-Break-

Location: Eastern side of the Gorias castle

Looking at all my set-up flowers, I say, “The way the moon hits these makes them look just as beautiful as you.”

I grip my fist, and say, “YEAH THAT WILL WORK, I WILL KNOCK MINAGRAIN OFF HER FEET!”

“What a lucky lady!”

Turning my head, I say, “Hey human. shut up, my woman is coming over!”

“Ahh, little kids with their little love.”

I dash over to where he is and kick his cage down, then I say, “I don’t want a slave calling me a little kid.”

“But aren’t you one?”

“For another year. My birthday was recently, so after I get through my corrupted year of 13, to my reborn year of 14 I will be an adult.”

“Why do you beastkin have a weird thing about 13, I have always wondered but no one will tell me.”

“Because almost all of the bad events in our history just so happen to fall on that day. So, it is said that a beastkin will experience the most misfortune of their existence during their thirteenth year.”

Petting my head, he says, “I hope you get through this fine, because you’re my ticket out of here.”

Removing his hand, I say, “Not a chance, now let go of me.”

As I remove his hand, I see him wince in pain, which causes me to take a good look at his body.

Grabbing him, I pull his body closer to mine and move his clothes. Behind his clothes, I see a wound which causes me to say, “These are fresh, and they were not here earlier today. Who did this?”

The man looks panicked for a moment, then says, “I kind of touched the maids in a bad way while they were changing me, and it seems they didn’t like it. So, they kind of beat the crap out of me.”

He laughs a bit, then says, “Please don’t hurt me, I have learned from my mistakes!”

His face looks like he fully expects me to strike him, but then I say, “My hearing is a lot better than a lot of people, I can hear your heartbeat going crazy; you’re lying through your ass.”

I let go of the man and look to a young boy in one of the other cages. Then I say, “Your heartbeat has been beating like a drum as well, but more than that, you look extra clean almost as if you were scrubbed with more care than the others.”

“So I am going to take an educated guess and say you told the maids who came in to tend to your needs that he was being rude to me, and due to my scent being on his cage they believed you and took their anger out of him.”

The boy looks away from me, so I grab him and push him against the railing of his cage, then say, “When someone is talking you look them in the eye you brat.”

The man says, “That kid didn’t do anything.”

Glaring at the kid, I say, “Did you, do it?”

“Ye-yes.”

“You sold out one of your own for the sake of bettering your situation. Disgusting.”

I toss the boy into the cage, and then he looks back at me while saying, “I am going to have to stay here for the rest of my life, I just wanted to make sure that I can at least have one thing to look forward to is that so much to ask for in this godforsaken life!”

“Yes. Any right you have is given to you, and without anyone to protect it you have nothing. It is as simple as that, your right to live is only supported by the strength of those who claim you as important.

I said I won’t ever abuse you out of personal distaste for your kind, but I will repay all your actions a hundred times in kind, remember that. But before I break this child’s arm.”

Turning his head to the man, I say, “I will make sure no harm comes to you from now on as my slip-up caused this, so I won’t allow it to happen again.”

“Now time to get started,” I say as I stare at the boy.

The man then puts up his arm and says, “Great teacher Setanta I have a question?”

“What?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I have decided that kid's life is as valuable as my own, and any harm to him will result in my suicide. So, I wish for all rights that fall upon me, will fall upon the rest.”

“Huh, you can’t just do that?”

“Why not, as you said you only have a right to life if someone protects it. You have protected mine, and I in turn use that to protect theirs.”

I make a series of annoyed and pained expressions, but then I say, “Fine. I guess it counts. But boy you better be grateful for what you were given.”

The boy turns his head to the man, and mouths thank you. Then turns himself around embarrassed.

A few of the other humans in their cages do the same, and I start to feel angry. Why do I feel like I just lost?

“Hey you need to cheer up, isn’t your woman coming today? A real man has got to be his happiest for his woman!”

I scoff, then say, “I don’t want to get relationship advice from someone like you.”

“I would have you know that I happen to be an excellent lover. Me and my soon-to-be wife Lillian are hopelessly in love.”

“Please keep your delusions to yourself. I don’t want to hear them.”

“I have no delusions, Lillian was my future wife when we were kids, and our love surpasses all. Even if we haven’t seen each other in sixteen years, it doesn’t matter our love is still strong and steadfast.”

“You're insane.”

“No, I am not, I will one day escape and meet her. Then we will start a giant family.”

“She is probably already dead.”

The man freezes up for a second, and I say, “All of the women captured before we allowed them to work on the plantations were treated rather horribly, and even if she survived that and returned to the plantation, she would have had to put up with horrible labour which I doubt a frail body could handle.”

“No she isn’t, Lillian is strong, but more than that caring and would never allow herself to be killed while there are people she cares about still suffering and waiting for a saviour,” he says with a quiet yet confident expression.

“I doubt that is true, but if she is alive, I will look out for her.”

“What really!?”

“Yeah, I guess. In all honesty, I have inherited my master's distaste for that era of our history, so if I can rectify it a bit by allowing you to bear some more workers for us together I will try my best.”

He reaches his hand out to pet me and says, “You’re the best wolf a man could ask for.”

“Whatever, now stop touching me!”

“Are you sure of that, I am really good at using my hands.”

“I said let G-.” My scream is interrupted by the satisfaction of his scratch, and I start to allow him to continue while saying, “Only for another minute.”

“See I knew we were friends.”

He continues and my body becomes more relaxed, but then I hear a scream, and looking forward I see Minagrain staring at me with a shocked expression.

I say with a panicked expression, “THIS ISN’T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!”

But she just runs away.

I then slam my fist into the ground, and shout, “NO!”

Standing up, I say, “I got to explain this situation to her quickly.”

I begin to run off, but before I do I turn around and ask, “Hey what’s your and hers full name? It will help me find her.”

“Her name is Lillian, and mine is Aurelius. Our clan doesn’t really have individual last names, so we all share them, so all together my name is Aurelius Anima, and my soon-to-be wife is Lillian Anima.”

“I will remember that!”

I start to run away after Minagrain, and as I do I peer my head back and see his face. I don’t know why but the look of confidence and satisfaction on his face pisses me off.

-Break-

Location: Setanta’s room

In front of me Minagrain gestures, “So all together, the red branch has to receive loans from the people. By taking in their extra produce and coins, they essentially become debt holders of the common people.

And to repay them, they give them mass amounts of the conquered land we have taken in for them to own and control as their own. This will be a way to reduce the finances of the common household, so our current overconsumption crisis will not reach a critical point.

And due to some rather underhanded wording, we should be able to still invoke martial law on these gifted lands if the common beastkin ever think of using this power they were given against the red branch and high king.”

I clap my hands, and then using our special gestures I say, “You really have been studying economics hard. I never thought the quiet squirrel I first met would become this knowledgeable.”

“It is all really interesting, and by doing it I can find a way to help around once we get married,” she gestures at me with a happy smile.

But soon she turns red, and gestures, “Though I am not the best yet, so please don’t think I am being overconfident there is a lot more debate going on about that plan, and I barely touched the surface level-.”

As she rambles on, I grab her and give her a hug while kissing her face, then with my mouth, I say, “You really are wife number zero.”

She turns to me and then gestures, “I thought Scáthach was number zero?”

“She was.”

Minagrain becomes elated then starts to hug me as well, and then we look at each other. “Leading my first unit was something I waited for, and it was a splendid experience, but nothing could make me happier than being here with you right now.”

Minagrain buries her head in my chest, and then she brings it out and kisses me on my lips.

Location: The room below Setanta’s

Φ A group of maids and other women within the castle like Laeg, are all gathered in their nightgowns looking directly at two of the maids standing in the centre of the room. Both of the maids in the centre are bat beastkin.

The two bat beastkin act out all of the actions they hear from Setanta’s room. But then as Setanta and Minagrain kiss, they both stop and say, “THEY ARE KISSING!”

The woman in the room start to go wild and freak out.

Laeg then stands up in the middle and says, “Everyone you see this here is what you have all worked so hard for. Right now Minagrain is winning, and a happy life for the fairy is soon to begin. So we must do all we can to continuously keep all of the other harlots who would think of also becoming Setanta's wife away!”

“YES!”

Sitting back down, Laeg says, “Now Amara and Amira continue your performance.”

Amira says, “Umm, I can’t hear them anymore.”

“WHAT!” The woman shouts.

Name: Pixie

Height: 50 cm

Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore

Description: A flying wonderbeast that looks like a fat human baby moulded out of radish, with two large butterfly wings on its back. It has the ability to mimic natural phenomena like sunlight and rain making them very useful for everyday life.

Fact: The Pixies used to be much smaller, but due to their cuteness humans kept overfeeding them until their bodies started to grow so big and eventually that became their natural space.