Breathing was difficult; standing was impossible. Summoning the remaining bits of her strength, Cassy swung her sword one last time before collapsing onto the ground. Her arms refused to adhere to her commands, so she sat there – drenched in sweat – with her clothes sticking to her body and her ears clinging onto her face.

She could not help but envy the two boys still standing on either of her sides. Not only could they endure this hellish training, but their ears were also much, much shorter than hers! She had cut her hair down to less than a finger’s length, yet she could do nothing about the two white floppy ears sprouting from her head.

Cassy sunk further into the dirt. Before, she was able to at least keep up with the boys, but now that they had these brand new weapons, no matter how hard she tried, she could not. They were magnitudes better than the swords they had before, incredibly shinier and without a speck of rust, but Goddess were they heavier. She tried using the old one again, but her instructor would not allow it. The last and only solution was asking their benefactor for something light, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

He had already given them so much and received nothing in return, from three delicious meals a day and incredibly comfortable beds, to more than a proper home – a castle. It was unlike anything Cassy had ever seen before. A two-story colossal fort, large enough that everyone could have a room to themselves, counting the weird elf and the shy Bear as well. It had even dwarfed the mage’s own house.

The young rabbitkin was unsure why the human was helping them. She had expected him to demand something from them by now. Perhaps call her to his bed since she was the oldest girl here. Or worse, call upon one of the younger girls. Such notions often burdened her mind, but as of yet – nothing of the sort happened. He had requested nothing for his generosity. Moreover, he had little to no talk with any of them – at least to her knowledge – besides warning them not to go near his lab, the building furthest north.

The instructor, however, was a different story. The woman was a mystery. She was the strongest person Cassy had ever seen and possibly the kindest. There was no point in feigning compassion when you had that amount of strength. Since the moment she had seen them, she only wanted to help. Despite the short time she had been here, Sister – as she insisted on being called – genuinely cared for them, that Cassy was sure of.

Maybe that was why the mage had been so gracious. She had seen the way Sister looked at him. The lucky bastard had her heart and was merely humoring her. It would also explain why he hadn’t looked at anyone else: Sister was keeping him busy. Cassy could hear them sometimes. A sudden howl echoing through the night, “It’s just a monster far away in the forest,” she would tell the children, though not all believed her.

The rabbitkin swallowed, finding her throat dry as sand. Still, she had no strength to stand. Hunter and Blade continued, uncaring for her struggle. Their arms quivered from exertion, and their necks rapidly contorted, yet they did not stop. Their dedication was astounding, especially considering their earlier reluctance. The first time Sister had offered to teach them, Cassy did not hesitate. The boys, though, were not so confident. It was not until her training had started that they came around.

“This is not a game,” Sister had said. “You will not be stepping foot into that forest again until I say so.”

At the time, the boys, of course, had objected.

But Sister did not falter. “That is not a request whether you want to learn or not. Although…” She had one hand on her waist while the other held a dagger. “If you can block a single blow from me, you can forget what I said.”

Cassy, however, knew better. She had been her opponent once, and even though Sister went easy on her, she never wished to repeat it. Being so easily beaten – so helplessly played with – had scarred her deeply, and the feeling had not faded since then.

The boys stood no chance. They had attempted to go one by one at first. Blade had stepped back and allowed Hunter to go first.

“Dead.”

The word had come as soon as he took his first step; a dagger was at his neck – and Sister was calmly staring him in the eyes. He had fallen on his ass and started frantically backpedalling. Blade then moved forward, his face morphed in a scowl.

He did not fare any better.

“Dead.” The same word had come again, and Blade stood petrified. He only moved when he heard Hunter, seated on his knees, weeping. Blade sat beside him and glanced back at their murderer – unfazed and unperturbed as if she wasn’t a hairbreadth away from spilling their blood.

Blade bowed, grasping Hunter’s head and tilting it downwards. They knew what danger meant. They had lived by the forest for years, but none of them had come this close to death.

Cassy shook the memory away. She wearily raised her arm, wiping beads of sweat off her forehead. She had been daydreaming for quite a while now, yet no words came for her resting. Unable to swallow the lump in her throat, she went against her inner judgment and quietly called out, “Sis.”

Not a twitch. “Hey, Sis.” Nothing, again. Sucking in a deep breath, she finally yelled, “Hey, Val!” Her voice cracked midway, but thankfully, it was enough.

Hunter and Blade flinched, losing their concentration.

“Hmm?” Valeriana turned to her, looking like she had just remembered where she was.

“Is, uhh, everything okay?”

“Yes.” Her gaze returned to where it was before. And following it, Cassy found the first, smallest house the mage had built.

“This is enough for today.” Valeriana walked away. “Good work.”

Something was definitely amiss. Sister had never halted their training before. She had left without saying much, disappearing for a short while. And since the moment she had returned, it was clear she was not herself.

Cassy, however, couldn’t find the energy to think right now. All she wanted was a warm meal and to sink into her bed afterward. Wordlessly, the boys helped her up; they staggered towards their rooms while she hung limp on their shoulders.

I groaned, stretching my aching back. I really needed to clean out the shack; most if not all of my books were still here. The prolonged reading sessions would be more tolerable on extravagant furniture instead of the solid ground. Fortunately, my suffering was not in vain; the list of tasks lessened by one. Now, all that was left was getting the water from down there to up here. It was easier said than done.

The first step was digging tunnels all the way to the water reservoir while making sure they did not collapse under pressure, and the second was the actual transportation of the fluid. How either stage was to be done, I had no idea. In the end, it seemed like we had to share with our neighbor after all.

My stomach grumbled, reminding me of the time. The dusking sky glowed orange, and soon Eldith – Bless her soul – would have something ready. Her cooking had gone a few notches up with the spices her husband had brought. The promise of good food was too enticing to bother with tidying up right now. However, before I could stand up, a figure appeared at the doorframe – a figure I could not sense approaching.

The Wyvern folded her wings and bowed. “My Lord.” The dying sun cocooned her in soft golden rays, a halo – accentuating her blue-colored scales. Surprisingly, she was not nude but donned in a simple yellow summer dress – patterned in black flowers.

“That looks beautiful,” I complimented.

She confidently stepped inside. “Thank you, my Lord,” she curtsied. A moment later, the piece of clothing was on the floor, and the Wyvern was bare naked yet again.

I held my sigh and tried to keep my face impassive. Her gaze was fixed on me, awaiting and expectant. She did not seem to desire praise, more so… acknowledgment. I gave her a nod which appeared to be the right choice; her ample chest puffed up ever so slightly. Gesturing at the discarded garment, I asked, “So, where did you get this from?”

She clasped her hands behind her back. “I bargained for it,” she said, her tone prideful with a hint of eagerness.

“Bargained with what?” I didn’t recall giving her any coin.

“Their lives,” she stated. “I allowed them to live in exchange for the clothing.”

I felt pressure building on my forehead. “Where was this?”

The Wyvern’s brows crossed in a frown. “North.”

Closing my eyes, I massaged the bridge of my nose. “Was anyone hurt?”

“No, my Lord.”

I hummed in approval. “That’s good then.”

With her back straight, she replied with an earnest nod.

“I’m glad things went smoothly. I’m also pleased to see you providing for yourself; however, there was no need for unnecessary conflict.” Her face tightened at that. “You could have easily hunted something and traded it for the clothes.”

She stiffened. “You wish for me to… serve them?” Her wings unfolded, blocking the light and casting me in their shadow. “The weak and insignificant? They are undeserving of such treatment. Their existence is a privilege, one we can relinquish at any time.” She took a step towards me, extending a clawed hand. “Please, my Lord, allow me to show you how different we are. Give me the insolent dwarf.” Her slit eyes flickered with malice. “I shall make an example out of her.”

I let a few seconds pass by before calmly meeting her fury. “Wasn’t I also a weakling not long ago?”

The Wyvern recoiled, her tail hitting the stone floor with an audible crack. “N-no, I did not mean-”

“Come here.” I tapped the spot opposite of me.

She hesitantly obeyed, waiting for me to speak, her eyes remaining downcast and lips forming a straight line.

“How much do you think this dress costs?” She did not answer, nor was I looking for one. I extended my arm, crossing half the distance between us. Though, I had to raise my gaze away since it was perfectly aligned with her bosom. Clearing my throat, I spoke, “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s no more than a handful of silver.”

She glanced at me.

“You put yourself at risk, threatened others, and took their belongings – for what? A tiny bit of silver.” With my thumb and two fingers, I pretended to be pinching salt. And by accessing my storage at the same time, the friction of my digits brought forth a flood of shiny, minted coins. I had requested most of the platinum as change; thus, I wasn’t running out any time soon.

Two narrow green eyes followed the pouring of metal, focusing intently on the golden ones. They would dart between the ongoing stream and the growing heap of bronze, silver, and gold. Her mouth parted, tongue peeking out and hungrily licking her lips. It seemed like wyverns shared the same love for riches as the dragons I knew about.

A full minute had passed. We were separated by a miniature, glistering hill, amounting to a total of thirty-something gold coins. Retracting my arm, I put an end to the raining. “This is only a fraction of what the weaklings helped in making.” I picked up a gold coin. “You don’t oppress or shun the weak; you invest in them.” I flicked it, and she caught it. “You can keep these.” Standing up, I patted her shoulder and headed for the door.

Looking back: the Wyvern remained in place, unmoving. A sigh left me as I turned around and left. Today had been exceptionally long; I wished for nothing more than for it to end. Too exhausted to deal with the dwarves, I went straight home.

The heavens had heard me and answered my pleas; silence greeted me. No bickering and no shouting. The Arachne was most likely in her room, though I didn’t bother checking. I aimed for my bed and couldn’t help but slump my shoulders in defeat. My prayers were unanswered.

Valeriana was on the bed, hugging her knees. Head hanged, she was completely lost in thought, so much so that she did not even see me approaching, climbing behind her, and sitting cross-legged. It wasn’t until my arms circled around her that she noticed, yelping and freezing in shock. Recognizing it was me – most likely by my smell – she sighed in relief and leaned back into my chest. Time went by, silent and uninterrupted.

I was spent, both mentally and physically – using my mana all day had taken its toll on me. I didn’t have much energy to move, let alone speak. My lips tugged up as I leaned forward, burying my face into her neck. Emptying my lungs, I breathed in a lungful of air. The smell of lavender tickled my nostrils.

A shiver ran through Valeriana’s body. Her tail rose – angrily swatting my head. She squirmed when I repeated the same gesture, though much louder. “Stop.” Her whines carried little strength behind them. The poorly suppressed smile contradicted her words as well. Yet, somehow, despite the current mood, melancholy found its way in. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I got distracted, and unless I focus hard enough, I can’t-”

I stopped her by blowing air on her nape. Ignoring the irritated glare, I tightened my hold on her. “I should have said something before.” Resting my chin on her shoulder, I continued, “Please, just… no more drama today.”

Silence enveloped us again, though more pleasant. Valeriana raised my arms up, wearing them like a scarf, and I plopped a hand on her head and mindlessly worked at her ears. It wasn’t long until the purring started.

Resting my back against the headboard, I pulled her with me. “You know, it won’t be long until I get water working here.”

She hummed, at least I thought she did. Distinguishing the sound from the vibrations was difficult.

“So, what’s the plan once I get this place up and running? Do you want to go back to adventuring?” I waited a few moments for an answer, but nothing came; I was being ignored.

Her lips puckered when my hand stopped, pouting in defiance. She did not talk until I ultimately yielded and resumed. “I want to make sure they can defend themselves.” She paused. “What do you want to do?”

“I’m not sure,” I replied. I hadn’t given the subject much thought. “Travel around the world, maybe? We can still go adventuring if you want; getting an A, or even S, rank shouldn’t be too difficult. But everything has to wait until the lab starts working efficiently.”

“The candy?” She asked.

I nodded. “That’s just one of them. I’ll start making more products once things settle down.”

She remained quiet for a moment. “You know… I’ve been wondering… why didn’t you simply sell the white powder itself instead of going through all this trouble?”

“Because they could figure out the recipe?” That was certainly possible, though it wasn’t the truth. And as expected, she knew, staring up at me – waiting for another explanation. “If you ever stumble upon an undiscovered goldmine, you don’t just go ahead and sell it. You mine out the ore, melt it down, and sell the gold. Risk and reward and I had nothing to lose at the time.”

Valeriana took a short while, digesting my words. She was shaking her head at first but had suddenly stopped, flushed red, and buried her face into my forearms. Her embarrassment was rather obvious, yet the reason for it was not. I was about to inquire when I noted the deep sense of elation emanating from her. I brushed her hair back, but she hid even further. A few seconds later, she was taking deep, heavy breaths. New feelings sprouted from the both of us. The night, sadly, was not going to be short.