"Bwa-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!". The giant woman leaning against the wall suddenly burst out into an intense laughing fit, laughing so hard she bends over holding her stomach. "S-SERIAL HUGGER, THAT'S A GOOD ONE!" she shouts, her loud voice echoing within the room. The centipede man snickers while covering his mouth ever so slightly.
I direct my attention towards Esther again. Just like when we first met she's sitting on Florents shoulder, but now she's the one that is flustered. She seems to be at a loss of words. So am I. Esther is one of the generals? That hugging disaster? I could imagine Florent being one but her!? Ah, I might have joined the wrong side...
"Have you met before?" Orethon asks, not being able to figure out what's going on. For being such a smart guy he's surprisingly dumb.
"I think the young lady might have been a victim to Esthers, what should I call it, somewhat all too intimate manners?" Erica says while calmly sipping on a cup of tea standing in front of her. So this is not the first time eh? Geez, this place...
Hearing this Orethon stands up while slamming his hands onto the table.
"Is that true Esther?" he says with a malicious tone. "Did you perhaps do anything... inappropriate to the young lady!?"
Before Esther have the chance to answer Florent starts to talk instead.
"Calm down my lord, nothing like that happened" Florent says in a calming voice. "I was with my wife the whole time so I can assure you".
"Oh, if that's the case...". Orethon sits down again. He must trust Florent a lot. My respect for him grows larger and larger.
"Then what exactly did happen?" Orethon asks.
"We stumbled across her in the garden and because of the young lady's cute appearance my dear Esther couldn't contain herself and hugged her". Well, I did lose consciousness because of her and she tried to make me do some suspicious stuff but I guess I will leave it out.
"Ah, I understand" Orethon says, staring into nothingness. "The young lady is after all irresistibly cute. If I had not know myself then maybe I would have also...". WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT YOU LOLICON SKELETON?!
As if reading my thoughts Erica slaps Orethon on the back of his head.
"You pervert, stop talking like that, you make her feel uncomfortable".
"She's just a little girl..." the giant woman says, shaking her head in disappointment. She seems much cooler now compared to before.
"Agreed, we should punish him properly afterwards" the centipede man continues.
"It's not what you think!" Orethon exclaims. "I would never do such things to the young lady!"
"Yeah right" they all say at the same time Wh-what does that mean? Is my chastity in danger!? Not only from dryad but now a skeleton!? This is the perfect opportunity for a boner joke but now is not the time! This is serious!
I stare at Orethon in disgust which causes him to launch out of his chair once again.
"I PROMISE I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT TOWARDS MY LADY!!!" he exclaims, going down on his knees, begging in front of me. "I HAVE TO MUCH RESPECT FOR YOU!!!". Orethon then proceeds to perform a dogeza, putting his forehead against the floor. He seems to be serious about what he's saying so I guess I will trust him... for now.
"It's alright so please, stand up" I say, causing Orethon to look up. "I trust you" I continue, offering him my hand to help him up, smiling in the process. Orethon puts his hands against his cheeks, or cheekbones I guess and I can imagine sparkles around him. If he could I bet he would blush.
"Well Ore" Erica suddenly says, putting down her tea, "it seems our lady decided to forgive you but remember; if anything happens...". The giant woman cracks her knuckles, causing shivers to be sent down my spine. I can feel Babbit shaking on my shoulder.
"So, with the matter settled, let us get seated" Erica says, gesturing towards the table. Everyone seems to agree. I seat myself besides Erica since she can protect me from potential perverts.
A huge bench have been prepared for the giant woman to sit on while Florent simply sits on his knees in front of the table with Esther sitting on a chair besides him. And the centipede man simply sits on a regular chair while encasing it with his lower body.
When everyone is seated Orethon slightly coughs to get attention.
"I truly am thankful that you all could gather here, despite having your own duties to attend to. We have all gathered here today to welcome our newest member, lady Ruth" he says and everyone starts clapping their hands. They look at me with expecting eyes and I understand that they want me to introduce myself. I take a deep breath and give them a smile.
"Hello, my name is Ruth and it's very nice to finally meet you all. I enjoy eating delicious food and taking hot baths but dislike storms. Please take good care of me" I say, ending it with a light bow. I can hear Esther squealing but I pay her no mind.
"Please take care of us as well" the centipede man says, sending me a bright smile. Ah, how dazzling! Ikemen truly are wonderful! "I guess an introduction is in order so let me introduce myself; my name is Sotos Tempestguard. I am the one in command of-".
"He's our spymaster" Esther interrupts, "so keeping a secret from him is impossible!". A spy huh? Then he must have some good stealth skills. I should ask him about it later.
"Ah, yes, that's correct" Sotos continues, ignoring that he got cut off. "If there's something you want to know, for example the statuses of other nations, then I am then one you talk to-"
"Or if you want someone assassinated!" Esther exclaims, cutting Sotots of once again. Aha, uhum, wait, assassinated? I stare at Sotos in disbelief.
"Sigh, she's right, I am also the one in command of our assassins, but please, feel free to come to me if you want to talk. I'm always willing to chat" he says, once again giving me a delightful smile.
"Oh, ok" I respond, feeling a little bit at a loss of words so I turn my attention towards the giant woman. Clad in a strong looking armor covering her entire body except for her head. With slanted silver eyes and short hair the same color as the night she sure looks intimidating. Her face is covered in scars and I can see that part of her left ear is ripped apart. Still, she holds a subliminal beauty, a majestic fragrance of sorts. It- it's difficult to explain.
The woman, noticing my gaze, starts talking.
"I am Bekkhildr the Fearless, daughter of Hyldra the Skinner, of the proud clan Bergh" she says, bowing slightly. Wow, she really gives of a dignified warrior aura. She's just that kind of person I wish I could be; strong, disciplined, tall, strong, tall, cool.... Did I mention tall?
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"I am the one in command of training the soldiers and the security of the castle. I am the one that shall be mainly in charge of your training".
"A-ah! P-please take care of me!" I say, a tad nervous. For some reason I feel slightly scared when I talk to her. Perhaps it's because of those eyes, that almost seems to stare through me. But Bekkhildr seems to notice my nervousness and gives me a subtle smile.
"I also enjoy taking evening strolls and reading" she says in a more gentle voice than before. "I love sweets but despise spicy food. My weak point is alcohol as I have low tolerance towards it so you wont see me drinking anytime soon". When she seems to be finished she stares down into the floor before she looks up once more.
"Please take good care of me Ruth-sama".
"I-I will do my best!" I exclaim enthusiastically. She seems to be a really kind person. Maybe this place is not that bad after all...
"Now it's my turn!" a voice suddenly calls out. It's Esther. Oh dear... I glance towards Florent but he makes no attempt to stop her so maybe it's alright... Esther clears her throat before talking.
"My name is Esther Gavillo, wife to Florent Gavillo and I am the one in charge of logistics and healing teams here! I met my wonderful husband 2000 years ago when I was still really young. I am 168 centimeters tall and my three sizes are 37-26-36 and-!"
"Esther, my dear, perhaps you should calm down. The young lady seems a bit distressed" Florent says, gesturing towards me. While I'm kinda in shock I think he's trying to make her stop because of the others. Orethon seems to be ready to flip the table. Erica seems calm but I can see that she's gritting her teeth.
"Uhum, I beg your pardon" Esther says, slightly coughing. "Anyway... If you ever get hurt or need to talk about girl stuff I'm here for you!"
... No thanks. To get away from this conversation I quickly turn towards Florent
"What about you Florent?" I ask, desperately trying to start a new conversation.
"Oh I'm just an old man, nothing interesting about me" he simply answers. You traitor. I believed in you. But this time it's actually Esther herself that saves me.
"Don't say that my love! You have had an exciting life! Not to mention you are the one that is in charge of communication here!"
"Communication?" I say, once again trying to get this conversation starting, this time with more success.
"Ah, yes, I have the ability to use long range telepathy and communicate with the seedlings I create, no matter where they are. Sotos often use them as scouts before he sends his spies".
"Wow, that's amazing!" I exclaim, honestly impressed.
"Oh it's not that incredible" Florent responds. "It's simply an ability I picked up early in my life".
"When was that?" I ask.
"Let me see, I was still a sapling back then so what could it have been, 2000, 3000 years ago?". Hearing this my eyes turns wide open. That's one hella long time!
Suddenly the door open and in walks a dozen maids and butlers, all carrying trays filled with food. The smell originating from the dishes makes my mouth water. I'm so fudging hungry I could eat a horse!
The servants place the plates in front of us and I take a deep breath, filling my nose with the heavenly smell that only food can emit. It's some kind of yellow soup, giving of a faint citrus smell. It's served together with white bread.
I look at the others and notice that they all have different food. Esther is having some kind of sallad, Florent are eating weird shining stones, Erica have soup just like but it's red (is it blood?) , Orethon is just drinking, Sotos is eating, ugh, raw meat and Bekkhildr is eating, wait, is that cupcakes? Well, she did say she like sweets but for dinner?
... This place is awesome.
I break of a piece of bread, dip it in the soup and gives it to Babbit. He makes a cute "pyuun" sound before eating it.
Mmmh, it sure smells good... Nothing in this world can stop me from eating now. I grab my spoon, take a spoonful of soup, brings it to my mouth and...
"Oh, that's right!" Esther suddenly exclaims. "We have yet to perform the official welcoming ritual!"
"No Esther wait-!" the others exclaim but it's to late. Confetti start raining down from nowhere into my food. But it doesn't stop there, no, that would be to simple. Flowers starts sprouting from the floor and they grow larger and larger until the chairs and table rise from the ground, including the one I'm sitting on. Happy music plays from the flowers and I swear I can see pixies dancing around in the air.
I desperately hold onto my bowl of soup this whole time and for a moment I start to think that I may actually have something to eat until...
"Welcome to Azmiel Ruth-chan!!!". An overly excited and underdressed dryad jumps at me and hugs me, causing my bowl to fall out of my hands and onto the floor. My food... Unforgivable.
"Hmm? Ruth-chan, what's wrong?" Esther asks, seeing my soulless eyes. I look up at her and show her a sinister smile.
"If I remember correctly, didn't you earlier say that you wanted me tu punish you, hm?" I say in a sweet tone. Noticing the change in my attitude Esther starts to shake.
"R-Ruth-chan, what are you saying?"
"Oh, I am just taking up on your offer" I say, summoning a fireball in my left hand. "And don't worry about injuries, you are a healer, right?"
That day, terrifying screams could be heard from the dining hall.
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After punishing Esther I was brought back to the room I woke up in. Apparently it's my new room. Sweet. But I couldn't care less right now. Because of that idiot dryad I didn't get any food! Arghh! I think I am going insane from hunger! And I was so close too! Even Babbit got to eat...
I burry my face into one of my many, many pillows and sob quietly while cuddling with Babbit in order to drown my sorrows in fluff.
Suddenly someone knocks on the door. I look up and ask "who's there?" but no one responds. I carefully slide out of bed while drying my tears and opens the door. No one's there. But there's something on the floor. It's a tray filled with cupcakes in different colors. There's also a nore on the tray. I pick it up and read it.
Dear Ruth-sama, I beg for your apology regarding what happened at dinner. We will make sure to scold Esther so that she never does that again.
Also, I noticed that you didn't get the chance to eat so I headed towards the kitchen and asked one of the chefs to make some more cupcakes for you. I would make you company but sadly I have important things to deal with so let's do it some other time.
From
Bekkhildr of Bergh
Reading this note I start crying again, but this time out of joy. Bekkhildr-sama, I love you! I pick up the tray and waltz into my room, closing the door behind me with a light kick.
Swiftly I jump on my bed and are about to eat the cupcakes when I remember the others, so I summon them out of the storage.
"Let's eat them together!" I exclaim happily. Food tastes so much better when you're with friends!