We close the windows and grow noise-canceling barriers to prepare the room for Kahura. Elven residences being so easily moldable is one of the things I love the most about them. And once the muffling moss walls are done, we apply anti-scent to them, then we return to our bedroom, leaving the mage and Alissa alone with only Jarn to watch over them since the golem can remain absolutely silent.

Kahura will begin the preliminary work to prepare Alissa's hands to receive a new pair by destroying the part of her soul that's been warped, and then fixing the blackened stumps. Once we get a new pair of hands for her, all that'll be left for Kahura will be to create new soul-hands for Alissa by using the physical hands as a base. After that, any Alteration mage can easily pretty up Alissa's hands so that they match her age.

"Can't we use [Alteration Magic] to de-age?" I wonder out loud.

"Theoretically, yes. It's just… very hard, unless you're talking about skin only," Roxanne scholarly answers.

"You'll still die once your lifespan reaches its limit," Ciel adds.

I realize that Alteration seems to be underused, making me mighty curious.

"Why don't people use [Alteration Magic] to look young, then? Even Kahura looks old," I continue my inquiry.

"That's a shameful thing to do," Ciel snappily retorts, and the girls give me strange looks.

"Be proud of your age," Roxanne states assuredly.

"Oldness isn't ugly," Yunia calmly adds.

I guess it's cultural, then.

"I'm much older than I look," I point out through [Bind] since the Companions shouldn't know about this.

"You're special, and you're also very cute, so you get a pass," Hana cheekily replies.

Ciel assumes a sagely tone as she graces us with her priestly lecture, "Our aging, our growth, and our changes, they're all aided by the system, so to bypass all that with magic feels… wrong."

And since this pertains to Chimera culture, Hukarere decides to chime in, "We use [Alteration Magic] to change how we look or to enhance our gains. The Celestial Horns all trained very hard to get where they are now."

Ciel nods in agreement. "We also don't know how hard Kahura trained to get the body she has."

I'm not convinced, so I argue further, "But we're all in a constant fight against monsters, so surely, it wouldn't be bad to improve our bodies through [Alteration Magic] with the intent of enhancing our fighting capabilities?"

"Well, that's what the Horns do," Hukarere hums confusedly.

"But you said they also train. What if we enhanced everyone, even the commoners, for free? It'd be helpful to humanoid civilizations as a whole, no?"

Both the Chimera Companions and Ciel make complicated expressions while the rest of the girls are more ambivalent. For some reason, they're hesitant to accept body augmentations through magic, and I want to get to the bottom of this.

After a short moment, Ciel imparts upon us another bit of priestly wisdom, "Our reason for existence is to grow both in numbers and individually towards Ascension, not to wipe out the monsters."

I immediately retort, "And we could speed that up with [Alteration Magic]."

Atawha finally gathers up enough bravery to join the discussion, "Is it really growing when others are doing the job for you?"

I casually shrug and flash a handsome smile at the raccoon girl, making her blush. "Everyone's lives would become easier the more power we all have, giving us more time to spend on ourselves or with others, which would allow us to grow further. This is one of the reasons why I want to implement welfare policies and social safety-nets. I want to help people remain standing so that they can regain their balance when life hits them hard because our society just runs better when everyone is healthy and strong."

Hana raises her eyebrows and remarks, "I like that analogy."

"Only because someone is getting hit," Roxanne quickly jabs.

"This is complicated…" Ciel hums thoughtfully, ignoring both of them as they begin to banter.

And a hint of loftiness slips into my tone as I explain further, "I'm basically advocating for transhumanism… erm, transhumanoidism. That we would free ourselves from the shackles of our flesh and accept the enhancements that magic and technology can bring to our lives, allowing us to transcend past what it means to be 'humanoid.'"

"Are you looking for a reason to justify making yourself taller?" Lina sneaks in a stab into my heart. With Alissa sleeping, she has taken upon herself the role of sneaky riposter.

"Of course not…" I dryly reply, but there's nothing that I can say that will stop the girls from laughing at me, so I just purse my lips and wait for their amusement to pass.

Yunia suddenly walks up to me, then straddles my hips and grabs my head, forcing me to look at her stunningly beautiful and dignified elven face.

"You may dislike certain aspects of your body, but we all find it marvelous exactly as it is, and even I believe it's a worthy match for my perfection, so don't ever think about changing a single thing about you, except your sword. Variety is wonderful."

The assured way she speaks pulls on my heartstrings. There's no insincerity or hesitance in her tone, only the intense passion of a proud elf. Her words also open the flood gates to my lower member, and it hardens like steel, her subtle smirk so full of meaning that the dragon rears up in excitement.

"I think the Horns would like that 'transhumanoidism' thing," Hukarere comments wryly as she watches the tension skyrocket between Yunia and me.

"That 'battle bodies' approach feels like it's already part of it," Atawha adds, her eyes glued to the bulge in my pants.

"And you and the other Chimeras have certainly 'freed yourselves from the shackles of your flesh,'" Aneta finishes as she stares at Yunia going back and forth in an entrancing way, possibly imagining how she'd love to be sandwiched between us right now.

I run my claws over Yunia's exposed abs, then I move them up and growl.

"Oh, he's really in the mood now," Roxanne announces, and everyone starts to get ready for the fireworks.

"Is it alright to not include Alissa?" Melanie worriedly asks.

I summon my tentacles and start spreading them all throughout the room as I answer, "She'll actually like knowing that we had a party without her."

We're interrupted by a message, which Ted receives for us, and Yunia and I read it through the golem's eyes as our bodies continue to move.

Vanea tells us that the deserters from the other alliances were all members of Katasko, so it's obvious that they were spies, and they were recalled before they could be captured. It's a shame that they escaped, but once the truth of their allegiances is revealed, they won't be able to escape the fallout from betraying so many people.

Unfortunately, they had infiltrated everywhere, so their desertion caused chaos within all of the alliances, except for those in the west of the continent, so it'll take a while for the revenge against them to actually come about.

The public logs of the [Eternal Gate] Network tell that they've all retreated to the area around Kardia, so Vanea believes they're forming a new alliance to weather the fallout of their betrayals. She's worried that their numbers will dissuade other alliances from attacking, but we'll see how they fare after we cut off one of their heads.

I stand up, with Yunia left gasping for air, her sweaty body making her glorious drills stick to her skin, and her dignified air replaced by unashamed satisfaction.

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Alissa woke up while Kahura was resting and preparing for the next part of the treatment, so I force the slave to stay on her bed and watch as she receives the shared pleasure of the other girls.

Aoi immediately goes to work on Yunia. Meanwhile, I shove Hukarere's mouth to clean myself.

I also give some to Atawha since she's a cultured Chimera who understands the exquisite delights of my blessings, but the rest of the Companions are also kind of sl-ts, so I'm forced to give everyone a load to not leave anyone feeling jealous.

Once the extraction is done, I shift into my dragon form, and Lolo comes into the room just in time to witness the glorious sight of Aoi bending to me.

"Holy shit…" Lolo mutters reflexively and remains standing in place at the doorway, stunned at the arousing sight before her eyes. As a wereanimal, she knows the significance of our action, and before long, she's breathing heavily while her thighs rub against each other.

Dragon love can't be described by something as boring as "plowing." It's either "m-ting" or "br--ding" as the former is me reinforcing my domination over Aoi by making her reach the summit while the latter is me fulfilling my extremely powerful desire to impr-gnate this magnificent blue dragon even though the Ring of Fertility prevents fertilization.

Aoi's legs quickly give out, and she collapses on the floor. The tentacle massage had weakened her too much for a proper m-ting.

So I walk over to Lolo in my draconic form, and the little rabbit girl feels so threatened by my virility that her knees tremble with fear while her eyes remain glued to my Br--ding Tool.

I nudge her with my draconic head, and she falls on her ass, then I take a step forward and press It against her mouth. She obediently opens wide and goes to work.

I contemplate whether or not I should force her to shift into her animal form and then do her as a dragon just to complete my domination of her, but I haven't done that with Klein yet, and I don't want my monkey c-m sl-t to suspect anything about what I have planned for her "first time" with Hermann.

But we're once again interrupted by another message, which is starting to grate on my gears, but this one is actually welcome as it's from Palo, reporting that Alissa's mother has simply come by herself to the capital instead of responding to us first.

I give Lolo some skincare treatment, then I pull the crazed Hukarere towards me and make her sit right in front of the stained girl. Without me even saying anything, my obedient wolf starts licking the bunny girl's face, pleasing me greatly. The sight makes me want to attempt putting Hukarere through "girl love training," but maybe I should keep that idea as just a dream.

With Léonne coming to visit, we have to wrap this up, so I turn the tentacles up to overdrive to finish off everyone one at the same time, and the bedroom becomes loud with female screams and sounds of bliss.

Alissa groans and starts convulsing, scaring Kahura, but she assures the old woman that she's okay, and once the bliss passes, she [Clean]s herself before the smell can become noticeable.

I reach the entrance of the embassy right at the same time that the [Gate] opens up, and Léonne appears along with Palo.

The mature milf-Alissa is a delight to see, as always, especially because her flowery not-kimono fits her so well that it's like she's a work of living art. Unfortunately, her expression doesn't look very pleased, straining my smile and deflating my friend a smidgen as Alissa's and my fantasy of me doing her senseless becomes less vivid.

"Chieftess Léonne," I politely greet with a nod.

"Crown Lord Wolf… let's not dwell on pleasantries. Where's Alissa?" She dryly replies. Then her sharp, orange eyes sharpen even further as she narrows them at me. "And also the rest of your wives…?"

I smile smugly as I give an honest answer, "I was just with them having a passionate moment, so they need some time to rest and recover, but Alissa is coming, and she'll be here in a second."

The stern mother slowly raises an eyebrow, and her [Acting] is too good for me to detect whether or not she wants to smirk, but at least she doesn't get even colder or angrier. Palo smirks in approval from behind her, so I glance at him, and we share a bro thumbs up with our eyes.

"So, at least you didn't get any of your wives killed," she slowly lashes out.

Well, damn… I guess she was never one to mince words.

I simply smile and casually suggest, "Let's wait in the guest room for them, shall we?"

"Very well," she replies impassively.

Ciel summons her [Holy Spirit] to [Refresh] Alissa and allow her to walk because she was wrecked so hard that her body is still a mess.

When we sit down, I order Ted to serve some chocolate and coffee, and Léonne gives them a mildly interested look, but then Alissa comes in before milf-Alissa can give in to temptation.

Léonne stands up and immediately scans her daughter up and down, her eyes stopping on the stumps for a second, which are now normal-skin-colored and without any scarring.

"Mom…" Alissa mumbles warmly as she scurries forward, then she pulls her parent into a tight hug. Her fluffy tail wags happily while milf-Alissa's takes a second to begin moving, but the wagging is a lot more restrained once it does.

"What did you two get involved in, you stupid girl," Léonne whispers tiredly.

"Mom, ouch…" Alissa mumbles back with a pout.

And the mother pushes her back so that they can look each other in the eye. "A [Ruin] dagger is not something to take lightly."

"And we aren't," I interject with a severe tone.

She gives one of Alissa's ears a gentle massage, deftly pressing on all of the weak spots, then turns her sharp gaze towards me. "How many heads will you take?" She sternly questions, her voice completely at odds with the caressing she's giving to Alissa.

"Only two," I calmly answer.

She clicks her tongue in disappointment. "That's rather pathetic for a dragon."

I snort. "We're constrained by elven politics."

And she dryly replies, "You're not an elf."

"But one of our wives is, and so are all our Subordinate Lords, and also the Elder Council, and all of our fellow Crown Lords," I answer while trying to hide my flippancy.

She immediately moves on, "Are you going to participate in the Purification?"

I nod. "Yes, we will."

And her face warps in mild distaste. "So, are you going to continue to play the hero and magnanimously offer mercy to them?"

I groan and look away as I roll my eyes, but Alissa becomes upset, so she bats her mother's hand away and retorts, "If you're so keen on criticizing, why don't you provide an alternative?"

Léonne turns to her and frowns. "I won't fall to such provocation and give a snappy and sloppy answer."

"Then go think on it," Alissa snaps back at her and takes a step back, but Léonne holds her by the wrists, preventing her from escaping.

"I'll stop criticizing as long as you promise to send a message to your enemies," she slowly declares.

"I'm nowhere near as merciful as you think," Alissa states.

Léonne slowly nods. "Good."

Why are people so bloodthirsty?

"It's how she's survived as a ruler," Yunia replies to my thoughts with a surprising amount of understanding.

"It's only Mom who doesn't understand that Misty Fox doctrine won't work with elves," Alissa adds.

"Your mom is a bit scary," Lina quietly comments.

"Yep," Roxanne hums.

But that's what makes her really alluring, tho.

Then Léonne closely inspects the stumps and hums thoughtfully. Her thin fingers gently run over Alissa's skin, then they tenderly probe where the bones have been sheared off, and Léonne sighs softly. The tension from before quickly dissipates as the mother finally allows the worry for her daughter to become apparent on her face.

"Call your priest, Wolf, and let's give my daughter her hands back," she softly orders. Then she forces Alissa to turn around and tightens the sash of her mini not-kimono. "You may dress as provocatively as you want, but I won't accept seeing you wearing a Plier sloppily."

Alissa rolls her eyes dramatically, then turns around and gives her mother a quick hug.

The Punishers and priests are still nearby, so our knights quickly find one who knows [Regrowth], and we prepare for the operation.

Roxanne gives Léonne a potion that completely blocks her sense of pain, and Kahura draws a dotted line for exactly where to cut, then her wrists are tied up to stop the blood flow and prevent a mess. Alissa is also given the same anesthesia and has her wrists tied as the skin covering the part to be joined with her new hands needs to be removed.

Now that I'm paying close attention to Léonne's hands, they do look very similar to how Alissa's looked. Her perfect, pale skin is just barely wrinkled from age, and though her nails are manicured and glossy, they lack the cute orange color of Alissa's nail polish.

Our swords have been enchanted with [Sharp Blades] by Arreira, so their sharpness is second only to Patrono, and as the one who has the highest [Sword Use], Hana does the cut.

In one clean slice, Hana severs both of Léonne's hands exactly on the dotted lines, and then she also cuts off the skin covering Alissa's stumps. There's absolutely no reaction from either of them, and Alissa only felt the weird sensation of the cold blade passing through her flesh.

Ciel gives Léonne a weak [Heal] to stop any bleeding, and the priests start chanting [Regrowth] while we watch as Kahura deftly sews the severed hands onto Alissa's stumps. She finishes quickly, and now they have to leave for the dark room to fuse them into place and then regrow Alissa's spirit to cover her new hands.

We have an awkward minute of silence as Léonne remains perfectly still, waiting for the priest to finish the spell, and we struggle to not look at her wounds. She herself seems oddly still, like she's also struggling to not succumb to the morbid curiosity to look at the live cross-section of her hands.

Her demeanor is so unusual that I decide to mess with her a bit.

"Are you alright, Léonne? Not feeling any pain?" I kindly ask.

"No, Wolf, I'm fine," she replies impassively, looking straight ahead towards the infinite.

I make a thoughtful expression as I observe her odd behavior. "As a healer myself, I'm a bit fascinated by the inner workings of the body. Don't you want to see the insides of your bones or muscles?"

"No, Wolf, I don't."

"Really?" I walk up to her and touch one of her wounds with my claw, but she shows no reaction at all. "Look here, flesh, bone, cartilage, veins. So many different structures."

She simply turns her head to me and stares, her body completely unmoving as if every muscle of hers is tensed up, so I move my claw down and touch the brown part of the sheared bone.

"This here is the bone marrow. You wouldn't believe the wonderful things this part of our bones does and how important it is for our blood."

I tap it repeatedly to call her attention to it, but she simply won't glance down to see what I'm touching, and the tension starts to appear on her face. Then we stare at each other, my face becoming strained as I hold back a smirk while hers twitches as she becomes increasingly annoyed.

"Wolf?" She quietly hums.

"Yes?"

"Kindly shove your tail up your own ass." Then she closes her eyes.

"Alright, you've bullied Mom enough," Alissa wryly adds, and I leave the matriarch alone. I've had my revenge for her harsh "criticisms."

"She definitely has a considerable level in [Acting]," Yunia remarks internally.

The moment the priest finishes the spell, Léonne's tension washes away. Then she opens her eyes and curiously inspects her freshly regrown hands.

"They look better than before," she amusedly states.

"Thank you very much," the priest proudly replies.

Then she flashes me a glare, making me grin like an imp.