'Okay, that should be it,' I mused, looking between my map and the mountains in the far distance.

Alice looked over my shoulder with curiosity. "You never actually told me what destination you had in mind."

"Oh, right," I said as I folded up the map and stored it away. "I was thinking about rooting out the group of bandits that's been causing trouble."

She gave me a strange look. "You were serious about that? I figured you only told that soldier to keep him from doing something stupid... like trying to take on a group of powerful monsters alone," she hinted.

"You were listening in?" I asked with a grimace. I had already feared as much when I'd seen her grin when I left the alley back then. But it was still upsetting to hear it confirmed. That scene was already painfully embarrassing enough as a mere memory.

She shrugged. "Not my fault you talk loud enough that I was able to hear from that distance."

"I... was under the impression I'm fairly soft-spoken most of the time."

"Did I imply the opposite?" She asked with a smirk, making me roll my eyes at her bragging. She then quickly schooled her expression. "Seriously though, You may be more than a match for the common monster of this continent, but if those rumors have any truth to them, you stand no chance." She frowned. "Just a few days ago, I would have never believed that Yoma could be so lacking in self-respect that they would settle here, but given our current track record..."

"Eh, what's self-respect? Can you eat it?" I asked rhetorically as I stepped off the road.

"See, that would make sense if we were talking about some run-of-the-mill monster, but they should be able to terrorize a region of Sentora just as well. Maybe they get off on bullying the absolute bottom of the weakling barrel; I don't even know anymore... also, no, believe me, I have tried." She sighed. "Things used to make sense before I met you, usually anyway. Now I frequently wonder if Ilias hit me hard enough in the head that I am still hallucinating."

"...Could you not add 'might be a figment of your imagination' to my list of existential fears?" I asked with dismay. That thing was extensive enough as it was... and ever-growing even without her input.

Alice let out a dry laugh. "Once I am certain I am not actually still lying in that crater with a very imaginative concussion, I will let you know."

I kept walking, grumbling to myself all the while. Overall, the field was not much more challenging to navigate than the road. The ground was a bit more uneven, and some of the grass reached just below my knees, but it was hardly an issue. The number of trees was scarce enough not to need to worry overly about exposed roots, which I still had some lingering trauma from due to the Iliasville forest.

"I do not understand you," Alice said after a few minutes. "You say you want to get married, to offer your purity to that person. As far as that goes, I believe you; it is likely the most sincere thing I have ever gotten out of you. Yet, simultaneously, you insist on taking actions that actively endanger that future. You essentially run straight up to any high-level monster you find, which I would like to once again mention is unreasonably many. I just cannot see the reason you would take such risks."

"Didn't I mention I was working toward coexistence?"

"You did," Alice nods. "But that is only an afterthought, is it not? You do not seem the type to martyr yourself." Damn, was she supposed to be this perceptive? Maybe she was onto something about the entire Ilias hitting her too hard in the head thing.

I sighed. "You're right; I don't really want to do these things." So far, regardless of what Alice may think, the danger of our travels has been almost negligible, but it would only increase as time went on. And Ilias was ever the Damocles' Sword hanging over my head, ready to cleave me apart, like a knife through freshly baked bread, which then proceeded to butter up the sides and...

Why the hell was I still going with the sandwich analogy, and where did it even come from!? Ugh, I would just blame any weird food thoughts on Alice rubbing off on me.

I shook my head, clearing my mind. "Anyway, someone has to, and I don't see anyone else volunteering." Not that they would be effective even if they did, unfortunately. If it were an option, I would have totally suckered someone else into playing the Hero while I eloped with the girl of my dreams... the daydreams, that is, definitely not Alma Elma.

"Besides, It's not like I'm trying to get myself killed. I'm sure I can take them some way or another," I added with what I hoped was an assuring smile. And for this particular side quest, I actually was sure. It would be like stealing a priceless artifact from a bunch of children... exactly like that, really.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? You sure are confident. In that case, how about a wager?"

"A wager?" I asked curiously.

"Indeed. The loser will suffer a punishment decided by the winner. Should you manage to deal with the bandits, and they truly do include both a vampire and a dragon, it would be your win. But if you fail, regardless of their composition, and make me have to drag your butt out of the fire, be it proverbial or literal, it would be my victory," she explained.

"Deal," I said instantly, having to suppress a laugh. She had no idea what she was getting into. What should I make her do when she lost? Reasonably speaking, I should have her finally begin teaching me swordsmanship, but that shouldn't be an issue for much longer anyway. I'd still keep it in the backhand in case things didn't work out, but I was loath to miss out on such a prime opportunity to mess with her.

When we finally meet Tamamo, I could force Alice to go up to her, give her a hug, and call her... Actually, no. Anything mommy-related would be in incredibly poor taste; using it to mess with her after she confided in me would be deplorable. Not to mention it could screw me out of seeing a genuinely heartfelt scene between the two later.

What else... I could make her take Granberia out on a trip to buy frilly, girly clothes, preferably in pink. Maybe even take Alma Elma along; She would probably enjoy that sort of thing, which was less than ideal but a small price to pay to ensure the experience was utterly miserable for the other two.

Oh, there were just so many possibilities!

Alice looked at me appraisingly as I failed to subdue an evil chuckle. "I expected that to take quite a bit more goading on my part. You know, if there was any conceivable way for you to win, I might even be concerned."

She then adopted a smug smirk. "But there isn't. If you think you can talk things out like with Queen Harpy, you are sorely mistaken. There are several reasons why the position of Monster Lord is decided by power foremost. One of them being that many monsters will listen only to those stronger than them, with Vampires and Dragons at the top of that list. They are two of the most arrogant species to exist, not entirely without reason either, as most of them become Yoma simply by maturing. A human talking them down would be just as legendary a feat as defeating them in the first place, if not more so."

Well, it was a good thing that those bandits hadn't matured into anything yet, wasn't it?

"Trying to defeat them is pointless, too," she continued. "No Yoma with even the barest trace of pride or decency would gang up on someone they consider weaker than themself. You may be able to catch the first of them off guard should you decide to use your holy power, but then the others would know about it. Being able to defeat them in a single strike does not mean much if they are faster than you and can do the same." Her smirk grew further. "You might as well give up now and spare yourself the trouble."

I answered her with a smile of my own. "We'll see."

It took us roughly another hour to make it to the foot of the mountain range. We swiveled our heads, taking in its full extent as it stretched far into the horizon. "I assume you also have some brilliant plan to find the bandits?" Alice asked. "Otherwise, searching for them will take forever."

"Naturally. Ahem," I cleared my throat and inclined my head upwards in a shout. "Oh no! I, a helpless and lone human boy, have gotten completely lost with only plenty of delicious food and shiny valuables to keep me company! Whatever shall I do!?"

The silence was deafening. No Goblin was running up to assault me like she was supposed to. "Huh, I thought for sure that would work," I muttered.

Was I unlucky, or did I actually manage to ruin it with that agonizingly suspicious declaration?

"...As much as it pains me to acknowledge this, it probably would have attracted them if they were anywhere in the vicinity, along with any other nearby monster," Alice admitted with a face that briefly made me wonder if I somehow missed us passing by a lemon orchard that was now empty. "There are really only two kinds of monster in this regard, those dumb enough to take that at face value and those who would still take the bait out of sheer principle... You are still throwing away whatever small chance you had at catching them unaware, so it remains an idiotic plan."

I snorted. "Yeah, like that would ever happen. If I didn't have you as a warning system, every monster I meet would likely be a surprise encounter. I doubt I could sneak up on a blind and deaf monster girl if I tried," I joked before pausing. Were surprise encounters an actual mechanic in this world? That... would explain a lot. I always had terrible luck with these things... most things, really.

Honestly, If I were in a room with a depowered Ilias, Dark Goddess Alipheese, and RNGesus and had a god-killing gun with two bullets, I would shoot RNGesus twice... but not before extorting various benefits out of the other two, of course. Like immortality, eternal youth, an end to any apocalyptic plans... their blessing to court a daughter of theirs... that kind of thing.

I snapped out of my fantasies and turned to Alice. "Have I ever told you how great you are for making that only attack humans in self-defense rule?"

Instead of preening under the praise as I expected, she averted her eyes. "Right, we should move on. If you keep yelling that ridiculous phrase of yours, they are bound to show up eventually."

I shrugged and did precisely that, intermittently, of course. Every few minutes we spent trudging along the base of the mountains, I would let out a shout similar to the first one with some minor variations.

"So..." I addressed Alice, deciding to let my already hoarse voice rest slightly for a while. "You've been saying that word 'Yoma' a lot. I don't think I've ever actually heard a definition outside of context clues."

"Really?" Alice asked with a raised brow. "I thought that was common knowledge even among humans... Then again, it seems just like Ilias to fail to provide even a basic education. All the easier to send her foolish heroes to their deaths without too many questions, I suppose." A shame Promestein wasn't here to hear that; she might have felt vindicated enough to play a bit nicer with us in the future.

Alice continued, "Yoma are essentially the upper echelon of monster society. Any monster can become one given sufficient time, energy, and drive for improvement. That or simply good genes. They hold an elevated intellect and excel at using magic. All monsters possess mana; it is what elevates us above regular animals, but most are unable to utilize it outside of passive effects like a simple strengthening of their body, inducing Critical Ecstasy, or certain racial traits. And even if they learn, what they can do is quite limited before becoming Yoma. Being one is also the bare minimum requisite to be eligible for the position of Queen for their race or participating in the Monster Lord selection." She smirked. "Though most would not even get past the gate that day if they tried."

Huh, that's odd. I was certain that even non-Yoma could liberally use magic, at least in Paradox. Maybe that was another side effect of the significantly more magically rich atmosphere in that world, just like even the most untalented human being able to learn it. Actually, it sounded like the term Yoma was a lot more inclusive than I had thought, too; the definition may be fundamentally different between the two worlds.

"Wait," I began, putting on my best impression of a kid opening a Christmas present and finding socks. "You are telling me I'm not the Monster Lord for accidentally knocking you out? Just because I'm not a Yoma?" Not that I actually wanted the job; I had enough idiot wrangling in my future to last me a lifetime; I certainly didn't need more. Then again, the job did come with a few perks... like a dedicated advisor.

Damn, now I actually was disappointed. How did Paradox Promestein make the Yoma Serum again?

...It was the Hakunen Extract™, wasn't it? Nope, screw it; I'm over it. I am not going down that route even if I could. Tamamo would probably be cross with me for kicking the Fateburn family off the throne anyway.

Alice rolled her eyes. "You are not even a monster, much less a Yoma. And you wouldn't be Monster Lord even if you were. Monsters respect power, not a knife in the dark. Taking the title would require a formal challenge, which in turn would require defeating my Knights first. And considering none of them have been defeated even once during my reign, barring by one another, despite Granberia actively encouraging challenges against her, I will not get one anytime soon." She grinned. "That said, If I could just hand you the title for a day, I absolutely would if only to watch the pandemonium unfold."

I winced. As I am now, that would probably end with me catatonic or dead and half the Monster Lord's Castle pregnant by the end of the day.

"Yeah, I'll just... shelf any potential plans for world domination until I can keep my prospective minions in line."

"I get to do mine first," Alice declared with a laugh. "But you are welcome to join in at that time. How does half the world sound?"

"Sounds great," I chuckled at the stereotypical offer.

"Now, shouldn't you be doing something?" Alice asked with a grin. "You still have a bet to lose, you know. Meanwhile, I shall dedicate myself to these berry bushes I found," She said, pointing at the nearby shrubs.

"Right, I'll..." I blinked and took another look at the berries. "Aren't those poisonous?"

She shrugged. "You say lethal poison; I say mild spice."

"...Fair enough," I acceded. It was more slightly inflammatory than lethal, anyway, even to humans. She'd also still be nearby in case of emergency. And so I went on with another call for someone to aid this poor, lonely boy in his time of need.

Several minutes later, I felt a tug on my sleeve. "Hey, mister..."

I would have been annoyed at being caught off guard again if this one wasn't entirely fair. I hadn't had the courage to completely turn around and look behind me for several hours now. "Mister?" The voice called again, quizzically.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the trepidation I felt. There was no eldritch entity looking to... well, look at me. Just a monster girl that was likely trying to get into my pants, which I should probably do something about. I slowly twisted and was met with surprise when the first thing I saw was purple floppy ears mounted on short, somewhat frazzled hair of the same color.

Considering that line, I kind of thought it was the vampire, who... no, never mind. Still no bandits, damn it.

The small dog girl looked up at me with her big, expressive eyes. "You have food, Mister?" My heart skipped a beat. Crap, she's adorable!

"S-sure," I stammered. "Would you like some meat?"

Her face lit up in joy. "I love meat!"

I hurriedly pulled a large slab of it out of my Inventory; I could only hope I wasn't pissing Alice off by giving away so much food. "Are you... good with raw?" I asked, slightly worried.

When I handed it to her, she energetically bobbed her head and let out a cheerful "Yay!" her tail wagging the entire time.

Despite her small size, she had no issue lifting it or tearing chunks out of it with her mouth, for that matter. As cute as she was, that girl had to have some really sharp teeth. I kind of wanted to pet her, but I knew better than to bother a dog that was eating, maybe once she was done.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

My eyes drifted down to the pink dress that stopped just short of her legs. It was littered with holes and torn seams. Her feet were bare, devoid of the signature slippers of her Paradox counterpart. It made for a pitiable sight that made one want to take her home and care for her. Not... that I had one I could take her to.

I watched her a bit longer with a fond yet sad smile on my face. That smile quickly crumbled with realization.

Hold on; this was still a monster girl. What the hell was I going to do if she asked for dessert? It was one thing to refuse the advances of more aggressive girls, but if she looked at me with those large, moist eyes again and practically begged me, I would fold faster than a piece of paper during origami class. And Alice had devoured my only backup plan.

I couldn't exactly fight her, either. On the dastardly deeds scale, hitting her would be like slapping a sweet little girl multiplied by kicking a puppy. I would never be able to live that karma down or forgive myself.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I edged away from the fearsome predator while it was still occupied with its meal. Fortunately, her focus was entirely on her lunch, and I was able to get away without any problems.

Shortly after, Alice reappeared, still holding some berries in her hand, and some juice smattered along her lips, which she quickly licked off. She looked in the direction where the dog girl was, then at me with confused disbelief. "Did you just... run away from what is probably the most harmless type of monster towards humans whatsoever? I am beginning to think you do not know how threat assessment works."

I gave a helpless shrug in response. "Well, what was I supposed to do if she asked me for semen?"

"...Just say no," Alice replied flatly. "Dog girls rarely attack humans, and you certainly have not had any difficulty doing it to me."

"I... kind of have a weakness to cute things. I'm not sure I could have," I admitted sheepishly.

Alice's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What are you implying?"

"Err... I mean, as the Monster Lord, you have to appear powerful and dignified. Having people think of you as cute would be kind of counterproductive... right?" I asked timidly.

She stared at me a little longer before her stern look cracked into a smile. "Relax, I am just messing with you. I am perfectly aware I am not what most would consider cute. Besides, I would not want to steal your thing."

"My... thing?" I asked, bewildered.

"Oh yes," She nodded with a cheeky grin. "If you asked monsters to describe you, cute would definitely be in the top five adjectives used."

"...Could be worse, I guess," I said, yet unable to prevent a slight grimace. I expected as much when I got dealt the body of a shota. And while I totally would use it to my advantage, it still stung my pride a little. "Though I don't think I even want to know what the others are."

"Too bad, I will tell you anyway," she said, her grin growing to Cheshire-like proportions. "They are, in no particular order, weak, delicious, submissive, and breedable."

"...I hate every single word you just said."

"Ah, but can you deny them?" She asked smugly.

I turned away from her. "Can somebody try to rob me already!?" I shouted in exasperation. My shoulders sank in dejection when the only response I received was a snicker from Alice.

"...Lunch?" I offered in a bid to get away from this particular topic and given who I was asking, it was accepted easily enough. If I was lucky, the scent of cooked food might even attract the bandits.

...As if I'd ever be that fortunate.

"So you aren't mad about me randomly giving away food?" I asked as I refilled Alice's plate for the third time.

She shrugged. "You bought that with your own money; I won't complain as long as there is enough to feed me as well. However, I will not be as lenient once I am the one paying for food expenses. And while I believe my subjects should generally be able to care for themselves, I do not oppose helping someone in need."

She looked up from her already half-empty plate and into the direction we came from with a small frown. "Dog girls are a curious issue. They are simultaneously one of the most yet also least affected species by the strained relations with humanity. Due to their mild manners and lovability, they are usually the last type of monster that would ever get kicked out of human settlements, but if they are... they suffer quite a bit for it."

She paused a moment to erase the remainder of her helping and put her plate down before continuing. "It is not that they lack the tools to survive in the wild; their fangs and claws more than suffice to make short work of most prey, but they simply lack the temperament to truly thrive. Many monsters consider them a disgrace for so easily bowing their head to humans when the opportunity presents itself."

"What about you?" I asked.

She looked thoughtful for a few seconds before sighing. "I have to admit, monsters submitting to humans feels wrong. The strong rule the weak; that is the main precept of both nature and monster society. Even growing up on rhetoric of peace and coexistence cannot fully suppress those instincts; the temptation always remains. So for that basic principle to be so utterly inverted, for them to submit to humans in every sense but the sexual one, it just seems so... unnatural."

Her gaze then turned serious, regal even. "But I shall never condemn them for making that choice. As long as they follow my rules, they may live however they wish. If being what amounts to pets makes them happy, then so be it." She looked at me and chuckled. "In your own words, such devotion, if given freely, is sort of romantic... even if I personally cannot understand it."

For just a moment, I was able to really picture her as not just Alice but the proud and dignified Monster Lord... that impression shattered along with a sweatdrop rolling down my head at her following words. "And really, thank the First for that small mercy of them not also giving up the lead during sex; otherwise, we may have actually had our hands on a purge at some point."

I packed up the dishes and kicked some dirt into the fire to put it out; the last thing I needed was for the monster girl version of Smokey Bear to come after me.

We then continued our search for the bandits for another few hours but

didn't find them.

...Something else found me, though.

First, the dog girl, now this. Was this some kind of karmic retribution for thinking my luck was dogshit earlier today? I nervously clutched Angel Halo as I looked at the snarling visages pincering me.

Wolves. Not wolf girls, actual wolves. I suppose it made sense; monster girls were not numerous enough to support an entire ecosystem, especially considering that the herbivore-to-carnivore ratio was roughly the same as regular animals. So there was always a chance of this happening, but still, come on!

Given they were just regular animals, even a glancing blow with Angel Halo may be able to seal them, but that didn't do much to calm my instincts screaming in fear. The only reason I wasn't trying to run was because I knew it to be a stupid idea; that's literally what they wanted!

Alice was nowhere to be seen. I get why she would leave if monsters were around, but why disappear on normal animals!?

I took a step back, but they followed me, maintaining the same distance of a few meters, growling and yipping at me. They really were going all in on those intimidation attempts, huh? They were even kind enough to leave a hole to my back while surrounding me... okay, if that wasn't an obvious trap, I don't know what was. Still, if I wasn't already committed to not being a dead idiot, I might have fallen for it.

I took a deep breath and relaxed my stance, showing them I was ready for a fight if need be. I could only hope that would be enough to deter them.

They paused for a moment, taking a glance at each other before charging... only for one of them to somehow manage to cross its paws and stumble on the first step, its tongue lolling out of its mouth and eyes bugging out as its snout smashed into the dirt. The others stopped as well, staring at it in silent judgment.

There was a distinctly feminine growl as a nearby bush rattled. A brown-furred wolf girl came stamping out, looking very unhappy. "Damn it, Moon Moon! How are you still this much of a klutz? We will never be able to intimidate anyone like this. That's it; we're doubling your dance lessons, again."

The pitiful whimper of poor Moon Moon was positively heart-rending.

Huh, I suppose that explained why Alice was gone. "So..." I interjected cautiously. "What's all... this?" I asked, gesturing around at the pack of wolves.

"Ah, these boys?" She turned to me. "I found them abandoned as pups one day and decided I'd help them out and become their alpha."

...wasn't the alpha thing just a myth? Then again, that probably wouldn't stop a monster.

"I told them to scare and scatter any group of humans that we find. I would go after the best male to mate while they chase the rest off. Smart, huh?" She explained while eyeing me.

"...and what if they didn't run away?"

She stared at me blankly.

"...Wanna make some pups?" she asked after a while, showing she clearly hadn't thought that far.

"Not particularly in the mood, no," I said, shooting a look at the dangerous predators... minus one, surrounding us. Even if she herself was quite pleasing to look at, with her soft fur covering most of her body, a modest bust, and a pretty face, the wolves weren't exactly conducive to a romantic atmosphere, even if they were under control.

"Oh."

...

"Nope, not gonna work," I declared when she tried using puppy eyes on me. She was still cute, but I'd had worse today.

...

Following another awkward silence, she suddenly snarled, baring her fangs at me, and barked loudly. I flinched slightly but still held my ground, making her slump in defeat. I wasn't quite sure why she considered making me run away a prerequisite to raping me, but I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

...

"Come on guys, let's just... go find a deer or something," she addressed her pack and sullenly stalked off.

Alice slithered in beside me after a moment, gaping after the wolf girl. "Did... she really just leave? You genuinely made her feel so awkward she just left? That... is not how things are supposed to work," she said incredulously, mirroring my own thoughts.

"I mean... to be fair, If you had given me that generous donation of levels a bit earlier, I might have actually lasted long enough to do the same thing to Granberia," I responded, though I was just as baffled as her.

Alice groaned. "I think... I am done for today. The sun will begin to set in an hour or two anyway; we might as well set up camp now."

"Right," I agreed wearily. Even if we still managed to find the bandits, we definitely wouldn't be making it back to Iliasburg today. I still couldn't believe we hadn't actually found them despite going at it for so long.

After getting my tent and dinner sorted, Alice stared at her empty bowl with a dissatisfied expression. "Hey Luka, we are returning to Iliasburg again after this bandit nonsense, right?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure," I replied tiredly. Today had been way too long and exhausting.

"Would you like to visit some of the restaurants with me? Not to insult your cooking or anything, but I would like to try some local dishes prepared professionally."

My eyes widened, now suddenly alert with apprehension. "You mean like a date?" I asked, carefully neutral.

"A date?" She asked with confusion. "Are those local here? I didn't see anything about them in the World Traveler, and I thought they would be more common in places like Sabasa, but I would not mind some."

I blinked in bewilderment, my fatigued brain taking a moment to process before letting out a snort of laughter. She thought I was talking about the fruit, wasn't she? I suppose dating wasn't much of a thing in monster society; it was no wonder a sheltered princess like her would not even know about the concept.

"Never mind, we can go eat at some restaurants if you want, but you'd have to pay since I'm flat broke," I said with a smile.

"No problem; I was planning to make the trip to my treasury first thing tomorrow morning anyway. If I am still gone by the time I wake up, you may feel free to keep looking for those bandits of yours; I will find you easily enough," she said, and for an instant, I thought I saw a mischievous smirk cross her face, but I blinked, and it was gone. It may have just been my sleepy mind playing tricks on me.

"Alright, good night, Alice," I yawned and climbed into my tent, snuggling into the harpy feather bedding. It was extremely soft and comfortable, promising a restful and deep sleep.

...if only the memory of that strange gaze didn't come back to haunt my thoughts. Seriously, just what was that? There were some possibilities, but... it was probably a terrible idea to keep thinking about it in case it returned, and Alice wasn't on standby to snap me out of it like before.

Ironically, my desperate attempts not to think about it kept me up for what was likely another hour before I finally succumbed to sweet slumber.

----------------------------------------

-The following morning, in the Monster Lord's castle-

Alice was considering how to deal with an eyewitness. The one who had seen her was not one of her watchful sentries; she might have thought about having a word with those later if Granberia wasn't already liable to chew them out once she noticed the significantly emptier treasury. Nor did she get caught in one of the prank traps those damn foxes laid all over the place over the years. No, the one who had seen her was some random inhabitant of the castle who just happened to be there as she was slithering by.

It was an Imp that looked around fearfully to the point one might think she was worried about her own shadow coming to life and smothering her to death in its, relative to her size, massive breasts. Her eyes lit up in desperation as she laid eyes on Alice.

"Your Majesty, you're here! Please, you have to believe me; no one else does! Ilias, she was—"

"I was never here," Alice interrupted her, accompanied by a flash of her eyes before she paused. "...Did you say Ilias?" But, unfortunately, the Imp was already on the ground, softly snoring as her chest rhythmically somehow ballooned even further before contracting again. Oh well, it probably wasn't important, likely just some newfangled prank.

Leaving behind the Imp, Alice continued through the halls. She had already taken as much gold as she could possibly need, but there was one more thing—the true objective of her visit.

"Purple hair, you say..." Alice stopped as the voice reached her ears.

Tamamo.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Alice quickly double-checked the spell hiding her presence, then carefully went over to the door the voice came from and peered through the still slightly opened crack. Granberia and Tamamo sat across one another at the breakfast table. Alma Elma was absent, despite the fact she was also in the castle today, but that was hardly surprising; she had always had an inclination for... breakfast in bed, so to speak.

"An unusual hair color for a human, to be sure. But why fixate on that, of all things?" Granberia asked, narrowing her eyes. "I thought you would be more interested in what Alipheese is doing."

"Oh, no particular reason." Tamamo let out a thoughtful hum. "You know, I just remembered Captain Selene was said to have a magic bell that could weather any storm. I should probably go retrieve that. Wouldn't want some Hero passing through Alma Elma's blockade, right?" ...Blockade? Were all her Knights embroiled in some ridiculous scheme against heroes without even letting her know?

Granberia stared at her impassively, not buying her excuse... not that Tamamo was trying particularly hard to conceal her intentions. "I do not know what designs you have on the boy, but should you intend him harm, I will not idly sit by."

"Oh? Could it be that he has caught your fancy?" Tamamo asked with a teasing smile.

"Hardly," Granberia huffed. "My passion is the blade. I have little interest in a man unable to provide a good fight. But... as much as it shames me to admit, I have done wrong by him. That is a debt that needs to be repaid." She shot Tamamo a piercing gaze. "That is to say, if necessary, I shall protect him."

Alice couldn't help her lips forming a grin. Oh yes, it was all coming together. And she hadn't even needed to do anything. Nevertheless, she would make sure to do her part and leave a bottle of the finest armor polish in Granberia's room on her way out so she would be as dashing as possible when the time came.

Tamamo giggled. "Oh, no need to worry about that. You know me, gentle as a feather and twenty times as soft. I wouldn't dream of hurting an innocent little boy."

Granberia continued staring at her for several seconds before sitting up and turning to leave. "I shall take your word for it then."

Alice quickly distanced herself from the door. So Tamamo would get involved; that was... annoying. What did she even want with Luka? Did she still intend to play the overprotective parent and personally vet anyone getting close to her? Alice was no longer a child, and if Tamamo was going to treat her as such, she had another thing coming.

Hold on...

A self-professed weakness for cute things—not that Alice would ever call a fox cute, but she was fully aware of their appeal to the unknowing masses—along with a pronounced fondness for anything soft. The way he broke down laughing at the mention of Tamamo's complete lack of seductive capability. That and countless other small hints came to her mind. By the First, was he actually...

Urgh, that was just so... Urgh!

Granted, Tamamo was unlikely to be lethal to her partner, so he could arguably do worse. But he could do so much better, too! Like Granberia or herself! Hell, half the castle's residents would be a better choice!

...There simply was no accounting for taste, was there?

But fine, if that's who he wanted as his first, he could have her, let her nag someone else for once for all she cared. Alice could always work on making him see the error of his ways later. Naturally, Tamamo had a choice in the matter as well... or the illusion of it, anyway. If she chose wrong, Alice was fully prepared to gift wrap her in her own tails and deposit her into his tent at night. Then proceed to tease him mercilessly the next day, of course... speaking of which, she needed to get moving and find her final objective, the dresser holding her old childhood clothes.

A smile full of malevolent glee made its way onto Alice's face.

After all... Princess Luka would need appropriate attire for their girls' night after he inevitably lost their bet. And he would, regardless of what he may think. She still had plenty of time to get back before he woke up and found the bandits; he would be in for one hell of a surprise.

Several monsters stopped in their tracks and shuddered as unspeakably evil laughter echoed through the castle. That day, a rumor came into being.

A rumor that the restless spirit of Alipheese the Eight still wandered the halls, looking for unwitting victims to commit unspeakable cruelties on... and tea parties.

----------------------------------------

Coincidentally, Tamamo was calmly sipping on some tea in the meantime.

She might need to revisit Alice's espionage lessons; peeking through the door like that was a method so crude it was frankly embarrassing. At least she hadn't fallen for the glitter bombs this time.

Her ears twitched at the sound of several bangs, and muffled cursing echoed in the distance.

...Never mind, then.

But still, Alice certainly seemed to be having fun. That was a good sign, and if she were traveling with literally anyone else, it would be more than enough reason to leave her alone to enjoy herself for a while; the poor girl certainly deserved it.

Tamamo frowned.

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. If that boy was who she thought, she would have to make sure. That tragedy could never be allowed to happen again.

She hadn't lied to Granberia; she wouldn't harm him. She'd sworn as much to herself; she wouldn't kill innocents.

Never again.

Besides, killing him would solve nothing in the long run. But maybe, despite how often history seemed doomed to repeat itself despite her best efforts, it may be possible to nudge things just a little—a tiny push toward that hopeful future that had seemed so close back then, rather than the disaster that actually happened.

She would have to prepare a test for him. Given the immaturity of the young Hero, the skill aspect of the test would be simple. The local monsters and maybe some of her little two-tailed ones would do. More critical was the test of character culminating in the reveal of Alice's identity as the Monster Lord. If he was half as much of a blockhead as his ancestor, he would need it spelled out for him, and it was best to ease him into it.

If he didn't make it, their travel would have to be cut short, one way or another. For his sake, she hoped that if he failed, it would be against one of hers.

Of course, Alice might try something now that she knew Tamamo would be waiting, but what could she realistically do? The bell may be an excuse, but it was a valid one. She was only helping out a fellow Knight, and in a much less questionable fashion than the blockade itself. The bell could only be retrieved by someone at least a little versed in combat, which is to say Heroes or adventurers, which could be threats, while the storm itself targeted civilians just as much.

The only ways to avoid her would be telling Alma Elma to cut her crap or ferrying the young boy across herself, either one setting a precedent for helping humans, which would probably be the most significant victory that could possibly come out of this.

Honestly, if he somehow managed to make Alice open up enough to be willing to commit to such a course of action, Tamamo would feel compelled to write him a very nicely worded thank you letter. She'd also include a fruit basket, but that one would just end up intercepted by Alice. She would gladly take that kind of result, even if it meant she would have to figure out another opportunity to smooth out the road bumps that could lead to a repeat of the events of five hundred years ago.

But that happening was ultimately quite unlikely, so for now, she would put together a group for a little treasure hunt and prepare the cave for the young Hero's arrival. Of course, she wasn't going to remove all threats, but it obviously needed to be safe enough for the little ones to explore, so any traps would need to be disarmed, and any monster entirely out of their league or capable of killing them before Tamamo could save them would just happen to be incapacitated by random cave-ins. If it became a bit safer for a certain young boy due to that... well, that was just a convenient coincidence, wasn't it?