I look at Roxanne questioningly and she merely glances at me with her strained grin and taps the horse again. I shrug and quickly scan the girls to see if anyone is discontent. I notice that they're mostly just confused.

"Lay down," I tell my monster of a horse.

It scoffs in annoyance but obeys. I mount it and extend my hand to Osaria so she can mount it, too. The horse realizes what I'm doing and neighs a mocking laugh.

Osaria sits in front of me while I hold her curvy body at the waist. She's giving off an intoxicating fragrance that reminds me of wine.

"Get up," I tell the horse and I can easily imagine it rolling its eyes as it obeys.

-

I cast [Regeneration] and watch her hair grow back in real-time.

"Oh, this feels so good. Can you use it on my eye, too? It feels stronger than my own [Regeneration] magic tool."

"Sure."

She moans softly and closes her eyes. She holds my arm that's currently wrapped around her waist and caresses the back of my hand. Roxanne watches us with interest and a little anxiety and Lina seems to be quite amused.

Osaria touches her budding hair and sighs, then she looks at Roxanne and says, "You make me wish that I had used one of these." She points to Roxanne's padded coif.

"Yeah, they are kind of good at protecting me, but nibbling Skritters, it looks so drab," Roxanne says pokes with her coif with disinterest.

"Oh, you don't have to tell me. It would look horrible on me, but you look quite good in it."

"Really?" Roxanne smiles and brims with happiness.

"Yes, your outfit doesn't let it stand out. But my clothes…" She grabs a strip of cloth hanging from her arm. "Do not mix well with headgear."

Roxanne becomes absent-minded as happiness clouds her mind.

As we warmly observe the airhead, Osaria notices the scar on my left wrist. "Did you lose your hand once?" She asks, softly.

"Yes. I prefer to keep the scars to remind myself to not grow overconfident," I say.

"Even the cute one on your cheek?" Her tone turns cheeky.

"That one gave me a point in 'Charisma.' I'm not gonna heal it."

"It sure gives you some charm." She tries to get herself more comfortable in her seat -.

"Have you seen the scars on his chest? Those look even manlier," Klein says.

"Oh? You have to show them to me sometime," Osaria says in a sultry tone that turns softer. "But what caused them? Certainly nothing good; you look far more experienced than your face shows."

"That was the Symbol of Hate," Alissa says.

Roxanne cringes and touches her belly.

"I don't think I'm familiar with it," Osaria says.

Alissa recites our battle with the creature.

"My, oh my. You are all full of surprises," Osaria says with a chuckle.

Oh, please say "ara ara."

"I can attest to that," Klein says.

Her silky silver hair starts to bunch up in my hand, allowing me to feel its texture. It's just like Roxanne's or Ciel's, but it's less shiny due to the lack of hair products, a small shame.

She softly guides my hand so I don't hold her waist so strongly anymore and she slowly inches it upwards. She then leans back onto me more and our heads touch.

"If not for Ciel's healing, I would still be unconscious and drowning in anesthetics. I owe both of you quite a lot. You can ask me for anything," she says.

Ciel waves her hand and says, "It's nothing, we are ju-…"

"Anything…?" I ask in a whisper.

Ciel rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but smiles.

"Oh, my, Mr. Ryder. What are you thinking of asking of me, a pure, innocent, and kind widow?" Osaria asks in a sultry tone.

"There are a few things that I want, Osaria. If you wish to truly repay me, surely you can imagine what they are," I answer in the same tone.

Her tone turns overly dramatic. "You save me from pain just to inflict it again?"

I go ham on the cheesy "seducer." "Is it really pain if you will enjoy it thoroughly?"

"You think too highly of yourself."

-

Osaria chuckles. "I'm in danger."

"They are all predators," Klein says.

"No, I'm not," Lina protests and pouts.

Klein looks at Lina with dead, lifeless eyes and says, "You are a trap. You play the adorable little victim, but then you trap us with your eyes, stopping us from leaving and allowing you to suck more from our hearts with your cuteness." Then she shows her tongue.

"Don't even try to deny that one," Ciel says with a knowing look.

Lina puckers lips and shrugs.

"But keep in mind that if you accept me, then you accept everyone," I say and look at Roxanne. "I don't think I'm the main target, after all."

Osaria's smile turns predatory and she looks at Roxanne. "So, I'm to be passed around by everyone?"

"We share everything."

Ciel scans over Osaria's entire body. "All we want is to enjoy one another," she says and I detect a hint of desire.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Osaria says calmly.

Roxanne's smile strains and she sends me a glance.

-

- Her hair finally reaches its previous length, so I switch back to the standard [Regeneration].

The guards and patrolmen send us the occasional nervous glance, but don't stare for too long.

Rande notices us and guides his horse towards us with a wide smile. "I see you are getting along well," he says.

Osaria smiles -. "Oh yes, he's got a gift with his hands."

He raises an eyebrow and his glacial eyes look at me with interest. "Hm… so will there be some trading?"

"He's got no sheath," Osaria says and Rande shows some displeasure and disappointment. He calmly turns his horse around and clicks his tongue.

Wait, was that a euphemism?

I look at the other girls and they show a little surprise.

-

As our emotions settle, we observe the environment change: the streaks of light become more common, illuminating the dark forest; the dark bark becomes light brown and slowly shifts to light yellow or pure white; grass starts to appear, making the soft, mushy terrain become much more firm; the "tree-knitting" becomes wild, and abstract patterns become much more common.

Suddenly, a prisoner mage starts to chant. The nature elemental squeezes his throat shut but he still forces the spell, creating a vortex of wild mana due to his lack of control.

Silvina draws her bow even without an arrow and it starts to glow. She releases the string and an arrow made of light strikes the head of the prisoner. He yells for a moment but stops as a hole is burned through his skull.

The arrow continues on and starts to burn the earth until Silvina does something with her bow, then it stops glowing and the arrow dissipates into nothing.

The patrol commander clicks his tongue and says, "If any other Wicked wants to run, give us a warning now and we will make your death quick and painless."

The zombie-like prisoners nod weakly and continue to march forward as if nothing happened.

A patrol soldier casts a spell and we don't even stop as the body burns into ashes.

Soon, we start seeing commoners living inside the gigantic trees and the strange sight of our caravan attracts attention.

They start whispering among themselves, so I discreetly put points into [Ingua Language] and [Enhanced Hearing] so that I can hear them. They comment on just about anything and anyone, but Hana seems to be their preferred target with her fiery hair and a personal dragon which make her stand out.

The guards also whisper between themselves. My stunt with the Masked Aberrant was definitely noticed, but they seem to be thinking that I made an earth elemental instead of summoning a real monster. The stone "scales" of the Aberrant give me a plausible excuse for what I did there.

I leave a [Gate] "coordinate" on the road. Unfortunately, I can't hide it due to still riding double with Osaria.

Then we finally reach Goloria.

The road reaches a very wide lake and continues on. We walk along the suspended bridge and look down to see the crystal clear water where plenty of fish and other weird things swim about.

Our view becomes completely surrounded by water and reflected light as we go deeper and deeper. Then the light fades out as the bark shield wall covers the sky. Crystals light the way and reflect off the water, giving us a breathtaking view of uncountable numbers of little dots of light as if the night sky completely surrounded us.

We start to hear the bustling of people as we reach the Pillar: the main entrance to Goloria.

The roads from all directions meet on the Pillar and a very wide spiral takes us upwards. Caravans from all other parts of the High Forest (except the west, where we came from) meet up here and we slowly make our way upwards.

The patrolmen start to bark orders and open a way through the middle of the wide road. The patrol commander whispers something to Lord Ricardo and we follow behind the patrol, effectively cutting the line.

We reach the same familiar killing-corridor, but this time it's pure white and decorated with golden inlays and fake columns, baroque style.

We pass through the huge, thick, heavy gate and are greeted by the clear blue sky. It's about an hour before dusk.

The caravan guards cheer and laugh. They are finally safe after surviving a harrowing encounter.

We are taken to the side of the road and the usual procedures for customs begin.

Rande approaches us and says to his mother, "I'll be going with the nobles. You and Oura take care of the caravan while I'm gone."

"Understood, my love," Osaria says softly and nods.

Then he turns to Klein. "You should stay here, the healers will come to see you and the other wounded soon."

Klein's perks up with excitement and nods repeatedly.

Rande turns to me and continues, "We are staying here for three days. Meet us here on the fourth, same time."

I nod and we dismount. Osaria turns to me and hugs me tight -.

"I would love to continue this, but I have to work. So, how about we meet up tonight and have some dinner?" She says with her usual sultry and happy tone.

I regretfully regain the ability to breathe and glance at Osaria. I notice that her wounded eye is less cloudy and a faint red of her iris can be seen. Then I look over at Klein.

"The Canto Ornado is a good restaurant for dinner," she says and smiles softly, but it quickly fades. "I'm sorry, but I'll stay with my dad tonight."

"I'll come to see you in the morning," I say and give her a kind smile.

Klein's tail undulates faster with excitement and she smiles shyly. "Thank you… ah! Go to the Levesomno Inn, it should satisfy your, uh… preferences." She smiles again and awkwardly scratches her monkey ear.

Osaria seems a little surprised and happy at the fact that we can afford Klein's suggestions.

Hana grabs Klein and gives her a kiss on the lips. "See you tomorrow," she says in a slightly sad tone.

Klein nods and becomes more chipper. "You bet! Tomorrow we should all explore the town!"

I give Klein a gentle kiss too and we start walking away, but then I hurry on with the girls. The sooner we make ourselves scarce, the better. The guards will likely be questioned and the worst thing that could happen to us is if someone gets suspicious and orders us to answer questions under a Seeker of Truth. A single question could fuck us up, which is why most nobles avoid these Agents, but also why they rely on them in times of need.

-

This town was the first settlement ever "grown" by the elves. While the other towns prefer grid planning and simple buildings, Goloria is as creative as it gets with many ramps up and down; patches of levels at different heights; crooked buildings; abstract buildings; random public parks sprinkled everywhere; snaking roads; and labyrinthine urban planning.

It's beautiful, but it's also a pain to navigate around.

Gih!

Snob.

I soon realize that the elves are spying on us again. Without the mist, they have to resort to spying on us behind our backs. Through Holly, I see that they are very curious about the ruined leather on mine and Alissa's pants.

We reach the Levesomno Inn as the sky turns orange. A dark blue circular building dotted with small crystals that give off a faint shine, mimicking the view on the way to the Pillar. The overall shape kind of looks like a huge wooden mushroom with the way the upper floors are bigger than the lower ones.

A proto-butler elf greets us neutrally. The jingle of a few gold coins is enough to make him become very friendly.

We immediately head to the bath. Once we enter, we hear the instantly calming sound of running water. Large glass tubes come out of the ground like huge roots and glow lightly as the water flows through them.

After I lower myself into the water, I'm suddenly lifted up and sandwiched between Roxanne and Hana.

"I'm gonna - both of you, real hard," Hana says with a low growl.

Roxanne smiles mischievously and says, "That's her way of saying 'I love you.'"

"No, that's my way of saying 'I'm gonna fuck both of you.'"

"You are only this aggressive because we got hurt," I say.

"Well, yes."

"And you like to - those you love," Roxanne adds.

"Yes…" Hana pouts in annoyance at us.

"So you know what this means."

"I got worried and now I want some skinship…" Hana admits with a sigh.

"You also looked very guilty when you hugged Klein," I say softly.

"Hard not to, considering how wounded Anton and Klein got."

"It's not solely our fault, Hana. Someone fed information to Dawn of Fire about us, but the main targets were still the nobles," Ciel says.

"I know…" Hana looks down and sighs. "But I still feel really bad. People died, and Klein is not like us; she doesn't want any of that bullshit with nobility or to get involved with our 'destiny.'"

I get an idea. "After this is all done and we become nobles, do you think we can have Klein retire and serve us? Not like, follow us into danger, but just be a guard in our estate or something when we buy one."

Hana lights up. "Oh! She could marry my brother and they could both serve us as something like knights."

I cringe a little. "Wouldn't it be too awkward to have your brother marry a woman I dominated like that?" I ask.

I was preparing myself to take responsibility for my relationship with Klein.

Hana scoffs. "He can suck it if he doesn't like it. We can even train Klein to become his little personal cum extractor, so he won't have anything to complain about."

"If they're happy, then it's fine. Maybe we can even have Wolfy show him how to properly break a woman," Alissa says and smiles.

"Uh… I'm not letting him see any of you naked," I say.

"It doesn't have to be one of us. You can still fuck Klein," Hana says.

I raise my eyebrows as high as they can go. "Fuck his wife in front of him?"

Hana chuckles. "Maybe you can double-team her together. It would give her something to brag over us."

"You are serious?" I turn to Hana so I can look her in the eye.

"What? Is it different on Earth?"

"Yes…"

"Is my fetish that unusual?" Alissa asks innocently.

"Kind of." I cringe again.

"How boring," she says and blows some bubbles.

-