“Good, you’re still here.”

“Of course I am. You’re my only way out of this hole!”

True to his word, Erhard obediently stayed put. At least, mostly. To avoid unwanted attention, he’d slunk further into the alley we’d left him in. Night was always growing closer and a dirty, poorly-dressed man fidgeting at every sound in the middle of an alley might have prompted someone to call the city guard. That, he could not allow.

Out of everything we needed to do before heading home, ending the band of thieves that once occupied the Dumort Forest had become our top priority. And that meant dealing with the last surviving member. The same one that led us into their trap. Only, he’d saved us the trouble of tracking him down.

“So, um,” he hesitated, trembling. “Why did you leave in such a hurry?”

“In short, your friends kidnapped Mana here.”

I pat the shoulder of the girl in question and, while she was holding her bow somewhat at the ready, she was too busy ogling the strange city buildings to pay any attention to the conversation. He took one look at her and started to shake.

Of course, Mana was only about as intimidating as a newborn kitten with a bag of sugar strapped to its ass, but she was not the cause for Erhard’s blanched face. The real reason was simple… his feet weren’t touching the ground.

“So…,” Elane started, her tone low and her axe aimed at his neck. “Were you in on the plot to kidnap my Kitty?!”

“K-Kitty? You mean her? No way! Lady Bellenfort, I swear I …”

“Simple yes or no answers only! Were you trying to lead Alex and Yua into a trap?!”

“N-No!”

“Did you know your buddies set a trap?”

“No!”

“Did you truly think the others meant to mutiny?”

“Yes!”

We looked to Yua just in time to see her ears flick. She shook her head, but crossed her arms. So, he was telling the truth, but she wasn’t entirely sure of his innocence.

“Their trap was obvious,” I said. “They turned on us almost as soon as we got there. Honestly, it’s hard to believe you didn’t know.”

“Wh-What?”

“Don’t lie to us!” Elane barked, pressing the blade of her axe to his neck. “I already cut Tillmann down, along with the rest of your buddies. I don’t mind adding another notch to my axe.”

Though her interrogation reminded of an unfortunate memory for me, this was part of why we chose to handle Erhard with Elane present. With her being a noblewoman famous for her violent nature, she had a better chance of making him talk without any actual violence. As a bonus, if any guards got in our face, she could easily throw her assumed nobility around to make them leave.

Not that this seemed at all necessary anymore. The moment she mentioned the dwarf’s death, Erhard’s face brightened several shades.

“T-Tillmann’s finally dead? Really?”

“Did you really want him dead?”

“I would have felt safest if…”

“Simple answers only!” Elane yelled, but I put a hand up to stop her. At my call, she removed her axe from his neck and let him down. Though she did so with a click of her tongue.

If he truly wanted the dwarf dead, then that was enough for me. But I wanted him as calm as possible so Yua could get a clear reading.

“Take a breath and answer calmly. Did you want Tillmann dead?’

Erhard fell back against the wall and put a hand to his chest. After several deep breaths, he finally managed an answer.

“Yes. I wanted him dead.”

A direct answer to a direct question. Elane’s eyes darted to Yua, who had closed her eyes to listen to his answers without any other stimuli to distract her. Arms still crossed; she chewed over every syllable of his answer.

And finally, she opened her emerald eyes with a gentle smile.

“He’s telling the truth,” she said and Mana nodded before returning to her sight-seeing. “About everything.”

“Hmph…”

Keeping up the tough act, Elane took a step back and Erhard let out a long breath like he’d been holding it this entire time.

“Gods… Please, is Tillmann truly dead? Am I finally free of him?”

“Yes,” I said. “Here’s your proof.”

I reached behind my back, into my item box and pulled out Tillmann’s hammer. The metal brick with a handle was heavy enough to almost make me lose my balance once its weight appeared in my hand, but I hefted it up to let him look at it closely.

He flinched at the sight of it, but when he saw it wasn’t flying at him, his mouth fell open into a wordless gape. And soon enough, the corners of his lips turned upward into a smile and tears spilled down his cheeks.

“Gods… It’s really over. I can finally go save my son.”

His relief to powerful too deny, Elane quietly put her axe away. We’d told her the questions we wanted asked and told of his reason for joining Tillmann before we even left the forest. Hearing of his young son’s enslavement had tugged at her heartstrings. Enough so for her to agree to the interrogation before I even asked. She wanted to know the truth herself and now she did.

I nodded and stuffed the hammer back in my item box.

“I’ll keep my promise to shorten your trip back to your son, but before that, I have a request.”

“Yes, anything. Anything. If I can do it, I will.”

He agreed without hesitation. No, he clasped his hands together, practically pleading for me to hurry up.

I spotted the small box he’d had with him since before we parted earlier, but instead of being filled with crystals, it was packed tight with rows and rows of neatly-stacked gold coins.

“I take it you spoke to the Enchanter while we were away?”

“Y-yes. As you can see, I already traded the crystals, so…”

“Relax,” I said. “Yua already agreed to let you have those. What I want to know is, can you introduce me to the Enchanter? Personally, I mean.”

Erhard shot me a confused look and for an understandable reason. The Enchant Me Not shop was open to the public. It was a store, after all. I didn’t need permission to enter, but I felt I needed an introduction to move things along the way I wanted.

If this worked, it’d be my best bet to protect my girls in the future.

“I can, but…”

“Great,” I said. “Let’s get going then.”

Unwilling to waste the lingering daylight, we dragged Erhard and his heavy box of coin to the Enchant Me Not shop, only to be stopped at the door by the guards.

“Hold,” Joseph, the male guard, tapped his spear on the ground and put up a hand. “Weapons are not permitted within this place.”

His partner, Luthiel, a woman, shifted her arm slightly towards her sword without waiting to see if we’d comply. Though she looked more like the shop’s poster girl in her enchanted bikini armor, she wore the air of a seasoned swordswoman that’d cut us down the moment we even thought to draw.

Given how valuable the goods sold here were, I understood the caution. Elane had warned us about this on the way, so it wasn’t a surprise. She handed him her axe and, bearing its weight fairly easily, he stowed it in a small room behind his post. He showed no signs of knowing who she was.

Not that she had a weapon to give, but Yua chose to stay behind and cool down on a nearby bench. Mana stayed with her, though she just wanted to avoid another suffocating hug, so it was just us three. Erhard decided he was next in line and handed the guard a dagger he’d hidden in his boot, presumably in good faith.

I untied my sword from my belt and handed it to him and said, “I’d like to have that sword enchanted.”

“Very well,” Joseph said, as if he’d said the words a hundred times today alone. “But I will have to carry it in for you.”

Now properly disarmed, the three of us were then subjected to a pat-down, to which I requested Luthiel to do the honors. Not because I suspected there was a beauty hiding beneath her helm, I just didn’t want to give Joseph an excuse to grope Elane. And, surprisingly, they had no issue with this. Not even an eyeroll. This too, must be standard as Elane went out of her way to jokingly smirk at me when I asked.

“This way,” Joseph said as Luthiel held the door.

The second we stepped into the shop, I immediately understood that their caution was fully warranted.

Weapons, Armors and shields lined the shop’s interior walls, leaving no space free of something sharp or heavy. Likewise, several gilded glass cases occupied a large corner of the floorspace. Each were locked and filled with various forms of jewelry, some of which looked entirely commonplace, things you’d see sold at a leatherworks store, while others wouldn’t have looked strange if gifted to a queen.

Naturally, almost everything on display was enchanted, save for a few items of ornate design. I guessed they were meant for customers to buy as is so they could be enchanted however they wanted, but the prices listed in their info boxes were still staggering as is. Even more so was how a few of the items I spotted were worth more gold than I had on hand.

The enchanter must have been making good use of all those crystals he bought up.

“Wait here.”

Still carrying my sword, Joseph wandered into the back of the shop. I took a moment to eye every item in the shop I could and memorized their enchantments for reference. However, while a lot of it looked good, nothing really caught my eye. It was all pretty much standard affair enchantments you’d find in an RPG.

This at least gave me plenty of ideas to work with, but when I glanced at Elane, only to find her with her arms crossed, it looked more like she was focused on holding up her breasts to relieve the pressure on her back than she was interested in shop. With nothing but her coat holding those things back during the fight, she must have been starting to get uncomfortable.

“We’ll be able to relax soon,” I whispered while Erhard was busying himself perusing the enchanted daggers.

“Maybe you will, but unfortunately, I have a few things to take care of before that.”

“What is it? I’ll help if I can.”

She smiled sweetly, then stopped rolling her shoulder to lightly elbow me in the arm.

“That’s sweet of you, but there’s no need. Besides, it sounds like you still have work to do, too.”

“Yea, unfortunately…”

Such was the life of a working man. It didn’t matter that we all nearly died just a short while ago, I still had potions to brew and in-laws to appease.

The repeated clanking of Joseph’s metal boots flowed back into the room. Trailing behind him, aided by a cane, was an elderly man who had more wrinkles on his face than he did hairs in his long white beard. The long silken robes he wore were reminiscent of what you’d find on middle-eastern royalty. His sleeves were long, but when he raised a hand in greeting, the fabric slipped to reveal four golden bracelets around his wrist. Each of which were enchanted.

“Welcome, all,” he said feebly. “I am Guerraway’s Enchanter, Mobus. I already heard from Joseph here, but…”

His long eyebrows drooped low enough to almost cover the fact that his eyes widened, not at the sight of Elane, but Erhard. He paused, only briefly, before stepping up to the counter. Erhard did the same and gestured to me.

“Sorry to be back so soon, but I promised my friend Alex that I’d introduce him.”

“Is that so?”

Mobus looked me up and down, then eyed the box of coin Erhard had no choice but to hold in the open. He must be aware that buying those crystals from him had been wrong to some degree, but I was sure my post-battle state looked just seedy enough to show I wasn’t a nark.

“And what would young Alex here need an introduction for?” Mobus asked, contemplatively pawing at his beard, as if meaning to show off the three enchanted necklaces he wore.

Clearing my throat, I introduced myself.

“Good afternoon, sir. As I’m sure your guard told you, I’d like the sword he’s holding to be enchanted. But, since it’s a family heirloom, I’d like to watch your process to ensure everything goes smoothly.”

This was the lie we cooked up. According to Erhard, who’d we pressed for info, Mobus did all his enchanting in the shop’s back room. Our little deception was our best bet to get me back there. At least, I was sure he wouldn’t just accept a can I watch without a good reason to back the request.

Unknown to Erhard, I hoped watching Mobus work would meet the conditions to allow me to learn the Enchanter’s class.

I did want to own an enchanted weapon, but what I really needed was the Enchanter class. I wasn’t quite sure how to go about that, but since I obviously couldn’t enchant anything myself without the class, I had no other choice than watching.

As for why my sword and not anything the girls had… Well, I am the most unskilled with a weapon. I needed the buff to keep up if and when my magic failed.

This lie, however, was not the only chip I came to bargain with.

“Please, permit me the chance to watch a master work and I can promise you more essence crystals in the future.”

This cause Mobus to stop pawing at his beard. His eyes flicked to Erhard, then back to me. Apparently, Joseph was aware of their dealings, as he was permitted to stay for the answer.

“How do you mean?”

“Erhard’s friends were polite enough to turn over the crystals they mined to the cat-kin of the Dumort Forest. They didn’t know they were farming on their land, see? And as it happens, I am married to their chief’s daughter, so I can guarantee that they will sell to you exclusively.”

Elane and I planned to give the crystals we confiscated both from the thieves and Lord Argento back to Tama, so they were going to have plenty. They were going to have to sell them to make coin to buy food and supplies anyways, so why not sell here?

And even if Tama decided to be an ass, which would be understandable in this case, and choose not to sell to the people of Guerraway out of spite for their mislead-racism, then I’d just sick Yua on him. One word (or fist) from her and I’m sure that doting father will change his tune.

“He has my backing as well,” Elane said, throwing our last chip into the pot.

“Ah, Lady Bellenfort. Welcome, welcome. I wondered what you had to do with this. Surely you could have just sent a letter with him.”

“No need. I happened to be visiting Guerraway by request of Duke Callahan anyways.”

“I see…” he said as he stared fixedly at her chest. Unphased, she let him look by pretending not to notice. I guess even the old and lecherous were at the mercy of her tits. “Well, I suppose if it’s you asking, I don’t mind letting him watch.”

“Thank you…”

Hopefully, putting a proper shirt on her won’t be as difficult as it was with Mana.

Oh, who am I kidding? With that chest of hers, there’s nothing she could wear that would ever look “proper.”

“However,” Mobus continued. “I want the same deal I had with Erhard. That’s 900 gold per crystal. Just because the crystals changed hands to the cat-kin doesn’t mean they get to be greedy.”

Doing the math, I realize they must have marked down the crystal’s worth to less than two-thirds their original price to ensure he’d keep his mouth shut. He no doubt questioned how they managed to scrounge up that many crystals at once, after all.

“Make it an even 1,200 and you have a deal,” I said, letting my Merchant class take the reins.

“What?! You…”

“1,200 gold per crystal, and not only will you be their exclusive trade partner, but they won’t have to find out that you were buying what was stolen from them.”

That’s probably more than enough to ensure the cat-kin wouldn’t have to worry about needing coin for years to come, but I wasn’t about the let them get cheated.

They get money to live off by selling crystals when needed, and Mobus still makes a huge profit. Everyone wins.

Mobus’s eyes narrowed, but his staggering level 65 Merchant class stayed his anger. Sure, with his hired help and the city guards, the cat-kin would be hard pressed to take their revenge on him, but that’s not what he needed to be confident in.

“And if I refuse, I suppose you’ll tell the cat-kin to trade with someone else? To someone in Lady Bellenfort’s Amoranth, I’m guessing?”

“Exactly,” I bluffed. The only semi-reliable way we could sell something so valuable in Amoranth would be the auction house. “But since your shop is so close…”

“It’d save time and coin. Hmm… I can respect that. Still, the cat-kin are a warrior people, correct? Then, as a show of good faith, how about you have them promise to only buy enchanted weapons and goods from me. Do that, and you have yourself a deal.”

“…Deal.”

His thick white beard didn’t quite hide the merchant’s grin he bore and I didn’t blame him. Surely, any life-long warrior would strive to own an enchanted weapon, but from what I’ve seen, the cat-kin didn’t seem to use enchanted gear in the first place. Certainly not armor, anyways. So, to him, this sounded like a fair deal that would promise him future sales.

Not to mention that, if they did want something and I did gain the class, they could just hand me their favorite weapon and a spare crystal and, boom, happy cat-kin.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

However, I kept that to myself as I offered a hand. He shook it with little hesitation, surprising me with the strength of his grip.

“Now,” he said with a clap of his hands. “You’d like your sword enchanted. Have you thought of the enchantment you’d like to imbue it with?”

“Fire, please.”

“Are you sure? As enchantments go, that’s pretty mundane.”

“I’m sure. Fire’s sort of my element. I’m used to handling it.”

Or, in other words, Elane’s experience and my look around the shop suggested fire was the cheapest enchantment you could get.

“Well, if you’re sure, follow me. Lady Bellenfort, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to stay out here.”

“Yea, yea. I’ll just have a look around, then.”

Now that her part in this was done, Elane already looked bored as she rolled her shoulder again. I made a mental note of how she completely ignored the weapons and armor and went straight for the jewelry. Supposing she wasn’t actually as much of a battle junky as Yua was, I followed Mobus and Joseph into the back room.

Mobus brought us into a room that was mostly empty, devoid of anything that could distract from the job, I’d guess. There were no decorations to speak of, save for the large table at the back and a few glass cases hanging on the wall showing off what were likely pieces he’d enchanted, but didn’t mean to sell.

Atop the desk was a wooden box filled to bursting with essence crystals and, the main event, a large wooden bored with several runes and arcane circles carved directly into its surface. At a glance, they looked like they’d been painted green, but they were glowing faintly beneath the dagger placed in their center.

It’s info box marked it as an Enchanting Table, the Enchanter’s equivalent of a cauldron. He must have been fulfilling some order when we got here, but he set the dagger aside.

“Joseph, his sword, please.”

Without a word, the guard handed over the blade and took only a single step back, his eyes on me all the while. Unconcerned, Mobus unsheathed my sword and started looking it over. There was a certain artistic intuition behind his gaze that felt oddly comforting, but at the same time, I got the strangest feeling he’d reject my gold if he found the sword lacking in any way.

“Could you explain how enchanting works?” I asked to break the silence. “Besides the crystals, is there anything else you need?”

Apparently satisfied, he nodded sagely and sheathed the sword again before setting it on the enchanting table. He held up a teacherly finger.

“First, you need an enchanting board like this one. Without it, you’d just waste your crystal. Second, is mana. How much depends on what enchantment you wish to imbue an object with. The third and final requirement is the incantation for the desired enchantment.”

Incantations? Even if silent casting still let me skip that step, that meant I was going to have to find a way to learn incantations.

“Is that really all?”

“Oh yes. Gather all that and the spirits will do the rest.”

“Spirits? You didn’t mention anything about spirits.”

Mobus nodded again, this time with a smile, and I got the impression he was enjoying being able to share the fine details of his work.

“The essence crystals aren’t just pretty rocks. They are solidified mana. And the spirits love their mana, that they do. This is why the crystals only appear in areas that are dense with mana. Speaking of…”

Mobus leaned on his cane, examining the box of crystals. Assuming the absurd asking price for most enchanted goods was in part due to the crystals needed being so rare, I saw a chance to lower the damage that would soon be inflicted on my purse. I pulled one of the crystals I’d collected from Tillmann’s things out of my pocket.

That bastard broke my sword, so I might as well use his labor to improve it.

“I actually have a crystal myself. Could you it, please?”

Seemingly aware of what I was going for, Mobus didn’t let his smile slip as he accepted it, set it on the enchanting table and continued.

“The crystal is something of a mix between a conduit connecting the enchanter to the spirits, as well as an offering to them. They’re a selfish bunch, you see? It’s their magic that gives your enchanting power and only an enchanter can commune with this particular sort. Likewise, no matter your skill as an enchanter, if you don’t make them an offering, they will ignore you and refuse to help.”

“Couldn’t I just give them my own mana then?”

“Oh, no. Not at all. Spirits thrive on nature’s mana. They think it’s tastier than anything you’ve ever eaten. Mortal mana, however, disgusts them. Our mana’s been corrupted by the vice and sin that lies within us all.”

“And that’s why they will ignore us unless we offer a crystal? Talk about picky eaters.”

Mobus lifted his head from the table, as if a thought had occurred to him, but he refocused almost as fast.

“Exactly. And that’s enough for the lessons. If you need more, you’ll have to do the research yourself, same as I did. For now, I need to get back to manning the shop.”

Leaning his cane against the table, Mobus rubbed his hand together as he cleared his throat. Careful not to provoke Joseph and his watchful eye, I stepped a little closer so I could watch.

“Oh, greater spirits of scorching flame! Lend me your power so that I might burn my enemies to ash in overwhelming conflagration!”

He finished, and the runes on the table began to glow brighter until their light filled the room, almost completely swallowing the elderly man in shadow.

And then, in a flash, the light was gone. As was the crystal I’d given him. I didn’t see any spirits or fairies come and steal it, but it was no more. All that was left was my sword, physically unchanged as it was. Although, its info box did now read Parundum Sword of Flame.

[New Class Acquired: Enchanter.]

I closed my eyes in a brief, silent prayer to the Goddess. With this, I’ll be able to equip the girls and myself with better gear without having to worry too much about the cost.

“And there you have it,” Mobus said, handing the sword not to me, but to Joseph. “I was curious why you’d go so far just to watch, but now it makes sense. How long have you been an Enchanter?”

“Uh…”

“No need to be coy,” he laughed, patting my shoulder. “You wanted to learn a new incantation, right? Could have just asked, I wouldn’t have minded sharing a few. Learning them is the hard part, but all it takes is a few to open up a shop of your own. If you have a good supply of crystals, that is. But don’t go cheating me out of our deal with the cat-kin, ya hear?”

Realizing my mistake, and wondering if I needed another headbutt to set me straight, I didn’t bother to deny it. Though, this time I did have a good reason for being so secretive.

“But shouldn’t you be preventing me from opening a shop? Why would you help?”

Surely another enchanter’s shop opening up near his would drive away some of his business. I doubted there were laws about monopolies on the market, but it was easy to say he very nearly had one as the only enchanter between here and Amoranth. So, why ruin that?

My Merchant class was telling me to keep my mouth shut so I didn’t end up kicking the gift horse in the dick, but it made no sense.

“We Enchanters are a dying breed,” he said. “Because of what we can do, and our immense potential to aid in the war effort, many a king and nobleman sought to claim us. Many of us died in the fighting. I barely escaped the last war myself by settling here and picking a side before I was forced to.” He paused, combing his fingers through his beard leisurely. “Due to how many of our ilk perished, I say I’d rather welcome a newcomer. Matter of fact, say, by chance, is Lady Bellenfort your woman? I don’t see why else she’d bother coming here, unless she wanted to tag along with you.”

“Er, uh…Yes. Why do you ask?”

Again, no need to hide the truth. Elane certainly held no such compunction when she put the fear of the Goddess into the cycloptic innkeeper for failing to help Mana when we returned our room key earlier. She’d introduced herself as my wife and that was more than enough to quiet the innkeeper, despite the two cat-kin that stood beside us.

Mobus nodded knowingly and once more held up his finger.

“Then with all due respect to her and yourself, I’d say you need to get started on making babies. The class can only be gained through inheritance and the world needs more enchanters. And I say the more the merrier!”

“…!”

I was too stunned to respond. Not because of his request, but because I’d been taking so much pleasure in living it up with Yua each and every night, that I’d forgotten that the only reason why she wasn’t already carrying my child was because a cat-kin can’t breed with a human.

I never felt the need to hold back with Yua and just cut lose whenever pleasure grew to be too much. And now, thanks to last night, Mana was in that same boat. But unlike them, Elane is a human…

I felt my cheeks heat up. Mobus laughed heartily and Joseph let a snicker or two slip out of his helmet. Leveraging his cane for support, Mobus bent down and rummaged around under the table.

“Feel free to take these as the words of an old relic of a man. I just don’t want to see the art of enchanting die out, and it’s already far too late for me to pass it on.”

“Ri-ight…”

A book fell from beneath the table and hit the floor at my feet, kicking up a cloud of dust. It fell open to a page and, as luck would have it, it turned out to be an old enchanting book textbook of sorts. Memorization kicked in and I made a mental photograph of the page, but the incantations on the pages were all super basic. Useful, but nothing to write home about.

I was about to ask to borrow it, but when Mobus caught me looking, he was quick to stuff it back under the table. Grunting with the effort, he stood back up and offered me a dusty plank of wood.

“Take this. A gift for a fellow rarity,” he said, wiping some of the dust away with his sleeve to reveal an exact copy of the runes on the table. “It’s my old enchanting table. Worn out, but still just as effective. Do as you will with it. Just, keep your business out of Guerraway, okay?

“Thank you very much. I was actually going to ask where I could get one.”

“Think nothing of it. That poor old thing was just gathering dust down there anyways.”

I tucked the gift under my arm and helped Mobus out of the backroom, where we rejoined Elane. Bent over a glass case, our eyes met and she straightened up. Even, no especially when viewed from the side, the sheer prominence of her bustline made thoughts of baby-making impossible to avoid.

As I took in the sight of her profile, the thought of what would come later tonight refused to leave my mind for more than a second. It was almost like I’d been hit with the opposite of the Mage’s Bane poison.

Remembering Mobus’s advice and finding it difficult just to look her in the eye, I shoved my hand into my pocket and accessed my item box.

On top of using my own crystal, I was able to talk down the price further by offering the Occult Lense for trade as well. Thanks to this, I didn’t immediately empty my purse with this one trade. I still had plenty of coin left.

Transaction done and my Merchant class one level higher, we grabbed our weapons and left the shop in rush.

“You okay?” Elane said, smirking. “Your face is all red.”

“N-Nothing. Just reminded of how beautiful you are.”

“Hoho? You were only in the other room for a few minutes and you’re already missing me?”

“Something like that…”

“Oh my! I didn’t know my husband was so clingy! But we still have work to do, so settle down and wait for tonight, would ya? My pussy’s not going anywhere.”

Smiling rather proudly, her bountiful chest bouncing as though her feet were skipping through each step, Elane followed as I led the way back to the girls.

Sufficiently cooled off, and likely sensing the sudden turmoil in my heart, Yua jumped to her feet, but I gave her a thumbs up to let her know the plan we cooked up worked.

Mana less enthusiastically slid off the bench and clung to my arm before Elane could make a grab for her.

Looking incredibly out of place, Erhard did his best to keep his distance, though his own flushed cheeks were more than enough to say he’d heard our conversation. Knowing his inability to keep still had nothing to do with her, though, I hurried everyone along to a nearby alley to finally finish off my half of our promise.

Once Yua was sure nobody was looking or listening, I cast Dimensional Step on the wall and the titular blue lights appeared without issue. Apparently, Amoranth was within teleporting distance.

Erhard clutched his box of coin to his chest as he watched the swirling lights settle into place.

“As promised, a free one-way trip to the outskirts of Amoranth.”

He shook his head as if coming out of a trance and offered a hand. I shook it.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble. Really, I am.”

“You did it for your kid. While I can’t say I condone the method, I do at least understand.”

“I’d say our people could forgive you for that reason,” Yua said, then carefully added, “But it’d probably be best if they never catch you in the forest again.”

“R-Right. Um. Well then, I’ll be off.”

Erhard gave us all a small sheepish wave and, as if he thought we were going to prank him by cutting the spell early, he jumped through the portal and was gone.

The girls sighed in unison now that the thief problem was done with and I nearly gave in as well, but we still had one more thing to do here before we followed his example.

After selling off the rest of the useless stuff we’d picked up from the bandit camp, I asked Elane to show us the best spots to pick up building and crafting supplies. And instead of taking us to a shop somewhere in the city, she brought us to none other than Guerraway’s docks.

Lord Argento’s boat was gone, as were his knights, so we had unfettered access to all it held. And what it held was a myriad of imported, wholesale goods that were ripe for a picking. And pick we did.

I bought up everything from crates full of raw cotton and rolls of fabrics to iron and steel ingots. Not only did buying all this up at once make the merchant captains grow pale with shock, only to then become outrageously elated once I put my money where my mouth was, but it should be more than enough to last us through all our house’s renovations.

Namely, at long last, I had what I’d need to build us a proper bed. What had originally been one of my primary goals in choosing this quest had been tossed onto the backburner almost at the start, but now it too was complete. And just in time.

“Erika!” Elane called as she let us into the room she’d been renting. Not even a moment later, there was a clatter in the room adjoining the bedroom. “We didn’t bring much, so it won’t take long to clean up.”

The inn she’d brought us to looked more like a properly furnished apartment that could have been plucked out a modern hotel catalogue, were it not for the medieval scenery outside the window and the magic candles lining the room.

Seeing it made me feel as though I’d been too stingy when picking out our room, even if we had a reason for staying there.

Elane set her axe down, leaning it against a dresser that creaked beneath its weight. Stretching her arms over her head, uttering a notably cute squeak as she did, she made her way to the large bed at the back of the room.

Just before she reached it, the bathroom door erupted open. Thankful for her dog ears hearing us all appear, Erika, who’d clearly just taken a bath, was able to quickly pull on her maid’s dress before stepping into the room. Although, the shoulders of the dress were a little askew as her chest heaved from our sudden appearance.

She took one look at us, her cheeks flushing at the sight of Mana, who was grinning at her for some reason, but she ultimately chose to ignore us.

“M-Mistress, are you okay? Are you hurt? You were gone for so long.”

“Calm down,” Elane sighed, reaching under the blankets where a human-shaped lump was hiding. “Pack the bags. We’re leaving the city.”

“B-but what about…”

“Erika, it’s fine. I’m fine. The thieves have been dealt with. Now get moving would y...”

Elane stopped, raising her chin at the maid with a curious arch to her brow when she found the dog-kin fretting beside her. Then realization struck and Elane shrugged.

Erika had essentially and unknowingly disobeyed a direct order, but she was no longer Elane’s slave.

Seemingly unbothered by this, Elane grabbed hold of the lump under the blanket and yanked. Tossing aside the covers, she lifted the limp body of a green-haired girl up by the scruff of her neck like a mother cat would its disobedient kitten. As all four of the girl’s limbs dangled weakly at her sides, she looked positively dead, but her status window read that she was only asleep.

Wearing only a thin, white sleeping gown, June continued to doze as Elane held her so they were face-to-face.

It wasn’t much of a surprise seeing June here. I realized she was one of Elane’s slaves when her ownership transferred to me along with Erika’s, but I didn’t know she was here in the city.

“Mistress,” Erika started with an excuse for the green-haired girl. “June did her chores this time, so…”

“It’s fine. I’m not mad that she’s sleeping during the day, again,” Elane said, but the way she held the girl made her hard to believe. “We’re leaving.”

Erika glanced at us, her tail shifting uncomfortably beneath her skirt.

“Mistress, is something wrong?”

Elane sighed, unused to the girl not doing as she was told. When June’s groggy eyes slowly opened, the blond calmly set her down on the bed. June stretched into a yawn, noticed us in the room, then stretched and yawned some more before standing.

“Okay, look,” Elane said. “I’m in a bit of a rush here. I just got married and I’d like to…”

“M-M-Married?! Mistress, when?! You said you were going to fight some thieves!”

“Heh,” June laughed wryly. “Can’t you see, Headmaid? She’s finally had too much to drink. She’s lost her mind.”

“B-but I don’t smell any alcohol on her at all. Mistress, are you sick?”

“The thieves probably just hit her extra hard in the head,” June shrugged, then yawned again. “Can I go back to sleep now?”

Eyebrow twitching, cheeks flushed bright pink in the face of their doubt, Elane thrust an open palm out to me.

“He’s my husband! Him. Alex!”

“Ehhhh?!”

Erika squealed, her dog ears jumping in shock. Meanwhile, June tilted her head and slowly blinked at me. It seemed to be the only reaction the sleepy girl was capable of in the moment.

“Uh, hi,” I waved. “Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, but she’s telling the truth.”

“B-B-But you… Mistress…”

“Hmm…I remember you.” Holding a finger to her chin, June squinted at me. “You’re that guy that gave me water the other day when I nearly died.”

“Walking for five minutes isn’t going to kill you…”

“I disagree. I was definitely one more step away from perishing before you swept me into your arms. You really saved me. And for this good deed, you have my permission to bed my mistress.”

Looking about as satisfied as a cat lounging on a warm carpet beneath a sunny window, June nodded to herself.

“Since when did we need your permission?” Elane said, shaking her fist.

However, she did not hit, smack or chop the nodding girl. Instead, she took a breath to cool herself. Then she grinned wickedly.

“Not only is he my husband, June, but he is also my master.”

This caused June’s nodding to come to a sudden grinding halt. Likewise, Erika’s attention snapped to Elane so hard, I nearly heard it.

“M-Master? Y-You mean, um, that he’s teaching you something? Like maybe his magic?”

“Uh-huh,” Elane grinned, folding her arms.

“But if he’s your master, then…”

“Then I am his slave. And that means you two are as well.”

Silence bloomed at this shocking revelation and it continued to permeate the room for several long seconds before….

“Noooooooooo!”

Erika screamed and dashed, trembling as she hid herself behind Elane. And after a brief delay, June crumpled to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Neither Elane nor Erika tried to catch her.

“B-but… B-But… B-But… But he’s a man!” Erika cried, shaking Elane desperately. “Why, Mistress? Why? Did he threaten you? Did he force you? I-I mean, Miss Yua and Mana look happy, and he seems nice enough… b-but he’s a man! A man!”

Hearing the honest fear in her voice, I quietly checked their Casanova levels to see how they really felt and, aside from them both understandably being only level 1, their descriptions were… confusing.

Erika’s read as, Slave is a little proud to serve such a kind master, but is deeply weary of her maidenhood being devoured by him.

Devoured? It was disturbing enough to know she thought me capable of that, but June’s was even more confusing.

Hers read simply; Slave is on guard against her new master.

I had no idea how that puddle of green-haired lethargy could ever be considered on guard, but I couldn’t blame them. Not really, anyways.

Sighing, but with a small smile, Yua hurried to Erika’s side to whisper in her ear. Only a couple words in and Erika’s whining stopped. Yua continued and Erika’s eyes widened, still watching me cautiously. Then her tail flicked beneath her dress. A quick “Really?” and an even quicker nod from Yua eased the rest of the tension in them maid’s shoulders.

Finally, she let go of Elane and…

[Casanova Skill Activated: Slave Erika has reached level 2]

[Slave is no longer weary of her new master.]

… What the hell did she say to get her to calm down so easily?!

I looked to Mana for the answer, only to find her happily slouching into one of the rooms comfy-looking chairs. Her eyes closed as a slovenly smile spread across her lips, she sank further into the cushions. She clearly hadn’t been listening.

Yua practically skipped back to my side, but showed no signs in wanting to divulge what she shared with the maid. Figuring it best not to bring it up here, I turned back to the trio by the bed.

“… June, you okay?”

Her status page didn’t show anything was wrong and she was definitely conscious, but she hadn’t moved a muscle since she fell.

“Hoho, don’t mind her,” Elane said, scooping June up by the armpits, where she dangled limply. “She’s a timid girl. Show her the tiniest bit of force and she collapses just like this.”

“I’m not timid,” June replied, but her dangling head made it look like she was talking to her breasts. “But I will meet you halfway, er, Master. You can’t have mine, but the Headmaid here is willing to sacrifice her body to satiate your carnal desires.”

“J-J-June!”

“We maids only want peace.”

At this, June bowed deeply. Or, rather, she dangled limply in Elane’s hands in a way that looked somewhat like a bow. Erika, however, immediately flushed and covered her chest the moment my eyes shifted in her general vicinity.

Elane snorted.

“As you can see, June has a bit of a mouth on her, but she’s a good girl. Mostly.”

“Right… Well, why don’t I help you pack up? We still have things to do today, so the rest of the explanation will have to wait until later.”

I looked around the room, aiming my gaze anywhere but at the maids, only I found nothing to collect for them. With two maids caring for it, the room had been kept spotless.

“I-I can handle it, um, M-Master?” Erika said, her voice cracking. “Gods… It feels weird to say that.”

“Then don’t. Just call me whatever you like. Both of you.”

“U-Understood, Master.”

“… No. I said you don’t have to call me that. Oh. Here, I order you to call me whatever you like. How’s that?”

“I understand, Master.”

“…”

I looked to Elane and she shrugged, handing the limp June to Erika. The pair dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

“Erika’s been trained as a slave,” Elane said. “That’s what she’s been for years. Just give her time. And leave the packing to her. Trust me, she’ll just redo it herself if any of us tries to help.”

I scratched my head and waited. It was surely hard enough to learn that your very life had been traded away yet again, this time without you even knowing it, but she lived the life of an actual working slave. She wasn’t just a girl who’d been told to sit on the storefront shelf of a slave house by her master. Even Yua hadn’t really gotten to that point when we met. June and the other two under Elane’s care were likely the same.

It’d probably be best if I gave them some space to adjust to things.

After several minutes of noises I chose not to acknowledge as the sounds of a woman getting dressed in the room beside me, the maids came back out. Erika, face still flushed, had fixed her dress while June had dawned hers. She did a quick job of brushing her hair as well.

Considering how this was the first time I’d seen her properly dressed, I had to say she was cute, but I was more impressed she was on her own feet again. And barely, at that.

Once the maids had finished packing and had all their things gathered in one spot, I opened a portal to the drawing room in Elane’s mansion to save them a trip.

Elane was the first one through, but only because she carried June through. The maid had collapsed again at the sudden appearance of the silently cast spell. Elane came back empty handed and I helped her carry their things through.

Holding the last of their luggager in hand, Erika bowed.

“I-I look forward to serving you, Master.”

“Again, there’s no need for that. And until we meet again, could I ask that you try to soften up the other two for me? Maybe things will go a little smoother if you warn them first.”

“Yes, Master. I will do my best.”

A little hesitant in the face of this strange magic, Erika tested the portal with her foot before lunging through. Short of ordering them not to, there was no way Erika and June were going to keep quiet.

Elane watched her go and when we were alone, she pushed a large box into Mana’s hands. And when Mana rejected the blonde’s offering, she instead handed it to Yua.

“These are the crystals I confiscated from Lord Argento. Give ‘em back to your people for me, okay?”

“Sure. Thank you again.”

“No problem,” she said before leaning into me for a kiss, as if she’d done so a thousand times already.

Our lips parted and when I opened my eyes again, I noticed June sticking just her head through the portal, watching us, her mouth agape before turning into a playful grin before she receded back through the portal. Elane did not seem to notice this.

“Hurry back. The things I have to take care of won’t take long.”

“I’ll try. Just keep the maids clear of the drawing room.”

“Can do.”

Elane threw her axe over her shoulder, tossed her room key onto the dresser and marched through the portal’s glowing blue lights. I gave it another couple of seconds to make sure nobody tried to stick their necks through again before I closed it.

I took a moment to compose myself before turning to Yua and Mana.

Tossing the crystals she held into my item box, I used my item box to instantly remove everything Yua was wearing, rendering her completely nude where she stood. I then did the same for Mana, but this time, I kept my own clothes on.

Yua, who’d been wearing her battle gear all this time, let out a contented sigh as her breasts were finally freed from their tight confinement inside her vest. Meanwhile, Mana looked as though she’d achieved enlightenment the moment all fabric was removed from her body.

“Let’s head back to the village.”

Sensing it was time for us to face the music, Mana latched onto my arm. Despite her joy in experiencing her natural form once again, she did look a little weary to go back, knowing who her parents were going to react to the news.

Yua, though, looked calm. Perhaps a little too calm. Aside from helping to calm Erika and helping with Erhard’s interrogation, she’d hardly said a word since we returned to Guerraway. I was sure her anger had cooled a fair bit, but as time went on, it was clear from the glare she aimed at nothing in particular that a certain someone wasn’t in the clear yet.

I cast Dimensional Step.