of a klutz back home, too, and I cause unneeded trouble for others. I chose not to bother with the training to properly serve a master partly because no one would want a clumsy familiar like me. To top it all off, I¡¯m one of the most hideous angels you will ever see in Zaleese where everyone else is a transcendent beauty. It would be an insult to my master for me to be associated with them. Oh, there¡¯s that broken piece of my halo. Excuse me a moment.¡±

    While she was still on the table, Melody moved her finger to make the broken piece float from the ground and over to the hole in her halo with surprising ease. The whole thing didn¡¯t come back together immediately, but the piece was circling in line with the rest of the ring.

    Levitation magic? I thought with widened eyes. Nova and Marble had similar expressions.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know that I¡¯m a disappointment as an Angel and that I may have wasted your one chance to summon an angelic familiar, Master Soar,¡± Melody said. While I couldn¡¯t see from my angle, I could imagine her forcing a smile as she continued, ¡°You¡¯re incredibly kind and gifted to treat all my injuries and listen to my ramblings. You¡¯d do far better with an angel more qualified to be your familiar than me. I don¡¯t want to be a hindrance to you or your family, so I¡¯ll rest here and wait out my delay until tomorrow night. If you could come ba¡ªAAAAck!¡± she yelped as I treated another of the sore spots on her lower back, ¡°Around the same time and send me back to Zaleese, I promise I¡¯ll talk to my lord and see if he can arrange a better angel for you, one of the quality that you deserve. It¡¯s the least I could do for you after¡ª¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to stop you right there, Melody,¡± I interrupted before sending a burst of fire mana through the mana channels in her body.

    What I had been doing up to now was concentrating and directing the fire mana to flow from my hands and directly into specific channels. Now, instead I dumped it out over a large area, letting it flow into many channels at once. It¡¯s like the difference between carefully filling sections of an ice cube tray individually with water, and dumping water over the whole tray and filling it that way. I did this to see how Melody would react to having such a sensation hit her all at once. The effect elicited a deep gasp as she arched her back.

    Melody was so shocked by the sudden new sensation that she had difficulty registering it, ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    ¡°Did you seriously think I¡¯d overlook how you just nonchalantly put that halo piece back up there with such finesse in levitation magic?¡± I asked while moving to massage her arms and hands, ¡°Do you realize how high one¡¯s magical aptitude rank has to be to even pull that off? What else can you do? What are your magic attributes?¡±

    ¡°Th-That was, I mean ¡­¡± Melody caving in from the pressure of my questions, cleared her throat, and explained, ¡°Well, during my spare time, I practice levitation along with other Aptitude Magics. Aside from lacking the experience and creativity needed to perform clothing magic¡ªwhich I sincerely apologize for¡ªI¡¯m decent with the rest of Angelic Magic that only we angels can do. Finally, for the element attributes, I can use Light, Water, and Wind Magic. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m good for anything familiar-related, anyway, so I focused on practicing practical magic to help me get around, at least.¡±

    Aptitude Magic is any magic one can do within their aptitude rank. Levitation magic, telepathy magic, strengthening magic, healing magic, search magic, and presence magic are only a handful of the many things one can do if they have the necessary aptitude rank, each with a different set of rules and methods for how to use them. However, even if someone has the aptitude, they won¡¯t instantly become an expert in a specific Aptitude Magic without proper training. Which is why, with so many different types that require thorough practice and understanding, most will settle for a handful of things they want to learn to do well. Since I have S rank magical aptitude I could theoretically do all of them, but I have only invested time into practicing what I felt I really needed to. I haven¡¯t even used levitation magic in public¡ªone has to be at least B rank in magical aptitude to be able to use it¡ªbecause of how much I¡¯d stand out if I did. It¡¯s almost impossible for a kid in their pre-teens to pull that off, as they would usually only have a basic grasp on the fundamentals of Attribute Magic, mainly the lower tier spells. I, on the other hand, picked it up before I was ten-years-old.

    Angelic Magic must be a set of magic and spells that only angel-like familiars can pull off, I thought, It sounds a lot like Demonic Magic, so I¡¯m sure what they¡¯re able to do is similar. Sarise¡¯s changing clothes at will is probably due to her Demonic Magic. However, if Melody isn¡¯t able to use the same kind of clothing magic for angels ¡­

    ¡°How do you dress yourself if you can¡¯t do clothing magic?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I was living with a friend back in Zaleese who whipped up clothes for me on a daily basis, but I also bought clothes and set them aside in case she had to be out for more than a couple of days. I can¡¯t bring them here from back home, though ¡­ now that I think about it, would I even last a day out here without clothes before getting sent back?¡± Melody paled and shivered from the prospect.

    Huh, is this something that all angels and demons can do based on their capability? I thought, And if angels can use clothing magic on each other, demons should be able to do the same as well, right? Could Sarise provide clothes for Melody while she stays with us? I¡¯ll have to ask her.

    ¡°Putting that aside,¡± I said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t all that magic, especially using three elements, put you pretty high up there as an angel?¡±

    ¡°Usually it would, but I never learned any offensive spells for the elements. I don¡¯t like violence, so I put all my practice into defensive spells to buy me enough time to run away if I¡¯m in danger. I¡¯m slower than most other angels, so anything that can buy me some time is vital. I¡¯m also really good at healing magic after tending to my wounds from all my clumsiness, as well.¡±

    I stopped massaging her arms and quirked a brow, ¡°Melody, aside from some minor faults, the more I hear from you, the more I see how little credit you¡¯re giving yourself. I can think of a bunch of things I could have you do as my familiar where your strengths would be incredibly useful.¡±

    Flustered, Melody looked over her shoulder and erratically shook her hand, ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t! There had to be a mistake, I can¡¯t be a familiar! I¡¯m not that great of an angel! A-And I¡¯m so hideous!¡±

    The more I heard her putting herself down, the more annoyed and ticked off I got. So, while I was standing at Melody¡¯s side, I decided to punish her with a little tickle torture. Despite how many tumbles and falls she probably had in her lifetime, Melody was clearly still sensitive from how she squealed and her body tightened up. When she asked why I was doing it, I explained that it was punishment for her being a stubborn Debbie Downer on herself. She begged me to stop, but didn¡¯t fight me anymore after I ordered her to take it without any resistance. It got me to thinking how prone this angel was to submit to authoritative pressure, or just about any kind of pressure. Despite that, I decided to double down and had Nova and Marble help me out by focusing on Melody¡¯s side opposite from me. From the mischievous smiles on their faces, they were getting as much enjoyment out of this as I was.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the God Nodem the one who brought you here after I performed the summoning? Are you saying he made a mistake?¡± I asked as I continued the assault, switching things up by moving from Melody¡¯s side to the soles of her feet. This allowed me to tickle her by massaging her, which elicited an even more severe reaction.

    ¡°N-N-No! Hee hee! That¡¯s not¡ªahahaha!¡ªwhat I¡¯m saying at all! I¡¯m telling the truth, Lord Nodem! Plea¡ªheehee¡ªse, forgive meeee!¡± Melody squealed in between laughs as she pleaded to any higher being who may be watching her.

    ¡°If you know that, then you know God Nodem sent you here for a reason,¡± I said while using Earth Magic to expand the tub¡¯s ledge.

    This gave me room to get on the table and work each of her legs separately. It also let me see everything, though I didn¡¯t do it to get a better view of her ass, it was necessary to work up her legs, calves, and thighs from a better angle.

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t send you here, even in the manner in which he did, if he didn¡¯t deem you qualified,¡± I continued.

    ¡°B-But why would he send such an ugly angel like me to¡ª¡±

    ¡°For crying out loud, Melody, what part of this body of yours is ugly?!¡± I exclaimed, fed up with her degrading pessimism,

    [To follow the rules on this site''s sexual content, this and other parts later in the chapter will be redacted. If you wish to read the full, completed version, please check it out on webnovel as listed in the author note down at the bottom.]

    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you this right now, Melody,¡± I said as I worked her ass, squeezing and pinching the abundant flesh, ¡°You may not see value in your own body, but I do. I want to keep this beautiful body, to keep you, all to myself and no one else! As my familiar! I want you and your exquisite body by my side until the day I die!¡±

    ¡°M-Master Soar, I can¡¯t¡ªaah!¡± she yelped as I focused a burst of fire mana

    [Redacted]

    ¡°I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t do that, can¡¯t, can¡¯t, can¡¯t,¡± I said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any more of what you can¡¯t do! What I want to hear is what you want to do, Melody! Forget what everyone back in Zaleese thinks! Ignore what everyone around here will think! What Nodem thinks! I want to hear your honest opinion on whether you want to be my familiar or not! Say it!¡±

    ¡°I-I want ¡­ I want to! To be a dependable familiar!¡± Melody screamed, ¡°I want to be as dependable a familiar as those I¡¯ve read in the stories! I want to be relied on! To be needed! To receive praise for the hard work I put in as your familiar! I¡¯m tired of not getting asked for help because of my clumsiness! I want to feel like my thoughts and opinions matter too!¡±

    [Redacted]

    Despite how tightly wound and vulnerable she seemed, Melody got enough control over her breathing to get a last few words out, ¡°D-Do you really think ¡­ I can be like that for you, Master Soar?! Will this body really be that useful to you like it is now?!¡±

    ¡°Absolutely!¡± I answered while upping my efforts [Redacted] ¡°You better be ready, though, because I¡¯m going to put you to work like you never have been before! I will show you how useful you can be to me, and I will give you praise and compliments where they¡¯re due, because you¡¯re my familiar and mine alone!"

    [Redacted]

    Melody flopped back down onto the sand tank-massage table, exhausted. Her limbs, covered with sweat, hung limply over the edges, and I saw a dopey grin on her face from where I was kneeling. Easing back on my movements, I let her cool down gently with light squeezes, strokes, and pats. [Redacted]

    I then noticed Nova and Marble were off to the side on the ground. [Redacted] For some reason, that sight was enough for me to snap out of whatever spell I was under for the last couple minutes.

    Whatever state I was in before was gone as I looked at where my hands were. [Redacted] The reality of the situation suddenly hit me with crystal-clear mental clarity.

    What the fuck have I just done?

 Updates and Announcements

    Hello everyone,

    I apologize to keep you all waiting and I appreciate your patience, but some life stuff has happened for my editor and I to where I had to put aside my projects for a period, leaving me with the decision to delay the release and push it back to next month, October. I do feel bad about bringing this announcement to all of you who''ve been itching to read more of this story again, so instead of leaving you in the dark, I will leave some info about retcons that I''m planning to enforce in this story as well as hints of what''s to come along with all my stories going forward.

    Retcons (Note: I''ll probably leave a chapter that specifies these changes so some readers won''t be confused):

    Agnes'' butler, Wilson, will be changed out with a maid. He won''t be gone indefinitely, but this change must be done for reasons my editor had pointed out to that I didn''t even take into consideration. There will be no further questionings on this matter.

    Attribute Magic will be changed to Elemental Magic. This is more to help me better differentiate between types of magic and not get them mixed up (especially with Aptitude Magic, which will stay as is).

    Monster stones (monstones, not sure if I actually ever left that term there), will be changed to monster cores (or maybe cores for short). Element stones (or e-stones) will stay the same.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    That''s it for the retcons, now for the more fun, exciting news of what''s to come.

    Do you want to access chapters earlier than other readers? Getting ahead by one, two, three, or maybe even more chapters? Do you want to participate in the MC''s adventures in some manner? Do you want to read more stories from me that you can''t find on here? How about some very very poor but sexy fanart illustrations of characters from this story or some other popular medium, all by yours truly?

    I will tell you right now, once I have everything set, and if things go well, you will have a chance to get all of these, and maybe then some, in the near future, so stay tuned for when that happens.

    One final thing, in accordance to these huge changes with my writing ''hobby,'' I was thinking of upgrading my profile, specifically getting some avatar that represents me more as a creator, but I''m having difficulty to come up with what might seem good. So I''d like to ask you guys, based on my current profile pic, handle/penname (Orange Rain), the type of content I create, or maybe even none of the above, what kind of avatar, OC, mascot, etc. do you think would suit me? What do you think of when you hear or read my penname?

    Please let me know your thoughts on all these either in the comments, on web novel, or my twitter @OrangeRain3477. Once again, thank you all for your patience, and please look forward for amazing things ahead to hopefully make this year not as crappy as it has been.

 Chapter 40: How Should I Help Her From Now On?

    Melody, Nova, and Marble calmed down once they came back from their afterglow, and I had long regained my senses from whatever madness I just experienced. After that, since Melody was still lacking coordination due to her broken halo, I helped her move off of the improvised massage table. Taking the blanket on top, I rolled it up and tossed it in my ¡®Dark Space,¡¯ making a mental note to have it cleaned later.

    <Shall I make a note to remind you of it later?> Mona suddenly asked in my mind.

    <W-Wait, you seriously can record mental ¡®notes¡¯ and remind me about them later?>

    <Affirmative.>

    <Well ¡­ okay, if you don¡¯t mind. Could you remind me of it within the next day or two?> I asked.

    <Affirmative, mental note, ¡®Clean Blanket¡¯, saved.>

    <All right, cool ¡­ does this make you my secretary, then?>

    <No.>

    Though she said it in monotone, I couldn¡¯t help but feel there was some sass in it. I decided not to question Mona further on it.

    Anyway, with Marble¡¯s help, I then turned the stone tank filled with sand into solid rock before splitting and shaping it into two chairs of different sizes facing each other. When I deemed them decent enough, I helped my new angelic familiar take the bigger seat before I did the same with the smaller one. Nova and Marble took the liberty of sitting on the top of my chair¡¯s high back with their legs dangling over the edge.

    There was an awkward moment of silence between us, with Melody fidgeting in her seat as she stared downwards. My angelic familiar was still buck naked with a broken halo undergoing repair above her orange-red hair. The gold grapevine-like patterns were surrounded by the redness of her slightly flushed skin, drenched with sweat and her ¡®happy juice¡¯. She was blushing red from ear to ear with no idea where to look, still a little nervous, or maybe just shy. Unlike when she got here, though, Melody wasn¡¯t trying to hide any of her feminine flesh. Instead, she was more relaxed as she sat comfortably in her seat, with zero concern about how much of her was visible. With this posture, I was allowed a full view of [Redacted]

    I forced myself to stop staring and cleared my throat, then locked my eyes onto Melody¡¯s face, ¡°So, Melody ¡­ how do you feel?¡±

    Despite being bigger and sitting in a taller chair, she still gave off a feeling of smallness as she looked at me with her head down and eyes upturned, ¡°Um ¡­ may I be honest for a moment, Soar?¡±

    Alright, this is it. I¡¯m sure she has a lot to rightfully complain about after all that. Brace yourself, Soar.

    ¡°You may say whatever you want. I¡¯m all ears,¡± I answered.

    ¡°In short, I feel ¡­ amazing,¡± Melody said before looking up with a small smile, still blushing but positively glowing, ¡°I-I¡¯ve never felt so light before, so relaxed, free, relieved, and way different than how I usually feel after using the bathroom. I don¡¯t know what affected me more, the massage, or ¡­ what was it? Climaxing with happy juices? I was a bit scared at first, being unfamiliar with it, but I had no idea one can feel like this after releasing such an unusual liquid that isn¡¯t pee.

    ¡°But if there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m most happy about, it¡¯s that despite my flaws and uselessness, you¡¯re still willing to give me a chance to become your familiar, Master Soar.¡± Melody then choked up, sniffled and started tearing up while smiling and giggling at the same time, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just so ¡­ happy right now, I can¡¯t help myself. Thank you ¡­ thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I may mess up from time to time, but I promise I won¡¯t ever give up when things get tough. I will be the best familiar I can be, so I hope we¡¯ll work well together from here on out, Master Soar,¡± she finished before bowing her head once more.

    ¡°¡­ Great. I look forward to working with you, Melody,¡± I said while slapping a huge smile on my face.

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I WANNA DIE AGAIN SO MUCH RIGHT NOOOOOOOOW! What the fuck did I even do back there?! Why was I like that?! Is she seriously okay after all that?! I gotta make amends, I have to at least say ¡­ something!

    ¡°I should probably take a moment to apologize first, Melody,¡± I started, ¡°I might have ¡­ gone a little overboard. That massage I performed was ¡­ experimental ¡­ and not what I usually do, and I may have said or done some harsh things. If I actually hurt you in any¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, no! Please, it is I who should be apologizing!¡± Melody interrupted, ¡°If that massage technique was new, then I can assure you, it was beyond successful. I feel like it was wasted on me, but then again, I understand a new technique has to be practiced on someone ¡­ wait a minute, I got it. If there are any other massage techniques you¡¯re still perfecting, you may practice on my body whenever and however you wish. Even if it may hurt a little, I won¡¯t mind as long as I¡¯m of use to you, Master Soar. And please, don¡¯t hold back on scolding me whenever I do or say the wrong thing.¡±

    She then fidgeted in place while looking down bashfully, ¡°To be honest, I have never really been scolded before. I would usually be let off easy for being clumsy, even if I caused other people trouble, so getting scolded like that for my first time was a little ¡­ exhilarating. I think I may remember to not repeat mistakes better if I received that kind of constructive criticism. I wonder if this is that ¡®tough love¡¯ I have heard about? Well, whatever it is, please continue to treat me that way if I mess up, Master Soar. I can take you getting a little rough like you were on my butt earlier, and I promise I will learn from it.¡±

    Nova and Marble snorted above me as Melody spoke, holding back their laughter as hard as they could. I could imagine the shit-eating grins on their faces as they looked down on me.

    <She said it was exhilarating, Soar,> Marble started through telepathy, <You heard that, too, right? Nova?>

    <Oh yeah, man. I even heard her say that she could ¡®take it.¡¯>

    Marble then did an impression of Melody, <¡°Master Soar, I did a very, very bad thing today.¡±>

    <¡°Did you, now? Is my little angel being naughty?¡±> Nova followed while imitating me.

    <¡°Ohh, yeaaah, I¡¯ve been a very naughty angel that deserves a spanking!¡±>

    <¡°Well then, bend over, drop your panties, get your ass up in the air, and let me remind you who your Master is.¡±>

    <¡°Aaaah, ohh yeeaaah, give it to me, Master Soar! Give it to me hard and make me your whooore!¡±>

    Keeping a straight face for me was impossible now. I could tell from the way Melody worded things that I had just tainted one of the purest sentient beings in all of history, both on Earth and Manara, and put her firmly on the path of degeneracy. Not even hiding behind my hands helped me shy away from this painful truth.

    I begged my fairies.

    ¡°What are your fairies doing above you, Soar?¡± Melody asked, ¡°And if I may point out, I have also been sensing great embarrassment and shame from you for some time. Is everything okay?¡±

    Oh, yeah, if Sarise was able to sense how I was feeling because she¡¯s my familiar, then Melody would no doubt have that same ability. Ugh, it¡¯s going to be difficult keeping these emotions in check so I don¡¯t worry the both of them. Also, what¡¯s up with Melody asking me to ¡®scold¡¯ her and ¡®get rough with her butt¡¯ whenever she does or says something wrong? For her to make a request like that, does she really know what she¡¯s asking? Should I actually treat her like a dom would a sub? Let¡¯s just put that aside for now and give her a vague answer.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. My fairies are just goofing off and giving me a hard time,¡± I strained out before clearing my throat, ¡°Going back to your request, I will keep it in mind and apply it as and when I see fit, but please speak up if I ever go too far. While familiars can sense what their masters are feeling, it doesn¡¯t work the other way around. I won¡¯t know if you¡¯re hurting unless you tell me, so always speak up, okay? And always let me know if there¡¯s something you need from me. This whole familiar thing is still new to me, too.¡±

    Melody made a firm salute, [Redacted] ¡°Yes, Master Soar, duly noted.¡±

    Well, at least she¡¯s earnest, but I wish she still gave a damn about being naked in front of me, I thought, Should I bring that up? But what would happen after that? She can¡¯t poof up clothes with clothing magic, Sarise is busy with my parents, so she can¡¯t help, and of course, we don¡¯t have anything that would fit her. One of Dad¡¯s shirts might work, but I don¡¯t know where he¡¯d keep them, and he¡¯d be suspicious if he finds Melody wearing it. I suppose I could get a spare blanket from the storage cabin to cover her up ¡­ but wait, might Melody take that gesture personally such that it would hurt her self-esteem? She does seem quite soft ¡­ and not just physically. Guess I¡¯ll have to live with this for now.

    I cleared my throat, ¡°Now, I would like to take you back to my home so you can clean up and get us both presentable before I introduce you to my parents, but there are some things about me that you need to know first so there are few to no surprises ¡­¡±

    I first explained how I had a full fairy harem, allowing me to use all six of the different Elemental Magics. I reintroduced Nova and Marble and explained how they helped me set up the cave so I could summon her. Then there was how I had just registered as a C-rank Hunter today, and I showed Melody my ID card. After that was how my parents and our friends threw a party for me and Agnes to celebrate becoming Hunters. Lastly, I explained that some of these friends and their families would be living with us. While there will be a lot of people living with us, I was fortunate to be reborn in a home that used to be an inn. Save for my parents¡¯ room as well as my own, there was still enough for the others to occupy.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Melody sat there looking more and more amazed as I explained everything, making comments here and there about how incredible I was to pull all this off at my age¡ªI left out my true soul age, of course, acting modest about it instead. She also showed some nervousness when I mentioned all the people I¡¯d be introducing her to. I had expected as much seeing how self-conscious she was about her body image, but thankfully there was still the determination in her eyes to conduct herself properly as my familiar.

    Finally, there was my other familiar, and the main reason why I had to summon another from Zaleese in the first place.

    ¡°Your other familiar is a devil?!¡± Melody exclaimed with widened eyes.

    I nodded, ¡°Yes. Her name is Sarise, and she doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m out here doing this yet. She and an ally of ours are talking with my parents and teacher right now, trying to convince them to let my demonic familiar stay with us, despite the bad reputation they have here in the Reskondant Kingdom. Our ally, Zalena, has known my parents for some time, and it sounded like she had a plan for how to persuade them, but I wanted to make sure Sarise¡¯s permission to stay is guaranteed.¡±

    ¡°So, you made your own summoning chamber to summon a familiar from Zaleese, all for this Sarise?¡± Melody asked.

    ¡°Yes. I was hoping having a familiar from Zaleese might help balance things out and convince my parents to let Sarise stay. She¡¯s able to perform clothing magic, so I can have her conjure up your clothes from now on, if her magic will allow it. This also means you two will have to work together as my familiars as we go on quests, help with chores, and do other things. I don¡¯t know how things are between the residents of Zalecks and Zaleese, so I¡¯d like to know what you think about living and working together with Sarise, a devil from Zalecks, from now on,¡± I said.

    ¡°Are you kidding?! I couldn¡¯t be any more ecstatic!¡±

    I blinked in confusion, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°One devil, one angel, two familiars from different worlds, working together side-by-side for the sake of their master and saving a kingdom from destruction, doesn¡¯t that just sound like an amazing story packed with romance?!¡± Melody exclaimed while bouncing in her seat, [Redacted]

    Mind shut down by the angel¡¯s exotic show for a moment, I shook myself out of the daze and scratched my head, ¡°I mean, it does, but I¡¯m not planning on being that proactive and there isn¡¯t anything dire going on in the kingdom right now. You two would just be helping me with my Hunter quests, I¡¯d rather be as low-key as I can.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine! I¡¯m just so happy to serve a master great enough to summon both a high ranking angel and a high-ranking demon together!¡± Melody seemed to realize how hyper she was getting as she settled back in her seat and looked down, smiling bashfully. [Redacted], then mentally kicked myself in the butt for viewing this angel as a sexual object.

    ¡°To be truthful, I was really nervous at the thought of handling these familiar duties on my own, especially since I haven¡¯t gotten the proper training, and I was feeling a little scared just thinking about it,¡± Melody said with her head still down, ¡°I¡¯m aware how bad the demons¡¯ reputations are in some places in this world, but I also know most are good people that were just given bad draws. Knowing I¡¯ll get to work with another amazing and skilled familiar, it puts me at ease and motivated to work hard and not fall too far behind my senior. Most importantly, if she¡¯s summoned by you, a master who willingly accepts me as I am and wants me to be your familiar, then I have a feeling ¡­ that I could be great friends with her.¡±

    Thank goodness ¡­ I was worried about some kind of feud forming with polar opposites living together, but if at least one of them wants to get along, maybe this will actually work out? This concern had been based off of what I knew from Christian mythology on Earth. Heck, I had been starting to think of Zaleese and Zalecks as parallels to heaven and hell, respectively, but I guess things really are very different in other worlds.

    ¡°Anyway, if my being here helps Sarise stay with you, then that¡¯s all the more reason for me to work hard as your familiar. I promise you that once your parents see me, they¡¯ll gladly let her stay,¡± Melody declared, standing up once more with pride, [Redacted]

    Okay, really, how is she not ashamed to be naked in front of me now like she was in the beginning? It¡¯s like she¡¯s begging to get sexually assaulted by acting so sexy and adorable! Furthermore, is this really what angels consider as ugly? If I was a shameless adult and we were in Zaleese right now, I¡¯d show them what I think of her beauty right in front of them. No, that isn¡¯t the point. I don¡¯t know what the standards of beauty are among Zaleesians, but she clearly doesn¡¯t know how drop-dead gorgeous she is to me, and probably any other heterosexual male. A part of me wants to hide her body for my own sanity, and I know I don¡¯t want other guys to stare at her with hungry eyes, either, I thought, forcing my gaze back up to her face when I realized I was staring at her body in a daze. It didn¡¯t look like Melody noticed my staring, as her eyes were closed as she maintained her proud pose.

    Despite that moment of awkwardness, my hopes were rising as I forced myself back on topic, ¡°Really?¡±

    My angel nodded, ¡°Oh, yes! In the many human kingdoms, masters with Zaleesian familiars, especially angels, are regarded as the most trustworthy people to work with! That¡¯s why royalty, scholars, bishops, and other influential people practically all have a familiar from Zaleese! At least, that¡¯s what all the stories I read said about human kingdoms, anyway, so they must be just as popular in Reskondant! Just show me to your parents, and let me handle the rest.¡±

    I have to question the source material she based this info from, but seeing her so confident about this, it¡¯s probably true, right? I thought before nodding, ¡°All right, for your first job as my familiar, please convince my parents to let Sarise stay with us. I will leave it up to you, Melody.¡±

    Melody nodded, ¡°Yes, you may count on me! Oh! Speaking of which, with so much going on, I forgot that we still need to perform the bonding tradition to confirm our union!¡±

    ¡°Tradition ¡­ oh, you mean the kiss on the forehead thing, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that. We should get that out of the way, and ¡­ may I ask something of you, Master Soar?¡± she asked while fidgeting in place.

    After what I did, I should definitely do something for her to make amends. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you may ask, Melody,¡± I answered.

    ¡°C-Could you ¡­ hug me?¡±

    My mind blanked briefly. The vision that I had aimed at Melody¡¯s face so hard all this time zoomed back to see the entirety of Melody¡¯s adorable, sexily plump, voluptuous figure once more.

    ¡°Despite how ugly I am ¡­ I mean, forgive me, how ugly I always thought I was, you like my body just as it is,¡± Melody stated while fidgeting again. My eyes couldn¡¯t steer away from the way her soft, sexy skin covered with gold grapevine markings jiggled and shifted, ¡°I never heard anyone say things like that about me before, but that stuff all sounded really nice coming from you, and it made me really happy. I wanted to throw myself at you right away, but my mind was occupied with other happy thoughts, and I figured familiars shouldn¡¯t touch their master without permission, right? It¡¯s probably a good thing anyways, with my extreme lack of coordination while my halo is broken. Is it ¡­ too much to ask?¡± My eyes weren¡¯t on Melody¡¯s face, but I could imagine from her words that her newly improved self-esteem was starting to crack already.

    My mind was in utter turmoil, If I don¡¯t accept this now, Melody may question my opinion on her body¡¯s appeal, but she¡¯s naked. Shy and submissive as she is, she¡¯s really considerate and puts others before herself, which was why she held herself back up to now, But She¡¯s Naked. Though different than I imagined, she¡¯s a purebred angel, through and through, and clearly sees nothing wrong with this, BUT SHE¡¯S NAKED!

    This will only be one time, right? While she¡¯s like this? After that, I have to be sure she has some clothes on at all times, maybe thick robes that cover her whole body? That¡¯s normal for angels, right? But, wait, isn¡¯t that a form of body shaming in itself, one that would likely make her lose even more self-confidence? Argh! Why haven¡¯t I seen more full bodied beauties in this world yet?! The only adults I know that aren¡¯t skinny are my dad, Sam, and Wallace from the restaurant! Where are my confident women who aren¡¯t afraid to have more than a scrap of meat on their bones?! Ugh, whatever, I can at least have her wear something to cover up the juicier areas. Resolving myself, I stood up from my seat and spread my arms out wide while forcing a welcoming smile.

    My pure, innocent, angel¡¯s eyes pooled with tears of gratitude as she smiled and held out a hand to me, assuring me that I¡¯d made the right move. Putting Melody¡¯s lack of coordination into consideration, I walked up to her, and she pulled me straight to her body without hesitation when I was close enough. To my surprise, though, she [Redacted] Her mixed scent of sweat and angelic pheromones penetrated my nose when I inhaled deeply in surprise. [Redacted] I panicked, after all the prior teasing, my sanity was on the brink of collapse from this final bit of stimulation. I needed to quickly readjust my position, but my fairies stopped me.

    <You better not pull away from this, man, or she¡¯s gonna get cruuuuushed,> Nova said through telepathy.

    <Yeah, Soar! Show her how much she means to you with a big fat hug!> Marble added.

    Though I resisted for a moment, my inner adult self quickly caved [Redacted] What the fuck are you doing, man?! I screamed in my head when I suddenly realized what I¡¯d done, Dammit, I can¡¯t let go without hurting her now!

    ¡°Once again, thank you for accepting me, Soar,¡± Melody said [Redacted] ¡°No matter what happens, from now on, through thick and thin, my body, my heart, and my soul are yours to command at your leisure. Please, use me however you see fit, a-and ¡­ p-punish me when I¡¯m a ¡­ naughty little angel.¡±

    With the way Melody spoke and actually thinking now about how uncharacteristically forceful she was in her embrace, I knew Marble and Nova couldn¡¯t not have had anything to do with this. Their stifled snickering from behind me all but confirmed it.

    There¡¯s ... no going back from this, is there? I thought, [Redacted] Pure and naive about the world as she is, I¡¯ve become this angel¡¯s sole source of comfort and guidance. There¡¯s no way I can tell Melody now how erotic and private these acts are without making her feel dirty and disgusting and destroying her self image in the process. But how far will I have to go using sexual elements to help her gain the self worth she deserves? Can I really take advantage of her innocence and use such twisted methods to build her up? Would she even remain the same as she is now if these acts get more depraved?

    Wait, who says it has to get worse? I don¡¯t need to take it so far, right? All I have done so far is to give her a massage and a healing treatment. The main point is to help her to build up her self-confidence and a positive body image, which just so happens to involve lots of groping of various parts of her body. It feels really good for her, and it¡¯s not that bad if she thinks doing this is okay, right? If it¡¯s just this level, if it¡¯s just touching her body like this, then I think I can live with it. She seems to enjoy it, anyways, and it is helping her feel better about herself. So, really, is there any reason why I shouldn¡¯t do this for her? The fact that I¡¯m getting a kick out of feeling up Melody¡¯s body is just a bonus, right?

    No, what the fuck am I even talking about? No matter how I spin it, I¡¯m basically abusing my position as her master to satiate my depraved desires. And yet, if I restrain myself from touching her after this, she¡¯ll likely regress back to being pessimistic and self-degrading, or worse. Unless I can wipe her memory of all this, there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll willingly live normally as an angel again ¡­ and I¡¯m the one who did this to her. I can¡¯t just run away from any responsibility for this and ignore it.

    I guess I¡¯ll just have to make sure I don¡¯t go too far. After all, I still fully intend to upgrade my ¡®Great Sage¡¯ gift one last time. As long as I don¡¯t pass the point of no return that is sex, and Melody continues to enjoy having my hands on her while gaining in self-confidence, then this should be acceptable. I just can¡¯t allow myself to get any enjoyment out of any of this. Elmyra, Nodem, please forgive me for any sacrilege I might put your child through, and then some, going forward. I¡¯ll accept whatever consequences that may come upon me at my second death.

 Chapter 41: I Had to Help Wash Melody

    I took longer than needed hugging Melody while I sorted out my feelings on the issue. Once I felt I had a handle on everything, we performed the traditional ceremony between master and familiar and I kissed her forehead while she knelt before me. For a moment, my perverted mind thought, I bet ya she¡¯d look amazing kneeling like this while sucking your d¡ªuntil I punched that perverted self in the face, ending the internal conversation there. Then, I started wiping the cave of any evidence of a summoning having taken place. This included making the magic circle disappear and turning the chairs and floor back into regular dirt on the ground with Marble¡¯s assistance in Earth Magic.

    Just like Sarise did in the dungeon, Melody showered my magical feats with praise and applause. It didn¡¯t help that she was flailing about like a cheerleader at tryouts, making her breasts, butt, and the rest of her soft body bounce and jiggle with enthusiasm. What really hit me was how unashamedly passionate she was, making her excitement and praise for me all the more genuine, and making her even more adorable, and sexy, in the process. I would have told her to keep watch outside for possible intruders, if only to give me some space and peace, but I was afraid of how likely she was to take things the wrong way. As attractive as she is, if she won¡¯t want to be apart from me for too long, I will have to come up with some way to calm myself down so I won¡¯t be in any danger of going too far and hurting her.

    Maybe this is a good chance to experiment with Ice Magic and see how much I can cool myself down with it. It will be useful in case things get too hot down south once that area becomes a little more ¡®developed¡¯, I thought while I worked, and it was thinking about water that made me remember, Right, we still need to get Melody cleaned up and presentable for my parents. I also need to contact Sarise so she can help me with securing my new angel some clothes, but she¡¯s still talking with my parents, isn¡¯t she? I don¡¯t want to disrupt her concentration, so I¡¯ll hold off on that until Melody¡¯s clean.

    At least I can give Melody some privacy in the bath while I work out a plan to deal with addressing her needs ¡­ wait, she still has her broken halo, doesn¡¯t she? It will probably be dangerous to leave her alone while she¡¯s so uncoordinated right now, which means I have to ¡­ wash her myself. Which means lathering her body with slippery soap that I¡¯d rub into all over ¡­ how the hell can I do that without getting any enjoyment out of it? I tried coming up with some solution, but gave up when I couldn¡¯t find anything.

    When I was done, I used telepathy to contact my Companions back home and asked one of them to check the bathing area to see if anybody was using it. Cinder seemed to be free at the time as she was the first to respond to my request. It only took a few moments for her to tell me the coast was clear and that the water in the bath was still warm. That meant the girls had already bathed and the fairies were taking their time partying before using the bathing area for themselves. This was the perfect opportunity for us to take action. I remembered then that I¡¯d told the guys I¡¯d be back before the girls went in, so some were probably worried about my absence. Making a mental note with Mona to apologize to them later, I grabbed the wooden wash bucket I had borrowed from where I left it to one side of the cave.

    I opened a Dark Gate to the bath and sent Nova and Marble through first to scout the area. Once I was again given the all clear, I tossed the wooden wash bucket back inside and guided Melody through. My arm wrapped her waist for support, causing her soft breasts and warm body to press enticingly against me. Ignoring this as best as I could, I used Earth Magic to remove the majority of the dirt from her as she stepped inside, before guiding her over to the nearest vacant stool in the washing area. Setting her down, I told her to wait while I took a moment to step into the changing area.

    Since Melody made a mess on me at the end of the ¡®massage¡¯, I needed to clean myself again. After I undressed, I tied a clean towel around my waist before grabbing another for Melody. Nova and Melody wanted to get back to the party in the attic, so I told them to not interfere in any of my personal businesses with my familiars from that moment forward before I sent them off. That applied to all of my fairies. I especially made sure to try and explain why it¡¯s wrong to pressure someone into something they¡¯re not already comfortable with through suggestive manipulation. It was bad enough that I had already tainted Melody by introducing her to the erotic in such a manner, I didn¡¯t want anymore outside forces to drastically alter or destroy her angelic character further. Nova and Marble didn¡¯t seem to get it, though, so I just told them to tell the others not to do anything remotely sexual with Melody. With that said, I thanked them for their hard work and told them to enjoy themselves. This left me, half-naked, alone with my totally naked angelic familiar that I¡¯d need to wash, making me realize just how dire the situation had become.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    I reached into the area where we store our washcloths, and paled when I didn¡¯t find anything to grab. After taking a closer look inside with levitation magic to lift me up, I could clearly see that there were no clean washcloths available. The only ones left were the used ones currently tossed in the hamper to be cleaned later. Considering how many guests we had in our home right now, it made sense we¡¯d run out of washcloths so quickly. It was a miracle there were even any spare towels left. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as I had no idea how to explain the situation to Melody.

    With a clean towel in hand, I went back to Melody who was humming and minding her own business while waiting. ¡°Here¡¯s a clean towel, Melody, but I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re out of clean washcloths for right now,¡± I said while handing over the towel and averting my gaze.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t usually use a washcloth.¡±

    ¡°And that would usually be fine, but since you¡¯re so uncoordinated right now, I don¡¯t want to risk you hurting yourself, especially after that treatment I gave you, so ¡­¡± I trailed off before gulping, throat parched from what I was about to suggest next, ¡°Do you mind if I ¡­ washed you with my bare hands?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mind! I trust you, Soar!¡±

    Though I wasn¡¯t looking, I felt her pure and innocent gaze upon me. Her total dependency upon, and trust in, my judgement burned my soul. Why do you have to say it like that?!

    ¡°R-Really? Good, then, I¡¯ll get started,¡± I said, while screaming inside.

    None of this would have happened under normal circumstances, of course, but I was partially to blame for surprising Melody enough to make her slip and fall soon after bringing her here. It would be dangerous to leave her alone with her broken halo strongly affecting her already terrible coordination and balance. Even when I was cleaning up the cave earlier, after Melody played naked cheerleader for me, she showed signs of dizziness, exhaustion, and lightheadedness from all that moving around. I had to accommodate her by having her sit in my Earth Magic-crafted chair again while providing a drink with my Water Magic. She pulled me into a passionate embrace again for being so good to her, showing just how intimate she was when expressing appreciation. The physical contact from that as well as me giving her support to walk when we exited wasn¡¯t doing my heart justice since she was naked that whole time.  Despite my concerns about physical contact, someone had to help her wash, and get into and out of the bath. And since I couldn¡¯t get anyone else in on this without them freaking out over having a naked angel in front of them, that someone had to be me.

    Actually, thinking about it, I¡¯ve run my bare hands over her naked body many times already, haven¡¯t I? It shouldn¡¯t be too different from everything else I¡¯ve done to her tonight. This will be fine, right? I thought hopefully, having no idea how awfully wrong I would be.

    I started off with shampooing Melody¡¯s orange-red hair, getting it in a good lather and making sure there weren¡¯t any split ends before rinsing it all off. Since I needed to help improve her self-esteem, I felt complimenting her rich locks was a good start as I washed them. She got bashful from it, so I figured I was on a roll and should do the same for the rest of her body as I washed it.

    It was when I started using soap while working my way down that washing Melody became vastly more difficult for my sanity than I had expected.

    [Since the rest of the chapter mostly consists of explicit content unrelated to the story''s plot, this section has been redacted, and a good chunk will be done in the next chapter too. If you wish to read the whole chapter, please look up this story on Webnovel, or go to the directory on my twitter page as linked down below.]

    [I apologize for the inconvenience.]

 Chapter 42: Should I Lewd or Not Lewd?

    [Since the first half of the chapter mostly consists of explicit content unrelated to the story''s plot, this section has been redacted. If you wish to read the whole chapter, please look up this story on Webnovel, or go to the directory on my twitter page as linked down below.]

    [I apologize for the inconvenience.]

    Once I rinsed enough of her soapy body with water, using Water Magic to assist me, I lathered my hands with soap and finally returned to her back where I could take a breather.

    It was definitely too late to say this, but I didn¡¯t know just how sensational washing Melody with my bare hands lathered in soap was, compared to when I touched her body while it was dry. If I didn¡¯t remind myself that I was limited on time every couple of minutes, I¡¯d likely have played with her body a lot longer without even realizing what I was doing. Complimenting her body parts as I washed them made the moment all the more exhilarating. They were all true, too, and if she was my girlfriend, I¡¯d likely have said and done so much more to her.

    As I washed and massaged Melody¡¯s broad back that glistened with water and soap, infatuation didn¡¯t begin to describe what I was feeling right now while running my hands over it. It was like I had summoned her to this world all over again.

    When I recalled those moments from our meeting up to now, especially moments ago, there was something I noticed that bothered me some while I worked. My mind¡¯s aware of how sexy Melody is, my heart¡¯s racing just thinking about it, so why ¡­ is a certain part in this body not reacting? I asked myself. Sure, it¡¯s still relatively young, probably not close to reaching puberty yet, but is that really all there is to it? Or is there some other, magical, influence at play here?

    <Mona, can you examine my body?> I asked the voice in charge of the more technical side of my Great Sage gift, having nowhere else to turn.

    <About why your bodily functions aren''t working as data would suggest they should? Analyzing ¡­ answer reached. This is the result of the administrator¡¯s special Child-Protection function that was added to your body.>

    <You mean my body has a built in ¡®Child Lock¡¯, like those medicine caps?! Does Elmyra have something to do with this?>

    <Affirmative. Due to the likelihood of your adult soul¡¯s mindset conflicting with the functioning of your younger child body, the administrator inserted a custom Child-Protection function to block any arousal signals from prematurely stimulating your genitals for the sake of your body¡¯s safe physical development.>

    <Huh ¡­ Okay, do I have any control over how this function affects my body?> I asked her.

    <Negative. At this time, the administrator has locked off all access to the function until you reach the age of majority. At that time, you¡¯ll be able to adjust how arousal can affect your genitals at will.>

    <Wow, so, when I become of age, I have to ¡®turn off¡¯ the Child-Protection function to get ¡®turned on.¡¯ Am I getting that right?> I asked.

    <Affirmative. The rest of your body except your genitals will continue to function normally in regards to arousal, however.>Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    <I¡¯m a little concerned of how this ensures a ¡®safe, physical development,¡¯ but okay, I guess I can live with that reasoning. Does this also have anything to do with how I still notice that Sarise is attractive even when her Aura is inverted?>

    Supposedly, a devil¡¯s Aura doesn¡¯t affect children by default thanks to the Child-Protection aspect. If a devil inverts their normal Aura, it should affect adults like it would for children too. Either way, I should have noticed a change at some point. Though I was exposed to both modes when Sarise demonstrated inverting her Aura that first time, I still saw her as a bombshell beauty with a risque choice of attire. My dick would have pierced the heavens from how aroused I felt just being near her if I had an adult body.

    <Your mind isn¡¯t affected by Sarise¡¯s Aura or its Inversion due to your Great Sage gift,> Mona explained.

    <Ah, I figured that¡¯d be the case, but how and why?>

    <Would you like the long version or short version of the explanation?> she asked.

    <Uh ¡­ I¡¯ll listen to the long version later. Try to explain the short version in accordance to what we¡¯ve already discussed, please.>

    <In short, your Great Sage gift allows you to perceive not just the mana signatures that exist on Manara, but Aura signatures as well. This is something other Magicians are not able to do, with or without familiars of their own. Since you are able to perceive Sarise¡¯s Aura signature, and she is your familiar, you are immunised from its mind altering effects. This allows you to also see through her Aura, inverted, Child-Protected, or otherwise. In turn, you can thus observe Sarise with the unaltered desire and arousal of an adult.>

    <Huh ¡­ I¡¯m a little bummed I still get the short end of the stick in puberty, but I think I got the gist of what¡¯s going on with my body, at least.>

    ¡°Thanks again for helping me wash my body, Soar, especially my back,¡± Melody said suddenly, snapping me out of my internal conversation with Mona, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not flexible enough to reach back there without a back scrubber.¡±

    Flustered from getting reeled back into reality, I was having difficulty finding words while washing her back, ¡°I uh ¡­ suppose a lot of people would also have that issue. Can you move a little so I can get to your butt as well?¡±

    Melody complied and tried to position herself on the seat for me to get to as much of her large ass as possible. Part of me was surprised by how easily she followed my request, but I was in more shock at [Redacted]

    ¡°That reminds me! Familiars like me usually wash their master¡¯s backs, right? I should do that for you, too, since we¡¯re here. Then we can take a bath together!¡±

    If Sarise finds out I let Melody wash my back and bathe with me first before her, even though she asked first, things will likely get ugly. It would probably be worse if she also knew what I had done with my new familiar before her tonight, I thought, ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s fine. I actually took a bath earlier. I¡¯m just going to wash myself and supervise while you bathe so you don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡±

    ¡°But you worked so hard, though! I¡¯m also sure I ¡­ made a mess on your clothes with my happy juices too. Let me make it up to you for that much, at least.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Today¡¯s been a long day for you all, right? So, let¡¯s relax and take a nice, long ¡­ soak?¡± a familiar voice interrupted me. I turned to the source as I felt my stomach drop.

    In the doorway stood Ms. Renne, Zalena, and Sarise, walking into the scene of me washing Melody¡¯s ass, staring at us wide-eyed. I feel like I¡¯m suddenly in a drama where I¡¯m caught in the act of two-timing on my wife.

    FUCK! What do I say?! ¡°¡­ H-Hey, guys! Look who I summoned from Zaleese!¡± I exclaimed with faux enthusiasm before putting up a smile of the same level.

    It was then my light sky-blue eyes locked onto Sarise¡¯s pink ones. I immediately noticed how dull and void of life they were compared to how they usually looked.

    I am so boned now, aren¡¯t I?

 Chapter 43: The Promiscuous Light Elfs Extreme Solution

    [Renne]

    ¡°What?!¡± Carol and Renne exclaimed at once.

    Gullivan¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°Zalena, if you¡¯re planning on getting Soar to take on that labyrinth with you like you had with me, I swear to the Great Mother¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s nothing like that,¡± Zalena interrupted while waving her hand, ¡°I¡¯d like to help him reach his full potential as a Magician and a Hunter, that¡¯s all. Just think about it for a moment. Soar just made a contract with his Earth and Light Fairy recently, yes? Now, think about everyone you know in this town, and tell me if they have a chance in topping me in magic in either of those elements, let alone magic in general. I¡¯d love to meet them and see what they¡¯ve got, altogether. Gully, I don¡¯t think I need to mention how things will turn out if we faced off like we did back in the old days.¡±

    Renne knew Soar¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t make an argument against the Hunter even if they tried. Everyone in the building knew who was the strongest Magician in Lunargrove right then, and she was sitting across from them with a knowing smirk.

    Even putting Gullivan and myself together, even though this is my first time meeting Zalena, I can already tell we¡¯re more likely to lose, Renne admitted.

    ¡°Now, there are schools of higher education that can teach Soar properly¡ªI imagine he¡¯s more than qualified to attend the Magician¡¯s Academy right now, if he wanted to¡ªbut you don¡¯t want to send him off while he¡¯s still so young, do you?¡± Zalena asked, ¡°While I do respect the love and care you have for your son, you have to face facts. With the way he is now, even if you taught him everything you know about Earth Magic, Gully, it won¡¯t be long until there¡¯s no one around these parts fit enough to teach him and help him improve. With me, however, a Magician and an S rank Hunter, who comes from a line of elves who breathe Light Magic and was able to teach you Earth Magic, Soar would gain the experience needed in all those areas, and maybe then some, to go far in life. And the best part? He can still stay at home and live with you.¡±

    ¡°And what would you gain from all this?¡± Gullivan asked, ¡°I am grateful to you for helping Soar with the exam today, but obviously, something happened in the dungeon that has you interested in him. You wouldn¡¯t go out of your way like this to give Soar such an opportunity for no reason. What will you ask of us? What are your motives?¡±

    ¡°Well, you are right that receiving lessons in magic and training as a Hunter from an S rank in said field wouldn¡¯t come cheap,¡± Zalena rested a finger to her chin and looked up in thought, ¡°Especially with the curriculum I have in the works for Soar that involves taking on quests. He would take these quests while the dark elf and bunny girl are in class and I¡¯d make sure Soar is back in time to tutor them afterwards. I would take part of the reward after completing the quests, of course, but that wouldn¡¯t cover nearly a fraction of the price I¡¯d charge for my services. They aren¡¯t cheap, but ¡­ I¡¯m willing to settle with you providing me room and board. If you don¡¯t wish for me to join you in meals, I¡¯m fine with eating in my room or someplace else, but this is really the best way for me to teach him while he stays in Lunargrove.

    ¡°As for what my motives are ¡­¡± Zalena then shrugged, ¡°When it all comes down to it, I guess I¡¯m just really bored and wish to change things up in my life a little. I believe taking Soar in as my newest apprentice is just the thing I need to give my recently boring life that dash of spice. That¡¯s whether or not he¡¯s able to achieve my first solution of summoning an angel. And, of course, I¡¯ll keep an eye on anything strange between him and Sarise, too. Ah, yes, speak of the devil¡ªno pun intended¡ªI have yet to hear your thoughts on the arrangement, Sarise. Would you be willing to cooperate with me and an angel, or some other familiar from Zaleese if it meant you could stay here with Soar?¡±

    Sarise was looking at Zalena with such great awe over the course of her negotiation, it took her a moment to respond, ¡°O-Oh! Well, yes, that may depend on the familiar themselves, but you seem very capable in looking after my master if you really are as powerful as I sensed. I am willing to do almost anything if it means I am allowed to stay with my master.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful! Then, it all comes down to you two,¡± Zalena turned her attention back to Gullivan and Carol, who were more uncertain of things now than before.

    ¡°Erm ¡­ we¡¯re going to need some time to discuss and think over this ourselves, this is all coming so fast so late at night,¡± Gullivan said.

    ¡°Of course! I understand completely,¡± Zalena said while standing, ¡°Besides, I am sure there are some other matters you need to discuss with your wife alone, Gully, something that can¡¯t seem to wait until you two are in your room?¡±

    Gullivan cleared his throat as he pulled Carol in closer by the waist, slipping his hand under her apron at the same time, making his wife blush beet red. ¡°You could say that, yes,¡± Gullivan answered.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the rest of tonight and tomorrow to think about it,¡± Zalena continued, ¡°Just take your sweet time alone and talk this out amongst yourselves. Sarise, Renne, and I will take our bath now and spend the night in one of the guest rooms. You can give us your answer later. You good with that, Sarise? Renne?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lady Zalena.¡±

    Renne then turned to the parents, ¡°Is that okay with you two?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and we¡¯d like to hear your opinion on the matter sometime soon, too, Renne,¡± Carol answered.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Renne, Sarise, and Zalena left the study and walked together to the bathing area, but not before the nosy elf placed her long, pointy ear against the door and heard the happily married couple giggling as they were getting busy. Zalena smirked for reasons Renne couldn¡¯t quite guess for the life of her.

    ¡°Zalena, I admit I don''t know much of your background aside from the rumors I heard,¡± Renne started, ¡°Personal history aside, with your talent and experience, I think taking in Soar as your apprentice would be a wonderful opportunity for him to grow. It will be beneficial for him to stay in Lunargrove and tutor Fila and Onelri too. I have been giving him private magic lessons for some time, and it pains me to say there¡¯s nothing left for me to teach him. Whatever Gullivan and Carol will decide, know that I¡¯m willing to entrust Soar¡¯s further education into your care, Zalena.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Renne,¡± Zalena said with a smile, ¡°I know it may not seem like it, but I¡¯m also interested to see how much Soar will grow, and him being Gully¡¯s son gives me all the more reason to look after him.¡±

    Hm, that¡¯s surprising. Does Zalena really care for Gullivan and Carol despite the air she was putting on? Renne wondered, before turning her attention to Sarise, ¡°And Sarise, despite what reputation demons have around these parts, I can sense how much you really care for Soar. His parents may be conflicted right now, but I¡¯m confident things will work out fine.¡±

    ¡°If that is coming from you, Lady Renne, then my hope has grown.¡±

    Renne approached the door to the bathing area and opened it. ¡°I¡¯m glad. Today¡¯s been a long day for you all, right? So, let¡¯s relax and take a nice, long ¡­ soak?¡± she trailed off after turning her attention inside at the shocking sight before her. Zalena and Sarise also stared in surprise.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Inside the bathing area were two people, one a young boy with sky blue hair and only a towel around his waist, the other a large, curvy adult woman with a halo in the process of self-repair above her red hair, wearing nothing at all. The broken halo woman was sitting there with the majority of her large body glistening with soapy water, while the boy washed her lush backside with his bare hands. Both stared at the three of them in equally frozen shock for a moment.

    ¡°... H-Hey, guys! Look who I summoned from Zaleese!¡± Soar said with excitement before sporting a big grin.

    How did he get an angel so quickly? Renne wondered, amazed. Outside of the fox-kin teacher¡¯s awareness, Zalena was smirking behind her, entertained at the scene, while the life in Sarise¡¯s eyes was fading to nothing.

    ~~

    [Soar]

    There was a deathly silence after I tried to fake my enthusiasm introducing Melody. It felt like it¡¯d stretch on throughout the rest of the night, and the tension was affecting my shoulders. I opened my mouth to try and break the silence again when the door clicked shut, stopping me.

    ¡°Well! This is certainly a pleasant surprise, isn¡¯t it?! Quite the lucky break we have here, too!¡± Zalena exclaimed, quite a bit louder than what I was comfortable with, enough for me to silently cast Silencing Winds again to cover the entire bathing area so no other noise would get out. The subtle breeze passing over my bare skin was enough to tell that the spell was active.

    ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± I uttered after I finished casting my spell, only just then catching up to Zalena¡¯s pace.

    Zalena then turned to Melody, ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth, right? You are an angel he just summoned from Zaleese?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! Th-That¡¯s right!¡± Flustered, Melody quickly and carefully stood up and straightened herself at attention before bowing deeply, ¡°M-My name is Melody, and I am an angel! I¡¯ll be working as Soar¡ªas Master Soar Osmis¡¯ Zaleesian familiar from now on! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you!¡±

    Zalena clapped her hands in delight, ¡°How divine! Soar, you have to fill us in on what happened while you bathe with us!¡±

    ¡°Um, sure, I guess I could¡ªwait, what?¡±

    ¡°Come on, Renne, Sarise, we don¡¯t have all night!¡± Zalena urged as she started undressing, at which I immediately turned my gaze away.

    ¡°Wait, what?! We¡¯re bathing with Soar in the room?!¡± Ms. Renne exclaimed.

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal, right? He may be one of your students, but he¡¯s still just a kid. Aren¡¯t you curious to know how he summoned Melody so fast?¡± Zalena asked.

    Ms. Renne stuttered, ¡°I-I mean, I am, but he¡¯s a growing boy! I can¡¯t¡ªaak! Z-Zalena! Not my top!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. The other girls already had their chance and the parents will be busy, so we can take our time. Sarise, you¡¯d like to bathe with Soar, too, would you?¡± Zalena asked.

    ¡°... Forgive me, but I am not feeling well right now. I will be stepping outside for a while, please excuse me,¡± Sarise said before she turned, ready to rush out of the bath.

    Everything moved in slow motion, and in that moment, I caught a glimpse of her face in a pained expression, her eyes brimming with tears. I didn¡¯t know what was going on and had no idea what happened during their meeting, but watching Sarise turning to leave in that moment, I had a bad feeling that I may never see her again if I let her leave. Whether or not I was the reason why she looked so hurt in that moment, I couldn¡¯t let her disappear on me. I had to stop her, I went through too much with Melody just so Sarise could stay in this world with me, and I wouldn¡¯t let my devil run from me like my angel almost did.

    ¡°Sarise! Wait!¡± I exclaimed, getting up and subconsciously casting ¡®Dark Gate¡¯ between my feet and the floor for me to fall through. I dropped out next to the door that led to the way out, just a couple feet away from Sarise. Standing firm with my arms spread wide, I hardened my resolve and furrowed my brow.

    ¡°Sarise! Sto¡ª¡±

    I hadn¡¯t anticipated how fast Sarise would try to leave the bathing area, because before I finished speaking and she had a chance to respond, my devil walked right into me, mashing me into her large breasts face first before knocking me down. The shock surprised her enough to yelp and mess up her footing so that she fell forward and landed right on top of me. [Redacted].

    For a brief moment, I thought I wouldn¡¯t mind dying my second death like this.

    ¡°Master! Are you all right?!¡± Sarise exclaimed in panic, getting up on all fours, and freeing my head from her glorious canyon. Admittedly, I was disappointed to be free so soon.

    When my vision adjusted, I felt like prey that was about to be devoured by a predator from how Sarise hovered over me. Having her barely bra covered tits dangling above me, just within an inch over my face, I thought I really had died again, and was now staring into the dark depths between her cleavage that could swallow me whole into the underworld. That was probably just me still delirious from the lack of oxygen moments ago, though ¡­ even if that wasn¡¯t as long as my time being trapped in Melody¡¯s breasts. That¡¯s my excuse and I¡¯m sticking to it.

    ¡°Uh ¡­ I think I¡¯m fine now,¡± I answered after taking a moment to process what just happened.

    Sarise sighed, ¡°What a relief. Please forgive me for falling on you, Master, and I apologize for the rush, but I really should be¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold it.¡±

    [Redacted]

    I honestly had no idea what I was doing teasing Sarise like this, but my subconscious seemed to think this was the best way to deal with her. This sudden authoritarian side of me that appeared felt similar to my reaction when Melody tried to make excuses to go back to Zaleese.

    Having snared Sarise¡¯s full attention, [Redacted]. My other arm supported me as I moved up to her ear.

    ¡°Now, you will get up and say you changed your mind and will bathe with us. You will pretend I [Redacted], let me wash your back, and we will have a telepathic talk about why you tried to run away from me. This is an order from me, as your master, and you are not allowed to reject it. Do I make myself clear, Sarise?¡± I whispered.

    ¡°C-Crystal ¡­ Master,¡± she panted.

    Despite being on all fours, her limbs were wobbling as if she was about to collapse, and shaky, hot breaths sighed down my neck and shoulders, excitement clear in it. Having received her answer, I released [Redacted], ending all the mana manipulation but leaving the fire mana where it was, which left Sarise buzzed and yet slightly disappointed, judging by her expression.

    ¡°Good, now pull me back up, please,¡± I ordered.

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    Sarise used her devil strength to hold me by the waist and gently pulled me back up to standing. She even took a moment to brush off whatever dirt was on me and fixed the towel around my waist¡ªthat I was amazed it hadn¡¯t come undone during that time¡ªbefore she got up herself. It was as if I had a glimpse of Sarise in 100% servant mode, making sure I was prim and proper, even when I was in nothing but a towel, before she fixed herself. [Redacted].

    ¡°Are you okay, Soar?¡± Ms. Renne asked.

    The Fox-kin had been held back by Zalena with an arm in front of her. I wasn¡¯t sure why Zalena held my teacher back, but I was thankful for her interference, since it gave me enough time to ¡®convince¡¯ my devil to stay. Sarise turned around to face them with me at her side.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I sort of hit the floor pretty hard, but I fixed myself with healing magic,¡± I answered, acting casual.

    Granted, after all the training I went through, I had turned into a pretty durable kid. I actually didn¡¯t even need to use healing magic, but I told Ms. Renne differently to pretend I was still somewhat normal.

    I then turned to my devil familiar, ¡°Now, will you be joining us, Sarise?¡±

    She cleared her throat awkwardly, ¡°Yes, well ¡­ since I troubled Master like this, I simply have to oblige.¡±

    <How was that? Was that satisfactory?> Sarise asked me through telepathy.

    <Nicely done,> I praised [Redacted].

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Zalena exclaimed in delight, ¡°And I¡¯m sure you two have a lot to talk about with Melody, so we¡¯ll leave you three alone for a bit. Just come to the bath when you¡¯re ready. Come along, Renne.¡±

    ¡°W-What the?! Hey! I don¡¯t need to be lifted and stripped down with magic! I can do it myself!¡± Ms. Renne exclaimed as Zalena used her levitation magic to do just that.

    The light elf helped herself to two of the available clean towels for both of them. I remembered my manners and averted my gaze while those two stripped down to the nude before moving to a secluded area of the washing station. Once Sarise had undressed herself with a snap of her fingers, I picked up a towel for her and we went to the washing station closest to Melody before sitting my devil down.

    With Water Magic, I gave Melody¡¯s soap sud-covered ass a quick rinse. <Melody, your butt is clean enough, so I¡¯m going to wash and talk to Sarise for a bit,> I told Melody through telepathy.

    <O-Oh! Okay! Don¡¯t mind me!>

 Chapter 44: I Gave My Devil an Amazing Scrub Down

    To make sure we had some privacy, I erected a wall of purplish-black miasma with my Darkness Magic. Once that was done, I started off Sarise¡¯s cleaning by soaking her reddish body with a wash bucket of warm water.

    <I¡¯m going to start with your hair. Don¡¯t move,> I said through telepathy.

    <Yes ¡­ Master.>

    I squeezed some shampoo onto her head and started massaging it into a lather, getting thorough and washing her scalp. I even worked around the area where her horns joined the sides of the head and behind her ears, which I noticed they had slightly pointy tips. Like Melody, I worked my way down her snow white hair, but I didn¡¯t come across any tangles or split ends. This showed great signs in how well Sarise managed and maintained her locks.

    The time I spent on her hair was used to come up with the right questions for my devil familiar. Once I manipulated the warm water to thoroughly rinse out Sarise¡¯s hair with Water Magic, I soaked her body some more and started rubbing her back with a bar of soap. When I had a lather going, I massaged her wet back with my soapy hands. Sarise helpfully tied her hair in a bun with her own levitation magic to get it out of the way.

    To make a comparison, Melody¡¯s back was all wide, pale pink skin, etched with gold grapevine markings. Sarise¡¯s glistening back was noticeably red tinted, with moderate-sized shoulders and a thinner waist. It was all in a balanced mix of modest fat and lean, sculpted muscles, with similar grapevine patterns in black. The size of her breasts in proportion to her torso, while not as great, was nonetheless generous as I was still able to see the former¡¯s outer contours from behind. There were also the black sheep-like horns jutting out of her snow-white, long hair. Her slick black tail topped with an arrowhead curled around in front where she held on her lap, but I could see it trembling slightly. I tried to keep her nervousness in mind as I figured out how to approach this.

    <First, Sarise, how was the meeting with my parents?> I asked, starting the questioning telepathically.

    <Lady Renne said things might work out ¡­ Lady Zalena made a couple of suggestions to settle some concerns, of which one is already fulfilled,> Sarise said as I noticed her head turning to one direction.

    I followed it and saw she was staring at the miasma partition between us and Melody, causing me to blink in surprise, <You mean ¡­ summoning an angel?>

    Sarise only nodded in confirmation.

    Man, what are the odds I¡¯d jump on the same idea by coincidence? <So, this meant you were already expecting to need to cooperate with an angel in order to stay. Were you comfortable with this condition?> I asked as I moved beside Sarise to work on her sides and arms next, lifting the latter to get to the devil¡¯s pits.

    Sarise nodded, <I agreed to it, yes. I have no qualms working with an angel or any kind of Zaleesian to serve you, Master.>

    <So, you knew what to expect in order to stay here, had made peace with the idea, and were probably hoping I¡¯d be able to summon an angel, right?>

    Sarise nodded.

    I stopped my cleaning and raised a brow, <So, if that¡¯s really the case, then why did you try to run away like you just witnessed your best girlfriend making out with your crush?>

    Sarise paused briefly before asking, <Am I ¡­ unreliable? Untrustworthy? Unattractive?>

    Sarise¡¯s question temporarily halted my thought process, <Wait, what? No, of course not, not at all in any way. Hell, you should already know how ¡®unattractive¡¯ I think you are [Redacted].>

    The tips of my devil¡¯s ears got redder than usual, <Right ¡­ you even called them ¡®luscious¡¯. Forgive me, I forgot to consider that, but can you blame me questioning your trust in me when you went and summoned another familiar behind my back? You didn¡¯t say a word ahead of time. When I saw you washing your new angel earlier, before we even told you what happened, I felt like you had given up on us and didn¡¯t have any faith that we¡¯d succeed. Then you just went out and summoned my replacement instead.>

    <I wasn¡¯t sure how tense things were between you and my parents. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt things and make you more nervous than you may already have been,> I defended.

    Sarise peeked up at me, <In that case, I will have you know that hearing your voice, no matter the circumstances, will always calm my heart. It would have made me feel as if you were right there with me. That feeling would eliminate any nerves I had when I spoke with your parents. I would even have described in detail for you my outfits in the little show I put on for them to demonstrate my inverted Aura¡¯s effects.>

    Why does that make me imagine one of those phone sex services from Earth? Do I even want to know what she wore for my parents? Well, my parents being there is kind of a turn-off, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯d go nuts if she held a personal show for me. Come to think of it, I¡¯m not as ashamed thinking of Sarise in that situation than I would be for Melody. [Redacted]. Could it be because of her background as a demon that I feel more open to doing naughty things with her rather than Melody? I thought before shaking myself to stop from thinking any deeper on that right now. Instead, I got up and went around to her front to focus my attention washing her legs next.

    <Okay, I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯d feel that way, and I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you anything sooner. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t trust you and Zalena would pull it off, either. It was just that, if there was a chance I could change my parents¡¯ minds further by my own contributions, I wanted to take the shot, at the very least, anything I could do to make sure you would stay with me permanently.>

    Sarise¡¯s eyes widened, <To stay with you ¡­ permanently?>

    [Redacted]

    <Yes,> I answered, <After everything I saw from you in the dungeon today, you are far from unreliable and untrustworthy. Unattractive? With this body I¡¯m taking great care cleaning every nook and cranny of? This same one with a smooth, firm, and springy texture that I savor as I run my hands all over it? Knowing full well that it all belongs to me, especially these beauties?>

    [Redacted]

    <Master ¡­> my demonic familiar cried telepathically, her face turning redder than her normal skin color.

    Unlike Melody, who didn¡¯t expect to be chosen as a familiar at all, Sarise had made that choice, committing herself into the role. She was fully aware of what she was getting into. Had trained herself in preparation for this very day, this very moment, showcasing every feature of her sexy body, encouraging me with her arousing body language to take her like the devil she is. On that note, though she¡¯s different from a succubus, I wondered if she had any of the sexual nutrition needs succubi had in Earth¡¯s myths. It may have been quite the rude surprise for her that her master would be a young boy, thinking he might not be able to fulfill her sexual needs. In the worst case, she might have feared that she¡¯d need to seek out older, more virile men to satiate her necessities while staying as my familiar. Still, she said it herself that I would grow up to be a splendid young man.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    If Garem, the god that looks after the realm of Zalecks and everyone in it, really played a part in choosing Sarise as my very first familiar, he had to have known what I¡¯ve been going through up to now. Even before I reincarnated in Manara, he must have known at least some of my background on Earth. Was this his way of giving me a chance to have fun? To do the things I couldn¡¯t do back in my old world due to the consequences I would face? Rewarding me for my hard work in honing my magic? Does he believe I¡¯d become a ¡®splendid Magician¡¯ like Sarise told me?

    [Redacted]

    <It¡¯s almost insulting, really ¡­ to think I would let such a beautiful piece of work, a devilishly sexy familiar like yourself, slip between my fingers without doing anything about it,> I said mentally while [Redacted], <If anyone should feel hurt, it should be me. Do you, Sarise, not trust me? Do you not believe in your own master¡¯s will to fight for you, to keep you from slipping out of my grasp?>

    <N-No! Absolutely not! I would never doubt your determination, Master! I apologize if I ever gave that impression!> Sarise exclaimed, flustered enough for her own mind to stutter briefly when the tables were turned.

    <No, no, this is likely my fault,> I argued, <I thought I demonstrated my power well enough during our dungeon crawl together. Clearly, that isn¡¯t the case if you¡¯re still capable of doubting me for even a brief moment. With that said, I believe another demonstration is in order. I will not only show you how gifted and intelligent I am in magic, but prove to you, my dear Sarise, that I am more than capable of taking proper care of you, [Redacted].>

    With a mischievous smile, I lifted Sarise off her stool with levitation magic, surprising her. This is the first time I had demonstrated such a high ranked Aptitude Magic, as well as using it with such precision and expertise. It¡¯s something no being would ever expect from a young boy. With my devil in a sitting pose while being levitated, I slowly forced her legs to widen further and straighten out into a full split. [Redacted] despite how much she was stretched, there wasn¡¯t a hint of pain on her face. Nor was any part of her body shifted out of place from her strenuous and awkward position. Sarise¡¯s flexibility was so high, it gave me a moment of pride knowing I had such a capable familiar.

    [Redacted Section]

    I took one of the remaining spare clean towels, cut it into four rectangles with my Aerial Cutter spell, and made new washcloths out of them. I realized then that I could have done this when I was cleaning Melody. My conscience pounded me with guilt that I didn¡¯t think of this sooner to lessen the degree of lewdness in that situation, but I tried not to dwell on what I couldn¡¯t change now.

    I took the soap bar to lather my hands again, then did the same for the four new washcloths after soaking them with water. I also increased the height of the purplish-black miasma wall. This was to ensure our privacy for what happens next. Once I was ready, I moved Sarise¡¯s body in a full split above me.

    [Redacted] Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t go far while my body was still so young, nor could I dwell on this sight for too long when there were others in the washing area waiting for us.

    Still, that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t have some fun with my devil¡¯s sexy body. [Redacted]. I then directed one of the soap-lathered wash cloths around her tail and started stroking it with my levitation magic, covering it in soap.

    <W-Wait! Master! Y-You do not! N-Not need! C-Clean there!> Sarise exclaimed, barely managing to keep her thoughts coherent.

    I knew how sensitive her tail is after seeing her reactions first-hand in the dungeon. Seeing her writhe like this, I had a hard time keeping myself from laughing. <Oh, but I simply must, Sarise. As your master, I have to make sure you¡¯re squeaky clean of any doubt, and that requires me to be pretty thorough. You just relax and let me take care of everything, and don¡¯t forget to not let your voice out,> I thought before continuing my vigorous cleaning.

    Sarise emitted a high-pitched squeal in her throat, but managed to not open her mouth to scream. <I will ¡­ do my ¡­ b-best!>

    [Redacted Section]

    I stared into her pink eyes with a hard gaze, <Do you understand more about my powers now, that this isn¡¯t even a quarter of what I can really do?>

    She nodded desperately, <Yes! I understand completely!>

    I briefly looked up in thought, <Just to make sure, tell me your honest thoughts about staying as my familiar. Why you won¡¯t doubt me about letting you go ever again, [Redacted]>

    <I think Master Soar Osmis is an amazing Magician who has the power to take over the world if he wants to, and I want to be there by his side when that happens! I am a failure of a familiar to even question his intentions! I won¡¯t ever doubt his power ever again. I want to stay by his side for the rest of my life, and I will do everything in my power, anything he asks of me in order to make that happen! As his servant and familiar, my body and soul are his to do with as he pleases! [Redacted]>

    I leaned in close to Sarise¡¯s ear, [Redacted]. <Good girl. May you stay by my side as my familiar, my servant and maid, forevermore. [Redacted]

    At that moment, I shrunk the field of my Silencing Winds spell down to surround just the two of us, [Redacted].

    [Redacted]

    [Redacted]. It was as if she had finally seen the light and was ascending to heaven.

    When she had finally calmed down [Redacted]. Sarise dropped her head forward, panting hot breaths with her tongue lolled out like a bitch in heat. I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d call this an ahegao face, since I think that was usually pulled off during climax, but it was more or less her expression at this moment.

    [Redacted]. Then, taking the shrunken field of my Silencing Winds spell, I converted it into a ball that contained all the smell of the devil¡¯s pheromones in the wash area. Directing the ball out the nearest open window, I let it dissipate. To finish the coverup, I cast Silencing Winds again to cover the span of the bathing area like I originally had before. Once I rinsed [Redacted] the wash bucket with Water Magic, I filled it with warm water and soaked her body with it, rinsing away the remaining soap [Redacted]. With her cleaning complete, I set her body down on a stool with levitation magic, finally letting her legs relax, but kept holding her upright in case she lost balance. I stepped in front of Sarise with a contented smile, hands behind my back.

    <How do you feel right now, Sarise? Was the cleaning satisfactory?> I asked telepathically.

    Sarise looked up to me, still catching her breath, but smiling brightly, <That was ¡­ amazing. That moment ¡­ was more than anything I could ever dream of. I feel like a new devil.>

    <I¡¯m happy it was to your liking,> I said before holding her chin, closing her mouth, and putting a finger to my lips, <Keep this and everything else between us from now on to ourselves, and I¡¯ll play with you more in ways both of us can enjoy. Understand?>

    <Y-Yes, Master! My lips are sealed!> Sarise responded, flustered from my bold approach.

    <Good. I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on, my dear Sarise.> With that, I came in and placed my lips on her cheek. I could feel her body jolt like electricity had coursed through it as I let my kiss settle in before finally pulling myself away.

    Sarise was speechless, eyes widening in shock, her face, once filled with relief, was replaced with a severe redness of embarrassment that even managed to overtake her reddish skin tone.

    Yeah. I think things will go just fine between us, I thought as I looked towards the future.

 Chapter 45: My Familiars Worked Some Things Out

    With my talk with and cleaning of Sarise done, I let the miasma curtain formed from my Darkness Magic dissipate, surprising Melody who looked to be checking something on herself¡ªwhatever it was, I couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°So-Master Soar! Is everything okay between you two now?! I heard some strange noises from time to time behind that partition, but I didn¡¯t check in to see what it was you two were doing! I swear!¡± Melody said quickly in a panic, but not loud enough that might raise the concern of those outside the room, or even Zalena and Ms. Renne, who looked to have moved from the washing area earlier.

    I waved a hand, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine, Melody, no need to worry about those noises. We just cleared up some misunderstandings as I washed her. Right, Sarise?¡±

    Sarise was still lost in embarrassed shock due to the kiss to her cheek. She cleared her throat and sat up, trying to look more dignified despite her nude state as she realized I¡¯d called her name.

    ¡°Indeed. After talking things over with Master S¡ª ¡­ with Master, I feel we have grown much closer as familiar and master,¡± she corrected.

    Wonder why Sarise felt she had to correct herself when addressing me? There may be formalities to consider between familiar and master, sure, but she literally screamed ¡®Master Soar¡¯ moments ago. Even if they can¡¯t address me as casually as I¡¯d like, I¡¯m fine with being called that way. Come to think of it, Melody casually referred to me by name only before the others showed up, I thought.

    Melody sighed a breath of relief with a hand to her chest. ¡°I¡¯m so glad. I was worried from how in pain she looked a while ago.¡±

    Sarise rested a hand to her own bosom and bowed her head. ¡°I am fine now. I apologize for troubling you, and thank you for your concern. Moving on, you have not washed yourself yet, right, Master? Shall I assist you in washing your back while we are here?¡±

    Ugh, she¡¯s not gonna let go of this, is she? Melody just asked that question not too long ago, either. Oh, god, I can feel her eyes boring into my back and staring straight into my soul. I can¡¯t risk playing favorites here. ¡°¡­ Only if you let Melody join in. You can each have half of my back to work on. It¡¯s either that, or neither of you get to wash my back at all.¡±

    Sarise shifted her gaze over to Melody, ¡°I am fine with that arrangement if you are.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! I am, too!¡±

    ¡°Then, it is decided. Here, Master, you can take my spot,¡± Sarise said as she stood up and gestured to her stool.

    I accepted her offer and sat in Sarise¡¯s place in front of the faucet before wetting my body first, taking care not to let too much water soak the towel tied around my waist. My angel and devil familiars then took their own stools¡ªwith Sarise grabbing a vacant one from the side¡ªand went to work washing my back the same way I had with them, bare hands lathered in soap. I had pointed out I found some extra wash cloths for them to use after my cleaning session with Sarise. However, they apparently found using their own bare hands more effective, and I wasn¡¯t really one to argue their preferred method of cleaning, especially when it felt so nice.

    Since my back is small like the rest of me, cleaning it shouldn¡¯t take long for them working together. Though, should I, myself, enjoy getting pampered by my familiars? the thought crossed my mind as my familiars¡¯ smooth, gentle hands massaged and lathered the soap onto my back.

    ¡°Please forgive me, I have not properly introduced myself yet, yes? I am Sarise of the demons, Master¡¯s familiar from Zalecks,¡± she introduced, ¡°I admit this meeting was very sudden for me, but I look forward to working with you.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! I¡¯m Melody of the angels! Master Soar¡¯s familiar from Zaleese! Wait, I already said that, didn¡¯t I? U-Um, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you! I¡¯m totally new at this, so I¡¯m in your care!¡± Melody exclaimed in a fluster.

    ¡°Technically, I was only summoned a bit earlier today than you, so I am about as new to this as you are.¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s not, um ¡­¡± <Master Soar, can the three of us talk like this for a bit?> Melody asked me through telepathy.

    I focused on keeping my thoughts to myself for a moment, I¡¯m guessing she wants to keep this private so Zalena and Ms. Renne won¡¯t hear? That¡¯s probably for the best. If she¡¯s confessing that to Sarise now, it¡¯s better to do it like this so the others don¡¯t know how unprepared she is. <That¡¯s fine. Tell Sarise what she needs to know,> I answered to Melody in kind.

    <U-Um, Sarise? The truth is ¡­ I didn¡¯t train to become a proper familiar before this,> Melody confessed.

    Sarise blinked and raised a brow, <I beg your pardon?>

    Melody then quickly explained to Sarise her situation through telepathy while I listened in. Both of them continued to wash my back while I did my front, arms, and legs with a bar of soap held with levitation magic. It may look to others like I was being lazy, but any situation, no matter how small and mundane, is an opportunity I can use to practice magic and to improve my mana capacity. Sometimes when I don¡¯t have anything to work with, I would constantly manipulate mana through my own channels to improve my body¡¯s mana transmission efficiency, control, and capacity. It¡¯s a constructive way for me to kill time, especially when there is almost nothing in Lunargrove to entertain yourself with other than reading books and experimenting with spells. There are also the occasional festivals the town holds a few times a year, like the one approaching less than two weeks from now, the Fairy Step Festival.

    <I see, so that is how things are,> Sarise thought after Melody finished explaining her situation, <Well, I imagine Lord Nodem must have had as much reason to select you as Master¡¯s familiar as Lord Garem had for me.>

    <So ¡­ you¡¯ll help me?!> Melody exclaimed with enthusiasm.

    <Master, would you leave Melody¡¯s difficulty with clothing magic in my care? I will, of course, leave the final approval for her outfits in your hands.>

    <If you don¡¯t mind, Sarise, that would really help me out,> I answered her, Plus, if I have the final say in her attire, I can protect her so that she won¡¯t have to dress as erotically as Sarise does.

    Sarise stopped washing my back and turned to Melody, <Understood. Melody, while I would like to help you train to be a proper familiar, I do not know how angels from Zaleese go about it. I can only teach you on what I learned during my training as a demon from Zalecks.>

    Wait, are their training methods that different? Is it even okay for an angel to learn techniques from a devil?

    Melody went into a fluster once more, interrupting my panic, <That¡¯s fine! It¡¯s my fault for not being as properly prepared to be a familiar as I should have! I¡¯ll take whatever help I can get if it means I can be of use to Master Soar! Please, Sarise, take me in as your apprentice!> I couldn¡¯t see what was happening behind me, but I could imagine Melody prostrating to Sarise from the subtle sounds I was hearing. The thought of one naked woman doing that to another felt like it would be an oddly sexy sight, though for Melody¡¯s sake I tried not to think about it.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    <Very well, then your training will begin first thing tomorrow. Prepare yourself until then,> Sarise ordered.

    <Yes, Ms. Sarise!> she answered formally like she would to a teacher.

    I¡¯m still a bit worried at just how differently demons and angels are taught to serve their masters, but at least it sounds like Sarise and Melody will get along fine, I thought, As long as they¡¯re able to cooperate, we can take on a lot of things together as a team.

    With my washing done, I rinsed the soap off my body and went to the bath with my familiars following behind. Sarise, with her hair tied in a bun, supported Melody, whose hair was wrapped in a towel, as the angel still needed support to make up for her reduced coordination. It was when I untied the towel around my waist and got in the hot bathwater that I suddenly remembered. Oh, fuck, Zalena and Ms. Renne are in the bath, too.

    ¡°You three seem to be in a good mood. Did you work everything out?¡± Zalena teased a few arms lengths away from me. Her blonde hair was also wrapped by a towel to keep it from touching the bath water¡ªsomething that¡¯s to be avoided in Dustarga¡¯s bathing culture, unless you¡¯re a beastman with a tail that you can¡¯t help dunking in the water. This left Zalena¡¯s long, pointy ears exposed to the open air, as well as her generous breasts bobbing on the water¡¯s surface.

    ¡°U-Um ¡­ you could say¡ª¡± I said while averting my gaze before the next thing that caught my line of sight stopped my train of thought completely.

    Ms. Renne had her butterscotch shoulder-length hair held up with a hair clip¡ªlikely something she had in her Dark Space since Darkness Magic was one of her specialties¡ªleaving her fox ears jutting up from her head. Ms. Renne¡¯s breasts, while not as big as Zalena¡¯s, were still impressive in comparison, especially as they floated on the bathwater¡¯s surface. That wasn¡¯t the only thing that surprised me, however.

    Dude, are those nipples ¡­ inverted? I wondered.

    ¡°Soar, it is very rude to stare at a woman¡¯s chest, you know,¡± Ms Renne scolded with a furrowed brow.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± I straightened up and directed my gaze to someplace else. Honestly, I had seen breasts, whether mostly or completely exposed, so many times over the course of my life here that I hadn¡¯t realized that I was staring. First there were my fairies who either changed clothes while I was in the room, or bathed in the nude with me without a lick of shame or embarrassment. And then there were those outside of my fairy harem that I had seen having raw sex in various locations, unaware that I could see them with my magic-enhanced sight, my vision¡¯s default setting thanks to my gift. When there were so many more opportunities for me to see exposed breasts in person than I had back on Earth, I grew numb to it. It wasn¡¯t until I saw Zalena, Sarise, Nova, and Melody for the first time today that I caught myself staring at their boobs unobtrusively.

    Actually, how am I just now noticing the fact that most women have bigger breasts here than those from Earth? I suddenly thought while looking up.

    Thinking back on it, having sexual thoughts about my caring ¡®second¡¯ mother in this world had made me feel conflicted, especially whenever Mom bathed and breastfed me as a baby. Perhaps I had mentally blocked the erotic atmosphere surrounding women¡¯s bodies as a habit after being exposed to Mom¡¯s figure for so long. Like how I usually pretended to not see fairies whenever they were having adult fun, including my own Companions.

    Sure, I grew a crush on Ms. Renne, but I didn¡¯t think too much about her body. What really attracted me was her personality. Plus, she was almost like a part of the family since she helped raise me. When I first met Lilia, I only saw her as one of Dad¡¯s old friends, and I bet I was like a little brother to her or something. I was also really young and didn¡¯t have to worry about romantic relationships during that time, so I didn¡¯t think too much about her attractive features then, either. It gags me with guilt thinking back on it, but when I first saw Flomi as she was about to get raped by those bandits, for some reason her large and natural breasts made me remember how beautiful and amazing boobs are.

    That had to be the switch that brought my perverted thoughts back into full swing. Zalena then followed later with tits just as big as Flomi¡¯s while also actively flaunting her sex appeal. It wasn¡¯t until Sarise pressed my face into her impressive tatas the first time in that dungeon that my appreciation and admiration for the female form evolved into lust. And then there was Melody¡¯s rack that¡¯s so GINORMOUS that I couldn¡¯t help but touch them, along with the rest of her VOLUPTUOUSLY padded body in that cave. Not even the stripper from my favorite club on Earth could begin to match Zalena¡¯s and Sarise¡¯s breast in size or gravity defying perkiness, let alone Melody¡¯s.

    I had seen enough adult material through the internet back on Earth to get a good guess on what Earth cup sizes look like, at the least. On average, how big are the women¡¯s breasts here in Manara? How off was I on my occasional guesses about their chest sizes? Will my fairies ever get that big in comparison to their tiny statures? What about the girls like¡ª

    ¡°Soar!¡± the naked Fox-kin shouted.

    ¡°Y-Yes?! Ms. Renne?!¡± Snapped out of my thoughts, I stiffened at my teacher¡¯s raised tone as I shifted my attention to her, then quickly averted my gaze again when my eyes caught on her chest once more.

    Ms. Renne sighed, ¡°Usually, I¡¯d wonder what is going on in that head of yours when you space out like that, but you were thinking about women¡¯s chests just as I was lecturing you about not staring at them, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t deny that. I didn¡¯t even realize I was being lectured. This was not only embarrassing, but also shameful when it happened right in front of my first long-time crush since coming to this world. I thought my 50-year-old soul was better than this, I began to worry that my mind was regressing in some way to try and line up with my new body.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± I said as I started to get up.

    ¡°Ah, ah, ah. You, sit down,¡± Zalena said as my body was stopped in a partially standing position by some powerful force, likely her levitation magic. ¡°Sarise, Melody, grab him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lady Zalena.¡±

    ¡°Huh?! O-Okay!¡±

    Before I realized what was happening, I got trapped on both sides, sandwiched between two large, hot, wet, and voluptuous female bodies [Redacted] pressing against either side of my face. I would have sat back down at her request anyway, but perhaps it was due to how I kept going off on my own that Zalena resorted to trapping me like this. A brief question of who Sarise and Melody were following as their master came to mind, but I had no complaints, nor any reason to resist under these circumstances.

    I shouldn¡¯t be feeling so happy getting stuck like this, should I? I thought.

    ¡°Now, now, Renne, there¡¯s no need to be so harsh outside of school hours,¡± Zalena started while wagging a finger, ¡°While there are manners to be accounted for, there¡¯s nothing wrong or shameful with a growing boy getting curious about a woman¡¯s body. That just shows he¡¯s growing up to be a healthy young man. It won¡¯t be long before he graduates from your class, yes? He¡¯ll be out of your hands then.¡±

    ¡°But I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Besides,¡± Zalena continued, interrupting Ms. Renne, ¡°We still need to pull out of Soar how he summoned Melody before deciding what to do next. And just look at how his familiars are clinging to their cute little master. They just want to bathe with him like good, loyal familiars. Are you really going to cut them off so soon on their first day here in our realm?¡±

    With my face sandwiched between two pairs of large, beautiful chest pillows, I couldn¡¯t see the expressions on my familiars¡¯ faces. However, the way they held me a little tighter told just how much they wanted me here. As awkward and shameful it is for me to admit, I also wanted to stay, for totally obvious reasons.

    Ms. Renne sighed, caving in under the peer pressure. ¡°Try to mind your manners while you¡¯re with us, okay, Soar?¡±

    I nodded in confirmation.

    <¡­ Just curious of thought, but does my staring bother either of you?> I then asked my familiars through telepathy.

    <Not at all, Master> Sarise started in kind, <On the contrary, I am delighted to be a subject of your interests. Say the word, and you will see whatever parts of me at your desire, for as long as you like.>

    <I-It¡¯s a bit embarrassing ¡­ but it¡¯s not bad if it¡¯s you, Master Soar, especially after what happened earlier,> Melody followed, <My entire body is at your disposal, so you may use or look at it however and whenever you like.>

    One of these days ¡­ sooner or later, I¡¯ll have to get in the bath with just my familiars and fairies and enjoy ourselves more comfortably, I thought. It may be sleazy of me to think so, but I already feel like I will receive divine punishment upon my second death, anyways, so I might as well enjoy what I have while I can.

    ¡°Now that that¡¯s out of the way,¡± Zalena started while eyeing me with excited curiosity, ¡°Please, do fill us in from the beginning on how you acquired your new angelic familiar.¡±

 Chapter 46: I Introduced my Angelic Familiar

    I spent the next couple minutes telling my story of how I met Melody, leaving out the explicit parts, of course. I even told Melody not to mention what happened in the cave to anyone long before we got back. For the sake of my comfort, my familiars relaxed their hold and gave me breathing room as I spoke. They were still close to me with our sides touching, though.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t do something as crazy as going to a dungeon by yourself at this time of night, but to go to a cave in the forest and make your own summoning circle ¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel that¡¯s even more insane,¡± Ms. Renne commented while rubbing her temples.

    ¡°I was also surprised!¡± Melody exclaimed, ¡°And he had just learned to use Earth Magic to make that possible, too! After watching him deconstruct his work so well, I couldn¡¯t be more excited to start as Soar¡¯s familiar! Don¡¯t you feel the same, Sarise?¡±

    Sarise crossed her arms under her generous chest, heaving it upwards, and nodded with pride, ¡°Indeed. His performance throughout our time together in Myron Dungeon was phenomenal. Master does not just show promise as a talented Magician, but as a splendid person as well. It is a great honor for one such as I to serve a man like Master.¡±

    ¡°Please, stop. I feel like you¡¯re only saying that because you¡¯re my familiars. I¡¯m not really all that great, ¡± I said while scratching my head.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve learned what I needed to know for now, too,¡± Zalena said, ¡°Still, I find it fascinating how you¡¯ve already achieved what we were initially determined to do after our talk with your parents.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, Sarise mentioned something about that, too,¡± I commented.

    From there, Zalena and Sarise explained what happened over their talk with my parents. From how Ms. Renne blushed a little during the retelling, it seemed like some details were left out for some unspecified reason. I¡¯d have to ask Sarise to fill me in more on what happened later.

    ¡°It¡¯s surprising enough to hear my parents wanted me to summon an angel familiar to keep Sarise around, but ¡­ you¡¯re really thinking of taking me on as your apprentice, Zalena?¡± I asked.

    ¡°But of course! You piqued my interest in the dungeon, Soar. I imagine there isn¡¯t much anyone around these parts that can teach you at your level, and I want to see how much more you can grow,¡± Zalena explained while resting a hand to her bosom, ¡°I was thinking I¡¯d pair up with you and your familiars as a Hunter party. We¡¯d take quests together and I can teach you what I know while on the job, including your newly-attained Light and Earth Magics. Your parents are taking tonight to think about it, but what would you say, Soar? Would you be interested?¡±

    ¡°Would I ever! If you¡¯re willing to take me in, I¡¯ll do whatever I can to improve while being of use to you, Zalena! You won¡¯t be sorry!¡± I exclaimed while pumping my fists in excitement. It was out of that excitement that I didn¡¯t take my familiars sitting so close to me into consideration, specifically their large round melons, and my arms bumped into them on accident.

    When I realized that, I panicked, ¡°Uh, sorry about that, Sarise, Melody. Did I hurt either of you?¡±

    ¡°As a devil, my body¡¯s rather durable. It would take more than that for me to feel any pain, Master,¡± Sarise answered.

    ¡°And I fell¡ªI-I mean, I went through a lot so I don¡¯t get hurt easily, either! I¡¯m okay!¡± Melody added.

    Though the toughness in their bodies was admirable, I still need to show them all due care and respect.

    Zalena cleared her throat to get us back on track before holding up a finger, ¡°There may be some quests here and there where you¡¯d need to be away from town for a few days, maybe weeks, or even longer. We¡¯ll likely have to camp outside, too. Are you alright with that?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°Sure, that¡¯s okay. I can even stay up to take night shifts too.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me for interrupting, Master,¡± Sarise intervened with a hand up, ¡°Melody and I, as your familiars, should be taking night shifts as well. If needed, we are capable and willing to stay up all night while you and Lady Zalena rest.¡±

    ¡°We are? I-I mean, yeah! We are! What she said!¡± Melody added in a slight fluster.

    I guess there¡¯s a lot Melody didn¡¯t expect to be part of being a Familiar?

    ¡°I appreciate the enthusiasm, but your need for rest is just as important as ours,¡± I said, ¡°If some emergency happens, we will need all the energy we can muster to tackle it head on. Familiar or not, you both will be a part of this team. It¡¯s important that we divide our work evenly to maximize our efficiency, and I think it will be more fun that way, too.¡±

    As if on the brink of crying tears of joy, Melody splashed the bath water as she pulled me into a great embrace. Soft, wet, almost malleable skin enveloped my side, while my face was trapped in her slippery cleavage.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re such a kind and understanding person, Soar! I love being your familiar already!¡± she exclaimed in delight.

    My only way out was suddenly blocked off by another wall of flesh that was red, soft, yet firm and even hard in some places, exhibiting a protective strength. Such a contrast from Melody¡¯s body was quite pleasing. With both sides of my head enveloped by large knockers, I was cut off from both vision and sufficient air.

    ¡°While I can say the same, Melody, please be mindful of how you show your affection,¡± Sarise lightly scolded.

    ¡°Oh! Of course, I love having you as a partner, too, Sarise! I hope we can work together well!¡± Melody said while adjusting her hold and pulling Sarise into it as well, trapping me in their voluptuous flesh even further.

    Sarise adjusted herself to pull me even tighter towards her, ¡°I appreciate the sentiment, Melody, but that is not exactly what I was referring to.¡±

    Ms. Renne then mumbled something I couldn¡¯t catch, but there was a hint of aggravation in her tone.

    ¡°Hmm, you two mind making some room? After all the drama tonight, seeing you getting all comfy like that has me feeling a little huggy myself,¡± Zalena said.

    ¡°W-Wait! Zalena! Not you, too!¡± Ms. Renne intervened.

    I couldn¡¯t say anything, not just because of the female flesh cutting off my air, but because I was already doing my best to keep myself sane from all the attention. My sanity was tested further when not just Zalena¡¯s, but even Ms. Renne¡¯s large chest got jammed into the mix. At this point, I couldn¡¯t catch what they were arguing about. All of their racks, universally huge but exhibiting various textures and levels of softness, shifted, rubbed, and pressed against me as I felt myself get pulled along in different directions. I was like the last toy of a popular franchise that a bunch of rowdy kids holding bags full of pudding and jello were fighting over to keep for themselves. There wasn¡¯t any room in their banter for me to cut in, it was a wonder if they even remember I was still there. I tried to shove them aside to gain some breathing room, but that only led to my hands randomly groping their wet and slippery jugs. My remaining will to resist taking advantage of the situation was quickly drained away by their lush femininity. Lost in a fleshy sea of mountainous melons, my mind fell into a stupor of euphoria, or maybe that was the semi-asphyxiation.

    ~~

    I couldn¡¯t remember what happened after that, when I got out of the bath, or even when I dried off and put on a change of clothes. I swear, it was like all my senses were only filled with cheasty spheres, and I was on the verge of drowning in them. It wasn¡¯t until Zalena flicked me on the forehead that I finally snapped back into reality.

    Zalena and Ms. Renne were also dressed and looked like they were ready to leave, but I asked them if I could stay behind with Sarise and Melody to talk for a bit. I wanted to make sure Melody was prepared for her debut as a new familiar. In addition I also wanted to bring my angel and myself outside via ¡®Dark Gate¡¯ so we could enter by the front door to greet everyone and introduce her from there. I pointed out that it¡¯d be kinda weird if we did the same after coming out of the bathroom instead. Ms. Renne showed some doubt, but Zalena intervened and pointed out that, technically, I should be able to bathe with my familiars, since they were both adults. They also were the same beings that had been judged trustworthy enough for their own gods to approve of them and assign them to me as my familiars.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t trust the gods, then whose judgement can you trust?¡± Zalena asked rhetorically.

    Outmatched by Zalena¡¯s logic, Ms. Renne sighed in defeat, still having some apprehensions, but eventually agreeing to let me have my way. I profusely thanked Zalena for assisting me through telepathy magic as she and Ms. Renne left the bathroom, leaving me alone with my familiars. The same familiars who had just passed the partition separating the changing area from the bath, and started drying themselves off. This gave me an amazing view of their undressed, freshly cleaned bodies, dripping with water. I swallowed the saliva building in my mouth at seeing all the hidden delights of these erotic supermodels of beauty. Somehow, I restrained myself from glomping onto the ethereal and infernal bodies before me in order to focus on the task at hand.

    Making sure my ¡®Silencing Winds¡¯ spell was on, I started things off with a question, ¡°Why did you two take so long in the bath?¡±

    ¡°Um ¡­ don¡¯t you remember?¡± Melody asked, averting her eyes awkwardly and clutching her hands to each other, which pushed her ginormous melons up while pressing them together with a jiggle.

    ¡°Uh ¡­¡± I trailed off, both at a loss for what it was I forgot and getting lost into the depths of her cleavage, Wait, did it have something to do with what happened after I blacked out?

    ¡°Master, Melody¡¯s ¡®clothing problem¡¯? We cannot risk the others knowing how ¡­ unprepared she is to be a familiar¡¯s, yes?¡± Sarise asked.

    ¡°... Huh? Oh, oh! Right, that! Yeah, that would be bad. Good call, we should probably talk about what to do next,¡± I said, to which my familiars agreed.

    So, what did happen after I blacked out? I didn¡¯t know how I would come off if I asked about that, so I decided to play safe and just dropped that subject from my thoughts.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    At my suggestion, we took the bath stools as our seats, sitting together in a triangle for our discussion on Melody¡¯s clothes. Sarise, instead of acting like a modest lady, was bold as, well, a demon, as she sat on the bath stool with her legs spread wide apart, not looking the slightest bit ashamed. Melody eyed that posture and, for whatever reason, widened her own legs to follow my devil¡¯s example, while also not looking embarrassed. This allowed me a full frontal view of their bodies, with their differently maintained bushes put on display. I was pleased to be allowed to witness such a picturesque sight, but I didn¡¯t let it deter my mind from our discussion. My inner adult male led me to still stare at them throughout the talk though.

    ¡°Okay, Sarise, we need Melody in a large, white gown fit for an angel when she introduces herself. Can you do that with your clothing magic?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Ehhhh? Just a plain boring, white gown?¡± Sarise asked, disappointed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how the others would react if they found out she can¡¯t use clothing magic,¡± I said, ¡°We need to make it look like Melody conjured the gown herself. Melody, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you this for a while, but how does your Aura, as an angel, differ from a demon¡¯s like Sarise?¡±

    ¡°The type of Aura an individual has varies,¡± Melody explained, ¡°They all come in two types, Physical or Mental. We mid-rank or higher familiars will naturally acquire one as we mature. What that first one is depends on our species, but we can train an additional Aura of our choice. We¡¯ll go over Physical Auras another time, but Mental Auras are fields we emanate that affect other people¡¯s minds, including things like their perception of us. For perception altering Auras, how we dress may increase or decrease the Mental Aura¡¯s cost, or cause it to not affect some people at all. One of my Mental Auras is what we angels call the Purity Aura, which is what many angels are born with.

    ¡°I¡¯ve managed to ¡­ enhance my Purity Aura to provide personal protection on the rare occasions my roommate wasn¡¯t around to provide clothes. Whenever I needed to step out for necessities, I ¡­¡± Melody¡¯s head flushed as she looked down and fidgeted, ¡°I ¡­ may have concentrated my Aura around me at full blast to step out, get what I need, and come right back ¡­ in my birthday suit, without anyone batting an eye in my direction at all.

    ¡°I got the idea after reading that Purity Auras can affect the viewer''s perception of the user¡¯s body and that it redirects attention towards the user¡¯s personality. I thought that maybe if I adjusted and empowered my Purity Aura strongly enough, others wouldn¡¯t notice my missing clothing. I had been thinking about and wishing to Nodem to be unnoticeable for sometime, and he must have granted my prayers, because when I finally had to go out, my altered Purity Aura worked. I practiced using my adjusted Purity Aura a lot after that in case I got stranded without clothing again. I¡¯ve practiced and, whether I¡¯m clothed or not, making myself practically invisible works equally well and the amount of energy I use is virtually the same.¡±

    I think I get it, I thought, Races like demons and angels each have either a Physical or Mental Aura. Mental Auras can make others view the Aura user differently. On top of that, there are differing strengths or levels of effect that depend on the familiar¡¯s experience, and maybe even personality. From what Melody explained, if she had just arrived in Manara for the first time last night, that means the people who didn¡¯t do a double-take on her streaking cases were other Zaleesians. Does this mean both them and Zaleckians are just as liable to be affected by Mental Aura effects as Manarans like me are, or could affecting their own kind, who should be more resistant to Mental Aura effects, be a display of how powerful and capable my familiars are? I guess that question will have to be put aside for another day.

    Going back to Melody, it sounds like she can heighten the effectiveness of her default Purity Aura to the point that her body is practically invisible to others. That¡¯s almost the same as Sarise inverting her own Arousal Aura to imitate her automated Child Protection Aura.

    ¡°So, you can use your Purity Aura to make it so that you can wear anything you want? You can even be in the nude without attracting attention? Would you be comfortable being almost or completely unclothed if I asked you to?¡± I asked.

    Not able to make eye contact, Melody looked down while fidgeting some more with a flushed face, ¡°W-Well, I prefer to be more modestly clothed, b-but if you want me to wear something more revealing and think I look good in it, Soar, I suppose ¡­ I could give it a try. Most angels don¡¯t really care what they wear in Zaleese and would go with whatever their masters want them to wear while on Manara. I guess most Manarans just happened to want their angels wearing robes. My adjusted Purity Aura will let me draw people¡¯s attention away from my body when needed, whether I¡¯m clothed or not.¡±

    ¡°If I may say something while we are on this topic, Master,¡± Sarise said with a hand up, ¡°It sounds like Melody¡¯s Aura works similarly to my own Child-Protection Aura when I strive to extend its effects to those of the age of majority, as well as children. Unlike Melody, using my inverted Aura would require less energy if I am less exposed, but I would rather pay that price and dress minimally for the sake of my own comfort. If I am willing to put in the effort necessary to not draw eyes and inform you whenever I am at my limits in keeping it up, may I use my inverted Aura to my advantage and wear whatever I please in the public?¡±

    I looked to the side in thought, Hmm ¡­ she likes ¡®minimal¡¯ clothing huh? Like that revealing leather outfit she was wearing today?

    I turned back to Sarise, ¡°May I also request something of you to wear for the day? I assure you that I will keep your comfort and desire for minimal clothing in mind.¡±

    Sarise nodded, ¡°But of course, Master. As I said before, I can wear clothes that cover everything from the neck down for a period, at least until I get too stressed and just rip it off entirely. If worn for too long, too much clothing can make us demons feel like we¡¯re about to suffocate from it, but I will endure however I can. From that to wearing nothing at all, your preferences will always take priority over my own, and I will adapt when necessary.¡±

    ¡°W-Wow ¡­¡± Melody muttered with a face that rivaled Sarise¡¯s natural coloring.

    Whoa, so that would mean I could have both of them strutting around with me while wearing nothing and no one would even bat an eye? I could choose skimpy and revealing outfits for them to wear every day, if I wanted¡­

    I cleared my throat after getting myself somewhat under control, ¡°In that case, Sarise, as long as you both put in the work of using your Auras when needed so as to not cause any riots or mobs, I¡¯ll let you dress her and yourself however you want.¡±

    ¡°However ¡­ I want?¡± Sarise repeated with glimmer in her eyes.

    Uh oh, better put the brakes on this a little, I should still be mindful of Melody¡¯s boundaries and preferences, I thought, ¡°Erm, so long as Melody agrees and it¡¯s something comfortable for her to wear, at least. Something that isn¡¯t too close to her boundaries, those shouldn¡¯t be crossed. But yes, unless I say otherwise for certain circumstances, I¡¯ll accept whatever outfit you design for yourself and her.¡±

    ¡°I can work with that! Okay, one white angelic familiar¡¯s outfit, coming¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Melody interrupted, surprising Sarise and I, ¡°Sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to shout, but if I could make a request concerning my outfit ¡­¡±

    Melody then cupped her hands over Sarise¡¯s ear as she whispered. A noticeable blush spread through my angel¡¯s face while my devil¡¯s tail perked straight up in interest.

    ¡°I seeee,¡± Sarise said seductively, ¡°I believe I know just what you¡¯ll like that will suit you as well. Let us see what you think of this!¡±

    Sarise then snapped her fingers, causing a shimmering haze to appear over Melody¡¯s form. Moments later, my eyes widened at the sudden change, and so did my angel¡¯s.

    Melody certainly had a white robe on, but it was made of the sheerest material I ever laid eyes on. It was comfortably loose and flowing from shoulders to ankles like curtains. The sleeves were wide, flaring out several inches as they draped all the way down to her wrists. A wide belt was tied around her waist to accentuate her curvy frame, not that you need a lot of imagination to know what Melody¡¯s body was like to begin with. There were even slits that reached to the top of her hips that exposed both her legs and some of the angel¡¯s backside, leaving just two wide strips of fabric in the front and back that almost worked like a loincloth. You don¡¯t even need to splash water on it to better see what¡¯s underneath, because everything was there in plain sight. In fact, by the look of her familiar bush, she wasn¡¯t wearing any undergarments underneath those robes, either.

    Then there was Melody¡¯s main attraction, her insanely soft, ginormous watermelons, that were surrounded and cupped around the outside by the robe¡¯s plunging neckline rather than covered by it. The only thing that did cover her oversized sweater puppies was a gold stole that hung around her neck, the ends etched with her God Nodem¡¯s symbols. The fabric clung to her kockers like paint, stopping just short of fully covering her plump beads, leaving their lower halves and most of her round pink disks exposed. The stole itself was also very thin, so the contours of her thick erect buds could still be made out from underneath it. It was as if the robe was doing its best to draw more attention to my angel¡¯s completely exposed melons instead of modestly covering them.

    The robe¡¯s back also dipped down to expose Melody¡¯s shoulder blades. I imagine Sarise designed this part with her sister familiar¡¯s feathered wings in mind, but I can¡¯t help but feel it gives a more exotic feel of elegance and grace. Lastly, for footwear, she had sandals with straps that went up to her knees to top her look off.

    Uh ¡­ does she even notice how exposed her rack is? As well as everything else? I wondered.

    ¡°Oh my gosh ¡­ is this really me? Oh! Let me bring out my wings, too!¡± Melody said as she looked at herself in one of the washing area¡¯s mirrors, summoning and unfurling her large, white pigeon-like wings with magic so that they spanned out wide. She made sure to check all sides.

    ¡°I am a little familiar with how angel robes are designed, but I thought I¡¯d give yours some adjustments from the norm to make you stand out from other angels while keeping your request in mind. What do you think?¡± Sarise asked.

    Wait, did Melody ask Sarise to be this exposed? I thought in surprise.

    ¡°I love it!¡± Melody exclaimed as she took Sarise¡¯s hands in hers, ¡°Sarise, thank you so much! I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever have a chance to look like this!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that like you¡¯ve never worn a robe before,¡± I pointed out with widened eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I really haven¡¯t! I never thought I¡¯d become a familiar and I wasn¡¯t confident with my body to even try a robe on! Though I may only wear this for a short while tonight, I feel like ¡­¡± Melody trailed off before her eyes pooled with tears, ¡°I really have become an Angelic Familiar, Master Soar¡¯s familiar, a familiar I thought I¡¯d only see in my dreams. Which is why for tonight, with Sarise¡¯s special design, I will wear this robe with pride as an angel that Master Soar and myself can be proud of. Thank you, Sarise, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I will remember this night for the rest of my life.¡±

    Even Sarise, the devilishly cool beauty that she was, got redder in the face than her natural skin tone from receiving such praise. ¡°You are ¡­ very welcome, Melody,¡± she strained out.

    Looking at Melody¡¯s outfit, I then remembered my earlier time with her, Melody requested her outfit to be like this for my own convenience, didn¡¯t she? She made sure I have easy access to all of her body. I don¡¯t know if I should be happy for her ¡®consideration¡¯ or feel guilty of putting those ideas in her head to start with. I guess as long as she¡¯s happy, I shouldn¡¯t think too much about this. Such images are neither respectful, nor helpful, for either of us.

    Needing to get to bed, I shook off my guilt and told them it was time. Once I opened my ¡®Dark Gate,¡¯ Melody and I bid Sarise goodbye before we stepped through, taking us outside and behind the storage shed. We held hands so Melody wouldn¡¯t trip from her lack of coordination, and I led her to my home in the same fashion.

    ¡°Are you ready for this, Melody?¡± I asked as we moved.

    With a hand to her bosom, Melody took a deep breath to calm herself, even shaking the nerves off from her feathers, before hardening her gaze with determination, ¡°Yes, Master Soar. I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

 Chapter 47: This Eventful Day Finally Ends

    I nodded in understanding at Melody and proceeded forward. We were ready as we could be for her introduction.

    Just as we approached the front door, I opened it and peeked my head inside first, ¡°Helloooo? Anyone here?¡±

    ¡°Soar! You¡¯re back!¡± What greeted me was a smiling and giggling Fila as she pulled me inside and spun me around before wrapping me up in her embrace, ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re safe!¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, do you even know how worried she was when she heard you ran off like that?¡± Onelri asked, approaching us from one of the lobby/dining area¡¯s tables with crossed arms, ¡°Honestly, this is becoming more of a habit with how many times you¡¯ve disappeared already.¡±

    ¡°Were you not the most worried out of all of us with how often you shifted your gaze around looking for him?¡± Agnes intervened while coming to Onelri¡¯s side. Her falcon familiar, Dhalia, perched on her shoulder, ¡°Even after the bath, you stuck around the lobby and waited for him to come back until you fell asleep, did you not?¡±

    Onelri flushed, ¡°I-I was not worried! I was waiting to give him a piece of my mind for upsetting Fila like that!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so cute to see you deny things so strongly, dark elf girl,¡± Zalena said from where she and Ms. Renne were sitting at another table further in the back from the other girls.

    ¡°You shut up!¡± Onelri exclaimed.

    ¡°Master. It is good to see you have returned safely.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Sarise! Glad to bee¡ªehh?¡± I greeted her as she approached us, but when I finally saw her, I was so shocked my mouth stopped working and I made a weird sound.

    ¡°Woooooow! Sarise, those pajamas look incredible!¡± Fila exclaimed as she and the other girls gave their own impressions of the devil¡¯s outfit.

    From what Zalena told me later, the lingerie Sarise was wearing, a unique v-strap babydoll suit, was something she wore as part of her demonstration to my parents. It was to show how her inverted Demonic Aura affected how people saw her. Strangely, everyone only commented on the stylish lace patterns on the straps designed to look like flowers and the mesh material. They didn¡¯t mention the extreme exposure it gave to Sarise¡¯s assets, especially her ass, since there was literally nothing covering her backside. Not even Onelri, whose eyes¡ªenhanced by her gift¡ªwould usually see through all hidden by the veil of magic, mentioned how erotic and half-naked Sarise was. It made me question whether it was the child protection aspect that was protecting the elf, or if her gift couldn¡¯t pierce through effects created by Auras. As I analyzed her thoroughly, Sarise seemed to notice how hard I was staring from how she blushed while trying to explain her outfit to the girls.

    ¡°Oh, my ¡­ w-will I be wearing something like that, too?¡± Melody asked shakily as she approached from behind and grabbed my hand for support.

    ¡°Whoa! A new person just came in! She looks so pretty!¡± Fila exclaimed in excitement.

    ¡°W-Wait, halo, white feathered wings, gold patterns on the body ¡­ is she an actual angel?! But why is her halo broken?¡± Agnes asked, staring with bewilderment.

    ¡°Soar! What the heck did you do?!¡± Onelri yelled with an accusatory tone.

    The girls were frantic as they noticed Melody coming inside.

    Everyone else in the building came downstairs, drowsy eyed and looking ready to fall asleep. That tiredness instantly disappeared at the sight of Melody before they all gathered around us. Even Mom and Dad, looking sweaty with messed-up hair and clothes for some reason, came over to see what was going on, and they were just as surprised at the sight. The only ones who didn¡¯t show up were Rala and Flinto, with the former probably too out of it to even notice the noise. As for the latter, well, he was a cat.

    Once everyone had gathered, I introduced Melody and quickly explained how I had summoned her and the circumstances surrounding her broken halo. Leaving out the nudity, I told them that I was at fault for breaking Melody¡¯s halo as the summoning was rather abrupt on her end, causing her to fall. I then asked them for their help, as my angelic familiar would suffer from a temporary lack of balance until her halo repaired itself. It was truthful enough, and everyone seemed to have bought it, so I was satisfied.

    My angel then greeted everyone formally and bowed, leaving those listening absolutely stunned. I couldn¡¯t help but watch as her breasts fell out of her plunging neckline and dangled freely as she maintained her bent-over posture. Amazingly, the stole remained plastered to her tits, maintaining its unspoken role, not that it was accomplishing much.

    With how crazy everything was today and how tired everyone was, Mom and Dad announced that they would have me go into further details and discuss what to do next over breakfast tomorrow. The rest of the adults agreed and went back to their rooms to sleep. The girls followed suit, apparently they had set something up in the same room together for a mini sleepover. Mom and Dad then told me to use the extra mattress and the works in the storage cabin outside to set up my room so that Sarise and Melody could sleep with me. After I nodded in confirmation, my parents then went to the bathing area, probably because they were the last ones to not get cleaned yet.

    It was then that I remembered that we were out of clean washcloths, Well ¡­ they¡¯re married, so they can probably work that out in a similar way like I did with Sarise, right? ¡­ Let¡¯s not think further on that subject.

    ¡°Soar! Let¡¯s get ready for bed too!¡± Fila exclaimed excitedly while pumping her arms, the two of us and my familiars being the only ones remaining.

    Ah, right. I promised Fila we¡¯d sleep together, and if no one else is intervening on this decision, then I guess it¡¯s okay? Mom and Dad gave the okay to use a second mattress for my familiars to sleep with us, so there should be enough room.

    The four of us went to the storage cabin outside to pick up the mattress, sheets, and other things first. With my Gravity Magic, an advanced form of Darkness Magic, decreasing the weight of the furnishings, and a ¡®Dark Gate¡¯ between the cabin and my room, I managed to easily transport them inside with Sarise¡¯s assistance. Fila watched over Melody due to her poor coordination while we worked. As we were setting up the mattresses, we heard a jingling noise before a pouch dropped to the floor from my bed with the same sound. There was a note attached to it, addressed to me.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked as I took the folded note, opened it, and read the contents.

    <table>

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td>

    For our savior who deserves this reward the most. We spent some of it on carriage fees to meet you, but please accept the rest as a token of our thanks, apologies for troubling you, your birthday gift, and best wishes for you in your new job as a Hunter. We know you will go far, but we hope you would still look after our daughters as you have been, since they now cherish you dearly as their friend.

    May the Great Mother grant you and our daughters eternal happiness.

    </td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    There were signatures from Fila¡¯s and Onerli¡¯s parents at the bottom of the note. This has to be the remaining bounty from those bandits. I thought I told them to use it for their own necessities, though, I mused.

    ¡°There is quite a bit of money in here, Master. Did someone leave this out for you?¡± Sarise asked as she and Melody peeked into the pouch to discover its contents.

    ¡°Yeah ¡­ it¡¯s a birthday gift from someone,¡± I answered. I couldn¡¯t tell my familiars the details yet, but they¡¯ll surely be in the know sooner or later.

    ¡°B-Birthday?! Is today your birthday, Soar?!¡± Melody exclaimed in panic.

    ¡°Yesterday, actually. I just turned 11.¡±

    This body did, anyway, I added in my mind.

    For some reason, my familiars paled and went into panic. Even Sarise, usually calm and collected, had turned a pallid pink while getting antsy as she bit her thumbnail.

    ¡°Oh, dear, this is rather concerning. M-Maybe it is not too late to celebrate! What did Jily suggest I should do here again? There was a ribbon and I had to say something like, ¡®I am your present¡¯?¡± Sarise asked around her thumbnail.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s okay, Sarise! You don¡¯t have to fret over it now! You and Melody can plan ahead for next year!¡± If Sarise was gonna do what I think she was talking about, I¡¯m not sure I could keep up my child persona at that point. The sleeping arrangements now seem already dangerous enough as it is, I thought.

    ¡°Melody, be sure to keep yesterday¡¯s date in mind. We need to plan ahead so that when Master¡¯s next birthday comes around, we can celebrate it with him as only we familiars can. It will be extra special since that will be the one year anniversary since we made a pact with him as master and familiar,¡± Sarise said.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±

    Fila giggled, ¡°It will be one year since me and Onelri met and made friends with Soar too! Oh! Agnes and Claire should also be included! We¡¯ll have to make it extra extra special! We¡¯ll help you plan for it when the time comes!¡±

    ¡°We are in your debt, Lady Fila,¡± Sarise said as she and Melody bowed to her.

    I scratched my head, Sheesh, did my parents ever make such a big deal for my birthdays? What about my parents from my past life? I can¡¯t even remember those moments anymore. Still, if Fila¡¯s going to help with planning everything, then I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to worry about future parties getting too ¡­ questionable.

    Going back to the money Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s parents gifted me, since they went to such lengths to give this to me in secret, it would be rude if I tried to return it to them. I stowed the pouch and note away in my Dark Space before we prepared for bed, quickly putting the mattresses together on the floor with blankets and pillows set up accordingly.

    Melody yawned heavily while making her wings disappear, ¡°Finally, to head to bed after all that.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Melody, before you jump right in, there are two matters that need attending to. First, your nightwear,¡± Sarise said before snapping her fingers, causing a shimmering haze to appear over Melody¡¯s form once more.

    My mind went blank from what appeared as a result.

    Melody¡¯s nightwear was identical to Sarise¡¯s, only as pure in whiteness as my angel was in her innocence, even complementing the gold markings on her pale pink skin. With both my familiars together side-to-side, great differences could be seen between them. The way the matching lingerie hugged and conformed to their bodies clearly showed Melody had Sarise beat curves-wise with her wider, softer frame and ginormous watermelons. It went without saying my angel¡¯s hips and trunk, melded together to accentuate the combined tautness and smoothness on top of their rounded contours, also topped my devil¡¯s. It was especially so with Melody¡¯s entire backside exposed. For the rest of the lingerie, her milk buds were too big for the straps to hide them, the petal-shaped laces¡¯ position atop the angel¡¯s tips just accentuated them further. Surrounding those fat beads, my angel¡¯s saucers, which were only half covered in the first place, were also peeking out of the laced bands that pushed her sweater puppies together and emphasized her cleavage. Even Melody¡¯s untamed red bush couldn¡¯t be contained by Sarise¡¯s design, with stray hairs sticking out on the sides of where the two narrow straps barely overlapped to cover her secret garden. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    I mentally thanked my devil familiar¡ªprivately, not with telepathy¡ªfor this incredible treat, but I still felt somewhat guilty. I made sure to internally apologize to Melody for ogling her, in penance.

    Speaking of Sarise, while she doesn¡¯t beat Melody in size, she makes up for it with her taller height, even without the platform shoes she was wearing today. There were also the proportions of her lean and tight hourglass frame, and the unique red skin etched with black markings that made her a devil from Zalecks. This was all enhanced by her black lingerie that Melody¡¯s white one was a copy of, making her look like a model from a sexy underwear catalogue¡ªthough Melody could pull off being a plus-size model in said catalogue too.

    Honestly, if I was by myself with my familiars, whether my body was young or old, it¡¯d be hard for me to resist jumping on them and savoring the sensation of fondling the assets that I¡¯d get to keep all to myself. Alas, Fila was with us, and she jumped out with her first impressions before I could.

    ¡°Wow, Melody! Your pajamas are just like Sarise¡¯s! They look so amazing!¡± Fila praised.

    Melody was stunned and in shock at the sudden and drastic wardrobe change and looked like she was about to scream in embarrassment until Fila spoke.

    ¡°U-Um ¡­ th-thank you, Lady Fila, was it?¡± Melody asked, still flustered for various reasons.

    Fila nodded in earnest confirmation, her floppy bunny ears bouncing, ¡°Yep, yep! It¡¯s nice to meet you, Melody! Hey, Sarise! You think you could put me in those same pajamas in¡ª¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± I interrupted Fila in horror, making everyone in the room jump in shock. I then reeled myself back in and cleared my throat, ¡°I-I mean, you don¡¯t need to do that, Fila. You¡¯re already pretty enough as you are in your gown.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Fila asked before giggling and flapping her skirt side-to-side bashfully.

    For the record, Fila was in a one-piece, plain pink nightgown that was a little too big for her, judging from how it stretched to the floor with the sleeves covering most of her hands. It looked like a hand-me-down from her mother, Flomi, who probably thought her daughter would start to grow into it sooner or later. That aside, it was sort of cute how a young bunny girl like Fila can get like this with just a single compliment.

    <Sarise, I will say this right now, but you will not, and I repeat, will not put any girl under 18 years old in any of your designs without my supervision or say so, and there will be no exceptions. This is one of my permanent rules that you, as my familiar, must follow at all costs. Do I make myself clear on this?> I asked Sarise firmly through telepathy, Melody was also linked to our talk to hear it in her mind. I had to make sure future scenarios like what Fila almost got into would be avoided at all costs, or I¡¯d face serious hell from their parents down the line. That might not even be the worst of it if word spread to my own parents about anything like this.

    <To be fair, I was not planning on granting Fila¡¯s request to begin with, Master,> Sarise answered.

    I widened my eyes at Sarise¡¯s firm statement.

    <I, myself, am especially aware after years of study of how inappropriate it would be to dress children like this ¡­ well, perhaps aside from you, Master,> she corrected before blushing and averting her gaze, <N-Now that I think about it ¡­ no, it should still be fine, right? As my master, you are free to do with my body as you wish, but if you were to ask about what clothing designs I¡¯d put on you, would those be limited? Yes, that sounds about right, if we are talking about appropriateness. We are definitely not allowed to go too far with designs for Manarans that have not reached the age of majority yet. It sounds like the same would apply to what we could do with our masters ¡­ but, if I could only check to be certain ¡­> Sarise seemed to go deep in thought at this point as I couldn¡¯t hear anything else after that, which meant she must have stopped intending to communicate with me through telepathy. It sounded like she was speaking to me as well as herself up to then, trying to confirm what her guidelines as a Familiar are.

    I was in too much astonishment at Sarise¡¯s unique moral compass and guidelines to really ponder what she was thinking about now. I could still pass my thoughts to her through our telepathic connection, though, so I did just that, <A-Alright, well, good, and ¡­ Sarise? Melody?>

    <Yes?> they both responded in sync.

    I scanned their forms once more and stared at them seriously, despite the heat rising in my cheeks, <You both look ¡­ stunningly beautiful.>

    My familiars went silent, their faces flushed red as they fidgeted in place.

    God, it¡¯s amazing how adorable they can be, I thought.

    After taking a moment to calm down, Sarise then cleared her throat, ¡°N-Now then, for the second matter, how should we set up sleeping arrangements? Who wishes to lay next to whom?¡±

    ¡°I want to sleep next to Soar!¡± Fila declared while hugging me from the side.

    ¡°You can take Master Soar¡¯s other side for tonight, Sarise. I¡¯ll sleep next to Fila,¡± Melody then said.

    Sarise widened her eyes in shock, ¡°You are sure on this, Melody?¡±

    Melody smiled humbly, ¡°You were with Soar before me, and you helped me a lot tonight. The least I could do to say thanks is let you take first dibs on this.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Thank you, Melody,¡± Sarise said before smiling warmly.

    With that, we set ourselves up under the covers with Sarise hitting the magic-powered lights before she crawled up to my side. My Fairy Companions were still partying it up in the attic with other fairies doing I-know-what, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll head to the bath eventually to clean themselves before going to sleep as well.

    It was then Fila snuggled up close and clung to my side before giggling.

    ¡°You seem to be in a good mood,¡± I pointed out.

    ¡°I¡¯m just ¡­ really happy to have you back. I got worried when you were gone for so long ¡­ twice,¡± Fila added.

    I stroked Fila¡¯s head comfortingly between her floppy bunny ears, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I made you feel that way, but since I¡¯m a Hunter now, I¡¯ll likely have long days like that. Some quests might even take more than a day or two to complete.¡±

    ¡°I know ¡­¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll always come back, though. I wouldn¡¯t want to leave a sweet friend like you behind. We even made a Fairy Pinky Promise, too, remember?¡±

    ¡°Right ¡­ can I ask you something, Soar?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°What will you do as a Hunter? How far are you planning to go with this job?¡± Fila then asked.

    I looked up to the darkened ceiling, ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know, haven¡¯t thought that far ahead. With how everything went today, I think I¡¯ll just wing it and see where everything goes.¡±

    Fila held my shirt with a finger and thumb, ¡°Will you try to be one of the higher-ranked Hunters?¡±

    ¡°That would be the ideal. I heard that in the C ranks, as an adult I would be eligible to own a new home, or to occupy a room in a shared living space, at the least. I¡¯m sure there will be plenty of other benefits as I go up the ranks and take on more difficult jobs. I¡¯d like to own a big, luxurious home in the future, if I could. Something just as big, or even bigger than this one here,¡± I said, spreading my hands out wide above me to emphasize my point.

    Up until my death in my past life, I lived in a decent, but still lower-class apartment complex where I had to live with the noise from my neighbors and a nearby highway, and deal with the occasional bug infestation for a self-sustaining rental price. Don¡¯t even get me started on the noisy neighborhood kids. While renting has its perks, even looking back at the house I lived with my parents, I understand the joys and wonders of home ownership. I just couldn¡¯t have made enough money to pay off the ¡®decently¡¯ priced home loan before I¡¯d have died¡ªif I hadn¡¯t been stabbed and lived on in that world, that is.

    Now that I was already racking up my savings early on and would be building on it more with my Hunter job, I could splurge and go for my ideal dream house. Hell, if I bought the necessary materials and applied myself, I could buy a large enough plot of land and build my dream home, if I wanted to. I possess all the Elemental Magics, and a nearly infinite number of other magics with my S Rank Aptitude. Add in my stupidly high mana capacity and Great Sage gift providing the necessary functions for planning, and I could probably build it within a month. Plus, I¡¯m still contemplating marrying several girls and forming a harem in the future like I dreamed about when I was first reborn. Just in case, then, it would be a good idea to make my future home big enough to house all of my partners comfortably. Making the house, or even a mansion, look fancy could even give me some bragging rights to impress the more sophisticated types.

    ¡°That sounds like a wonderful goal to have. I am all for this plan,¡± Sarise commented.

    ¡°Me too!¡± Melody added.

    ¡°That does sound nice. So, you¡¯re going to try to be an S-Rank Hunter?¡± Fila asked

    I hummed in thought, ¡°It¡¯d be great if I can. If there aren¡¯t any opportunities to get higher than that, though, I think I¡¯d be okay as an A-Rank, too. Ah, maybe I should limit what I use in the field? I demonstrated using Wind, Water, Darkness, and now Light after showcasing Nova to everyone. As an 11-year-old both capable of using that much magic and having high ranked familiars at my side, I¡¯m probably getting a lot of attention already. Goddess knows how everyone would react if they knew that I could use all six elements like that princess. I guess I¡¯ll do what I can with just those four elements and try to keep myself as low-key as possible. I''ll take on just enough quests to raise my rank at a reasonable rate and cash in everything else separately from any quests so as to not affect my rank.¡±

    Fila nestled close to my side, taking my arm in both of hers, even interlocking our fingers together, ¡°I know you can do it, Soar, and get the biggest house around, too. Can I come over and play with you sometimes when you do?¡±

    ¡°That should be a given. You¡¯d be welcome at any time.¡±

    ¡°Could we have sleepovers like this one, too?¡± Fila asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Yay,¡± Fila lightly cheered. She giggled and nuzzled me on my shoulder before yawning, ¡°Good night, Soar.¡±

    ¡°Night, Fila,¡± I said while stroking her head, helping her fall into a deep and blissful sleep. It didn¡¯t take long for her eyelids to grow heavy and close while she breathed lightly.

    <¡­ Wow, she goes to sleep pretty quickly, huh? I guess I won¡¯t have worry about her having nightmares tonight?> I asked Sarise and Melody through telepathy.

    <With how magnificent and dependable you are, Master, anyone would fall asleep in peace quickly,> Sarise answered.

    <I haven¡¯t even seen Master Soar fight monsters yet, and I¡¯m already convinced he¡¯s amazing!> Melody agreed.

    <That aside, what would happen if your parents cannot not accept me living with you, Master? What would you do, then?> Sarise asked me.

    I closed my eyes in thought, <¡­ I hope it doesn¡¯t come to that, but I¡¯ll try to think of something on the fly if that happens. Even so, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to worry about now.>

    <May I ask how you are so sure of that, Master?>

    <If they were really concerned, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d let you sleep with me, even with Melody here. Mom also said she¡¯d be okay with you staying if I had an angel familiar, right? She¡¯s not one to go back on her words, so after some time for her and Dad to sleep on the issue, I¡¯m certain you¡¯ll be welcomed in the family tomorrow. Oh! Let¡¯s get up early in the morning and prepare breakfast for everyone. That will surely set the matter in stone,> I concluded.

    <An excellent idea, Master. It will also be a good opportunity to showcase my cooking skills,> Sarise said.

    <I-I¡¯m not much of a cook, but I¡¯ll try to help however I can, too!> Melody added.

    <Do not worry, Melody, I will teach you everything I know as we go along. After all ¡­> Sarise trailed off before I felt her shifting about on our greatly expanded bed.

    My pillow was switched out with something firmer, but far more comfortable than before as a similar object was laid over the left side of my face. This unique pillow sandwich, with a familiar touch of skin, brought a great softness and warmth pressed onto my head. Laced fabric brushed against my nose and lips as the ¡®pillows¡¯ settled around me. My nose tickled from the smell of bath soap and light sweat while I only saw darkness. I could still breathe, but I smelled nothing but that feminine scent. The rest of my body not occupied by Fila also got covered by a strong, firm, but gentle touch that I could only assume to be my devil¡¯s because of the durable, soft padding that covered the tough foundation underneath.

    <¡­ If Master is confident that things will work out, then I shall trust his judgement, and give him my all,> Sarise finished.

    <R-Right ¡­ I¡¯ll be counting on you both, Sarise, Melody,> I said.

    <Yes, Master (Soar),> my familiars responded in sync.

    I felt more shifting on Melody¡¯s end, getting as close to us as possible with Fila in front of her. With that, my familiars fell asleep not too long afterward, while I took a lot longer with how hot things were getting, in multiple ways.

 Chapter 48: My Devils Worries

    {Sarise}

    Where am I? The last thing I remember was sleeping with Master. I am still in my nightwear, and I do not recall waking up for anything ¡­ the devil, Sarise, thought, taking mental note of her current status.

    It was hard to say where she was. The place was dark, but she could still see her hand in front of her clear as day without enhancing her vision with mana. She was standing on something, but had no idea which way was up or down.

    ¡°¡®Scuse me a moment. I gotta spruce up a bit.¡±

    The sudden male voice from out of nowhere startled Sarise. This deep, laid-back, almost casual tone that would lower most people¡¯s guard had only made the devil¡¯s body stiffen with anxiety.

    N-No way ¡­

    Before Sarise could process the situation further, her surroundings changed in a flash. Gone was the dark, foreboding void of endless space. In its place was a luxurious suite that was the size of a studio apartment. This floor was designed with velvet carpeting and passionate red walls, except one made of glass that gave a splendorous view of a modern city that bathed in light of twilight. There was a small kitchen with polished marble floors and countertops in one corner, paintings, bookshelves, file cabinets along the walls, and unique furniture designs, including a polished redwood desk that sat in front of the glass wall. The large, fancy leather office chair behind it was turned around, facing towards the view of the city.

    A-Am I in ¡­ Sarise trailed off as she stared at her surroundings in amazement.

    ¡°Sorry to keep you waitin¡¯, Sarise, and excuse me for my lack of proper attire.¡±

    The devil jolted her head in the direction the voice came from. She had honestly thought the person in question was sitting in the office chair.

    Instead, a man with skin far redder than any devil¡¯s came out of what looked like the bathroom of this suite-like office, wearing nothing but a white velvet bathrobe. Damp, brushed back black locks and small water droplets trailed down his broad, mostly exposed chest, showing he had just come out of the bath. A strong, limber black tail was poking out the back of the robe and swayed behind him. Freshly filed and polished silver antelope horns gleamed from the sun¡¯s rays as they sprouted and curved up and back from on top of his head.

    This devilishly handsome man was none other than Garem, The God of Chaos and the Heart, ruler of the Realm of Zalecks.

    ¡°M-Milord!¡± Sarise exclaimed in panic before immediately prostrating herself, ¡°P-Please pardon me for the sudden and rude intrusion in your ¡­ place! I am not worthy!¡±

    ¡°Settle down, kid, and stand back up while you¡¯re at it,¡± Garem said before walking past Sarise towards the kitchen, whipping her backside with his own tail along the way.

    ¡°Eep!¡± the devil yelped with flushed cheeks, springing to her feet.

    ¡°You¡¯re not in trouble, and you¡¯re only in a dream of my office. I brought you here for us to have a brief private chat,¡± he continued, waving his hand dismissively, ¡°Wait there while I get me some coffee. You want anything?¡± Garem asked while pouring water in the coffee.

    ¡°I-I am fine, thank you,¡± Sarise answered shakily, rubbing her slightly stinging rear. Her tail curled around herself before she gently fiddled with it,¡°T-To what do I owe the honor and pleasure of speaking with you on these holy grounds?¡±

    Though Garem was displaying a calm and casual demeanor, as a devil who took her social standing in Zalecks very seriously, Sarise couldn¡¯t afford to lower her guard. After all, this was her first time speaking with her God directly. Heck, she had never even set foot in the building her God lived and worked in. Granted, she knew that since she¡¯d acquired a position as a familiar that she¡¯d get to meet with him in person eventually, but she didn¡¯t expect that time to come so soon, let alone be one-on-one.

    ¡°Your arrival on Manara, of course, as well as addressing concerns that you have in regards to your new master. You needed to confirm your boundaries and guidelines as a familiar, yes?¡± Garem asked as he set up ground coffee and a filter in a machine.

    As expected of a god, he has sensed my unease and heard my prayer, Sarise thought.

    Unknown to Soar, after their intimate cleaning time together, Sarise had had concerns about what acts and behaviors were acceptable to do around and with her new master. Before she fell asleep, the devil had prayed that her Lord would help her out. It seems he had heeded her call.

    Moments later, Garem came back with a mug that had ¡®Big Daddy¡¯ written on it. He sat down on the couch, slouching back and spreading his legs wide open. The refreshed God of Chaos sighed in content before sipping his coffee and getting comfortable. His bathrobe was more than short enough that someone could take a peek and see what was underneath in his current sitting position. In fact, his manhood, as dark and red as his skin, was laid out on full display. The God of Chaos and the Heart clearly didn¡¯t care if anyone saw him like this. Rather, he welcomed the attention and readily allowed anyone to behold the great treasure that was between his legs. As tempting as it was to step outside and let it all hang out, doing so in a public space would bring more chaos to the populace than the two other gods, Elmyra and Nodem, would usually let him create. To bare witness such a sight in his own private space was something only a handful of Zaleckians would ever be lucky enough to see even once in their lifetime.

    Satisfied with his first sip of coffee for the day, Garem let his levitation magic hold the mug aloft, sat up, closed his legs some, and looked in Sarise¡¯s direction while patting his lap, ¡°Have a seat here, Sarise.¡±

    Though it was only a dream, Sarise could feel her heart racing when her eyes caught what was between her Lord¡¯s legs as well as what he was implying. Though she cared for her master deeply, no woman from Zalecks could help herself when in the presence of her God. She swallowed the nervousness and lust that caused saliva to pool in her mouth as she grew hot and damp in her nether regions, and complied with Garem¡¯s casual demand.

    As Sarise approached Garem, she got flustered, wondering just what sort of position would be appropriate to sit on his lap in. The God read this right away and led her so that she ended up sitting across his lap sidesaddle, right above his rod and stones. Her arms wound up around his shoulders while he supported her exposed back with a lean, sturdy arm of his own. The powerful hand on that arm curled around to cup and play with one of Sarise¡¯s jugs in a teasing manner. At his touch, the devil¡¯s peak perked up and throbbed underneath her lingerie¡¯s fabric. With a warm and gentle smile, the God of Chaos used his other hand to caress her cheek.

    Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygooooooosh! I am sitting on Lord Garem¡¯s lap while he feels me up! On top of that, his ethereal shaft is definitely poking me from below! Jily and Master would freak if they heard about this! Sarise screamed in her mind in excitement before a realization hit her, ¡­ Wait, Master would freak out, but maybe not in the same manner as Jily. Oh, dear, and I just told him last night that my body was his, too!

    Very few Manarans are even aware of how Zalecks¡¯ culture works, like how often Zaleckians have sex with others, let alone how much we fondle each other¡¯s bodies, whether or not any of us are in a committed relationship. As long as the proper boundaries and proprieties are respected, married demons can have sex with outsiders without violating their vows, or even first seeking permission. Nor would most Manarans understand how important a role physical contact plays in all forms of communication between us Zaleckians, even touching that others would classify as highly sexual. What they classify as groping or foreplay is just a casual handshake for us.

    As knowledgeable as Master is, I cannot assume he knows about all of our customs. What if he gets the wrong idea and becomes upset? Would he understand that such actions don''t mean the same thing for us demons? I need to see where he stands on this as soon as possible!

    Oh, how I want to hold Master right now. Actually, while I was too emotional to think straight, I pulled him into my lap just last night. I am not sure if this position would display conduct appropriate for a servant towards her master, but I cannot deny how good it felt holding him in my arms. From how his heart raced everytime I held him, he seemed really happy whenever we touched too.

    Then again, I can sense his emotions already through our pact as master and familiar. Doing the same through physical contact allows me as a demon to really empathize with him, to really feel his emotions as if they were my own. When our feelings were mutual, like the excitement we shared during that cleaning last night, it really intensifies our empathetic bond for me and makes living in the moment all the more vivid and fun.

    I want to experience and explore more of those wonderful sensations during my time with Master. I hope he will still let me do all that and then some after I explain everything to him ¡­ and that he understands that I still cherish him above all else.

    Zalecks is a realm where casual, open-minded, and sexually-proactive demons and magical beasts of all kinds thrive. The city that the devil and her God were in, Vas Legas¡ªor at least the dream version of it¡ªpossessed a culture that best represented the populace and their way of living as a whole. Dress codes ranging from daring to insane, residents having sex in broad daylight while others stand by, either getting off on the scene or going about their day like normal. It was a place that most outsiders would find truly bizarre and lacking common sense. This city was truly representative of a world where the people lived by the mantra ¡®act first and think later,¡¯ going about their days and doing things based solely on how they were feeling at the moment.

    Part of Demonic culture that was far removed from human norms on Manara were the frequent and public acts of ¡®casual fondling.¡¯ No matter the relationship, good or bad, one and all openly felt each other up while conversing. Reasons for doing so varied from love, to showing interest in a potential romantic partner, to the desire for physical intimacy, to even laying down a challenge, taunt, or dare. Whatever the reason might be, touching any and all parts of one another¡ªincluding the erogenous ones¡ªwas just a normal part of communication and daily life for any Zaleckian.

    Though social ranking differences are taken into account, the consent to touch or grope anywhere one pleased was always a given. If the one being groped wasn¡¯t into it, it would be obvious to any Zaleckain¡¯s empathic touch sense, and the other party would stop immediately. But few were that inept at providing pleasure. Any Manaran taking one look at their surroundings would be shocked at how common this intimate act was.

    Since sensual touch plays such a large role in Zalecks¡¯ culture, Zaleckians had to be taught to not partake in such acts when on Manara in order to qualify as a familiar. This teaching was further reinforced when demons began growing infamous throughout various human kingdoms. Until it was time to be summoned, however, those who had completed their training were free to live on Zalecks as normal, copping a feel on whoever, wherever was convenient.

    The case between Sarise and Garem would have been no different, only one of them was the very God that ran the realm every Zaleckian was living in. Being in such close contact with their Lord was one of the highest honors a demon could receive. Some would spend their whole life¡¯s savings if it meant experiencing this opportunity for just one minute. It would be impossible, ludicrous, heretical even perhaps, for any female granted such an honor to refuse her Lord¡¯s demands and advances. Sarise was no exception. As both a daughter from a noble family, and a familiar currently under contract, earning her Lord''s ire by insulting him would cost her twice over. First in however her punishment might affect her new, wonderful, master, and second in the dishonor it would bring down upon her family. Not that she was the least bit interested in refusing him in the first place.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Once Garem confirmed Sarise was comfy on his lap¡ªor as close to it as she could be¡ªhe floated his mug over to take another sip of his favorite drink. With additional levitation magic, he picked up a few files that were sitting on his desk, bringing them over to him. Opening one of the files with that same magic, the deity skimmed its contents while making sure Sarise couldn¡¯t see it. While reading, the hand that was caressing Sarise¡¯s cheek moved downward to rub her thigh.

    At first Sarise was thrilled and aroused by her Lord¡¯s touch, mainly the feel of his grand staff under her posterior. After remembering her bond with Soar, though, she was too conflicted with herself to even bother with the file¡¯s contents. Having her one of her well built girls and a thigh rubbed was calming her down as it turned her on further, however. The rising sexual energy was reassuringly familiar and made her feel safe. From his deft erotic touch, Sarise could tell both that her Lord cared for and valued her, and that he wouldn¡¯t take things any further. This was only a small example of what the God of Emotion could do for anyone he came in contact with, especially his Zaleckian subjects. Most demons are also capable of conveying emotion through touch, but not as effectively using only the same level of effort as Garem was on Sarise.

    ¡°Soar Osmis ¡­ gotta say, none of us had expected him to perform his first summoning so soon,¡± Garem admitted while continuing to massage Sarise¡¯s pert melon and muscular thigh.

    ¡°None of you ¡­ as in you, Lord Nodem, and Lady Elmyra too? All of you have been watching him?¡± Sarise asked with widened eyes.

    ¡°Oh, yes. That ¡­ kid ¡­ is a special case between the three of us,¡± Garem said, looking unusually careful with his wording for a moment, using his hands on Sarise¡¯s bosom and leg to help him collect his thoughts, ¡°Nodem and I had to do a coin flip to decide who would grant him his first familiar the moment he was born, which is something we don¡¯t do very often with other Manarans. I won, of course. Took me some time thinking and observing him before deciding that you would fit him best. Let me first apologize for springing that responsibility on you all of a sudden, Sarise.¡±

    ¡°Th-There is no need for that! It was sudden for me, yes, but I am grateful to be chosen as a familiar, especially for someone like Master!¡± Sarise exclaimed.

    ¡°But you have something gnawing your conscience, do you, Sarise? Specifically your intimate scrub down,¡± Garem guessed.

    Sarise went redder in the face than her skin could handle before she shifted her gaze downward.

    ¡°Talk to me, sweetheart. What¡¯s got your underwear in a twist?¡± Garem asked, using the hand on Sarise¡¯s thigh to teasingly snap the waistband of said underwear lightly.

    ¡°I am aware ¡­ that we do not service masters that have not yet reached the age of majority the same as we do with those who have, or are past it,¡± Sarise said, ¡°We have these boundaries with younger masters for a reason, I understand that, but what mine showed me last night ¡­ was unlike anything I have ever dreamed of. There was this feeling of wrongness that just made everything all the more exciting. I never anticipated feeling such ecstasy before, and when he said he would play with me some more if I kept it a secret, I was all too excited and too eager to agree, but thinking back on it now with a clear mind, the idea frightens me.¡±

    Shivering in anxiety, Sarise looked up at her Lord pleadingly, ¡°Please, Milord, I must know. Are these feelings I possess acceptable? Is it really okay for me to continue playing these games with my Master when he is still so young?¡±

    Garem kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

    ¡°In a word, yes,¡± he said, as both hands came up and pinched her ripe buds.

    Fireworks went off in Sarise¡¯s mind, a strange full-body rush of pleasure. Strange because she wasn¡¯t actually hitting her peak, her loins only buzzed gently. The devil had never heard of such a thing before, and instantly knew that Garem had chosen this sensation for her out of respect for her master. He knew she¡¯d never fully believe his words without that most demonic of confirmations, erotic pleasure, and that she¡¯d feel guilty if he provided proof of his good will to her the traditional way, with sex. So, her lord did the impossible and satisfied both contradictory requirements simultaneously. As to be expected of the God of Chaos and the Heart.

    Seeing that Sarise was still basking in her afterglow, Garem kneaded her sweater puppies and took a sip out of his levitating coffee mug while also working on coming up with a more complete answer.

    ¡°To start, if we¡¯re using your ¡®cleaning session¡¯ with Soar as an example for your ¡®games,¡¯ you performed splendidly,¡± Garem declared.

    Having slumped against him, Sarise¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    ¡°Everything that happened last night was within safe grounds of acceptable actions towards younger masters, which is fully submitting your body for them to explore directly at their command,¡± Garem explained, ¡°The only rules that must be enforced is no direct, intentional contact on the genitals with any part of their body or vice versa¡ªso that applies to both you as the familiar and to your master, but the Child Protection Aura will prevent them from going near there¡ªand familiars must never instigate these acts with their masters, at all, until they reach the age of majority. Until then, the familiar will answer any questions their young master may have on the subject of their bodies as well as act, dress, and play with them at their command. Remember that the Child Protection Aura will always work to keep them, and therefore you, safe from any misconduct. This means that if the Child Protection Aura allows it, it''s okay and you have nothing to worry about.

    ¡°Soar isn¡¯t even aware of these rules, and yet he already found a loophole by using levitation magic to tease your palace with a washcloth. Clever little sneak, that one is,¡± Garem commented before chuckling, recalling the scene as he took another sip of coffee.

    ¡°T-True ¡­ admittedly too clever, along with everything else that night,¡± Sarise said, ¡°I do not mean any disrespect, of course, but is it even possible for him to know of such things at his age? Come to think of it, I should have sensed something was off when he gave me that massage in the dungeon. That just felt too good to be coming from a child, if you know what I mean.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, your questioning on that front would be reasonable, if we were dealing with a normal kid, that is, but Soar is far from one,¡± Garem argued as he looked at his file again, ¡°Out of, admittedly belated, respect for his privacy, I can¡¯t give too much about him away after already overstepping our bounds in doing so with some other participating parties, but I¡¯ll tell you this: he knew what he was doing with you last night. He has had that level of awareness, intelligence, and maturity since he was born.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡± Sarise objected, slipping out of her normal formality in shock.

    ¡°Believe me, I know how to give a good tease at times, but this isn¡¯t one of them,¡± he explained, moving one hand to rub Sarise¡¯s stomach, ¡°Smart as the kid has always been, it has complicated his development, especially when it comes to adult women. The poor guy has been exposed to, and learned too much of, the wonders and fun of sex far too quickly for his age. We had to take safety precautions with his body to ensure his unnatural awareness wouldn¡¯t stunt his growth, but his mind is another story. Still, he has tried his best to ignore these inherent, virile urges for the good ol¡¯ T and A, but he¡¯s been living on empty for too long. It wasn¡¯t a problem until recent events in his life put him on the brinks of sanity before you came around.

    ¡°That¡¯s why after years of observation and self-debate, I chose you, Sarise,¡± Garem said, using both hands again to cup and fondle the young devil¡¯s melons. Her peaks were still hard beads, the exquisite pleasure of his touch adding demonic sincerity to his words, ¡°You are the right person to help him out, as you have the right kind of mindset, flexibility, attitude, and especially the body to fulfill his current needs. Your willingness to serve, as well as your unique interest of becoming a ¡®maid¡¯ during your time as a familiar, will be just the thing to help him stay composed in public.¡±

    ¡°Y-You even know about ¡­¡± Sarise trailed off, too stunned to know how to react at the stunning influx of information and erotic sensations.

    ¡°As for your feelings for Soar, many demons before you have been through fulfilling, life-changing, experiences with their masters, young and old,¡± Garem continued while playing with her rack some more, ¡°The levels of stress you¡¯re experiencing now as you¡¯re undergoing these chaotic changes in a new environment are normal. I had anticipated such development after being around a mature, intelligent child like Soar long enough, but not even I foresaw something like that cleaning scene that made things escalate so quickly. However, your feelings will mature and come to a proper balance in time. And of course none of this will be of any concern once he reaches his age of majority. All I can give you for advice now is to cherish these special moments you have with Soar, take great care with his well-being, both body and mind, and always keep yourselves in a comfortable space. Have faith that he¡¯ll understand your feelings once you voice your discomfort. He¡¯s way ahead on that front from the other kids, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Sarise teared up, but tried to keep herself composed and not look like a mess in front of her Lord, ¡°That is what I have been planning to do from the very beginning. Thank you for helping me confirm a few things and set my mind at ease, Milord.¡±

    Garem gave a warm smile and patted Sarise¡¯s thigh, ¡°Anything for my kids, sweetheart. Now, before we set you on your way, there is one more thing I need to talk to you about, your new ¡®familiar sister.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Melody?¡± Sarise asked.

    ¡°Yes, her,¡± Garem said as he set Soar¡¯s file aside, opened another folder, and skimmed its contents, ¡°You are aware of her lack of any familiar training, and just like with your case, none of us expected Soar to summon his second familiar so soon either. Honestly, I thought Nodem would speak with her like I¡¯m doing with you, but he fears she may become a blubbering mess and cry about being unworthy to be Soar¡¯s familiar, and things would just become a big pain after that. I have no idea why he decided to pick an angel with that weak of an emotional mindset, but it states here that she has the skills in magic and Aura Manipulation to more than qualify as a familiar.

    ¡°He asked me to relay a message to you while we¡¯re here like this, namely that you show Melody the ropes on being a capable familiar, and help her gain the self-confidence she needs to get by. Put everything that I just talked with you about into your teachings with her, but keep what I told you about Soar hush-hush between us. Capiche?¡± Garem asked.

    ¡°I understand, but does that mean he is okay with me teaching Melody all that I learned about being a Zaleckian familiar? Are not the Zaleesian¡¯s teaching methods different from ours?¡± Sarise asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming he wants her taught our way, or else he¡¯d have plopped a textbook on my lap along with his message to you,¡± Garem answered before rolling his eyes, ¡°Knowing Nodem, he has some reason for wanting Melody to be taught the ways of a Zaleckian familiar rather than a Zaleesian one. I¡¯ll leave that between the two of them, though, as this is the only time I¡¯m interfering in one of his kids¡¯ affairs with their master. Just help the angel come out of her shell while taking care of Soar¡¯s ¡­ ¡®special needs,¡¯ to the best of your ability.¡±

    ¡°I will not let you down, Milord,¡± Sarise said while she got up from Garem¡¯s lap and dropped to one knee, pledging her allegiance to her Lord. To prevent any temptation and not risk betraying her master, she avoided making eye contact with her God¡¯s grandiose spear.

    ¡°I know this is a lot for you to take on your shoulders, but make the most of it and remember to have some fun,¡± Garem said as he stood and lifted Sarise up to standing position with a strong hand around her waist before walking both of them to the door. As they walked, one of his hands dropped down onto the young devil¡¯s backside and kneaded it lightly.

    ¡°Be playful and entice that young man with your ¡®maid-enly¡¯ charms,¡± he emphasized while squeezing his fingers, ¡°Oh, and get Melody in on it, too. Trust me, he¡¯ll appreciate it ¡­ eventually.¡±

    If Master will enjoy my fantasies along with me, then I will be the luckiest devil in Zalecks. Ohh, the things he could do with me ¡­ Sarise thought, slightly in a daze, barely noticing her God¡¯s last words, and not paying attention to the open door in front of her.

    She snapped herself out of it just in time to notice the dark void of space she found herself in from the beginning of her dream.

    ¡°W-Wait, where is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Best of luck, sweetheart! Go get ¡®em!¡± Garem interrupted before giving Sarise a good smack on the rear.

    It was a big enough surprise to cause Sarise to jump right out of the mischievous God¡¯s office and plummet down into the dark abyss with a scream.

    ~~

    {Garem}

    ¡°Toodle-oo,¡± Garem bid while waving his fingers at the falling devil before closing the door.

    He then went back to his comfortable and luxurious couch and took another sip of his beloved coffee. With a wave of his finger, a hole appeared in space. It revealed the same devil he just spanked out of his office moments ago and her beloved master next to her, both in a surprising, juicily scandalous, position.

    Garem¡¯s ¡®godhood¡¯ quickly rose while he clapped in excitement, ¡°Oooh, I might just have to order breakfast in this time around. I can¡¯t miss a moment of this ¡­ better get a refill and make the order quickly.¡±

 Chapter 49: Didnâ€™t Think Iâ€™d Get Milk Like This Again

    {Sarise}

    ¡°M-Mmh ¡­¡± Sarise grunted with restrained pleasure.

    Ugh, what an end to that so-called dream. As expected, the inner workings of Milord¡¯s mind is an enigma. At least he was generous enough to answer my worries from last night, so now I can really focus on doing my best as a dignified familiar from Zalecks. Come on, Sarise, wake up. You have got to get up and help Master prepare breakfast for the others.

    Last night, as soon as Soar proposed the idea to wake up early and make breakfast for everyone, Sarise repeated it in her mind before she fell asleep so that she¡¯d remember about it upon waking up. Like fairies, familiars of all kinds have a highly accurate, innate sense of time, whether they¡¯re in their birth realms or on Manara. Because of this, clocks don¡¯t exist on the continent of Dustarga, each of the countries within it have alternative ways to tell time for those who have neither a fairy or a familiar.

    In the Reskondant Kingdom, there are magic bells people can own that ring six times daily, tolling when it¡¯s morning, mid-morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and night. These are spread evenly throughout the day, there being the same number of hours in a Manaran day as on Earth. There are more minutes in a Manaran hour, however, and more seconds in a Manran minute, such that a day on Manara lasts about twenty-eight Earth hours long. Regardless, timekeeping is not a problem for anyone in the Osmis household.

    For Sarise¡¯s part, she was already an early-riser back on Zalecks, and the time difference wasn¡¯t so great as to make adapting hard. Even so, Sarise was a devil who took her role as a familiar far more seriously than some foolish Manarans would have guessed from her appearance alone. This was her first official day on Manara, her debut as a Zaleckian familiar and as a maid, and she needed to start out strong to leave an amazing, lasting impression on her young master, his family, and their friends.

    And to start off strong, the first thing a proper maid must do is wake up, make themselves presentable, and greet their master with a beautiful, warm smile as they gently rouse them. Then again, this was actually an important task for a familiar also. Sarise knew that it was something that could go both ways, but acting the part of her master¡¯s maid pleased her more, so that was the role she chose. Her desire was such that she spent years working with the maids that served her family¡¯s household, all to attain that mindset as she passionately trained herself for this very moment.

    Lying in bed without moving, Sarise rehearsed the steps of her morning ritual mentally first, Remember your routine, Sarise! Wake up, dress down, pretty up, brush hair down, and then¡ª

    Sarise¡¯s thoughts came to a crashing halt when a sudden, but exhilarating, sensation sent thrilling chills down her spine, eliciting a shallow gasp. The devil was able to hold back her cry of satisfaction, but the incredible sensation was still acting on her, and it was difficult for her to not let out moans of pleasure. If she wasn¡¯t awake before, she was certainly so now.

    ¡ªJust what is making me endure this cruel pleasure? she thought before finally opening her eyes for the first time that morning, and as her vision adjusted, what she saw answered her question immediately.

    Her young boy of a master, Soar Osmis, was suckling on her now bare mound. Before Sarise fell asleep, she¡¯d turned the self-adjusting effects of her clothing magic off to save mana, and so her large, red melons with their dark crimson buds had popped out of her unique teddy lingerie as she moved during the night. In addition, it seems one or both of them had kicked the blankets off, leaving the majority of their bodies exposed to the cold, which left her young master cuddling up to the devil to seek her warmth. With one of her sweater puppies now poking Soar in the face, specifically with the nozzle against his lips, the boy must have subconsciously taken it in his mouth like a sleeping newborn.

    Sarise noticed that Fila and Melody were in a similar position, with their bodies exposed to the cold air after apparently knocking off their covers as well. For the sake of warmth, the bunny girl was burrowed into the warm softness of the angel¡¯s chest and had practically sunk out of sight. Melody, in turn, was hugging her like one of her favorite stuffed animals.

    Looking back down at Soar''s sleeping face, his demonic familiar was captivated and internally squealed in delight, Ooooooh, how cuuuuuuuute! How blessed I am to get to see how adorable Master looks while sleeping on my very first day! This is more than just coincidental luck on my part! I thank you for this wonderful treat on such a joyous day, Lord Garem! Oh, the poor dear, he must be so hungry after everything he went through yesterday. He clearly did not have enough to eat at the party last night. I would love to cook him a good breakfast in bed, but he would probably wake up if I left. Is it okay for me to wake him, or should I let him sleep? Then again, was he not going to wake up to prepare food for everyone with me? But he looks so peaceful sleeping like this, and I do not want to wake him, or let his hunger force him to wake up, before his body is ready to ¡­

    Sarise was facing her first dilemma as a newly-contracted maid. Soar didn¡¯t explicitly make it an order that the two of them were to make breakfast together. It was more of a suggestion, one that would help her win his parents over on the topic of letting her stay. Yet, the devil had been taught to always tend to her master¡¯s needs first, and that was reconfirmed during the talk with her god in her dream. Unless Soar ordered otherwise, Sarise had to make sure he was healthy, especially while he was still so young with lots of time and room to grow ahead of him.

    With that said, the devil decided that the large-scale breakfast could wait. It was important for a growing boy to get plenty of rest, especially after all the work he put in yesterday. She was definitely not making an excuse to continue watching her master sleep so cutely as he suckled her bottle like a newborn. Still, the fact that her master was trying to drink her milk meant he was getting hungry, which now posed a new problem. This was to either risk waking him up by pulling away and sneaking off to prepare his breakfast, or let him sleep and continue to attempt to nurse for the milk that would never come.

    Wait, I can fulfill his needs without waking him with the ¡®Creamy Fantasy¡¯ spell Jily taught me! Of course! Okay, Sarise, it has been a while since you last practiced, but you can do this. Just focus, and ¡­ Sarise closed her eyes and concentrated. A great surge coursed through the devil¡¯s body, flowing towards her chest, where it felt like her heart was about to burst. She squinted an eye open to check and watched her rack swell up, almost inflating like balloons. Her dark red disks spread over the wider surface area, keeping pace with the rest of her melons¡¯ growth. Meanwhile, the buds that stuck out in the middle became swollen as they grew to the size of grapes, including the one currently inside her master¡¯s mouth.

    The sensation of Sarise¡¯s milk jugs stretching as they expanded and grew wasn¡¯t painful. On the contrary, it felt so good that it was slowly raising her arousal. As Sarise¡¯s breathing grew noisy, she had to restrain herself from groaning, taking shallow breaths for fear of waking the other people in the room.

    Mmh, this is no time to focus on feeling good, Sarise. You have to tend to Master¡¯s needs first. Come on, girls, do it already, Sarise chided her watermelons in her mind. Finally, as if they were heeding her inner call, white beads started forming on her milk buds. Yes! I still got it, Jily!

    This was an advanced internal enhancement technique of Demonic Magic taught among the upper-class of demon culture, ¡®Creamy Fantasy.¡¯ It allowed female demons to make their melons grow bigger, filling them with milk to lactate with. By manipulating the mana within their bodies to flow and channel into their chest tissue, they are able to set estrogen-production levels into high gear. Meanwhile, Aura and mana are combined to make Auric Matter. This is then formed into artificial glands inside the chest tissue in order to produce and contain more milk at faster speeds, allowing the jugs to keep up with the increased levels of estrogen. As more glands are formed, the jugs that contain them grow until they reach the desired weight and size. If their rack stops increasing and refuses to grow anymore, the demoness knows they¡¯ve reached their limit. A bit more size is still achieved as milk production continues, causing swelling, until the peaks leak the creamy liquid at the slightest touch. For some female demons, this final size can be twice, or even thrice of their default bust sizes and weight, and they can get even bigger if they put in enough practice to surpass those limits.

    The succubus race are master practitioners in this bedroom art, but other demons with high magical capability like devils are also able to perform it as well. It was said that this technique was first developed to let these high-class demons act as wet nurses when their master or master¡¯s spouses weren¡¯t able to produce enough milk for their newborns. How long it took for this internally cast spell technique to be used for adult fun was anyone¡¯s guess. Even if not many of these high-class demons were called upon by their masters to act as wet nurses these days, though, the ¡®Creamy Fantasy¡¯ spell was still passed down to each generation.

    Initiates just starting out in the art would usually begin by massaging their bare melons as they focus on controlling the mana to flow inside them. If the practitioner was having a difficult time making this happen, their instructor¡ªusually a highly skilled succubus¡ªwould come and assist them. This help could include the teacher massaging their student¡¯s soon-to-be milk jugs, as well as other places on the body, or even licking and suckling their peaks, all so the student could learn to manually control the mana flow inside of their rack.

    Specialized oils and aphrodisiacs were sometimes used to increase the student¡¯s sensitivity for mana. This sensitivity would help them really feel the flow of mana in their melons. They would then practice altering this flow until they reached the point where they could lactate. Through this practice, with some adjustments, highly skilled practitioners like Sarise could even manipulate their mana to increase the adult sensitivity of different parts of their bodies at command. It went without saying that these ¡®lessons¡¯ would always quickly transform into something else as the teacher and student(s) really got into it.

    When applied in the field, the demon¡¯s master may ask her to play with her milk jugs in front of them while making them grow. There may also be times when the master would want to massage their familiar¡¯s watermelons with their own hands while the latter works the magic. In either case, learning to stimulate lactation by hand was like riding a bike with training wheels. The main goal for any ¡®Creamy Fantasy¡¯ practitioner was to make their milk jugs grow and lactate on their own without any external stimulation.

    No, at this point, the female demon should be stimulated enough just by her own mana playing with her melon¡¯s fatty tissues and nerves to succeed. This is every high-class demon¡¯s goal, as the result would be allowing their master to observe the surreal and extraordinary phenomenon of jugs growing right before their very eyes without any obstruction. Pulling off ¡®Creamy Fantasy¡¯ without external stimulation is like a medal of honor, showing the female demon¡¯s capability, worth, and honor as their master¡¯s familiar.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    While the unaided feat may be impressive in a demon¡¯s eyes, it all really came down to their master¡¯s preferences and what was more entertaining and thrilling for them. Regardless of the means, the female demon hardly ever had any reason to complain, as it usually ended in hot bedroom action, a win-win situation for both parties.

    Sarise by now was jumping for joy in her mind at getting her melons to lactate without waking Soar. The ¡®young¡¯ boy quickly noticed the different, but interesting, taste in his mouth while sleeping. As if acting on instinct, he was drawn to drink more of this exquisite nectar from the strangely familiar source, and his body responded to his subconscious urges as he shifted a better position to suckle his devil¡¯s milk. Still not satisfied, Sarise¡¯s sleeping master took her large jug in both of his small hands and lightly squeezed it to milk even more cream out, squirting a small stream in his mouth that he happily drank.

    Master¡¯s drinking my milk so vigorously! Ohh, this feels so different from when I practiced with Jily. Mmmh, satisfying Master¡¯s hunger with my milk, it is so ¡­ exquisite! Sarise thought in ecstasy.

    As Sarise relished the pleasure of breastfeeding, her reddish complexion practically glowed with positivity and beauty. She was also feeling pleasured in ways she never felt during her practice. Her body¡¯s adult craving to be sensually touched rose higher and higher, while her mind was high from the ecstasy and currently on auto-pilot. After her talk with her God and hearing his instructions about her Child-Protection Aura, Sarise was freed from all her fears. She could relax and enjoy the ride, pretending she was in the middle of an extra special private-time session. Like her previous solitary playtimes, she manipulated mana within her body to increase the sensitivity in the appropriate areas, mainly her leaking jugs and swampy garden.

    While cradling Soar¡¯s head in one hand, urging him to suckle more milk, Sarise¡¯s other hand reached down between her legs. She easily reached between the overlapping panels of her minimal nightwear, thankful she didn¡¯t have to remove it. Brushing lightly, she danced her fingers over the dark red petals that were blooming underneath and generously secreting the devil¡¯s forbidden nectar. Just that touch sent jolts of electricity through her body, making her arch her back as she gasped.

    To keep herself from screaming in delight, a small part of Sarise¡¯s mind not drunk with ecstasy was functional enough to use levitation magic on her other exposed milk jug. Dribbling with milk, the familiar brought the neglected melon to her own mouth and started drinking it herself. This not only helped muffled her screams, but even raised her pleasure higher as both her jugs were now being assaulted. Not to mention she got to enjoy a refreshing beverage first thing in the morning.

    Mmh, yes, Master, drink more of my milk! Drink it with all the lust and vigor you had when you fondled me last night! I need more of it! Sarise screamed in her mind while she drank her own cream with that same energy.

    With the hand between her legs, Sarise pushed her middle finger into her entrance, going as far into the depths as her digit could take her, and played with her insides with the slicking wetness of her nectar. The devil¡¯s hungry tunnel squeezed down tightly in response, wanting much more filling it. Her mind was foggy with pleasure as she fantasized, imagining her master, older and manlier, taking charge and helping himself to all of the devil¡¯s voluptuous body for his own pleasure.

    Yes! Yes! Use me, Master! Use my body! Take me, take everything! Make this maid your illicit mistress! Sarise screamed in her fantasy. She began upping her efforts in fingering her treasure while sucking milk out of her melon. Meanwhile, her other hand cradled Soar¡¯s head gently as he had his fill of milk from her other jug.

    Master! I¡¯m getting so close! Please, let me have my release! I beg you, let me feel satisfaction like the needy, dirty maid that I am! Sarise pleaded to her master in her fantasy, teasing herself in real time as she edged closer and closer to her peak.

    Then, to Sarise¡¯s surprise, she felt teeth on the melon Soar was suckling. It was as if he was urging the bead to produce more milk by using a little more force in his mouth while squeezing the jug harder. His familiar could hardly believe he was still sleeping this whole time. He didn¡¯t bite down hard, it was only a nibble at best, and the devil¡¯s skin was more than tough enough to not bruise or feel pain so easily. Even so, it was almost like he answered Sarise¡¯s plea, because with her increased sensitivity stimulated by her mana control, that light teething was just the trigger needed to push Sarise over the edge.

    MASTER SOOOOOOAR! Sarise mentally screamed in satisfaction as she arched her back. It had been a while since she last relieved herself, but it was also a special case this time around, as it was her first time breastfeeding her young master, even if he was only unknowingly involved. The devil didn¡¯t just make a soaking mess on the mattress, her engorged buds sprayed milk like fountains in both their mouths. Sarise was lucky she and her master kept the spraying contained, or there¡¯d be a sudden white shower in the room due to the sheer force of her milky eruption. She had tasted her own milk before, but there was something about this batch that made it seem especially delicious. Soar certainly seemed delighted by the taste as he swallowed his familiar¡¯s milk down his gullet.

    When Sarise¡¯s eruption died down, she dropped back down on her bed, released her milk bud from her mouth, and panted with hot breath as she rode out her afterglow. Soar was still sucking insistently on her other milk jug, the sensation sending pleasurable shockwaves through her satiated body, as she hugged him to her chest. Ah, sating Master Soar¡¯s subconscious desire from hunger in such an adult fashion, while I am nothing more than his maid ¡­ how delicious, she thought.

    In the lucid part at the back of Sarise¡¯s mind, she remembered her meeting with Garem and talking with him about Soar¡¯s ¡®complications.¡¯ From her own observations, with her master¡¯s levels of intelligence, awareness, and maturity, he could pass as an adult. Even last night, she noticed that the disconnect between Soar¡¯s innocent, youthful image and his mischievous, cunning, lecherous actions was stark. The devil just couldn¡¯t imagine a child was capable enough to exercise such masculine control over her.

    Amidst the surprise and confusion caused by the sharp contrast Sarise witnessed from her master, she was enthralled, amazed, and ecstatic to be at the mercy of such a unique individual. And after her dream, she couldn¡¯t wait for when their next time would come. For her body to be touched and teased, to be used and played with at her master¡¯s leisure, she wanted more of that sort of attention. It was like she had a taste of what the illicit maids she read about in raunchy books had experienced. It was the sort of experience she dreamed of having as she served her master, and Soar had delivered a piece of it to her last night like an adult master would have.

    Perhaps it was expected for her to see Soar more as an adult than what his age and appearance suggested. That was probably why Garem brought Sarise to his office through a dreamscape, to confirm what it is about Soar that made her feel this way, and why she shouldn¡¯t worry about it. Despite the abrupt end to their meeting, Sarise was grateful to her lord for explaining everything and reassuring her. Of course, she¡¯d still have to follow the rules and restrain herself to an extent, considering Soar¡¯s age, but that was fine. She was happy to wait. If his unexpected skill meant Soar would be able to do even better master-servant stuff with her when he reached the age of majority, then that was something to look forward to.

    As Sarise came back from her afterglow high, she noticed a damp wetness between her legs, followed by a lingering scent in the air, Goodness, my cum clearly has recharged since last night. Nevertheless, I better get this cleaned up before my master and the others wake up from the smell.

    Sarise closed her eyes and concentrated. Then, with a sweep of her hand, all traces of her satisfaction¡ªliquids, scents, and all¡ªcompletely disappeared.

    Being more experienced and flexible than most in matters of love, demons had experimented and improved their Demonic Magic to make the cons that came with doing the tango frequently easier to handle. One of them included the otherwise painstaking process of cleaning adult fluids and smells that are so difficult to remove. With this spell, casually dubbed ¡®Quickie Cleaner,¡¯ any noticeable signs of organic gases and liquids, like those that come from an ¡®encounter¡¯, are cleared from a focused area like they were never there.

    While it was a godsend for those who otherwise would have to deal with those messes by hand, it was a notorious tool for those who needed to wipe out any evidence of sinful acts, from adultery to murder. This was another reason why demons had a bad reputation in many human kingdoms like Reskondant, even if it was the master who was guilty while their demonic familiar was only following orders.

    Still, mastering the ¡®Quickie Cleaner¡¯ spell was a must for demons, whether or not they aim to become familiars. This spell was a convenient and reliable tool to clean the tougher, messier aftermaths of play time in an instant, whether it was due to a demon¡¯s master playing with them, they themselves, another person, or even all of three combined and then some.

    Sarise valued this spell especially, as it gave her more time to worry about her own personal needs. It was also essential for her to become the ideal maid/servant of her fantasies that she wanted to be. While she could clean messes instantly with it when in a pinch, she could also¡ªand actually prefered to¡ªlap up any messes she made herself, especially those on and around her master¡¯s body. It was the more traditional, proper, and exciting way to clean and service her master, in her opinion.

    Admittedly, Sarise could have cleaned up the mess she made in the bathing area in such a matter last night, but she was so overcome with pleasure and the afterglow that she forgot about it. Hell, all of it was such a great shock to her, since she never expected Soar to pull something like that off while he was still so young. But it wasn¡¯t an unwelcome surprise, either, now that she had talked with her Lord Garem. Honestly, the only thing Sarise was slightly disappointed with in the end was that her master poured her juices down the drain instead of ¡®forcing¡¯ her to chug it straight out of the bucket, figuratively making her ¡®swallowing her doubts.¡¯

    Though, when Sarise thought of it, drinking them back down right afterward might have defeated the purpose of ¡®flushing out¡¯ the doubts inside her. Still, that was a minor, nit-picky complaint of hers. The devil was now certain there would be other chances to drink her own juices. Personally, however, Sarise couldn¡¯t wait for the day her master reached his age of majority and she could swallow his fluids with any one of her ¡®mouths.¡¯ Which would he choose first? Her throat? Her rear-passage? Her front-passage? All of the above? Sarise couldn¡¯t help but shiver in anticipatory delight at the possibilities. And while she knew that time was still years away, now at least she could savor the games her master could play with her while she waited.

    Oh! I shouldn¡¯t be dwelling on this! Sarise exclaimed in her mind, Master should be quenched enough by now from drinking my milk, yes? Come to think of it, though I have come to terms with my concerns of how to handle my master¡¯s mature nature, I have not really addressed these findings with him. Moreover, was it even alright for me to give him my milk in this manner? Or pleasure myself next to him?

    ...Oh dear, this got complicated so very fast. Okay, calm yourself, Sarise. You owe Master an explanation. Perhaps preparing him a proper breakfast would help lighten the mood a bit before you explain. Then again, should I prepare breakfast for everyone by myself? It does seem ludicrous for a master to do a maid¡¯s job, but it was my master who proposed that we cook together last night. It¡¯s really not much different from when I practiced with my own maids and I admittedly do like the idea, so should I just go with the flow? Let me just do my morning routine without waking my master first while I think about ¡­ The devil¡¯s thoughts trailed to a halt as she looked in Soar¡¯s direction and their eyes locked with each other.

    Shocked and confused, with a fat and still somewhat leaky milk bud in his mouth, the devil¡¯s master was now wide awake.

 Chapter 50: I Decided to Go With The Flow

    {Soar}

    There was a warm, creamy, and slightly sweet taste in my mouth as I was waking up. I could still remember the moment my tongue felt around the large, foreign object that produced the tasty liquid. It was engorged and leaking heavily, also had its own unique taste that I guessed was feminine sweat as my eyes groggily opened and focused on the source. Sarise¡¯s face, filled with calm bliss, rapidly transformed into one of pure shock. It was the early hours just before daybreak. My room was quiet and dimly lit, but I could still see my devil¡¯s expression quite clearly, and without any covers obstructing the very fine view. Which abruptly made me realize how cold I was.

    This was also how I knew that the ¡®foreign object¡¯ in my mouth was my devil¡¯s amazingly swollen, and definitely leaky, milk bud.

    <Um ¡­ Sarise, what¡¯s going on?> I asked through telepathy magic, my reluctance to speak out loud far more related to not letting go of a certain body part than a desire to avoid making any noise.

    <If ¡­ you would allow me, Master, I can explain everything while you drink more of my milk ¡­ or not, that is fine as well,> Sarise said stiffly before putting on a wry smile, acutely and awkwardly aware of the horribly compromising position we were both in.

    I won''t lie, a part of me actually wanted to get a better taste of the ¡®thing¡¯ in my mouth. Still, I seriously needed to question Sarise and find out what she thought she was doing, putting her living accomodations with me in jeopardy like this. Luckily, after doing a quick scan of the building with my search magic, it seemed everyone was still in their rooms sleeping. Just in case, I decided it would be best if we pretend to still be sleeping. The fact that this would also let me have some fun with the unexpected situation I found myself in, was purely coincidental, of course. One of her berries is already in my mouth anyway, so I might as well make the most of it, I thought, shamelessly ignoring my own hypocrisy in furthering our jeopardy.

    <If you can explain coherently and succinctly just what is going on while I suckle and play with your jugs, then I¡¯m listening. Just use that blanket to cover us completely and pretend that we¡¯re still asleep and everything that I¡¯m doing to you is an unconscious accident on my part, while you¡¯re at it,> I said through telepathy before eagerly sucking more cream from my devil¡¯s engorged spout.

    I reached a hand up to her other melon and felt the weight of the remaining milk inside, a firm squeeze causing some to spurt out.

    Sarise bit back a sensual moan and pulled me close, allowing me to feel as much of her sexy and warm body as possible, <As you wish, Master.>

    With her arms securing me, Sarise used her levitation magic to pick up the blanket and cover us both, while I enhanced my vision with magic so I could see in the dark. I then proceeded to thoroughly enjoy myself as I listened to her, switching back and forth between her milk jugs and playing around with the unoccupied bud.

    Sarise did an admirable job explaining to me in detail of what just happened, despite everything I did to her. I also noticed that the tone with which my lusty demon spoke to me in my mind while being teased was quite erotic, giving me a pleasing tickle in my head as I helped myself to both her melons and her milk. To keep it very brief, she woke up, noticed I was sucking her milk bud in my sleep, and thought I could use something to fill my stomach. She eventually decided to produce milk from her rack to satisfy my hunger, and got so aroused from it that she rubbed one out next to me. This resulted in her wetting the bed, sheets, and blanket, and leaving the air saturated in pheromones, but she managed to clear it all away without a trace with the ¡®Quickie Cleaner¡¯ spell from her arsenal of Demonic Magic.

    After hearing everything from Sarise, my first few desire-muddled thoughts were, How the hell did I not wake up in the middle of all that? Followed by, I wonder how nutritional devil milk is?

    Putting those thoughts aside, when I asked Sarise why she got off on feeding me in the first place, though she was still embarrassed at getting caught, she readily made her confession. Apparently, she has a master-maid taste and has spent quite some time coming up with many different scenarios involving the fantasy, reading and using many trashy romance novels as her source material. They became her guide on how to become the ideal maid, the ¡®Proper Noble¡¯s Familiar¡¯ that dutifully serves her master with great honor, joy, and pleasure - of all kinds.

    I wondered briefly if Sarise was okay being a ¡®Proper Noble¡¯s Familiar¡¯ for a commoner like me, especially one who doesn¡¯t have any plans of becoming nobility in the future. However, I haven¡¯t heard any criticisms of my home life from her yet and she has shown great determination to do what she must to be able to stay with me, so I figured I didn¡¯t need to worry about that for now. As for the ¡®maid taste¡¯ thing, would someone like Sarise really think all maids behave like what she read in her trashy romance novels? Maybe demons are different? I mused. Still, even if the majority of maids in this world don¡¯t actually do naughty stuff with their masters, I have no complaints if Sarise wants to be that kind of a ¡®maid¡¯ for me. On the contrary, I would love to make all her fantasies come true! With all that said, I kept any ideas about actual proper maid behavior to myself for the time being.

    When I pressed Sarise for further details, all the characters in those novels were adults, and she hadn''t heard of any ¡®stories¡¯ like that that involved those under the age of majority. My demonic familiar assured me that involving minors in adult affairs was also taboo among Zaleckians. In fact, after I had turned her on with my ¡®cleaning¡¯ of her body last night, she apparently got rather concerned that she might have acted immorally in accepting my advances on her.

    Thankfully, her God, Garem, actually came and talked with Sarise about her worries in a dream. I don¡¯t know all of what they talked about, but I guess she was given the okay to let me ¡®play¡¯ with her, so long as she doesn¡¯t instigate it while I¡¯m still below the age of majority. Though Mona explained how the Child Protection Aura has no effect on me last night, Sarise seems to have been given the idea by Garem that it still does. In fact, she was told by the God of Chaos that it could be used to determine what kind of ¡®games¡¯ are safe for her to play with me.

    I¡¯m not sure if Garem somehow isn¡¯t aware of my gift¡¯s capabilities or if he said that to ease Sarise¡¯s worries while keeping my true age a secret. Regardless, I guess I can consider this a free pass for me to do almost whatever I want with, and to, my devil. I still have to exercise some restraint, however, as I¡¯m still planning on abstain from actually doing the deed until I turn 21. My ultimate goal is still to score one more upgrade to my Great Sage gift. I won¡¯t be trying for anymore upgrades after this one, that¡¯s for sure, I thought, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d make it ¡­

    As for what happened between Sarise and I this morning, my familiar didn¡¯t have any sensual intentions when she began using the ¡®Creamy Fantasy¡¯ spell to feed me in my sleep. She was relieved after having all her fears cleared up by Lord Garem, however, which made her relax a bit too much. The feeding ended up feeling so good after she started that she lost herself in one of her fantasies and ¡®enjoyed¡¯ herself right next to me.

    With that, I finally understood how we got into our current, very compromising, position. Thankfully, amazingly, no one had interrupted us even now, though the early hour no doubt helped. Then again, we partied pretty late last night, so that likely also helped us. God knows how my parents would have reacted if they walked in on us now. Undoubtedly it would have closed their case on what to do with Sarise without any further arguments.

    On the bright side, I now know that Sarise, like most demons in general, aren¡¯t oblivious about adult stuff like Melody is¡ªnot sure about other angels and Zaleesian familiars though. Not only that, but demonic culture has moral and ethical standards that I can agree with, at least when I take into consideration their magical Child-Protection Auras, that is. After all, its only counter is a gift that requires you to have an adult soul, so it is sufficient for protecting the truly youthful and innocent.

    I was also very interested in how Sarise was able to produce her own milk anytime she wanted, and this time I wanted to get the whole experience while I was wide awake. It seemed my devil could also change her body to some extent too, which certainly had possibilities. Unlike in Melody¡¯s case, where I accidentally manipulated her into thinking ¡®fondling your body means I think you¡¯re beautiful,¡¯ Sarise seemed very much aware of her self-worth and mature appeal. She also knew she had to be mindful of who she enticed as well as how. Unlike my poor, innocent, angel, when my naughty devil acted in a sexy manner, it was very much on purpose, and for my benefit.

    Normally, having a younger body, I would be off-limits for anything adult related with Sarise. After having things clarified and being given the okay by Garem, though, while there were still some restrictions, my demon could let herself go, mostly, and enjoy having her body played with by yours truly. Considering both last night when she agreed to keep these activities between us, as well as this morning¡¯s feeding session, she¡¯s clearly open to experiencing more adult activities with me. And I was more than happy to follow through on my promises to her while no one else was watching.

    Finally finished with the explanation, Sarise profusely apologized for the awkward position her ¡®carelessness¡¯ put us in. It was hard to say if she really was that sorry, as the devil constantly moaned in between her apologies. Although I suppose that was more my fault than hers, as I never stopped playing with her watermelons. In fact, I noticed her tail had slid off the bed and was laying outside the covers, wagging with excitement. With everything now out in the open, I needed to make my stance clear and ease Sarise¡¯s worries. So, after I collected my thoughts and stopped sucking on and playing with her milk buds, I looked up to Sarise from between her breasts and accepted her apology.

    <You are not mad?> Sarise asked with widened eyes.

    I shook my head, <Not at all. First, let¡¯s talk about your desire to be a ¡®Proper Noble¡¯s Familiar¡¯. I believe everyone has their own set of interests that they¡¯re more than welcome to pursue at their own pace, so long as doing so doesn¡¯t harm anyone else, but we¡¯ll go into that more later. As for your actions with me this morning, sure, you could have picked a better and more secure location to share your milk with me, but that stuff tastes way too good for me to be mad at you for that. Really, I¡¯m partially to blame for not properly requesting you to wake me up first thing in the morning. I¡¯m new to this whole, ¡®Master¡¯ thing, and I¡¯m just not used to giving direct orders, so I ask that you please excuse me if and when I do something that confuses you.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    <I pointed this out Melody last night, too, but I¡¯m unable to sense your emotions like you both can with mine,> I said before placing a hand to my chest, <If there¡¯s something bothering you, you¡¯re hurting, do not understand something, or if there¡¯s anything you may need that you can¡¯t do on your own, I want you to come to me about it immediately so we can work through it together. To me, you and Melody are not just my familiars, servants, or something similar. You¡¯re my friends, my family and my most trusted allies.

    <I know I made you say some pretty crazy stuff last night before I let you ¡®peak¡¯, but that was all just sexy talk, as far as I¡¯m concerned. Just because I¡¯m your master, that doesn¡¯t mean that I have the right to make decisions about your body or who you¡¯re with. I¡¯d like to be your only man, but that has to be your decision because it¡¯s what you want. The last thing I want is for you to choose me for no better reason than because I just so happen to be your master. That said, I very much would like to keep you all to myself, if you don¡¯t mind that.>

    And I¡¯m stopping myself here, I thought, finishing my telepathic monologue by popping a berry back into my mouth while I started groping Sarise¡¯s other melon.

    <Never doubt, Master, you are the only man for me! I want nothing more than to stay by your side and share moments like this forever, but ¡­ there is something that you need to know about me as a demon, and a little more of what transpired between me and Lord Garem,> Sarise said, trying to look serious while simultaneously clutching my head to her chest in pleasure.

    Sarise then gave me a brief lesson on Zaleckian culture and some of its main values, including what outsiders would likely find most jarring, their casual acts of both groping and full on adult fun as a part of everyday communication, even between strangers, whether they¡¯re single or in a relationship with someone else. She brought this up because during her talk with Garem, in an effort to make her feel comfortable, the God of Chaos followed this cultural norm and felt her up. However, it seems Sarise¡¯s Lord avoided touching her privates throughout the course of their talk, for some reason. In fact, he didn¡¯t go any further than groping her rack, backside, and thighs.

    It seemed Sarise knew how different the culture in Manara was from her own, which is why she was explaining this to me now. Maybe it was part of her training as a familiar to be aware of what practices should be avoided in our world, at least until their master gives them consent. Still, this revelation was really out of left-field for me.

    I was stunned enough to stop my ¡®feeding¡¯ upon hearing it. On one hand, the culture sounded like an elaborated con designed to allow one to get away with cheating their partners. On Earth, you¡¯d have to be either really oblivious or not invested in the relationship at all to actually buy into such behavior. On the other hand, this is a culture that consisted of Demons, not humans. These Demons didn¡¯t just include Devils like Sarise, but Succubi and Incubi, who are depicted as the more lust-driven beings of Earth¡¯s mythology. I could imagine them being polyamorous by nature and not sticking with just one partner. Demonic ¡®marriages¡¯ are probably more ¡®open¡¯ than what even ¡®open marriages¡¯ back on Earth would consider normal.

    To top it all off, Sarise was touched by the Lord of her realm, Garem, the God of Chaos and the Heart. Being one of the highest authorities in existence, I imagine it wouldn¡¯t be surprising to see his subjects going gaga over just being near him, like fans for their celebrity. Getting touched by him would be a bunch of notches above that. I wasn¡¯t sure how normal it was for the subjects to return his gestures, but it sounded like Sarise tried to resist going very far due to her feelings for me, while also trying to not be rude to her Lord. That had to be difficult for her to accomplish, considering her position.

    Moreover, Sarise prayed for his guidance, thinking she committed a wrong getting involved with my ¡®adult play¡¯ in the bath last night. She was worried that she did something bad to me, even though I was the one who initiated everything. This problem wouldn¡¯t have occurred if I had kept my hands and magic to myself. Not to say it was totally my fault, but it seemed these were the consequences of my actions that I¡¯d have to own up to. Even if I had told her everything was fine, my words wouldn¡¯t hold as much weight as her superior¡¯s, who was the same person who brought us together in the first place. Not to mention, it¡¯s been barely a day since Sarise came to this world, so obviously, there¡¯s a bunch of things we don¡¯t know about each other, like what boundaries we shouldn¡¯t cross.

    On the other hand, Garem is the God of the Heart, so he probably did know just how far he should go, and what boundaries he shouldn¡¯t cross, to keep both Sarise, and apparently me, happy. In the end, he was just doing what he had to to calm her down after I freaked her out. I wish he hadn¡¯t needed to take it as far as he did, but it¡¯s hard to blame him when he not only held back, but when that necessity was mainly my fault in the first place, I silently mused.

    <And that is everything that happened between Lord Garem and I,> Sarise said, <Know this, Master, that no matter what, you will always be the most important person in my life, the one man who I want to be able to say I belong to, if you will have me. Know too that this isn¡¯t a spur of the moment decision, I have always wanted to devote myself, body and soul, to my master, and having met you, I am more eager than ever to do so, and I am fully confident that my feelings for you will never change. Does any of this make sense, Master?>

    <... When your Lord touched you, you didn¡¯t feel anything for him then? Like you do for me?> I asked after some thought.

    <Being touched by Lord Garem is a high honor for us Zaleckians, and I was relieved when he assuaged my worries with not just his words but said touch as well, but I hold no such significant feelings for him, certainly nothing like I do for you, the only one who I truly wish to share myself with. The intentions behind feeling each other¡¯s bodies or even engaging in sex depends on the participants, and it can mean as little as a handshake for us Demons, but it is still an essential part of our lives. No amount of either will ever keep me from spending the rest of my life with you however,> Sarise said, tightening her hold around me, <I swear to you, Master, here and now, that I will devote every part of my body and loyalty to you. I will never be touched by another male, human, demon, or otherwise, if that is what you wish. Other demons have done the same thing in the past, reserving their bodies and loyalties for their master¡¯s own exclusivity, for they cherished them as true life partners, as I do you.>

    From how tight Sarise was holding me, how much her heart was racing in anxiety, and how much she was shivering, she seemed really serious about this. I think I could get that much. Her culture was still hard for me to wrap my head around, though. I¡¯ve never heard of anything like it on Earth that could come close. I was normally an open-minded person when it comes to different cultures, but this seemed like something I¡¯d need to learn more about from her as I got to know her better. My soul may have lived a long life while absorbing much knowledge, but it was severely lacking experience in social interactions and relationships, as well as what¡¯s ¡®normal¡¯ in them, on both Earth as well as Manara. I had to admit that much to myself, so I shouldn¡¯t bear a grudge or anger over something I¡¯ve yet to even start understanding. My Devil was trying to meet me halfway, I should at least attempt to do the same. Especially since Sarise had no idea how old I really was on the inside too. There was one thing that I understood out of all this, though.

    Sarise was mine.

    It doesn¡¯t look like she wants to let me go, and I am certainly not going to do so either. That knowledge fulfilled a part of me I wasn¡¯t aware of, and everything else just seemed less important now. I sighed as I came to a conclusion in my mind. I guess so long as we both know how the other feels, I can let things lie for now and move on. It¡¯s time to start planning our future together as more than just Master and Familiar ¡­ I thought.

    <If I¡¯m interpreting this right, if I said I don¡¯t want you getting too friendly with other guys, that I want to keep you all to myself, that I¡¯d be the only one to touch and hold you as I had last night, as well as right now, you¡¯d be okay with that?> I asked without looking up.

    <Of course. I only wish to be with you, keeping your happiness and best interests in mind as I serve to be your familiar, maid, and life partner. Your feelings and affections mean more to me than anything else,> Sarise answered.

    <So be it, I want to be your only man, no other male is allowed to touch you, understand? That being the case, if I understand your culture and psychology correctly, you not only like me touching you almost everywhere, but you need that contact and see it as a valuable bonding experience between us?> I asked, giving both of her melons a few squeezes.

    <Indeed, physical touch for demons more significant than most can imagine,> Sarise answered through another moan.

    <I don¡¯t have a full grasp on it yet, but if this intimacy means so much to you, then I¡¯ll just have to give you as much as I can so you won¡¯t ever regret choosing me to be more than your Master,> I said before reaching down to cup and feel her posterior with one hand to make my point.

    <Ooh, Master,> Sarise cooed in delight.

    I could feel the shiver that ran down my devil¡¯s spine from my caresses. It seems we both were enjoying this quite a lot.

    <Besides that, I¡¯m glad to know that I matter to you so much, and that you held back in front of your Lord on my account,> I continued while working my devil¡¯s body over as much as I could, <I mean, this all started with you being concerned about my hunger and wanting to care for me as best you could. I should be thanking you for going out of your way to exercise such thorough concern and attention towards me. Not only that, but you were honest and opened up on something about yourself that isn¡¯t easy to explain and that not everyone would take kindly to. That took courage, and I¡¯m glad both that you¡¯re able to trust me that much, and that you¡¯re doing what you can to show how much I mean to you.>

    Still kneading Sarise with the hand gripping her backside, I reached up with the other and started petting her snow-white locks with a gentle smirk, <You¡¯re a good girl, Sarise. I hope you continue to look after me as you just did in the future.>

    Sarise, surprised by my gesture at first, turned even redder than her natural skin tone as she averted her gaze.

    <N-No, it would be my pleasure, b-but this treatment is ¡­ I mean, I am not worthy of ¡­> she trailed off.

    I was honestly surprised to find that you could even stutter through telepathy magic, but her thoughts seemed to be in such disarray that she was having problems conveying them coherently.

    While I was confused by this reaction, I didn¡¯t think too much of it as I finished giving my devil her head pat, <For your consideration for me this morning, I must thank you, Sarise. I do wish, however, that in the future you¡¯d wake me up so that I can enjoy the entire process, from beginning to end. Asking me if I want your milk first before you use whatever magic you do to make it possible would also be appreciated, which brings us back to your interests.>

    Sarise just smiled eagerly down at me, having no idea of the ¡®games¡¯ I had in store for us now that she was not just my familiar, but kinda my girlfriend too.

 Chapter 51: I Set Some Conditions and Asked for Seconds

    Aside from the few dates I had back on Earth, I never had an actual girlfriend before, and I hadn¡¯t expected to get one so soon after coming here, either. I obviously wasn¡¯t looking for one among my peers, they were all too young for me, both mentally and physically. And any female who was suitable wouldn¡¯t have touched me with a ten foot pole, believing that I was too young and immature. Which was why I¡¯d done my best to keep my crush on Ms. Renne to just that, a crush. Anything else would have been too painful and frustrating, especially if she patronized me.

    But now, I did have a girlfriend, and she was amazing. And a horny demon. And able to expand her rack and make milk on command. And probably a whole lot more as well. And Sarise was more than willing to let me do whatever I wanted to her, so long as it didn¡¯t involve touching each other¡¯s crotches. Which, as I had demonstrated last night, left me with plenty of leeway to do all sorts of fun stuff to and with my demonic familiar. Case in point, right now my head was buried in lush female flesh as I sucked on a thick ripe berry to extract it¡¯s essence, while my hands squeezed her other jug and a lower cheek like they were those stress relieving exercise balls.

    There¡¯s an idea, an entire exercise and stretching routine centered around utilizing Sarise¡¯s body ¡­ could I do arm curls using her melons? I wondered, high on an endorphin rush as I hefted one milk jug. Whether or not it was possible would all depend upon how much Sarise could modify her body. I also quickly realized that I¡¯d probably have to include Melody in these ¡®exercises¡¯, but I had already realized that it was far too late to protect her from anything and everything adult in nature. Even with me out of the equation, my demonic familiar¡¯s company alone was enough to thoroughly corrupt the angel. And if it makes her see her body in a more positive light without involving the horizontal tango, I¡¯m going to count that as a win for right now. Sometimes, you just have to pick your battles.

    Now to find out just exactly what my devil can do, and then lay down some ground rules¡­

    <If I may ask first, can you change the size of your melons without the assistance of milk to fill them up?> I asked, still using telepathy.

    <O-Of course!> Sarise exclaimed, <I am not as good at it as succubi are, but I would be more than happy to change my body¡ªmy bust, waist, and hips in particular¡ªto whatever extent I need with Demonic Magic for your pleasure.>

    I nodded in confirmation, <Very good, and you wish to serve me as a particular kind of maid? Like one of those you¡¯ve read about in your books?>

    Sarise looked away in slight embarrassment and shame, <W-Well, um ¡­ yes.>

    I waved a hand, <No need to get all embarrassed, not after what we just did last night and this morning. If you wish to be that sort of maid while serving as my familiar, then, unless it hinders your work, I¡¯ll be more than happy to accommodate you.>

    <Really?!> Sarise exclaimed as her head jolted up, tail whipping the air beside the bed in shock.

    <There are two conditions, however,> I added, releasing her ass to hold up one finger, indicating the first of my two points, even as I continued my assault on her fat juicy milk buds with my other hand and mouth, <One is that there are some things that I not only can¡¯t do right now at my current age, but that I don¡¯t want to do until I¡¯m 21. For reasons I can¡¯t explain, I can¡¯t go any further than what we did last night, even after I¡¯m past my age of majority and legally am an adult, until I reached that aforementioned age. I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m unable to accommodate all your fantasies to your satisfaction for some time to come.>

    Sarise shook her head in a fluster, clutching me tighter to the jug I was suckling on, <Oh, no, don¡¯t worry about me! As your maid, it is my duty to serve you, not the other way around! Moreover, I would never force my master to do something outside of his comfort zone. If all you are comfortable with is more of what you did to me last night, then I will still be quite satisfied!>

    <I¡¯m glad,> I said before holding up my second finger, <As for my other condition, from now on, I want you to address me as ¡®Soar,¡¯ or ¡®Master Soar¡¯ if that¡¯s more comfortable for you. Or something similar like ¡®Sir¡¯ or ¡®Lord¡¯, so long as you include my name after it.>

    <What?! B-But to address my master in such a manner all the time would be unseemly as a maid!> Sarise argued.

    I stopped playing with Sarise¡¯s watermelons, looking up at her, brow furrowed, <You didn¡¯t seem to think that way when you screamed my name last night. Didn¡¯t those other maids in your stories do the same thing? Surely there were times when they screamed their master¡¯s name in ecstasy, repeatedly, as their pleasure starved kitties were destroyed by their master¡¯s fat, meaty rod?>

    That might have been the first time I ever used such crude language with anybody on Manara. If either of my parents had heard me, I would have been dead meat. It seems Sarise didn¡¯t expect me to know such words, either, as she stared blankly at me, wide-eyed. Whatever had been going on in her head ground to a halt as her brain clearly stopped working.

    <If that is the case, if they¡¯re really your role models, then shouldn¡¯t you do the same?> I asked before using my free hand to grab one of her still slightly swollen sweater puppies and give it a squeeze, causing a final few beads of milk form on her peak, <You¡¯ve already started behaving as my ¡®Proper Noble¡¯s Familiar¡¯, flaunting your big rack and round trunk in front of me. If that wasn¡¯t enough, you¡¯ve even started using your body to feed me, and let¡¯s not forget that powerful climax you released while getting cleaned last night.>

    Sending a trickle of the fire mana that I came up with on the fly with Melody last night into Sarise¡¯s chest and posterior, I gently caressed her with the mana. Pitching my mental tone to the same soft and slow cadence, I stared up into her eyes.

    <I loved all of it, and I want more. I want to see all of what you can do, all while getting closer to you as my dear, precious maid. Is using my name really something that you just can¡¯t do? Do you ¡­ not wish to get close to me, like I do with you?> I whispered faux sorrowfully in her mind, before sending a powerful jolt of fire mana down the same path into her melons and backside, lighting up the nerves in her beads and back passage with a powerful blaze and shaking my devil down to the core.

    <N-No, I would never disobey you, Master ¡­> Sarise whispered mentally, barely able to string two thoughts together.

    <¡®Master?¡¯> I asked while condensing all the fire mana in Sarise¡¯s body down into her peaks and dark star.

    My devil¡¯s milk buds swelled slightly, and both they and their milk felt a little warmer when I sucked them both into my mouth. Hmm, warm milk before bed? I wondered idly. As I was monitoring everything with Healing Magic, I knew that I wasn¡¯t causing Sarise any actual damage. And if the tautness of her muscles and clenching of her womanhood were any indication, she definitely wasn¡¯t in any pain. I couldn¡¯t resist, and nibbled on her thick, succulent, berries just hard enough to make her moan, but my well trained familiar kept it bottled in the back of her throat.

    <I-I mean, I would never disobey you, Master¡ªmph¡ªSoar,> Sarise corrected shakily.

    <Very good, Sarise,> I praised her.

    Wanting to reward Sarse, I tried to figure out what she¡¯d like best. Thinking of all that I had learned about demons, I remembered my thoughts on how differently Zaleckians viewed physical pleasure. For demons, vocal and physical praise are interchangeable, a tweak to the bead as good a compliment on one¡¯s choice of shirt. Physical intimacy was paradoxically both commonplace and casual and yet still significant and meaningful. Which meant that if I wanted to convey my sincere appreciation to my devil, there was really only one way to go about it.

    Spreading my fire mana throughout Sarise¡¯s chest and pelvis, I teased and licked all her nerve clusters. As my demonic familiar began to pant, I shoved the melon I wasn¡¯t sucking on in her mouth, then turned up the heat. Sarise excitedly welcomed the gesture and started suckling and squeezing her own jug, using it to gag her moans. Both her peaks and her little pearl were hard and erect buds at this point from being heated up and teased by my fire mana. I was certain that the ecstasy my devil maid was experiencing at that moment was well beyond even her wildest fantasies.

    Seeing how rough Sarise was being with her own jug, I decided to kick my own efforts up a notch. Carefully, I began to grip, knead, and wring my devil¡¯s udder more and more vigorously, even adding in some nips and gentle bites to her buds and the darker area around them. Her enthusiastic moans spurred me on, and I decided to properly brand my naughty little maid so she knew who she belonged to. Releasing her still somewhat leaky berry, I began sucking and nibbling on her melon, determined to leave my mark. As I did so, I used Healing Magic, both to monitor my ¡®love bites¡¯ and check on her condition to make sure the little devil didn¡¯t finish before I allowed her to.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to edge Sarise without letting her go over by altering her stimulus at just the right moment. First I stroked back and forth on her pearl, back entrance, and love-tunnel with a thin ring of fire mana. When that was about to do it for her, I switched to a gentle, all encompassing tingling burn, and so on. I also used plenty of dirty talk, warning my demonic familiar of the consequences should she wake the others up, or worse yet, climax without my permission. Sarise positively bloomed under my direction and attention, promising repeatedly to be a ¡®good girl¡¯ for me. Unfortueately, I was having a lot more trouble with her breasts, having to use far more force than I expected before I was able to create my first hickey. It was to the point that I doubted I could even hurt Sarise without using weapons or magic, and I was just happy that I could still give her love marks. Eventually I succeeded, however, and once I was done marking up my melon, I switched with my blissed out devil after reminding her to keep quiet.

    Finally, after thoroughly covering both jugs in hickies, I decided it was time to give Sarise her well deserved release. The nearly wrecked demon looked both like she needed a break, and didn¡¯t want one. Perfect, I thought with satisfaction, referring at once to both the scene, and my familiar. Unable to resist, I dove back onto her rack, suckling and nibbling voratiously on her fat hard pearl while thoroughly squeezing and groping the rest of her large melon.

    For the finale, I filled the demon¡¯s backside and treasure cove with gelatinous fire mana like I had for my angel, though I altered my technique to better suit both my partner and the mood. After stretching her holes to capacity, I decided to really push my demon¡¯s limits, adding extra mana in a cylindrical plug at the entrance of each passage, forcing them slightly beyond their limits. Then I separated a disk from the end of each plug and sent it down the length of Sarise¡¯s tightly packed tunnels to the end and back again, repeating this over and over in lieu of normal thrusting. Having seen how durable and resistant to pain her body was, I made sure to slam into the gate to her baby chamber like I was trying to breach it with a battering ram with each cycle. The spasming of every muscle in my demonic familiar¡¯s body and begging screams inside my head as she fought not to wake the others up, told me I¡¯d gotten it just right.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Watching her carefully, I waited until just the right moment, then commanded, <Give into me, Sarise, your Master orders it!>

    It was more than enough as, with a muffled wail and a full body spasm, the demon came, and came hard. Nectar, and the last few drops of Sarise¡¯s milk, sprayed out, fortunately only wetting myself and the bed between us. Powerful aftershocks shook her frame, and I had to fight with myself to not send my nympho maid into a second peak, or even more. Instead, I merely held my mana in place for as long as I dared.

    Gradually, I withdrew the fire mana I had throughout my devil¡¯s quivering body, wanting to give her a rest. As she slowly calmed down, regaining control of her muscles, and using ¡®Quickie Cleaner¡¯ while fixing the blanket covering us, I noticed the flushed, excited smile Sarise was unsuccessfully fighting to wipe off her face. She was clearly, desperately, trying to maintain her dignified and subservient maid persona, but failing at it spectacularly. Obviously I had been right on the money about how demons viewed sex. I don¡¯t think I could have given her a better compliment if I hadn¡¯t stopped talking for a week. Not even her tail could keep itself from wagging with joy, flailing in the air as she shook next to me like an energetic puppy. Not that I was complaining, as the motion bounced her rack in my face most enjoyably. It just meant that I had two reasons to smile.

    Catching Sarise¡¯s attention, I thought to her, <If we¡¯re in agreement about how you shall address me from now on while acting as my maid, then it¡¯s time for me to have some more of your delicious milk. I find I¡¯m still feeling quite parched ¡­>

    <Anything for you, Master Soar! Since you¡¯ve milked me dry, I¡¯ll start over from the beginning. That way I can grow my girls and fill them with milk while you watch!> Sarise exclaimed before throwing off the blanket and sitting up to lean with one shoulder against the headboard, angled slightly away from me.

    Fila and Melody were thankfully cuddled together on the opposite side of the very wide bed. At Sarise¡¯s direction, I scooted up to her and placed my head in my devil¡¯s lap. Her warm thigh supported my neck, while directly above me hung her still slightly enlarged melons. This position and angle thrust her now more generous chest out even further as she closed her eyes in concentration. Sarise then ran her hands over her stomach and upwards, grabbing at her jugs as her hands ran into them and moving them in circles. Sometimes she¡¯d bring them wider apart before pressing them back together, while at others she moved them independently. Sarise¡¯s sinuous movements continued in a captivating chest dance that was far better than any lame ¡®belly dance¡¯. As the devil played erotically with her melons, I was able to glimpse occasional flashes of her face, captivating in its joyful sensuality. The movement of her rack felt like a silent message, begging me, ¡®Keep your eyes on me and watch closely with intensity and passion.¡¯

    I then saw something surreal and extraordinary as she held a jug in each hand. With my mana and Aura-enhanced vision, I watched Sarise¡¯s mana interact with her Aura in some manner. It then began pouring into her rack as if it was water filling up a balloon, expanding what I assumed to be the tissue and glands. My devil let out a throaty, but restrained moan, oozing with ecstasy, as her chest began to swell before my very eyes. I thought they were already big, and I had a feeling they had been a little bit bigger when I had been feeding on them before. But now they went far beyond that point as they rapidly grew towards ¡®simply humongous¡¯.

    A part of me was frightened when Sarise¡¯s knockers looked like they were stretching past their limits, as if ready to pop at any moment. I was worried that this was somehow hurting my devil. One glimpse of Sarise¡¯s face as her melons briefly danced aside to uncover it, and her deep flush, shallow breaths, and quiet moans, quelled those fears immediately. Instead, as my devi¡¯s milk jugs swelled in size, my heart began to race in excitement and arousal.

    It wasn¡¯t long before I had to swallow the saliva that started pooling in my mouth. I watched Sarise¡¯s rack grow to the size and perkiness of watermelons on growth hormones, now out doing Melody¡¯s whoppers, of all things. Even her disks had almost doubled in size, her engorged berries swelling up until they were almost as fat as quarters, the tips already beading with milk.

    Sarise continued to circle and juggle her milk jugs as they expanded, even as they grew past what she could easily hold, but now her melon dance finally came to a stop. I had been so mesmerized by the movement of her chest that I was caught off guard, until I actually looked at how big they were. While they weren¡¯t so big as to be an inconvenience, or likely to get in the way of us having fun, they now were officially the biggest pair of knockers I had ever seen in my life. A part of me was actually a bit shocked Sarise had made them even this big, but one look up at her face told me why. Dripping with sweat from her forehead and cream from her buds, her face flushed, my girlfriend smiled down at me with the simple joy of accomplishment. She was like a performer who had finished her routine and was waiting for a round of applause from her audience of one.

    Before I could think of what to say, Sarise spoke up, <Your milk is ready, Master Soar. Drink as much as you like!>

    She didn¡¯t have to tell me twice.

    Knowing the best way to thank, and praise, my demon would be through action, I reached up and took hold of one of Sarise¡¯s pendulous, mouthwatering, watermelon. It was so big I had to use both hands to maneuver it. I marveled at the girth and weight, taking a moment to really feel and grope her swollen milk jug. There had to be a quart¡¯s, or even a gallon¡¯s, worth of milk in that one bulbus orb alone, yet she didn¡¯t look bothered by the size or weight of such massive knockers in the slightest. Not even Melody¡¯s sweater puppies were this large, heavy, firm, or perky.

    My devil¡¯s rack was so full that milk squirted out at the slightest provocation. I didn¡¯t care about the mess, however, since I knew I could have Sarise make everything spotless instantly with her ¡®Quickie Cleaner.¡¯ I wouldn¡¯t have dared to be as sloppy if she hadn¡¯t told me about it in her earlier explanation. Looking at the rivulets of milk leaking from jugs larger than my head, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Sarise had gone a little overboard due to her excitement. It made me feel a little bad as I wondered if a lot of the effort she put into this would end up going to waste. That aside, I was Sarise¡¯s master, and I had asked for her milk.

    It¡¯s time that I had my fill for the morning.

    Her melons were so perky that Sarise¡¯s nipples were actually pointed away from my head as I lay underneath them. Not that I minded as I shifted into the classic cross cradle feeding position, grabbing a few pillows to prop myself up more comfortably. Sarise helped support me as I then used Levitation Magic to drag both her milk buds down together into my mouth.

    They barely fit, and immediately warm creamy paradise rushed into my mouth and down my throat. With my hands free, I was able to cup and caressed her taught fat globes as I drank. Sarise''s jugs were so full, I had to be careful not to press on them, or I''d risk wasting her nectar as it overflowed my mouth. Nevertheless, I couldn''t help stroking the velvety soft and smooth skin of her watermelons as I greedily drank from them. Remembering what happened before, and wanting to try an experiment, I sent a strong pulse of fire mana just into her peak. As before, Sarise¡¯s berries warmed up in my mouth, and I got to enjoy some very refreshing warm milk.

    ¡°Mmh!¡± Sarise moaned in surprise, barely managing to restrain herself from screaming in ecstasy.

    I debated casting ¡®Silencing Winds¡¯ so as to not let any noise out that might wake the others sleeping beside us. I had to be aware of the slightest move that Fila and Melody made that could signal they were waking up, however, and that would be impossible if I enclosed me and Sarise in a ¡®Silencing Winds¡¯ bubble. If I was totally oblivious of my surroundings and Fila or someone else walked in on us, we¡¯d be screwed.

    With that in mind, while I did wish I could take my time to savor the taste of Sarise¡¯s milk, I knew I had to drain her fun bags as fast as I could.

    <Ah. How is my milk ¡­ mmh, pleasing you, Master Soar?> Sarise asked sultrily through telepathy, letting her obvious pleasure be heard in my mind. It was as if she had gone drunk with lust from how much she drawled, and I did not mind her in that condition at all. Not to mention, having her call me ¡®Master Soar¡¯ made the whole experience all the hotter.

    I squeezed Sarise¡¯s milk jugs with both hands while tugging on her beads to squirt even more of her divine nectar into my mouth, swallowing hungrily, <It¡¯s delicious, Sarise, the best milk I¡¯ve ever had. I could have this every morning and I wouldn¡¯t get sick of it.>

    Taking a shallow breath, she cupped my head to her rack while I played with her jugs, <Ohh, Master Soar, whether it is every morning or¡ªmmh!¡ªevery meal of every day, I would be more than happy to provide as much¡ªahh!¡ªmilk as you want!>

    <While I¡¯m happy to hear that, you might want to cut back on your output. I¡¯m not sure if I can drink all of this. Does the rest go anywhere if I don¡¯t finish it all?> I asked, while letting up on her melons a bit, genuinely curious.

    <Mmmh, forgive me, Master Soar, I got a little ¡­ excited ¡­ at the thought of providing the milk you need to grow into a big, strong man,> she said while cradling me against her chest.

    Had she said this before we hashed everything out between us, I would have questioned her choice of words a bit, but now I knew she meant nothing unconscionable by it.

    <You do not have to worry about drinking all of it, though,> Sarise continued, bringing her sexual tone down to a more mellow timber, <I have bottles and jars in my ¡®Dark Space¡¯ for occasions like this. Milk in my chest does turn into fat after some time, which would let my milk jugs retain their new size and shape if they¡¯re now more to your liking. I could even move the fat to some other place on my body, like my backside or hips, or anywhere really. It¡¯s real matter, not a temporary Auric Construct, so it will stay in place unless I use magic to do something to or with it.>

    Sarise then shrugged, jiggling both me and her melons delightfully, <Really, with Auric manipulation, I can already change my body¡¯s form to some extent at will, and with time and practice, I¡¯ll be able to do even more. I can already deal with minor things like stretch marks, my girls will always look fresh and perky, no matter what. Going back to my milk, draining my jugs ¡®naturally¡¯ will bring my girls back down to their original size faster than if I try to do so with magic, but otherwise it¡¯s not a necessity. I just prefer to deal with it this way.>

    Wow ¡­ I couldn¡¯t love demons any more than I do right now. Wonder if I could ask her to marry me? I thought, Is that even really necessary? We did just pretty much pledge ourselves to each other¡­ Well, she promised herself to me, mainly, I don''t think Sarise would mind if I got another girlfriend. More importantly, even though, as my familiar, we were practically married already, this felt more real. In fact, should I fail to fulfill my harem dream, I knew that I¡¯d still be perfectly happy with just Sarise as my wife for the rest of my days.

    Despite learning that Sarise could reprocess and make use of her unconsumed milk elsewhere in her body, I was invigorated to drink as much of it as possible. Maybe there was a nutritional difference between devil¡¯s milk and cow¡¯s milk, something that could give my current body a major growth boost while it was still in its developmental stage? I wondered silently. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try, I was already loving Sarise¡¯s milk enough that plain old cow¡¯s milk wouldn¡¯t really do it for me anymore. Even if I couldn¡¯t drink it straight from the source every time, I could at least drink a glass with every meal. Heck, even just one glass a day might be enough if Sarise¡¯s milk has enough nutritional value. Either way, I hoped I might see some surprising results within the coming years.

    With that thought in mind, my heightened motivation drove me to drink as much milk as Sarise had in her massively overgrown watermelons. More and more, with each gulp, along with what escaped to dribble down my cheek, my devil¡¯s milk jugs slowly got smaller and smaller as I sucked harder and harder on the engorged milk buds in my mouth. I kept drinking until I was bloated, a state that I had never previously suffered from when Mom fed me as a baby. Back then, I just drank what was needed and called it done as fast as possible out of the awkwardness I always felt. Now, however, part of me wished that my stomach was a bottomless pit so I could drink Sarise¡¯s delicious milk endlessly. My devil¡¯s shallow breaths and subtle moans as she enjoyed getting suckled was like music to my ears.

    ¡°Soar? What are you doing?¡±

 Chapter 52: I Tried to Bullshit Our Way Out

    ¡°Soar? What are you doing?¡±

    That question, spoken by a familiar person in a tired manner, brought my train of tasty joy to a screeching halt. Like a robot on the fritz, I spastically turned my head, Sarise¡¯s milk buds popping out of my mouth. I saw Fila looking our way, tilting her head with sleepy, confused eyes and limp, floppy ears. Melody was still sleeping deeply behind the rabbit girl, thankfully, as this was already posing a great enough problem for me and Sarise.

    Fila blinked the tiredness out of her eyes and squinted in our direction, ¡°Are Sarise¡¯s chests ¡­ bigger than usual? And why are they covered with those weird marks? And what¡¯s that white stuff dripping from your mouth, Soar? And why¡¯s she almost holding you like a baby?¡±

    ¡°Uh ¡­¡± I uttered, screaming in my mind in panic.

    <Do not worry, Master Soar,> Sarise said through Telepathy Magic, sensing my rising anxiety, <With my Child Protection Aura, it is quite alright for Lady Fila to see me unclothed. Lord Garem said the Aura would protect both me and any children. This is because it prevents said children from being able to have any otherworldly thoughts about me. If you, as a child, can think about, and are interested in, milk feeding from me, then the Aura must deem this activity to be okay. In fact, since you like my milk so much, shouldn''t we share some with your friend?>

    I said before pulling away from Sarise¡¯s hold and standing up.

    I cleared my throat and wiped the leftover milk from my face with a sleeve as I thought, Pulling some bullshit from my ass on such short notice will be difficult, and Fila can be as curious as she is innocent. I¡¯ll have to play this carefully.

    ¡°Oh, Fila, good morning,¡± I greeted first, ¡°I do apologize if we woke you up and you found us ¡­ like this, but there¡¯s a story behind all this, and it¡¯s private, so you have to keep it between us. Will you listen to it and then keep quiet about it after that?¡±

    Fila blinked in confusion for a moment, only to nod dumbly before getting comfortable in her seat, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen, and I promise to keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°Good, good. First, did you know ¡­ that girls can squirt milk from their chests?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Really?!¡± Fila exclaimed, now wide awake, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

    She then suddenly realized how loud she had been, slapping both hands over her mouth before turning around to make sure Melody was still sleeping. I had to admit, I was surprised that my angel was still asleep.

    Fila turned back and lowered her voice to a whisper, ¡°Sorry! I¡¯ll be quiet! So, do girls really make milk from their chests?! *Gasp!* Does Mama make milk from her chests?! Could I do it, too?!¡±

    I smiled wryly at how wrong such questions sounded to me, ¡°Well ¡­ yes, it is true. Your mom ¡­ definitely has made milk from her chests at one point, not sure about right now, though. You will someday, too, just not right now at your age.¡±

    ¡°Wooooow, wonder how it would taste? Anyway, is that why Sarise¡¯s chests are so big and have marks on them?¡± Fila asked.

    I nodded, ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not usually like this. Sarise is a special case, you see, her chests make too much milk, and if she doesn¡¯t ¡­ release her milk regularly, it will get backed up and will leave her chests swollen to uncomfortable degrees.¡±

    Fila covered her mouth as she gasped in shock, turning her attention over to my Devil, ¡°Is that true, Sarise? Are you in pain from your swollen chests?¡±

    ¡°Uh ¡­¡± Sarise stalled.

    <Sarise, please tell me you¡¯re able to lie,> I pleaded to her through telepathy.

    <I am afraid I ¡­ cannot follow that order, because I cannot lie to save my life,> Sarise admitted.

    Whether that¡¯s how all Familiars are or something else didn¡¯t matter at the moment, I had to think of something fast, <Can you follow orders like repeating what I say to other people, even if it may not be true from your perspective?>

    <Yes! I can do that!> Sarise answered, seeming to know where I was going with this.

    <Okay, just do and say exactly what I tell you, like this ¡­> I thought, then gave her my orders.

    ¡°O-Ohh ¡­ yes, it is as you say, Lady Fila,¡± Sarise moaned, acting like she was in pain while comforting her large jugs by moving them in circles, accidentally spurting some of her milk in the process.

    Though it was part of an act, I couldn¡¯t help but find the gesture quite attractive. I was also glad that I was the only one who would ever get to truly appreciate my Devil¡¯s suggestive actions. At least, I would as long as Sarise kept her Arousal Aura inverted to create an adult version of her Child Protection Aura.

    ¡°It embarrasses me to be seen like this, but if I do not expel this milk from my chests, I will be in great pain, unable to fulfill my duties as Master Soar¡¯s Familiar properly.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no ¡­¡± Fila said, her ears drooping more than usual.

    ¡°Yes, it is very sad,¡± I said while nodding solemnly, ¡°Only Sarise¡¯s family back in Zalecks up to now was aware of her condition and kept it a secret from others, doing their best to make her life as easy as possible by not letting her embarrassing condition be known. Unfortunately, her family can¡¯t help her this time, since she¡¯s here as my Familiar, alone in this unfamiliar world.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you poor thing ¡­¡± Fila said, looking to be on the brink of tears.

    Not gonna lie, but seeing Fila be this concerned over the lie we made up was crushing my insides, but it showed that she was buying it, and so I had to keep pushing forward.

    ¡°It was very difficult for her to bring this up even to me, her master,¡± I continued, ¡®vouching¡¯ for my Devil, ¡°You should have seen how bad it was, how big they were, earlier when she woke me up. She was in such pain, and she just couldn¡¯t take care of it herself, and it¡¯s little wonder that she was, with all the stress from yesterday that was piling up on her. That must have been why she got so backed up to begin with.

    ¡°As her master, I couldn¡¯t ignore this problem,¡± I said with a hand to my chest, ¡°One of my duties as her master is to make sure she is in good health, and I intend to do just that with her chests, helping her expel the milk that¡¯s causing her such pain.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Soar, that¡¯s so like you to help others in need,¡± Fila commented before she realized something, ¡°Wait, was that stuff dripping from your mouth Sarise¡¯s milk, then? If she just needs to release it, isn¡¯t that something like milking a cow? Couldn¡¯t you have squirted it in a bucket? Then she¡¯d just need to pour it out to someplace else, right? Is there a reason to drink it? Did you have to do it here instead of in the bathroom or something?¡±

    Wow, I wished she didn¡¯t ask all those questions, I thought, ¡°That ¡­ would normally be the case, yes, if she was doing this at home. It was really bad this time, though, really painful, so bad that she couldn¡¯t release it herself. Not to mention, she was only comfortable having her family help her release her milk, which was why coming to me about this was so awkward for her.

    ¡°She also sees disposing it as a waste after all the trouble her own body went through making it. Before, Sarise¡¯s family took it upon themselves to drink that milk out of consideration for her. Once again, though, they¡¯re not here to help make sure all of her milk is actually used. Thus, it falls to me to drink it for her. And because this was an emergency, I didn¡¯t want to waste time finding a suitable glass or other container to squirt her milk into and then drink out of that instead again and again, so I just sucked it straight from her chests, instead.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    God, just listen to me, I chided myself internally, I¡¯m basically spelling out the bullshit plot to a weird doujinshi with a milking tag. Not to mention that I¡¯m throwing Sarise¡¯s whole family under the bus to cover for us. Sarise¡¯s mother, father, and other family members, please forgive me for this ¡­

    ¡°Hmm ¡­ I don¡¯t really get it. I still don¡¯t get why there are marks on her chests. Were those your doing, Soar? They look like they would hurt her more,¡± Fila asked, somewhat uncertainly.

    ¡°Ah, well ¡­ yes, those were my doing, and I didn¡¯t want to resort to them at first, either. Sarise¡¯s chests were very backed up and ¡­ plugged from the stress yesterday, so she couldn¡¯t squirt any milk,¡± I explained, ¡°So she couldn¡¯t be milked the usual way. Her chests have to be ¡­ massaged, and stimulated in a certain way whenever she can¡¯t squirt any milk at first. Which was why I had to ¡­ do it ¡­ with my mouth, in multiple places, like this.¡±

    I then took one of my arms and placed my mouth over it, making a hickey on myself, before showing the spot I left behind to Fila.

    ¡°See?¡± I said, ¡°And it doesn¡¯t even hurt, either. I was still hesitant at first because of how it might have looked like I intentionally hurt her, which I would never do, of course, it was all to help her to relax enough to get her milk flowing.¡±

    ¡°Huh. I still don¡¯t really get it, but if that¡¯s what it takes to help Sarise get more comfortable, then it¡¯s fine ¡­ right?¡±

    I nodded ecstatically, ¡°Yes, that is right! What¡¯s important is my Familiar¡¯s comfort, which includes keeping Sarise¡¯s condition a secret. We know we¡¯ll have to fill Melody in on this soon, but can you find it in your heart to keep this between us?¡±

    Fila thought briefly before her ears perked up, ¡°Of course, Soar! But, can I ask a favor?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, slightly worried about what she¡¯d want in exchange.

    ¡°First, how often does she need to expel her milk?¡± Fila asked while holding up a finger.

    ¡°Every day,¡± Sarise answered bluntly for me.

    Though she tried to keep a straight face to follow along with my act, her excitedly wagging tail told well enough what she was really feeling while barging in with that answer. While she didn¡¯t need to expel her milk, she likely wanted to do this as part of a routine in our master-maid relationship, and I was more than all for this arrangement.

    ¡°... Yes, at least once a day,¡± I agreed.

    ¡°And you have to drink it every day?¡± Fila asked.

    I nodded, ¡°That¡¯s what it looks like, yes.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I want to help. Let me drink some of Sarise¡¯s milk, too,¡± Fila said as her posture straightened in determination.

    WHAT?

    ¡°Oh, Fila, it¡¯s real sweet of you to offer, but this is something private between Sarise and me. I need to take care of this myself,¡± I said, trying to escape the dead end I was in.

    Fila shook her head, her hair and floppy bunny ears following suit, ¡°Uh-uh. Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯ll get tummy aches if you drink too much milk? I don¡¯t know how much you drank already, Soar, but your tummy surely won¡¯t take much more. Before you know it, you¡¯ll get sick! It will do you more harm than good. With me helping, you won¡¯t have to worry about drinking as much, more so if Melody joined in, too.¡±

    Ugh, I get what you mean, and I know your heart¡¯s in the right place, but this is Sarise¡¯s milk we¡¯re talking about here. I could get a hundred stomach aches and I¡¯d still drink it to the point of bursting. It¡¯s not just hot, but literally delicious, too! I don¡¯t want to share this with anyone else! I ranted silently. One could argue my current child-like mentality was matching my currently young body quite well with all my selfish whining. Still, I felt my reasoning was justified and relatable to other people who are also into this sort of adult play.

    Moreover, if I or anyone else saw Fila drinking Sarise¡¯s milk like I was moments ago, I¡¯d probably die again right there on the spot, in more ways than one.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t agree in the next five seconds, I¡¯ll start drinking milk out of Sarise¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Okay! Okay! I get it!¡± I interrupted Fila, remembering to keep my voice down. I rubbed my temples exasperatedly and sighed, ¡°Fine, you can help with drinking Sarise¡¯s milk, too, but you will do it out of a cup or glass only. Drinking straight from Sarise¡¯s chests is a very ¡­ personal thing, something Sarise only feels comfortable sharing with me, her master. Once she¡¯s comfortable enough to empty them out herself, I¡¯ll have her set aside a glass or two for you to drink as well every day. Will that work for you?¡±

    Fila nodded ecstatically, ¡°Mm-hm! Thank you, Soar!¡±

    ¡°And again, once again, this must be kept between us,¡± I continued, ¡°No one else must know. Not our parents, not even our friends.¡±

    ¡°Awww, really?¡± Fila asked while deflating.

    I nodded, ¡°Sarise is already embarrassed enough as she is with us getting caught by you. Aside from Melody, Sarise would rather keep the number of people in the know down to a minimum.¡±

    Fila sighed in disappointment, ¡°Fiiiine, I¡¯ll keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°I need you to promise me that you will, okay? Fairy Pinky Promise-style,¡± I said while holding up my pinky.

    ¡°Okay ¡­¡±

    With that, we locked fingers and solidified our promise with the surprisingly dark children¡¯s rhyme. When that was settled, I asked Fila to give us some privacy so I could drain more milk from Sarise¡¯s funbags, but she wanted to try some, too, with the biggest cup we had. I used ¡®Dark Gate¡¯ to peek into the kitchen and grabbed one of Dad¡¯s mugs that he¡¯d use for drinking beer. It was similar in size to the mugs I remembered from Earth, so it had to hold about a pint¡¯s worth of milk. My little rabbit-girl friend seemed satisfied with the size when I showed her, so I gently brought her to the hallway to wait while we prepared her mug in private. When I turned back to Sarise, she was already bent at a ninety-degree angle, hands on the wall with her devilish melons dangling over the mug as she looked at me expectantly. Her tail twitched, clearly wanting to wag with eagerness.

    I didn¡¯t expect things would develop like this, and though I put up a ¡®Silencing Winds¡¯ spell to keep noise to a minimum going forward, I still couldn¡¯t believe Melody had slept through it all. I had to admit it was kind of hot, though, milking my Devil like a cow, massaging and squeezing her ginormous fun bags enough for them to easily squirt into Dad¡¯s mug like the squirters on a real bovine would. Sarise was also really getting into it. Hell, she was getting herself off to it, using her own tail to tease and prod against her entrance, but never fully penetrating herself with it¡ªshe apparently had her reasons to not go all the way when I asked her later. I remembered her mentioning she was edging towards a climax before Fila dropped in, so she must have held it in for a while, which made me a little guilty. With that in mind, I let her get as much out of this strange situation as she could¡ªit was a hell of a show for me, too, so it was a win-win for both of us.

    With ¡®Silencing Winds¡¯ up, Sarise was free to express her enjoyment vocally, moaning things like, ¡°Ohhh, yess, Master Soar! Milk me good! Turn this maid into your personal dairy cow! Make me wet with lots of liquids!¡± It went without saying how hot I thought the experience was. Soon enough, fluids of a different kind started dribbling down Sarise¡¯s legs before making a mess on the floor in a powerful climax. By then, Fila¡¯s first of many glasses was filled to the brim with Sarise¡¯s milk.

    After Sarise used a targeted ¡®Quickie Cleanup¡¯ to get rid of her mess, I asked her if getting milked really felt that good for her. She then explained she could use her Demonic Magic to make her bowling balls more sensitive and responsive to touch, something she had been doing since I first suckled her. The Devil race¡¯s skin is actually among the toughest of all the demons in Zalecks, and thus quite resistant to pain. This, combined with her heightened sensitivity, means that any touch on any part of her body, gentle or rough, would only fuel her desire.

    So that¡¯s why giving her a hickey was so hard! I thought, glad to have an answer, I guess that means she was really getting off on it when I was giving her all those love bites, I''m impressed at her self control for listening to me and not climaxing. She really is a hell of a maid, and she¡¯s all mine to command and pleasure as I see fit. Holding out until I¡¯m 21 just might not be that bad after all ¡­ Sarise further informed me she could make places in her body sensitive enough to make her squirt like a geyser at my slightest touch, if I wanted. That information only gave me many ideas for future master-maid scenarios.

    As for Fila¡¯s prepared mug of Sarise¡¯s milk, I wanted to chug it down immediately at this point, but I was going to drink more from the source, soon, so I held back. I did, however, use Ice Magic, the advanced form of Water Magic, to chill the mug so the milk would be more like regular cold milk that Fila had drunk before.

    By the time I brought the prepared mug to Fila, who was waiting impatiently outside, I was genuinely curious to hear her thoughts, so I watched her take her first sip. Her usually floppy ears perked straight up in shock.

    ¡°Wow! I don¡¯t usually like milk, but this is the best I¡¯ve ever had! I can drink all this, easy!¡± Fila praised in a loud whisper. Much to my surprise, she then downed the whole pint within seconds, despite some dribbling down her chin on accident, before shoving the empty mug back at me with a milk mustache on her face, ¡°May I have another, please?!¡±

    ¡­ This is going to be complicated. And difficult to get used to ¡­

 Chapter 53: My Familiars New Uniforms Were ...

    Despite those very eventful moments, it was still early enough in the morning for us to start our breakfast cooking plan, even after I finished draining Sarise¡¯s jugs of her milk. So, upon Fila¡¯s request, I fetched her one last chilled mug for the day before I helped Sarise drain what was left into a large jar she pulled from her ¡®Dark Space¡¯. I took my last couple of drinks directly from the ¡®tap¡¯ myself before that, of course. While I wanted to drink the rest, I forced myself to leave some room for breakfast.

    Sarise wanted to work on Melody¡¯s outfit first after waking her, so I quickly dressed and went ahead to start preparations. Fila stayed behind to provide her own input on Melody¡¯s new garments, so when she finished her mug, I took it with me to the kitchen. What kind of designs would Fila come up with? She wouldn¡¯t draw inspiration from her mother¡¯s working girl outfits ¡­ would she? I tried not to think about it too much.

    To make a lot of portions for many people, I figured pancakes were the best option for the main course, as they were easy to make from a few ingredients, even without the premade mix from Earth. With the younger people with us, too, I was sure they¡¯d get a kick out of a special surprise I had in store that would go perfectly with the flapjacks. Eggs and bacon would also be good additions, and we can¡¯t forget some fruit to add color and nutrition to our plates.

    I went over to the town market via ¡®Dark Gate¡¯ to buy the ingredients first. It was early, but the stands and shops were just opening up, which was perfect timing for me.

    ¡°Morning, Soar!¡± a carrot vendor greeted.

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Peters!¡± I returned, trying to act more enthusiastic and optimistic like a kid would.

    ¡°Your birthday was a few days ago, right? Happy Birthday!¡± an apple vendor greeted.

    ¡°How old are you now?¡± a berry vendor asked.

    ¡°I turned 11!¡±

    ¡°Ho ho! Getting up to that age, eh?! Are you going to be a Hunter like your old man?¡± one of Dad¡¯s passing drinking buddies asked.

    ¡°I actually just did the exam for registration yesterday! As of today, you¡¯re looking at Lunagrove¡¯s newest Hunter!¡± I declared while pointing a thumb at myself.

    ¡°Oh, my! Congratulations! I already feel much safer now knowing we have you around, young man!¡± the drinking buddy¡¯s wife said.

    ¡°Soar¡¯s quite the prodigious Magician around these parts, isn¡¯t he? Gullivan trained the boy, too. Shouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise for him to pass,¡± a nearby merchant that sold handcrafted accessories said.

    ¡°What rank is he? Obviously not G or F, right?¡± a veteran Hunter in a party of three that lives in town asked.

    ¡°I bet you 5 glits the kid¡¯s an E,¡± the second Hunter said.

    ¡°As if! 10 on D is my bet!¡± the first Hunter exclaimed.

    ¡°... 20 on C for me,¡± the third Hunter calmly said.

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of pushing it, don¡¯t you think?!¡± the drinking buddy exclaimed.

    ¡°What¡¯s the verdict, Soar? What rank did you get?¡± the drinking buddy¡¯s wife asked.

    Figuring it was better to show than tell, I pulled out my license and held it up for everyone to see. The eyes of everyone that were nearby bulged in shock.

    The first of the three veteran Hunters took my license and inspected it, making sure it wasn¡¯t fake. ¡°... H-He¡¯s a C rank,¡± he said, still in disbelief.

    ¡°I always knew there was something interesting about that boy. Anyway, that will be 20 glits from each of you,¡± the third Hunter said with a hand out, waiting for his payment. His two party members begrudgingly handed the winnings over as my license was returned to me.

    All the food vendors who were in the area, meanwhile, had moved into the middle of the market and were huddled together and whispering something. When they came to an agreement, they all returned to their stands.

    ¡°Okay! For today only, the birthday boy gets the special ¡®New Hunter¡¯ discount from all the food stands in the market!¡± Mr. Peters declared.

    Now it was my turn to get shocked, ¡°Um ¡­ is that really okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Consider it as thanks for all the help you gave us in the past, as well as what you¡¯ll be spending as a Hunter here from today onwards,¡± Mr. Peters said.

    I looked around and the other food vendors smiled and nodded in confirmation.

    ¡°I was just getting some stuff for breakfast today, but I guess I¡¯ll accept your offer and get some other things while I¡¯m here. Thank you very much for this,¡± I said while bowing my head in gratitude.

    It wasn¡¯t just because I was the son of a famous Hunter like Dad, practically all the adults in the Lunargrove knew me very well from how often I helped the community with chores from time to time. I figured I¡¯d take advantage of my second chance in a new world and be more proactive from a social standpoint, compared to my previous life when I only focused on myself and my own needs. I had all that magic power with the cheat-like gift I was given from my rebirth, so I thought I might as well put what I wasn¡¯t using into something worthwhile. I guess that really helped me with my reputation around these parts. I wondered if that would help me when showing my new familiars around the town. When I told them I made some new friends I¡¯d like to introduce to everyone soon, they said they were more than happy to say hello when that time came.

    With the money I earned from the exam yesterday, I zipped through each of the shops and bought the necessities for the household. Since we¡¯ll have a lot of new people moving in now, I might as well save my parents the trouble and stock up for the expanded meal times to come. Storing it all is no problem with my ¡®Dark Space¡¯, I reasoned. Once I was satisfied with my haul, I thanked everyone in the market and went right back home the same way I came. Washing my hands and organizing the overstock, I started prepping the ingredients for breakfast immediately.

    Since my home was previously an inn, the pantry and kitchen had to be large enough to store enough food for the guests and cook their meals. This meant there had to be enough space for multiple people to work there at the same time. It also looked like they had communication and easy movement between different cooking stations in mind as they designed the kitchen. Nowadays the setup was helpful when there were multiple guests coming for a special event and I had to help my parents with the cooking.

    The first thing I started on food prep was the pancake batter. I made a batch in a large bowl and beat it into a thick, viscous concoction after setting pans on the activated stove to warm up and melt the butter in each of them. Just as I poured fresh fruits from my ¡®Dark Space¡¯ in a strainer to wash them in the sink, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

    ¡°W-We are here, Master Soar ¡­¡± Melody squeaked.

    ¡°What would you like us to do first?¡± Sarise asked.

    ¡°Perfect timing. Can you two wash and cut up the fruits first?¡± I asked, leaving the fruit in the strainer that sat in the sink. I then directed my attention to preparing more pancake batter in another large bowl. We were going to have a lot of people eating this morning, so it was best that I prepared plenty ahead of time to cook with.

    ¡°Of course, Master Soar, but may I ask for your opinion on my design, first?¡± Sarise asked.

    ¡°Oh, sure. Let¡¯s see what you ¡­ got?¡± I trailed off as I set the second bowl of batter down next to the first one that was next to the stove, and turned toward them.

    My mind went blank.

    Freshly brushed snow-white locks, light makeup, polished nails, all accenting a gorgeous red body with black Zaleckian markings wearing the skimpiest, sluttiest, maid uniform I had seen, even on Earth. Only a small semi-translucent, white, frilly half-apron that tied around her hips and reached just barely below her pelvis. It managed to cover her privates, yet I could still make out a lighter, triangular region in the shade between her thighs through the fabric. On her chest was a black bra-like top with frills on the edges and a white bow in the center. Her large melons were practically spilling over the fabric, her darker red discs easily peeking out from above. With the new gloves, the fishnet stockings, and the high heels, if it weren¡¯t for the choker, half-apron, and the maid cap atop Sarise¡¯s head, I¡¯d mistake her for a dominatrix that suddenly tried to look pretty out of nowhere.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    As for Melody¡¯s, it was the same ¡®uniform¡¯ as Sarise¡¯s, but where would I even start for how crazy it was? The chest-band-like top, more a lacy string wrapped around the middle of the angelic familiar¡¯s jugs, looking to be too small for her monstrous bowling balls, as if the small piece of fabric was being swallowed by her large pillow cushions. This resulted in my angel¡¯s amazing chest bags spilling out from the bottom as well as the top of her ¡®bra¡¯. The chest band¡¯s string did have small discs of fabric, but they only managed to cover Melody¡¯s fat buds, leaving the majority of her petals fully on display, which was far more than Sarise¡¯s top exposed. It¡¯s a wonder that the top was even comfortable, it had to be magic. The white bow in the center that looked to be decorative gave off signs of stretching, as if it was on the verge of failure as it fought to keep my angel¡¯s bust contained.

    Going down, her wide, soft stomach was completely bare. Her own tiny white frilly half-apron was the only thing, other than the likely thin and insufficient panties, that was covering her untamed bush. Even with that cover, though, the apron¡¯s semi-transparency easily allowed me to see her garden¡¯s shadow underneath. Below that, fishnet stockings hugged the angel¡¯s legs to the point where her thighs were slightly spilling out. Unlike Sarise, instead of high heels, Melody was wearing black slippers. While she didn¡¯t have gloves, she still had the choker and the headpiece that topped off her own maid image.

    If Melody flushed any harder out of embarrassment right now, her skin would be just as red as Sarise¡¯s. This was probably the first time she ever wore a ¡®work uniform¡¯ that so clearly emphasized her assets. Despite the fact that I¡¯d seen her naked a couple times now, and touched almost everywhere on her body, I can¡¯t really fault her for getting self-conscious over clothes she¡¯s never worn before, especially if she was doing so to please me.

    Had I anything in my hands at this moment, I would¡¯ve surely dropped it on the floor, making a mess while I stared dumbstruck at the sight. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say I might have drooled a bit.

    ¡°I hope you do not mind, Master Soar, but I would like to take this opportunity to present you the uniforms we will wear as we serve you in the household for your approval,¡± Sarise said, ¡°As part of my talk with your parents last night, I wore this in front of them with my Aura inverted. What do you think, Master Soar?¡± Sarise then twirled in place, letting me see her in all her glory.

    As if on cue, Melody also spun around, but a bit more awkwardly and self-consciously, such that she only shifted around inch by inch. It only gave me more time to drink in her adult maid look, especially her jiggly rack and trunk. What was especially amazing was the way both familiar¡¯s jugs bounced and wiggled about as if neither was wearing a bra, despite that being pretty much all that they did have on. Straps magically lengthened and shortened as the cups of the bras remained firmly in place, even if the melons they were on did not.

    It was the best of both worlds.

    ¡°¡­ Amazing,¡± I answered dumbly while ogling everything about them.

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Sarise cheered, ¡°Then we will continue wearing these uniforms in the Osmis household from now on. Let us get to cutting those fruits now, Melody.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, Sarise,¡± Melody responded squeamishly.

    ¡°Stop,¡± I interrupted them with an upraised hand, causing both to freeze at my commanding tone, ¡°First, turn back around with your asses where I can see them.¡±

    My two familiars slowly spun back around without argument, as I just stood there and stared. My eyes locked onto both their derrieres, the urge to squeeze or rest my head on them coursed through me, and I didn¡¯t even care whose cushion I used. For Sarise, there was no attempt by her thong or tiny-tiny miniskirt to hide the juicy red cherry that was her trunk. Melody¡¯s microscopic miniskirt was even more useless as her soft, bubbly seats were far too much for it to contain. It did, however, manage to hide whether my angel was wearing a thong or not. My eyes lingered over the bigger of the two derrieres as that burning question flared at the forefront of my mind.

    ¡°Thank you. Now, one last thing before you two start, Melody, I need to ask you something,¡± I interrupted, stopping her.

    ¡°Y-Yes! H-How ¡­ may I help you, Master Soar?!¡± Melody asked in a flustered panic.

    Wonder if Sarise instructed her to speak that way? I¡¯ll bring it up another time, but how do I go about this delicately? I thought, ¡°I¡¯d like to confirm something ¡­ with your behind, Melody. May I touch it for a moment?¡±

    ¡°O-Of course!¡± Melody answered before she thrust her generously thick, round, and firm posterior further out, putting it on display before me without a hint of shame.

    I crouched down slightly and took a hold of each of her bubble cheeks, which sent shivers down Melody¡¯s spine. After taking a brief moment to savor the soft, malleable texture, I gripped her smooth, soft flesh, and pried the crack open.

    I can safely confirm that Melody was indeed wearing underwear ¡­ if you can even call it that. Her black g-string was more like a thin line that hardly covered her puckered hole. Despite that, there was an odd appeal of inspecting it so up close and personally. I could see myself staring at this sight for a bit of time. It wasn¡¯t until I followed the string that I noticed it disappeared into a fold.

    N-No way ¡­ I trailed off in my mind before releasing my grip on Melody¡¯s trunk and leaning back, ¡°Melody, can you turn back around and ¡­ flip up your apron, please?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Soar!¡± Melody answered dutifully before following without question. She didn¡¯t even hesitate when she folded her small half-apron up, but her face was even redder than before.

    Just as I had feared, it wasn''t a g-string, but a but a front and back t-string. I stared in awe at the lingerie as it dug right into Melody¡¯s slit, rubbing her in ways I can¡¯t even imagine as comfortable. Clearly more magic was involved to make that as enjoyable to wear as it was to look at. I had seen crazy stuff like this online back in the day, but if I had to point out one thing that made this t-string stand out from others, it would be the small white ribbon bow at the front. It matched the one put between the angel¡¯s bikini cups, as if that bow was presenting the wild crimson bush underneath it as a gift for the viewer. No, not just the bush, her entire womanhood was offering itself up as a present for my enjoyment.

    If my body was that of an adult¡¯s right now, I¡¯d definitely open Melody¡¯s ¡®gift¡¯ and take her right there. Due to the ¡®Child-Protection¡¯ function put on my body, I could only feel and hear my heart racing and swallow my saliva while my friend downstairs slept like a baby.

    ¡°U-Um ¡­ Master Soar?¡± Melody asked nervously.

    Her voice snapped me out of my trance before I shook my head back into reality. I hadn¡¯t realized I had leaned in to see my angel¡¯s lingerie so up close. Since I couldn¡¯t see past Melody¡¯s ginormous jugs to look at her face from this angle, I had to pull back and stand up again.

    I cleared my throat and looked straight at her, ¡°Y-Yes, Melody?¡±

    ¡°D-Do I really ¡­ look okay? I don¡¯t look weird, do I? It¡¯s very strange to see me like this, isn¡¯t it?¡± Melody asked while pulling her tiny half-apron down, choking up like she was ready to break into tears.

    Oh fuck.

    ¡°No no no! You¡¯re fine, Melody! Great, even!¡± I exclaimed in a fluster.

    Melody sniffled, ¡°R-Really?¡±

    ¡°Really! You¡¯re cute, Melody! Very cute! The frills are so you! I love how simple and minimal it is, and how easy it is for me to see and feel your chest and seat whenever I want! You¡¯re so cute that I just want to hold you and keep you to myself! Like this!¡± I exclaimed before throwing myself onto Melody without a second thought. I think some of my perverted desires leaked out during my panicked attempt to calm her down, but I just couldn¡¯t hesitate when she looked at me like that.

    I dove my face right into Melody¡¯s ethereal cleavage, somehow inadvertently pushing her peak band down and freeing her melons. Simultaneously, my arms wrapped around her waist to take a firm hold of both her exposed bun cheeks. I made sure to press as much of myself into my angel¡¯s heavenly softness as I could, like I wanted to sink myself into her. Though, if one could drown in a woman¡¯s feminine pheromones, that¡¯s certainly what was happening to me with how much I was inhaling from Melody¡¯s pillows.

    Was it a desperate move, or a virile pounce? I couldn¡¯t distinguish between the two at this moment.

    Either way, it seemed to have done the job as I could hear my angel giggling from above. Melody¡¯s squishy body jiggling around me further emphasized her mood before I felt her pulling me deeper into the valley of her cushions, though she minded enough space for me to breathe this time. I felt a pair of lips pressing on the top of my head that was still exposed to the air.

    ¡°Thank you, Soar. To be honest, I like this outfit, too,¡± Melody admitted, ¡°I was really nervous that I wouldn¡¯t look cute wearing this, though, at least until you said I did. I¡¯m still embarrassed, but I¡¯m really happy to hear you like it that much. I¡¯ll wear it everyday, if you want, as well as anything you think would suit me.¡± She then gave a few more kisses on my head while hugging me like she said she did with her stuffed animals.

    I had mixed feelings now, of course. Part of me wanted to harshly berate my perverted self from spilling out too much and copping a feel when my angel was about to cry. Still, it sounded like Melody had some interest in wearing the maid uniform before trying it on, herself. My confirmation was just the deciding factor for whether she should continue wearing the outfit or not. I was glad Melody liked such outfits and would be comfortable wearing them daily, but I knew that a good part of that happiness was for the wrong reasons.

    Despite my moral misgivings, I couldn¡¯t help but let my hands get another feel of Melody¡¯s derriere as she embraced me. My angel giggled at my actions and just hugged me more lovingly. It always amazed me that an actual angel would let me get away with stuff like this. Without exception, I thought that bold, overbearing, groping like this put off girls, no matter how close they seemed to be with a guy on the surface. Even Shannon, my former coworker from my past life, has complained about getting felt up too often by her previous boyfriends. So it had seemed safe to assume that girls don¡¯t really like this kind of attention.

    The fact that Melody consistently and wholeheartedly welcomed my attention helped to put some of my worries at ease. There was still the matter of bolstering her low-self esteem through these questionable acts, which, surprisingly, seemed to be working. A good thing, as, even as much as I loved abusing my personal angel¡¯s body, I would have forced myself to stop otherwise. Somehow. Because, regardless of my own enjoyment, foremost of all I hoped I¡¯d be able to make, and keep, Melody happy¡ªthrough whatever means were necessary¡ªas she lived with me as my familiar in the days to come.

 Chapter 54: Planning a Future With My Familiars

    I was lost in the comforting, stress-relieving texture of my angel¡¯s softness, until Sarise cleared her throat, ¡°Melody, you must not trouble Master Soar with your affections while we are in the middle of serving him, so finish up and let us get to cutting those fruits. We have a lot to do this morning.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh! I¡¯m sorry, So¡ªMaster Soar! I¡¯ll get on those fruits right away!¡± Melody exclaimed in a panic as she pulled away from my embrace.

    Part of me was a little disappointed that our snuggle ended so abruptly. That disappointment was greatly lessened, however, as I watched my angel struggle after our hug to shove her massive tits back inside her apparently now much too small uniform. Unable to resist, I came to Melody¡¯s rescue, grabbing and squishing each boob before dragging the cup back over it. Taking extra care, I pinched each nipple to hold it in place as I made sure the bra was centered and flat over the fat bud. This sent tingles down my angel¡¯s spine that straightened her body in surprise, despite how gentle I tried to be. Instead of looking hurt, however, she gave me an embarrassed, bashful smile, apparently happy simply to have received my personal attention.

    ¡°Th-Thanks, So¡ª¡­ Master Soar,¡± Melody self-corrected.

    ¡°No problem,¡± I answered, bouncing her tits on my hands a bit to express my friendly intentions¡ªor at least I told myself that¡¯s what the gesture meant.

    Sarise smiled, but otherwise ignored our byplay, and said to Melody, ¡°Before we start, I almost forgot something. Melody, please try changing your uniform just like I taught you.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh! Right!¡± Melody replied, eyes widening, before taking a moment to move her boobs out of my grasp and close her eyes in concentration, her form quickly turning hazy.

    Before my eyes the miniskirt, breast band top, and tiny half-apron shifted and merged together, becoming a cooking apron with embroidered lace trimming. Clinging to Melody''s stomach, it lifted and cupped the bottom of her breasts, then turned semi-rigid, curving out to follow an inch away from her flesh almost like a slightly too large breastplate. As the material was the same sheer fabric as the robe she had on last night, it was a mostly transparent breastplate, easily allowing me to see my angel''s loose tits quiver and jiggle about underneath. The width was barely enough to keep Melody''s massive melons contained, much of her areolas peeking out the sides, as the apron''s lace trim edge ran directly over her nipples.

    Despite the semi-rigidity of the apron''s upper half, I got the distinct impression that one tug, or even Melody bending far enough over, would cause the clearly magical cloth to tuck into her cleavage, allowing my angel¡¯s watermelons to flop out into freedom. Furthermore, her divine bush, which had been hidden under the half-apron before, was now only covered by the angel''s single string of not-there-underwear, as the new cooking apron stopped just below her waist. The stockings, slippers, choker, and headpiece from the original maid outfit remained, but this was obviously the magical version of the very popular naked apron look that most horny honeymooners couldn¡¯t get enough of.

    Sarise eyed Melody¡¯s new look in hard judgement before nodding in approval, ¡°It looks like you are able to do this much Clothing Magic, Melody. Nicely done.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sarise!¡± Melody exclaimed while saluting.

    The movement caused her breasts to bounce about inside the somewhat loose top portion of the apron as they were knocked sideways by the gesture. The entire nipple and areola of the far boob from her saluting arm temporarily slipped to the side and out from under the ¡®cover¡¯ of the cooking uniform.

    I was soon distracted from Melody¡¯s bobbing breasts as Sarise quickly changed into the same kind of apron. My devil¡¯s skin is red, so it really contrasted well with the sheer white material, causing the curves in her figure to stand out significantly. The headpiece, choker, gloves, stockings, and high-heels from her original maid outfit were also still there. Furthermore, with her torso on full display, I found she had on the same black string lingerie as Melody, only with a pink bow. Her tits, while they weren¡¯t as big as Melody¡¯s, seemed bigger thanks to the apron¡¯s emphasis. Then again, she really could have made them bigger with Demonic Magic while going through her wardrobe change, and I was just too distracted to really notice.

    Just as much of Sarise¡¯s boobs were exposed as Melody''s were, and everything, even her dark red areolas and thick nipples, was easily visible. Her deep cleavage called to me, clearly magical, as the apron shouldn''t have been able to press her big girls together that much. Yet, despite how readily they moved about, the devil¡¯s breasts always came to a rest squished back together under the apron. The same, I noticed, was just as true for my angelic familiar. I now wondered if Sarise designed these aprons to make her irresistible so she would be ¡®taken advantage of¡¯ as a part of her master-maid fantasies.

    Within a minute, my very slutty maids had turned into equally slutty naked-apron housewives. It was a good thing I had a new body, because I wasn¡¯t sure if my past life¡¯s old heart could have taken this drastic an increase in sex appeal without suffering an attack.

    ¡°Now, let us get to those fruits. Do you have experience in cutting them?¡± Sarise asked Melody.

    ¡°Um, I may need some help with that ¡­¡± Melody answered shyly.

    Sarise seemed to be taking her role as tutor seriously, but the naked apron really dampened that vibe for me. Enough movement on my familiars¡¯ part occasionally caused a boob to almost slide completely out of their cooking aprons, areola fully exposed, only to quickly bounce back under cover. Watching the show, I did have to admit, however, that Sarise did make for a very sexy ¡®slutty teacher¡¯. It wasn¡¯t until they began washing the fruit that I remembered that I was supposed to be cooking. I shook myself out of my daze and got back to cooking pancakes.

    The top of the stove had warmed up, so I grabbed a bowl of batter and a spatula and started cooking. Out of the corner of my eye, I was teased by the sight of Sarise¡¯s nearly naked jiggling breasts bouncing around inside, and occasionally outside, of the confines of her apron as she worked right next to me. From the side, the narrow gap between breast and cloth all but demanded I shove my hands in to fill the space and help hold her boobs in place while I groped and played with them.

    As we got to work on our tasks, I remembered the little drama in the bath last night, when Sarise almost ran off because I summoned Melody without warning. Though we got that misunderstanding cleared up, I wondered if Sarise was that firm with Melody over our hug out of jealousy. When I thought that far, I couldn¡¯t look at any part of Sarise without feeling guilty. Even with how provocatively dressed she was right now, I couldn¡¯t help but feel ashamed every time I caught a glimpse of her luscious features. I quickly realized that I shouldn¡¯t let this dilemma drag on, I needed to settle this now.

    <Sarise? Are you mad?> I asked my devil through telepathy, keeping the talk private.

    <Hm? What do you mean?> she asked, sounding genuinely confused.

    I raised a brow and glanced over, seeing that same level of confusion on her face as I felt, <You weren¡¯t being tough with Melody earlier because she was hogging my attention?>

    <Oh! That. No, I was not mad. I had to be firm with Melody so she will learn to behave like a proper familiar. Please excuse her for being so informal and casual toward you,> Sarise said.

    I couldn¡¯t believe it. Sarise didn¡¯t say any of that in the sarcastic, passive-aggressive manner that I would usually see between couples in my favorite shows from my past life. Unless she was really good at hiding it and I¡¯m just a dense idiot for not catching it, she really didn¡¯t seem mad at all.

    <Um ¡­ well, I really didn¡¯t mind that, Sarise. I was the one who initiated that hug, after all,> I said while I worked, <I also don¡¯t really mind her getting that affectionate and just calling me ¡®Soar,¡¯ either. You¡¯re allowed to do the same with me, too, you know?>

    <Really?> Sarise asked while glancing at me, looking genuinely surprised.

    I nodded, <Of course. I¡¯m still new in this master-familiar thing, but I¡¯m not really one to be strict about ¡®proper behavior¡¯ and such. Same goes for the master-maid stuff. So in the future, please don¡¯t reprimand her for how she behaves around me, at least when it¡¯s just the three of us. I¡¯ll tell her when it¡¯s time to stop, and that goes for you too, but really, I just want you both to be yourselves and do what¡¯s natural for you when you¡¯re around me.>

    Sarise looked up in thought briefly, <... Very well, then. I still think she needs some more training to be a good familiar in public in order to save you from shame and embarrassment, so I will continue to instruct her about that. But for any interpersonal matters in private settings, I will follow your lead. I will still be addressing you as ¡®Master Soar,¡¯ however. It is just not my place as your maid to address or treat you in such an informal manner. Do not misunderstand me, to have you accept me as I am, allowing me to serve you in my own way, and to see you enjoy my ¡®special¡¯ service that is reserved just for you, is more than I could ever ask for. There is so much I wish to do to fully express my gratitude to you for accepting me as your maid, but I will start with this.>

    Sarise then turned to me with a warm smile, <Thank you, for letting me be me, Master Soar. Know that I will always be by your side, serving you to the best of my abilities, until the very end.>

    I was caught off-guard by her moment of sincerity. Though it wasn¡¯t necessary with telepathy, I still felt the need to clear my throat, <You¡¯re very welcome, Sarise, but for future reference, you really don¡¯t mind me being affectionate with other women?>

    Sarise lightly shook her head, her tail swaying side to side, <Of course not. On the contrary, seeing my master so popular with the ladies fills me with pride as a maid and a familiar. Plus, after the way you cleaned me last night and how welcoming you are towards my desires as your maid and my ¡®Creamy Fantasy,¡¯ I know now that I will always have a place in your kind, generous heart, Master Soar. I also already anticipated Melody being more dependent on your attention and approval than me, but I know she is a nice girl that means well. I do not mind her receiving more of your affections than me when it is needed. Now that I think about it, the role you have with us is very similar to how a man tends to the women in his harem, yes?>

    ¡­ Oh yeah, that does sound about right.

    I had been thinking of forming my own harem when I grew older, but I only dated a few girls in my past life¡ªcalling them ¡®relationships¡¯ would be too optimistic with how little we communicated. My former coworker, Shannon, who had apparently developed feelings for me over time, was probably the biggest achievement in my previous life. With this put into consideration, I had to face facts: I had zero relationship experience. It was a miracle for someone like me to even have a girlfriend at this stage, properly running a harem was currently out of my league. Thank you Elmyra for giving me a second chance at ¡­ everything, via my new life on Manara, I prayed silently.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    There may not be many harem groups in Lunargrove¡ªI can count about five of them that I¡¯m remotely aware of that live in the area, with the baron who owns and governs the land the town resides on heading one of them¡ªbut it¡¯s still an accepted way of living in the Reskondant Kingdom. Going by what Sarise explained to me about Zalecks, it seems harems and polygamous relationships are more standard over there than they are here. If I am going to make my own harem during my new life on Manara, maybe Sarise could help me figure out how to run one properly?

    It¡¯s hard to say how soon I¡¯ll gain a genuine harem when I¡¯m already waiting to get my next, and final, ¡®Great Sage¡¯ gift upgrade. I couldn¡¯t make any girlfriends of mine wait years for me to reach a certain age before we ¡®go all the way¡¯. Still, it¡¯d be useful if I could get some relationship experience before then, so maybe I could have Sarise and Melody help me in a trial run of sorts? Though I was already more deeply involved with one of them, my devil would still be with me as my familiar regardless of our relationship status. So nothing would really change between us even if we ¡®broke up¡¯. It will be a different story if and when I am with a girl who isn¡¯t my familiar. I will need to prepare myself for what relationship obstacles I might have to face in the future when dealing with multiple wives. Might as well make the most out of my unique circumstances. Actually, I might already have some experience with how to share quality time with multiple people thanks to living with my Companions for the past six years, so that was a start.

    With some of my future plans settled, I thanked Sarise for her valuable input before we went back to working. It should be pointed out that though the talk seemed to last a long time, it was conducted via Telepathy Magic, which meant direct mind to mind communication. I remember reading somewhere in my past life that a human brain functions and processes information at unbelievable speeds. Since one¡¯s mind is linked to their brain, it nicely explained how a few minutes of ¡®conversation¡¯ through telepathy only took a few seconds in real time.

    As I worked, I remembered Sarise¡¯s words last night about me being able to make requests pertaining to her attire. If I could get her to wear other outfits just as slutty and inviting as the apron she was currently wearing, I had to take advantage of that privilege. To make sure I didn¡¯t distract Melody, as she was deeply focused on her task and holding a sharp instrument, I talked to my devil through Telepathy Magic again as she was going over the small cooking lesson.

    <May I ask you something about that uniform, Sarise?>

    Sarise nodded, <Anything at all, Master Soar. I will be happy to answer.>

    <Do you have different versions of your uniform? Maybe one or two that emphasize your sweet, luscious goods in other ways, for me to appreciate every time I see them? I¡¯d like to take in as much of my dear, lovely maid as I can, you know?> I asked while slyly running my hand up Sarise¡¯s fishnet stocking covered leg before giving her bare ass cheek a good squeeze and not letting go.

    This move sent a jolt down Sarise¡¯s spine that made her straighten up and gasp silently. The devil flushed while her tail wagged excitedly.

    <Oh, Master Soar,> Sarise flirted through telepathy, <If it is for you, then I would be more than willing to comply. Coincidentally, I was working on designing other uniforms before I was summoned here. If you wish, I can ¡­ present to you what I have in mind and you can provide input on what suits your taste.>

    I nodded ecstatically, <I would love that very much, Sarise. Let¡¯s discuss a time to go over it later.>

    Sarise looked over and smiled with a twinkle in her eyes, <As you wish, Master Soar. Shall we have Melody join us so she can get her own special uniforms as well? I admit I took longer than I thought getting down here as I was figuring out how to best adapt my current uniform for Melody¡¯s figure, as well as to accommodate her wish for her body to always be accessible to you.>

    Oh, right, that would make sense, wouldn¡¯t it? I thought, If I requested special outfits from Sarise but not Melody, her self-esteem would probably be crushed by my apparent favoritism. Damn, do I drop it altogether to avoid complications, or bear with my innocent angelic familiar wearing more erotic, exposed maid uniforms like this one?

    <... Yes, let¡¯s have her join in, too,> I said after briefly pondering the decision.

    I don¡¯t know what the ¡®God of Order and the Mind¡¯ has in store for Melody, and I used to worry that I wasn''t really qualified to be her master, seeing how I haven¡¯t been the best of influences on her since last night. But now I have to wonder now if this was all a part of her god''s plan¡­ Surely, all the gods have seen and known me well enough by now. Furthermore, Nodem, who¡¯s fully aware of how different Zaleckians are from Zaleesians, chose Sarise to be Melody¡¯s tutor. That being the case, I think I won¡¯t make as much of a big deal about how I treat my angel from now on and just let things play out naturally ¡­ with some restrictions in mind, of course, I concluded.

    Sarise nodded, <Very well. I will look forward to seeing what we can come up with together, Master Soar.>

    To emphasize her anticipation, Sarise brushed the length of her tail with slow, thorough affection over my hand as it continued to grope her ass. It reminded me of how a cat would rub their body on their owners.

    Goddess, I am so lucky to have her all to myself.

    ¡°What¡¯cha cooking, Soar?¡± Fila asked as she walked into the kitchen, now out of her nightgown and in a long-sleeve blouse and skirt.

    I quickly pulled my hand away from Sarise¡¯s butt and tried to act natural the moment I heard the bunny girl¡¯s voice. I thought I was fast enough to make it look like nothing happened, but Fila¡¯s muffled giggle told me otherwise.

    Crap ¡­ try to play it cool and not make it a big deal. Maybe she¡¯ll do the same?

    ¡°Bacon, eggs, and something a little special,¡± I answered, managing somehow to maintain a calm demeanor.

    ¡°What is it? Can I see?¡± Fila asked while trying to look over my shoulder, ears perked up.

    I stopped her with a wagging finger, hoping I could distract her enough to make her forget what she just saw, ¡°Ah, ah, no peeking. It¡¯s a surprise. You¡¯ll have to wait until everyone is awake and comes down to eat.¡±

    ¡°Aww, come ooon,¡± Fila whined.

    Ignoring her cute pout, I shooed the buggy girl away. Though Fila complied and waited at one of the vacant tables, she still sulked a little. I hope that was enough to distract her ¡­ Man, can she get more adorable than this? Time passed as the three of us cooked, and soon the smell of breakfast attracted the others as they came downstairs. Seal, Claire, and Agnes, as well as Agnes¡¯ familiar, Dhalia, and her maid, Melissa, were the first group to wake up. They all went to the backyard after they gave us their greetings while we continued to cook.

    Apparently, Seal was going to do some light exercises with Agnes as part of a last-minute student-mentor lesson. Claire had asked if she could watch the lesson when they talked last night, but Agnes invited her to join outright. Though she specialized in daggers as her main weapons, I could see how this lesson would benefit Claire in the long run. Agnes was too sore from all the events yesterday to do very much, though, and had to sit out when she couldn¡¯t move anymore due to her overtaxed muscles. Despite the differences in weaponry and fighting style, Seal was generous enough to spend some time observing Claire¡¯s dagger-wielding skills after Agnes called it a day.

    Dhalia, though she had gained some experience in the dungeon yesterday, took this opportunity to practice her team coordination with her mistress, Agnes, during the lesson. When Agnes ended the session early, her falcon familiar used the opportunity to observe the surrounding area, probably to ensure her new mistress¡¯ safety.

    As for Melissa, who woke up early enough to help Agnes prepare for the day, she had to tend to her mistress¡¯ needs while the latter was sitting out after her practice. I was aware of how normal it was for nobles to have servants help them do the most menial of tasks. But I was born a commoner in both of my lives, and in my first, this sort of thing was a part of the historic past. Seeing this medieval practice firsthand just seemed strange to me. An attitude which only helped to complicate things between me and my very proper Devil familiar.

    Sarise clearly wanted to be my maid and serve me like I was a noble. She started this morning by offering to dress me for my trip to the market. I was in a hurry and told her it¡¯d be faster if I dressed myself as an excuse to turn it down that time, but she obviously wants to make dressing me a part of my morning routine. I know I said I¡¯d play along with her maid fantasies, and I probably will let her do things like this just to make her happy. Honestly, though, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could ever get used to the whole noble-servant lifestyle, not after how long I had to take care of myself in my past life.

    I asked Sarise through Telepathy Magic at one point in our cooking if dressing me was really necessary, especially when I was able to dress myself just fine. According to her ¡®sources¡¯ and personal experience, having someone help a noble dress is foremost and mainly an intimate bonding routine between the Zaleckian noble and their servants due to their scanty clothing and erotic natures, as opposed to the formality and convenience it is for nobles of other realms. Sarise briefly demonstrated it to me when she had a free moment, slowly unbuttoning and then reclosing my shirt from behind while my head was wedged deep in between her large, firm breasts. Her apron magically folded out of the way, forming a makeshift cushion behind my head. The teasing Devil even specified that she wouldn¡¯t be ¡®fully dressed¡¯ until first I was, so I¡¯d be feeling her bare body as she did her ¡®task¡¯ as a maid. Needless to say, I was looking forward to tomorrow morning.

    Next up was Weiss and Sam, who decided to do their own stretches and hang out outside with everyone, followed shortly by Flomi, Lilia, and Onelri. Flomi hung out with her daughter Fila and chatted about something. Meanwhile the Dark-Elf Onelri got some tips on Water Magic from Lilia, who was Human, in the backyard, making me wonder if the two species practiced magic differently.

    Zalena, Rala, and the latter¡¯s flying orange cat familiar, Flinto, showed up next, the Leopard-Kin looking totally ragged and not well at all, likely from a hangover. I gave Rala some medicine for her headache. With Dad and some of his buddies being heavy drinkers on special occasions and holidays, this was essential for them, but I figured he wouldn¡¯t mind sharing. Rala was forever grateful as she took it with water, then slacked off on the sofa in an unlady-like manner. Flinto took the liberty of lying on top of his mistress and taking a nap. As the intelligent being that he was, this was the first cat-like thing I had seen from him since we met yesterday. Zalena, meanwhile, went to the backyard to observe Claire¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s training sessions.

    ¡°Just to sate my curiosity about something,¡± Zalena said after I asked the Light-Elf why, and it looked like I wasn¡¯t going to get anymore than that.

    Finally, there were Onelri¡¯s parents, Darida and Zalfes, as well as my own mother and father, and my Fox-Kin teacher, Ms. Renne. While the Dark-Elf pair looked clean and tidy, Mom and Dad on the other hand were a bit sluggish, their grooming looking to have been done at the last minute. It was almost like they just finished running a marathon and came back after hastily wiping off their sweat in a public bathroom.

    Mom and Dad were surprised to see Sarise and Melody preparing breakfast with me, but they didn¡¯t seem to register the slutty, erotic nature of my familiar¡¯s ¡®cooking uniforms¡¯. As I directed my pleasantly surprised parents out of the kitchen, letting them know that breakfast would soon be ready, I gained a profound impression of just how effective a familiar¡¯s Aura can be. By this point we had enough helpings to possibly feed a small platoon with seconds for everyone, so I figured we had made enough. My familiars and I prepared the plates, silverware, and napkins along with the cooked food, arranging it so that people could form a line to get their helpings. Ms. Renne meanwhile followed the Gulzu¡¯s, who had decided to check in on their daughter Onelri¡¯s progress in magic training.

    As for my Fairy Companions and all the guests in their own fairy party last night¡ªI think I once overheard them calling it a ¡®Communing,¡¯ or something?¡ªthey were all totally wiped out. Only the biggest ones like Breezy and Zalena¡¯s fairies had enough energy to move about. When we were almost done preparing breakfast, I made sure to set aside enough of everything for those in the attic to share among themselves. Following Breezy¡¯s directions, I used ¡®Dark Gate¡¯ to easily drop a few large platters at a specific location up there from the kitchen, a location from which I could totally not see the completely wasted fairies that were scattered around the attic.

    Breezy and one another fairy waved at me from the top of two different girl-cum stained mounds of well fucked and completely satisfied naked little women. Though they hid such things from actual children, fairies were not shy about their bodies and liked to show them off, most especially, I suspected, to me for my ¡®benefit¡¯. Knowing that they¡¯d pout at me otherwise, I let myself act like the adult I was inside and gave the two and their friends a thorough perusal before flashing them a thumbs up. I then closed the ¡®Dark Gate¡¯ as the fairies blew me a kiss while giggling.

    With everyone else now up and awake and the necessary portions made, we told them that breakfast was ready to serve. Once we all got our portions, we sat at various tables scattered around the large dinning area of the former Inn. I was sitting with my familiars and the girls of my age group, who eagerly took their first bites of our cooking ¡­

 Announcement

    Hello everyone. Due to some complicated life stuff from my end and my editor''s, pulling us away from our projects, we''re gonna have to delay the updates for another week. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we''ll be working our butts off for the next week and will be back on schedule ASAP.

    I Lived as a Growing Great Sage with my Fairies and a Harem in a New World

    Living as a Growing Great Sage with my Fairies, Familiars, and a Harem in a New World

    Becoming a Great Sage with my Fairies, Familiars, and a Harem in a New World

    Living a New Life with my Fairies, Familiars and a Harem in a New World

    Living the Great Sage Life with my Fairies and a Harem in a New World

    Living a Magical Life with my Fairies and a Harem in a New World

    <hr>

    Now, for the second part of my news. Because of the change in direction I''ve found myself going in recent chapters, I have decided to change the story''s tags to better fit this new direction. Not that I can really do so on Royal Road, but it will be applied to the other platforms where the content''s uncut and raw, if you catch my drift. This is so I can have more flexibility on what I can create and not worry about the readers'' reactions as much as I have for the last couple of chapters. That''s not to say I''m dropping the story''s plot entirely, I still have all of my original plans on where I want it to go. This is just to give me a better peace of mind on what kind of story this thing actually is. Again, I promise to keep a decent focus on the ''story'' aspect, but I''m not going to hold myself back anymore from ''having fun'' when and where I want to in this series. I understand if this change means some of you will be dropping the story as it turns into something you didn''t come here to read. I apologize if this change isn''t to your liking and I didn''t meet your expectations, but this is a decision I''m making as the creator, for the sake of my own peace of mind, so I can continue to make it into the kind of story I want it to be. Even if you don''t like this direction and decide to drop it, I hope you can still give some support and take a look at my other stories that are currently updating weekly, as well as others I will be posting in the future.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Also, in regards to the project I¡¯m working on, I think I¡¯m making good progress. It involves the tier levels I have to do for those supporting me on subscribestar that I have to make up for the last few months. If nothing strange happens to me or my editor this upcoming week, I¡¯m hoping to get at least most of it done by the end of it. You might see a peek of what I have to offer on my subscribestar by then, so look forward to it. I¡¯m still trying to work out a consistent work schedule in order to get in a good, stable position where I get things done at a consistent pace, all while keeping my full-time job to help pay for necessities. I appreciate your patience as I¡¯m still trying to work all this out.

    Please let me know your thoughts on all this in the comments. Once again, updates will go back to their regular schedule next week, and there may be some changes around that time as well.

    Thank you for your time and understanding, and have a wonderful day.

 Chapter 55: We Had Delicious Pancakes and a Touching Moment

    ¡°Wooooow, this is amaaazing!¡± Fila exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°What is this cold, fluffy, white stuff?!¡± Onelri asked in shock, holding a piece of said concoction on a fork in front of her.

    ¡°I have never had anything like this at my home! Soar, you must give me the recipe for my cooks to prepare!¡± Agnes demanded, her noble side leaking out.

    ¡°Even now, you never cease to amaze me,¡± Claire said, her praise contrasted by her monotonous tone.

    The ¡®cold, fluffy white stuff¡¯ was a big hit with the girls, as well as all the older women with a sweet tooth. Even men like Darida, Weiss, and Sam, who prided themselves on looking respectful, dignified, and masculine, could barely keep their public appearances from breaking due to my creation¡¯s sweetness. My special surprise was home-made whipped cream from scratch. While it usually takes time for milk to settle and for the heavy cream to separate from the liquid, I sped up that process by applying Water Magic to do the separation myself. After that, I held a regular metal whisk with levitation magic and turned it into a magic beater. I then beat the heavy cream in a bowl, with both the container and utensil chilled with Ice Magic, until it became the fluffy whipped cream loved by many on Earth.

    The people here know how to make and use the heavy cream to flavor their coffee and tea, as well as for some desserts and pastries, but I surprisingly had yet to see whipped cream in any of the sweeter delicacies, at least in Lunargrove, anyway. People¡¯s reactions like Agnes¡¯, who aren¡¯t from here, proved however that this wasn¡¯t a common thing elsewhere either. Not to mention, heavy cream was expensive. I figured this was a good opportunity to wow everyone here who had the privilege of eating it first. Best of all, I did it for the price of regular milk, some mana, and a little ¡®magical elbow grease,¡¯ which was practically a steal. On another note, Levitation Magic is the best ¡®spatula¡¯ a cook could ask for, flipping the pancakes perfectly and balancing the beautiful golden-brown color on both sides. Agnes practically begged me for the whipped cream recipe, as well as the pancakes, so I went ahead and told her the gist of it, promising to write it all down in detail later.

    ¡°Watching Master Soar cook was like a theater production! And the taste, I feel like I am in Zaleese all over again!¡± Melody praised before inhaling more of her pancakes, further proving my theory of Zaleese being a parallel to Earth¡¯s heaven, of sorts.

    ¡°Master Soar has once again proven his greatness as a Magician. I am truly blessed to be chosen as his Zaleckian Familiar,¡± Sarise added before taking a sip of coffee.

    Surprisingly, her helpings were as large as Melody¡¯s, with even a bit of extra. If she hadn''t told me about how she could move or burn fat with magic, I¡¯d have wondered how she managed to maintain her figure.

    I then remembered our ¡®milking incident¡¯ earlier in my room this morning. I didn¡¯t know how much I drank in my sleep, but Sarise made quite a bit for the second time around to the point where we had to store the leftovers in jars. It made me realize that Sarise couldn¡¯t just magically make an infinite amount of milk without paying some kind of cost, and mana by itself just wouldn¡¯t cut it. Maybe she had to use up the nutrients already stored in her body to make the milk, and now she needed to eat enough afterward to make up for what she lost? If it was like that, then I had to be mindful of how much milk Fila and I were drinking, or at least make sure Sarise had enough to eat the night before if we were doing this everyday. I asked Mona in my mind to make a mental note about that for next time.

    On a side note, the coffee Sarise was drinking was something she brewed herself, sweetened by the same cream I prepared from the milk earlier. She also brewed tea for those like myself who weren¡¯t into coffee, and even prepared juice with some of the fruits I bought. If she thought my ¡®kitchen performance¡¯ was amazing, I should be the one impressed by her skills in drink making. Everyone who was enjoying her liquid concoctions would agree with me on how talented she was in that department. I wondered just what kind of training she went through if she felt this was also expected of what she dubbed a ¡®Proper Noble¡¯s Familiar.¡¯

    Wonder how different all this would taste with her milk? No, I probably shouldn¡¯t risk it. It¡¯d be too bothersome to save for ¡®special occasions,¡¯ and who knows if someone might drink it on accident? Then again, we do have a jar of Sarise¡¯s ¡®leftovers¡¯ from earlier stored in her ¡®Dark Space¡¯ when I need it. They¡¯ll still be just as fresh as when we put them in, and I can chill them with Ice Magic too. Yeah, that ought to do it. Aside from Fila, I¡¯m keeping Sarise¡¯s milk and any of her other special dairy-foods for myself, and that¡¯s final, I resolved in my mind before glancing at Sarise¡¯s direction. I don¡¯t know if Familiars can read their masters¡¯ thoughts along with their emotions, at least, not without using Telepathy Magic, but I felt that my naughty Devil maid caught some of my intentions. Her eyes giving a knowing smile as she looked my way while drinking her coffee seemed to indicate as much. Since she seemed aware of my thoughts, I boldly reached down under the table and stroked Sarise¡¯s bare thigh closest to me. Judging by how her tail was wagging, she was totally enjoying our secretive play.

    Suddenly, a few clinks from a mug directed everyone¡¯s attention to Dad, Mom, and Seal, who were standing on the small stage in the corner of the lobby. My home was previously an inn, but I sometimes even I forgot the stage was even there, with how out of the way it was.

    ¡°If I may have everyone¡¯s attention, please, we have an announcement to make. Soar, Sarise, Melody, get on up here,¡± Dad said.

    ¡°Lady Agnes, please come on up here as well,¡± Seal added.

    My Familiars and Agnes looked at me. I had no idea what was going on if Agnes was going up as well, and they were looking at me with as much uncertainty. With no reason to refuse, I only nodded before we all stood up and walked over to the stage in the corner of the lobby facing everyone. When we got there, we were instructed to face everyone as well, which we did. Agnes and Dhalia were on my right, while my Familiars were on my left.

    A pair of large, burly hands rested on my shoulders, who I could only recognize to be Dad¡¯s, ¡°These kids have pulled off many feats within only a day. Clearing Myron Dungeon on their first try, becoming C Rank Hunters, gaining great powers, and making pacts with extraordinary Familiars.

    ¡°While all of these feats are great, Carol, Seal, and I agreed that none of this would have happened if we hadn¡¯t pushed Soar into revealing his capabilities, using Agnes, the daughter of our kingdom¡¯s knight general, as a catalyst to force his hand,¡± Dad said as he slightly strengthened his grip on my shoulders, tense, but careful like I was a fragile object.

    Dad then released his hold on one of my shoulders, only for his hand to be replaced by another that was gentle, yet firm, which I recognized to be Mom¡¯s. Off in my periphery, I saw Seal had his own hand on Agnes¡¯ shoulder. On a side note, as Agnes stood next to me, I noticed something slightly different about her from yesterday. Did Agnes¡¯ mana capacity grow last night? I wondered.

    ¡°We were only concerned with seeing these kids grow into healthy adults, and that made us push them into this, without considering how they might feel about it,¡± Dad continued, ¡°This wasn¡¯t very responsible of us, as guardians, parents, teachers, and adults. After thinking about it harder, things could have gone far worse for either of you two, and for this, we must apologize for overstepping boundaries.¡±

    Dad ¡­

    ¡°If I may say something,¡± Agnes interrupted, ¡°If things had stayed as they were when I first got here, I will be honest, I might ¡­ no, would, have pressured my father to find some way to strip Mr. Galveston of his position as a noble, maybe his whole family, as well.¡±

    Seal¡¯s complexion paled. He may be a noble, but I knew he was different from others the moment I first met him, even though he was one of the few nobles I knew personally. I¡¯ve seen how much he values Dad as a friend and comrade over the years, and he has voiced things about his social position while being a little tipsy that would leave other nobles fainting on the floor. I was sure he took part in this scheme more for his own personal curiosity than anything else. His regret also seemed sincere, and judging by his reaction, I wondered if he actually forgot about his social standing for a moment. He might have been able to shrug off the worst repercussions due to his rank as a Hunter, but he likely wouldn¡¯t hear the end of it from his family if Agnes¡¯ father attempted to bring them down as well.

    ¡°Furthermore, I would have also reported to Father about a serious potential threat to this kingdom, a great power a certain someone holds that we could not afford to overlook,¡± Agnes continued, ¡°That would have been more to get back at Soar for humiliating me, and it pains me to admit that the thought did cross my mind for a moment. I surmise Soar would not have been seen again in this town within a week had I gone through with it.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Yeaaaah, depending on the person, nobles do tend to blow things out of proportion if they are wronged in the slightest way, I agreed mentally, Making Agnes, the only daughter of the kingdom¡¯s knight general, pee her pants in fright while everyone watched would likely have me sentenced to death. I¡¯d have hightailed it out of the country long before that happened, though.

    Agnes then placed a hand on her chest, ¡°But in the end, my encounter with Soar opened my eyes, and for the first time, in this large world of ours, I came to realize how small I really am. How, no matter what height I stand at as a noble, my strength, magic, talents, and capabilities will be challenged by others, no matter where they stand in social class, be they man or woman, young or old.

    ¡°Despite my mishaps and regrets, I have made new friends I want to get to know more of, learned how wondrous it is to be a Hunter, and have gained even greater power than I could ever imagined,¡± Agnes said before demonstrating this last bit.

    Holding out a hand and repeating the same trick I did at my birthday party, she produced a small, blue flame from her palm powerful enough to torch anything it touched. Everyone in the dining lobby gasped in awe and amazement.

    ¡°Within these few days, taking all of this into consideration, I have come to understand that there are still many things to learn about this land and this world, as a noble, Magician, and a person,¡± Agnes continued before turning to me with a warm smile, ¡°And I would not have come to this epiphany if I had not stepped out of the comforts of my home, and challenged Soar to a duel. I pray that we can do it again under better circumstances, and that we can get closer, more as equals than noble and commoner.¡±

    ¡°For you, Agnes, I¡¯m open for a spar at any time,¡± I said.

    ¡°As for you three,¡± Agnes said as she turned to the three adults behind us and bowed, ¡°I, too, apologize for my abrupt arrival and prior behavior, but I must thank you above all for giving me this memorable experience in the short time we¡¯ve had together. I hope that we may continue with the current relations we have in the times to come, Mr. Galveston, Mr. and Mrs. Osmis.¡±

    ¡°It would be my honor and pleasure, Lady Agnes,¡± Seal answered while returning the bow with a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stop by at any time. We¡¯d love to have ya,¡± Dad added while Mom nodded in agreement.

    Off in the audience behind me, I heard some gross sobbing in the background.

    ¡°Milady is growing up so quickly!¡± Agnes¡¯s personal maid Melissa said while wiping away tears, ¡°To have grown so much as a Magician, and to have already snagged herself a powerful husband, I am without words!¡±

    ¡°MELISSA!¡± Agnes hissed through gritted teeth and very reddened cheeks, ¡°Stop spouting such nonsense and get a hold of yourself, or leave!¡±

    Agnes wasn¡¯t the only one who wished her maid had truly been ¡®without words¡¯. I felt both embarrassed and appalled, Just because my body is young didn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m at all interested in girls my physical age. That¡¯s just...wrong!

    Nor was I alone, as both my parents and Ms. Renne looked shocked and embarrassed as well. Zalena, of course, just smirked, and Fila seemed genuinely happy and excited for Agnes and I. What am I going to do with that silly rabbit? She¡¯ll be the death of me, I¡¯m certain of it! I thought. Onelri seemed more than a bit annoyed at the maid, but I carefully didn¡¯t pay any attention to that. Everyone else just seemed to pretend as if Melissa hadn¡¯t spoken.

    An awkward silence fell, and I felt the need to say something to break it, but couldn''t think of what to say. Fortunately, my father came to my rescue.

    ¡°Soar, your mother and I must apologize to you, especially,¡± Dad said, turning to me and directing all attention back to the stage, ¡°In the beginning, when we found how special you were when you first came into this world, our first worry was about people wanting to take advantage of you, and how we could prevent that. Before we even realized it, you had grown so much in such a short time, and you were so reserved, not asking for a lot, not saying a lot, like other kids around your age would. We were worried we did something wrong when we felt you were distancing yourself from us, and we worried how far away you might get as we fretted about it over and over. It may be due to this panic, especially when we found out about your new brother or sister, that we did things that went against our original desire to protect you.¡±

    Mom then lowered herself to my level with a sad smile, ¡°We hope that you can forgive us for not considering your feelings. We want you to know that we will always love you, and we can¡¯t say enough how proud we are to be parents of such a brilliant young man like yourself.¡±

    I scratched my head awkwardly, feeling especially uncomfortable with everyone watching, ¡°Well ¡­ I¡¯m also to blame for keeping so much from you guys. I¡¯ve known for a while how worried you both were about word of my talent for magic and other things spreading, but I still wanted to learn so many things. I mostly held back up until now so as to not worry the both of you, because ¡­ I love you both too. I¡¯m sorry if I ended up worrying you anyways.¡±

    Granted, there were a ton of things I couldn¡¯t say and will take to my grave, like my reincarnation to this world, mainly because of what my parents would think of me after knowing of my past life, let alone how unbelievable it is. That aside, there was still the matter of what happened that night when I saved Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families from the bandits, which ended with me killing said bastards. I don¡¯t regret doing it, but how my parents would react if they found out what happened that night is what worries me the most. I really hope I¡¯ll rouse the courage to open up this much to them, one day.

    At my apology, my parents¡¯ faces brightened, their smiles widening.

    ¡°We still a family?¡± Mom asked.

    ¡°Obviously.¡±

    The three of us hugged it out, which caused the people in the lobby to give us a round of applause. I even heard some sniffles from some.

    ¡°Now that that¡¯s settled, let¡¯s talk about your Familiars,¡± Mom then said.

    Dad quieted the applause so everyone could hear. The both then turned to my Familiars, Sarise and Melody, who were all smiles over our familial affection, only to stiffen when they were mentioned. Watching them stand there in those questionable maid outfits, even if they were protected by their Auras, made me worry that the worst was yet to come.

    Mom stood up and sighed in, hopefully, faux exasperation before crossing her arms, ¡°Really, Soar, to not only bring a Devil home, but leave and come back with an Angel right afterwards? Just what are we going to do with you?¡±

    ¡°Um ¡­ I¡¯m sorry?¡± I didn¡¯t know where she was going with this act, if it was one, so I had no idea how to respond.

    ¡°Now, now, honey, let¡¯s not be rash,¡± Dad intervened, ¡°If you think about it, Soar went out of his way to summon an Angel immediately after bringing a Devil here, knowing the rep they both have. This is the most, if not the first time, he¡¯s ever acted so brashly and selfishly like a normal kid should. He really wants to keep his Devil Familiar here, I can understand that much.¡±

    ¡°True, but having two Familiars means double the care and responsibility, and let¡¯s not forget about all his Fairies, either,¡± Mom added before rubbing her stomach, ¡°We already have a lot of work on our hands, what with one more coming our way and a bunch of people moving in with us. It certainly would be helpful if we had a few extra pairs of hands to tend to some chores when we need it.¡±

    ¡°Which is why, Soar, even if you¡¯re a Hunter now, as long as you¡¯re living under this roof with your family, you have to take your share of the workload and contribute to this household,¡± Dad said before he turned to Sarise and Melody, ¡°That goes for your Familiars, too.¡±

    Both my Familiars¡¯ eyes widened and they turned to each other, silently asking each other if they heard correctly, before looking back to Dad.

    ¡°You mean ¡­¡± Melody said.

    ¡°¡­ that we can ¡­¡± Sarise added.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re living here, you¡¯re a part of our family,¡± Carol said, ¡°And as part of the family, you¡¯ll have to contribute in some way, whether it¡¯s helping Soar on his quests, or helping out around the house. Are both of you okay with these conditions?¡±

    ¡°A-Absolutely!¡± Sarise exclaimed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do anything!¡± Melody added.

    ¡°Son,¡± Dad then said, turning to me, ¡°Since they¡¯re your Familiars, it¡¯s up to you to keep them in line and make sure they¡¯re doing their part. We won¡¯t have you slacking off, however, especially by passing off all your duties to them. Besides caring for them, you also have to look after your Fairies, work hard under Zalena¡¯s tutelage, and tutor Fila and Onelri in magic and maybe some other subjects from school. You think you can handle all that?¡±

    ¡°O-Of course! I¡¯ll do anything if they both can stay!¡± I exclaimed excitedly.

    Dad nodded in confirmation and turned to my Familiars, ¡°In that case, Sarise, Melody, if you¡¯re all right with these arrangements, then we would love to have you both live with us.¡±

    Sarise and Melody were on the brink of tears as they nodded enthusiastically. Unable to hold themselves back, they assaulted me with hugs on both sides that I, who was also tearing up, happily welcomed. My home went wild as everyone gave a round of applause, congratulating my Familiars for their acceptance. Fila, Agnes, and even Onelri, despite her awkwardness, joined in on the hugging action, too. If there were more at that point, I likely wouldn¡¯t have noticed, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel I was being stared at with uncertainty and suspicion. The surrounding activity prevented me from locating where it was coming from, so I didn¡¯t pay it much mind. What mattered was that I got to keep my Familiars, and while things may get hectic from this moment forward, the hardest part of this ordeal was finally behind us.

    And so, I anticipated what might lie ahead with curiosity and excitement.

 Chapter 56: We Parted on Different Paths, and on Mine, I Stumbled Over Something New

    Once breakfast was finished, we had to send Agnes and the Platinum Arms Hunter party off as it was time for them to depart. They would give their thanks to some people before I used ¡®Dark Gate¡¯ to send them to Brightlas. Me, the girls, my familiars, Dad, and Zalena were all coming as well to send them off. Rala and Flinto also had to come with, of course, as Brightlas was their home.

    Sarise, wanting to keep her maid uniform just for wearing around our home when on-duty, asked if I have any recommendations for what casual clothes she and Melody should wear when off-duty. I had only seen a little of my Devil¡¯s wardrobe since we met yesterday, so I was curious about what else she had in store. I also didn¡¯t think that she would be familiar with fashions from Earth if I brought up anything I liked from there. Shrugging mentally, I told her to dress herself and Melody however she liked.

    The result? It felt like I was a pimp escorting two of my best hookers, showing them off in hopes of getting them a rich john for the night.

    To start, Sarise was in a two-piece black leather halter top and skirt, her midriff exposed. The fabric cups of the halter top, however, were replaced by fishnet, the netting closely hugging each of my demon¡¯s melons and supporting them. Her beady buds poked out of the fishnetting, their prominence further highlighted by jewelry. A quarter inch wide band of silver, covered in small diamonds, lay flat on her red disc, fitted snugly to Sarise¡¯s beads like bejeweled collars, as if highlighting a grand prize. Which the Devil¡¯s milk buds certainly were.

    The skirt, meanwhile, was quite small, only covering the top half of Sarise¡¯s trunk and entrance, with her lingerie underneath fully exposed. If that wasn¡¯t enough, the skin-tight leather skirt acted more like a thin layer of paint, even tucking into her rear crack and shifting with the Devil¡¯s every movement, doing nothing at all to hide her goods. Magic was clearly involved, and I appreciated its application. With a skirt like that, Sarise might as well have not bothered wearing anything at all.

    Speaking of which, though the front of the demon¡¯s panties was a simple band of lace just wide enough to cover her garden, the back was just two straps running over the middle of each cherry cheek, the fabric between them missing. They framed the only thing covering the Devil¡¯s hole, a large white diamond-like jewel. Buried in Sarise¡¯s crack, it pried her cheeks apart and was unmistakably the base of a sizable toy plug.

    Moving down, black lace stockings ran from mid-thigh all the way to attractive leather open-toed high-heels. To finish off the look, Sarise had matching, diamond studded, spiked bracelets and anklets that complemented her milk bud rings surprisingly well. She even made the collar and tag identifying her as my familiar into an accessory of her outfit, using it to loudly proclaim that she¡¯s already ¡®owned¡¯ by someone else.

    As for Melody, she looked exactly like the classic naughty school girl prostitute I had seen in hentai in my past life. Her top was an artfully ripped white tee, the front split open then tied together under the bottom of her fun bags to support them with a knot that looked ready to burst at any moment. The split in the front created a plunging neckline that exposed all of her cleavage and part of her discs, the loose edges swinging freely, threatening to reveal more without ever quite delivering. The fabric was just thin and transparent enough for anyone to see the outline and shadow of her large beads and discs underneath, while her stomach was left completely bare. Lastly, the back of the tee had holes ripped over Melody¡¯s shoulder blades to make room for her wings to appear should she need them.

    The shirt was paired with a pleated red flannel-patterned skirt. It was the same size as the one from her maid uniform, ultra-tiny and unable to cover my angel¡¯s buns or crotch at all. Instead, her aquamarine g-string, the same color as her eyes, had to do all the work to hide her privates. A job which it failed at miserably, as the narrow scrap of fabric only managed to cover her button before getting sucked inside the outer petals of Melody¡¯s honeypot. The plump lips of my angel¡¯s entrance were still somewhat hidden by her bush, but her blue-green lingerie did an excellent job at highlighting their dark pink edges, which couldn¡¯t quite close over the lacy fabric.

    Finally, Melody had gladiator-style sandals like those from her ¡®angel uniform¡¯. Unlike the originals, these ones had inch and a half raised heels, which helped hike up her derriere and jutt it further out. Not that the angel¡¯s large tight bubble buns really needed the assistance, like metal to a magnet, I already couldn¡¯t keep my hands off it. It was obvious that this set was designed to keep as much of her ¡®goods¡¯ accessible to me for my use as possible. I had no idea what inspired Sarise to come up with something so similar to an outfit I was familiar with in my past life, but I had to give her a mental round of applause for the design.

    Once we were cleaned up and ready to go, we traveled to the front gate of Brightlas to pay the toll fee before heading inside. At that point, Rala and Flinto parted ways with us, as she was planning to take a few days off after all the excitement she went through yesterday. Agnes and I thanked her for her service yesterday while the girls had a chance to pet Flinto once more.

    Zalena then whispered something in Rala¡¯s feline ear, causing a fearful shiver to run down her back. I imagined it had to do with whatever blackmail Zalena pulled on her to keep what she saw yesterday a secret. From what I had been told, Rala was going to retire as an adventurer soon and would be working for the guild as a receptionist instead. I guessed we might have had something to do with that sudden career change, so I silently apologized for causing trouble for her as she went off. Rala was a bit high strung yesterday in the dungeon, but she wasn¡¯t bad, so I hoped things would ease up between us by the next time I saw her behind the counter.

    With that, we made our way to the Hunter¡¯s Guild. Agnes and I were going to pick up the remainder of our reward money from the drops we collected during our Hunter exam. I was also going to register Melody as my familiar at the same time. As we walked there, I appreciated how, with Sarise¡¯s inverted Aura in play, not much attention was drawn to the nearly naked Devil.

    Melody, thanks to her heightened Purity Aura, wasn¡¯t drawing any attention at all. It was like she became another passing citizen on the streets, blending into her surroundings and becoming practically invisible. As for the status of her broken halo, it had started coming back together, but there were still cracks in some places that needed to be tended to. While Melody was better coordinated than last night, she still tended to trip up a bit, so I had to lend her my shoulder for support. Though Melody said I didn¡¯t need to support her, Sarise could instead, I insisted on doing it for her. Both my familiars bent to my firm determination, following my lead.

    While I initially had good intentions, my main reason for helping quickly changed as I found myself in a very favorable position, savoring the soft, cuddly texture of Melody¡¯s body as I provided her support. My angel¡¯s massive and extremely soft cushion pressed against me as we walked, her arm wrapped around my shoulder pulling me into it. The fact that the thin fabric of her white tee was the only barrier between her chest and me somehow made the experience more thrilling. Additionally, my close up straight down viewing angle allowed me to look inside the ripped and gaping front of her top and down her cleavage to see my angel¡¯s fully exposed peaks, which were only visible from this position. The hand I had on my familiar¡¯s waist, meanwhile, was soon drawn down to her magnetic derriere and sunk into it, kneading it in an attempt to ¡®straighten her posture¡¯. With both of these factors taken into consideration, I was thankful for my short stature as our size difference allowed me to feel more of Melody¡¯s charming body with ease. The pleasant, delightfully feminine scent that wafted from her body was also something I couldn¡¯t help but get good whiffs of from my current position.

    If that wasn¡¯t enough, there was also my spectacular view of Sarise¡¯s trunk, or more specifically, her toy plug, as she walked in front of me. She made sure its presence was completely obvious by adding extra swing to her hips and tail. The subtle jiggle of her crimson cheeks flexing around the plug¡¯s diamond head with each step was an exhilarating sight. I hadn¡¯t seen the Devil put it in before we left, so I was curious just how big it really was. I was also a bit surprised by its presence at first, until I remembered just how suggestive Demonic culture was. For them, adult toys were probably just regular jewelry. When I asked her about it, Sarise seemed both surprised and pleased that I had noticed. After admitting that it was more than large enough for the demon to really feel it when she walked or sat down, she asked how it looked. I told her it was very cute and made her backseat look amazing, and she replied that she was considering wearing it whenever she wasn¡¯t helping me with Hunter quests. My Devil became very giddy when I said I had no problems with that. When Sarise proposed that Melody wear one, though, I advised that she check with the angel first.

    As large as our group was, we drew the eyes of everyone in the guild when we got there. As a group of kids with a famous line of adults, plus two high-ranking familiars of sheer beauty, and a maid, I guess it would be difficult for anyone to ignore such a posse. The guild master for Brightlas¡¯ branch, Grayson, was fortunately there when we stepped inside. When he noticed Sarise and my latest addition, Melody, next to me, he sighed exasperatedly like he already knew what we wanted and he was not ready for the headache that would come.

    Grayson pulled me, my familiars, Dad and Zalena into his office. He also grabbed Agnes, Dahlia, and Seal as well, I guess because he assumed she too had a bombshell to drop on him. The moment the doors closed, he turned to me and demanded an explanation. Fortunately, we had come up with a story to tell beforehand. To keep things short, Zalena escorted me through Myron Dungeon to get to the mid-boss room once more, where we beat it again and used the same summoning circle in the room to bring Melody to this realm. I told him I would turn in the core it dropped for money later, not mentioning that this would be after I actually did beat it again for its drop.

    Then Grayson asked where Agnes¡¯ new familiar was. Granted, I did offer Agnes a chance to summon another from Zalecks this time, using the same method I had to bring Melody here. I felt I¡¯d give her that much since she was with me yesterday too. Her answer, the same she gave to Grayson, went like this.

    ¡°I was only able to clear the dungeon yesterday, or even summon Dhalia, thanks to Soar,¡± Agnes said, ¡°While I do know a little of Shimmerlin now, I want to take my time to better understand and learn the language as I grow stronger. Then, I will take on Alvarez Dungeon by myself, summon my second familiar there, and clear the dungeon on my own terms. Doing it this way will give me a better sense of accomplishment and assurance that I can stand on my own like Soar can.¡±

    Alvarez Dungeon is the dungeon closest to Agnes¡¯ home, Onora, the capital of the Reskondant Kingdom. From what Seal told me, there are more floors in it than Myron Dungeon, at a whopping total of 50. While there are stronger monsters there as well, there¡¯s also the benefit of getting higher rewards from the valuable monster cores and drops they leave behind when defeated. Due to this, many capable and talented Hunters live off the money earned from the drops in that dungeon, with the average in this demographic being D Rank. The total number of B and A Rank Hunters that reside there could be counted on two hands and the toes of one foot, a figure that includes Seal, Sam, and Lilia. It was also the home of one S Rank Hunter, but they were currently on a journey of sorts.

    The point was, based on Seal¡¯s and even Dad¡¯s experience, Alvarez Dungeon is tough, the third hardest dungeon in the continent, at that, and you¡¯d have to be crazy to take it on by yourself past the 10th floor. Agnes wanted to go as far as the 25th with only her and Dhalia, summon her familiar from Zalecks there, and take on the rest with just the three of them and her Fire Fairy, Flicker. For the people who have taken on Alvarez Dungeon, clearing Myron Dungeon with a party of three, or even two was like a refreshing hike up a steep trail compared to a rigorous rock-wall climb up a mountain such as this.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Well, I know one place to check out later, I thought, planning the dungeon dive in my mind after hearing about Alvarez for the first time. It may sound crazy, but I have a feeling Agnes can pull it off. If she and Dhalia apply themselves and grow stronger, and the former summons an ally from Zalecks who¡¯s a fraction as reliable as Sarise, the noble girl should be able clear it on the terms she set herself. Since I was already so well off thanks to my Great Sage gift, I had to give Agnes some respect, as she would have to get there with her own hard work.

    Just as it showed on Grayson¡¯s face, almost everyone who was there after Agnes explained her reason the first time was dumbstruck. When she finished, despite the concern painted all over the guild master¡¯s face, he respected her drive.

    Once we registered Melody as my familiar and slipped the tag on her, Grayson dismissed us and we went over to reception to pick up the rest of our reward money from the drops we turned in from the exam. We both earned quite a bit, I¡¯ll say that much.

    Finally, we stopped by the inn where the carriage Agnes and Melissa came in was parked, and they made the necessary check-out and gathered whatever belongings they left in their rooms last night. The carriage in question was quite luxurious with polished red wood and gold frames, big enough to fit both Agnes and her maid as well as the entirety of Platinum Arms. Guess riding in style was another norm for nobles in this world. However, since Platinum Arms was escorting Agnes, a noble, back to Onora, they had to rent horses from the Hunter''s guild for a few of them to ride on alongside the carriage for quick maneuverability, in case of an incident.

    ¡°Well, this is it,¡± Agnes said as they were about to depart. She bowed her head to all of us, ¡°Thank you so much for the wonderful time and hospitality, everyone.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Lady Agnes,¡± Dad spoke for everyone, ¡°Stop on by anytime when you¡¯re not busy.¡±

    ¡°I will. Fila, Onelri, Claire, it has been a pleasure meeting you all.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll send you letters on how we¡¯re doing like Soar! Right?¡± Fila asked the other two.

    Claire nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±

    Onelri followed up with a shrug, ¡°Yeah, sure, if I have something to write about, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Zalena, thank you for your assistance in the exam yesterday,¡± Agnes then thanked the Light Elf.

    Zalena waved a hand, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll look forward to seeing how much you¡¯ve grown the next time we meet, Agnes.¡±

    Agnes smiled a little at not being called ¡®fairy girl¡¯ this time, before finally turning to me, ¡°Soar ¡­ for the duel, the exam, and everything you have shown and taught me in between, thank you for all of it. I will definitely study Shimmerlin with the reference sheets you gave me carefully.¡±

    While breakfast was ending earlier, I took a couple minutes to write out cheat sheets on how to read and pronounce Shimmerlin on some parchment paper. Shimmerlin was apparently the default language spoken in Zaleese and Zalecks, according to our familiars, while Dustaran was a required second language. Agnes wanted to learn it more to speak it fluently and have conversations in Shimmerlin with Dhalia and her potential Zaleckian familiar as well as fine-tune her summoning chant. Sarise and Melody also contributed by adding in common phrases and greetings to get her started.

    After hearing Agnes intentions on that, it made me want to practice Shimmerlin with more fluency, too. Despite my social anxiety, I¡¯ve always wanted to be fluent in a second language like Japanese on Earth to get more connected to the people related to my interests. In terms of charm and being liked by people, I don¡¯t think anything can top having conversations in the other person¡¯s mother tongue. I could imagine just how ecstatic Sarise and Melody would be if we could converse in Shimmerlin.

    ¡°The best way to learn is through practice,¡± Sarise said, ¡°Speak to Dhalia in Shimmerlin whenever you can, and you will become fluent in our language in no time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! It will be fun if we can talk to you in Shimmerlin next time, Lady Agnes!¡± Melody added.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you more stuff to learn from if I come across anything useful,¡± I said.

    ¡°And do not forget what we agreed on,¡± Agnes emphasized with a finger up.

    I nodded, ¡°Right, after you send the first letter to me, we¡¯ll start exchanging messages once a month. Contact me if you ever need help, though, I¡¯ll be there in a hop, skip, and a jump through my ¡®Dark Gate.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Agnes said, then pulled me in for a hug. I felt her shoulders shuddering and heard subtle sniffling, ¡°I will get closer to you ¡­ one way or another.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I asked before Agnes pulled back and gave a big bright smile, albeit with a hint of mischief.

    That was probably the most child-like expression I had seen on Agnes, actually fitting her for her age, throughout our short time together. I suppose if they can be like this ¡­ kids aren¡¯t really that bad. They¡¯re still quite a handful, though, I admitted to myself.

    ~~

    Once we gave Melissa and everyone in Platinum Arms our farewells, they all went off by carriage and horseback. We continued waving to her as Agnes peeked out the window from the carriage¡¯s back until it disappeared around a corner.

    With our business finished, I took us back to Lunargrove¡¯s entrance via ¡®Dark Gate,¡¯ checked in at the front, and jumped through the same spell once more to get back home. That still left quite a few people in the house. There was me, my parents, Gullivan and Carol, and my familiars, Sarise and Melody, making up our family of five. Then there was the Dark Elf, Onelri, and her parents, Darida and Zalfes, Fila of the Rabbit-Kin beastmen and her mother Flomi, and finally the Light Elf, Zalena. Excluding Claire, a human like me, and Ms. Renne of the Fox-Kin beastmen who were visiting as guests, and all the fairies accompanying us, there are a total of eleven people currently staying in this building, twelve if you count my sibling on its way. More people than I¡¯d ever thought of living with under the same roof. If this turned back into an inn again, we¡¯d have more than enough people to help tend to the place. Though, there probably wouldn¡¯t be many rooms for guests to occupy at that point. Maybe we could change it into more of a large restaurant or diner? Wallace and Enya might not appreciate the competition, though, being restaurant owners themselves.

    ¡°Now, what do we do?¡± I asked while we were all hanging out in the dining area.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting close to lunch time, right? Should I get us started on something to eat, then?¡± Mom asked, ¡°Zalfes, Flomi, help me out here, would you?¡±

    Mrs. Gulzu and Ms. Gartner obliged and followed Mom to the kitchen.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about how we¡¯ll study for your exam after lunch, Soar?¡± Ms. Renne asked.

    ¡°We should also discuss how to do our quests and private lessons, too,¡± Zalena added.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget Soar is tutoring Onelri and me in magic!¡± Fila exclaimed, hopping in place with excitement.

    ¡°And figuring out how I can make a contract with a fairy,¡± Onelri commented.

    Yeesh, I¡¯m already getting exhausted from hearing all this, I thought.

    ¡°Actually ¡­ do you mind if I talk to you in private for a moment, Soar? Alone?¡± Claire suddenly asked.

    ¡°You mean, without my Familiars?¡± I asked.

    Claire nodded in confirmation before looking over to Sarise and Melody, ¡°Do you mind if I borrow him for a bit, you two?¡±

    ¡°Of course, not. If it is Master Soar¡¯s wish, we will give him the space he needs,¡± Sarise answered for both of them. Melody nodded in agreement.

    I scratched my head, ¡°Alright, I guess you both can stay here until I get back.¡±

    Both of my familiars nodded in confirmation.

    ¡°Any place you¡¯d prefer to take this?¡± I asked Claire.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll show you the way,¡± Claire answered.

    I turned to my dad, ¡°We¡¯re stepping out for a while, Dad. We¡¯ll be back for lunch.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go too crazy out there, kids!¡± Dad exclaimed before giving a hearty chuckle.

    We stepped out of the building first with all our fairies in tow. When we got far enough away, Claire asked me to use Dark Gate to take us anywhere in the forest where I¡¯d usually hunt for game. I didn¡¯t know what she had planned, but I obliged and followed her instruction, opening the way to a spot I marked in my personal, mental map. She then started leading the way in a particular direction after she got her bearings.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Someplace I go to for personal training.¡±

    I blinked, suddenly remembering something, ¡°Oh ¡­ uh, thank you for that book, by the way, it was very helpful. I haven¡¯t gotten a chance to read very much, what with everything going on, but, if you want to, you can borrow it after I¡¯ve read a good chunk. I know how much you must have spent on this, so it doesn¡¯t feel right to me to not let you use it as well.¡±

    The book she gifted me for my birthday, the ¡®Book of Ancient Practices,¡¯ included material on how to read Shimmerlin, which helped me summon my Familiars. Since I had absorbed everything into my mental databanks thanks to the Great Sage gift, there wasn¡¯t much more I needed to do until Mona got through confirming the legitimacy of the book¡¯s contents.

    ¡°No need to rush. You can take your time looking through it. Honestly, I read most of it before gifting it to you. I¡¯ve been hoping to discuss some of it with you for some time.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±

    Most of it? I contemplated, Not all of it? I don¡¯t know how long ago she bought the book from her uncle¡¯s bookstore. However, if she¡¯s as much of an avid reader as I was before acquiring the Great Sage gift, I would have expected her to have already finished it before she gave it to me. Speaking of which ¡­

    <Mona, what¡¯s the status on confirming the contents of that book I first scanned?> I asked Mona in my mind.

    <The contextual accuracy analysis was completed 42 hours, 37 minutes, and 13 seconds ago.>

    I nodded to myself, <Ah, that¡¯s not long after I scanned Claire¡¯s book, right? Fantastic. Guess I should have checked on it sooner, huh? So, what¡¯s the verdict?>

    <Approximately 75% of the book¡¯s general contents was factual, with the remaining 25% made up of theories that were either later proven false or have yet to be proven correct through the acquisition of new facts,> she explained.

    I looked up in wonder, <Huh, well, they were written quite some time ago, I guess I should¡¯ve expected some info would have been proven inaccurate by later scholars.>

    <In addition to the original text, this tome also contained notes scattered among its pages that were written in more recently than when this book was first released,> Mona continued, <There were numerous parchments separate from the book that were inserted and neatly tucked between the pages as well.>

    <Maybe they were written in by a previous owner or two before they sold it off? Perhaps Claire had also written some notes of her own as well. Anything about those notes that I should know about?> I asked.

    <Um, Soar?> Breezy then asked me through telepathy.

    <Hang on, Breezy, Mona might have found something interesting,> I interjected.

    <The most recent of these notes, the inserted pages, were not only written in Shimmerlin, but in a decipherable code,> Mona answered.

    I rose a brow in interest, <Oh? A code, you say? That is interesting. And if you say they¡¯re decipherable, does that mean you¡¯ve ¡­?>

    <Affirmative. All written codes have been deciphered and all texts have been decrypted.>

    <Man, is there anything you can¡¯t do?!> I exclaimed in my head.

    <Soooar? Mist think Soar need to listen to Breezy on this,> Mist then said.

    I asked.

    <Well, no, but¡ª>

    <Give me one more sec, I¡¯m gonna go crazy if I don¡¯t hear at least some of this now. Okay, Mona, give me a download of anything that I must know immediately. Anything important that might have an impact on me,> I requested.

    <Transfering requested data to you ¡­ now.>

    As if a document was being downloaded into my brain, I got a clear image of the deciphered contents in my mind, immediately comprehending everything in an instant.

    <File transfer 100%. File corruption 0%. Data transfer successfully completed.>

    At that moment, I didn¡¯t realize that Breezy was trying to warn me that we were entering a section of the forest that had proven to be unexpectedly dangerous of late.

 Chapter 57: What Kind of â€˜Notesâ€™ Are These?

    Observation Report

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    I saw a classmate of mine, Soar Osmis, use three different Elemental Magics today! While he was still 6-years-old and just starting school, even! He¡¯s so different from the other kids, too, so grown-up-like! I want to make friends with him¡­

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    I asked Grandpa if it was okay for me to become friends with Soar. He told me to observe him as much as I can without being spotted for now and report to him if Soar displays any suspicious behavior. Jeez, Grandpa, Soar may be smart, but he¡¯s still a kid! I hope he doesn¡¯t pull our family¡¯s ¡®thing¡¯ into this.

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    Soar just pulled off ¡®Dark Gate¡¯! An Advanced Darkness Magic spell! He did it just like that and walked through it all willy-nilly before disappearing! Didn¡¯t he just start casting magic recently?! Is he a genius?! What else can he do?! I must tell Grandpa about this!

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    Grandpa called Soar a prodigy after my report to him. I feel like I did something wrong, though, because Grandpa wondered if Soar might be interested in our family¡¯s ¡®business.¡¯ I just wanted to make friends with Soar like a normal girl ¡­ Why was I born into a family like this? Is this really all part of the Great Mother¡¯s plan?

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    I found out more interesting things about Soar after observing him. I still have to report to Grandpa like usual, but I¡¯ve taken a liking to just watching him like this ¡­ I bet talking to Soar would be more fun, though.

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    I cleared the first half of Myron Dungeon and summoned my familiars today, they¡¯re named Calipso, a Night Walker from Zalecks, and Piona, a Hermes from Zaleese. I bet Soar would get a kick out of meeting them, but Grandpa told me I shouldn¡¯t reveal them to anybody. The more of these secrets I have to keep from Soar, the more I wonder whether making friends with him is even worth it. Our family¡¯s ¡®business¡¯ involves some difficult and dangerous things, after all. I don¡¯t want him to be a part of it if I can help it.

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    Somehow, I was able to clear Myron Dungeon with me and my familiars, if just barely. I gained a new gift as my completion bonus, Vital Lock-On. Because of this, combined with my other gift, Shadow Walk, and my specialization in Wind and Darkness Magic, Grandpa said I was more than ready to take the family¡¯s initiation test. I wish I didn¡¯t have to take it, though. Would Soar be impressed if he learned that I have these gifts and magics?

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    I successfully made my first hit today, five wanted bandits that Grandpa selected for me as part of my initiation. With this, I¡¯m now recognized as a Galo Assassin of the Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s Covert Operations and Intelligence Court, at least by tradition, if not royal decree. I doubt the royal family even knows a former operative is all the way out here in the frontier. At least, I haven¡¯t seen Grandpa contact them in any sort of way, anyway. These may be bandits that committed crimes, but I still took five lives. Would Soar even look at me the same way if he knew? How can I get closer to him while carrying the weight of this act?

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    Somehow, I mustered up enough courage to speak with Soar for the first time today, after talking with Ms. Renne. She was right that I won¡¯t know what he thinks of me until I make a move. I can¡¯t keep hiding in the shadows forever, even if it is my family¡¯s specialty. He seemed a bit cold and distant when I talked to him, but he still said hello. I think I can call that progress, right?

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    Seriously, Grandpa?! Get closer to Soar and make him fall in love with me?! Is he trying to arrange my marriage?! I thought only nobles do these at such young ages! Not to mention that Soar¡¯s still a few years younger than me! I just started talking to him, and now Gramps expects me to make a move on Soar?! This is just about keeping the Galo bloodline alive, isn¡¯t it?! He only wants me to get closer to Soar because of how much of a prodigy he is! Do our talents as Magicians really make that big of a difference in how our children will turn out?! I want to get closer to him, but not for that reason! Ugh, I¡¯m really starting to regret ever mentioning Soar to Grandpa. Why wasn¡¯t I born in a more normal family? Why do we have to live in hiding, surrounded by normal people, yet ever isolated because of how different we are from them?

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    Grandpa and I had a big fight. I told him I don¡¯t want anything to do with our family¡¯s ¡®business¡¯ involving the royals, or to just be used to keep the Galo bloodline alive. He said if I don¡¯t settle down and get serious, he won¡¯t buy any food or necessities for me and my familiars. Is this how parents from covert ops discipline their kids? Anyway, I¡¯m seriously in a bind, because Gramps can be stubborn and actually follow through with crazy demands like these. It¡¯s a miracle he hasn¡¯t kicked me out as well. I still have my savings to get me by for a while, and my daggers, magic, my Wind Fairy, and my familiars to fend for myself, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before I go broke, especially when I have to feed the four of us.

    Soar¡¯s thinking of becoming a Hunter, right? Maybe I should investigate that.

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    I had to pay a hefty fee, but I managed to register as a newly minted Hunter of the lowest rank. If I wanted to start at a higher rank, I¡¯d have to go to the nearest main branch and have my master vouch for me while I take an exam. It¡¯s highly unlikely Grandpa would go along with that, especially when we aren¡¯t on speaking terms at the moment. It¡¯s going to be difficult, keeping up with schoolwork while also working to support myself and my familiars and companion, but if I rank up quickly enough, I can take on quests involving monster subjugation, those pay more.

    I did a few labor quests today, and I ran into Soar while working. He¡¯s a nice guy, helping the townspeople without asking for anything in return. It may be because of how Grandpa taught me, but I was suspicious of Soar¡¯s ¡®free services¡¯ for the town at first. Normally, other kids around his age would only do chores for the glits, saving it up for something later. If I hadn¡¯t found out Soar¡¯s been collecting monster cores on his own, I¡¯d have wondered if he had ulterior motives for helping the community. Add the value of his monster cores with whatever allowance his parents gave him, and maybe he just didn¡¯t feel the need for any more money? Does he actually have enough money¡¯s worth in monster cores that his allowance and chore money is spare change in comparison? How much would that be? Well, whatever the case, what he¡¯s doing is commendable. Just knowing that I will get to move around in the same area as him working as a Hunter may be enough for me.

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    My rank was promoted today and I can work outside the town for collection quests. There aren¡¯t any monster hunting quests at this rank, but they said I can bring in their cores and drops if I¡¯m able, but they don¡¯t recommend it while I¡¯m still a beginner. Little did they know, I¡¯ve already cleared Myron Dungeon and subjugated five bandits. Handling lower class monsters is a cinch ¡­ not sure if I should be proud of that, though, especially since Grandpa is the whole reason why I can do all that. Anyway, if I just say I ran into a few monsters by ¡®accident¡¯ and successfully defended myself, I should be able to get by fine without raising any suspicion.

    Soar does the same during his training, according to my familiar¡¯s observations, and he isn¡¯t even a Hunter yet. He¡¯s been hunting monsters behind his parents¡¯ backs for a while, I can only imagine how many drops he has collected and stored away in his ¡®Dark Space¡¯. My familiars even once caught him wrestling a boulder out of the ground with Levitation Magic before stowing it away in his ¡®Dark Space¡¯, apparently as a test, they said. A BOULDER. Never mind how stupidly much he can apparently store in his ¡®Dark Space¡¯, how can he even use Levitation Magic?! I mean, back in one of his private magic lessons with Ms. Renne that I managed to observe briefly, I overheard his magical aptitude was S Rank. So, it isn¡¯t too far fetched for someone of that rank to be able to cast Levitation Magic under normal circumstances, but you don¡¯t usually see kids his age levitating objects at all, let alone to that extent!This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Seriously, just how much more will this guy do if I turn my back on him for a minute? It just makes me want to keep an eye on him even more. Still, knowing we¡¯re both doing this behind our parents¡¯ backs gives me a sense of camaraderie, even if he isn¡¯t aware of what I¡¯m up to. Maybe once he registers as a Hunter, we can form a party and take quests together? That would make me very happy.

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    Well, this isn¡¯t good. I just got word from my familiars that some strangers made a comfy hideout for themselves in my training area. What¡¯s more, they have gear and weapons belonging to foot soldiers from the Reskondant Kingdom¡¯s Guard. From what Grandpa told me¡ªwho I¡¯m still not talking to¡ªthe kingdom¡¯s guards don¡¯t usually have their gear equipped when they¡¯re off duty, and they¡¯re never deployed in the field for reconnaissance. They have a separate division with their own gear for scouting purposes.

    This can mean a few things. Either they stole those from the actual guards after killing them, or they¡¯re former guards who have gone rogue. I will have to check the wanted posters in Lunargrove¡¯s and Brightlas¡¯ guild branches and see if any of the profiles match what my familiars saw. It¡¯s not like the guild could restrict me from looking at posters put on the bulletin boards. I could put my pride aside and ask Grandpa to take care of them, as I¡¯d rather not deal with them myself. However, he¡¯ll likely tell me to take care of it myself, and blame me for anything that happens, saying it¡¯s all my fault for refusing to ¡®do what¡¯s necessary¡¯. This is all such a pain, but I don¡¯t want to get anymore involved with any assassin crap than I already have.

    In other news, Soar¡¯s eleventh birthday is coming up soon. I¡¯ve made small talk here and there whenever I had the chance, but he still seems as distant as when we first spoke to each other. I haven¡¯t seen him speak with any of our other classmates all during this time, either, so maybe he just doesn¡¯t want to be friends with anyone? Can¡¯t really blame him for feeling that way, though, especially after all the bad things I overheard our classmates say about him behind his back. Some have even bullied him, but he just brushes those off, uses healing magic for any scratches and bruises inflicted on him, and calls it good. Personally, I¡¯d break a bone or two as a warning, but maybe it¡¯s because he realizes how much more powerful he is that he doesn¡¯t attempt to fight back. I¡¯ve observed him long enough to know how crazy powerful his magic is, anyway. With him practicing all by himself out in the field, he must be acutely aware of how much a stir he¡¯d cause among the populace if word of his prowess got out.

    Though several years have passed, he¡¯s still as reserved and mature as he was when I first saw him. The more I have observed him, at first on Grandpa¡¯s orders, the more I have come to respect and admire his accomplishments. Those later developed into the feelings a girl has for a boy. I came to understand this after much self-reflection and talking with Ms. Renee from time to time. I¡¯m getting red in the face as I think and write all of this.

    There are so many things I want to say to Soar, so many things I want to talk with him about, so many things I have to say, but I¡¯m scared of how he¡¯ll react when he discovers the truth. I wasn¡¯t even this scared when I killed those bandits way back when. With what I have done, do I even deserve having my feelings reciprocated? I haven¡¯t gotten close to anyone else in class, knowing how different I was from them, but I want Soar to accept me, even just a little.

    Crap, I¡¯m getting teary-eyed. I¡¯ll have to really think on this.

    ~~

    Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

    I realize this complicatedly coded ¡®Observation Log¡¯ has turned into more of what many would call the world¡¯s most messed-up diary. Sure, I¡¯ve read out the more important points to Grandpa every night before we stopped talking to each other, but I kept the more ¡­ intimate parts to myself for obvious reasons. Despite that, I felt I gave Gramps enough info to be satisfied enough to not look into the contents himself. I even hid the book pretty well, so there¡¯s no way he could find it and read the reports inside without my knowing, right? Though, this is Grandpa we¡¯re talking about, who¡¯s spent more time being sneaky than I¡¯ve been alive ¡­ Maaaaybe I should find someplace else to hide the book after this report, just to be safe ¡­

    That aside, after much thought, I¡¯ve come to a decision about what I want to do with my feelings for Soar.

    I like to think I¡¯m no longer involved with the kingdom¡¯s covert ops, but even with how Grandpa is still not talking to me after all this time and keeping to himself, I can¡¯t guarantee he won¡¯t suddenly pull me into something that involves that type of work. Knowing how Soar prefers to keep his businesses to himself, I don¡¯t want to risk him getting pulled into my family¡¯s supposedly long-standing position in the kingdom¡¯s covert ops with me. I don¡¯t even know if there are any other members like me around, but unless they¡¯re being just as discreet about their positions and actions as Grandpa and I have up to now, I can¡¯t say for certain that we aren''t completely cut off and on our own.

    ¡°While we blend in with those in the light, we thrive in the shadows, we observe in the shadows, we search in the shadows, we hunt in the shadows, and we die in the shadows.¡± That is our motto as the Galo Family of Assassins, in service to the Monarch of Reskondant Kingdom, at least that¡¯s what Grandpa always told me before every fight. With that in mind, someone in our family could be employed by Grandpa and watching me right now as I write this. That thought alone would put anyone on edge, especially someone young like Soar.

    I could never live with myself if Soar got pulled into the shadows with me and something happened to him. But, why can¡¯t I watch over Soar while hiding in the shadows? This book that Grandpa had me study from cover to cover since I was young contains all these ¡®Observation Reports¡¯ I¡¯ve written up to now. These observations include my developing feelings for Soar, right up to this very last entry. I will present this book as my first gift to him on his birthday, and ask him to be my friend. I won¡¯t expect anymore from him than that.

    This secret code has been used among the Kingdom¡¯s covert ops agents for many generations as means of exchanging vital information. It was designed and improved so that even someone who is able to read Shimmerlin couldn¡¯t read what was written in it. Along with this continent¡¯s common language of Dustaran, I learned to read and write Shimmerlin, in both standard script and this coded version, ever since I was able to pick up a charcoal pencil and draw something with it. To be even a little fluent in Shimmerlin to start with would take about two years for most people. Add to that about another four to learn how to read and write this code as naturally as one could in Dustaran, assuming one could decode it in the first place.

    Thus, under normal circumstances, Soar will likely be 17-years old by the time he¡¯d be able to read this. Considering his drive and intelligence, though, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he succeeded at 15. That is, if he gains an interest in learning this code. The book does contain instructions on how to read standard Shimmerlin, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯d want to be able to summon his own amazing familiar or two someday, so that would at least give him some motivation to learn the base language.

    Huh, despite how secretive I¡¯m trying to be, it¡¯s as if I want him to decipher these reports. Well, I can¡¯t say that¡¯s entirely true. Mainly, really, this was the only way I could see to get any closure with these feelings of mine. By the time Soar figures it out, I will either be by his side as his friend, or alone in the shadows, dead or alive, as an assassin. I¡¯m fine with whatever outcome it may be when that time rolls around.

    Soar, if you ever do get this far after reading all my reports up to now, let me take a moment to say this. First, I apologize for basically stalking you all this time. What started out as an order from my Grandpa for observation training slowly turned into one of my favorite past times. It¡¯s understandable you¡¯d be super creeped out by this, but please know I have no intentions of doing any harm to you or expect anything from you, even if you¡¯re crazy enough to forgive me. I just want you to know that I¡¯ve come to admire you as a person, not just for your hard work and talents, but for the kindness you show to everyone in Lunargrove, even those that never asked for it. You don¡¯t realize just how much good your actions up to this point have done for everybody, saving many people countless times. Nobody may ever come to realize the full impact of all your good deeds, but know that whether it was through me or either of my familiars, I was always watching. I¡¯m aware of what you¡¯ve done, and always will be.

    Wow, that turned out creepier than it sounded in my head, but it¡¯s the truth! Really! I¡¯m not making this any better, am I?

    Anyway, even if you weren¡¯t doing it to be noticed in the first place, allow me to be the first to say thanks. Thank you, Soar, for all that you¡¯ve done, and despite the life I was born into, I couldn¡¯t be more blessed knowing I got to be friends with you¡ªif you did accept me as your friend, that is, and if not, well, I¡¯m still glad there are good people like you in this world with us.

    Know that my feelings for you up to now are genuine, whatever monster in the shadows I may become later. While I would be the happiest girl in the world if you did return my feelings, it may be for the better that we never get together. My family¡¯s connections would likely cause trouble for you and your family down the line, and that would be the last thing I want happening to you and yours.

    I¡¯ll make sure that never happens, though. I swear that, while I stand by your side in the light, I¡¯ll fend off whatever dangers that may approach you or your family from the shadows. This is my promise to you, not as a Galo Family Assassin, but as your Shadow Guard, Claire Galloway. May the Great Mother bless you with happiness.

    End of report, Claire Galloway,

    P.S. I should probably mention this, but ¡®Galloway¡¯ is a cover for my family¡¯s true name. From what Grandpa told me, my other family members have different surnames, but they¡¯re all derived from our true surname, ¡®Galo¡¯. So my name probably should technically be ¡®Claire Galo¡¯, but that would mean acknowledging my identity as an assassin, which I don¡¯t want to ever do. I don¡¯t know, I just wanted to share this little tidbit about myself with you. I¡¯m tired of always hiding everything, and I don¡¯t want to have any secrets between us, but I¡¯m scared of what you¡¯ll think when the shadows can no longer hide my ugliness from you.

    Also, those suspicious guards I mentioned previously? You won¡¯t have to worry about them. They may have vacated my training area for now, but I¡¯m certain they¡¯ll be back, and I¡¯ll likely have done something with them by then. That will be the first of my many missions as your Shadow Guard.

 Chapter 58: I Confronted My â€˜Shadow Guardâ€™

    <Soar! That cave! We¡¯re heading towards it again!> Breezy exclaimed through telepathy, snapping me out of a momentary trance.

    <Not really a cave, more like the foot of a small mountain, but I definitely know this place,> Cinder added as she and my other Companions glanced around.

    <Oh! Did we forget to mention that last night?> Marble asked, <Soar used Earth Magic to close that hole after he summoned Melody. I didn¡¯t really see much point since he already destroyed all evidence of the summoning circle inside.>

    <Well, Soar did kill some bandits around that area. Maybe he closed it off so no others would have a chance to camp out here again. If this is a common area for ruffians to hideout, I¡¯d likely do the same,> Shadina commented.

    <Still, didn¡¯t Claire say this was her training area too? Does this mean we¡¯ve been caught?> Nova asked.

    <Guys ¡­ I just came across something veeeeery concerning,> I said.

    ¡°Here we are, my special training area,¡± Claire then said, causing shivers to run down my spine. A small clearing of tall grass bordered by dense forestry stood at the foot of a small mountain. I had tried to make it look natural, but there was still a trace of the cave¡¯s entrance in the mountain¡¯s side, betrayed by a gap at the top. While I cursed myself for the poor job of camouflage, this was definitely the same area where I summoned Melody and killed those bandits to save Fila and Onelri.

    And according to those Observation Reports, this is Claire¡¯s personal training ground, I thought while holding my head, reeling from signs of a subtle headache, Seriously, is this place cursed or something? There¡¯s having the murderer returning to the scene of a crime, but coming to the same place three times? What¡¯s next? A dungeon pops up around here too? No, that isn¡¯t important right now. Just what the heck does Claire want in bringing me way out here?

    ¡°So? What do you think?¡± Claire asked as she spun around at the center of the clearing.

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡­ nice place,¡± I answered, having no idea what else to say. ¡°So, what is it that you wanted to talk about, Claire? Why did you bring me way out here?¡±

    ¡°Well, being as smart as you are, I was wondering if you could help me with a bit of a mystery.¡±

    ¡°A mystery?¡± I asked, blinking.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve come here to train many times growing up, going back and forth between here and the town. I pretty much know this forest like the back of my hand. But something strange happened recently.¡± Claire then walked over to the foot of the mountain where I followed her. She placed her hand on the rock wall, ¡°Here, there used to be a hole that led to a cave, but now it¡¯s closed up. See, take a look at this gap here. If you hold out your hand while standing close to it, you can feel a breeze coming out. You wouldn¡¯t get something like this if there was nothing but solid rock behind that gap. You can even see the faint outline of the cave entrance if you look hard enough.¡±

    ¡°Wow ¡­¡± I said.

    ¡°But that¡¯s not the strangest thing, come here and get close for a second,¡± Claire said while squatting down, beckoning me with a hand while staring at a spot on the grass.

    ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± I obliged and squatted down as I got there, keeping some space between me and her.

    ¡°Look closely.¡± Claire then reached down, plucked some blades of grass from the ground, and held them out to me. ¡°What do you see here?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Uh, some grass ¡­ wait, what are those dark spots?¡±

    ¡°Saw it, too, huh?¡± Claire took one of the tall blades of grass in her hand and wiped it from bottom to top between her fingers. The spots moved over to her fingers, a slight tint of red in the dark color becoming noticeable. She rubbed her fingers together, and the red crumbled and disintegrated into a fine powder as it fell back down on the ground. ¡°This ¡­ is dried human blood.¡±

    Memories of that night flash through my mind. That¡¯s right, at the very beginning, I sniped two guys guarding the front with a Wind Needle. I didn¡¯t realize how powerful it¡¯d be with my gift upgraded to Great Sage, but I remember a lot of blood was spilled. ¡°How do you know it¡¯s human blood?¡± I asked, ¡°Seeing blood out in the open like this, it could be from an animal that was killed by a predator, or even a monster.¡±

    Claire held a finger up, ¡°A very valid question, Soar, but there¡¯s magic that can be used to identify a blood sample¡¯s origins.¡±

    Claire hovered a hand over the grass, focusing, and a peculiar beam of violet light shot out from her palm. When the light hit the grass, there were bluish-white lights in a splattered pattern that stood out from the greenery. The pattern¡¯s shape and formations made my heart drop to the pit of my stomach while my face paled.

    ¡°If this was an animal¡¯s or monster¡¯s blood, it wouldn¡¯t react to this magic¡¯s effects in such a color,¡± Claire explained as she moved the light across the grass, revealing more blood splatter patterns, ¡°This is a type of Aptitude Magic called the Blood Lineage Search Magic, which allows the caster to find bloodstains and identify what kind of being they belong to. It can both show you where there is blood, and tell you whether that blood is from a Monster, Human, Beastman, Light Elf, Dark Elf, or another Manaran race, including Fairies and Familiars.¡±

    ¡°W-Whoa ¡­¡± To think there¡¯s a fucking magic that has the same properties as the luminol used in murder crime scenes! Gah! I was sloppier with my cleanup than I thought! I screamed in my mind, ¡°And how do you know this magic? Ms. Renne hasn¡¯t taught us anything like this in class.¡±

    Claire¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°¡­ My grandpa. He used to work for the kingdom and learned this while on the job. Guess he thought it was beneficial that I learn it too.¡±

    I blinked, ¡°I ¡­ see.¡± She¡¯s not lying, but she isn¡¯t telling the whole truth, either! Judging by her mood, she¡¯s still not getting along with her grandfather. Going by the time span in those reports, she¡¯s really unhappy with her living conditions, and she¡¯s been dealing with it on her own all this time.

    ¡°Anyway, that aside, look at this,¡± Claire said before aiming the beam at the rock wall. There were some traces of blood spatter before it got cut off by the stone blocking the tunnel, ¡°Not only does this just further prove my point that this blockage is new, but also shows that it was up after the blood splatter happened. What does all that suggest to you, Soar?¡±

    I¡¯ve been acting dumb for a bit, if I don¡¯t contribute, will she get more suspicious of me? I reasoned, before opening my mouth, ¡°Um ¡­ if this is human blood, then it¡¯s likely that a murder occurred here, and the killer threw the bodies in the cave before erecting this wall with Earth Magic to hide the evidence?¡±

    Claire nodded, ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, so let¡¯s find out right now. Can you use your Earth Magic to open this cave back up?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Sure.¡±

    <Soar, are you sure about this?> Breezy asked through telepathy, still unaware of the information I had just come across.

    <I may not have been aware of this magic until five minutes ago, but I did some decent cleaning inside the cave after that bandit event, and I reconstructed the inside for Melody¡¯s summoning. I¡¯m sure a lot of dirt and sand moved around during that time, including whatever had blood splashed on it. There shouldn¡¯t be anything else hidden inside, so I have no reason to not follow through. Marble, help me out with this.>

    <Okay, Soar!>

    With Marble¡¯s assistance, I turned the rock wall layer into sand, allowing it to collapse to the ground and reveal the cave entrance.

    ¡°Not bad, Soar! It¡¯s exactly as I remember it now! Come on, let¡¯s check what¡¯s inside!¡± Claire exclaimed before leading the way.

    In that moment, I remembered her Observation Notes mentioning her familiars, she had one each from their respective realms like me. I activated my Search Magic and stretched it over a wide area. Other than Claire, me, and our fairies, there weren¡¯t any monsters or people watching nearby ¡­ but there definitely were two mana signatures, no, two Aura signatures, similar to Sarise and Melody¡¯s.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°¡­ Right behind you,¡± I answered Claire before following, keeping in mind of the two familiars following behind us.

    ~~

    ¡°Wow, they really changed the layout in here, too,¡± Claire said as she examined the cave. I provided light with Light Magic, while keeping an eye on any movements of the familiars watching from the outside. ¡°Somehow, they made it much bigger in here without having everything cave in. This should have taken a great quantity of mana, as well as a lot of experience in Earth Magic, to accomplish, a real feat if no more than one person was here to assist them. There are traces of blood in here, but it¡¯s so scattered that it¡¯s hard to make out what happened. If the blood here was from around the same time as that outside, though, this couldn¡¯t have happened more than about three days ago.¡±

    I gotta hand it to her, she¡¯s scarily accurate, I thought, She¡¯d definitely have the makings of a great crime scene investigator back on Earth, but I guess this level of intelligence is normal for the Galo Family assassins?

    Still, if Claire¡¯s been ¡®observing¡¯ me all this time, either by herself or using her familiars, there¡¯s a high probability those two hidden signatures outside are with her. I peeked over my shoulder toward the cave entrance, confirming the stealthed individuals¡¯ whereabouts. They were just out there, peeking in, I could have sworn I saw two shadows move out of my sight as soon as I looked back. Their attempt to hide was pointless, though, because I could see their Aura signatures even through the cavern¡¯s walls.

    Going by the tone in her last Observation Report, she had written it just before those bandits came back to this cave with Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families in tow, then I came in and beat her to the hit. Question is, was she there when that incident happened? It sounds like she didn¡¯t suspect a thing when she gifted the book to me. She was also the only one who was aware of how powerful I really am in magic.

    If what she wrote in the last Observation Report was true, then she shouldn¡¯t be planning on practicing her family trade by turning me into a corpse. Even so, just what is she trying to accomplish, leading me on like this? Why does she have her familiars watching me? Just what is she planning?

    <Everyone, fly on up to the ceiling and stand by. I don¡¯t want you all getting caught in whatever may come,> I told my Companions through Telepathy Magic.

    <All right, be careful, Soar,> Breezy said for everyone before they did as I instructed.

    Claire¡¯s own Wind Fairy didn¡¯t notice any changes as she watched me. Thanks to my Great Sage gift, our combined powers heightened their Presence Hiding Magic. This made it so that nobody could tell where all my fairies really are, let alone how many of them I have.

    ¡°Claire, is there some reason you dragged me all the way out here?¡± I asked, deciding to come right out and face the elephant in the room, ¡°I know we just started being friends a few days ago, but I have a feeling you wouldn¡¯t pull me out here just to play detective.¡±

    Claire stood still and silent for a moment before sighing and turning to me, ¡°Okay, Soar, I will try to be brief, especially since we have lunch waiting for us. I have ¡­ a lot of things on my mind, lots of questions, many of which I thought over, connected, and double-checked for legitimacy many times, and I just want you to be straight with me on some things. Can you do that much for me, Soar?¡±

    I shrugged, ¡°Depends, but I¡¯ll try to answer whatever I can.¡±

    Claire held a finger up, ¡°First, the summoning of your angel, Melody. You didn¡¯t do this in Myron Dungeon, instead you said you made your own summoning circle at a discreet, remote location. Is this cave that remote location where you performed the summoning?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yes, you are correct. I summoned Melody here, in this cave.¡±

    If it was only this much, and in light of a possible truth spell on Claire¡¯s part, I figured it was safer to admit the truth. I didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d react to me telling a lie yet, and this was not the time to test that out.

    Claire gestured a hand to a random direction, ¡°And you are the one who reconstructed this cavern? As well as put up that rock wall to hide it? All with Earth Magic you only just acquired two nights ago?¡±

    ¡°Yes, to all of that.¡±

    Claire was clearly surprised with how I picked up Earth Magic so quickly. With a hand to her chest, she paused to take a shaky breath. She looked to be having a difficult time keeping her cool.

    After a moment to calm down, Claire looked up to me, ¡°Did you recall seeing any bloodstains in this cavern before you reconstructed it? Anything out of the ordinary?¡±

    I looked up in faux thought, ¡°I did see what looked like bloodstains on the cavern walls. I didn¡¯t want my familiar to be frightened when they first arrived here, so when I altered the cavern I made sure to clean up as much as I could.¡±

    This part was true, I worried about that back when I first checked the condition of the cavern¡¯s walls before restructuring it. That night with the bandits, it was so dark, and with everything going on I didn¡¯t even notice those stains until I came back last night. My biggest mistake that first night was rushing the cleanup, I only focused on the blood on the cavern floor after the deed was done. That aside, I was very careful in how I worded my answer. If a magic that detects blood exists, then I wasn¡¯t sure if there wasn¡¯t one for detecting lies. I wouldn¡¯t put it past the people who worked in the kingdom¡¯s Covert Ops and Intelligence division to develop such a terrifying Aptitude Magic for interrogation purposes.

    ¡°Why did you put up that wall to close off the cave?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Well, having used this cave in secret already, I figured it wouldn¡¯t be safe to leave this place alone, so blocking the cave and disguising it as part of the mountain seemed like the best solution at the time.¡±

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell anyone about what you saw here because ¡­¡±

    I shrugged, ¡°I didn¡¯t have a means to test whether that blood belonged to a person or monster. Considering the location, I didn¡¯t think much of it. I¡¯m a C-Rank Hunter now, I figured if I came across anything dangerous, I could handle it myself.¡±

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t see anything else strange in this cavern, or anywhere in the area outside of here?¡±

    I shook my head.

    Claire then reached behind her back. ¡°Not even something like this?¡± she asked, before pulling out something that shook me slightly in my very core.

    The soap bar ... The very same soap bar Melody dropped and slipped on when I first summoned her here.

    ¡°You said you summoned Melody here, talked over some things, and that was it. Does this soap bar not jog any other memories about your encounter with her at all?¡± she asked with a darkened expression.

    Well, this is a problem, I thought, If Claire was back home most of the time last night, then perhaps one of her familiars spotted me summoning Melody here ¡­ and feeling up her body on top of it. If that¡¯s the case, why bring me all the way here? Just to confirm the truth? What does she plan to do if what she heard from her familiars really happened? I just read in her report that she has feelings for me. So what the hell is she trying to pull here? Not to mention, those two beings I¡¯m sensing behind me are likely her familiars, watching me for some reason.

    Just goes to show that kids are still a pain in the ass to try to read, even if this one was raised as an ¡®assassin¡¯, I concluded, almost getting annoyed with this confrontation Claire was pulling.

    ¡°What does soap have to do with me summoning Melody?¡± I asked, crossing my arms, ¡°What is it that you¡¯re accusing me of, exactly? You part of the ¡®Cleanliness Guard¡¯ or something?¡±

    ¡°Soar, please, this is serious, I just want to know the truth,¡± Claire said.

    ¡°I think that makes two of us,¡± I rebutted, ¡°How did you even know I summoned Melody here when I did my best to hide my tracks? How is a bar of soap relevant to that? Where did you even get it?¡±

    ¡°Soar, I¡¯m the one asking questions here,¡± Claire argued, furrowing her brow in annoyance.

    I furrowed my own brow, ¡°Well guess what, I have my questions too, and I¡¯ve answered a few of yours already. I need some reason to even continue cooperating, or this is a waste of time for me.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a waste of time!¡± Claire exclaimed.

    ¡°Then out with it, what are you really trying to gain from all of this? Do you interrogate your other friends like this?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No! Of course not!¡± she defended.

    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s just me that you¡¯re pulling this garbage on?¡± I asked with a raised brow.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡±

    ¡°Why is it not like that?¡±

    ¡°Because you were the only friend that I have! That¡¯s why!¡± Claire yelled, her voice echoing in the cavern before taking breaths.

    I was unamused, ¡°... Well that¡¯s just a big fat lie.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± she defended, ¡°I mean, I thought we were something like friends when I started talking to you, even though it was sort of one-sided most of the time, and I have other friends like Onelri, Fila, and Agnes now! Until your birthday party, I really did see you as the only friend I had!¡±

    I shook my head, ¡°Yeah, no, see, that¡¯s not the whole story, because if it was the whole story, then who the fuck are the two people watching us right now?¡±

    Claire¡¯s eyes widened, her pupils shrinking to the size of a needle.

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see your buddies following us when we went in. You two out there hearing this?! Get the fuck in here and show yourselves, or I¡¯ll force you both in here myself in the count of Five! Four! Three¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, you found us, we¡¯ll come clean,¡± one of the two familiars in hiding, a woman, called out before I continued my countdown.

    ¡°Calipso! No!¡± the other familiar, another woman, exclaimed.

    ¡°Piona, it¡¯s over. If that kid can sense us despite how well we can hide, then there¡¯s no point in sneaking about further,¡± Piona reasoned.

    ¡°But¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Are you two getting in here or not?!¡± I yelled, growing impatient.

    ¡°... Do as he says, you two. Our cover¡¯s blown,¡± Claire muttered in defeat.

    I turned around at the sound of a pair of footsteps echoing in from outside the cavern. Tapping my foot impatiently, I waited. I was going to get some answers out of my so-called ¡®Shadow Guard¡¯, and then I¡¯d have to figure out what I was going to do with her.

 Chapter 59: We Learned Some Things About Each Other Today

    When I turned around, the first of Claire¡¯s two familiars was just coming into the light, looking something like a 3D silhouette. Eyes and mouth of pure white, almost like what one would see on 2D drama masks, contrasted with her dark face and body as she looked to me with a simple, yet unreadable expression. She was about the same height as Sarise. Following beside her was an angelic familiar that was much smaller in height, smaller than Melody even, but still quite busty for her stature. Rather than normal angel wings, however, she had much smaller wings sprouting from either side of her ankles.

    Once Claire¡¯s familiars revealed themselves, I had all three of them sit on a bench I made out of Earth Magic. The familiars sat on either of Claire¡¯s sides, while her Wind Fairy settled on one shoulder. They sat awkwardly in silence while I towered over them with arms crossed. I then had the familiars start off by introducing themselves.

    Claire¡¯s demonic Zaleckian familiar, Calipso, was a ¡®Night Walker,¡¯ just as the Observation Reports stated. Apparently, Night Walkers are among the top ten of most capable familiar races in Zalecks. They were known for their ability to move quickly between shadows, squeezing into tight spaces that would be impossible for others. They could also change their bodies as efficiently as a Succubus, including things like turning their fingers into razor-sharp blades. Really, if you require a familiar that is good with sneak attacks and stealth missions, then Night Walkers are your go-to demon.

    Describing Calipso¡¯s appearance was very difficult. She had a curvaceous frame, that was for sure, probably a balance between Sarise¡¯s and Melody¡¯s figures. That, and hair that seemed to be tied in a ponytail, was all that I could really make out. The Night Walker¡¯s body and hair were the embodiment of darkness, looking a dark bluish-black under my Light Magic. Calipso appeared more like a three dimensional shadow than solid flesh. Thanks to her racial Shadow Aura, she didn¡¯t reflect any light, which made making out any details nearly impossible.

    Still, the sway of the Night Walker¡¯s melons and the movement of shadows at her pelvis did suggest one thing. I couldn¡¯t really ask with Claire being there, but I strongly suspected that Calipso was a total nudist, without a trace of clothing on her. Maybe that¡¯s just how all Night Walkers look due to their Shadow Aura? I mused. On the other hand, she was a demon, if one couldn¡¯t really make out the private bits, then of course she¡¯d go full-body commando.

    Across from Calipso, Claire¡¯s angelic Zaleesian familiar, Piona, with her light mint-colored hair tied in pigtails which matched her white wings that turned dark green at the tips, was of the Hermes race. Their race¡¯s name resembled the famous messenger in Greek Mythology, and it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to compare these beings with his image. Unlike regular angels, the wings on a Hermes¡¯ ankles were there to stay, but what they lacked in strength, they made up for in speed and aerial maneuverability. Just like the god they were named after, Hermes angels mainly made a living in Zaleese through quick postage and delivery-based jobs.

    Piona, despite being smaller and slimmer than Melody¡ªabout as tall as me, in fact¡ªstill sported an impressive figure under a tight white tribal clothing, consisting of a short-sleeve crop top, short shorts, and gladiator sandals. For being the first Angel I have seen, aside from Melody who can¡¯t use Clothing Magic, I was surprised how revealing Piona¡¯s attire was, considering how much of her very light pink skin with gold Familiar markings was out in the open. Her top stopped right over her peaks, their hard points tenting the hem line outward, leaving the lower half of her pale pink discs as well as the entirety of her underchest exposed. Similarly, her shorts were brazillian cut and so tight the zipper was incapable of fully closing. In front, a bit of her manicured light green lawn could just barely be seen, while the back only covered the center of her backseat, exposing the bottom and sides of both cheeks.

    Maybe Hermes Angels have to wear minimal clothing as a necessity, both due to their small wings and to maximize their maneuverability in the air? I speculated. Even so, I couldn¡¯t picture her moving quickly and gracefully, not with her large rack and trunk. Such would defy the laws of physics and common sense.

    ¡°All right, Claire, now that I know who your familiars are, start talking. What were you really trying to accomplish pulling me out here, having your familiars watch in from the sidelines on top of it?¡± I asked with arms crossed.

    ¡°I just, I just wanted to, I ¡­¡± Claire trailed off while looking down.

    ¡°If I may speak under Mistress¡¯ behalf?¡± Calipso asked with a hand up, ¡°I¡¯m afraid part of her emotional spiral is my fault.¡±

    ¡°... You may speak,¡± I permitted.

    ¡°When Mistress noticed your disappearance last night, I was assigned to find you and observe your actions,¡± Calipso explained, ¡°I can transition between shadows very quickly, especially at night, so it didn¡¯t take long for me to find you here in the cave, but I was surprised you had come to Mistress¡¯ private training grounds. Mistress and Piona felt the same when I reported your location. I started my observation of you after that, which was right before you began your chant to summon your Angel Familiar, Melody.¡±

    So other than the restructuring of the cave, Calipso was watching me the whole time ¡­

    ¡°From there, I just reported to Mistress and Piona all that I saw,¡± Calipso continued, ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t think much of what you were doing with Melody at the time, but what I told Mistress and Piona might have put both of them a bit on edge.¡±

    If Calipso didn¡¯t think it was wrong when I felt up Melody¡¯s body, that might have been due to the latter¡¯s Purity Aura acting in combination with Calipso¡¯s Demonic Cultural perspective. If the Night Walker told Claire and Piona everything that she saw just as it was, though ¡­ considering the latter two aren¡¯t demons and were not being exposed to Melody¡¯s Purity Aura, of course they¡¯d not just dismiss everything I did to my Angel.

    ¡°Did you tell them everything that was said between us too?¡± I asked.

    Calipso shrugged, ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear everything, only the loud parts, like when you described Melody as beautiful and not ¡®ugly¡¯ as she was insinuating, and when she was crying with happiness after you touched her. It didn¡¯t seem that bad to me at the time. It was no different from stuff I¡¯d seen on Zalecks, and I guess I forgot I wasn¡¯t still there, so I didn¡¯t think about it and just told them what I saw and heard.¡±

    Oh boy, and we said some preeeeetty suggestive stuff last night. Of course, Claire and Piona would panic, I thought, resisting the urge to facepalm after recalling how awkward that moment was for me.

    ¡°It seemed Mistress had to step outside some time after her bath to meet with Piona in private and console in her, so I regrouped with them after your business in the cave was finished,¡± Calipso continued, ¡°I tried explaining to them how it wasn¡¯t as bad as they were imagining, but Piona wouldn¡¯t accept any of it and Mistress was also conflicted and in an emotional limbo. At some point, Mistress had us go back to her grandfather¡¯s to rest for the night while she tried to think things over. We met up in private again early this morning to discuss how to deal with the information I found.

    ¡°Lord Soar, you may not have noticed, but for some time Mistress has really cared for you. She just wanted to make sure you weren¡¯t straying onto a concerning path,¡± Calipso said while resting a hand to her bosom, ¡°She only wanted to know the truth of how your summoning Melody really went, how you managed to learn Shimmerlin enough to summon her and your Devil familiar to begin with, and how you¡¯ve been treating your familiars since their summoning.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re the only friend she¡¯s made, however, she didn¡¯t know how to approach you without coming off as something of a threat to you. After talking things over, we compromised that she¡¯d just wing it at the first opportunity to speak with you by herself while we stood by in case of emergency.¡±

    ¡°Is what Calipso explained true, Claire?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°... Yes, it¡¯s true,¡± Claire answered while looking down.

    I held a finger up, ¡°Well, first of all, I¡¯m pretty sure I explained it well enough for both Sarise¡¯s and Melody¡¯s summons. There was a summoning circle, I chanted the magic words in Shimmerlin, and poof, they appeared. The only difference between them was the time and place. I don¡¯t think what happens after that is any of your business.¡±

    Claire then looked up with a furrowed brown, ¡°... Yes, that is true, and while you definitely left a lot of details out of your summons, there was still the matter of how you were able to speak Shimmerlin fluently enough to make a Devil and an Angel appear for you! We both know Ms. Renne couldn¡¯t teach the language to us, as she not only doesn¡¯t have a familiar, she¡¯s never even seen the Shimmerlin language, and I checked with her! Aside from learning to be a bishop in a sanctorium, those copies of the ¡®Book of Ancient Practices¡¯ are the only other ways one can actually learn the Shimmerlin language. Unless you¡¯ve been going to a sanctorium or seeing a bishop to have them teach you the language behind my back, there¡¯s no way you could learn it so quickly right after I gifted you that book!¡±

    ¡°Uh huh, and you think having familiars like those two with you right now is any different?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It is so different! I spent years studying the Shimmerlin language under Grandpa¡¯s tutelage before I was fluent enough to summon Calipso and Piona on the same day! I¡¯ve even written the language since¡ª¡±

    ¡°Since you were able to pick up a charcoal pencil. Yeah, I read that part,¡± I finished for her, recalling one of the lines in her reports.

    Claire, her Familiars, and Wind Fairy widened their eyes in shock.

    ¡°... R-Read what part?¡± Claire asked, paling in complexion.

    ¡°Your ¡®observation reports¡¯ in the book you gave me, of course. The same reports where you described all your findings about me as your grandfather ordered you to, as part of your training to be a Galo Family Assassin, as well as your wish to be at my side as my ¡®Shadow Guard¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Y-You ¡­ You already knew I was ¡­ as well as my ...¡± Claire muttered, looking down and getting red in the face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t think a ¡®guard¡¯ would really pull me to the side for an interrogation like you just pulled,¡± I continued while shrugging my shoulders, ¡°I was just thinking about whether to bring it up to you, but you basically forced my hand to do this. You obviously knew how powerful I really was before I even revealed it on my birthday, so if you really wanted to know the details of my summoning, you should have just been straight with me from the beginning instead of leading me on like this.

    ¡°I knew it! I just knew we should¡¯ve done this the easy way!¡± Piona exclaimed.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you even suggest we should have just come out and asked him, that was my idea to begin with!¡± Calipso argued, ¡°You knew as well as I do that that was the best idea, but noooo, you wanted to go all ¡®good cop, bad cop¡¯ on a scarily strong Magician who could take us out in a snap if we got on his bad side!¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°But you agreed with me that he might have something to do with those bandits! We had to question him on that!¡± Piona countered.

    ¡°Yeah, but in a mature, calm, non-accusatory manner. This was anything but any of that!¡± Calipso snapped.

    ¡°How do you expect me to stay calm after hearing what he did with that Angel?! Forget how ¡­ illicit, it sounded, it was highly irregular, especially for a human child! Just think what he might do to our Mistress!¡± Piona accused.

    ¡°Like I¡¯d want-to/let-him do any of that to me/her!¡± Claire and I yelled in sync, surprising both us and everyone else in the cave.

    ¡°Okay, this might be weird of me to ask this, but why not?! Aren''t I pretty enough?! Wait, now that I think about it, did you do anything to Fila last night?!¡± Claire asked while looking at me in horror.

    ¡°Hell, no!¡± I yelled, then calmed down when I realized how loud I was, ¡°Let¡¯s make something perfectly clear, what I do with my familiars is our own business between the three of us, and no one else has the right to interfere in it. Putting that aside, I do have some standards! Even if I did somehow get a girlfriend, I wouldn¡¯t go that far with anyone under 18, especially Fila. And I won¡¯t be going any further than touching, like what happened last night, with anyone, including my familiars, until I turn 21!¡±

    ¡°WHY?!¡± everyone, including my fairies, all asked while looking at me like I was the crazy one in this group.

    ¡°Because of a vow I made! Moving on!¡± I exclaimed, sweeping my hand across in an effort to shove the subject aside, ¡°The original questions were what really happened between Melody and I after I summoned her, how I learned Shimmerlin so quickly to summon both of my Familiars, and how I¡¯ve been treating them since their summoning, right? I already told you that what I do with my Familiars is no one¡¯s business but the three of us, but I will tell you that I¡¯ve been trying to treat them the best that I¡¯m able to and not force them to do anything uncomfortable for them.

    ¡°As for learning Shimmerlin, I will admit that learning the language would have been impossible without that book, and as for how that was done so quickly ¡­ that¡¯s due to a gift I have, and I will say no more on the matter.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Does that gift also have something to do with your magical prowess?¡± Claire asked.

    ¡°¡­ Maybe?¡±

    Claire shifted her gaze side to side, as if she was skimming through answers in her mind, until her pupils shrunk in realization and looked back up to me, ¡°Wait, no way, you don¡¯t happen to have ¡­ the Wizard gift, do you?!¡±

    I blinked in surprise, ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± I mean, she wasn¡¯t wrong. I did have the Wizard gift, but that¡¯s been upgraded twice already. I only answered as such because she¡¯s the first to ever even mention the gift.

    ¡°The Wizard gift, of course! That explains so much now! ¡­ Wait, that does explain a lot, which means ¡­¡± The more Claire thought about it, the more her face paled before she dropped to the cave floor and prostrated before me, ¡°I am so sorry for everything I¡¯ve done! Please, I beg you for your forgiveness!¡± she pleaded.

    ¡°FORGIVE US!¡± both of Claire¡¯s familiars, who were at each other¡¯s throats moments ago, screamed as they followed their mistress¡¯ example. Even her Wind Fairy did the same thing.

    ¡°Whoa, whoa, hang on! What is going on here?! How is the Wizard gift this big of a deal?!¡± I exclaimed.

    ¡°Right, being out here in a small city at the edge of the country, of course, you wouldn¡¯t know. Soar, before I explain, does anybody else know about you possessing this gift? Have you shown anyone your status card at all?¡± Claire asked while sitting back up.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve kept my status card close and haven''t shown it to anyone at all. Not even my parents or Ms. Renne know I have this gift,¡± I answered.

    ¡°Okay, good, keep it that way. Now, since I¡¯m sure the others are waiting for us for lunch, I¡¯ll try to keep this brief,¡± Claire said before giving me the low down.

    While there are many gifts, it is possible for at least two people in the same place to possess the same one. It¡¯s also possible for one person to be born with more than one gift, but not multiples of the same kind. There are common gifts like one that boosts physical strength passively without using Strength-Enhancement Magic, or boosting aptitude in a specific Elemental Magic. Some even grant you talent in specific weapon arts, martial arts, or job fields like cooking or teaching. These common gifts, no matter what they may be, are usually found in anywhere from 1:30 to 1:100 people in the world. Then there are the rare gifts you won¡¯t be as lucky to find, as their effects are more unique, have additional effects and benefits, and may even be a combination of two or more more common gifts. The odds of finding someone with a rare gift is greater than 1:1000.

    The Wizard gift¡¯s power and rarity, as Claire explained to me, was more startling than I gave it credit for. While there are records of other Magicians that had the Wizard gift in the past, the odds of finding someone that possesses it are one in three hundred million. You¡¯d have better odds winning the jackpot than getting this gift. I was a bit anxious to ask Mona if she knew how many people are currently living on Manara knowing those odds, but I doubt it¡¯s as big as Earth¡¯s population of seven billion¡ªnot including fairies, of course. Magicians could absorb, understand, and retain knowledge better thanks to the Wizard gift. Because of this, Wizards of the past have contributed to world-changing developments. They¡¯ve even helped save the planet when it was in dire crisis. They¡¯ve made themselves into legends that last for thousands of years, claiming titles like ¡®hero¡¯ for themselves.

    What¡¯s more, for the Wizard gift¡¯s upgraded version, the Sage gift, the number of people in history who have achieved it can be counted on one hand.

    ¡°You may find these gifts mentioned in fairy tales and fiction that the commoners pass off as myths,¡± Claire continued, ¡°Only a handful of the kingdom¡¯s nobility, including the royal family, are aware of the legitimacy of these gifts¡¯ existences. Soar, when did you discover you had the Wizard gift?¡±

    I looked up and scratched my head in thought, ¡°Uh ¡­ as soon as I made contracts with my first Fairies and I acquired my status card, I guess.¡±

    Claire held my hands in hers with excitement, stars glimmering in her eyes, ¡°Amazing! The Wizard gift is so rare that it¡¯s almost impossible to get it if you''re not born with it! It¡¯s virtually unheard of as a dungeon clear reward, and if there¡¯s some specific requirement that you can fulfill to have a chance at getting it, no one knows what that is. You must have had the luck of the gods to be able to get it! If you had it by the time you were five, then you¡¯ll definitely get the Sage gift sooner or later! I can feel in my gut that it¡¯s a real possibility, and as an assassin, I have spent years training my instincts!¡±

    How do I tell her that I had already acquired the Sage gift by then, and that upgraded again into the Great Sage gift just recently? I thought while laughing nervously.

    ¡°Soar, if you don¡¯t want your life getting derailed any further than it already has, then you must keep this secret to yourself at all costs,¡± Claire continued, ¡°I swear to you that I will take this secret with me to my grave, to the very last day I serve you.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, whoa, wait, what?¡± I asked with widened eyes.

    ¡°You already know my background, right? I come from a line of assassins that secretly served the royal family. Apparently, a previous king was best friends with his prime minister, who was also a Wizard at the time. That king assigned an assassin to him as a bodyguard from the shadows, and that assassin¡¯s descendants became retainers to the prime minister¡¯s family down the line. Thanks to that, to honor good relations between royal descendants and the Wizards discovered in their time, assassins from covert ops would be sent to serve those Wizards as added protection for the rest of their days. This case with us isn¡¯t much different from that, as we just happened to meet under special circumstances. Wow, I never thought I¡¯d be so grateful to be born in this family!¡± she finished excitedly.

    ¡°But, Claire, I don¡¯t need you to protect me. I¡¯m more than capable of looking after myself, with or without my familiars,¡± I argued.

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this purely out of necessity, I want to do this! Wizard or not, my feelings ¡­¡± she trailed off before turning red, realizing the gravity of the situation, ¡°M-My feelings for you ¡­ s-still hold true, as you read in my reports. I want to be by your side, Soar, whether you reciprocate them or not.

    ¡°I know I may have creeped you out with my ¡­ stalker habits over the years, and you may not think much about me now after knowing that I¡¯ve killed people. I apologize for all that, but I still want to stay by your side, now more than ever, so please ¡­¡± Claire got down to the ground once more and prostrated again, ¡°Please, Soar, let me have at least this much ¡­¡± she pleaded, her voice cracking in the end as if she was going to break down crying.

    I squatted down and patted her back hesitantly and awkwardly. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever get approached by a girl like this. Sure, her behavior up to now was concerning, but despite her family background, she wanted to try to stay true to herself and not let those relations control her life. That just made me worry in the back of my mind, however, that friendship with me would push her deeper down a path she didn¡¯t want to tread. Judging by those observation reports, though, there seemed to be no way out of it. Her life as an assassin was set in stone when she made her first kills, and I have no place to judge her after I just did the same so recently.

    Grabbing Claire by the shoulders, I pulled her up.

    ¡°May I ask you something, Claire?¡±

    She nodded her head erratically, ¡°Anything at all!¡±

    ¡°Those people you killed, the first ones your grandpa wanted you to deal with, they were just bandits, right?¡±

    Claire nodded.

    ¡°Have you killed anyone else after that?¡±

    ¡°No. Other than monsters and animals, I haven¡¯t killed anybody after those bandits. I was planning to take out those former soldiers I mentioned in the end there, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, about that, I was the one who killed them,¡± I interrupted her.

    Claire paled as she looked at me with widened eyes, shocked by my casual admission. I then quickly explained the circumstances and how all that led to me making friends with Fila and Onelri.

    ¡°No wonder they couldn¡¯t keep their eyes off you. I recognized some of those bandits¡¯ profiles when I saw those wanted posters at Brightlas¡¯ Hunter¡¯s guild. I had an inkling, but I was told some info about their deaths that really contradicted with what I thought happened,¡± Claire said.

    ¡°That was because Fila¡¯s and Onelri¡¯s families covered for me so no one would know who really took the bandits out,¡± I explained, ¡°We figured no one else knew about the bandits or their cave, so it¡¯d be fine to make something up. Aside from them, no one else knows about what really happened ¡­ though Zalena called me out on it recently because she had some suspicions, and I¡¯m planning on telling her the truth soon too. My familiars aren¡¯t aware of this fact, either, but the same plan applies to them. So, what do you think of me now, knowing this truth?¡±

    ¡°¡­ When I talked to Fila and Onelri about it, the time and place were the only things that bugged me, everything else sounded like the truth. They were especially grateful to their hero too.¡± Claire closed her eyes and smiled, as if recalling those moments, ¡°To be honest, it may have been my instincts as an assassin speaking, but the part I was worried about the most was what might happen if you abused your powers. Now that I know the hero they mentioned was you, not only can I put these doubts to rest, I¡¯ve learned something new about you too.¡±

    She then stood back up with a smile, ¡°If you can be okay with me and my kills, there¡¯s no way I can¡¯t do the same. You¡¯re still the same Soar Osmis I¡¯ve watched all these years, and I¡¯d be more than happy to serve someone of your caliber. Ask me anything, and I¡¯ll answer in a heartbeat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather we¡¯d start out as friends, I could use a really capable one I could count on,¡± I said while extending my hand.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Claire answered as she took my hand and we shook on it.

    I then heard sniffling from behind her. ¡°I¡¯m so happy things worked out between them!¡± Calipso cried while she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

    ¡°I still have some concerns ¡­ but if Mistress is happy, then that¡¯s all it matters,¡± Piona added while nodding to herself.

    I¡¯m glad I got this worked out, too, but there¡¯s still something that concerns me ¡­ her grandfather, I thought. Going by how recent her last report was, Claire was still on bad terms with her grandfather, yet they continued to live together. Though it has been going on for a long time, I can¡¯t help but feel that their situation is a ticking time bomb ready to blow up at any moment. Sure, parental figures have to discipline their kids, but living with a guy like that couldn¡¯t be healthy. Plus, up to now, Claire has had to make enough money to provide for herself, her familiars, and her Fairy Companion.

    I want to help her, but what¡¯s the best way to go about this ¡­

 Chapter 60: I Asked Zalena to Let Claire Join Us

    On our way back, Claire and I talked about forming a Hunter party together. Since she was graduating this year, too, there won¡¯t be much worry about schedule conflicts. The main concern was Zalena¡¯s thoughts on the matter, since she proposed partying up with me first while she acted as my master. Other than whatever Claire did during her morning exercises with Agnes, Zalena hasn¡¯t seen much of what Claire can do, and she is only an E rank Hunter as well. While that failed to reflect Claire¡¯s true capabilities, I wasn¡¯t sure what we could do to gain the Light Elf¡¯s approval. Claire said not to worry about that, that she would take care of proving her qualifications. She just needed my help to get her foot in the door of our party formation, which I didn¡¯t have a problem doing for her.

    When we finally got back, everyone was already in the middle of their lunches, but Mom had thankfully set aside some sandwiches for the two of us. Onelri and Fila were by themselves at a table waiting for us, and Zalena was at another one with Ms. Renne. As Claire, me, and our Fairies got lunch, I asked Zalena through Telepathy Magic if Claire and I could have a word with her in private after lunch, with both of my Familiars joining in on the talk as well. She responded in the affirmative, having no problems with that, so I filled Sarise and Melody in on the same details. Of course, they were happy to go along with me and support Claire as well, so our plans for later were made.

    While talking to my Familiars, I couldn¡¯t help but appreciate their assets, especially as they had changed back into their naughty maid uniforms while I was gone. The sight made me feel both happy and lucky, since I¡¯d get to see my Angel and Demon working in such attractive attire everyday. As a sign of my pleasure at their ready agreement to help Claire¡ªand their outfits¡ªI made good use of their micro-miniskirts¡¯ complete inability to provide any cover and felt up their buns. Sarise happily welcomed the gesture, and while Melody grew bashful at my attention, she also relaxed into my caress.

    Once we finished lunch, Ms. Renne wanted to talk to me about my tutoring plans, but I told her that Claire and I needed to speak with Zalena privately for a moment first. There was a flash of disappointment on her face at first, but she tried to hide it by forcing a smile, saying she, Fila, and Onelri would wait for me to come back. With that, I told my familiars that we were heading out, and opened a Dark Gate to take everyone to the training ground we used earlier, so as to keep our discussion with Zalena private. Once there, I used Earth Magic to quickly make some chairs for the women, a bench for my familiars and I, and another for all our Fairy Companions to sit together.

    ¡°So, you want to join my party so you can work with Soar, hm? Are you interested being in an apprenticeship with me, too?¡± Zalena asked after I explained to her the details.

    Claire nervously pushed her fingers together, ¡°U-Um ¡­ well, I¡¯m not exactly sure what it is that you could teach that would benefit me as much as your mentorship will Soar, but I believe ¡­ I mean I know I could play an efficient part in the party. I also think I¡¯ll learn important things and-and ¡­ grow as a Hunter by tackling challenges that I couldn¡¯t otherwise safely take on up to now ¡­ without you, I mean.¡±

    Compared to how she was when we were alone together earlier, Claire was surprisingly meek in front of others. If she spent most of her time observing people, I wondered if that hindered her social skills when communicating with our classmates. Or was this part of some ¡®character¡¯ she developed to hide behind when not doing an assassin job? Thinking back and doing a comparison, her Observation Reports almost felt like a totally different person was writing them.

    ¡°I think it sounds like a wonderful idea,¡± Sarise spoke, ¡°I sensed great potential in her while she trained outside earlier.¡±

    ¡°You noticed that while we were cooking?!¡± Melody exclaimed in shock.

    ¡°It is expected from someone of my caliber to be observant in these matters, if it is for the sake of our master¡¯s protection,¡± Sarise explained.

    ¡°I also noticed how well she moved during her spar with Seal earlier,¡± Zalena said, crossing her arms under her bosom while looking down in thought, ¡°Still, Soar and I have S-Rank Magic Aptitudes, and from what he displayed in the dungeon yesterday, even though he¡¯s currently ranked C as a Hunter, I plan on taking him on quests that are much higher than that. I have enough leeway as a Hunter to bring him onto quests that match to my own rank, in fact, if I want. As far as I know, you, Little Bob-Cut, are only rank E. Wanting to go with us on even a B rank quest would be a death wish for you. Do your parents even approve of this?¡±

    Claire looked down, ¡°I live with my grandfather, and we aren¡¯t on speaking terms right now, but he¡¯s trained me how to fight since I could walk, well enough that I can fend for myself. Since it was likely he wouldn¡¯t approve of me being a Hunter, I started off at the very bottom. I¡¯d otherwise likely have a higher rank now if I had had him to vouch for me as my master. Instead, I¡¯ve been looking out for myself for a while now, and honestly, I don¡¯t think Grandpa really cares what I do at this point.¡±

    ¡°Hmm ¡­ and you said your grandfather taught you how to fight? What¡¯s his backstory?¡± Zalena asked with a raised brow.

    ¡°He ¡­ served in a division of the kingdom¡¯s army as an officer, before he retired,¡± Claire answered.

    ¡°Ooh! That¡¯s pretty good, isn¡¯t it?!¡± Melody exclaimed.

    Sarise nodded, ¡°Indeed. While I am not familiar with the details of this kingdom¡¯s army, I imagine serving under the king in a position of such responsibility is a great honor, and it also shows how capable a Magician he is.¡±

    ¡°How long have you lived with your grandfather?¡± Zalena then asked.

    Claire shrugged, ¡°Pretty much since I was born, really. My parents were gone not long after I came around, or at least that¡¯s what Grandpa told me, anyway. I don¡¯t even know what they look like.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so sad ¡­¡± Melody whispered, on the brink of tears. I patted her back in comfort.

    I didn¡¯t come across any info like that in Claire¡¯s Observation Reports, but maybe that¡¯s because her parents were irrelevant to what she was writing in them. If what she was saying was true and her parents were also part of the ¡®family business¡¯, it was likely their deaths weren''t a pleasant experience. Just thinking about how they likely left this world made the atmosphere around me feel dark and heavy very quickly.

    Zalena didn¡¯t seem very sympathetic to Claire¡¯s sob story as she looked up in thought, maybe because she¡¯d lived long enough as a Light Elf that stuff like that didn¡¯t bother her as much.

    ¡°Is there anything else that you can share that would encourage me to consider letting you join Soar¡¯s party?¡± Zalena then asked.

    ¡°Well ¡­ there is one other thing, or maybe I should say two. Calipso, Piona, would you come here please?¡±

    Then, just as Flinto made his appearance yesterday, two puffs of smoke appeared to either of Claire¡¯s sides. Ah, so this is what she was planning to do, I thought, not as surprised by the flashy appearance like the others as the smoke dissipated.

    Calipso and Piona kneeled next to Claire, awaiting for her command. Unlike earlier, however, they were wearing new outfits. For Calipso, instead of being unable to tell if she was wearing anything or not, I could clearly see she had on a formal pencil skirt suit. It was just like the kind that I¡¯d seen businesswomen wearing on Earth. The suit was charcoal grey, while the blouse was a dark violet that brought out the deep purple in her almost black hair. She looked really good in it too, with her navy blue skin, as it clung to her large rack, narrow waist, and wide hips.

    The jacket, and most of her blouse underneath, was unbuttoned, and the spacing between buttons was great enough for the blouse to gape open a bit anyways. This allowed me to see Calipso¡¯s generous, dark cleavage and even part of her somewhat lighter blue discs, as she clearly wasn¡¯t wearing a bra. The Demon¡¯s buds could also be easily made out, poking against the blouse¡¯s thin fabric and teasing at the edge of the loose open neckline, but never quite coming into view. The pencil skirt was also quite short, revealing all of her long toned legs and shapely thighs which were accented with lace, flower patterned stockings the same dark shade of violet as her blouse. In fact, the skirt was so short that the bottom quarter of the Nightwalker¡¯s backseat was exposed.

    Piona, meanwhile, had on slightly different tribal clothing that covered slightly more than earlier, but not by much. The top, for instance, now covered her stomach, but her melons were still just as exposed. Her shorts were replaced by a short skirt¡ªof sorts. It was really just two palm wide panels of fabric in front and back, barely as long as her ¡®entrance¡¯, with two different bits of string criss crossing either hip to lace the two panels together. The bows they made at either side of her waist all but begged to be pulled apart.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°A Night Walker ¡­¡± Sarise said in surprise.

    ¡°And a Hermes ¡­¡± Melody added.

    ¡°These are my familiars, Calipso and Piona,¡± Claire introduced as the two of them stood up, ¡°They¡¯ve been with me as my first summons from both realms since I was around Soar¡¯s age. My grandfather told me I shouldn¡¯t reveal them to anyone, but since I¡¯m hoping to be working with you, I thought I might as well show them to you, Ms. Vaxine. After I showed Soar my familiars, he was willing to vouch for me joining his party.¡±

    ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance, everyone,¡± Calipso greeted first with a bow before her Hermes associate followed suit.

    ¡°Master Soar, is this what Claire wanted to show you in private earlier?¡± Sarise asked me.

    I scratched my head and averted my gaze, ¡°Well ¡­ this is part of it.¡±

    ¡°I may not know how much of a difference showing you my familiars will do, but they¡¯ve been there to help me through some tough times, especially with my Hunter quests,¡± Claire continued, looking serious now, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to attract a lot of attention, though, lest word reach my grandfather and things grow more complicated between us. So, I¡¯ve been taking it easy and raising my rank slowly and steadily. I have fought and subjugated monsters long before I became a Hunter, so I ask that you please not take my rank at face value. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to prove myself worthy of joining Soar¡¯s party, Ms. Vaxine.¡±

    Zalena seemed to be blinking herself back into reality after that surprise before she thought some more. ¡°... Soar? You think Little Bob-Cut has what it takes?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t ¡®think¡¯, I know so,¡± I said with a firm nod, ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of what she could do, and I think she¡¯s got the makings of an amazing Hunter.¡±

    ¡°Soar ¡­¡± Claire muttered, looking to me with surprised gratitude.

    I mean, if she can pick up my murder on those bandits and is that accurate with her deductions, she may be more of a Criminal Hunter than a Monster Hunter.

    Zalena looked up in thought some more, ¡°Hmm ¡­ okay, why don¡¯t I give you a test to see if you qualify? Something similar to Soar¡¯s and Agnes¡¯ registration exam? I got it, if you can clear Myron Dungeon in one day like those two can, then you¡¯re in. You can have your familiars to help you do so as well. How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Claire answered resolution, ¡°In fact, I¡¯ll do you better and take on the dungeon mostly by myself, with my familiars only standing by for emergency purposes.¡±

    Of course, her grandfather was crazy enough to make Claire clear the dungeon at an even earlier age than me. Doing it again now should be a cinch for her, I thought while nodding to myself.

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Zalena said, ¡°You have your graduation to focus on like Soar, right? Set your focus on that for now, and we¡¯ll let you take the test some time after that. Soar, that goes for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Actually, do you think we can do it tomorrow?¡± Claire asked, ¡°To be honest, I think it will help prepare me for my graduation if I go through the more difficult stuff first. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm? Eager, are we?¡± Zalena asked while raising her brow with interest. She then shrugged, ¡°Very well, why not? I¡¯ll keep my schedule open for tomorrow. Soar, you and your familiars are coming with us and you will get us there with your Dark Gate. Part of being in a party is observing and gauging each other¡¯s abilities and figuring out how best to work with them, after all.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± This will also be a good chance for me to get a core from the mid-boss down there, too, just like I told Grayson I had, I added in my mind.

    <This arrangement might be perfect, too, as we can see what Melody is capable of in battle,> Sarise noted to me and Melody through Telepathy Magic, <Oh, come to think of it, is your halo not healed yet?>

    <I-It¡¯s fine! If I rest the rest of today, my halo should be completely healed and I¡¯ll have my usual coordination back by tomorrow! I¡¯ll do my best then!> Melody exclaimed.

    By ¡®usual coordination¡¯, does she mean the same level that had her slip on that soap bar while she was flustered last night? No, I shouldn¡¯t focus so much on that, especially when it came as such a surprise for both of us. I¡¯m sure she really performs well when she sets her mind to it, right? I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to cast Levitation Magic or use her Purity Aura as well as she has otherwise.

    ¡°I imagine you¡¯d rather not let the others know about your familiars yet, yes?¡± Zalena then asked Claire.

    Claire nodded, ¡°They¡¯re staying at my grandfather¡¯s place right now, but I¡¯m hoping to reveal them to the others after the trial, maybe say I summoned them similarly to how Soar did yesterday?¡±

    Zalena shrugged, ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯ll just keep my mouth shut until then and I¡¯ll look forward to seeing you in action tomorrow, Little Bob-Cut. Shall we head on back?¡±

    ¡°Sarise, yes?¡± Calipso asked my Devil Familiar suddenly as it looked like we were ready to head back, approaching her and sticking a hand out, ¡°Our meeting may have been brief, but I hope we can work well together in the future. Also, I like the outfit.¡±

    Though Sarise was surprised at being called out at first, the friendly gesture made her smile as she accepted the Night Walker Familiar¡¯s handshake, ¡°Likewise, Calipso, and thank you.¡±

    As for the two Zaleesian Familiars, Piona was staring hard at Melody for some unknowable reason, and my Angel was sweating buckets under the Hermes¡¯ judgmental gaze. Even I was starting to get nervous.

    ¡°... Melody?¡± Piona asked.

    ¡°Y-Yes?!¡±

    ¡°Your Master ¡­ are you happy being with him?¡± Piona asked with a raised brow.

    ¡°A-Absolutely! Today¡¯s my first day, but I¡¯m already loving every minute of it!¡± Melody answered, a bit louder than necessary.

    ¡°Hmm ¡­ alright, then,¡± Piona said, seeming to come to a conclusion as she held her hand out, ¡°In that case, I hope the two of us will have a good partnership as well.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! Of course! I feel the same!¡± Melody exclaimed while stretching her hand.

    Stopping as she noticed how sweaty it was, Melody wiped off whatever she could on her mini half-apron. Though it had less fabric than a handkerchief¡ªonly magic explained why the angel¡¯s lower lips weren''t constantly peeking out¡ªit somehow got the job done. Once my Familiar¡¯s hand was dry as she could get it, Melody shook Piona¡¯s hand in an awkwardly stiff manner.

    As we seemed to be off the hook for now, I relaxed as well, Looks like Piona was also affected by Melody¡¯s heightened Purity Aura, which means it really does have an effect on other familiars, right? Then again, with how exposed Piona¡¯s own outfits are, perhaps Melody¡¯s Purity Aura has nothing to do with it? Maybe I haven¡¯t corrupted my angel as much as I feared¡­

    ~~

    With greetings exchanged and plans for tomorrow set, Claire sent her familiars back to her place before I took us back home with my Dark Gate. Once there, Claire and I regrouped with my teacher and other friends who were waiting for us, while Zalena went to her room to take a nap. She wasn¡¯t used to living with, or even being around, so many people, and needed some time to adjust both herself and her biological clock. That left it up to us to inform everyone of tomorrow¡¯s plans as we gathered around one of the tables in the dining area.

    We only told them that Zalena had agreed to test Claire to see if she could join the party, without giving them all the details. This was both to prevent everyone from getting worried, and to avoid revealing any of Claire¡¯s secrets. After going over the details of the trial as briefly as possible and asking my parents, they gave the okay and allowed Claire to spend another night with us, for convenience¡¯s sake. Meanwhile, everyone¡¯s Fairy Companions went off to hang out together and figure out the finer details of their new living arrangements.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, Soar, but why does Ms. Vaxine call me ¡®Little Bob-Cut¡¯?¡± Claire asked me.

    ¡°I think she doesn¡¯t acknowledge anyone properly until they prove to be interesting or otherwise worthy of her time. Agnes and I were called Fairy Girl and Fairy Boy for a bit, remember?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Ahh.¡±

    Onelri huffed, ¡°So that is why she only calls me and Fila ¡®Little Dark Elf¡¯ and ¡®Bunny Girl¡¯. Typical for a light elf to act so condescending.¡±

    ¡°And that is why she doesn¡¯t bother with formalities with the public,¡± I pointed out.

    Onelri¡¯s eye twitched, ¡°Are you telling me it is my fault?!¡±

    ¡°Now, now, Onelri, there¡¯s no need to kick up a fuss,¡± Ms. Renne intervened, ¡°There¡¯s a saying, ¡®treat others as you wish for them to treat you.¡¯ I¡¯m sure she has her reasons for treating others the way she has been, and it¡¯s not out of malice. If you practice patience and try to open up to her, maybe she¡¯ll warm up to you and call you by name in time. She¡¯s probably far more interesting than you could imagine, once you get to know her.¡±

    Onelri seemed riled up in her seat, enough that I might have heard her teeth grinding, but after listening to Ms. Renne¡¯s words, she let up a bit. ¡°Grk, and Mother was saying something like that too ...¡± she muttered under frustration.

    Ah, as expected of a good teacher like Ms. Renne to quell a child¡¯s tantrum. Still, it begs the question of how difficult Onelri will be as I try to help her get a fairy while tutoring her in magic. Though, she seemed to be listening when I taught Fila how to cast a spell for the first time a few days ago, since she applied it so well in her demonstration after that. I¡¯m probably tripping red flags for thinking this, but I hope tutoring both of them will be at least doable, let alone Onelri by herself.

    Once Onelri calmed down, Ms. Renne and I discussed how I would study for my final exam. She even provided me some tips on what I could tutor Onelri and Fila in based on their known Elemental Magics. I wrote the draft of a synopsis to keep the subject materials more organized while we discussed them. After that, we spent the rest of the day relaxing, with Claire and I mentally preparing ourselves for tomorrow. At some point after her nap, Zalena came up, pulled us aside in private, and went over a few conditions for the dungeon crawl. They weren¡¯t much different from when Agnes and I took our registration exams, however. With Claire¡¯s experience as a Hunter as well as her assassin training, I knew she¡¯d pass with flying colors.

 Chapter 61: I Asked Dad a Favor Before Our Baths

    We had dinner prepared by our mothers again later that night, and getting a taste of Flomi¡¯s and Zalfes¡¯ cooking was quite delicious. The breakfast my familiars and I made this morning was quite large to accommodate all the people that were there, so we were let off the hook for cooking the rest of the day. We were told that the adults would organize how to split up the chores soon though.

    I reminded Sarise through Telepathy Magic to eat plenty enough to make up for the nutrition she used to make milk this morning. Gripping both of her large jugs hard, I warned her not to expend herself to such degrees again, for her own safety. As fun as this morning was, I¡¯d rather keep such risks to another person¡¯s health to a minimum. Obediently, Sarise took my light scolding to heart and swore not to worry me like that again.

    Instead, with a beaming smile, Sarise thrust her huge rack towards me more, her tough body clearly experiencing no discomfort. I took this as a challenge and played with her orbs and peaks roughly with one hand and a bit of Levitation Magic. Telepathically, I warned my Devil to be a good little maid and not vocalize, or otherwise react, while we ate our meals, as part of an impromptu, daring game. My Demonic Familiar glowed with delight, over the moon that I¡¯d indulge her both in her personal preferences and her Demonic culture. Melody also seemed happy for Sarise, and I was glad to see there was no jealousy on the Angel¡¯s part. As a reward, I switched over to teasing her super fun bags once I declared Sarise the winner of our little game. Though I was much more gentle with my Angelic Familiar¡¯s far more delicate skin.

    Outside of the private telepathic bubble around me and my familiars, dinner was much more subdued. While the food was good, there were some areas around the table that had an awkward air. Specifically, around Zalena. Last night might have been different as it was a party and everyone was focused on Agnes and I. With everyone gathered around a few tables put together for a proper dinner, though, the fact that this would be a regular thing was starting to set in. Zalena seemed to have read the room, however, as she excused herself after finishing only one serving. I don¡¯t know what kind of past she had with my parents, or how bad the feud was between Light Elves and Dark Elves, but I hoped the awkwardness would be overcome quickly and that everyone would be able to get along in time.

    Once dinner was done, my parents and Ms. Renne went to warm up the bath before we decided who would use it first. Since we wanted to reduce wait times, it was most efficient for us to do it in groups. There were eleven of us¡ªplus Claire, who got the okay from my parents to stay another night for the sake of convenience due to her trial tomorrow¡ªand splitting us off by families alone would be inefficient. Zalena, for instance, would wind up bathing alone. Fila suggested I bathe with her and Onelri, but I shot that idea down immediately, for obvious reasons.

    My parents wanted the three of us to bathe together first, being the original owners of the place. I turned down that idea also, even though they said that my familiars could join us as well. It wasn¡¯t like I had anything against my parents, especially after that moment we shared together when they announced they were going to let my familiars stay. But bathing with them made me very uncomfortable.

    The thing is, when you¡¯re an old man reincarnated in a new body from birth, your new parents that come with your second life never really feel like your parents. Though you¡¯re technically related to them by blood, they can never really replace the first parents you had. Instead, it feels more like, ¡°These are this body¡¯s parents, not mine,¡± if that makes sense. With that being the case, there are some normal moments between parents and their child that you can¡¯t help but feel awkward about.

    Point in case, bathing. I don¡¯t mind washing with my new dad, it was my new mom that made the experience awkward for me. Though her affections were those of a loving mother to her son, I couldn¡¯t help seeing her as a woman with a hell of a beauty about her, which made said affections give me feelings I knew I shouldn¡¯t have. In fact, when I started becoming more independent a couple years ago, Mom became more clingy during bath time. Don¡¯t even get me started on the occasional nights Dad didn¡¯t get home until later, leaving Mom feeling lonely and needy. This resulted in her hugging me in the bath for even longer periods.

    I had brought up at one point that I was capable of bathing by myself, but Mom was insistent of sharing these ¡®family baths¡¯ with me for the sake of being efficient with water and heat. She also used the fact that kids aren¡¯t allowed to bathe in public without adult supervision, stating that, as a former Inn, that rule also applied in our house. Out of respect for parental¡ªand maybe public¡ªauthority, I had given in, shoved my mixed feelings aside, and put up with bathing with Mom for now.

    Now that I¡¯d be bathing regularly with two totally hot familiars, I didn¡¯t think I could keep my mind pure while bathing with both them and my Mom. I also couldn¡¯t let Mom¡¯s overbearing nature get between us. In fact, now, while we had more people staying with us and I had a new sibling coming later, was the perfect time to use our new circumstances to my advantage.

    So, I reasoned with my parents on why it was important that I started bathing more independently now; so that they could direct more needed attention to the baby when it arrived. I noticed Dad had let Onelri, her family, Fila, and Claire off to take the bath first during my explanation. It seemed he felt this ¡®talk¡¯ was going to take a bit, and didn¡¯t want the bath water to go to waste. Mom tried to argue that I didn¡¯t have to start bathing alone now since it would still be a while before the baby arrived, and I still needed adult-supervision in the bath. Though my parents had let me keep my familiars, Mom didn¡¯t feel like they counted as proper supervision. I was a little deflated at that, as I had hoped I could use my familiars for just that.

    Zalena once again tried to come to my rescue, offering to supervise me and my familiars in my parents¡¯ place. I emphasize ¡®tried¡¯, because Mom was being unreasonable and insisting that I bathe with her and my dad instead. I was both surprised and stunned, having not experienced this before with my own mother in my previous life. Before this point I hadn¡¯t fully understood the curse that came with being a ¡®momma¡¯s boy¡¯.

    My chances of bathing independently was growing slim, until Flomi unexpectedly came to my rescue and offered to keep Zalena company while supervising me. The fact that she was a mom too seemed to make the difference for my own mother. I was honestly surprised the Rabbit-Kin was still here, as I had thought she had gone along with her daughter and the others earlier. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Apparently, Flomi had urged Fila to go by herself so she could get closer to her new friends. In fact, the Rabbit-Kin was hoping to give her daughter this chance to gain some independence and learn to not be so reliant on her. While waiting for her own turn, she quickly realized Zalena couldn¡¯t really bathe with my parents or the Dark Elves without things getting awkward. Simultaneously, Flomi also noticed how hard of a time Mom was having letting me go. As a mother herself, she felt I needed the chance to grow and become more independent, while Mom needed to learn to give me space. And so the Rabbit-Kin sought to fix both problems by offering to bathe with Zalena and supervise me for my mother¡¯s peace of mind.

    After some convincing from both Flomi and Zalena, Mom reluctantly gave in, giving me the okay to bathe with them and my familiars, but she was still disappointed. Attempting to lighten her spirits, I hugged her and reminded her of our talk earlier at breakfast, repeating that I still loved her. She grew a wry smile and visibly strove to live with the arrangement in response. While I tried to comfort my Mom, I was honestly having a hard time containing my excitement. Not only was I going to get to stop bathing with my mother, but I¡¯d get to bathe regularly with both my familiars and Zalena and Flomi as well. This wouldn¡¯t have been possible without the Light Elf¡¯s and Rabbit-Kin¡¯s support, so I had to make it up to them somehow, soon.

    With that settled, we just needed to wait for the first group to get done with their bath. It was decided that my group would go next after them, while my parents and Ms. Renne¡ªwho was spending another night with us after the long day¡ªwould go last, so we hung around a bit and chatted while waiting.

    I took this chance to catch up with my Fairy Companions and asked them how their party was last night. They all went over the happenings with details that were well into the TMI range. I knew I shouldn¡¯t be too bothered by their open sexal nature at this point, but there were still some things in other people¡¯s lives that I¡¯d rather not know about. I knew they meant well and had no ill intentions behind sharing it all with me, though, so I just tried to just bear with it. In fact, I should probably take this chance to try and numb myself to these sorts of discomforts in case I have to deal with Demons other than Sarise in a social setting.

    Once my Companions were done sharing the highlights of their party, they went off to take their own bath, having made plans to visit some other Fairies later. All the Fairy Companions that were in the building would bathe at their own discretion, either with their Chaperones or by themselves in groups. There were a few buckets made specifically for Fairies to bathe in after scooping some of the hot bathwater. This was for their safety, as it protected them from drowning or getting washed away by a sudden change in water level as people moved about or got in and out of the bath.

    After I bid my Fairies goodbye, I noticed Dad was still in the room with us. Remembering Claire¡¯s predicament, I felt this was a good time to bring it up, so I approached him and briefly filled him in on the situation.

    ¡°Claire¡¯s having family trouble at home?¡± Dad asked.

    My familiars, Flomi, and Zalena, who were all nearby, perked their ears up upon hearing our conversation. Ms. Renne, meanwhile, was currently comforting Mom after our exchange in another room.

    I nodded, ¡°It seems like she and her grandpa, who she¡¯s staying with, haven¡¯t been on good terms for a while, bad enough to not speak to each other. Claire¡¯s even working as a Hunter so she can pay for her own necessities.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to give too much away without Claire¡¯s permission, especially her family¡¯s background, so I tried to narrow the situation down to the main point. Since she had meant well all this time and we had, finally, become friends, I figured I¡¯d try to help her out.

    ¡°Hmm ¡­¡± Dad crossed his arms and thought deeply, ¡°And what exactly is it that you want to do for Claire, Soar?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think having that kind of relationship with your own family is very healthy, especially living together under combative conditions. It sounds like Claire has been through a lot for a long time. I just want her to be able to live a little more comfortably and happily, whether she patches things up with her grandpa or not.¡±

    Dad pondered some more, ¡°Claire¡¯s grandfather ¡­ Hanneman Galloway, was it?¡±

    ¡°Hanneman Galloway ¡­ when I heard Little Bob-Cut¡¯s last name, I thought it sounded familiar,¡± Zalena added, looking down in thought.

    ¡°You two know him?¡± Flomi asked.

    ¡°I get around in this town, but I¡¯ve only seen him a few brief times, as well as heard some things,¡± Dad explained, ¡°He tends to close himself off from everyone during the day, not even participating in any local events. The few times he¡¯s made an impact was when the town was in the middle of a Monster Wave. These were long before you were born, Soar, before your mother and I even settled in.¡±

    ¡°Whoa ¡­¡± I said.

    Monster Waves are one of the few natural magical disasters in this world. In random parts of Dustarga, mana gathers at one point, concentrating until it produces a massive surge of creatures that immediately spreads out like a plague of locusts. However, they seek not plants, but comparatively lower leveled humanoids and fairies to feast on and grow stronger. Some waves included large, dangerous monsters that you¡¯d only normally see as bosses in dungeons. These monster waves destroy everything in their path, turning towns into desolate ruins before dispersing in multiple directions to find their next banquet.

    Somehow, Lunargrove had faced and survived two Monster Waves. In both, my dad explained, Hanneman Galloway had taken up arms and helped turn back the tides. This meant that not only had he been living in Lunargrove for a long time, but he was practically a renowned hero to the locals. I supposed he distanced himself from the town so as to not garner a lot of unwanted attention, something I could relate to. Still, for a Monster Wave to appear in the same area twice usually meant something far bigger was going to happen sooner or later down the line. That¡¯s what I read in books that describe this phenomenon, anyway, and I wondered if Hanneman had been sticking around this whole time to spring into action when that inevitable event came calling.

    ¡°I tried to look at Hanneman¡¯s profile with the guild out of curiosity, but there were no mentions of him as a Hunter in their local records,¡± Dad continued, ¡°I can only guess this means he¡¯s originally from Onora, because that¡¯s the likeliest place that talented Magicians would come from, whether they be Hunters, knights of the royal guard, or something else. Even at his age, if I were to have a duel with him, I¡¯m not confident I could win against him in an even fight.¡±

    ¡°I actually have crossed paths with him a couple of times, myself,¡± Zalena added, ¡°Once was in the labyrinth with a few others, the other was in Onora. Both of those times, I could sense a dangerous air about him, something I¡¯d rather not mess with, if I had the choice, and this was before I took Gully under my wing. I¡¯m honestly surprised he even had kids later, let alone grandkids like Little Bob-Cut.¡±

    ¡°So, there¡¯s nothing you could do to help improve Claire¡¯s situation?¡± I asked, my hopes dimming.

    Dad rubbed his beard in thought, ¡°Let me see if I can have a chat with him while you five are out tomorrow. I¡¯ll explain the situation, see what he says, and you¡¯ll hear something from me when you get back. How does that sound?¡±

    I nodded in understanding, ¡°Thanks, Dad. I appreciate this.¡±

    Dad rustled my hair with gusto, ¡°Anytime, kiddo. Just leave the complicated adult stuff to me for now and have fun with Claire during her test tomorrow.¡±

    Well, technically, I¡¯m pretty much the same age as you and very capable of handling this ¡®complicated adult stuff,¡¯ but I¡¯ll let it slide.

 ANNOUNCEMENT

    For the past few months, I''ve been having mixed feelings over the progression of this story. I thought changing the ''tag'' would make things more flexible for me on what I should write, but that didn''t really solve the underlying problem I was having. It wasn''t until very recently that I realized I''ve become dissatisfied with how it''s been going and writing it has become more of a struggle than a fun past time for me. It''s important for me as a writer to enjoy doing my work, because if I''m not having fun writing it, then you guys might not enjoy reading it.

    So, as much as it may hurt me to do this, I''ve decided to put Great Sage under a hiatus for a rewrite. I''ll be going back to around chapter 28-29 where things I believe have started going downhill and take the story to a different direction. This means Sarise, Melody, and all humanoid Familiars that made an appearance up to now will be cut. My reason for this is that I want to go back to the roots that made me want to write Great Sage to begin with: Fairies. I''m going to be giving the Fairies back the spotlight they had from the start and make them the true start to Soar''s harem. I admittedly added Sarise out of my weakness for demon girls, but that quickly gave her and Melody later on more attention than what I had planned initially. All the Aura lore and stuff that followed also made things more confusing for me to keep track of, and I''m certain some of you have felt the same on this.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    I''m not sure how long this story will be on hiatus for as I really want to plan out how this new plot will progress while giving all the remaining characters the attention they need. I''ll also need to make up a hell of a batch of chapters to go on when I get it back up and running again. Once I get closer to releasing again, I''ll start taking down the old chapters from all the platforms, so this will give you a chance to have one last look through of the current story up to now before all the chapters past 28-29 are gone.

    For those of you who have enjoyed Great Sage the way it has up to now, I apologize if this isn''t to your liking. Maybe you don''t like it enough to drop the story altogether, I don''t blame you for doing it, but this is something I have to do for myself as a writer. I''m still relatively green as a creator, if I have to be honest, so I don''t think it will be that bad. As for those who still wish to read the story and follow me on this new path, I thank you for your continued support, and I''ll do my best to make sure you enjoy this new direction as much as I will. I''ll keep you guys updated on the ''new'' Great Sage''s progress and when I''m getting closer to being ready to re-release. In the meantime, please give my other stories a look as those will still be updating weekly as scheduled. If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please let me know and I''ll try to answer to the best of my ability.

    Thank you again for your wonderful time and support. Please look forward to the new direction I''ll be taking on ''Living the Great Sage Life with my Fairies and Lovers in a New World.'' Until next time.

 ANNOUNCEMENT: Progress and survey, still on hiatus.

    Hello guys, I know it''s been a while since I posted on this story, so I figured I''d take this chance to fill you in on how the reboot''s going.

    So far, I think it''s looking great. My editor and I are taking our time going over a BUNCH of fixes that needed done in the earlier chapters while going over how to progress the plot smoothly. It will be different from this version up to now, but I''m hoping it''s for the better.

    In the meantime, I''ve set up a survey to get your opinions on what you thought on this version up to now, what should be changed in the reboot, and how to move forward from here. If you guys have a couple minutes to spare, I''d greatly appreciate it if you could give it a look here</a> and let me know your thoughts. My editor and I will take your answers and comments into account and see how we can apply it to the reboot. Leaving questions and concerns in the comments below can also be an option, but the survey will definitely give us a better idea on what to improve.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    I don''t know how long until we''re ready to get it going, but I''ll certainly give you guys a date of when it will happen. I thank you very much for your patience and understanding and I hope you''ll like the reboot''s new progression as much as I currently am writing it. I know it''s much better than how I was in the old version, at least.

    Until next time, this is Orange Rain, signing off for now.

 FOLLOW-UP ANNOUNCEMENT; STOP THE SURVEY!

    So, I''ve got good news and bad news. Good news, I''m getting a lot of responses. I''m seeing 90 of you have responded since I made the announcement, thanks a lot for your support!

    The bad news? This damn site, this ''monkey'', will only let me see 40 of the responses under the free plan, comments, data, and all, until I upgrade to a plan that will let me see all of it. I won''t even get to see HALF of your responses unless I pay a hundred bucks to take advantage of all the platform''s tools and benefits for this ONE TIME to see the rest the answers you left. Total bull crap, honestly. I want to get accurate results from this community so I''ll know where you all stand, and this fucking monkey''s apparently too cheap to be a reliable platform for decent surveys. So, what should I do, guys? I know Strawpoll was pretty good at answering questions, except I can''t do more than one on the same link and it doesn''t allow you to leave comments. Should I just do multiple links with most of the questions from the original survey? Is there another survey platform that''s cheaper and better than the monkey that I can use to see all your responses for free? Please let me know.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

 Announcement: New Survey! Letâ€™s hope this doesnâ€™t blow like the last one!

    Hello again, Readers!

    If you''ve not been up to speed, despite what status it may say on the story''s page, it''s currently on hiatus so I can set up a reboot with a BUNCH of content changed and fixed to make the reading experience much better than the first time. To help me get a better idea of what I should have in this reboot, I put up a survey based on this story last week. Sadly, that turned out to be a total bust with that ''monkey''s'' bullshit expensive requirements to see all your votes and responses. So, I made a new one on a different platform!</a> I apologize if you''ve already done it the first time, but I''d greatly appreciate it if you can take a couple minutes to answer these questions one more time. They''re the same questions as before so it shouldn''t take too long to answer them again if you know what to expect. Hopefully, this won''t be as much of a total bust as the last one and I can actually see everyone''s responses this time with no restraints holding me back.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    My editor and I are still working out some polished lore and magic mechanics in the reboot as we''re going over the earlier chapters and you can definitely be sure it will be different from the last one. A date for the reboot hasn''t been decided yet, but I''ll let you know when we''re getting close to that point, so please look forward to the many improvements you''ll see when that time is near.

    Thank you very much for your patience, I hope you and/or your mothers have celebrated Mother''s Day the best you could, stay safe, and the best of luck to the start of a new week!

    EDIT: Last call to take on the survey. I''ll be closing it on sunday evening PST (23rd), so take it while you can. I''d put this in a separate chapter, but that word limit makes writing such a short announcement pointless and I can''t make up enough fluff stuff for this for the life of me. Thanks again for the participation and support!

 Life Update Announcement (Copied from Subscribestar)

    Hello readers, whether you¡¯ve been waiting for a long time or have just picked up my works recently, I thank you for checking them out. First, above everything else, I must sincerely apologize for my long absence and that I haven¡¯t left any updates since I last posted. I¡¯ll admit that one thing led to another, and that while I could have left something of a short excerpt during my brief moments of calmness, with how long it had been since I posted anything (March 27, 2023), I was anxious of showing myself again under the circumstances at the time. I¡¯d like to take this chance to explain the main points of what¡¯s been happening since I last posted anything and where I now currently stand, but if you want the short version of this announcement, you may scroll down to the TL;DR on the last page.

    My Life So Far

    So starting with what happened after I last posted, I fractured my ankle after falling off my bed one morning. I was in a bit of a writer¡¯s rut at the time, but that injury really affected my daily life for a while, even after getting out of the medical boot and going through physical therapy for recovery. At any rate, I was too preoccupied with that among other things to worry about my main projects, so I put those on hold and just wrote whatever I liked during my free time.

    Things were starting to pick up a little bit until I was terminated from my last job as an accounting assistant from August, about four months after my ankle incident. This was the result of breaking too many company policies in my company that have stacked up slowly over time, even after having received warnings of them, and I admit I¡¯m still embarrassed of falling to such a low, having it been the first job I was ever let go from instead of me leaving it for another job. The only bright side was that I was given a generous severance pay that would last me for a while if I was prudent with my spending, even after setting enough aside for taxes.

    Despite that, though, I had to find a new job, and my writing certainly won¡¯t earn me enough to live off from, so I had to put most of my time and energy into job hunting while receiving unemployment benefits. What made this most difficult was the increasing credit card and loan debt that had me going to my parents for financial assistance, which certainly helped me greatly and are still helping me to this day, yet I¡¯m still ashamed to rely on them as old as I am now, living single and alone. And of course, I¡¯ll inevitably have to pay them back once most of my debts have been paid off, so that¡¯s something worth looking forward to.

    Finally, after eight months since that termination, about one year since my ankle incident, through trials and tribulations, as well as poor money-handling decisions, plus a short contractual job at a warehouse for a few weeks, I finally got a long-term, part-time job at Walmart (mainly out of desperation as my unemployment benefits ran out shortly before that). It wasn¡¯t until six months after hiring that I was able to relocate to another location that¡¯s better for me transportation-wise. I was still in a rough spot, money-wise, and I¡¯m back in a position that I dreaded before I moved to become an accounting assistant, but it seemed like I was finally in a position where things would start to improve some for me. It seemed like things would start to look brighter beginning next year.

    That was until fairly recently. I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯ve lost quite a lot of money out of my lack of judgment in the people I meet and associate with, including scams, and that goes for what I¡¯ve been through the past year. I¡¯ve already taken measures in filing for fraud against the latest one that I fell for, and unfortunately, they¡¯ve denied my claim after a few weeks of investigation. I¡¯m now down a couple hundred dollars without any hope of getting it back. The difference between those other times and now is that back then I had a fair cushion of money set aside for emergencies, and I was still living with my family. Now, however, I¡¯m quite in a bind, and I¡¯ve barely been living from paycheck to paycheck. I¡¯m honestly anxious whether I¡¯ll have enough to pay rent and other bills the following month, and I¡¯m currently minimizing what I can spend on food.

    Which brings us to why I¡¯m here to see you all now. Turns out there are a select number of you who have still supported me in one way or another. For those, I thank you, and if you¡¯ve left a message or comment anywhere asking where I¡¯ve been, I¡¯m sorry again for keeping quiet until now. As rough as I¡¯m in right now, I¡¯m still very much alive, and I still write whenever I¡¯m able and motivated, most of which have been edited, cleaned up somewhat, and compiled within the last year and a half or so. To thank those who have patiently waited and for those who are waiting to see something new, I¡¯ll put not only all the chapters from my main projects free for the public to see, but also the works I¡¯ve done on the side as I try to get back to posting regularly, once a month at minimum, but for this month of February, I¡¯ll try to get most of my main projects out there on the public platforms. As for where things currently stand with those main projects, I¡¯ll list them down here.

    Story Updates

    OP Brawler: I¡¯m sorry to say that I¡¯ve hardly touched this project, nor even thought much about it over the past year and a half. I¡¯ve reached a point where I¡¯ve grown tired of writing my first story that had set me up to regular posting as a writer, and comparing the quality of my work from when I started to now is staggering. I don¡¯t even have the heart to go back to the beginning and clean it up to match the quality of my current works. Aside from trying to finish the last chapter I was working on, once that¡¯s been posted, I¡¯ll have to officially drop this series so I can move on. As cringeworthy as this story was after looking back on it, I don¡¯t regret posting it, as I wouldn¡¯t have gotten my start as a writer without it, but it is regrettable that I don¡¯t have the heart to give it a satisfying conclusion now.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Xeno King: This is in a similar spot to OP Brawler in terms of writing and progress, but since this is higher in quality than my first story, I don¡¯t think I want to give this up yet. With how painstakingly-slow this is becoming in pacing and how it veered off from my main objective to this series, though, I¡¯m tempted to give this a reboot. I¡¯d like to hear your guys¡¯ thoughts on its current standing after posting everything to where I stopped right now. For the time being, though, this will remain on hiatus.

    Great Sage: This one has been on-and-off for me, mainly because it has become more of a collaborative project with my proofreader/editor, Tnega Terces. Previously, it had gone through rewrites, retcons, and reboots, probably the most out of all I¡¯ve posted publicly so far, and the latest version we¡¯re working on now is certainly far different than what it was before. It has currently become more of a work of guilty pleasure, raunchy to epic proportions, to where the ¡®story¡¯s¡¯ pacing, development, and world-building would only make sense in a cheesy, physics-defying hentai/porno. It¡¯s become more of a story where you can just turn your brain off and just enjoy the smut it brings. Once Terces and I get it cleaned up and organized, I¡¯ll post all that we have so far, but updates will be agonizingly slow if I¡¯m being honest.

    As for the other stories I¡¯ve posted on SubscribeStar (including Bad Paladin, Piggy Hero, Side Character, Black Gardener, and the like), I¡¯ll post all the chapters I have written for those, as well, and then some, including one new story that I¡¯ve put most of my time and effort into writing as of late that has turned into a new main project of mine. I¡¯ll likely put that up on ScribbleHub and my other platforms some time in the future, but do let me know which of the other stories you¡¯d like to see more of, or if you want any of them seen on ScribbleHub, as well.

    In short, all the chapters posted on SubscribeStar will be viewable for free, no tier subscriptions to limit you from what you can see. You¡¯re welcome to change or delete your subscription there, if you¡¯d like, and I¡¯ve even set up a new Ko-Fi account (Will post link in comments) if you only wish to leave a one-time tip. This is just my way of saying thanks for the support you¡¯ve given me despite my absence, and if you can help me during my admittedly stupid yet harsh time, I¡¯ll be forever grateful, but please don¡¯t force yourself if you¡¯re having your own financial difficulties. A word of thanks and moral support can be just as plenty for me to keep moving forward.

    For now, once I put up everything I can this month, I¡¯ll keep writing what I like as I have been and will try to post semi-regularly this year. It¡¯s been mostly as a means of escapism at this point, but seeing how you guys enjoy it helps make the work I¡¯ve put in all worthwhile.

    Thank you very much for taking the time to read this life update, and though things are rough for me right now, I¡¯ll keep trudging forward and writing for you guys, even after things get better. Please wish me luck in surviving this year and beyond, and until next time,

    This is Orange Rain, signing off.

    TL;DR

    Shit has hit my fan repeatedly over the past year and a half and I¡¯m in a very harsh, very dumb time in my life, having lost a lot of money to scammers, but I¡¯m still living, and I thank you all for sticking by me so far. As my way of saying thanks, the chapters from my main projects as well as my other stories will now be viewable on SubscribeStar for free. I¡¯ll post all that I can in the month of February, but after that I¡¯ll try to post chapters once a month, at minimum.

    Things to note about my main projects and their current status:

    OP Brawler: Dropped once all chapters are posted due to lack of motivation to continue.

    Xeno King: Hiatus until I decide whether to continue or give it a reboot, leave your thoughts in the comments about what I should do.

    Great Sage: Still in process of preparing with my proofreader/editor/collaborator, Tnega Terces, but be prepared for a lot of smut compared to the previous versions.

    Other stories in SubscribeStar with their chapters will be put up in due time and will have their statuses be posted when we reach the end of their piles, but I have one I¡¯m consistently working on that has become a new main project that I¡¯ll post in ScribbleHub in the near future. Do let me know if you want my other stories to be posted on ScribbleHub, as well as which of them you want to see more of.

    Once again, all chapters and stories posted on SubscribeStar are now free to view in the public. You are more than welcome to change or delete your monthly subscription there, and I¡¯ve set up a Ko-Fi account (Will post link in comments) if you¡¯d like to make a one-time tip. For how tough things are for me financially, anything helps, but please don¡¯t force yourself if you¡¯re having difficult times, too.

    For now, once I put up everything I can this month, I¡¯ll keep writing what I like as I have been and will try to post semi-regularly starting next year. It¡¯s been mostly as a means of escapism at this point, but seeing how you guys enjoy it helps make the work I¡¯ve put in all worthwhile.

    Thank you very much for taking the time to read this life update, and though things are rough for me right now, I¡¯ll keep trudging forward and writing for you guys, even after things get better. Please wish me luck in surviving this year and beyond, and until next time,

    This is Orange Rain, signing off.