“Wait! Give me another chance!” [Hopeful man]

Inside the forest, a bruised and battered beastman in armor begged as he knelt on the ground. He was surrounded by a group of women with a few men among them. All of them were beautiful in their own right, but they were staring at him coldly with their golden eyes. They all had the same color as well as black markings near the corner of their eyes like tattoos. It was what distinguished them from others. It was what let others know that they were amazons.

“You’ve lost our match. You do not deserve to be among us.” [Amazon]

The black-haired, brown-skinned woman standing before the begging man rejected his plea without remorse and raised her sword. Seeing this, the few beastmen who were his friends had mortified and resigned looks on their faces. One of them stepped forward, but his friend put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

They had chased after the amazons to hook up with them together. In doing so, they knew what they were getting themselves into. If they were to help him now, they would turn the entire tribe against them.

“D-damn it!” [Hopeful man]

Knowing that he was about to get killed, the man used body strengthening and jumped back to escape. But, his opponent that defeated him also used the same spell and easily caught up. Her sword that was reinforced with her mana tore through his defenses and severed his head from the neck.

“Next challenger.” [Amazon]

She said as the corpse tumbled on the ground. He was certainly strong, but he went and challenged her. If he had asked to fight one of the less experienced girls, then he might have won.

“Then, I’m next.” [Hopeful man]

Another hopeful man stepped forward. He had a grim expression because one of his friends just died, but the five of them were prepared for this. They would fight for love and they would die for love.

“Do you have anyone you wish to fight?” [Amazon]

And he was going to fight for the greatest love imaginable with an amazon.

“Yeah! I challenge the Matriarch to a duel!” [Hopeful man]

He was going to defeat the Matriarch, the leader of their tribe, and make her his woman.

“… Very well.” [Amazon]

There were murmurs here and there when he announced his wish to battle their strongest, but they all died down soon. After a short moment of silence, the black-haired amazon nodded and stepped to the side. Everyone turned their eyes towards the one sitting on a tree stump behind her.

With one leg crossed over the other and her hand supporting her chin, the Matriarch, who was in her mid-twenties, was watching events unfold in an uncaring manner. She wasn’t interested in fighting such boring weaklings, but it was their tribe’s traditions. As the leader, she had to uphold them.

Under the gaze of her challenger who was both lewdly looking forward to his victory and tense because of her appearance, she uncrossed her legs and got up. Her long light green hair that grew past her waist gently swayed because of her movements. Despite the repeated battles, no scar could be seen on her fair skin.

There was an imposing air around her, but it was sharp like a blade dripping with blood. She was certainly gorgeous and possessed an amazing figure, but her beauty was cold, heartless even. Instead of admiring her with burning hearts, men would freeze up when they saw her eyes.

She went near the middle of the field that was cleared for the fights and stood there with a hand on her hip. The hopeful man readied his sword and used body strengthening. His skin became as tough as steel and he could crush rocks with his bare hands. Among his friends, he was the strongest. He wasn’t going to lose. He was B rank.

“Then…” [Amazon]

Confirming that the two of them were ready, the black-haired amazon joined the crowd and raised her hand.

“BEGIN!” [Amazon]

The moment she lowered her hand, the man charged with explosive force and created a small gust of wind. Believing in his victory, he swung his sword with the intention of killing her. He couldn’t go easy, or he might fall. He was partly correct.

“Guah!” [Hopeful man]

But, even if he didn’t go for the kill, he still couldn’t beat her.

“Insect.” [Matriarch]

The Matriarch caught the blade of his sword with one hand and stabbed the other into his abdomen. His reinforced body could stop swords and arrows, yet it couldn’t handle the blow. Blood spilled on the ground as her hand moved around and made the wound bigger.

“Aah! AAAAAAAAARRRGGHHH!” [Hopeful man]

The pitiful challenger let out a blood curling scream when his intestines were viciously pulled out of his body. Blood sprayed out everywhere like a broken fountain. The long and bloody meat ropes dangled between her hand and the opened belly.

“Those are some wonderful screams, but I’ve grown tired of you.” [Matriarch]

With those words, she stuffed his organs inside his mouth and pushed his face away. The man fell on his back, gurgled up more blood and died with his mouth full of his own intestines.

“Get me a change of clothes.” [Matriarch]

“Right away, Matriarch Riteinia.” [Amazon]

“And when five of us carry a child, dispose of the men. We don’t need many children.” [Riteinia]

“Understood.” [Amazon]

Without sparing another glance at the corpse, Riteinia gave her orders to one of the amazons in a low voice. Another one approached with a clean piece of cloth and respectfully presented it to her. She used it to wipe off the blood that had stained her red as if it was a minor annoyance.

“You three.” [Riteinia]

She turned around and fixed her sharp gaze on the three hopeful men who won their fights. They didn’t look too proud anymore after witnessing that horrible death and having two of their friends killed.

“You can stay, but know your place.” [Riteinia]

““Y-YES!”” [Hopeful men]

They shouted out at the same time while shaking in fear and huddling together, earning them disappointed and scornful looks from their surroundings. Even though their dream came true, those few words plunged them into a nightmare. Their leader shouldn’t have picked a fight with her. The light green-haired amazon was just as she looked: cruel and heartless, a true sadistic queen.

Such was the fate of those who sought the amazons. They weren’t angels that all men yearned for. Despite their similar appearance, they weren’t human. They possessed greater physical strength and only gave birth to girls. They were a tribe of female warriors who had a natural disposition to fighting. If idiots came to challenge them on their own, they would accept them and let them choose their opponents.

If they encountered skilled fighters that refused to cross swords with them, they would attack to test their abilities. Those who were strong and survived their duels were allowed to mingle with them, but they weren’t a part of the tribe. They were simply there to breed. Kidnapping and detaining men was a viable method. Eliminating them once their use ran out was also often practiced. Only fools sought out the amazons.

While some members of her tribe were using the new donors, the Matriarch went off to wander on her own. Using body strengthening, she had travelled quite the distance at high speed. Her nomadic tribe was temporarily resting in this forest and had pitched up their tents. There were plenty of games to hunt and wild herbs to pick. This was a rich place to live, but she didn’t like it.

She thrived in combat. She thrived in blood. Even amongst amazons, her thirst for battle was especially strong. Their current lifestyle wasn’t exactly boring, but it wasn’t exciting either. That was why she was walking around on her own. She used this chance to control her bloodthirsty nature by trying to relax or by encountering a wild beast that wanted to kill her. In all honesty, she preferred the latter option.

“Now then, what shall I find this time?” [Riteinia]

A fierce, sadistic smile adorned her face. Riteinia was a predator hunting for preys, but not to eat. She simply enjoyed a good kill.

“Ryner, teach me how to fight!” [Snow]

“No.” [Ryner]

“Then, spar with me!” [Snow]

“No.” [Ryner]

“Then, give me some advice!” [Snow]

“No.” [Ryner]

“Then, then-!” [Snow]

“No.” [Ryner]

“Stop saying no!” [Snow]

“Hell no. How’s that?” [Ryner]

“GrrYAAAAAAAHHHH!!!” [Snow]

Snow pounced on Ryner with the great force of an ordinary, energetic sixteen year old girl. The sleepy-looking man dodged the blonde-haired girl by sidestepping and grabbed her fluffy fox tail.

“Kya! Don’t touch my tail!” [Snow]

“Your tail is now my hostage! If you want it back safely, then do as I say!” [Ryner]

“Uuuu, you villain!” [Snow]

“That’s right! I am a villain! A monster! One that can silence crying children! Obey me or face the consequences!” [Ryner]

“… Ryner is quite childish at times.” [Evelyn]

“Isn’t that fine~?” [Maya]

“No, a man of his caliber should act with more dominance.” [Evelyn]

“I can hear you!” [Ryner]

After travelling for several days, the group of five had stopped by the road and was resting. It was early afternoon and the sun was high. They had already crossed into beastman territory which made Myra and Snow quite happy. Perhaps because of that, Myra had suggested that they took a stroll inside the vast forest near them.

There, as they sat down and relax near a small river, Ryner and Snow were making a fuss. The young girl didn’t have any trouble interacting with Ryner anymore so long as she didn’t think about what she heard that night. Her mother, on the other hand, still had some difficulty looking at him in the face every now and then.

Back then, when Maya and Evelyn finally came to, they said that they didn’t remember what happened. They were too drunk to remember what they did, even Maya. When he asked them how they should deal with this, Maya had said that it was fine since they already did it a couple of times. As for Evelyn, who he was the most worried about, she didn’t raise a fuss either.

“You don’t need to feel bad about anything, Ryner. All three of us were quite drunk at that time. Therefore, the fault lies in all of us. Ignoring Maya who you already have a physical relationship with, the two of us are family. Though there certainly are problems with that, we are, technically, just a man and a woman in this world. So, you don’t need to worry about me. Let us simply forget that that night ever happened.” [Evelyn]

As such, it was decided that none of them would ever speak of what might or might not have transpired in their drunken states. However, this was a just another of her scheme. The vampire and slave clearly remembered every detail and cherished these fond and sticky memories. Pretending to forget was the emergency plan that Evelyn had thought up in case they couldn’t hide the facts from Ryner.

Being a cowardly strategist and making one plan after another was something that her foster father had taught her. Just as luck would have it, it came back to bite him. Since then, Ryner would sometimes sleep alone in another tent.

Whenever he did, he realized that he was quite grateful to Evelyn and Maya. Although it didn’t prevent his nightmares, feeling another person’s warmth helped calm him down. It helped remind him that he was alive and that it was worth something. However, he felt like he shouldn’t tell that to them for some reason.

While Ryner was being blissfully ignorant, Maya and Evelyn, who would sleep together on those nights, would secretly enjoy themselves. The events following the success of Evelyn’s great plan were recorded on her cellphone. Those two would then happily watch it over and over again.

“Now, now, you two, stop fighting and come sit over here.” [Myra]

Myra called out to the black-haired man and her fox-eared daughter.

“But mooom~, he won’t teach me how to fight! Even though he taught Maya and Evelyn until they became super strong!” [Snow]

Escaping from his grasp, Snow started complaining like a spoiled child while pointing at Ryner. She had requested him to train her after hearing from his two companions that he was their master, but he had flatly refused her.

“Maya and Evie were one thing. You’re another. Why do I have to train you anyway? I’m not really into taking students.” [Ryner]

“Didn’t you say you were going to take responsibility?! Take responsibility and train me!” [Snow]

“That’s why I’m taking you back to your home. Don’t ask for so much, you demanding brat!” [Ryner]

Ryner crossed both his arms and looked away. Snow raised both her clenched fists over her head and shouted out.

“No! Teach me how to fight like you!” [Snow]

“My style’s policy is to use the minimum amount of effort to take down my foes. In other words, you need to be lazy. It wouldn’t suit someone as energetic as you.” [Ryner]

“I want to learn it! When I do, I’ll beat anyone with just one punch!” [Snow]

“That takes too much effort. You let them punch themselves or you slit their throat with a knife. THAT’S true laziness.” [Ryner]

“T-then I’ll do it too! I’ll punch them and stab them in the throat with a knife.” [Snow]

“Why are you so violent…?” [Ryner]

“Shut up! Teach me! Teach me! Teach me!” [Snow]

Snow suddenly got the desire to train and incessantly asked Ryner to be her teacher. If she was strong, she would be able to protect her mother after all. In the end, with Myra’s soothing voice, she finally quieted down and sat on her lap.

“Why did you want to visit this forest anyway?” [Ryner]

Ryner asked Myra while sitting on a rock the size of a small stool.

“W-well, this forest is called Mountain’s Peak Forest and I wanted to see it.” [Myra]

She blushed slightly and had a troubled expression. Snow tilted her head when she saw her mother’s reaction. However, she immediately understood the reason and averted her eyes with a red face. Maya and Evelyn didn’t seem to care, but upon closer inspection, the two of them had faint smiles and flushed cheeks.

Maya had hesitated at first when she heard the details of Evelyn’s plan, but she had chosen to go along with it because of her belief. And that belief had grown stronger when she saw how Ryner didn’t make a huge fuss. He was doing his best to act like nothing ever happened, especially around Evelyn. When the truth got out, she would most likely be hated, but she believed this was a necessary bridge to cross for the two who had spent centuries together. She believed it was necessary for her master.

Although she initially felt guilt for the stunt she pulled that was pretty much what happened to her, the beastman in heat ended up drowning it in lust. As for the vampire, she was quite happy to have given her virginity to the man she loved, albeit forcefully. She had to wait for centuries and chase him to another world, but they became one, albeit forcefully. She finally conveyed her feelings with her whole body, albeit forcefully.

“Mountain’s Peak? I didn’t see anything resembling a mountain?” [Evelyn]

“Fufu, actually, Evelyn, that’s the reason why I wanted to see it. It has quite the interesting legend behind it.” [Myra]

From there, Myra shared with everyone an old story that explained the name of the forest.

“Long, long ago, there once stood a mountain in the middle of this forest. It stood tall and proud, and every creature living in the forest could see it. Then, one day, a lone dragon arrived and made it its home.” [Myra]

Myra started to gently comb Snow’s hair who had a pleased smile on her face.

“The dragon had with it an egg and carefully protected it inside a cave at the top of the mountain. Eventually, the egg hatched and from it was born its child. The young dragon was full of curiosity and always ran around in the forest when its parent wasn’t watching. These two happily lived in the forest for a while.” [Myra]

Myra’s hand stopped for a moment and her expression clouded over.

“However, one day, the baby dragon encountered a group of powerful hunters by chance. The hunters attacked it because its scales and fangs were worth a lot of money despite being a hatchling. The parent heard its child’s death cries and rushed as fast as it could, but it was too late.

In its grief, it slaughtered the hunters and went on a rampage. It attacked the mountain, its home, over and over again. The earth shook and the animals went into hiding as the dragon reduced the mountain to rubble. Then, when night fell and morning came, the mountain had disappeared and a large crater had taken its place.

The dragon was at the center of it and was lying there dead tired. Soon, it started to cry. It cried for its child and cursed its failure. Even though it could destroy a mountain in rage, it wasn’t strong enough to protect its own child.

The tears endlessly fell from its eyes and slowly filled the crater. The crater disappeared because of its grief and what replaced it was a big lake.” [Myra]

Myra looked at the small river flowing next to them.

“The rivers throughout the forest all flow back to the lake. They were cracks caused by the dragon’s rampage before its tears filled the crater. It is said that the dragon is still at the bottom of the lake, crying and lamenting the loss of its child. That is why this forest is called Mountain’s Peak Forest and the big lake at the center is called Dragon’s Tears.” [Myra]

When she finished speaking, no one said a word as they took in the legend.

“… What a depressing story.” [Ryner]

Ryner broke the silence with his remark and Myra chuckled.

“Fufu, sorry, but I just felt like visiting this place once. It’s a nice forest, don’t you think?” [Myra]

Before anyone could say anything else, a fast-moving object arrived not far from them, blowing away plants and dirt.

“… Two in one day. Hmph, I’m quite lucky.” [Riteinia]

Everyone had gotten on high alert. Evelyn and Maya were ready for a fight. Myra went to the back with Snow and Ryner stood in front of them.

“Will you offer me better resistance than the last bunch?” [Riteinia]

The intruder was a light green-haired woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties. She had a dark brown sleeveless jacket made of leather that revealed her navel and a bit of cleavage along with black three quarter pants. She wasn’t wearing any shoes and there was a worn out, yellowish white cloth wrapped around her waist like a pareo that reached her knees.

“You two look like you’d be fun to fight. The others are just weaklings, huh. And the only man looks weak too.” [Riteinia]

The woman, Riteinia, evaluated everyone in the group at her leisure with a cold smile on her face. She had found herself some preys.

“The man over there, I’ll start with you. Step forward and fight.” [Riteinia]

The Matriarch declared in an imposing tone as she stared at him with her golden eyes. Black marks like tattoos on her skin decorated the corners of her eyes, making them look sharper. She was going to quickly finish the appetizer before enjoying the main course.

“… Hmph.” [Ryner]

Ryner, upon receiving her sadistic smile, closed his eyes and arrogantly smirked. This surprised and amused the amazon since he could take on such a big attitude in front of her despite looking powerless. However-

“O-oh?! Oh my!” [Myra]

“TACTICAL RETREEEEAAAATTT!!!” [Ryner]

The next moment, Ryner turned around, grabbed Myra in a princess carry and bolted off while shouting. Evelyn, having grown up with his shenanigans, quickly followed suit after tapping Maya on the shoulder. The dark blue-haired beastman picked up Snow and ran after the rest.

“…” [Riteinia]

The Matriarch was left dumbfounded and frozen like a statue.

*Author* Good to see that people are invested in the story. Sadly, the reasons and motives for Evelyn's great plan will be explained another time, so please put up with it. Also, amazons will be written with no capitals.