Chapter 80: The Fairy Land

Part 1

MC's POV

"Stop right there, you coward!"

A large figure yelled loudly as she carried a sword in hand and chased after me.

"No, no, isn't it strange that you guys get to use your actual weapons while I only get wooden ones?" I dashed.

A wide and spacious training field stretched into my view, unnecessarily big I might add, given that I have enough space to run around.

"I already added a handicap and I will not use any of the abilities it has."

It is still a goddamned sacred sword and a high-ranking one at that. Even if you were to use it to chop trees, it would could way better than any regular axe, not to mention one made of wood so you can easily imagine what clashing a wooden sword against that one will result in.

"Can't you at least offer some sort of motivation!?" I cried out.

With tears pouring down my eyes, I did my best to act pitifully. Big watery eyes and a harmless look, that is one my secret techniques to get what I want. Kuroka-chan and the rest always fall for it.

"(Isn't it more because it is odd for you to request something and they just happily agree?)" Tamamo's retort was sharp.

I see, so it was pointless to act like that. I guess I will not put on this expression again.

"(...wait, no need to be so hasty. Tamamo is not against it so don't you ever stop doing it, my dear hubby.) Tamamo pleaded.

Inwardly snorting, I focused on the reaction that the figure that came attacking me as soon as this charade started.

She was very tall, easily breaking the 190cm mark. She had long and bountiful blonde hair that stretched down past her waist. She wore a chain mail that could barely hide her toned self and generous bosson. Her eyes were each of a different color with the left being green and the right one being red. Despite looking at me in an unfriendly manner, she did not display excessive emotions... like some of the peanut gallery, fairy knights that were openly showing scorn for my actions until now.

"What do you want?"

Smiling, I corrected my stance and walked closer to her. My height had increased with the years but it was still not at her level. I have been copying Shirone-chan and hid my appearance since a certain point, but even if released the spell, I would not be able to look at this woman in eyes at the same level so I just faced her straightforwardly as I looked right now.

"The requirements to have an audience with her highness, you are aware that an outsider has no way to fulfill them." I said.

"You want to make a bet?"

"You catch on quickly." I nodded. "I am not sure if the rule of 'having to beat every single knight in a duel' is a requirement that was just established for my sake or if it has been placed since long ago. Honestly, I do not care about it. The point is that you want me to do something to get something. Nonetheless, there is an issue with that. The Fairy Knights of the Round Table have the right to turn down requests from duels, don't they?"

Briefly, her expression hardened but she sighed at the end.

"Melusine blabbered huh."

"I don't think she was trying to even keep a secret though." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Even if Her Majesty ordered her to, there would be a 70% chance she would do as she pleases."

"Sounds like she has troubled you quite a bit." I said.

"...enough of that. You want to ask me to skip the unnecessary process and help you with 'her', isn't that right?"

"That's why Barghest-san is the easiest to get along with." I chuckled. "...at least you listen to a word I am saying, not like Melusine-san or Mordred-san."

"Nonetheless, that is a story for when you can beat me. You were easily captured by Melusine, and I do not approve of someone like you becoming the mate of my friend. You need to prove yourself worthy to be at her side."

Inwardly facepalming, I maintained a smile.

"Will you accept my requests?" I asked.

"One or two requests of that caliber do not seem too exaggerated. I could help you fulfill them."

"Oh, then how about we add another one? I will not tell you what it is though."

"I will not take you directly to her Highness, neither I will help you defeat the other Knights. My loyalty lies with this land and her ruler."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Barghest-san immediately spoke. Of course, I just put on a regretful expression.

"I will not ask anything of that nature then... I will have to give it a thought, what to ask." I sighed.

Her suspicious expression was plain to see but she seemed to have made up her mind to win and not allow even one of my requests through that mean.

"You will still not use any of your weapons and I will not use the abilities of my sacred sword. Are those terms acceptable?"

Nodding at that, I was on board with that idea. Cats do not have trouble with holy energy, but her sword is still scary.

There was a small smile on her face after seeing my reaction, surely because her warrior soul had been lit.

Now then, as we both took a stance with our swords (I was using a wooden one and she had her sacred sword), I inwardly sighed at how things ended up like this.

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

MC's POV

-Flashback starts

Sitting on the ground inside a spacious hall with an exquisite design that was anything but humble, I looked carefully at the people standing in line at each side of the hall and one figure sitting on a majestic throne before me.

On my right, there was a young woman who had pink hair with a quad drills hairstyle, an almost unhealthy level of pale skin, and pointy ears. Her grey eyes hid a strange glint as she kept a fake smile on her face, although whenever her eyes landed on me she would undoubtedly throw me an unfriendly and almost venomous look. I believe certain gentlemen would enjoy such a thing but it only gave me the chills. Her attire consisted of a dress of the same color as her hair combined with white and black frills and laces along with cross-laced black boots.

There was an empty spot beside her that I would assume belonged to the one standing next to me. This child was the responsible for me being here and above all, for being chained excessively. It was almost funny and strange how they chained me with chains used on boats of rather large sizes. Nonetheless, I was not interested in the thickness of the chains or how damn heavy they were, but rather in the one who captured me. She was small in size and frame, surpassing the 140 cm mark and close to the 150 cm mark. Her white hair was long and she had a pair of hair clips to separate two bangs that framed her face. Her eyebrows were forked and her eyes were amber, although she had a cloth with a flowery pattern embroidered working as some sort of blindfold. Nonetheless, I picked under the cloth already so I could make out how she looked. She had a dress that was mostly composed of blue but the chest area was white and that made a good combination with her white gloves and white knee socks. Her attire was currently different than when we met since she wore armor back then.

On the other side was a large figure that I learned the name of after the child beside me, called Melusine, started bickering with her. Her name was Barghest there were a pair of horn-like protuberances on top of her head that picked my interest greatly. Nonetheless, my eyes were drawn to a smaller figure than the blondie Barghest. She had a pair of twin tails that formed a bun before extending down to her waist. She exuded a cheerful and sunny aura. It reminded me of Serafall-san but this child, I feel some sort of no-good aura, like, she could an idiot- I mean, an air-head. Her hair was grey, her eyes were blue, and her ears were pointy. She wore taut white pants, and shoulder-length white gloves, and her torso was barely hidden with some sort of shirt that had an exaggerated opening that showed her cleave and belly button.

After observing the ones around me, my eyes were directed to the throne erected in front of me. My eyes blink unconsciously and I displayed some confusion after seeing the tiny figure just below the steps before the throne. My first impulse was to step forward and pat the head of that small pink-haired figure that had a friendly smile. However, I believe I would be shot down before I got even one step closer to the throne. The tiny figure was around 60 cm tall and her pink hair almost touched the floor, but thanks to her hairstyle that curled the ends, they did not touch it. She had reddish eyes and a strange-looking hat, pink in color, adorned her head. Her outfit was pink on the upper part and white on the lower part where her pants were.

"Could you repeat yourself?"

A majestic voice was heard and my attention was stolen by the one resting on the throne. Her voice was tinged with a bit of confusion since the words that Melusine-san muttered were that absurd. The young woman sitting on the throne looked awfully alike to a certain gluttonous child I usually bicker with. She had grey hair in a french braid that ended in a ponytail that had a big black ribbon holding it, a pair of bangs on each side of her face complemented her hairstyle along with a delicate crown resting on top of her head. Her blue eyes looked sharp but hid other emotions. She was wearing a two-tone dress in blue and black that was no doubt made with the wearer in mind. It fitted her figure perfectly, and it left her cleavage exposed but not enough to make it vulgar. Her belly also had an opening and it was enough to make those who had a healthy taste go mad from the detail. It was hard to appreciate from my position but her thighs were also somewhat exposed due to her dress design.

"I have decided that I will take this person as my future mate." Melusine-san declared proudly once again.

The figures around us did not have positive opinions about me but did not seem like they would express them.

"...I would not deny the request of one of my outstanding knights such as yourself, nonetheless, I would like to remind you that he is an outsider and it is banned to bring them to our land."

Speaking in a slightly cold tone of voice, the young woman gave a cursory glance and I sweated coldly after she directed her eyes to four places around me.

"I cannot deny that as an outsider, he is bound to be suspicious of you all. However, I have been facing him for over a year on an almost weekly basis and can vouch he has never tried any underhanded trick. He stood against me, the strongest specie, valiantly and he tirelessly requested me to take him as my mate." Melusine spoke.

Tilting my head, I made a second revision of what I said to her every time we met and I was certain that I never said such a thing. Nonetheless, there were tiny details that pissed me off but I held back since it would be rude to talk now.

"...Melusine, was it really what he said to you? His face looks as confused as ours."

The small figure beside the throne seemed to read my expression and decided to express it. Among the people here, she spoke freely. I could tell that she had a special position compared to the knights just from her presence alone, but I guess there must be more to it given how frank she was.

"Habetrot, this person was shot down by me on multiple occasions. It annoyed me at the beginning since it seemed like he was challenging me and never admitting defeat, however, he would always speak about his responsibility and how he had goals he could not simply let go but after he met me, he began hesitating." Melusine spoke in a heartful tone. "Is our meeting due to duties or because of something else? I could read that expression on his face every time we met."

You must suck at reading, anyone with enough IQ would find faults with your words. Those were my honest thoughts and I found like-minded individuals such as the pink-haired young woman on the side and the queen-lady on the throne who seemed to get a grasp of the situation but not saying anything, while the small pink-haired looked to be troubled within not saying anything or fixing the issue. However, there seemed to be people who were naive among the knights since the twin-tailed knight and the blondie were moved to the point that tears were gathering in their eyes, and gave me friendly looks. 

"Facing the strongest specie, he never faltered so I can say he is a man of conviction!" Melusine proudly stuck out her chest.

Unable to hold it any longer, I decided to make one point clear.

"Oi! I think you have gone too far with this." I stood up.

I was already used to getting chained down due to my training so I could move with no problems.

My words attracted the attention of everyone and I got glared at quite harshly, but I had made up my mind to speak up. Lies cannot be allowed to be fed to others.

"Strongest species this, strongest species that, you speak nonsense!" I said. "Dragons are not the strongest specie! Cats are!"

No one spoke after that and a strange silence hung in the hall. Even the Queenie on her throne had eyes wide open in surprise but she quickly recovered and put on her cold expression not before giving a deathly glare I could easily translate as 'say a word and you are dead meat, you handsome and valiant cat', or at least the first half was correct.

A second later, there was a myriad of reactions. Although the one word mentioned were the small figure's whose eyes turned into stars as she stared at me. Noticing that, I proudly made my ears and tails appear. The sheer excitement contained in her small frame would've broken any equipment capable of measuring such a thing. The other one was the pink-haired young woman who gave me a look of disdain.

"You there! How dare you speak before Her Majesty, the Queen without being addressed to or given permission."

Her harsh tone did not bother me since I expected as much given my outburst, however, it seemed to trigger someone else.

"Baobhan Sith, I knew you would speak up sooner or later." Melusine glared at the figure.

On her side, Baobhan Sith did not seem intimidated by that and changed her target from me to Melusine.

Sparks seemed to fly as their glares clashed before I found the need to pull out some popcorn and enjoy the fight, the door to the hall was... kicked open.

Making a loud sound, it caused all the eyes to be directed at one who entered.

With loud steps, that figure was wearing armor thick enough to make it hard to guess how the person inside looked. Nonetheless, as she loudly made her way through the hall, ignoring everything else, I did not have to use my ability to define a detail about this one. One sniff and I could get it. She was a young woman, no, a young girl perhaps given her size. After one second sniff, I found two different smells that were familiar to me. The first, I could make out a draconic aura. There is a cookie-eating monster that never hides her aura or smell so I can pretty much identify anyone with just one sniff. The other one though left me confused about whether I made a mistake.

"Homunculus...?" I mumbled.

Thinking that she will ignore my words the way she ignored the glares this one got from the others knights, I spoke without thinking. Nonetheless, her steps were halted and she turned towards me and extending her hand, she grabbed me by the neck.

"What did you say, you bastard?"

Sounding more like a thug than a knight, I could feel her eyes glaring at me with annoying me but a tinge of surprise as well.

"Mordred, release him." Melusine demanded.

At times like this, one can only act in a limited number of ways. One such way is to play the fool.

"I was saying that cats are the strongest creature alive." I muttered.

My throat was held tightly, but I don't think she was trying to strangle me since I could still breathe comfortably.

"Did you hit your head?"

Her voice sounded quite rough and forced before but this time, an honest mutter escaped her lips.

I was honestly fine with whatever they threw at me as long I could accomplish my goal, but certain children were not as patient.

Leaving from the gaps in my clothing, a small snake tried to coil around my aggressor's gauntlet.

"Wait." I spoke.

My words were too late since the thug-like knight changed targets from yours truly, toward my familiar. Grabbing her before she could do anything, it seemed like the knight was annoyed and tightened her grip unnecessarily.

"What the heck is this thing? Are you hiding more of these inside you?"

Mentally sending a message for the child in my shadow to stay put, I also ordered the spider to stand back. Nonetheless, they were going through their rebellious phase and ignored me.

Miyako-chan's hands left my shadow and held the knight's feet while Rin-chan came out and threw a spider web in the knight's face.

Nevertheless, the knight only got more annoyed. Her helmet prevented the weeb from blinding her and Miyako-chan's grip was just superficial on the armor. A red aura spread from the knight who showed an angry expression, and before she did something I will most certainly go bonkers for, I simply broke free.

The chains certainly were heavy and would usually be more than enough to restrict a regular person, not to mention that there were some spells in it to make it more durable, although I doubted they were there to prevent a person from breaking free. Without even needing to strengthen myself with Senjutsu or my currently free Touki, I let the chain fly away and my hand immediately caught upon Mordred's.

"What the heck...!?" Mordred, the knight in full armor, exclaimed.

I was uncertain if she was surprised over my escape or because the grip of my hand was far stronger than she anticipated and she released my familiar. I was about to pull my broadsword but I felt a chill. The one sitting on the throne was looking at me and she shook her head. Her intention was conveyed to me and I did not push my luck by wounding the knight fatally. Nonetheless, I was not happy with simply letting her get away unscathed. As troublesome as that child can be, Kiyohime, the small snake was someone I had decided to take under my wing. Thus, I used my other and before Mordred could attack me, I put a hand on one of the gasps of her chest plate and pulled her towards me. I could feel her gaze piercing my eyes and wondering if I was insane for doing that, but Mordred was mistaken if she thought that she would receive no damage.

My forehead was covered with Touki and shielded with Senjutsu internally just before I headbutted her. The loud sound that reverberated through the hall. I release her just after the impact so she was sent wobbly walking backward but she stood her ground. My ability allowed me to see... that far from being put off from my action, she smiled fearlessly as blood dripped from her forehead and drenched her face.

A sword that gave me a bad feeling materialized in her hand as she prepared to engage against me. Nonetheless, I relaxed myself as I kept the snake, the spider, and the shadowy girl from trying to follow up on my attack. Before a brawl started, Melusine, armor, and weapons were ready to attack... Mordred.

How gallant, you might make me fall for you if you continue being so dashing.

"Mordred, I will not repeat myself so listen carefully. Put a hand on him, and I will end you." Melusine spoke in a cold tone.

Making women fight over me, I am such a sinful man.

"You two, do I have to remind you that I don't want my knights fighting among themselves in my presence?"

The queen, sitting comfortably until now, decided that it was enough.

"Your Majesty, putting aside the hot-headed idiot who picks a fight as easily as she breathes. There is one more important situation to address."

"Baobhan Sith..." Melusine groaned.

Yeah, I figured they would mention something about it.

"What if for some reason, his pets were never revealed? It happened by coincidence but... if he had uncouth intentions from the beginning...?"

Nodding at what the pink-haired lady said, I could agree with her comments despite noticing that she was speaking partially due to a desire to bicker with Melusine.

"She has a point. He even broke the chains in an instant so we can't be too careful when dealing with him."

The tallest member in the hall added a sound argument.

"But..." Melusine groaned again.

Now then, how much bullsh*t should I spout to get out of this? Acting pitiful would work if the pink-haired one, Baobhan Sith, was not here. I get the feeling that she would find faults with anything I say since Melusine is bound to support my claims. Going berserk here is quite a funny joke given the number of spells imbued in this hall along with several artifacts placed to defend the one on the throne. I get a chill just by imagining an all-out attack from those along with the simultaneous attack of all the knights. The same reason also crosses out escaping since I would be pursued and that is not precisely what I came to do. 

"...enough."

The queen spoke and no one else said a word.

"Habetrot, what are your insights on this?"

The lady spoke in a softer tone when referring to Habetrot, the small pink lady, compared to the rest of the knights. Nonetheless, I got the feeling that she had made up her mind before asking.

"Morgan, he is a cat. There is no way that he can be evil!" Habetrot, the small pink lady, spoke with stars in her eyes.

Even I considered that to be nonsense despite agreeing with the statement.

"Mother! You can't seriously...!" "Baobhan Sith, you are currently standing in this hall in your position as a knight, as such, I must remind you to address me accordingly."

The queenie, Morgan, shut down the pink-haired lady, Baobhan Sith, words before they were even completely formed. The queenie did not look old enough to be a mother so perhaps there was a reason for that slip of the tongue... Could it be? Some sort of play-

"You there, I believe you have been listening long enough to have learned our names already. Is it not rude to not introduce yourself until now? I am permitting you to speak." Morgan gave me a deathly glare.

I was not sure if she guessed or read my mind, nonetheless, I decided to not finish that train of thought.

"Your Majesty, I am called Nora, Nora Shiki, pleased to make your acquaintance." I properly introduced myself following the correct etiquette. 

My actions were kind of surprising for the knights since they looked at me like they could not recognize me. The punk knight, Mordred, gave me a bewildered look as she checked me with a face that screamed 'who the heck is this guy and where is the handsome fellow that headbutted me'. Part of that might be my own words but who is taking notes about it.

Given the location I was first ambushed and the rough location this pocket dimension was located, I used the etiquette from the area. It was quite a long lesson I had to take from Venelana-san who crammed all that knowledge into my head. I was thankful for that, but given how easygoing she might look sometimes, that woman is tremendously strict when teaching. I was not allowed to leave the castle until I mastered to the letter every appropriate gesture required to not bring shame to myself or those close to me if the situation requires it.

"You seem well versed in talking to royalty." Her Majesty, Morgan-sama, praised me.

"I've had some good teachers." I said. "It might not look like it, but I am something like a noble myself."

I heard a certain lady snort at my words, but she did not say anything. I was expecting to find people who did not like me but I think it is a little too fast, I don't even have a day in the land.

"Is that so? Then it seems like we have made a mistake in the way we treated you." Morgan-sama muttered. "However, I don't think you mentioned that until now."

"It is as you say, Your Majesty. I purposely stayed quiet." I nodded. "I hope you can forgive me, but I wanted nothing more than to experience this nation like a common man. As someone who is managing a territory and believes he lacks experience, I like to observe others' ideas in management."

I half-lied, I did not have much of a choice since I had to fake being unconscious until a while ago. I also tried to observe these people as much as I could since I would be learning unusual things if I simply limit myself to observing.

"I understand." Morgan-sama nodded. "Nonetheless, as I am certain that Melusine must've said. This land is closed and we do not receive outsiders. That does not change even if there are nobles of any rank or royalty."

I have quite a bit of complaining to do regarding that since it has made my job harder than it is, but I suppose that voicing out my thoughts will just earn me some negative points in their books.

"...although, you are already here. We cannot do anything to change that fact." Morgan-sama spoke. "You have two choices you can take. One, you can just leave and we will not punish you for entering our land given how it was one of my knights that dragged you here."

How generous, but no. I doubt I will have another chance to enter this place. I checked the barrier that keeps this place isolated and it was scary. Shishou might be able to forcefully enter, but her might alone is not enough to remain unscathed. I would be a dead cat if I tried anything funny.

"Your face tells me that you are unwilling, so I believe you are going to choose option number two." Morgan-sama had a small on her face and that unsettled me somewhat. "You can stay here, and as I mentioned before, you shall not face any punishment."

I was preparing for something bad, but I guess she is a reasonable-

"Gaining the corresponding rights to live here has always required you to establish a relationship with one of our citizens and as luck would have, wasn't Melusine willing to marry (mate) you?" Morgan-sama smiled and looked like she was enjoying herself. "I welcome you, a visitor from afar to our lands. No, I guess I should call you, my new subject?"

She ain't reasonable at all, goddammit.

You are having fun with this, aren't you Queenie?

Inwardly calming the part of me that wanted to go on a rampage, I could observe a variety of reactions. Some didn't care, some were curious, one was happy and the child who looked like she would kill me in my sleep was pretty scary.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, I-" I tried to voice out my complaints but I was cut short.

"I have passed down my orders." Morgan-sama declared. "As a noble, you should be aware of what the will of royalty means, do you not?"

Groaning, I definitely did not want to add a visit to jail to my touring list.

"That said, I am a benevolent and generous ruler." Morgan-sama stood up. "Given that such a sudden situation was basically shoved at you without any proper mental preparation, I can understand if you have your reservations."

Sighing in relief, I put my hope in her next words. Please cut me some slack, this job ain't even mine.

"Marriage cannot be done just out of the blue so we can postpone that for a later date. There is no hurry for any of you given that you both belong to long-lived races." Morgan-sama said. "You will also have temporary citizen rights that are no less than my subjects."

My hopes were mercilessly crushed. Even though her smile looked attractive, I was not sure how to feel with the fact that she was enjoying herself thanks to my predicament.

"If... you still have reservations, it can certainly be discussed in an audience obtained through proper means." Morgan-sama's aura covered the hall. "Since ancient times, you would require to go through each of my knights before reaching the queen."

I waited for a second to see if she had anything else to say but she just stared at me, but once I was to open my mouth-

"You must be tired from your travel, Melusine, he shall stay in your territory for the time being." Morgan-sama waved her hand.

Nodding to myself, I did not need to be a genius to understand that this lady had no plans of hearing me out the easy way. I simply watched as everyone bowed to the queen as she teleported away.

"(Hubby, did you do something to incur her wrath before?)" Tamamo decided to speak.

Nope, I have never been to this place before.

"(It is not the first time you have met a queen, maybe you have done something without knowing?)" Tamamo asked.

As I kept thinking, I ignored the looks everyone was giving me as Melusine dragged me.

Hey, I am not guilty of being crowned as the king of England by mistake and none of them look like Morgan-sama.

"(Is it all you did against royalty?)" Tamamo inquired.

I think that back then, I kind of... caused a rebellion in a kingdom. Oh, I almost forgot I ruined a wedding and end up running with the bride that was actually forced to marry the prince only to amass an army from the bride's side and fighting in a war. I cannot forget that time I became the prime minister by chance and helped an illegitimate princess to pursue her dreams as a scientist only to uncover that the king at that time had been killed long before I arrive and somehow had to fix all that mess. Not least important, I-

"(Ok, stop, please.)" Tamamo's exasperated voice resonated inside my head. "(It was not such a long time that you went missing after being affected by that spell, how much chaos did you stir...?)"

For your sanity, I shall remain silent.

"(Good grief, I will need a healing therapy to fix all the damage you did to my poor lil' heart.)" Tamamo did not ask anything else.

Already far enough almost outside the castle, I marveled at the speed that Melusine

What did you think of the Queenie?

"(Oh, hubby, you are incorrigible. Tamamo is sad that you are asking your already perfect wife her opinion about your next harem member.)" Tamamo faked a sad tone. "(The tears won't stop.)"

I could perfectly picture her with tears pouring down her eyes as she used a handkerchief to swipe them. Nonetheless, I could also imagine how she would leave lying around the small recipient to store the fake tears.

"(You know me so well!)" Tamamo sounded awfully happy. "(On a serious note though, she could perfectly spot each one of us. Whether it was yours truly, or the others, fairies included. For some reason though, she did not mention anything during the meeting and did not seem inclined to use that as an excuse to harm you in any way. I believe that you shall soon find yourself dragged into some sort of trouble.)"

Isn't that how things usually turn out? Nothing has changed.

"(Hubby, I think you should start facing reality and admit that black cats attract bad luck.)" Tamamo sighed.

Not a chance.

"(You can be really stubborn!)" Tamamo sounded rather impressed.

Meeting Kuroka-chan who is a black kittie is among my most lucky events so there is no way I can say such a thing.

"(Do you love making me jealous?)" Tamamo sourly commented.

Teasing you has become part of my daily life so I do love making you jealous, but do you happen to know what I love more than that?

"(Black lingerie?)" Tamamo snorted.

I suppressed the impulse to choke on my own saliva after hearing that.

Listen, for your information, I like those in a variety of colors, not only black. You should be well aware of that already.

Jeez, the thing I love more than teasing you is YOU, but I guess that is too corny-

"(Hehehe, Tamamo just loves how you honestly express that!)" Tamamo entered her foolish method.

Sighing at that, I bid goodbye to the castle. I had already made a map in my head using my ability, including some hidden rooms but I would leave sneaking into the queen's chambers as my last option. I want to make her consider joining peace talks not storming into them and declaring war.

"(By the way, hubby. What are you going to do about THAT?)" Tamamo asked.

What do you mean?

"(I would love to help you, but aren't you being dragged to the 'lair' of the dragon lady? I believe you have not forgotten that she wants to mate with you. You of all people should be aware that despite her looks, she is clearly at an age that she is capable of reproduction going by dragon standards so...)"

Crap, I had forgotten.

-Flashback ends

Shuddering as I recalled my hardships, I stepped back away to avoid the sword brandished in my direction. My actions successfully dodged the first blow so I struck her by thrusting my sword into her chest, but her armor was tough and the wooden sword ended up breaking apart.

My eyes widened and Barghest took that as a sign that I would not be able to fight. Her hand brought the sword back to hack me in half with a horizontal slash but I did not retreat but instead shortened the distance as I stepped closer until our chests bumped into each other, however, my movements did not stop there as my left hand, without holding the broken wooden sword, was covered in Touki and I hit Barghest. The impact was loud and she was sent back a couple of steps.

I grinned at her toughness and closed in again. Barghest saw me closing in and she did not dare to allow it. Grabbing her sword with both hands she swung it down forcefully. I underestimated the strength she could wield since I did not expect that by striking the ground, cracks spread all around, dirt and peebles were sent flying everywhere, but most of all, I briefly stopped my advance. The blonde knight did not miss that chance and while barely hiding a bloodthirsty grin, that I was quite familiar with thanks to the muscle brains I knew, she continuously attacked me. Taking the lead, her sword would come from all directions and angles, but it never lacked any strength or the ability to split me into two just with brute strength.

I was simply avoiding her attacks by a paper-thin margin, and I was limited to observing her. My eyes went towards her footwork, her swordsmanship and the directing her gaze would point whenever she attacked me. Slowly, I took in her pattern but I did not use that information for now. Hiding my right hand all this time behind me, I blocked her view by changing the position and the angle to escape her gaze. Hidden until now, the broke wooden sword made an appearance once again and Barghest was surprised to see how it was repaired once again.

A simple trick that I accomplished by regrowing the wood. It was still kind of hard to grant enough vitality to a piece of wood that had been drained of it after it had turned into a wooden sword for so long, and my focus was split, but I was able to do a good job.

The ki's flux was better now so I was able to add more ki than before. My following attack also was directed at her chest. One blow, two blows, and until the fifth attack, the wooden sword held on. However, it was still unable to withstand the strain of my ki that constantly repaired as much as I could and the speed at which I destroyed it by hitting it against the chainmail of Barghest that I feel had begun showing cracks.

Clicking my tongue, I almost was split in half after the sword broke before delivering the six blows. Barghest was relentless and even after receiving all that damage, her figure did not stop. Another hole was added to the training grounds and I felt apologetic for the person who has to clean the mess after supernatural creatures fight each other.   I am capable of fixing most of the damage I cause in forests and the like, but in the city is not the same. If you forget to set that convenient spell during fights, not only you risk destroying human-made buildings but some unlucky guy can get caught as well.

"Is the fight so easy for you that you can afford to get distracted!?" Barghest's voice was tinged with anger.

Sorry.

Apologizing in my mind, I began repairing the sword again.

In terms of pure swordsmanship, the lady is above me. I hardly get to use Gae Bolg given the restrictions Shishou set up for me and I don't get many chances to snipe enemies nowadays, that requires my bow, that is. I have put my focus on a pair of techniques with the sword, but given that Shishou just sighs whenever I practice those, I believe I lack the proper skills.

Suddenly, Barghest stopped chasing after me, finally putting an end to our dog and cat chase. I thought she had decided to do some crazy and super secret technique of some sort but she just glared in one direction. I was curious but after taking a peek with clairvoyance, I understood what happened. I was not sure if Barghest's detection was better than mine or if being the master of her territory gave her this advantage, but she seemed to detect the visitor.

Walking alone and like she owed the place was Mordred still in full armor.

"Yo!" Mordred nonchalant salute left me slightly dazed.

"What are you doing here?" Barghest's inquired I'm a serious tone.

"Oi, oi, you don't think that if something as fun as this was happening, I wouldn't join in?" Mordred spoke.

Feeling a little dumbfounded about her reasons, I turned towards Barghest, but her expression told me that this was something normal.

"You always do this..." Barghest sighed. "It is not unusual for the knights of her majesty to visit other knights in their territory, but an unannounced visit is not acceptable."

"I am telling you in person that I came, I don't see the problem here." Mordred replied.

Face palming myself, I wondered if this is how everyone looks at me when they call me unreasonable.

...

...

...

After a lovely (?) chat, the two knights end up fighting among themselves and since they were using their sacred weapons, I decided to stay away. I mean, it is not because it was scary or anything, I don't have a trauma caused by Shishou using definitive moves on me as easy as breathing, not at all.

The knights under Barghest were so nice that they kept me company (?), they certainly did not follow me around armed and warily observed my every move. I took a tour around the place and I noticed the very small male population. My first thought was maybe because Barghest did not like males that much, but further research is required for that. Exactly, one hour later, I came back to the training field where Barghest was left alone and Mordred did not seem to be nearby.

"Thank you for the tour." I waved at good souls who kindly led me around.

Waving me back, the group of knights happily left.

Female knights are nice, perhaps I should give Artoria a new armor, her old one needs some adjustment given her growth, but I think I could add some details to make it look more girlish. I bet she would love that.

Yeah, no way it would happen, but I bet it will be fun to watch.

"Shall we continue tomorrow?" I asked.

Our fight was pretty short but she received a couple of hits from me, on the other hand, she fought Mordred for over an hour and that must've exhausted her.

"Do you think I cannot handle you? A few hours of fighting are not enough to stop me." Barghest snorted.

Shaking my head, I wondered why she can't just honestly accept my proposal.

"It is not about fighting for over an hour or day, not even a few minutes. You just fought a rather formidable foe." I looked around the field and it could hardly be called that anymore. "I don't know about you went in that fight but I saw red and yellow clashing over and over nonstop. And I don't care if that was not you being serious."

Barghest wanted to open her mouth but she sullenly shut it.

"I am not asking for too much, am I? Besides, even if don't want to acknowledge that you have accumulated fatigue, I suggest that you take a look around, continuing the duel with a proper field is not good." I shook my head.

"It is nothing to worry about, there should be more training grounds available." Barghest did not give up.

"There are not, all of them are busy with your knight's training." I sighed.

"How do YOU know about any of that?" Barghest inquired.

"I took a look around earlier." I said.

I will not add the part where I got this information from the knights that were following me all the time. Their lips were tight, but after a bit of talking, we became friendly enough. They even gave me their home addresses. How curious, I wonder if that is how things work around here since there are no phones. They did tell me to come to visit any time. It was odd since they have knightly duties, but they told me they can always spare around half an hour or an hour if things take too long. I don't think that I will take too long to show my thanks by giving them gifts, but maybe they also have to offer their hospitality.

"Are you going to cowardly run away? It seems you do not want me to acknowledge your relationship." Barghest tried to taunt me.

It worked.

"Listen up, if someone has a relationship, it concerns the two parties in it. Third parties should remain silent." I snorted. "You are free to talk to her about leaving the guy, but the choice is hers to make. Why? Because she is in the relationship, not you."

My words caused an uncomfortable silence.

"You... have given some thought to your situation?" Barghest asked.

There was a certain fox attendant from Yasaka-san who once called out to me and told a bunch of nonsense about status and the like, how I should not overstep my boundaries since it would only hurt both parties. Well, guess what. F*** you, lady. That said, she softened her attitude toward me on a later date and even tried to set me up once with Yasaka-san who had drunk too much sake. I was tempted, but that kind of thing can happen only when both parties have given their agreement.

"You are damn right I did." I vividly recalled the wasted Yasaka-san whom I had to nurse back to full health.

I would've rather have to run away from Hades again for flirting with his daughters rather than hold back my urges in front of that helpless Yasaka-san who became spoiled and almost pushed me down. I really did my best so I did not deserve Kuroka-chan's accusatory stare when I came home pretty late and smelling like Yasaka-san all over.

"I see, perhaps, you are not as back as I thought." Barghest gave me a sincere relieved smile.

Huh? What is going on? Did I perhaps press the skip button and the dialog is now too advanced for me to understand?

"I see that your heart is in the right place. Your skills are not bad either. However, I don't believe you can be at her side as you are now. Dragons are... strong." Barghest commented. "The stories of my ancestors depict clearly how much damage two of the strongest dragons caused by their irresponsible and reckless fights. Sacrifices upon sacrifices had to be made until they were finally stopped. Melusine is of the same race as those fearsome foes as well as- no, I guess it is not a secret, but it is not my place to tell you."

That smelled like a juicy piece of information, but she had to come and stop herself at the last moment. Damn it, I hate it when they leave cliffhangers just when the info is good.

 "I will take it upon myself to turn you into a real man worthy of being by her side. I will train your body so hard that a new you will be born after we are done." Barghest spoke with a confident and somewhat naive tone, unaware of the way those words could be seen as. "Be prepared, every day, I will make sure your body reaches a new height, a height you never imagined you would reach."

No, no, no, I never imagined myself like that. Certainly not, there are certainly no secret plans to grow into Nora Version Ex, the ultimate form of the supremely awesome cat who is unparalleled in the seven seas and the mainlands.

Yup, I definitely need to stop hanging out with Vali and those girls I met at the Nephilim Institute.

You are reading story Highschool DxD: A new opportunity at novel35.com

As a gentleman I was, it would be strange if I did not point out her mistake in a subtle way that would not embarrass any of the two and it could turn into some sort of silly memory to reminisce about when enough time pass.

"Are you after my body?" I asked doubtfully.

The fact that I heard rumors about this lady having trouble with relationships made me suddenly have a concern. I also feel a strong sense of kin with this child so she must be a fairy equivalent of a youkai with animal characteristics hidden as most of us can do.

"No!" Barghest strongly replied.

Taking a step forward, her figure looked somewhat angry and confused at my words. Nonetheless, I had a rather different concern as she got closer. The cracks on her armor seemed to have grown in number.

"Melusine is my rival, but also my friend. Confronting you has not been to get close to you or anything of that sort, I want to test your resolution to walk with her." Barghest spoke in a loud tone.

"You sure? I am at a tender age with a sufficiently developed body but still conserving part of the innocence from before." I said. "I am not sure why, but I was told that it is because of such a thing that I am in the strike zone of many ladies with normal or strange tastes."

Despite looking like a smashed potato.

"The one who told you such a thing must be a real degenerate!" Barghest retorted.

Mingling with the fallen angels is always dangerous for poor lil' me.

"You!" Barghest suddenly pointed at me. "You have led a difficult life until now."

A misunderstanding seemed to have been born.

"Not really- Actually, aren't I always living on the edge? Why is it that in an ecchi world such as this, I have been the one giving fan service to the girls more than they give me!?" I mumbled.

Seriously, I have been groped and fondled more than I consider to be healthy. In fact, I should be sending more than one person to jail for the way they treat an underage boy. If it wasn't because I am a pervert and consider some of that a service, I would have to create a prison just for those perverts.

It is not like I don't get fan service, but-

"*Sigh* I suddenly feel tired." I am sure I had a faraway look.

"Eh, I am not sure why you look so depressed, but cheer up." Barghest looked unsure of what to say.

Even the person that wanted to beat me up is worrying about me.

"You are a good child... despite wanting to eat me." I said.

"I am not going to eat you." Barghest replied. "Give it a rest already, I-"

Getting closer to me, I heard her armor crying until it finally happened. The cracks extended all over until-

"O M G!" I could only mutter those words.

Sharp shards flew my way as the pieces of armor were sent at a speed you would normally see a bullet go. I mean, how could they not since they were hiding a pair of massive weapons.

The last thing that went through my mind before those pieces struck me was that the world is filled with wondrous views and... female knights are amazing, making a crossing between a maid and a female knight would make the ultimate warrior.

Part 3

MC's POV

"Pffft, ahahahah, hubby, you... Hahaha." Tamamo's laugh as she rolled on the ground was not one but amusing.

Nonetheless, it is not something I can stop so I just sighed from my spot on the corner of the bed.

We now reside in Melusine's territory, exactly in her mansion that was close to a castle. It took a lot of effort on my part to get a separate room for myself, although that child would still sneak in a night and hug me until she falls asleep. However, that happens later in the night and today she happens to have businesses to attend to outside so I have quite the free time. Tamamo had been left here at the mansion to do a certain task I commended her too so she was not with me during my outing today. As usual, we shared what happened to each other without hiding anything, and thus, the kitsune was laughing so hard that she ended up rolling on the ground.

"Hahahaha, well, I guess she really got you with her hidden weapons..." Tamamo finally stopped laughing and stood up. "That aside, you fought her but you don't seem too happy, I guess that you still have no idea how to beat her?"

"Those things on her head, I think I have read something about it before, but Kaa-san did not have that much information regarding Barghest's race. She is described to be similar to onis, but she is supposed to be a Black Hound."

"Oya? Doesn't that make her your bitter enemy? Dogs and cats do not get along alone at all and they fight all the time." Tamamo grinned as she lifted my chin with her slender fingers and brought out faces together.

"Aren't you a canine as well? Shouldn't you and I be enemies too?" I smiled teasingly.

Her eyes turned into dots for a few seconds as she processed the information. Grinning at her expression, it was my turn to attack. I held her chin and gave the cheekiest smile I could muster.

"Well, that applies to regular felines and canines, Tamamo and I are way past something as dull as that, are we not?" I said.

Tamamo's smile was like a blooming flower as she heard that and sat beside me.

"They call themselves as Fairy Knights, and they are clearly following the example of the Knights of the Round Table from King Arthur. That said, these ones serve Morgan Le Fay, the sister of King Arthur... or not, the one you met that day was none other than her daughter who inherited her name." Tamamo leaned her head on my shoulder.

"They really are like them. Those swords are the real deal." I bitterly said.

The firepower was not something I confirmed in person, but I do have a good grasp of some famous legendary weapons such as those since I happen to read books about them from the fallen angel's library.

"Gallatine, Failnaught, Aroundight... urgh, scary weapons are scary." I sighed.

"Fufu, how unusual to see you troubled over that." Tamamo giggled. "Normally you would be thinking that if you cannot beat them in close combat, you could either snipe them or use a dirty trick."

"...Is that how you usually see me?" I asked speechlessly.

"Who knows~" Tamamo whistled innocently.

Shaking my head wryly, I suddenly looked down and my shadow twisted for a second.

"You came back as well, did you find what I asked?" I spoke.

My shadow extended on the ground before expanding and a figure emerged from it. Wearing a maid outfit heavily modified to show a lot of cleave and a dangerously short skirt, Miyako-chan bowed before showing me an apologetic smile.

"My most sincere apologies, I failed to locate what you requested of me." Miyako-chan said.

The shrewd young lady's bow let me witness her grow perfectly and when her face was not visible anymore, I had a feeling that she had a sly smile on her face. She is very cunning and even after receiving an extra training to become a maid, she did not abandon her ways of trying to tempt me or entice me.

"Hmmm, that is ok. For all I know, it could not be here at all so I could've sent you to an impossible task from the very beginning." I sighed.

"Oya? I did not hear about this..." Tamamo curiously said. "Wait... could it be...? That legendary maid's underwear- Mukyu!"

Holding her head with teary eyes, Tamamo begrudgingly looked at me.

Lowering my hand after karate chopping her, I glared back at her and she sullenly turned away.

"It is that amazing and cheat equipment. Avalon." I said. "And you were with me at that time, but how would you know if you spend so much time napping? Huh?"

Grabbing her cheek, I pulled it lightly as I reprimanded her.

"S-owwyy." Tamamo could hardly be understood so I released her.

"You sleep way too much." I said.

"It is a beauty sleep, hubby! So you can always see the most beautiful Tamamo!" Tamamo rubbed her reddened cheek as she made her point.

"Eh..." Miyako-chan's awkward mutter pulled me out of the banter.

"This room is very safe as long as Melusine is not in the mansion so feel free to wander here in your human form if you want. For the time being, remain as my shadow if I need to go out." I said.

"Understood!" Miyako-chan bowed again.

I will pretend that while I was talking and Tamamo sneakily interlocked our arms, Miyako-chan did not give the fox a death stare and Tamamo most certainly did not smirk, yeah, it did not happen.

"Ah, Nora-sama, you must be tired after your outing today, let this Miyako help you relax." Miyako-chan walked towards me and climbed the bed.

Pushing her abundant bosom on my back, her slender fingers were put on my shoulders as she slowly began to massage me. Her technique was pretty good and I could tell that she had been trying too hard to learn the maid's guild's secret techniques.

 

I once again ignore the secret fight between the kitsune and the maid by closing my eyes.

"Ara, look at the time, I guess it is time for dinner and MY HUBBY must be hungry, I had prepared your food in advance and kept it warm until you arrived, would you like to eat now? HUBBY!" Tamamo made sure to rub her cheeks on my shoulder.

"...sure, why not?" I sighed.

"Ouch, you traitors!" Miyako complained.

Glancing back, I saw her grabbing a certain small snake, and bite marks were imprinted on her right breast. There was also a small spider trying to help the snake but seemed to be unable to. It seemed like a battle would unfold so I just... ignored it.

It is strange when you get used to it. That said, Kiyohime is forbidden from taking human form for quite some time so the fights are not becoming too bloody, although I fear the future.

I noticed that Tamamo looked amused at the spectacle since there was a smirk on her face.

"...look at that grin, that's why they call you an evil fox, you enjoy chaos." I smiled wryly.

"Oh, hubby, you are so mean, I am just enjoying the powers of karma at work, she tried to seduce my hubby nonchalantly so it is appropriate that she gets her punishment." Tamamo spoke in an innocent tone.

"That's what you call being evil." I said.

"You are not any different, they are all fighting but you are not stopping them and even enjoying the show." Tamamo retorted. "Oh, just my luck, the lil' old me end up in the hands of such a wicked man."

Grabbing my hands, she placed them on her shoulders as she dramatically covered her face with one hand while facing the sky.

"Aren't you being overly dramatic? I did warn you before... that I was evil." I spoke.

"Oh, yes. You certainly did, I still get a shudder run down my spine until the tips of my tails every time I remember that hot night that you whispered those words in my ears and my sweet moans resonated in the room." Tamamo shyly held her cheeks with both hands.

"That must've been another guy because I am more than 100% that it did not happen as you described it." I retorted.

"By the way, I already told Mommy all that, I wanted to erase some competition..." Tamamo cunningly said. "Well, I don't think you will be aiming for my mother too but one can never be too cautious."

Oh yeah, that explains why Amaterasu-sama looked so embarrassed back then. Tsukuyomi-sama and Susano-o-sama also looked at me strangely that one time and their gazes were directed downward very often.

"What did you even tell them...?" I asked.

"Truth mixed with lies, about 10% truth and 90% lies." Tamamo gave me a thumbs up.

"Oi. Is this why the two people she sent to assist you were scared to be alone with me in a closed room?" I inquired.

"...Nora's desires are hard to bear for a lone girl and my hips are asking for help, Mommy, help me!" Tamamo acted pitifully.

Instantly, divine (?) retribution landed on her head.

"...this is domestic violence." Tamamo covered her head with both hands.

"...oh yeah? Shall we start counting who has committed more crimes against the other?" I asked.

"It is not like Tamamo cannot adapt to her hubby's hobbies..." Tamamo looked away.

"Do you have any idea how hard was to earn their trust?" I asked.

"Sowweeeee!" Tamamo tried to act cute.

Shaking my head, I did not push her any longer.

"Thankfully, they do follow my instructions so I had them among the group waiting outside in the Human's World to help in case we need it." I sigh.

"Ara? Even if you do not earn their trust, they would surely obey you since that is what Mommy told them." Tamamo tilted her head.

"Huh?" I tilted mine as well.

"As I was saying, they would still obey you no matter the rule." Tamamo suddenly put on an evil smile. "Yes~ Even if you ask them to THIS and THAT, they would surely do it."

Making an obscene display using her hands, Tamamo looked at me like she was having fun.

"You are telling me that... I could've asked this whole time..." I could not believe what I heard. "I could make them... try out different kinds of maid outfits!?"

Half-expecting my answer and half disappointed, Tamamo sighed.

"Really now, is it simply your resolution to eat Yasaka first or your love for maids what made you say that?" Tamamo helplessly said.

Wisely choosing not to answer, I stood up and put a stop to the great war behind me. I healed the bite marks on Miyako-chan's skin and had them all in seiza, or the equivalent of their forms.

"By the way, hubby." Tamamo summoned a table and a chair with several dishes on top.

Guiding me, she made me sit and she sat on my lap naturally.

"I was wondering what you plan to do." Tamamo suddenly said.

"I think I was clear with my intentions regarding making them join the peace talks. Whether they decide to join the alliance is another matter entirely, but it is not my problem, I would just have to convince them again." I mumbled.

I was unsure where she acquired the ingredients, but she made a meal that a regular individual would find impossible to finish alone. It could be considered a small feast. Starting with vegetable dishes, she fed me as she stared straight into my eyes.

"That is quite scary since the only way you would leave them alone is after they join the alliance." Tamamo retorted. "However, hubby, I am not talking about that, Tamamo is talking about your goals. I mean, I can certainly understand your fascination with Serafall. Putting aside her charm as a woman, her personality is bright and her charisma easily draws others to her. While our type does not necessarily hate sunny people, we also can't exactly say we are willing to follow with every single whim they might have."

Sharing chopsticks is considered rude, but no one here was too keen on bothering with customs or social rules. Tamamo took a bite as well, before talking again.

"However, you are acting in such an unrestrained manner despite desiring nothing more than live peacefully..." Tamamo added. "I will follow you no matter where you go, but you can't go dragging those precious to you to problems they have no idea are about."

Bitterly smiling, I glanced at the maid and my familiar who was keen on listening to what we were talking. I shall reprimand them later, but I guess I could speak out a bit.

"I want to find... The One Piece." I said.

As soon as I said that, Tamamo knocked on my head.

"Alright, geez, abusing a poor cat brings bad luck you know." I mumbled. "I guess I am trying to learn as much as I can from whatever source I can about ways to get stronger, not only for me but for my people as well."

Humans are said to have unlimited potential thanks to the sacred gears, or I think that was one of the outcomes that granting those tickling bombs in a random manner ended up creating. Among humans there were absurd individuals and the gears just made it worse.

"Oh~ For me too?" Tamamo looked moved.

"Nah, you are ok, just eat well, sleep a lot, meditate like your life depends on it and I am certain that you will regain your previous status." I replied.

I got hit again, but I did not let it bother me.

"The real point is, how are humans capable of growing so many thanks to the gears when they are initially hopeless guys. I mean, I could understand if a martial artist that excels in his arts gets gear that supports or amplifies what he is capable of, that person will become a monster. Nonetheless, there are those who are nothing more than a waste of air that became unstoppable tyrants just by gaining a bit of power." I said. "Was it that it was their destiny and the gear only helped to hasten the process? Or without it, they would've remained as a spec of dust in history? I am not able to tell."

Listening to me quietly, the kitsune was steadily eating my dinner so I ate the next portion she was about to eat.

"I am not so naive to think I will be able to stop one of the ultimate enemies this world has, and that is Trihexa." I sighed. "A creature like that, it is a death sentence to anyone who faces it alone."

I mean, I have thought of a couple of solutions but most of them were shot down.

"It was then that I thought... what if... what if we had an army capable of using Longinus...?" I said.

"Oh, hubby, it is impossible to have an army given that only a small number of sacred gears are at that level." Tamamo retorted.

That is indeed the case... for now. I am able to recall a few of the cases where gears that were not classified at that level, evolved to the point that they were considered a Longinus.

"I already made the arrangements to acquire one unique gear I know will be quite interesting to invest in." I nodded.

"Oh, you did travel a lot last year..." Tamamo tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I totally thought you were just breaking hearts overseas for the fun of it."

The last part was uncalled for but not untruthful.

"In exchange, I have to supply the CIA with a ton of information regarding the supernatural as well as weapons some of the finished products of my work, but it is nothing I had not in mind." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Isn't that kind of dangerous? Anyone who acquires power overnight is bound to be consumed by it and crave for even more." Tamamo warned me.

Her words were on point and I caressed her hair to reassure her. She had been through a lot and perhaps is worried about me suffering from this deal.

"Do you really think I would let some punks walk over me?" I said. "I said I would teach them... and teach them I will. My job will be to cram into their heads infinite terror, about what I will do if they ever get cocky and start using those weapons for some hidden agenda."

"Hubby, isn't the CIA some kind of anti-espionage organization or something? If they can't stay hidden to use it... should they change their name?" Tamamo retorted.

Ignoring that, I just patted her head.

"It is a little lonely if you do not retort back." Tamamo pouted.

Suddenly, Tamamo's ears trembled.

"Oh, she has finally stopped observing us today." Tamamo grabbed my arm and used my sleeve to wipe the nonexistent sweat on her forehead.

Nodding to myself, I finally relaxed. Grabbing one of Tamamo's tails, I began to fluff it.

"That woman does not seem to understand the concept of privacy?" I mercilessly attacked the tail.

With her cheeks flushed slightly, Tamamo took another bite of MY meal again.

"I am quite curious about why she is monitoring us, or should I say, you, hubby." Tamamo muttered. "As you ordered, we split up to see if she was trying to keep an eye on me since I never showed myself and the cuties whom I took in the magatama despite their protests... but it seems the Queenie is quite interested in you."

"I don't think that's it. I had felt her eyes on me using magic but I don't think she has goodwill or ill will going for me. It is quite unnerving." I furrowed my eyebrows.

It might sound strange, but I would rather if she made up her mind and glared at me coldly and full of killing intent rather than in this passive and definitely not aggressive way. At least the other way lets me know that she is after my life.

"Oh, maybe she is not interested in you but your cat ears?" Tamamo suggested.

A second later, she was on the floor after I used my secret technique of the fluff binding art. You tighten your grip a little and bite gently the tip of the tail... a fearsome technique I used to subdue Yasaka-san once as a punishment for eating Kunou-chan's snacks after a long punishment without them.

"Don't joke about that." I said. "Urgh, now I can't help but imagine her like that kind of character."

Sighing, I finished Tamamo with a stronger bite.

The kitsune went down without a hitch and peace returned to the land.

Picking up the helpless kitsune, I placed her on the bed and faced the other ones inside the room.

"Well then, since you guys did not seem to learn your lesson, I will have to be a bit strict with you." I smiled. "Punishment time."

For some reason, Miyako-chan began trembling with her cheeks flushed and the spider and snake outrightly fainted. How odd.

Part 2

3rd Person POV

"This is a bit different from what we heard."

Sitting in front of an antique desk, a figure held a crystal that just let out a voice and a gentle glow.

"...it is not my will that there is a new variant added. However, I wouldn't worry too much about him, Barghest alone is capable of dealing with him without using her holy sword. His strength must not be as high as you suggested."

This time a female voice was heard, but it came from inside the room. The one sitting in front of the desk had replied in a bored tone.

"We can only hope you are right. It is extremely important that this plan goes without a hitch, we cannot afford to fail now that we have managed to-"

"How boring, don't you have anything else to say? You always repeat the same things. I am well aware of all you said. I have already taken care of everything necessary to guarantee success so you don't need to go reminding me every time."

A little irritated, the woman spoke.

"Then, once again, I would like to confirm. You will hand it over once you have fulfilled your ambitions."

"...yes."

It was a short pause and the voice coming from the crystal always felt a source of distrust from those words, but the other party had faithfully followed their commands so there was not much to say.

"The next step is crucial. Deal with the barrier and create an opening for us to enter somehow beforehand to make preparations on our end. 'That' has great powers, but 'its' condition will not be at its peak and to avoid any accident, the other knights will have to be incapacitated."

"I can deal with that. Most of them are just idiots, it won't take much effort to do it. I do have some of your 'gifts' from last time after all."

"Good, good, we can be reassured if you plan to use our blessings to deal with your problem."

Rolling her eyes at the voice, the woman did not say anything back.

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

3rd Person POV

"Y-You... are really a CAT!!!" Habetrot expressed her delight.

Using nimble movement, the small girl got closer to the small cat who had a smug look and stopped just before patting the head of the creature.

"C-Can I pat you? You are not going to bite me or scratch me? For real? You are not lying to me?" Habetrot's hand trembled as she hesitated over going forward.

"Sure, feel free to unleash that patting energy you have inside you on these ears of mine, I am proud that no cat can match the softness... my tail too." Nora used a tail to pull Habetrot's hand towards his head.

Transformed into his cat form, he only showed a tail since he was more used to doing that whenever he moved in the human world.

"Repeat after me... fluff is life..." Nora said.

Habetrot was confused by the cat who muttered such a thing but as soon as her hand touched his ears, her eyes widened and she froze.

"Fluff is life..." Habetrot unconsciously muttered.

Like she was in a trance, the petite girl kept repeating those words over and over as her hand continued to move around the ears.

"Yes.. hehe... another one." Nora had a smirk on his face. "Shishou, you are too green. Might is what you need to govern the world? Nonsense... fluff is the true way."

"Ah!" Habetrot suddenly reacted. "Sorry, I got distracted."

With a regretful expression, Habetrot pulled her hand away to Nora's shock.

"I always get carried away when it comes to cats..." Habetrot awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"It seems you are someone with an incredible force of will." Nora's eyes contained respect as he gazed at the petite girl. "What brings you here? I thought I was not welcomed in this land so I certainly did not expect to have a specific visitor."

"Haha, I am a cat enthusiast so I wanted to come the same day you arrived, but I had some work to do and was unable to do so." Habetrot smiled. "I believe that Melusine is going to be busy for a couple of days so I thought I could come to give you a tour around my territory or any other places you are curious to visit... while I am honestly hoping to go with you for that reason, I believe many people, including you, will think I am trying to keep an eye on you because Morgan asked me to."

Smiling bitterly, Habetrot awkwardly explained.

"I cannot blame anyone who thinks that way, but believe me when I say that I just wanted you to enjoy what this land has to offer." Habetrot said. "I have no doubts that after your wedding, you will be accepted by more people as time passes."

"Eh... what wedding?" Nora asked.

"Yours?" Habetrot tilted her head confused. "It might be conceited of me to say this, but I am the greatest seamstress and tailor in these lands while also being the ally of all brides so it naturally falls on my hands the job of making the wedding dress of Melusine, although if I am being honest, I already have designs for all the female knights that fit perfectly their personalities."

The more he listened, the more Nora felt like he could not correct the girl. The sheer passion she was exuding from her small frame was incredible and he could feel that their passions were different but almost equally matched.

"Say there... what do you think about maids?" Nora carefully asked.

Pausing for a second after talking nonstop about brides, Habetrot looked at Nora confused.

"Maids? You are talking about the servants? What about them?" Habetrot tilted her head.

"Aren't they just cute?" Nora asked.

Not understanding Nora's point, Habetrot tried to recall the appearance of the maids she had seen.

"Well, I also feel great bride potential from the maids I have met... I AM the ally of all brides and that includes maids..." Habetrot spoke. "Or are you talking about a maid in particular...?"

"No, no, I am talking about maids in general. Please look at these." Nora pulled a stack of pictures with magic and used his tail to hand them to Habetrot.

A little confused, the petite girl grabbed the pictures and began looking at each of them, and with every picture she saw, little by little, her craftsman soul began burning.

"These are amazing..." Habetrot admitted honestly. "The one who designed these and made the suits must be someone with an extreme ability and love for maids, I can tell..."

"It is a little embarrassing to be praised like that. I just make those as a hobby. The ones really gifted in making clothes at making clothes at home are Kuroka-chan and Alice-chan who are business partners... I just learned to teach Kuroka-chan..." Nora said. "The important thing here is... are those maids, cute?"

Nodding at that, Habetrot felt Nora's tail grow in length as it circled around her and tightened to pull her closer to him.

"What if we combined maids with brides? Don't you think their cuteness will multiply...?" Nora's whisper was as sweet as honey.

A sweet temptation reached Habetrot's ears, but her will would not be bent. Believing that brides were the strongest, Habetrot would not dare to make a crazy combination-

"Imagine them all flustered about wearing a maid-themed wedding dress, their cheeks reddened and they would fidget nervously as they silently await for their groom to look at them. Not only that, their hearts would be beating nonstop since they will be conscious of the others present during the wedding and they would want to run away, but their maiden heart would make them stay because they will be waiting for their beloved and once they see the expression on his face when they see them, the brides will be extremely happy..." Nora muttered.

Like his words held some sort of power, Habetrot could imagine the scenario perfectly and her imagination was good enough to add every little detail. By the time she was done, Habetrot took Nora's paw.

"Would you like to embark on a travel where we grant brides around the world happiness?" Habetrot said. "I can see that your passion is not lesser than mine, together we can overcome any hardship!"

"It seems that you have seen the potential of my proposal, very well, I will make sure to gift the world an unforgettable present." Nora shook his paw with Habetrot's hand.

"Perfect! Now, let us discuss it more in detail about it." Habetrot suggested. "Let's find a restaurant somewhere and have a drink before taking a stroll as we look for a model for our designs."

After being released from Nora's tail, Habetrot excitedly began walking away. Nora stay in place with furrowed eyebrows as he pondered what just happened.

"Is it my imagination or I was just asked on a date and accepted without even noticing it?" Nora wondered aloud. "Oh well, this is for the good of maids."

Thanks to the events of that day, a new fashion design for brides was revealed to the world at a later date, and while many were skeptical about it, once brides began to try those dresses, they fell in love with them. However, that is a story for another day.

...

...

...

"And then, we approached this poor girl who had been having monetary problems. She just seemed like a good kid so I thought of helping her however I could, but she refused any help. However, Nora just came and offered her remuneration for helping us with some job, after the girl finally agreed, she became our first model! We managed to help her with a job so she could earn money and we got out the first model. We also got a small workshop and had the tools we will use and by tomorrow we can start making dresses." Habetrot excitedly said.

Sitting on a chair far too big for her, the petite girl used several cushions to reach the table in front of her.

There was another party calmly sipping a cup of tea as she listened to Habetrot's take and gazed at the scenery in the garden. The umbrella above them perfectly blocked the sun from reaching the duo directly, but Morgan would've liked it if it was cloudy since there was too much heat to her taste. Nonetheless, she did not bother using magic to regulate the temperature since Habetrot liked the natural weather.

"You seem to have enjoyed yourself." Morgan suddenly said.

"YES! It was fun!" Habetrot smiled widely.

A small smile found itself on Morgan's face, but she quickly erased it before her friend saw it.

"Did he get to fight with any other of my knights?" Morgan asked.

"...sorry." Habetrot shook her head. "Even if it is you, I cannot tell more about him."

Putting a sad face, Habetrot's smile had disappeared.

"I promised that I was not inviting him because you asked me to spy on him." Habetrot muttered. "I cannot go against my word."

Deciding to swallow the urge to retort about how Habetrot had been blabbering about their outing just a second ago, Morgan did not want to be mean to her dear friend. Her bright personality was something she appreciated and did not want to cause any negative changes on it.

"My bad, I was just a bit curious." Morgan took another sip of her tea.

"Are you alright?" Habetrot asked in concern.

"...I am just in a forlorn mood, but I am feeling better after hearing your tale." Morgan said.

Without changing expressions, Morgan recalled the youth that her friend had been hanging out with. Faes were known to be an all-seeing race, gifted with special eyes capable of seeing what others would struggle with. That said, there were always limitations and it was an exaggerated description. Nonetheless, it was true that they could see more than others. It was how she was capable of noticing the youth's familiars and fairies. Such a thing could not be missed by the queen of the Fae. Morgan did not mention it and her knights, for the most part, were unable to perceive or see them due to the high-level concealment spell cast over the youth. Not only it keeps the familiars and fairies hidden, but a dangerous aura that is in a constant clash against the youth's own energy. As a magician, Morgan thought she had seen crazy things, but to see the youth who acted like nothing was wrong despite how things were going on inside him, she could only praise his mental strength and skills. She believed that the reason why he needed the spell was that he feared that it might leak, although she could not rule out that he enjoyed of the other benefits such as hiding his smell, presence, or sound if he desires.

"It is hard to imagine it just by looking at the outward appearance..." Morgan sighed.

No matter if it is creating the spell or simply learning it, such a feat was not easy for someone who did not spend enough time studying magic. From the way that Melusine had described, Morgan just thought he was a muscle brain. Nonetheless, she had been observing him now and then using magic, but he either acted differently because he was aware of her gaze, did not notice at all, or noticed and acted normally since he did not care. No matter what the reason was, he was a strange fellow.

"An odd one, indeed." Morgan stood up. "I will go to my chambers, alone."

"Are you sure? We need to assign-" Habetrot tried to offer but she was cut off.

"I appreciate your concern, but there is no need to fret. That person who sneaked into my bedroom back then will not appear again before me. He had fulfilled his job and does not need to appear again." Morgan said before walking away.

Ignoring her friend's worried gaze, Morgan decided to slowly reach her room by walking to have time to think.

...

...

...

Lying on her bed, Morgan picked some old newspaper pages and read the title.

"The land of the fairies, destroyed." Morgan sighed. "I wonder if this is a prank from someone with bad taste..."

Reading the news again, Morgan felt her mood drop as she compared the date it depicted and the date she was in.

Normally, she would ignore something like the piece of paper in her hands, but she could not do the same now.

Ignoring the defenses of the pocket dimension and without alerting anyone across the whole land, an outsider had infiltrated her castle and appeared before her mysteriously. She could vividly recall the fear she felt back then and the sound of the chains. Those were the things that came to mind whenever she thought of that figure, but despite having her at hand's reach, he did not attack her or harm her in any way. He pulled something and threw it at her, and before he vanished, he whispered a few words of advice.

"Now then, will my preparations be enough?" Morgan muttered.

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