I had a deep fondness for gemstones. The look of them. The elegant, geometrical shape to their body is so simple, yet so intriguing. The way they both filled with color, yet were almost entirely translucent stole my attention whenever I found one in a video game. So much so that, whenever I did find one, I’d always horde them. Always, no matter the game, I’d lock them up in a box inside my player home or I’d just leave them be in my inventory to slowly watch them pile up.

The thought of selling them never really crossed my mind as a serious thought, not even when I needed the extra coin to buy something I wanted. I’d just wait and save or take up more side quests until I’d saved enough for it. And these days, I felt as though emeralds had become my favorite of all the pretty gems I could ever hope to collect.

But now, those same emeralds were cutting into me. Sparing me from the hangover I most definitely deserved, those gems flayed me, tearing, ripping out my weaknesses one by one, just to taunt and ridicule them. And I was utterly defenseless beneath their pressure.

Sat on her knees beside me on the bed, her lovely visage wrapped in the golden hues of the morning sun, and wearing nothing but that nightgown who’s thinner than paper fabric hugged her every curve so sweetly you’d think it was painted on, Yua glared at me.

She crossed her arms and I flinched.

I had woken to this sight, one that once would have left me feeling as though I were still trudging through the depths of a nightmare, but a very real sense of dread kept me from sitting up. Moving just my legs, I realized my lower half was completely exposed, bare, though I distinctly remember falling into bed with my clothes on.

“Good morning, Alex.”

“G-Good morning. Where’s M…”

“Can I ask you something?”

Before I could inquire about the location of my second wife, Yua cut in, questioning if she could ask a question. I nodded reflexively and her arms stayed crossed.

“When I woke up earlier, I was really excited to try licking your penis again,” she said and paused.

Her admitting that should have had me heating up, but there was something in her tone that made my monster shrink three sizes. She noticed, looked at it without reserve, raised a brow and took it in hand. Gripping me softly by the hilt, Yua leaned forward to press her breasts into my chest.

She didn’t move after that. Didn’t stroke me. Didn’t lick me. Didn’t so much as kiss me. Nor did she look away. I knew at once that she held me because she wanted the truth.

“But when I held it, just like this,” she continued, lightly squeezing it. “It felt sticky. And when I smelled it, it smelled like Mana’s pussy. Care to explain why?”

“Sm-melled like her…”

Yua nodded and I started to sweat.

Shit! I must have forgotten to clean us up after we finished. I was too busy deciding to go do stupid things in the forest! And not even all the fear-induced sweating I’d done covered the scent of our passion enough to hide from Yua.

I clenched my teeth under the weight of her emerald gaze and closed my eyes. Knowing it was completely pointless to try lying to this humanoid lie detector, I confessed with a shaking voice.

“… Mana and I had sex last night while you were asleep. And when we finished, I also made her my slave.”

Yua closed her eyes, sealing her emeralds away from the world with a sigh that almost sounded relieved. She let go of my monster and sat back up.

“I thought so. Thank you for not lying to me. I was truly hoping you wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t lying be completely pointless?”

Yua’s ears flicked, but for some reason, that made her glare return.

“I only know what happened because the first thing Mana did after waking was ask me how to get your semens out of her pussy.”

“It was tickling me!” Came a voice hidden somewhere behind the foot of the bed. “And it keeps coming out. It makes my special place feel squishy.”

Feeling my cheeks heat up and, realizing that the absurd amount I let out really made my cleaning spells a necessity, I sat up.

Over the foot of the bed, I found Mana, already dressed, sitting on her ass on the floor. Her skirt was flipped up and, with her knees raised and spread wide, she tugged at the front of her panties to look inside.

She wasn’t lying about the mess.

Seeing her pouting, probably because she was forced to get dressed again, I wasn’t even able to complain about her outing the secret she asked me to keep without a second thought. Quietly and with a great deal of shame, I cast both the Body Wash and Clothing Wash spells on both her and Yua, instantly clearing any mess I may have left after last nights rampage.

Mana’s ears flicked and she tugged her panties harder to check. It was such a simple spell, and I forgot to use it.

Belatedly, I cast the same on myself as Yua continued.

“I can’t believe you’d do this.”

“You said you were okay with me making Mana my second wife.”

“I am. But you weren’t supposed to have sex with her until her daddy said it was okay! And you did it in secret! Right next to me! While I was asleep!”

“I-I thought you said some mates start their relationship by jumping into a random tent to have sex? That doesn’t exactly sound like they waited for permiss…”

“Are you defending yourself?”

“N-No, Ma’am!”

Grumbling, Yua recrossed her arms. With as much cleavage as her nightgown left in sight, I had to force myself to look away. Even if she normally didn’t mind, those hills looked particularly dangerous to tread upon right now.

“Uggh… Normally, our people don’t really need our parents’ approval to take a mate. I certainly didn’t.”

“…”

“But Mochi explicitly told you to wait and you promised you would. Now, because you broke your promise and bled her, he has every right to put an end to your relationship.”

“But if mates are forever…”

“He can end it by killing you,” she said, her tone nothing but serious. “You’ve broken our tribe’s customs and effectively stolen her from him.”

The thought of how sneaky Mana was flit across my mind. She was able to sneak up on her own people and had done so often enough for her mother to scold her over it. Given their ears, this was no small feat. And she no doubt learned such skills from that same man made a living as a hunter for the tribe. Just like an animal lazily grazing away in the forest, I wouldn’t even see his attack coming before I was dinner.

“Wait, stolen…?”

With my eyes, I threw open my menu and searched around for a Thief tag, but found nothing. I searched my long list of classes, too, but came up just as empty handed.

“Stop looking at your status,” Yua said, demanding I close the menu that should have been invisible to her. “I said effectively stole her.”

“I had her consent…”

Hell, technically, she’s the one that jumped on me. I just let it happen.

“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t break any laws, but it was wrong. And you may have just earned Mochi’s hate… You better hope your Luck is high enough and that Mana can convince him to go easy on you.”

“D-Daddy will definitely listen if I ask!” Mana chirped, shaking her fists where she sat. “Mother already gave her approval, too! He wouldn’t…”

“That’s beside the point!”

“Eep!”

“You’ve always been too impatient. Aren’t you supposed to be improving yourself with us? You know you should have waited.”

“...”

Seeing that Mana wasn’t going to say anymore, Yua turned back to me.

“Now,” she said, hefting herself off the bed. “You can put your pants on. I don’t think you deserve a penis licking this morning.”

“Yea, that’s fair…”

Leaving me defenseless and guilty on the bed, and with Mana sitting in an awkward time-out on the floor, Yua crossed the room in a huff straight to her backpack.

She squat down, brushed her long chestnut hair over her shoulder and started rummaging around in her bag. Standing again, she set the clothes she took out on the nearby nightstand and pulled off her nightgown in one smooth motion. She looked over her shoulder, noticed me looking, then faced her clothes again without a word in rebuke.

It was the simple fact that, even after all that yelling, that she didn’t mind letting me see her naked that told me she was just honestly concerned. Maybe, probably, also upset that we went behind her back. But not fully angry. Not enough to regret our relationship, anyways.

However, it was the instantaneous flick her ear made when I slid across the bed to get up that drew my attention even more than her body.

“After all that sex last night, you must be hungry, right?” Yua’s said with a sigh as she pulled on her panties. “You should hurry up and eat before we get started with our day.”

Her ears flicked again, as if listening to see if I was moving instead of looking.

Wait a second…

I jumped to my feet and stormed across the room. Yua’s ears gave a cautionary twitch, but thankfully, love had put her at enough of an ease around me that she didn’t think to defend herself in time.

“Wha… Hey!”

Grabbing her forcefully by the hips, I pulled her close and pushed the backs of her knees to weaken her stance and lifted her up over my shoulder. As light as she was, it was easy. She squirmed momentarily, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from throwing her back onto the bed.

“What are you doing?!”

I jumped on top of the mattress, on top of her before she could move. Straddling her lower half, I locked her legs in place with my knees and leaned over her. She tried to push me off, but she put no real power into her arms. Forcing them down over her head was way easier than it should have been.

My heart twinged in pain when our eyes met and she looked away, burying her face in the mattress. As if denying even our usual morning kiss to show we were alright.

“Y-You said you’d never force me to have sex.”

While her breasts were bare and our lower halves were touching, I understood why she would think that’s what I wanted, but she couldn’t have been more off the mark. And I knew I was in the right, so I smiled.

“Yua…”

“What?”

“We’ve been together for over a month now.”

“And?”

“… And every time, literally every time I got up in the middle of the night, you heard me and woke up too. Even if it was just me turning around on our super uncomfortable bed or to get up to go to the restroom, your ears caught me and you woke up.”

The thought of her sweet, tired giggling every time I got flustered over waking her kept me smiling. It was those same giggles that led me to innovate new ways to use my teleportation magic, after all.

Now, however, her eyes were darting all over the place, as if looking for a way out. She pressed her lips and refused to meet my gaze. Our inn had become a courtroom the moment I woke up, and now it was her turn to act as the defendant.

“So, tell me Yua, how is it that, if you heard us, you somehow slept through us having sex?”

I tried to be gentle with Mana, but we couldn’t stop the natural sounds of our passion. Nor could someone as inexperienced as Mana hide her voice. Not completely, anyways. And Yua’s ears were impressively sensitive.

With her brow furrowed and with her cheeks puffing up cutely, Mana lifted herself onto her knees and leaned onto the bed to await an answer. But Yua refused to make eye contact with either of us. She even went so far as to lift her chin, just to move her weakened expression that much further away from us.

“I’m not going to order you to answer,” I said. “But if you’re going to lecture us about what we did, I believe we have the right to know why you didn’t stop us.”

“And no lying!” Mana added, her ears flicking. “I’ll know!”

“…!”

“Yua.”

“Big Sis!”

“Mm!”

“Yua…”

“Bigs Sis!”

“Mm…. Fine!” Yua shouted, gasping for air. “You two were so cute! I couldn’t bring myself to stop you! Mana confiding in you and then forcing herself on you, only to end up hurting herself was so like her that I almost laughed. Then you! Alex, I could smell your lust since the moment you woke up, but you held back so much! You tried to convince her to stop several times, but only gave in when she made it clear she wanted it too. It was so sweet it, reminded me of our first time.”

Her chest heaving, Yua looked almost frantic as she explained herself. Mana’s pout softened as did my own.

“H-How could I stop you when the mood was so right? A-And getting to share the male I love with my best friend makes me so happy I almost had to activate Iron Fist just to keep my knuckles from cracking because I was clenching my fists so hard!”

When she finished and her teary emerald eyes flit between us before coming to a rest on me, I laughed. The sight of this beautiful, brave woman getting so flustered as she went on and on about our relationship as if it were some afternoon romcom, was just too much. It was a side of her that was so rare that even I couldn’t remember ever seeing her like this before.

The thought that she literally handled her father walking in on us having sex with more dignity than she had in her now only made my laughter grow.

“St-Stop it…”

I let go of her hands and took her by the chin before planting a kiss on her lips. She resisted a little, not because she hated it, but because of her own embarrassment told her to.

When we parted, a strand of saliva connecting our lips, I turned and offered Mana the same. To my delight, Yua didn’t look at all upset to see it. Though her cheeks were bright pink.

“D-Don’t think you’re off the hook,” she said, sitting up on her elbows. “You still shouldn’t have done it.”

“I think you not stopping us makes you just as guilty.”

“Ha. That’s not what I mean,” Yua said and clapped her hands onto my cheeks. I thought she was going to ask for a second kiss, but she was smiling wryly. “Aside from what you did with Mana, why do your clothes smell like the forest? And of dirt?”

“…Oops.”

Even if I remembered, washing my body wasn’t going to be enough. Now that I think about it, I also forgot to reshape these clothes back into what they used to be.

Man… Drunk me really is an idiot.

“Uh-Huh. Thought so.”

“Eh?!” Mana shrieked, fear turning her already light skin pale. “Big Bro, did you go to the forest last night? To the village? You didn’t tell Daddy we mated, did you?”

“No, but…”

“But I will. He’ll find out eventually. It’ll be easier on you both if you just tell him yourself.”

“Noooo! Big Sis is a bully!”

Leaning further over the side of the bed, Mana pinched and squeezed Yua’s cheeks. Tugging, she messed up the wry smile Yua shot at me. Even in defeat, she’d beaten us. We were all guilty, but I was the biggest sinner here.

I fell off of her.

“So,” Yua said, her tone serious despite the constant tugging forcing silly expressions onto her beautiful face. “Mind telling me what you did last night?”

“…”

The explanation didn’t take all that long. Going over everything in exact detail, Yua’s expression slowly shifted from wry enjoyment at being proven right, to disbelief, to whatever look she was hiding behind the hands that covered her face.

Meanwhile, Mana had puffed up her small chest proudly when I brought up how much of a help the spriggans were. This lasted until my confrontation with Tillmann, to which her ears flattened and, still kneeling awkwardly on the floor, she clenched my hand in hers.

“So, let me get this straight,” Yua started, pinching her eyes shut. “You got through the barrier and managed to break it?”

“Yes. Temporarily, but yes.”

“And you didn’t teleport Daddy, or me, to help you?”

“N-no… I was a little preoccupied trying not to die to consider that.”

I felt the need to mention that I was drunk, but kept it to myself. Pretty sure I was at the very least mostly sober by that point. Not that that fact would make her feel any better.

As it happens, Yua noticed me leaving last night, but not soon enough to stop me. She’d been kept awake worrying over where I was and what I was doing, but without anyway to track me after teleporting away, she was at a loss. When I finally returned safe and sound, she was so relieved that she instantly fell asleep before she could say anything. Worry or not, I had worked her way more than I did Mana. Several rounds more.

Still, finding out that her worrying had been for a good reason didn’t help to improve her mood.

“Big Bro, you’re dumb.”

“Mana, I’m…”

“Yes, he is dumb,” Yua added, crossing her arms. We’d both gotten dressed as we talked, so there was nowhere to look but into her glaring emeralds. “For some reason, he seems to like putting himself in dangerous situations.”

“I don’t…”

“Sneaking into a city when you had the coin to pay your way,” Yua said, holding up a finger before adding another. “Accepting a loan you shouldn’t have been able to pay back after a lifetime of working for it. Fighting in the dungeon despite having no experience. Angering a noblewoman strong enough to lift your bodyweight with ease.”

“Th-that one wasn’t entirely my fault…”

“And then getting drunk enough to think going after an enemy more than twice your level was a good idea! And then doing that alone!”

“Okay, okay! Geez. I know I’m not the smartest man in the world, but when you add all that up without context, I just sound like a complete idiot.”

Furrowing her brow enough to make it seem like she’d never be calm again, Yua huffed and let out a long sigh.

“You’re not an idiot. You’re plenty smart, but you act like you have no idea how the world works. I used to live in a forest, but I feel I have more common sense than you do.”

“…”

It pained me to admit she was right, but without explaining why, I must look like a complete incompetent. My actions last night were supposed to be for her and Mana’s sake, but all I did was make her worry. And I still feel like a piece of shit for leaving Mana right after deflowering her.

Definitely never getting that drunk again.

“You’re probably not wrong… But last night wasn’t a complete failure. I did confirm that the barrier can be broken. And I believe we have a lead on our next move.”

“Next move? You don’t mean you’re going to break into the barrier again, do you? Because if I can’t get through, that means you’d be going alone and I don’t want that.”

“That’s not it. We still have a source we can gather information from.”

“And what’s that?”

“Remember, they said they sold some of the crystals to Guerraway’s Enchanter.” When Yua didn’t immediately pick up on what I meant, and when Mana tilted her head in open confusion, I continued. “One of Tillmann’s men, Erhard, is supposedly going to try and make another deal with him. Today.”

Yua’s ear perked up, her tail flicking with intrigue.

“And you want to catch him in the act?”

“I think he might know something we can use against Tillmann. They don’t seem to like each other much, but he trusted Erhard enough to let him deal with the Enchanter.”

Erhard choosing the life of a thief to try and buy back his son tugged at my heartstrings a bit, but I couldn’t condone what he was doing. Not when it affected the lives of the cat-kin.

We’d give him a chance, but if he chooses not to help us, handing him over to the guards would at least lower the number of thieves we’d have to deal with later. And their numbers were already dwindling.

Tillmann secluding himself in the barrier to protect it whilst leaving his work to everyone else is a mistake we can exploit.

Taking all this in, Yua weighed the merits of the plan after I laid it out for her.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try,” she said. “But I wouldn’t get my hopes up thinking it’ll work the way it did with Arthur.”

“I know. That’s why I have a backup in mind.”

“Which is?”

“I’ll explain on the way,” I said, climbing off the bed. “Come on. Let’s go, Mana. We’ll get something to eat on the way.”

Extending a hand to the girl that had been sitting on the floor all this time, she looked to it, frowned. Then she moved her legs like she was trying to stand, but stopped with a cute huff. Looking down again, she frowned a little more. She shook her head and I noticed her tail didn’t so much as move at the mention of food.

“Can I just stay here? I don’t want to go.”

“I guess, but why?”

“Because, um… Because my special place still hurts from last night.”

“…”

While I was struck dumb, Mana pressed the front of her skirt down, but not to hide herself. I couldn’t really think of a situation where she’d want to hide from me after what she showed me this morning. She was consoling herself. There was no flush of embarrassment in her cheeks, just raw, unfiltered honesty.

I tried to be extra careful with her last night during, but I never considered that the pain could linger. Yua certainly showed no signs of the pain lasting past her first time. And we went at it several times that night.

Is it because Mana’s so small?

Seeing her there on the floor, apparently unable to stand, was the second time I regretted the size of my monster. I mean, we did have to wait several minutes before we were even able to do anything. Maybe we should have just left it at that and tried again later.

“Yua, could you…”

“I’m not healing her,” Yua said bluntly. “I already told her; this is her punishment for disobeying her daddy. And that means no potions, too.”

“But you let it happen.”

“Doesn’t matter, it was her choice to try.”

Yua, a stickler for both my and the village’s rules, looked away from us in a huff while Mana winced a smile. She seemed to have long accepted this fate, even if not willingly.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“…”

Here I am, gaining a second wife just last night, and I’m already being forced to pick a side. Force Yua as her master and mate to heal Mana, or let Mana suffer Yua’s punishment.

Considering it was me, or rather my monster, that caused this, I made up my mind.

“Sorry, Mana. At least let me help you onto the bed.”

“Okay…”

I knelt beside her and she held up her arms, her big blue eyes almost watering as she begged for a hug to end the pain. Scooping her up into a princess carry, I carefully set her on the bed. A quick check to make sure she was okay and I set out some food and water for her.

Ever the worrywart, I set her bow and quiver next to her so she’d have some protection. And as I did, I discretely let a health potion slip out of my item box and into her quiver, angling it so only she could see the bottle. She smiled a bit, but wisely said nothing.

No idea if the potion would even help for such pain, but if Yua knew her ability would help enough to use refusing it as a punishment, then I had to try. And this way, Yua gets to be satisfied. It’s a win-win that only I lost.

“Thanks, Big Bro.”

[Casanova’s Brides Activated.]

Ah, great. More pop-ups.

Yua huffed and opened the window, turning an ear to the world outside.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” I said, kissing Mana’s forehead.

“Okay… Can you bring back pork?”

“… Sure.”

Apparently, the food I left her wasn’t going to be enough. Should have known.

Once the alley behind the inn was clear, we teleported out of the room.

“So, what’s this about a new ability?”

Taking a dainty bite of her pork skewer as we walked the city, Yua held her cheek with a smile as her mood improved by leaps and bounds. Although, I still sensed that bringing up our earlier conversation would be considered taboo, so I changed the subject.

“Yea. It’s called Casanova’s Brides. I think you’ll like what it does.”

“Hmm?”

While I was too drunk off of the alcohol, and Mana, to realize it last night, this new ability was going to be a big help in keeping my girls safe.

“Well?” Yua chimed, delaying her next bite for an answer. “What’s it do?”

Discretely checking the crowd to make sure no one was listening, I said, “Remember how I can choose how to increase your stats when your level grows?”

“Mhmm?”

“Well, this ability gives you another way to level, which gives you more points to add to your stats.”

Yua stopped walking and stared at me, wide-eyed. The half-eaten pork skewer stuck in her teeth; she somehow forgot its flavor enough to stop herself from taking a bite. She leaned in closer, grabbed my hand and asked, “Another way to level? You mean I gained another class like you do?”

“Not quite. This level only exists in my menu.”

“Oh... Then what level am I?”

“Ten.”

“Really?!”

Her emerald eyes lit up like fireworks and she leaned closer, unintentionally pressing her breasts into my arm. Her cloak hid her ears, but the sight of a beauty like her doing such a thing drew quite a bit of attention to us, so I sped up with her in tow.

“C-Could you put the points into my Strength stat, please? Please?”

“Haha. I figured you’d ask, but hold on. It’s not quite what you’d think.”

Yua puffed up her cheeks in a pout that showed off a bit of her own cuteness, but I didn’t want her to expect too much. Learning that she gained another ten levels this way must have made her assume she had ten levels worth of points to use, but this wasn’t the case.

Her Casanova level started off at level 9 when I first gained the ability, but she had no points to speak of. This is why I didn’t think much of the ability when I got it and chose to ignore it. However, when I woke up this morning, I noticed that she was now level 10, and that next to her level was a note that said she had 2 points to use. It didn’t take long to figure out where said points were meant to go

I took this to meaning that the girls would get 2 points per level, and that any leveling she did prior to me getting the ability simply didn’t count. Also, this means that something happened between me falling asleep and me waking that leveled her up. And I had a pretty good idea of what that was, though I chose not to bring it up with her just yet.

In short, and as mildly embarrassing as it was to consider, I’d done something that caused her to love me more. I knew this because, beneath the description of both her and Mana’s Casanova levels, their love was laid out in plain English.

Yua’s read: [Slave Yua’s tender love for her Master is as deep as her longing to be with and to dote on him]

Reading this, I came to the happy conclusion that her love for me affects her level. Meaning that, the more she loves me, the more she levels. I wasn’t sure I someone actually had a limit on how much they could love someone, but I figured it actually had more to do with me doing something the girls like, such as giving Mana that potion.

And unawares of what happened between the girls this morning, I assume Yua’s love deepened a little more after seeing Mana and I in bed together. Finding your husband in bed with your very naked best friend should have enraged her, but after forcing her to confess earlier, it was an easy guess that this was not the case.

This ability would be useful in helping the girls keep up with me as I leveled, since my EXP-boost affected me more than it did them. I wasn’t too sure how to feel about how this ability treated their love like some sort of affection-gauge in a dating simulator, but what’s done is done.

Although, it was what was written under Mana’s Casanova level that concerned me.

[Slave Mana is deeply in love with her Master. Day or night, sun or rain, and no matter the time or place, this slave is ready for mating entirely at the discretion of her Master]

I was fully aware that nobody else could see my menu, but reading that again had me closing it about as fast as if someone had walked in on me watching porn. I couldn’t help but think about the cat-kin’s desires to always act on their mate’s lust the moment they let it known. And that was not something one should think about in public.

We hadn’t been together nearly as long as Yua and I, but her Casanova level was already 8. Her being snubbed of attention for so long, only to have me be immediately infatuated with her upon our meeting, must have been more important to her than she let on.

“Hmm,” Yua hummed after my explanation. “I don’t see the point of it telling you how much I love you. You could just ask.”

“True, but I think it’s meant more for slaves that aren’t in love yet,” I said, my cheeks boiling.

“Hmm. How did you even get this ability?”

“B-By, uh… By having sex with Mana.”

Taboo subject suddenly breached, Yua’s eyes narrowed at me and she bit into the last chunk of meat on her skewer particularly viciously. Her eyes darted to my half-eaten skewer and I handed it over without complaint.

“I see. So, you put my points into Strength, right? You did, right?”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

“Hmph!”

Yua once more turned away from me, but she did continue to hold my arm as we walked. And I could only pray my thanks to the pork for calming her.

Or, no, it was probably because she started flexing her biceps after I dumped her points where she wanted them. I guess the difference, while small numerically, was enough to feel.

“Let’s keep this between us for now,” I said. “I don’t want Mana to worry about it.”

Nor do I want her to repeat her willingness to mate at the drop of a hat. Hearing her say that after we’ve already done it once might actually corrupt my heart.

Yua agreed with a shrug and continued guiding us through the city. We’d asked for directions, but she was taking us through the most unpopulated sections of the city so we could chat somewhat openly.

Satisfied with her newfound strength, Yua crushed the now empty skewers in hand and nuzzled her cheek into my arm with a supremely contented smile.

“So… You want to dote on me now?”

“Hmph. Shut up and walk.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Smirking to myself after noticing that her supposed anger didn’t reach her swishing tail, I pulled her just a little closer.

The name Enchant Me Not sounded somewhat whimsical for an Enchanter’s shop, but beneath the sign it was carved into were two armed and fully armored guards, one man and one woman, neither lower than level 25 in their respective classes.

By my count, at least ten more guards just like them patrolled the wide area around the shop. They also made their presence known on the nearby streets, setting it so far apart from the rest of Guerraway’s shops that it looked out of place. But maybe that was the point, it was the only store in the area and it easily drew attention to itself.

Honestly, with the shop existing in the city’s noble’s quarters, the place looked more like a heavily-guarded bank than a store of any kind. With what they sold being so valuable, it made sense. Especially since the ring Yua and I sold at auction before was crazy expensive, the shop really needed the protection.

But the unmissable fact that the woman guarding the door was wearing a set of that ultra-skimpy enchanted armor suggested she was being used as both eye candy, and as an advertisement for the shop’s wares.

I mean, her lower half was covered by the sort of needless skirt you’d expect to find on a female knight if you played a lot of RPG’s, but the top half of her armor barely covered anything at all. Her arms and legs were covered with shiny metal to keep her limbs protected, but her tits and stomach are practically defenseless! And she’s wearing it with every bit of pride Yua said someone would if they managed to get some.

How can this woman seriously stand there, aiming that discerning, stalwart glare at every customer that stopped by without so much as blushing when they could practically see her nipples?

Goddess. I know those nudist cat-kin exist, but I just can’t wrap my mind around how this armor is something to be prideful of to actually wear it in public.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” I said, sighing as I turned back to slink into the bench. “Just coming to terms with the fact that my ideas of modesty mean nothing here.”

“Modesty…?!”

Yua hurriedly pressed down her skirt before she looked around to see if anyone had noticed. We’d been scoping out the shop for a few hours now, so her posture had gotten a little too comfortable, but I was sure nobody saw anything they shouldn’t have.

Enchant Me Not was gated off from the rest of the city, there was only one entrance, so we had an easy time scoping out the place by resting on a bench not too far away. Thankfully, due more to this side of the city being less populated during the day, rather than because of how close we were, Yua could hear everything surrounding the shop with a surprising clarity. We also had the benefit of being just outside the guards’ patrol range.

“Anything?”

Forgetting her skirt with a flick of her ear, she turned back towards the shop and listened.

“No. Sounds like that nobleman bought his wife an enchanted necklace, though.”

Curious, I looked again and saw a well-groomed man in a set of very fine clothes as he climbed into a carriage before it rolled away. His purse was no doubt much lighter, but he looked quite happy.

“Well isn’t that nice of him?”

“Mm. I haven’t heard anything about Erhard, though. You think there’s another way in?”

“Like a secret entrance? I doubt it.”

The enchanter may be buying from thieves, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he knows the crystals are stolen goods. He has no reason to assume he needs to sneak into his shop. Erhard could easily just walk in the front door.

Given how much coin he worked with, I could imagine the Enchanter having a panic room or a vault or something along that line, but that was about it.

“Did they mention he’d be here by a certain time?”

“No. Just that he’d be here today.”

“…”

Sighing through her nose, Yua kept her attention on the shop. A few of the people that passed us shot her dirty glares, no doubt because she had to keep her ears out to listen, but I quieted them quickly enough by wrapping an arm around her waist and waving at them.

When Yua started watching the shop, I did my part in spreading those rumors I cooked up about the thieves, but clearly they hadn’t set in yet.

“… Alex, we need to talk about Mana.”

“Come on. I said I was sorry. Besides, I need you to…”

“I can keep listening to the store as we talk. Nobody else is heading in there right now anyways.”

Unfortunately for my want not to be lectured again, she was right. With how expensive enchanted items were, it was easy to understand why the shop wasn’t seeing very many customers. I braced myself.

“Alright, go ahead.”

“She’s too weak. I want you to put any Casanova points Mana has into her Strength stat, too.”

“Oh, uh… I thought this was going to be about me being too rough with her or something.”

“Huh? Why would you think that? I heard you, remember? You were nothing but gentle. It’s not your fault your penis is too big for her. She’ll be fine next time. Assuming Mochi lets there be a next time.”

“R-Right…” I said, trying to ignore the blushing looks the women walking past us were giving me. They hurried off, but I continued in a whisper anyways. “Then what, er, why did you want me to level her Strength?”

“Because you keep putting yourself in danger. She needs the extra strength to use that bow you bought her, remember?”

“Ah…”

Right. I left it with her so she could defend herself, but she can barely even draw it as she is. I had no choice but to agree with her. Unfortunately, Mana’s Casanova level hasn’t changed since she got it, so I couldn’t do that just yet. The potion, at best, gave her some experience. Just not enough to level up.

“That aside,” Yua continued. “I think she knew I was awake.”

“Because she heard you?”

Yua nodded and shifted on the bench.

“People’s hearts beat differently when they sleep. If she wanted to check, I couldn’t have faked it in front of her or she’d know. Which means she just didn’t care.”

“… And you still didn’t stop her.”

“I’m not the one that had sex with her, Alex. I’m just warning you. Mochi is most likely going to ask what happened between you two. And if he’s anything like Daddy, he’s going to assume you attacked her and that she let you.”

“…”

I didn’t think him being like Tama has anything to do with it. He knew I was sexually interested in her. Any father would be concerned. It’s why he didn’t want her to come along and why explaining to him why I didn’t send her back after she ran away was going to be difficult.

“Are you saying I need to throw her under the bus?”

“What’s a bus?” Yua said, her eyes still on the shop.

“Never mind… Are you saying I need to push the blame onto her? Because I won’t be doing that.”

It takes two to tango, and I’m not such a coward that I’d push ownership of what we did onto her.

“I’m saying you might come out of it with fewer bruises if you did. Mochi knows what Mana is like, so he’s more likely to go easy on her. Especially if she’s still in pain when she goes back to the village. He’ll know it’s because of your big penis.”

“Can you stop bringing that up in pub…”

“What’s this about a large penis?”

Hearing the sultry, experienced voice of a woman that didn’t sound even slightly embarrassed to mention such a thing in public, we spun in our seats to find a black-haired woman in front of us. I certainly hadn’t heard her approach, but apparently, neither had Yua as I felt her legs stiffen. She was ready to fight if the need arose, but I knew it wouldn’t.

The woman before us looked tired, but not so much so that it obscured her beauty or the inviting smile she wore. Bent over us, as if ready to share in a secret she meant to whisper, I couldn’t help but let my eyes be drawn to her cleavage. Her breasts were a little smaller than Yua’s, but with the low-cut dress she wore looking tailormade to draw attention there, it didn’t matter.

The strong, obvious and very fishy scent of lust on her that even my human nose could smell that kept me uninterested. Even if I weren’t to judge this book by her cover, it was clear as day that this woman was a prostitute.

I snapped to attention. Remembering the request Yua made of me the other day, I defensively threw up my hands, only to end Yua’s preparedness by pulling her sharply to my side, practically forcing her onto my lap in the process.

“A-Alex?”

“Sorry, miss,” I said. “But I won’t be needing your services. As you can see, I’m married.”

“Huh? Oh, I’m not here about that,” she said with a laugh. “I just finished with my last three customers. I’m done working for the day.”

“Just finished? Last three…? You don’t mean at the same time, do you?”

“Sure do. But don’t worry about that, sweety. What you should be worrying about was how I was just paid a pretty little silver coin to tell you both that that man over there wants to talk to you.”

Throwing a thumb over her shoulder, she pointed to an alleyway down the road. In it was a man, Erhard. He waved once he noticed us looking, but quickly hid himself behind a wall.

I couldn’t help but notice how he was the perfect distance to keep Yua’s ears off of him, but I was more concerned with how he recognized me enough to call out to us. He must have been one of the thieves that showed up after I confronted Tillmann, but I can’t imagine how he’d seen my face in all that mess.

“Thanks,” I said, standing. “But you should probably leave.”

“Hey now, cutey,” the woman said, coyly circling a finger on my chest. “I want to know more about this large penis I just heard about. I wouldn’t mind letting you sample my services for free if you’re not lying.”

“Wha… I…”

“He’s not interested,” Yua said, jumping to her feet and cutting between us. “His penis belongs to us. So go away.”

“Oh, poo.~ Are you sure? You know, I wouldn’t mind it a bit if you joined us.”

“Go away, or I will hurt you.”

Flinching back at the sight of the emerald glare that was meant to protect my imaginary chastity, I barely had time to be grateful that Yua didn’t make things worse by shoving her hand down my pants to prove who I belonged to. Instead, she grabbed my hand and ran, leaving the woman dumbstruck.

I, in all my inexperienced ways, waved and smiled awkwardly as I was dragged away.

Why did the first woman to actually hit on me have to be a prostitute?

As I lamented this fact, a fact that somehow seemed fictional since I had two wives, Yua stopped running before we got to the alley and pulled us around to the opposite side of the building. Pressing us up against the wall, she lifted an ear to the sky and listened.

“Sorry, Yua.”

“For what? I know from your heart you really weren’t interested. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It, uh, just seemed like something I should say.”

“Mm. Don’t worry about it.”

Thank the Goddess my wife was so understanding. If what happened with Mana already had me in the dog house, I could only imagine where that woman’s proposition would have landed me if Yua didn’t have those ears of hers.

Coming to grips with my near-death experience, I said, “… Is Erhard alone?”

I knew she pulled us aside to check if he’d laid out a trap for us, so I had to wait and see what she heard.

Here we were, waiting hours for the guy to finally show up, and when he does, he sends a prostitute to come pick us up. In broad daylight, no less. If this guy wasn’t a known criminal, I’d have to question his sanity.

Thankfully, didn’t take long for Yua to find her answer.

“He’s alone. But there are other people nearby.”

“Then be on guard.”

“Right.”

I pushed my thumb against my sword’s guard to prepare, but I didn’t draw. I may be allowed to carry this thing in the city, but I was sure we’d draw attention if I went waving it around. Yua, on the other hand, had to do nothing but clench her fists as we rounded the corner, attempting and probably failing to look casual.

The alley he chose to hide himself in was on the border of the noble’s district and what I assumed to be the more middle-class part of the city. Cut into the backside of two apartment buildings and what looked to be a church that had been emptied since the end of the morning mass, it didn’t look like the sort of place one would expect to meet a thief in. But it was secluded.

Even after her assurance, walking into that back alley with a known thief felt like we were asking to get jumped. As if he chose this spot just to show he meant no harm, the street between the buildings came to an abrupt end, trapping himself between us and another building. He had no way out.

Erhard stuck his head out from behind the first apartment building and quickly found us. Glancing around, he made sure we too were alone before he stepped out into the open. Remembering the sword he held last night, I noticed he was unarmed, but that same memory kept me on my toes.

However, when he noticed Yua’s ears, he surprised the both of us by letting out a sigh that sounded so relieved, you’d have thought we’d brought him is son oursleves.

“Thank the gods,” he said, catching himself on his knees. “You really were working for the cat-kin.”

“Is that why you called us here?”

Erhard looked up at us and squeezed his knees almost hard enough to hear the leather squeal. He ignored my question by asking one of his own.

“What is it you really want? Tillmann said you were an Adventurer, are you trying to capture us?”

“No. The cat-kin just want you out of the forest. They don’t care what happens to you, so long as you leave.”

Yua nodded sharply and his shoulders sagged in further relief.

“I want out. I want out of that damned forest! Forced to live under that barrier, never allowed to leave unless I’m out risking my freedom. Or my life. Living in fear of walking out of the barrier, finally feeling the breeze on my face, only to have the Blood-Soaked Beast of Dumort appear behind me without a sound, rip my heart right out of my chest and run off like nothing happened. That thought has made me lose so much sleep that I can’t even think straight anymore.”

“Blood-Soaked… Is that supposed to be Tama’s nickname or something?”

“I’m not a thief!” Erhard shouted. “I’m not cut out for this! I just want my son back!”

“Then why come to us?” Yua asked. “Why not just leave?”

“From what we heard; Tillmann won’t leave the barrier. So, it’s not like he’ll chase you down.”

He shook his head hard and clasped his hands together in prayer.

“I want the same kind of deal you promised Arthur!”

“What? How did you know about that?”

“He came back last night. After you left. He told Tillmann everything, including the deal you struck.”

“That bastard…”

I knew it. I didn’t want to believe it, but it was too easy to convince him to switch sides. He must have been lying to get us to…

No. A quick look to Yua shaking her head confirmed there were no falsehoods in what he’d said at the time. Neither Yua nor Mana picked up on any lies. That great big sob story that was his love life he told us about must have been the honest truth. His lies came from withholding other truths I didn’t think to ask about. Trusting their ears didn’t mean anything if he didn’t speak.

I fully planned on helping him when we were done here, and this is how he thanks me? Apparently, he’d rather risk any of the possible fates he’d find himself in by continuing to work with Tillmann, than trust my ability to get him home. Not hard to understand since he barely met me five minutes before we struck that deal, but it still feels like I’ve been betrayed.

Why go back to Tillmann after you told me how to get through the barrier anyways? Change of heart, or is he just as stupid as me?

Goddess… It feels like Alphonse all over again.

“We all have our reason for being here,” Erhard said. “His was a woman, mine is my son. I don’t have a personal stake in the forest like you two do. But what I do have is this.”

He stepped aside and showed us a small wooden crate. It had been nailed shut before, probably so the guards at the city gates couldn’t shove their noses in it, but he’d since opened the lid far enough to let the shine of the essence crystals and amethysts hidden within reach us. The crate was packed to bursting.

“By my count,” he continued. “I have enough here to buy my son back from the slaver that stole him from me and then some. What I want from you is a trade.”

“Trade? I’m not buying those off you.”

If the thieves were stealing and successfully selling their loot in public, then whoever bought the things must not be affected by the world magic, but I wasn’t about to be a part of black market deals.

“No. No. You used teleportation magic to get away last night, right? If you teleport me away from this place, as far away as you can, and if you let me keep these crystals, I will let you in on a secret that will help you get rid of Tillmann.”

Weary of accepting yet another deal with a thief, I turned to Yua. Her ears flicked and she shook her head.

No lies again, but knowing that wasn’t enough last time. So, why should it be this time?

“What happened to the other crystals? We saw an entire minecart full of them, but that box can’t fit anywhere near that much.”

“Some of the last shipment was sold to Lord Argento of Dragma last night. The rest was already sold to the enchanter the night before that. Tillmann had me bring these today because the enchanter needed more time to gather the coin.”

I looked to Yua and again, she shook her head.

So that was why the shipment to Lord Argento was delayed. They must have taken their loot to Guerraway’s enchanter and negotiated a better deal.

“Tillmann, uh… He also said that you probably heard us talking about it and that you’d be waiting for me here. He told me everything about you, including what you looked like and your magic, so it was easy to find you.”

“… And what was he expecting you to do to me?”

“Nothing!” he said quickly. “I was supposed to avoid you at all costs.”

Yua shook her head again and I continued.

“Is the mine really almost empty?”

“Most likely, yes. Tillmann should be checking it now, but if a dwarf can’t find any more crystals in there, then nobody will. This is likely the last of them.”

He tapped the crate with his boot and Yua shook her head.

Guess that means there’s not going to be much left for the cat-kin. It’s not like they can just waltz up to the enchanter and demand he hand over what he bought. Not after the heavy blow they’ve taken to their reputation. The city knights and the enchanter’s guards would be on them the instant they tried.

At this point, I’m sure they’d happily arrest the cat-kin under the guise of them attempting to steal from the man.

“Okay… But Tillmann mentioned another cave.”

“And he’s trying to catch one of my people to get them to talk,” Yua added, crossing her arms.

Erhard flinched more at her than he did me, but he answered regardless.

“He is. But he has no proof of another cave existing. He keeps saying things like the conditions are right, but that’s it. It’s just guesswork and he refuses to admit to that or the danger that staying there is putting us in.” He turned to Yua. “As for your people, Arthur told him that he spoke to a couple of the cat-kin out in front of Guerraway’s Apothecary shop. Told him they were real gullible and that it’d be easy to get them to talk once caught. So, he’s deadest on finding one of you as soon as he can.”

Annoyed, Yua furrowed her brow, but I sighed. Gullible certainly wasn’t the word I’d pick. Unbearably naïve would be more apt, but he wasn’t wrong.

“We don’t know anything about other caves,” Yua said, taking an aggravated step towards him. “The one you guys stole was just the home of the spriggans to us.”

“Hey, hey! I’m not the one in charge over there. I didn’t choose where and what to steal.”

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t change the fact that you still stole from us. And from the spriggans.”

“And I’m sorry! I needed coin and I needed it fast! I need to buy my son back before someone else does and for that, for him, nothing was off the table. Including working for a man that could crush your skull like an egg… Wouldn’t you do the same for your kid?”

Yua’s mouth fell open, unable to say anything as she grimaced. She hung her head, her ears dropping as her gaze fell to the cobblestones. She quickly noticed me looking and stood up straight as an arrow, but the damage had been done.

Because our races were too different, we couldn’t have kids together. She knew that before accepting me as her mate. She never mentioned a want to, and I didn’t exactly bring it up, but maybe it bothered her more than she let on. More than I thought.

Still, she at least didn’t need to have one herself to know innocent children needs protecting.

“I just want my son back,” Erhard said, his voice pleading as he extended his hand. “I’ll leave and I’ll never set foot in this country again.”

With a sigh, I handed the decision to Yua.

“This is about your people and the crystals. I’ll let you decide this one.”

Yua closed her eyes, nodded and took a deep breath. She must have decided Erhard was being honest, because she didn’t take long to find an answer.

“We’ll accept… But only if what you tell us about Tillmann will actually help get rid of him.”

“Yes! Thank you! Yes, okay. See, almost everyone there hates him. He works us to the bone every single day. He threatens us with his hammer if we don’t work hard enough, or if we so much as think about asking for a bigger cut. And they aren’t empty threats, either. He’s broken a number of limbs after guys got out of line, only to heal them up with a potion and send them back to work right after. And once, I saw him break a man’s leg, just because someone touched his booze. And it wasn’t even the one he hurt that did it!”

“Yea, yea,” I stopped him. “We know he’s a bad guy.”

Arthur and Erhard, at least, had good reasons to be here. Even if they should’ve taken a different path to correct their lives. And from what I’ve heard, it may be safe to assume the others may be in the same boat, they were hand selected because their wants outweighed the risks of being there.

Tillmann’s desires, though, were entirely selfish. In my head, he deserved no sympathy.

“How do we beat him?”

“S-sorry,” Erhard said, clearing his throat. “What I was getting at was that there are already several of the guys that want to mutiny. Last night was the last straw for us. Because you and those spriggans showed up, he kept us awake all night long waiting for you to come back. Then he made me cart over here without a wink of sleep. And he made the others head into the mine again. He didn’t even care that two of our guys died last night.”

“So, he’s pissed them off enough that some of you would side with us if we come knocking?”

“Yes. They’ll want promises of freedom, but yes. And it’ll have to be obvious that you can win against Tillmann. Because if you don’t…”

“He’ll kill the traitors,” I finished for him and sighed.

Once I opened the barrier again, I planned on calling Tama to help to begin with, but now we really didn’t have a choice. Any dreams I had of finishing this on our own were already dead, but he just spit on their grave.

If he’s right, and we can convince them the help, we’d at least have some help on the inside. That and whoever Tama brings with him will really increase our chances. After last night’s screw up, just learning this felt like lifting a giant weight off my shoulders, but the final decision wasn’t mine. Not this time.

Yua held a knuckle to her chin, her ears flicking in thought. This lasted a while before she finally came up for air. She looked to the hand Erhard kept extended to her, but didn’t take it.

“Before that,” she said. “You still have crystals at the camp, don’t you? There’s no way you sold them all off that fast.”

Remembering that just one of those crystals was only a single component of the absurdly overpriced ring we sold a month ago, I realized she was right. None of the shops in Amoranth were able to pony up that much gold on the spot without crippling themselves, and the thieves were selling what was likely hundreds, if not a couple thousand of them.

At this, Erhard nodded without pause.

“We do. Lord Argento brought plenty of gold for the lot, but since we cut a deal with the enchanter, we’ve been delaying shipments so the Enchanter could buy more. There should still be a crate or two back in the camp.”

“Good. Then Daddy can still sell them for food.”

Yua nodded, and for the first time in a while, she smiled. Feeling that the cute twist to her lips was just a little infectious, I found myself smirking at the thought of how she planned on her people using the crystals the same way I had.

She looked to his hand, then to me and her tail flicked. I guessed that me being her master meant it was up to me to actually accept the deal.

I reached out to shake his hand, but stopped, frozen.

For some reason, the hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle. A sinking feeling welled up in my gut, almost like someone had opened a portal directly inside my stomach and vacuumed my innards out straight through it before I could stop them. Suddenly, I was struggling to hold myself up. And I didn’t know why.

I thought I might have subconsciously picked up on the sight of some sort of hidden blade Erhard might have had up his sleeve, but he sheepishly pulled his hand back when he saw my reaction.

Yua, too, clenched her fists, though she didn’t know why. And neither did I until…

[Caution: Slave Mana is in Danger!]

I stared blankly at the notification I’d received from the Slave Master class, unsure of what it meant. Yua had been in danger plenty since we met, but such a message never popped up with her.

Unless… Maybe it didn’t show because I was always there to experience the danger with her, so it wasn’t necessary?

“Alex?”

Gulping, ignoring the concern on Yua’s face, I asked, “… Erhard, when you said Arthur told Tillmann everything, did he mention which inn we were staying in?”

“Y-Yes. Why?”

I clutched my chest.

I messed up.

“Alex, what’s wrong? Your heart is…”

“We need to go.”

I threw open a portal back to the inn. Erhard stumbled back at the sight of the magic, but Yua tried to get between me and the portal.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“No time!” I yelled, and grabbed her wrist. She winced but didn’t try to pull away. “We need to go!”

“Hey, wait! What about our deal?”

“You just wait here! Come, Yua!”

Shoving Erhard back and away from my spell, I pulled Yua through the portal.

We landed in our room at the inn, only to find it empty.

I jumped onto the mattress and ripped the sheets away, expecting to find Mana hiding there with her bow and with a welcoming smile on her little sakura lips, but she wasn’t there. The sweet, cute girl I’d left healing on the bed, my wife, was gone.

“Oh shit…”

“Alex… What’s wrong? I thought you wanted to stay and learn the Enchanter class after we talked to Erhard.”

“Look around! Mana’s gone!”

“Sh-She probably just ran off to explore the city again. The health potion you slipped her probably perked her right back up. She must have gotten bored waiting and left to play.”

I should have just forced Mana to drink the damn health potion right then and there and brought her with us!

Fuck!

“Alex?”

“Don’t you get it, Yua? Arthur told them where we were staying. That means Tillmann knows we sleep here. He wants to catch a cat-kin to interrogate them and Mana’s gone!”

Her emerald eyes widening with understanding, Yua’s lips floundered before she turned her senses to the world.

Dropping to the floor, I checked under the bed, hoping against hope that Mana thought to prank us by hiding there, and hesitated to come out once she heard our panic.

But she wasn’t there.

“Alex…” Yua said, her face grim. “I can smell Arthur in this room.”

My stomach lurched.

I should have sent her back to the village as soon as she found us by the barrier.

“How did you even know?” Yua said, opening the room’s door and sniffing the hall.

“… The Slave Master class notified me that she was in danger.”

“Then use your right as her master to search for her! It smells like she left out the front door!”

I didn’t waste time getting back to my feet before activating the ability I’d hardly ever used. Hoping again that her leaving through the front door just meant she’d been detained by the cycloptic innkeeper for daring to exist in this building as a cat-kin, it took only seconds to realize her outline didn’t appear through the floorboards. She wasn’t in the building.

Focusing on widening my search area, I still did not find her outline, but I felt a sharp, incorporeal tug force my body to face what my compass read as North-West.

I whipped out my map menu and checked to see what lay in that direction, though I feared I already knew.

With my heart attempting to tear through my chest to slap me across the face, I bit down on the answer.

“… She’s either in the forest or heading in that direction.”

“Towards the barrier?”

“I don’t know. I can’t tell from this far away. But we have to go.”

No more time for games. If they were going to stoop this low, we were going to have to do this Tama’s way and use brute force to get them to end this.

Standing, I pointed a finger at Yua and, using my rights as her master, instantaneously removed her clothes and replaced them with her battle gear of a leather vest and shorts.

Bewildered for only a moment, Yua’s ears flicked as she tugged her shorts into a more comfortable spot that allowed her tail to move freely. We bought this equipment a month ago, but she’d only ever done light training in it before. I was beginning to think we’d wasted our money on it, but she was going to need its protection now.

I took off my cloak and equipped my gear as well before opening another portal, this time to the forest. Neither of us hesitated to jump through.