SPLASH!

I frown as water drenches my whole body. The warm gentle breeze proved to get colder in my situation and my hair starts sticking to my face. Right now, I am just wearing a simple white shirt and a pleated pink skirt that was forced to me. Even the cute flowery slippers were forced to me.

As my shirt gets wet, I immediately realize that my chest becomes bare. I don’t wear any underwear at all as I don’t see any purpose for my ridiculously flat chest. The dripping wet shirt sticks to my body and it emphasized the figure of my body. I don’t mind the shirt going transparent as it is only Senya and me who are on the ground.

“Asagao…it’s been three days now…”

“Uhh…”

I fall down on all four.

As what Senya said, we’ve been doing this routine for three days now. It didn’t yield any results or even the slightest change. All I ever gained from this is wet clothes needed to be washed. After I get off from my shift, I will immediately take Senya here and start our practice. When night falls, we will return to rest.

And like any other day, I end up failing again as the sun is already setting dyeing the whole world red and orange. The forests began adapting the hue of crimson from the fading sunlight and beyond the horizon, the indigo clouds creep in.

“Another day of failure…Maybe it’s not really for me.”

“Sorry to say this but that’s I also think of. For that past few days, I was carefully observing everything you’ve done and everything seems perfect.”

“Haa…maybe because this counter method is way past my caliber or out of the scope among the magic I could use. Even using barrier could not supplement its shortcomings.”

“Maybe we are just doing something wrong. Let’s not conclude it early in the game. I’ll try consulting him for something. He’s with you for quite a time so he must have a clue.”

“Gunununu…!”

“Eh? What’s wrong?!”

“You aren’t going to him for THAT, right?”

“What do you think of me?! Trust me a little more!”

“No! I really don’t care what you do with him! I’ll go now, bye!”

Leaving trails of a water droplet, I hurriedly ran off away from Senya. It was really unnecessary for me to yell at her like that but even though, it was kind of annoying. Since ground three is close to the wooden lodge, there’s no need for me to help Senya.

I run and run and run until I arrive at the mansion doorstep. I kind of knew that it was futile for me to learn something complex or out of ability scope but I do think that it was worth the shot.

Since it’s almost dinner time, everyone inside the mansion is finishing their jobs for the day and cleaning up which made everything in the grand hall looks busier. Some girls are already returning to their rooms for a momentary rest and some are even running around to rush some unfinished works before dinner.

I only stand at the entrance of the doorway for the reason I am drenched. If I walk further that hall will be stained with water droplets. However, from the side of the hall, a maid immediately approaches me with a dry towel.

“Ah, Asagao, please use this!”

“Thank you as always, Mimi.”

“Shucks, it was nothing!”

“I just wanted to ask. How is Topaz?”

“Hmm? Asagao…that’s what I want to talk about with you right now.”

“Eh? Did something happen?”

“No…more like there’s nothing happened. Nothing happened that it’s quite odd. Topaz was just quiet for the entirety of the day.”

“Oh, don’t you think she is just behaving?”

“No, no, no! She is just spacing out. It was really troubling to call out to her every single time just to be called ugly!”

The maid girl that sparked a conversation with me is Mimi. She told me that Mimi is just her pet name and her real name is longer than the average person. Mimi is around the age of a teen, presumably sixteen. She is a beast kin with bubbly personality and kind. She came from the goat clan and the evidence of that is there’s a goat horn sticking out from her head and has a goat tail. Her pupil is a black horizontal line with gold outline and her ears a goat like too albeit they flop down.

Mimi talks about Topaz attitude today as being melancholic and often spacing out. I did remember that I need to do something to Topaz quick before something harmful happens.

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“Mimi, don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to Topaz myself so rest assured.”

“Really? Asagao is so reliable even though you're tiny!”

“Height doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Well, I’m off! Please talk to Topaz!”

Mimi leaps off happily and I just wave my hand towards her leaving figure. Aside from my daily routines and shift, I need to properly overlook Topaz and communicate with the twins. I absolutely know how are they doing since this place is that kind of place where you’ll just accidentally lose something precious.

Without further delay, I climb up the grand stair while dabbing the dry towel to my wet body.

.

.

.

As I arrive at my room, I toss the wet clothes aside and kept drying myself with the towel. Before I got stark naked, I made sure that I locked my door. I lit up the light rune that was set up in my room to brighten it. I stare at the moons from my open window and breathed a sigh.

The moons are beautiful as always.

I head towards my closet to retrieve some change of clothes but I saw something, my own reflection again staring back at me. I’ve met so many beautiful, cute and handsome people in this world and I always contemplated how such beauty existed in this world.

However, the one in front of me is still the most exquisite, most ephemeral and most attractive of them all even with such young and fresh outward appearance.

The adorable and squishy face with cheeks forever tinged with subtle blush, the frail but delicious pink cherry lips that would make anyone desire for it, be it a man or a woman, the long and curving white eyelashes that invites eroticism even with such innocent stare, the clear sky blue eyes which seems like it wanted to hide in veil of its eyelids from shyness, and lastly, the nose that’s cute as a button with skin free of anything other than beauty.

For the body, the clavicle outshines the small fragile shoulders but at the same time, complements each other for its sculptured prettiness, the thin fair arms that anyone would be afraid to touch as it may break like a twig but still able to retain a normal amount of flesh for the body stature, the delicate fair white petite body that unintentionally calls for protection from any external harm which in the breasts appears two pink dots on a small mound of fat.

The hands look breakable and accordingly, the fingers are the same.

Looking below the waist are the well-proportioned thighs with a right amount of mass for someone’s hands to enjoy. Slender thighs that are fair in color up to the very finger of the feet. Not even a single strand of body hair can even see anywhere like it is a body of a newborn and importantly, in my nether region appears a tightly shut slit where one who has a romantic mind would think that it is the place where the sweetest honey is produced.

However, with all those qualities transcending what’s perfect is, a lone long scar from below my neck to my diaphragm also reveals itself. It’s scary to think that this small body took something like a scar of this degree.

It was natural for this body to seek anyone’s warmth, It was natural for this body to long for someone’s presence, it’s natural for this body to act immature as it is intended. After all, even how much I try to resist the urges it is just a body of a child.

Implanted habits and needs that this body desires… It’s a painful fact but also a convenient one for a mind wanting to cope up with the hardest situation. Maybe constantly denying and resisting those urges just prove to produce more stress.

Maybe there’s still a friction between my soul and this body. If it is that’s the care then I wouldn’t mind it. I still only have few of what I am left and completely succumbing to this body may make me lose what the few left of my original self.

After staring so much at my own reflection, I immediately snap as I found myself blushing and gazing intently at my own self. It feels like I am going to fall in love with myself. If I am a man and I met this girl in the reflection, I will instantly become head over heels for her. I kind of understand now.

Adoring me is justifiable, envying me is justifiable, being fond of me is justifiable, falling in love with me is justifiable, and even lusting after me…is justifiable.

It’s not narcissism, it’s just a fact.

I also found out that whatever expression I make, it will always come out as something attractive to the eyes of other people.

………

I need to wear something ASAP…

.

.

.

I finished donning simple laced velvet shirt with my usual tank top as an undergarment. I also don a long silken black thigh high with laces as a motif to make my legs a little toasty as night is a bit chilly here and finally, a simple flip flops with it.

With that, I am done changing into something and prepared to head out.

However, as I was closing the window, from the fading lights of the mansion comes Topaz in my view who seems to be sneaking out nervously. Obviously, she doesn’t even have anything to do now and she does not even know where to go.

“What’s this girl up to?!”

I muttered with a little surprised mix in. As someone who is concerned about Topaz’s well-being, instead of going down to the dining room for dinner, I open the window glass panel again jumps from my veranda. I landed safely with the use of my barrier.

Then I saw Topaz who is walking away from the mansion cautiously glancing at each side. I follow Topaz because she is my responsibility.

Five minutes has passed since I started following Topaz and from what I have observed, she’s lost. She doesn’t know how to get out of the forest. For me, I am still a little familiar with the place but, if she goes on further, even I may get lost so I already show myself to her.

“Topaz!”

“Eeeeek!”

“What are you doing out here?!”

“……”

“Topaz, please answer me.”

“I-…”

Topaz didn’t make any eye contact with me. She only minds her own and looks down as I talk to her. Her gentle brown eyes get a little teary and her lips curved downward in a frown.

“Topaz, please, tell me why! If you are just playing, let us go home.”

“No, this is not my home! I want to go to my real home! To the place where sister Sapphire, sister Ruby, and sister Emerald are! I also want to see Mama! I want to go home! I want to go home! I am sick and tired of this place! I can’t put up anymore with anyone!”

She throws a tantrum while spilling tears in her cheeks. She honestly blurted out her homesickness and wanted to get out of this place.

“You can’t…Topaz…please stay here.”

“No!”

“Do you even know where your home is?”

“N-No…”

She dejectedly said as her gaze fell on her hands clutching the hem of her apron. With Topaz who honestly wanted something good, I felt like all devils are not bad. No, they may all be inherently bad but, they just need time and knowledge to understand things, to give importance of something and priority in life.

Topaz…is such a girl…

I hold her hands gently and look up to her tearing eyes and smile.

“For now, let’s go back, okay?”

“…NO!”

She slaps my hand away and she runs away again. Without missing a beat, I also followed her. Her bitter tears keep spilling as she felt lonely without the people she truly wanted to be with. Her heart grew weary and foods cannot still her sadness anymore.

That much I understand. I should have done something for her earlier but instead, I lost myself in the thing I need to focus and completely disregarded her and her feelings.

“Topaz!!”

“Get away!”

As I was chasing after Topaz, a chill made its way to my spine. The atmosphere began to become heavier and the density of magic in the place becomes suffocating. Before I knew it, Topaz stopped running in front of a cave and she is now trembling in fear.

There was a mountain and now, there was a cave…

But what is more peculiar is that inside the large cave dwells a monster.

Standing at ten feet tall, with a set of six wings and crawling in all four. Inside its mouth appears an uncountable amount of razor sharp teeth. Its claws are also like its teeth and its body is covered with scales covered in moss. The joint of its body glows and its whole body is tattooed with so many unreadable words.

Its color is ashen black like a muddy charcoal.

Its strong presence announces that it is hostile towards us.

There is no mistaking it…

Our enemy right now is Behemoth.