I silently sign the documents, and Ghulam peacefully smiles after successfully corrupting me further, then Sebastian receives them, and the devil in disguise calmly continues, "Then it's done. I'm certainly glad Nour sent you my way, and I'm also honored to have done business with you, Mr. Ryder."
My morals have been thrown away long ago, so I just smile politely and reply in kind, "Thank you for choosing me, and I'll be forever grateful to Nour for sending me here." Then shameless takes over me and I add, "But, just one last thing. That silk one-piece, does it come in black?"
I grin, and he grins back. I knew it, he's the devil.
"Sebastian, please," he calmly orders.
The old man goes outside, and after a few seconds, he's back with a beautiful black silk one-piece that he gives to Alissa, who folds it on her arm.
And Ghulam graciously finishes, "That will be a gift, and if you don't have any other questions, then I'll be off."
I silently shake my head, barely containing my excitement.
"Until our next business, Mr. Ryder," he bids farewell and leaves.
Then I turn to Hanafuria, and we stare at each other for an awkwardly long couple of seconds. She's "aggressively" beautiful, and I just want to drown in her yellow, vertical-slitted eyes.
"You can change into those clothes," I stiffly instruct and point to the bundle of clothes on the table. They're the same design that Alissa got when she left, though bigger.
Hanafuria doesn't even hesitate, she unashamedly takes them off and then slowly puts on her new clothes in front of me, and this time I stare to my heart's content. The first thing I notice is that she has absolutely no hair anywhere aside from her head, then she bends over, showing me her perfectly round behind, and once she straightens her chest bounces alluringly, making me wish to confirm their firmness.
Once she's done, she stands proudly before me and gives me a subtle smirk, seemingly pleased with my wandering eyes.
A domineering mood takes over me, and I assuredly announce, "I'm Wolf Ryder, and this is Alissa, my first Blood Slave. I'll call you Hana for short."
"Understood, Master," Hana obediently replies. Her voice is powerful but still feminine, and it doesn't betray her intimidating beauty.
I touch my fox girl's delicate hand and ask, "I'll walk home with Hana. Alissa, can you buy the basic necessities for her on your own?"
She lowers her head as she complies, "Yes, I can, Master."
Then we leave the building and split with her.
We leisurely walk side by side while I begin laying down the rules, "Hana, I'm very clingy, and I love touching, so, if it isn't inconvenient, we should always walk holding hands or with an arm wrapped around the other's body."
I'll be strict and decisive with her because I get the impression that if I'm not, she'll crush me with her domineering aura.
Hana nods slowly as she accepts then politely explains, "Understood. My scales may look rigid, but I can control the hardness, so please, don't be afraid to touch them, Master."
I grab her hand and feel her emerald scales. They're surprisingly soft and warm, so it isn't uncomfortable to touch. I also find the neatly-ordered circular patches of scales quite beautiful and fitting with her more "wild" aura.
I ask her to show how hard they can get, and she flexes her arm, which raises the scales a little bit, then they suddenly become hard and rough. I also run a finger along the edge, and I believe that they could cut as easily as a blade.
"Do you sharpen your scales?" I curiously ask.
"Yes, but though they stay sharp naturally, they can become a secondary weapon during battle if sharpened even further."
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "That's impressive."
She lets out a beautiful, boisterous laugh, "Hahah! Thank you, Master."
I stop playing with her scales and interlace my fingers with hers, then we start walking closer to each other, allowing me to smell her faint perfume.
I'm actually quite surprised with how feminine her hand is. It's big but soft, while her fingers are very slender, and her nails are well done, so there's nothing that tells of her warrior background.
"Why is your hand so soft? Shouldn't your skin be rougher from training so much?" I ask, trying to sound as genuine as possible to not offend her.
But she seems happy to answer, "Dragonkin can harden skin at will, not just scales. Also, our skin never grows calluses and our nails never chip unless we wish so."
I'm surprised once again. "I feel envious of you."
And she lets out another uproarious laugh, then cheerfully exclaims, "You and every other woman in the world!"
I like her carefree attitude; it makes it easy to talk to her.
And so I happily continue my questioning, "Your wings, they're summoned like those of the demon race?"
She adjusts her fiery hair behind her ear and casually answers, "Somewhat. Ours are actual physical wings while the demon race's are made of mana. Ours need 'Strength' and 'Endurance' to fly, and theirs need 'Magical Power' and MP."
I'm fascinated by her race, so I promptly continue, "I see. Can any dragonkin fly for long distances?"
She lets out a low chuckle, amused by my curiosity, then glances at me. "There are those who can, but they're rare. Real dragon wings control the air around them, but dragonkin wings can only faintly control it. Our bodies just aren't made for flying like a true dragon's is."
A dragon's body isn't really made for flight, but whatever…
We stop by a clothing shop and buy her some pretty casual clothing. She looks stunning in straight dresses, but not so much in frilly dresses like Alissa does.
The man-eating eyes she gives me while showing off her clothes makes me feel things, man.
"You like what you see," she teases with a grin then puffs her chest. The way the loose emerald dress barely covers her body is just amazing.
"Very much," I huskily reply, then I smirk as my sadistic and domineering side starts to come out. "But what do you think of me? I'll dress you up and play with your body every day from now on, so, do you think I'll be a good master?"
"I'm eager to service you," she breathes seductively, her yellow eyes staring unwaveringly at me.
My smirk stiffens and I almost choke on my spit. "W-what?" I grunt, blindsided by her response.
She laughs heartily and holds her sides, bunching up her pair, "Hahahah! Was that really unexpected?"
"Yes, don't you just barely know me?" I ask, incredulous at her straightforwardness.
She takes a step forward, almost shoving her chest in my face. "Don't you also just barely know me, and yet here you are, telling me you'll 'play with my body every day'?"
I stand my ground and look up at her face. "Touché."
I was getting a bit carried on.
But she just blinks blankly and confusedly mumbles, "What…?"
I quickly recover my composure, then I shamelessly look at her valley as I explain, "Sorry, it's an expression from my homeland. It means 'you got me' or 'you scored a hit on me.'"
She laughs heartily again. She laughs a lot, it seems.
Then she takes another step, and now my face is just a couple of centimeters from sinking into it. "There are plenty of women, especially among the dragonkin, who enjoy small men like you," she seductively states and licks her lips.
I stare at her again and her man-eating gaze gives me a chill. I'm not even going to comment on "small men."
But I won't be bullied by a virgin!
I hold on to the "Master" persona and cheekily retort, "If so, then why were you a virgin until now?"
She smirks then looks away, seemingly faintly embarrassed, and I savor my small victory by breathing in deeply her scent.
But she quickly recovers. "For the same reason why nobody bought me until now: I didn't find anyone worthy of it." Then she wrinkles her nose in disgust and frowns. "Haughty nobles or crude and stupid mercenaries. Bah! I knew I could do better…" -Her large hands cup my cheeks- "And I did."
I'm starting to get used to her aggressiveness, so I calmly reply, "You seriously think I'm worthy?"
"I think you're worthy of testing," she confidently states and releases me then takes a step back, reducing the strain in my pants.
I tilt my head confusedly. "Oh? What if I fail the test?"
"I have enough 'Willpower' to break the slavery and run away," she casually answers, then drops the dress.
"Wow. That's impressive," I reply in kind as I stare, both meanings of the phrase intended.
I don't really feel like I should fear that she'll run away. Breaking the contract isn't instant, and there's a lot of wiggle room between her deciding to run away and her actually running away.
She picks up a red dress and easily puts it on. "Hah! I know! That's why I sold myself so easily," she cheerfully states then models for me.
Should I ask the actual reason she sold herself? I feel like it's too soon, but her personality tells me she wouldn't mind.
Screw it. I'll ask, but at least I'll be tactful about it.
I stare at her face and solemnly ask, "This isn't an order, so you don't have to obey, but would you tell me the reason you sold yourself?"
She stops presenting her behind then faces me while holding her hips and explains rather uninterestedly, "Well, it's no matter. My family were merchants, but they fell to a conspiracy, and to avoid jail, I had the option to either marry someone or be made into a Blood Slave so that I could abandon my family name."
Were merchants.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I solemnly reply.
She shrugs. "Don't be, my father was a fool." Then a hint of anger seeps into her tone. "He fell for the trap and turned to crime to pay off the debt he accumulated, but because of that, the entire family suffered. I got off lightly, though. I was told I'd make a great Blood Slave, so I sold myself for cheap to make it easier to find a Master, then I just had to wait for you."
"Cheap"? If that's cheap, I don't want to know Alissa's real price.
What kind of discount did Nour prepare for me, really?
I hum and continue, "I'll be taking a break for around a day-cycle so that I can focus on studying magic. Is that alright with you?"
"I'm yours for life now, Master." She calmly affirms and spins, lifting her dress and showing me her shapely legs, then she gives me a sobering stare. "I'll be fine with whatever you wish. Now that I'm here, it might actually be best for you to focus on magic, too. I heard you made a small miracle when healing your companion, so you seem to have some talent for it."
I cringe and look away. "Did everybody hear about my fight in detail?"
She gives me a refreshingly hearty laugh, "Hahahahah! This is an adventuring town, Master! People around here live for this kind of story! The minstrels might garble some of the details to add more flavor, but the real story should be out there."
I sigh and stare at her again, then she smirks and continues to seduce me.
In the end, she successfully charms me, and I splurge a bit. I buy her the two dresses and a couple of spare casual clothes, but unfortunately, there's no alluring underwear, those are only luxury items.
During the walk back home, we remain silent and just enjoy each other's presence with our arms and fingers entwined. My mind wanders to the image of her body, and I start to get impatient.
I'm actually glad I bought her. There might be various reasons why her purchase makes me happy, but more than anything, it's because she seems like an amazing person.
We reach home by 9:30 AM. Once we open the door, Roxanne immediately comes out of her room, then Alissa stops her cooking and also comes to greet us.
"Oooh. Told you it was a woman," Roxanne comments wryly while examining Hana like one analyzes a beautiful statue.
I clear my throat and introduce them, "Well, this is Hanafuria, Hana for short. Hanafuria, this is Miss Roxanne, a companion."
Hana looks at Roxanne, then at me, then at Roxanne again and smirks.
What…?
"Well met, Miss Roxanne. It seems from now on I'll be your shield," she huskily returns the greeting, then grabs Roxanne's hand and gives it a gentle kiss.
Roxanne's voice rises an octave as she laughs like a lady, "Hohohoh, I already feel safer. I'm happy to meet you, Miss Hana."
The fiery warrior retorts with poise, "There's no need to use honorifics for me, I'm just a slave of Grand Ryder."
And the succubus coyly waves her hand dismissively. "Nonsense. Mr. Ryder barely treats Miss Alissa as a slave, so there's no need to treat you any less."
"Then I gladly accept it," she politely states with a bow.
I stare at Hana in awe.
Holy shit, this woman is majestic.
"Excuse me, I have to go back to work," Roxanne bashfully announces, then walks back to her room, an alluring sway to her hips and thin black tail.
While Hana and I stare at her, Alissa walks up to me.
"Master, I bought more of that cloth that might fit Hana," she eagerly whispers in my ear.
Now you've done it.
"Give them to me. We'll be staying upstairs until lunch," I sternly state, feeling the blood go down once again.
"As you wish, Master," she obediently replies and bows, but I see a mischievous smile grace her pretty face.
Then I turn to the gorgeous beauty beside me. "Hana, should we wait for tonight?" I huskily ask with a suggestive grin.
She notices my growing bulge, and her vertical pupils widen in excitement. "There's no need, is there?" She replies in kind.
I grab her hand and lead her to our room. Once we're in, she immediately goes to the bed while I lock the door.
She sits down and waits, so I approach her, then I grab her chin and pull her up into a deep kiss.
There's no hesitation on her part. She receives my lips, and we share gentle kisses for a moment, but she becomes impatient, and her tongue parts my lips, then she eagerly explores my mouth.
I hug her body, but she hugs me back harder, squishing my chest against her large, elastic mountains, and I notice that they're much firmer than Alissa's. Is this due to the dragonkin's special skin?
My hands explore her muscular back, but then I move them to the front and grip both breasts. She moans softly in my mouth then lets out a chuckle.
But touching just isn't enough. I pull her away to break the kiss and desperately lift her shirt.
Don't tell the US, but I found two weapons of mass destruction.
Her areolas are darker than lightly tanned skin, and I find them almost irresistibly luscious, but her nipples are already erect, begging to be pinched, so I immediately compromise and pinch one while I lick the other.
She moans again, her lower voice making it sound almost like a growl, then she grabs my hair and pulls me towards her chest, asking for more, so I give her a small bite, and she yells in surprise.
"Ahn~…! That's… that's so good…" She whispers with a heavy breath.
"Did you ever touch yourself like this?" I teasingly ask and continue sucking.
Her strong fingers run through my hair and massage my scalp. "Hahah, my nipples had never been touched before you."
I bite the other nipple, and she moans delightfully. "Then I'll teach you a lot of things today," I soothingly whisper and kiss her breast, then I push her down and go for her belt.
She raises her head and stares at me with her man-eating gaze while I pull down her pants, then I notice that there's already a wet spot in her panties.
Jesus, how eager are you?
She kicks off her boots, then I remove her pants, and she immediately spreads her legs for me, presenting herself to me like an appetizing meal.
I gently pull her panties to the side, revealing her sticky pussy lips, then I cover them with my mouth and penetrate her with my indicator.
"Yes…!" She breathes as her legs quiver with desire.
I savor the sour taste of her arousal as I slowly rub my tongue between her lips, going up until I reach the small nub of her clit.
She squirms and moans loudly in response, then grabs my head and pushes it further in, trying to get my tongue to penetrate her deeper. It seems she likes it rough and intense.
I move my finger in and out of her and her voice grows louder. Her moans have a lower pitch in comparison to Alissa's, but they aren't any more or less sexier. Every moan of a woman is just perfect.
I take my time with increasing the speed of my movements just to make sure she understands I'm in control. But after a couple of minutes, I curl my finger upwards in search of the sacred spot, and it doesn't take long to find it.
She suddenly stops moaning and releases my head, telling me that I'm right on the mark, then she begins trembling and grabs the sheets.
I rub my finger against the subtly rough patch, and she starts screaming in pleasure, then my mouth becomes wetter and wetter as she leaks even more lewd fluids.
Now my tongue focuses entirely on her clit while I play with her G-spot, and she suddenly finds her voice again.
"AAHN~...! YES…! YES…!" She shouts in ecstasy, her strong thighs quivering as she struggles to not crush my head.
But soon she reaches the peak, and a massive orgasm takes a hold of her body. Her insides clench and her body convulses, so I hug her waist and hold on. I'll give her the best orgasm she ever had!
I bask in the glory of my victory, enjoying how I've made this proud warrior into a shivering mess, but after long seconds, her voice begins to lower, so I decrease the intensity of my movements to match her, then her body suddenly goes limp.
I release her and notice that my finger is now covered in a small amount of white cream from her climax, so I lick it clean while I wait for her to catch her breath.
"What… was… that..." She mutters, her eyes open wide in amazement.
Two kicks, two goals.
I smugly explain, "I played with your 'G-spot,' which, as you can see, is a woman's greatest weakness."
"That's..." She tries to speak, but she's at a complete loss for words, so I crawl up to her and come face-to-face.
"Now then…" I whisper seductively then kiss her scaly cheek. "It's time for the main meal."
Her fearsome grin starts to return, which is my sign that I need to continue before she tries to assume control of this situation.
I pull a piece of cloth from my "Items" and slide it under her, then I pull down my pants and present my hard cock.
She stares at it with anticipation and wiggles her hips towards me, but once my tip touches her entrance, I grab her waist and hold it still.
She looks up at me and gives me an expectant look, but I take a moment to admire the view. A wild, powerful, ferocious, big-titted, red beauty is right before me, almost begging to be fucked.
And she's all mine. She's my… property.
I've been completely corrupted.
I rub the reddened head of my cock against her entrance and she twitches, but then she becomes fascinated by my precum mixing with her lewd juices.
I tease her again and begin pushing it in, but then I pull out and tease her a bit more before I enter her further. I'll penetrate her little by little.
But she has other plans.
She suddenly scowls angrily and grabs my hips as she impatiently shouts, "You tease too much!" Then she pulls me, and I easily slide in.
I chuckle softly, but then the pleasant warmth of her insides gets to me, and we moan in sync.
My penetration is stopped by some resistance, but she just pulls me more strongly and we break her hymen. She winces in pain, so I cast [Regeneration] on her.
"What? You're healing me?" She grunts confusedly.
I smile warmly and cup her cheek as I reply, "There's no need for you to feel pain. Also, I can keep this spell on all the time to help you adjust to me."
"I like the pain," she growls defiantly while staring into my eyes.
Ooh~? Then don't mind if I do!
I pull out, cast [Clean] on us to clean the blood, then I immediately thrust again with all my strength. She releases my hips, closes her eyes, and grits her teeth as I inflict deliciously painful pleasure upon her pussy.
I penetrate her roughly, again and again, our thighs smacking loudly against each other, and she squirms and grunts with each thrust.
I pull her waist closer to the edge, and she gives me a confused look, but now I have the proper support that I need to give her the punishment she wants.
I resume my thrusting with renewed ferocity, grunting in delight as my sadism gives me sweet sweet pleasure, then her jaw goes slack while her voice disappears.
She rests her head against the bed and swallows heavily as she tries to regain her composure. The strong and proud, unbreakable shield of our fellowship is currently squirming as her defiance steadily crumbles by my hands and cock.
She glances at me, her eyes filled with awe, the man-eating gaze and her domineering aura now nothing more than a joke. She knows who's the real man here, who's the actual Master.
"Harder..." She softly breathes, and I raise an eyebrow questioningly.
Are you serious?
"Harder…!" She hisses, suddenly finding her strength once again.
I snort and slow down. "You know what, one sec…"
"What?" She growls, angry that I'm not giving her what she wants, but then she gives me a confused look as I open my "Stats" and move my points around.
I put ten in [Enhanced Stamina], ten in [Enhanced Strength], ten in [Enhanced Sexual Stamina], and it only allows me to put one in [Enhanced Genital Control].
I close the window and grin sadistically. "You fucking asked for this," I whisper huskily.
Then I grip her waist and thrust with all my might.
"AAAAHN~...!" She screams, but it quickly shifts into a moan, then she gives me a tight hug and digs her nails into my skin.
She gives me a very stable leverage point to just unleash all my anger onto her pussy through wild, uncontrolled, rough fucking. But her nails dig so deep that I actually take a point of HP damage; she must be making me bleed.
This position is amazing with her. We pant almost in sync, making our hot breaths mix, and we rub our sweaty bodies against each other for maximum penetration. The way she grits her teeth with every thrust, the bounce of her large breasts, and how her abs flex along with the tightening of her insides, it all looks amazing. It feels almost a pity to switch positions, but I want to assert my dominance by making her bend for me.
I turn her sideways and fuck her while hugging her muscular leg, then I force her into doggystyle and wreck her pussy while gripping her nice ass.
Then I hug her from behind, mounting her like an animal, but I'm still not satisfied.
I grab her legs and spread them, then I pull her up with me into a standing reverse cowgirl, making me wish so hard that we had a mirror.
She's tall and heavy, so while this position is amazing, I soon throw her back onto the bed, then I mount her again and pull her hair like reins.
The way her pussy tightens on my cock tells me she enjoys that one, so I press her neck down and bend her spine backward, forcing her to perk her ass up to me as best as she can, and it allows me to reach so deep inside her even I feel amazing.
But she takes it so well I start to feel like abusing her more, and just pounding harder won't do. I put her on a chokehold, and that makes her instantly orgasm, leaking fluids everywhere and increasing the amount of cream coating my shaft.
I use Hana's body as I wish, doing all the hardcore stuff that I couldn't do with Alissa. I slap her ass until it's as red as her hair, I dig my nails into her skin and thrust with all my power, I bite her back to leave my (very brief) mark, I pull hard on her hair, and I bend her body to make her even sexier to me.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and I feel my stamina finally beginning to decrease, so I take off [Enhanced Sexual Stamina], and my balls immediately feel like they're ready to explode.
After a few last thrusts, I unleash the biggest load I've ever done all inside her. My cock simply pumps rope after rope for long seconds, and my muscles all tense up from the amazing orgasm, but then the pleasure quickly subsides.
I slap her ass and push her onto the bed, then she simply collapses, her abused, reddened pussy slowly leaking from my massive cumshot.
The dragon has been tamed.
She remains still for a long moment, splayed out like a used doll, but she's also face down, which worries me, so I turn her around.
Her eyes are simply glossed over, with a complete lack of focus as she gasps for air, so I just sit down beside her and caress her mane-like hair until she's back.
She slowly gets her breathing back under control, and her eyes start to focus again, then she notices me, and we smile at each other.
I conjure some water into a cup and offer it to her. She remains still for a couple of seconds, then summons enough energy to weakly sit up and drink it.
"I may be… inexperienced… but that… wasn't normal…" She hoarsely states.
"Yeah, you could say I'm a bit special," I smugly reply.
She chuckles softly, then coughs. "If you do that… every day… I'll die."
I let out a very amused laugh. "Hahaha, no I can't do that every day. It's just that you asked for it."
She clears her throat. "I certainly did." Then she also laughs.
We stay silent for a moment, just basking in the post-amazing-sex afterglow, but then I take stock of our situation. Our bodies are sweaty and reek of sex, the sheets need washing, and the cloth I put down has a rather considerable blood spot even though I had used [Clean]. Thankfully, her insides are quite resistant, so my dick doesn't look like a murder weapon.
I lay down next to her and use her breasts as a pillow, then she starts caressing my hair just like I was doing to her.
Then I wonder out loud, "Your breasts are quite firm and elastic; is this because of your dragonkin skin? Alissa's are much softer and squishier."
She soothingly replies, "I don't know. I'll need to feel her breasts to compare."
And a depraved idea comes to me.
"Would you like to fondle a woman?" I question with a suggestive tone.
"Hm? I don't have any particular desire to do it," she answers absentmindedly.
"But do you feel disgusted at the idea?"
"Hmm~... no." And I know she's smirking just from her tone.
"Would you kiss Alissa if I asked?"
She whispers huskily in my ear, "If it'd please you."
Ho-ho-ho, Christmas came twice this year. This response almost makes my friend stand up again, but the adrenaline is running out, so my muscles are beginning to complain.
"Don't you feel any shame at being so lewd?" I teasingly ask her.
And she answers without hesitation, "Of course, I do, but I don't allow it to get in the way of what I want."
I grab one of her hands and give it a kiss. "Your straightforwardness is rather charming."
She intensifies her scalp massage with her strong fingers. "Hah! Thank you, but I know I have two other things more charming than that." Then she grabs my head and presses it against her chest.
I just close my eyes and enjoy the pillow massage, but then I turn around and start fondling these monsters, lightly teasing her sensitive bits. She starts to get a bit excited again, but her flower is still in pain, so I stop torturing her.
Eventually, our strength returns, and I tell her we need to take a bath, then we walk out of the room, but Alissa immediately approaches us.
"The bath is ready, Master," she obediently reports.
"How thoughtful. Thank you, Alissa," I kindly praise her, then she returns an adorable smile and bows.
Bowing isn't necessary, though.
"Oh, what a nice bath. We could all get in together," Hana cheerfully remarks.
And I emphatically affirm, "I'll definitely bathe with you and Alissa whenever I can."
"What a luxury."
"Thank Roxanne. Her magic makes starting a bath something trivial."
She grins and cops a feel of my ass. "I certainly will."
I'm not gonna let her peg me, so that's as far as she'll go.
I cop her ass and push her forward, then I begin washing her, and she'll wash me next.
I delicately soap her scales. They need to be hardened during washing, so I have to be careful not to cut myself. Hana seems amused at being cared for, but she doesn't try to stop me. This isn't how the usual Master-Slave relationships are supposed to go, but neither of us really seems to care to behave like it.
After her delicious and muscular body is perfectly washed, I let her do me, but she's very rough, so I keep her away from my sensitive parts. Her eyes seem to be drawn downstairs, though, so I let her play with it a bit.
Then we soak in the warm water, but not for long because we have to help Alissa cook.
The half-cycle has changed today, so the food should, too. My helpful fox girl was testing a few recipes while Hana and I did it, and she has settled on something interesting: an orc meat pie with not-palm-heart and not-corn. There's also plenty of salad, and bean paste on toasted bread.
It feels refreshing to eat something so elaborate, and now that we have a kitchen, we can prepare meals like this one all the time.
Hana sits on the chair and grunts, "Oof."
I touch her arm and give her a concerned look as I cast [Regeneration]. "Are you hurting? You should always tell me if you are; there's no need to be in pain when I can heal you immediately," I kindly plead.
"It shouldn't be a bother, but I'm not used to pain in that place," she suggestively answers and flashes me a smirk.
Roxanne grins while Alissa gives me a worried look, making me sigh.
I clear my throat and lay down the rules, "Even if it's bearable, you should always tell me." -I grab her hand to tell how serious I am- "Here, let me tell you the same thing I told Alissa. Being in pain drains your mental stamina, tiring you more easily, which makes it more likely for you to die in battle. If you die, it'd be a waste of my money, a waste of such a strong companion that you are, and my feelings will also be deeply hurt because I'm not one to just treat you like a tool. So, this is why we need to keep you happy and well-rested: you need to always be at your best so you don't die or disappoint me.
"I'll give you two rules: the first one is 'don't die' because I don't want you sacrificing yourself for me, and the second one is 'let's never get into a situation where someone needs to die' so you won't even have to think about sacrificing yourself if we don't ever get in a situation that needs it, to begin with. Now, do you understand your value to me?"
Roxanne and Hana stare blankly and raise their eyebrows in surprise while Alissa nods repeatedly in agreement.
Then the pale demon coos and agrees, "Hoo~, I guess that's why Alissa is so dedicated." And I start to feel embarrassed.
"Obviously…" Alissa hums.
And Hana suddenly bows and passionately exclaims, "I-I understand, Master. I'll always remain on my best performance for you!"
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I awkwardly smile and nod, then we finally start eating.
"Master, forgive my improper behavior, but do you have alcohol?" Hana timidly asks, but the question seems to irk Alissa.
"A slave shouldn't ask for such things!" She scolds the junior slave.
But I appease her, "I don't mind, Alissa. I don't drink, so I don't have any alcohol, but I can buy some for you if you want. Just don't drink too much, I don't like to deal with drunk people."
Roxanne happily confesses, "Ah, there's some wine in the ice box. I was so busy working I didn't drink anything in a while." Then she runs to the kitchen to grab it.
"Ice box" is the creative name the people in this world gave to the fridge.
Hana smiles and casually remarks as she watches Roxanne leave, "For me, it's difficult to become drunk with human alcohol due to my 'Endurance,' but I still enjoy a drink once in a while."
"Well, I don't mind, then," I hum.
Roxanne quickly comes back with the bottle, then she pours for Hana and herself, and the two share a smile.
They give Alissa and me an inquisitive look, but neither of us want to drink, so they just nod at each other and down their glasses.
Roxanne takes it slower while Hana just drinks it all in one go, then the red dragon woman raises her empty glass and exclaims, "Seven months of boredom, seven months waiting for someone worthy, now finally over! I feel reborn!"
"Considering Mr. Ryder's record, we won't be bored for long," Roxanne quietly states and gives me a cheeky glance.
"But what can we kill that topples the Symbol of Hate?" Hana asks with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
Roxanne sips her wine and then casually suggests, "There's always the ancient dragons."
Hana leans back on her chair and relaxes. "Ohh~, now that's every dragonkin's dream."
The cheeky demon leans forward and excitedly shares, "Ah, I heard the last expedition into the City of the Damned failed again." Then she claps the tip of her fingers like a silly happy seal.
Hana crosses her arms, deep in thought, also bunching up her massive pair. "Hmm… the undead are an interesting foe. I never fought one, but how do you kill something that never dies?"
Roxanne shrugs. "Don't know. You could use them for an endurance battle, though."
"Seems so. It'd be the perfect enemy to challenge myself."
And the succubus gently lands a hand on the dragon girl's muscular arm. "Ah, we could just gather them all in a single place and then I blow them all up! Hohohoh," -she laughs like an evil ojou- "there's no way they will revive if there's nothing to revive."
"You can do what?" Hana questions confusedly, and Roxanne explains how [Explosion] works. "Diamond dragon scales! That's amazing!"
"Of course, I'm amazing," Roxanne smugly replies, and the two chuckle loudly.
Alissa seems rather impressed with this exchange, but I'm uncomfortable with these outrageous ideas and dangerous words.
Though, I look forward to seeing how much more lively our meals will be from now on.
After everyone is finished, Alissa cleans the table while Roxanne returns to her room.
I'm eager to look at Hana's "Companions" tab, so I call her, "Hana, come to our room. I have to explain a few things to you about our teamwork."
"Understood, Master," she chipperly replies and follows after me.
We sit on the bed, then I open her stats window.
Hanafuria Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 19 Spear Use 14 Bow Use 9 Two-Handed Sword Use 9 Polearm Use 6 Dagger Use 4 Shield Bash 6 Block 7 Parry 6 Dodge 4 Tatesomu Style 3 Muscle Explosion 4 Battlefield Perception 2 Taunt 3 Intimidate 2 Enhanced Reflexes 2 Enhanced Stamina 4 Enhanced Strength 2 Enhanced Endurance 4
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 1 Light Magic 1 Fire Magic 1 Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Housework 2 Cooking 1 Cleaning 1 Washing 1 Riding 3 Pain Conversion 1 Dismantling 4 Fire Breath (innate) 5 Summon Wings (innate) 4
Info
Name Hanafuria Age 23 Race Fire-Type Dragonkin HP 100 MP 28 Magic Power 10 Level 35
Stats
Strength 19 Endurance 24 Dexterity 10 Speed 13 Intelligence 8 Wisdom 9 Willpower 19 Charisma 16 Piety 11 Perception 9 Sanity 17
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'NONE' Affiliations 'Wolf Ryder (Master)' Companions 'NONE' Crimes 'NONE'
Now those are some stats… but could her "Charisma" be affecting me? I did become fond of her suspiciously fast.
Eh, whatever…
I tell her my "Guider" lie, and she responds with an excited grin, but then she leans forward, our noses now almost touching, and she slowly whispers seductively, "Seems like there's no way I'm leaving you, now, Master. I'll marry you and have your children. Whatever you wish, I'll give it to you. This is too good of a gift to let it slip."
No need to be so eager…
I clear my throat to give me time to gather my courage, then I pat her scaled cheek and calmly whisper back, "There's no way I'm letting you go, too."
I flash a smile, and she suddenly steals my lips, putting me off balance once again, then she smirks seductively and wraps her arm around my waist while straightening up her posture.
I sigh at her endless eagerness, then I begin the questioning, "Now, what is [Pain Conversion]."
She cringes and looks away for a moment, "Well… [Pain Conversion] is something I acquired one day after a long… long day of fighting. I can use it to feel pleasure from the pain, but I still feel the pain."
I blink blankly. "What…"
But she just shrugs while grinning.
God, woman… can you be normal for one second?!
I massage my forehead while mumbling wryly, "I guess… that explains some things..."
And she awkwardly laughs, "Hahahah, I guess so." Then slaps my back.
But an idea pops up in my mind.
I stare her in the eye, and a smile slowly creeps up on my lips as I realize, "Wait, no, this is actually good. I can abuse you in any way I want and you'll enjoy it."
She remains still and sustains my gaze, allowing for my words to sink in, then she slowly licks her lips…
Oh boy, my heart.
I grab her thigh and put a stop to this before we start doing it again, "Hold on, we have to stop here, we're getting sidetracked. Business comes first. Anyways, why do you have one hundred and fifty HP while I only have one hundred?"
She clenches her jaw in irritation, but after a short moment she seems to get her wild tendencies under control, then she assumes a more thoughtful expression. "Hm, from what I understand, HP is only a loose representation of human 'health,' while dragonkin have a lot more resiliency than you humes, and we can also fight with wounds that would make any other race faint, so the system says we have more HP."
"Wow, it seems like your race is really strong," I casually remark, actually impressed.
She puffs up her chest and hits her fist against it as she exclaims, "Hell yeah! Dragonkin are the toughest race and the bestest warriors! Only the dwarves can compete in toughness and the dog wereanimals as best soldiers."
Her confidence is infectious and makes me smile.
"But… we're kind of terrible at anything else," she hurriedly adds as she awkwardly scratches her emerald cheek scales.
I let out a short laugh and move on, "Next one, what's [Tatesomu Style]?"
"It's my fighting style. It revolves around bashing, countering, and trading my higher HP and stamina to overwhelm the enemy."
I don't know much about fighting to make any insightful comment on this topic, but to me, she really does sound like a tank.
I just continue, "Hmm… what is [Taunt]?"
"I can yell curses at the enemy to make them angry and turn their focus towards me. I use it to make sure monsters don't attack the mages or archers, but it also sometimes works on humanoids, I think."
Wow, there's aggro management here, too. Also, I guess this is why swearing at the spiders worked.
"What about [Intimidate]?"
She snorts softly. "It's a skill I can't really control. It just makes people afraid of me if I get annoyed, but it's quite useful because these two balloons have made too many men fall for me." -She casually fondles her chest- "So I guess I developed this skill after crushing enough balls."
O~ka~y… I don't want to hear that story.
I clear my throat and quickly continue, "Alright, next, [Battlefield Perception]?"
"It helps keep an eye on other people even when I have my back to them, but it doesn't work well when I can't actually see the person, like if they're behind a wall. My job was escorting, so I'm extra sensitive to when other people are in danger."
Sounds interesting. Almost like a sixth sense, but perhaps it uses peripheral vision since it can't see through walls. I should add it to my build later on when I have room.
"You say your wings are physical, but [Summon Wings] is a spell?" I question confusedly.
"Well, it costs a little bit of mana to grow and use the wings, but it's still mostly stamina."
"Alright. So, what skills do you want to improve with your spare points?"
She turns her face away to think, and her hand on my waist starts to wander around my back, tickling me.
After a good minute, she suddenly nods and answers, "Divide them between [Sword Use] and [Block]. Those are my most useful skills to help you."
I smile warmly and pat her thigh. "Alright, this is all for now. Again, this is a secret, and even Roxanne doesn't know about it, though at some point I think I'll tell her."
She gives me a bright, confident smile. "No problem, Master. I'll take this to the grave."
I feel like I should correct her eagerness to die, but then I remember something, "Ah, I guess you don't know yet, but I got a blessing from the Goddess of Knowledge a few days ago. This is why I'm deciding to enter the university now."
She gives me a hug and happily hums, "Oh~! Just another reason why choosing you was a good idea."
I shrug and bury my head in her chest. I'm not going to say no to a god-sanctioned harem.
When 1 PM arrives, I put on my expensive clothes. It's time to go to the magic university. We'll buy Hana's equipment and register her tomorrow because I'm too eager to look for info on [Golemancy].
I'll ride Alissa there while Hana will stay at home, so she'll clean the house and train a bit.
But before we leave, we give the last piece of the chocolate cake to Hana, and for a moment, the man-eating woman disappears, replaced by a smiling little girl with a red mane.
Adorable.
Then I mount my fluffy fox, and it takes us only a few minutes to reach the university.
It's hard to miss the entrance because there's a metal arch above it with the glowing golden words "Rabanara's Magic University" written in Andraste's greek-like alphabet. Then my eyes are attracted to the glowing symbols on each side of the gate, a vine staff with a trillion-shaped gem at the top.
Why does everything magical needs to glow…?
The grey brick walls are pretty high, hiding everything else visible, so I look past the open gate. Right ahead, there's a majestic rectangular fountain with water gushing around in rhythmic fashion. The jets slowly float from one tube to another, and sometimes they sync, creating pretty patterns in the air.
Once the jets pass by floating metal rings, they produce cute musical sounds, and the melody reminds me of background music for sleep you could find on YouTube.
Flanking the brick path that goes around the fountain, we see long patches of pretty flowers, and the occasional breeze brings about their gentle perfume. It's very faint, and I believe it's intentional so that you don't get sick of smelling it from coming here every day for years.
There are plenty of students about, and they're all wearing a simple gray uniform that reminds me of British schools. Occasionally, we see someone flying in a magical carpet, magical chair, magical broom, magical bathtub, or just simply flying or floating around. I also find it curious that nobody goes over the wall, always choosing to pass under the arch, instead.
What's most interesting about the students is the assortment of eye-catching staves and wands of all shapes and sizes, shining, glowing, or non-corporeal.
Alissa notices my child-like wonder and cautions me, "Most of these staves and wands are just expensive decorations, really."
I awkwardly admit, "I'll trust you to help me spot scammers, then."
And she diligently replies, "Always."
After the fountain, we're faced with a wide, rectangular building made of white bricks, and our eyes immediately fall on the glowing yellow words "Reception" above its entrance. Curiously, the roof is made of colorful and ornate tiles, giving it a bit of a whimsical air.
We see the roofs of multiple other buildings peeking from behind the reception, and far in the distance, there's a thick, ominous, black tower rising into the sky. I'd like to just spend my time looking around, but we'd stand out too much, so we quickly move on.
The guards look quite impressive with their black velvet uniforms, and I notice that they all have both a wand and a sword hanging from their belts.
We do feel faintly underdressed for the location, so we timidly enter the reception and stiffly look around.
We're now in a large hall made of glossy wood with a glossy counter where multiple attendants sit behind. A few potted plants near the walls give this place a rather modern air, tho.
There are a few people sitting on comfy-looking chairs or sofas in the waiting area at the corner of the hall, but their attire doesn't seem too different from ours, so we start to relax.
Then we approach one of the attendants. She wears a grey, velvet uniform with a golden pin of the university's symbol on her chest, and a cute grey beret to finish the look.
The wealth being displayed is still a bit overwhelming, tho.
The attendant notices me, so I clear my throat and begin, "Good afternoon. I'm a traveler who's researching magic, and I'd like to know the ways I can join the university. Just recently I acquired a Blessing from the Goddess of Knowledge."
She immediately equips a perfect smile, then she puts on the counter a transparent crystal ball and a transparent crystal tablet. "Please put your hand over this crystal while I analyze your condition," she politely requests.
I put my hand on the crystal, and the tablet instantly becomes black, then words in white slowly appear on it, and the attendant lets out a soft gasp. I made sure I had removed all suspicious skills, like those I used on Hana, so I don't know what she's surprised about.
She looks up and slowly nods as she reassures me, "Everything looks good. I'll check if there's an advisor who's free right now, and if there's not, we can schedule an appointment. Please wait over there." Then she motions to the seats near the wall and scurries away.
We just sit down like we're told, and I play with Alissa's tail to pass the time. After a few minutes, a robed, middle-aged, balding man with a nice belly and a very round face energetically struts into the hall, and I notice that he's holding the crystal tablet with my information.
He spots us then quickly comes our way with a wide smile on his plump face.
We stand up, then he introduces himself with a short bow, "Good afternoon, Mr. Ryder. I'm Mathias, an advisor for potential applicants. Would you come with me to a meeting room?"
I politely respond, "Good afternoon. This is Alissa, my Blood Slave. Let's go, then."
He nods towards Alissa, and she bows respectfully, then we follow him.
Aside from the large entrance hall, this building is all offices, and we follow Mathias into a simple one with a few chairs, a tea set, a potted plant, and a tall document drawer. It feels oddly nostalgic as it's very similar to modern cubicle culture, but not quite there yet.
Mathias sits heavily on his chair, then pours tea for the three of us, and it makes me quite happy to see that he doesn't ignore Alissa just because she's a slave.
We all take a gentle sip of the flowery tea, then he begins, "Now, Mr. Ryder. The process to join is dependent on what the entree wants. You mentioned research, but what sort of magic do you intend to research here, specifically?"
I clear my throat and make my case, "Well, I have a little bit of knowledge about [Golemancy], and I'd like to study it further, if it isn't forbidden magic."
He makes a thoughtful expression and rubs his round chin. "[Golemancy], hm…? I think there might be some records about such magic here, but it's really obscure. I'll have to put up a query to the archivist. From what I remember, it isn't forbidden, so don't worry, but since you don't have the skill, even if it's forbidden, it isn't unlawful to be curious about it."
That's very reassuring.
Seeing my relief, he claps his large hands and continues with a business smile, "Now. We know that you have a Blessing, and we give a large discount on the tuition to those who have it. What other facilities do you intend to use besides the one for research?"
"Can you tell me my options? I don't know much about the university after all."
"Let's see…" He hums and pulls out a pamphlet from a drawer in his desk, then he reads it out, "We offer courses in all of the elemental system schools. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Electricity, Nature, Light, Dark, Space, Spirit, Conjuring and [Blessing Magic]. We offer beginner, intermediate and advanced courses for all of these. There are also three levels inside each class difficulty, but it's unnecessary to complete all three as they serve only to help the slower learners.
"We offer theoretical studies like astronomy, farming enhancements, monster anatomy, ancient languages, ancient history, lost knowledge, and many other, more specific classes, not to mention all of the crafting-related classes." -Then he pulls from a drawer a small booklet- "There are actually too many to count, so you better read this yourself."
He pushes forward the little book, and I guess that it has about twenty pages.
I take it and start browsing through it as I clarify, "I'm only interested in the magic schools for now. Do you offer classes on Illusion and [Summoning Magic]?"
There are a few magic schools that he didn't mention, like Cursing, so I'll keep quiet about them for now.
He shifts in his seat and gracefully gesticulates with his hand as he continues, "Those are fields under research, so there aren't enough teachers knowledgeable in them to create a standard teaching plan that ensures skill gain. If you enter as a researcher, you can look for those who research into that area and hire them if they're offering to tutor."
I definitely will.
He points his chubby finger to the booklet. "We also offer training courses in practical magic skills, like [Reduced Mana Cost], [Mana Control], [Sense Mana], [Mana Efficiency] and [Mana Recovery]."
I raise my head and blurt out, "What about [Redirect Mana]?"
He frowns confusedly. "The crystal says you're its creator, so only you have any knowledge about it." -Then I see an excited glint in his eyes- "If you share how you acquired that skill, it'd count as another point towards us accepting you."
Oh, duh…
I nod and accept, "I could definitely share that. What about [Mana Overuse Resistance] and [Blackout Resistance]?"
He shakes his head negatively. "Those skills require inhuman effort to acquire, so hardly anyone has the courage to learn it. It's actually very impressive you acquired [Mana Overuse Resistance]." Then he flashes a sympathetic smile.
Yeah… I did get that one after a near-death experience.
And I gloomily explain, "I can tell you what I did to acquire [Redirect Mana], but it's similar to [Mana Overuse Resistance], I had to work so hard I think I nearly killed myself."
Alissa turns her head towards me, looking slightly horrified. Too much shit was happening at the time, so I forgot to tell her about this skill.
"Is that so…?" Mathias hum thoughtfully, seemingly surprised that I have two special skills, then he gently claps his hands and moves on, "Well, that's regrettable, but it'd still be a point in your favor if you told us what it does and how to get it."
"I haven't properly used it, so I'll test it for a day-cycle and then tell you the results."
"That'd be great," he chipperly replies.
"Now I need to choose what courses I want…" I hum, then I glance at Alissa. I need her help.
"Can we speak in private?" Alissa politely requests. I'm glad she's always so reliable.
Mathias happily leaves the room, and we begin discussing my skills.
Mages generally specialize in one or two magic schools, and since the number of skills they can reasonably get is based on their level, they balance access to the more impactful, higher level spells they can get from specialization, with the versatility of the lower level spells they can get from learning multiple schools at a low level.
The problem with high-level spells is that they need a good amount of "Magic Power" for them to be effective, or a considerable level of [Mana Control] so that they can pack more power into it at the cost of MP.
Unfortunately, I have neither MP nor MPower to go for this strategy, so the only choice left is choosing multiple schools based on the utility of their low-level spells. Considering how my power allows me to instantly cast any spell, having a wide enough repertoire of spells for every situation seems like the best way to utilize this cheat.
But I can also increase the performance of this strategy further by using mana-enhancing skills. [Mana Control] is useless since I don't plan on increasing or decreasing the power of spells; I can put some points in [Mana Recovery] in between battles, so that's also useless to learn; [Mana Efficiency] is for channeled spells, like [Firestorm], or for long-lasting spells, like [Entangling Vines] and [Fire Wall], but I don't really need longer duration; and that leaves [Reduced Mana Cost], which affects the initial cast cost, and that's exactly where most of my mana goes to whenever I cast a spell.
With this, it becomes easy to decide the best schools for me.
"I want to enter a beginners course in [Reduced Mana Cost], Space, Blessing, Electricity, Light, and Nature," I request to Mathias.
"Beginners?" He hums confusedly and lifts his eyebrows in surprise.
"Most of my magic is self-taught, so I want to learn from the basics and solidify my foundation."
He nods in understanding, making his round face jiggle a bit. "Oh, I see. Well, your attitude is commendable," he kindly affirms, but then his expression becomes serious. "Also, let me tell you that you can only learn the [Gate] spell from the [Space Magic] school if you want to become a certified 'Portal Master.' In the whole empire, the use of this spell is heavily regulated."
"I see… I'll keep that in mind," I soberly reply.
I still want to learn that magic school, and I can just remove my points in [Space Magic] if I come close to learning [Gate].
Then he cautions me, "Also, that's quite a lot of classes. We recommend a maximum of five classes since we work with half-cycle teaching."
"What do you mean by 'half-cycle teaching'?"
"You have a different class each day, and after a half-cycle, you repeat your classes. After a day-cycle, you get a half-cycle without classes where you're supposed to deepen the knowledge of what was taught or to simply rest. The professors are all available for consultation during the rest days."
I just need to remove one class, then. Though [Heal] is very useful, it's still expensive mana-wise for me, and the lower level spells aren't as useful as the ones of other schools.
"Then I'll remove [Light Magic] from my list. How long do these courses last?"
"Three months. The next course is to start in two day-cycles, but you could get some pointers from the teachers and start pre-studying until then."
I hum in agreement. "That's fine by me, but what will be the price?"
He smiles, a bit of greed tainting his expression, and starts writing down some notes while he happily deliberates, "With your Blessing, a full half-cycle of studying will cost two gold per three day-cycles, or rather, two gold per month. If you can show us the [Redirect Mana] skill, we'll lower it to two gold per four day-cycles. If you join right now, then in two days we'll have a small office ready for you so you can begin your research. The office is free for those with the Blessing, and the gold cost will only start counting once you start your lessons." Then he finishes and daintily rests his hands on his desk.
Spicy, but we can afford my studies.
"I accept these terms," I confirm.
Mathias takes us to the treasury where I make the payment for the full course, and if I get the discount, part of the money will be returned.
By the time my office will be ready, the archivist should have already finished my query, so I should be able to start working on [Golemancy] then.
Today is the 10th of the 6th month of the year, and my classes will start next month, so we have twenty days to rest until then.
We leave by 4 PM, and Alissa takes me home.
When we arrive, Roxanne tells us that Hana has been diligently sweeping the entire house, and the fiery woman's bountiful chest visibly grows as she fills it with pride.
Alissa offers to share the work, and Hana obviously accepts, then the two begin a casual talk as they sweep.
Since everyone is working, I decide to start studying [Redirect Mana] now.
I want to understand how I created this skill, so I have to mimic the conditions from that time. I couldn't see, I couldn't feel my body, and I decided to shut down my hearing, so I go to the bedroom, lay down on the bed, and meditate.
But this is still far from enough. I was in a life-or-death situation, so I can't hold back on my efforts.
I had used [Sense Mana] to locate a powerful stream of mana, then I wished really hard for it to come to me, but not a single particle of mana even twitched until later. The first feeling I had was a "stirring" within my mind, and as the feeling grew stronger, some sort of "resistance" pushed back, but then I managed to overcome it and felt my forehead start to "balloon" towards the mana stream, yet my body didn't move, and neither did my head physically inflate, so it was something else.
What about my soul…?
Since [Sense Presence] doesn't work on yourself, maybe I should recruit Alissa's help, but first, I need to properly grasp how that "inflation" works.
Now that I think about it, the initial "stirring" feels awfully similar to the "scratching" that I need to do to instant-cast a spell. The "itches" that I need to scratch to cast also seem to have a specific position within my mind, so I choose the two furthest spells and try to scratch them without actually casting while I pay close attention to my internal feelings.
After a few tests, I'm left with no doubt that there's a goddamn "cursor" in my mind that I use to press "buttons" which activate my instant-cast spell cheat. Thinking back on what I did to create [Redirect Mana], I must've pushed this "cursor" out of my body, and it allowed me to forcefully absorb mana, somehow.
I focus on manipulating the cursor, but it's very difficult and tiring. It's a muscle I've never used before, like trying to raise an individual eyebrow. I know it's there, I can feel it now, but my brain seemingly doesn't have the correct synapses to properly control it, so it's sluggish and awkward.
Eventually, it becomes so tiring that I have to stop, so I open my eyes and notice an hour has already passed.
That didn't really feel like an hour.
I guess I succeeded in shutting down some of my senses, like the sense of time. Maybe meditation has more mysteries and powers than I'd previously thought. I'll try to focus on killing my senses for now.
A low, sensuous voice suddenly tickles my right ear, "Master, the bath is ready."
I jump and grunt as I open my eyes, "Wh-what…?!" Then I notice Hana's amused face centimeters from mine and finally process what she said. "Oh, right. I guess I lost track of time again."
She straightens up and raises a red eyebrow at me. "What were you doing, Master?"
I feel my cheeks burn, but I still calmly answer, "Meditating and trying to kill my senses. There's a skill I want to train that needs it."
"Ooh, sounds interesting," she warmly replies.
I just chuckle, and we leave.
Alissa is waiting for us inside the bath room, ready to wash our bodies.
It's kind of fun taking a bath together because Hana makes things more lively, but I'm way too tired for anything spicy.
Then Hana starts unashamedly fondling Alissa while washing her, and the cute fox girl acts scared at first, but she quickly gets used to it, though she remains a bit embarrassed by the intimate touch. I'm a bit of a shameless man, so it excites me to think of Hana and Alissa together.
So much so that my friend comes alive, and Hana instantly notices it.
The majestic woman grins as she watches it twitch in excitement, then she gives Alissa a nice squeeze as she affirms, "I totally understand why you like these things so much, Master. While mine are firm and elastic, hers are so much softer and conform better to the shape of the hand."
Her strong hands are deliberately avoiding stimulating Alissa's bits, making me wish real hard to order her to pinch those alluring, pink, pointy bits.
"I-i-is t-tha-that so?" The fox girl stutters as her breath rapidly quickens.
"Alissa, if you don't like it, you can say it, do you understand?" I soberly instruct her. I'm not letting my F/F fantasies override my morals.
But Alissa reassures me, "I-i-it's o-ok-okay, m-master, i-it f-feels good." Then she makes to grab my hand, but actually grips my friend, instead.
Oh, boy.
The mind is willing, but the body is tired and bruised. Alissa starts, but even with this sight, I'm still hurting from the time I had with Hana, though I endure for now.
I breathe in deeply to rebuild my composure and continue, "In any case, if you want it, it seems like Hana would be happy to comfort you."
Alissa increases the intensity, but then she starts blabbering, "W-wha tha-n-w-u-as…"
It seems that her mind broke.
Damn, I'm close…
I feel my energy draining away, but I soldier on. "Alright… Hana, let's not push Alissa too much… That's enough for today."
The molester pouts and grumbles, "Awn… she actually feels really nice to play with."
Then she releases the trembling fox girl, who also releases me, but now there's a meal dangling in front of a predator, so Hana immediately lowers her head.
Daamn…
I let her finish, but then I push her head away before she starts draining my HP. She smirks as she swallows, and her eyes tell me she'd seriously drain me up if I let her.
Alissa is a lot weaker in the legs than I am, so I grab her with a sigh and carry her into the bath.
Hugging her tight in the warm water seems to calm her down quite quickly, then Hana comes in and hugs me from behind, creating a spooning train. It's actually quite comfortable because Hana's chest is as good as pillows.
This is Heaven.
After a good soak, we get out and prepare dinner.
Hana is a master of the knife, and she chops faster than a chef, which is a scary sight to behold. She doesn't know any recipes, though… or how to season, or any cooking techniques, actually, but she's a pretty good helper.
We make orc meat dumplings seasoned with a faintly sweet and spicy root that I shall henceforth call "not-ginger." It tastes pretty good, and it'd feel right at home in an oriental restaurant.
"Master, may I ask you a question?" Hana politely inquires.
I casually answer, "Sure, you can always ask anything, and I'll judge if it's possible for me to answer."
She nods obediently. "Understood. Well, I was wondering, are you a noble?"
And I give her a confused look. "Why do you ask that?"
Roxanne and Alissa remain silent because they seem very interested in hearing my answer.
Hana's emerald cheek scales twitch as she thinks, then she hesitantly explains, "Well… you're smarter than the average adventurer, you have quite a bit of knowledge no commoner has, you have skills no commoner or adventurer normally has, you lack skills that commoners or adventurers should have, you speak too perfectly, and finally, you don't seem to mind that everyone calls you by your last name."
Oh, wow. Busted.
I awkwardly look away for a moment as I try to come up with an excuse, "Well… no, I'm not a noble. I'm just special, I guess. But only nobles have last names?"
"A lot of people have a last name, but only nobles or rich families care about them."
I shrug. "Oh, well. Since I didn't know this tradition, I always gave my full name, then everyone started calling me 'Mr. Ryder,' and I just went with it. Do you all have last names?" I shyly look at the three girls.
Roxanne is the first to chime in, quite eager to explain, "In the demon race, everyone's last name is their race, so, while mine is technically 'Maneedeev,' which means 'succubus' in the [Southern Maokai Language], everyone just writes the translation in Andraste."
"Why don't you have family names?" I ask confusedly.
"Only important families are allowed to have one, and they're treated like the nobles from around here."
That's quite peculiar.
Then we turn to Alissa, and she stoically shares, "I had a last name, but I've known I was going to be a slave since I was a child, so you could say I never had it for long."
I'll give you mine, then.
Hana hums in agreement, "Same. I had one but abandoned it when I turned into a slave."
I'm feeling quite curious about this topic, so I ask, "Are there other races that use last names like the demons?"
"People in villages and small towns don't use last names, as far as I know," Alissa shares.
And Hana asserts, "I don't know what the beastfolk do, but I think that most of the human, dwarven, and elven large towns require everyone to have a last name. Though, if you aren't a noble or a rich merchant, there's really no reason to ever say it. That's why I thought you were a noble."
She seems well-traveled.
I conclude, "Then maybe I should ask people to call me by my first name, I don't want to be confused with a noble."
Roxanne indifferently chimes in, "I think things are fine the way they are now. You're already famous, and now you have a Blessing, so people will definitely respect you a lot more if you have them call you by your last name."
I sigh and accept, but then I retort, "Well, at least you could call me by my first name since I do the same to you."
She smiles sweetly and readjusts her oval glasses. "Is that fine?"
I nod and insist, "We're companions now, it's fine."
Her smile widens and she offers me her pale, delicate hand for a shake. "Well then, Mr. Wolf. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
But I shake my head. "No need for 'Mr.'"
"Alriii~ght." She pulls back her hand and clears her throat. "Well then, Wolf. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Then she offers it again and shows me a surprisingly charming smile.
I swallow heavily and take it. "Uh… yes, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Roxanne." And I'm briefly mesmerized by her beauty. Because of the way she behaves I sometimes forget she has the body and face of a supermodel.
I release her soft hand, then she turns to my slaves and cheerily adds, "Oh, you two can also just call me Roxanne, then. No need for 'Miss' anymore."
"T-that's a bit much," Alissa stiffly replies then looks down meekly, but her tail starts wagging slowly.
While Hana just shrugs and hums, "If that's a request that comes from her, then..."
"Fine..." Alissa relents.
I like this. I still think that Alissa is far too submissive, so I want her to be a bit more selfish.
After dinner, we move to the living room to spend our evening. Alissa reads her book while I cuddle with Hana as I practice my [Mana Control], and her strong hands are so good at massaging my scalp that she brings me bliss.
Once it starts to get late, the three of us go to sleep in the same bed. Good thing it's ridiculously large. Otherwise, Hana wouldn't fit.
Today is the 11th.
I wake up in heaven with pillows on my front and back, and I thank the Gods that we all sleep without clothes. It's warm, but it's worth the slight inconvenience.
I get a gentle wake-up kiss from Alissa, and a stimulating storm from Hana. They feel so good that I start to feel peckish, so once we're all awake, I eat Alissa up since I didn't do it with her yesterday, and Hana leaves to prepare breakfast.
The obedient dragonkin prepares everything herself, and when I finish Alissa, all we have to do is fry the dumplings and season the salad. Minced orc meat dumplings, bean soup, vegetables, and not-corn crumbs. A weird combination, making me think that we need more ingredients.
Alissa will buy food while Hana and I go to the hunters' guild to register her and buy her equipment. Our destinations are close, so Roxanne lends Hana the flying carpet while I ride Alissa.
Roxanne remarks that there are actually safer versions of personal flying vehicles, but she got the smallest and simplest one so that it could fit in her [Item Box]. Having something better than a suicide carpet will do us some good, so I guess I'll look for one that fits all of us after the auction if we have money left.
Outside of adventuring, I want my women to wear their best clothing, so this time, Hana puts on one of her straight black dresses and simple sandals, but once we enter the guild, I kind of regret this decision.
Well, at least the eyes aren't on me this time… Eh, screw it, Hana is too majestic to not show off, so I'll proudly walk beside her.
We quickly register her with the guild, but then I get an idea, and Hana responds with a menacing smile after I whisper it to her.
We go to the training grounds, and she uses the small booth inside the warehouse to change to workout clothes.
"Hello, teacher," I calmly greet Toga.
"Hello, Mr. Slayer," he coolly replies. His gaze is as stern as always, but I see a hint of a smile.
Then I gently grab Hana's hand. "This is Hana, my newest Blood Slave. Would you like to spar with her? I want to see her fight."
He slowly turns his eyes towards her, and his subtle smile greatly widens. Hana takes his intense stare head-on and grins fearsomely, challenging him with just her yellow eyes.
"Sure," he hums, a dangerous edge in his tone. "You warm up first, then we'll have our 'spar.'"
News spread like wildfire, and a small crowd quickly forms while they prepare
Toga is a man of average height, but he looks small near Hana, making it seem like it's a David versus Goliath scenario.
Toga picks a wooden longsword while Hana picks a bastard wooden sword and a kite shield. Her sword is at a length between a short and a longsword, trading reach for the ability to use a shield because it's really hard to use a longsword with only one hand.
Then they assume combat positions, and their menacing gazes towards each other makes me sweat cold even though I'm just watching.
Do they both have [Intimidate]? Is this the result of the skill?
Toga strikes first. He goes hard, attacking repeatedly and immediately putting Hana on the backfoot. Their battle is so fierce that the sounds of their clashing fill the entire training grounds, attracting even more curious onlookers.
Hana is a defensive fighter, so for her, it's just another day's work, and she blocks and parries repeatedly, waiting for the perfect moment.
She suddenly deflects and counters, pushing Toga back.
The experienced instructor effortlessly switches gears and fights defensively, seemingly not even feeling the pressure from Hana as he parries and dodges until he gets his chance and counters. This time, Hana has to work hard to dodge.
Wooden weapons don't have an edge, and swords are used mostly with slicing rather than chopping motions, but even then getting hit hurts, and the vibrant red welts start to appear.
A rhythm between attacking and defending starts to become clear, and Toga is the one setting pace of the song.
Suddenly, their swords lock, and they both take the challenge, ignoring that they're in a battle just to have a small strength contest. They grit their teeth and push as they grunt and stare fiercely at each other, trying to overwhelm their opponent with both glare and muscle.
Hana grins ferociously, greatly enjoying this situation, and seeing her like this with another man makes me anxious.
This isn't cheating, right? This doesn't count as cheating, right?! Right…?!
I, uh… I want her to look at me like this…
Then they suddenly break the lock and resume their fight.
Toga sweeps her leg, and she almost loses her balance. As a first, Hana is required to use both her sword and shield defensively in desperation as he begins to consistently find ways to sneak his blade past her guard.
He uses a combination of quick and precise strikes, leg sweeps, and shield kicking to keep her off balance and clearly take the upper hand in the fight. He's expertly using all of his tools, and he even tries to audaciously grab her shield.
Hana gets angry and starts bashing back, and the sounds of battle get even higher as her shield clashes with his sword. Then he takes a bash with his arm that pushes him back, but his posture is broken.
This is it!
With a movement that defies human speed, Toga dodges her strike and counters. His legs blur as he jumps, no, flies upwards, then his sword goes down on Hana's shoulder, and the flimsy sparring weapon breaks in half.
The sudden development interrupts the spell cast on us, and the observers scream and cheer while I regret my idea and rush over Hana.
She kneels and grips her shoulder while grimacing in pain, but once I inspect it I notice that… it's fine?
"What are you made of? This should've broken a bone and you are just bruised!?" I exclaim, stupefied.
She snorts defiantly, then grumbles between breaths, "I'm a dragonkin… Master… I hardened my skin… but if the sword was sharp… I'd be dead…"
I put points into [Light Magic] and use [Heal] on her, but the spell bites a big chunk out of my MP as it's still very mana inefficient for me.
Her grimace clears, then she stares curiously at the red welt as she hums, "Thanks… it doesn't hurt anymore, Master."
"You got a proper shield this time, Mr. Ryder..." Toga calmly remarks. He's sweating, but he's not even out of breath. "Now you won't die if you meet something worse than that Symbol."
Then Hana gives me a proud smirk that makes me a bit shy.
"Heh… I guess so," I whisper warmly, embarrassed by her intensity.
It makes me proud to see her being praised by Toga, but I'm still a bit jealous of how she glared at him.
Once she's fully healed, a bunch of students come to try to spar with Hana, but we have other business to finish, so I accompany her to the warehouse's little bath so that she may wash her body.
The way everyone was looking at her makes my spidey senses tingle, so I put on [Sense Presence] and detect two young men sneaking close to the warehouse. I won't let anyone spy on her, so I throw some scalding water over the high window.
"SHT!" I hear them whine as they run away.
Now that she's back on her glorious dress, we go buy her equipment.
There are a few things we have to be mindful of when buying heavy armor for an adventurer. Those things are defense, weight, mobility, price, maintenance, and convenience in more or less that order of importance.
Plate armor would offer the best protection, especially against attacks like fire breath, but it reduces mobility because it's too heavy for Hana to use her dragon wings while wearing it. It also has an exorbitant cost as metal is seemingly quite an expensive material, and it requires specialized maintenance, which we don't have. Some adventurer groups employ a personal armorer for things like this, but we're still not at that level.
Leather armor offers okay protection, and it's good enough to save your life against most monsters, like how my Grey Berserker armor was probably the difference between life and death for me, but it's disposable as it's not possible to "reforge" leather once it's been cut or torn. Mobility depends on whether it's hard or soft leather, but in general, it's still the best. The price is also very affordable since it's made from the hordes of monsters that are killed every day. Maintenance is cheap, but once again, it's disposable. It's also very convenient to have because it's much easier to sleep in than with other types of armor.
I buy a Young Ogre set of armor for Hana to sleep in.
Chain armor offers very good protection against slash but you need proper padding to stop pierce and blunt damage. Mobility is similar to soft leather, but it's more expensive. It requires specialized maintenance, but it's still easier to do than plate. It's kind of comfortable to sleep in, but it's rather noisy, so no sneaking.
Scale armor is very similar to plate, but its advantage is its higher resistance to magic. It's more expensive than chain, but very popular among adventurers since it's cheap and easy to do maintenance on.
Brigandine is in between (padded) chain and plate in all accounts, so it's a clear step up unless you require something specific from the other types of armor.
Metal armor is overall just better made as it's more standardized and well-researched, but it's considerably more expensive since monster parts are overflowing all over the town, making scale and leather cheaper.
Padding is also another concern as it's required in all types of armor to defend against blunt attacks, but there's a big difference in price between good and bad padding. The lack of space for wool and fiber crops is the main driver for its high price as there are actually few monsters that produce good padding.
For now, we reserve a steel-lined brigandine with tassets, a hauberk with okay padding for the arms and thighs that will be used below the brigandine, schynbalds, metal vambraces, and a padded chain coif.
As a tank, she needs good peripheral vision to keep an eye on everyone, so she doesn't like to use helmets since it reduces her vision, and the coif will ruin her hair, but we still get a padded one that I'll force her to use if she refuses.
With this, she has perfect protection against slash, but protection against blunt is limited, so she'll have to rely on the shield, which we'll buy only after the auction.
I wanted to get her scale armor, but I think that even with the auction money it'll be too expensive for now, so perhaps in the future I'll get it as an upgrade.
I want the best armor for her since she's certainly gonna use her body as a shield if necessary, but I'll have to hold it for now.
I also want to get her a longbow since she has a few skill points in [Bow Use], and the brigandine offers enough mobility to use it without a problem.
And finally, we get her a plain iron bastard sword, a large kite shield, and a simple wooden spear with a metal tip. Later on, when we have the auction money, we'll upgrade her sword to an emerald fang and give the shield emerald scales… and I'm choosing these scales because it makes maintenance easier for all of us, not just because the color will go well with her scales.