Kei didn't know how long he slept, but it was the most comfortable sleep that he ever had since he started his journey away from home. He was still half asleep when he felt something soft in his embrace.
He opened his eyes to see the source of this softness and what he saw jolted him fully awake. He was cuddling a young lady and the latter was sleeping peacefully with a smile on her face.
Kei started to organize his blurry thoughts and remembered the conversation he had with Grandma Sophie. Looking at the adorable beauty sleeping beside him, he concluded that this must be the former dungeon core, Shino.
The gears on his head started to churn and he realized that he overlooked something important. With great regret, he gently shook the sleeping beauty beside him. Shino slowly opened her eyes and looked at him in a daze.
She blinked once, then twice before smiling.
"Good Morning, Master," Shino said, happily.
She cupped his face and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Kei wasn't able to resist her cuteness and kissed her forehead before standing up.
"Your name is Shino I presume?"
"Yes, Master."
The two of them stared at each other creating an awkward silence. Kei scratched his head and decided to ask a few questions since Grandma Sophie seems to have started her hibernation.
"How many days have I been asleep?"
"Two days, Master."
"Did Grandma Sophie leave behind any message for me?"
Shino held the side of her face and blushed. Kei was taken aback by her reaction and he knew that Grandma Sophie said something to her while he was sleeping.
"Mother said that...," Shino said, shyly. "from now on, I'll be your hug pillow."
Kei tilted his head before asking, "Hug Pillow?"
"Un! It's something you hug when you sleep."
"Hug when I sleep?"
"Yes!" Shino said while nodding her head.
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"You don't have to listen to your mother. She's just being silly." Kei said as he cursed Grandma Sophie in his heart.
Shino remembered the advice that her Mother told her and put it to good use.
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{Remember this, Shino. Kei is weak against tears, especially if it's the tears from a girl!}
"Tears?"
{Yes, it's the ultimate weapon you can use against Kei, so make sure to use it when needed!}
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Shino looked down and after a few seconds a teardrop fell on the ground. Kei stood in shock as he saw the young lady in front of him start to cry.
"Wa-Wait, why are you crying?"
"Master didn't want me."
Shino sat on the ground and covered her eyes with her hands. She started to cry and her tears flowed freely down her face.
"Who said I didn't want a hug pillow?! I've always wanted to have one!" Kei said, anxiously. 'What is a hug pillow anyway?!'
He tried his best to calm the crying loli by giving her headpats and hugs. In time, Shino's tears stopped and the two of them walked hand in hand and headed towards the entrance of the 50th floor.
The Lamia and the Quetzalcoatl saw their arrival and knelt before them. The two Boss Monsters, stared at Shino and she in turn smiled at them. Kei introduced her to the two of them.
"Her name is Shino, and she was the former dungeon core of this dungeon."
"Hello!"
{Mistress, it's good to know you're safe!}
{Mistress, Praise the Gods!}
Kei gave a soft cough and the two monster bowed their heads and waited for his orders.
"Quetzalcoatl, you will be assigned as my personal bodyguard."
{I hear and obey my Lord}
"Lamia, you will be guarding Shino from now on."
{Yes, Master.}
"Can the two of you change your forms?" Kei said, frowning. "Your current forms are too eye catching."
Shino tugged Kei's clothes from the side. "Master, leave this to me."
Her scarlet eyes glowed and the two boss monsters became smaller. The Quetzalcoatl became a colorful bird of prey, and the Lamia turned into a white serpent.
The Quetzalcoatl landed on Kei's shoulder and the Lamia coiled around Shino's arm. The four of them returned to the dungeon core room and entered the portal that would warp them to the entrance of the dungeon.
The first thing they saw when they appeared were the relieved faces of Tifa and Milfa. The two noticed the streaks of white hair on Kei's head and frowned. Kei shook his head and gave them the 'I will tell you later look.'
The two of them shifted their attention to the young lady who was holding their young master's hand. Kei smiled and introduced her to the two of them.
"Her name is Shino, Shino Alstroemeria,"
Tifa and Milfa both nodded their head in greeting and Kei continued his introduction.
"The two of them are my most trusted subordinates, Tifa and Milfa Lionheart."
"Nice to meet the two of you," Shino said, smiling. 'So, this is the girl Milfa my mother told me about.'
Shino sized up Milfa and the latter did the same to her. Both of them nodded at the same time as if to affirm something that only the two of them understood. Kei was watching from the side and a hollow chuckle escaped his lips.
"Ah, before I forget, these are my new servants. Luke and Lily. I hope you guys will work together from now on."
Luke chirped and Lily hissed her greeting. Tifa and Milfa nodded their heads in acknowledgement.
"Now that the introductions are done, let's have a talk with the Duke of Windsor."
Kei smiled mischievously. He intended to milk the Duke of Windsor dry as the reward for preventing a dungeon outbreak in his Dukedom. Their party headed towards the city of Amaranth where the army of Windsor made their camp.