"You have brought quite many people with you today."

Kamala spoke, amazed by the number of people in her house.

"I apologize for coming without notice, we won't bother you much longer."

While bowing slightly, Amelia immediately led everyone outside. She turned around before leaving and smiled, before she went through the door.

"Wait! At least tell me why everyone is here."

Right before the door closed, Amelia stopped. She opened the door again, before looking at everyone waiting behind her, and then back at Kamala.

"Do you mind following us then? I'll explain on the way."

...

"That's why we're all together. For Stella."

"I see. In that case, the store you've been to before might be the one you are looking for."

"Thank you. Since we need one for everyone, I was thinking of going through many of the shops around the harbor."

Looking at the group walking in front of them happily, Kamala smiled.

"What kind of swimsuit do you want to wear?"

Senia, swimming in the air with her magic, asked Stella next to her.

"Umm... I don't know. I have never worn one before."

"That's fine, I haven't either. Look at me, I don't even know if I can wear one."

With a warm smile, she looked at her, before someone else joined their conversation.

"If you're talking about that, then I am in the same boat. Do you think they have swimsuits for lamias?"

Worried, Deveralna asked. To that, Karteira answered while glancing over her shoulder.

"They probably have one? If I can wear the one, you can too. Well, for the bottom area..."

She hesitated before shaking her head.

"There's always a way. Don't worry."

"We can always find a long dress-like piece and change it into a swimsuit. Let's go look around!"

Olivia lifted her fist in the air and excitedly scanned the surrounding stores.

Both Senia and Deveralna looked at each other, before laughing.

May and the twins looked around them, acting as a replacement for Orion. Drania, for once, decided to cautiously look around, while her sister listened to the voices coming from the crowd.

With her ears perked, May listened too. She could hear a mixture of many emotions coming from the people watching the odd group.

(Is Lord Kamala showing these people around?)

(Wait! These two, they are that man's friends!)

(The one who saved our Lord?)

At first, they only heard the voices of people remembering Amelia and Karteira. Then, they began to shift toward the unusual visitors.

(Is that a lamia? I've never seen one before! She's gorgeous!)

(What faction is that floating person coming from? I don't remember seeing any half-human, half-fish faction in our city?)

(These two with green hair, they have wings on their back. Are they the so-called 'fairies' Lord Kamala is going to introduce us to?)

There were no signs of danger, but just in case, they kept looking out for the group. With a group that big, it was doomed to attract attention.

Luckily, no one tried to block them, or stop them from moving. Kamala was a major factor, but the strangeness of the women also made the citizens wary of their presence.

"Why did we have to come too?"

"Are you still sulking about going out of the realm?"

Stolen novel; please report.

Henrietta and Tetra stayed in the middle of the group, trying to avoid everyone's attention. Though, the pink hair of Tetra was just too obvious to be ignored.

"Of course I am! What if we get caught?!"

"Ease up. You know like me that going out for an hour or two isn't enough to make 'him' notice us."

Letting out a long sigh, Henrietta closed her eyes before opening them slightly.

"I hope you are right..."

They arrived not long after at the store without trouble.

...

Meanwhile, Orion was left alone with Sirius in Horizon.

"Do you think I should've gone with them?"

He sat in the grass, Sirius rolling next to him. The dog entirely ignored him and kept having fun by himself.

"Haha~ You sure have turned a new leaf, too."

While it was fun to have some time for himself like this, Orion wasn't one to waste time.

Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on his dark element. Yet, something kept bothering him while doing so.

'Deveralna.'

He kept recalling the last night.

-

*Knock*

After dinner, Orion was peacefully reading a book at his table, until someone knocked once on his door.

"Umm? Who is it?"

"Deveralna. Can I come in?"

Orion lifted an eyebrow up, confused.

'It's the first time she's come to see me in my room. What's more, at this hour.'

'Is it something related to that picnic?'

Closing his book, he placed it on the table and looked toward the door.

"Sure."

The door gently opened, before a crimson-haired lamia entered the room, wearing an almost see-through one-piece nightdress.

Immediately, the sigil flared up, before Orion hurriedly looked away.

"What is it? At this hour, nonetheless?"

Feeling his face heat up, he tried his best to settle it. He knew that if he failed, he would do something out of his control.

"I..."

With the door closing behind her, she approached him. Her long snake body slithered on the ground from left to right, until she stopped in front of him.

Her body lowered, before she grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest.

"Is my body unpleasant to you?"

While still looking away, Orion managed to ignore the soft feeling in the palm of his hand.

"No. Why do you ask?"

Deveralna's eyes were filling with a desire she had no idea was in her. Like a predator, she wanted to 'eat' Orion on the spot.

Her lamia instincts were taking over, but she kept it in check.

"I wondered if... my body was maybe too different for you to love. I came here to make sure."

Slowly, Orion's head turned toward her. He pulled back his hand and stared straight in her eyes.

"If that was the case, I wouldn't have accepted your feelings."

She stared into his eyes, the sigil of Silka in plain sight. The web, signifying the 'Beauty' in the eye of the beholder, glowed in the dimmed lighted room.

Like a butterfly stuck on it, she was unable to look away.

Orion unclipped his bracelet, placed it inside the book, and snapped his fingers.

Two barriers formed, before he stood up from his chair.

"You want to test your theory? Or do you want to give up before it's too late?"

His face came very close to Deveralna's. They both stared at each other with ragged breathing, before she gulped.

"I'm not leaving."

"Fine."

Pulling her toward him, he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and answered with the same intensity.

When their lips parted, Orion picked her up, and placed her on his bed, her tail partially remaining on the floor.

She put her index finger in her mouth, and gave him a lascivious glare, inviting his most savage desires to appear.

Orion exhaled heated air from his mouth, and looked at the woman on his bed. He felt a crawling feeling around his stomach, before realizing that her tail was slowly wrapping itself around his body.

Deveralna pulled him toward her.

'I can't win against them. Their too beautiful.'

Sinking in her gorgeous dark orange eyes, he let himself indulge in pleasure.

-

"Damn it..."

With a smile on his face, he shook his head.

"What am I supposed to do when they come so aggressively after me? I was fine keeping that stuff one or twice a week, but from what she told me, Amelia and Karteira thought I was about to fuck them every night?"

He laughed.

"What am I? The 'Lord of the Night' maybe?"

Standing up, he kept giggling at the thought, before a strange stirring feeling surged inside of him.

"Huh?"

Immediately, he became serious. The intensity following the sudden sensation greatly increased, until Orion was unable to stably stand.

His head began to hurt, and as he grabbed it, darkness invaded his mind.

(...)

Then, silence. Sirius had vanished from his sight, the grass stopped rustling from the wind, and the tweeting of birds quieted down.

(Where am I?)

(Huh?)

Orion touched his throat.

(My voice...)

He remained calm, patiently observing the surrounding darkness.

'Somehow, it feels relaxing.'

The sensation was similar to resting in his bed. It felt like home.

(Taygeta.)

Once he had called his dark crossbow, he looked surprised when it didn't appear.

'I knew it.'

*Flash*

Orion's body flashed, before the magic exploded into light particles.

'I can't use light magic either.'

'What mess have I gotten myself into again?'

In the darkness, a light red light appeared in the far distance, catching his attention.

'I guess there's no choice here.'

He let his feet take him to his destination while keeping his guard up.

The light became larger and larger, until Orion realized that it was a bright red flame. A red color that was truly unusual for a flame.

In a way, it reminded him of his mother.

From the flame, Orion noticed a 'thing' attached to it. Approaching closer, the flame began to envelop the 'thing', until a large body made of red flames appeared.

"Child."

(Me?)

Orion pointed at himself. Two yellow eyes stared at him from the ground. The big creature looked like it was resting, showing similarities with the dragon's.

The voice of a tired man echoed in the darkness, as it kept its gaze on Orion.

"You have called upon the remnants of the demons. In your blood, the Lord of the Night slumbers.

(Wasn't it just a joke? Why is it a serious matter suddenly?)

Shocked, he looked at the flames staring at him.

(Who are you?)

But his voice kept vanishing into the darkness. The being ignored his question, and stared at his chest.

"While she was the only child I had trained, her path ended up being a thorny one. Yours is pretty similar, but it is not the same."

The large creature suddenly arose from its previous posture, and stared at Orion from high above.

"I, Diramoi, will acknowledge the blood coursing in your veins. Survive the trials my ghost has left, and you will bathe in the glory of your kin. Fail... and your name will be forgotten for eons to pass."

Orion blinked slowly.

'Are you kidding me?'