Melody, Nova, and Marble calmed down once they came back from their afterglow, and I had long regained my senses from whatever madness I just experienced. After that, since Melody was still lacking coordination due to her broken halo, I helped her move off of the improvised massage table. Taking the blanket on top, I rolled it up and tossed it in my ‘Dark Space,’ making a mental note to have it cleaned later.

Mona suddenly asked in my mind.

I asked.

Though she said it in monotone, I couldn’t help but feel there was some sass in it. I decided not to question Mona further on it.

Anyway, with Marble’s help, I then turned the stone tank filled with sand into solid rock before splitting and shaping it into two chairs of different sizes facing each other. When I deemed them decent enough, I helped my new angelic familiar take the bigger seat before I did the same with the smaller one. Nova and Marble took the liberty of sitting on the top of my chair’s high back with their legs dangling over the edge.

There was an awkward moment of silence between us, with Melody fidgeting in her seat as she stared downwards. My angelic familiar was still buck naked with a broken halo undergoing repair above her orange-red hair. The gold grapevine-like patterns were surrounded by the redness of her slightly flushed skin, drenched with sweat and her ‘happy juice’. She was blushing red from ear to ear with no idea where to look, still a little nervous, or maybe just shy. Unlike when she got here, though, Melody wasn’t trying to hide any of her feminine flesh. Instead, she was more relaxed as she sat comfortably in her seat, with zero concern about how much of her was visible. With this posture, I was allowed a full view of [Redacted]

I forced myself to stop staring and cleared my throat, then locked my eyes onto Melody’s face, “So, Melody … how do you feel?”

Despite being bigger and sitting in a taller chair, she still gave off a feeling of smallness as she looked at me with her head down and eyes upturned, “Um … may I be honest for a moment, Soar?”

Alright, this is it. I’m sure she has a lot to rightfully complain about after all that. Brace yourself, Soar.

“You may say whatever you want. I’m all ears,” I answered.

“In short, I feel … amazing,” Melody said before looking up with a small smile, still blushing but positively glowing, “I-I’ve never felt so light before, so relaxed, free, relieved, and way different than how I usually feel after using the bathroom. I don’t know what affected me more, the massage, or … what was it? Climaxing with happy juices? I was a bit scared at first, being unfamiliar with it, but I had no idea one can feel like this after releasing such an unusual liquid that isn’t pee.

“But if there’s one thing I’m most happy about, it’s that despite my flaws and uselessness, you’re still willing to give me a chance to become your familiar, Master Soar.” Melody then choked up, sniffled and started tearing up while smiling and giggling at the same time, “I’m sorry, I’m just so … happy right now, I can’t help myself. Thank you … thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I may mess up from time to time, but I promise I won’t ever give up when things get tough. I will be the best familiar I can be, so I hope we’ll work well together from here on out, Master Soar,” she finished before bowing her head once more.

“… Great. I look forward to working with you, Melody,” I said while slapping a huge smile on my face.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I WANNA DIE AGAIN SO MUCH RIGHT NOOOOOOOOW! What the fuck did I even do back there?! Why was I like that?! Is she seriously okay after all that?! I gotta make amends, I have to at least say … something!

“I should probably take a moment to apologize first, Melody,” I started, “I might have … gone a little overboard. That massage I performed was … experimental … and not what I usually do, and I may have said or done some harsh things. If I actually hurt you in any—”

“Oh, no! Please, it is I who should be apologizing!” Melody interrupted, “If that massage technique was new, then I can assure you, it was beyond successful. I feel like it was wasted on me, but then again, I understand a new technique has to be practiced on someone … wait a minute, I got it. If there are any other massage techniques you’re still perfecting, you may practice on my body whenever and however you wish. Even if it may hurt a little, I won’t mind as long as I’m of use to you, Master Soar. And please, don’t hold back on scolding me whenever I do or say the wrong thing.”

She then fidgeted in place while looking down bashfully, “To be honest, I have never really been scolded before. I would usually be let off easy for being clumsy, even if I caused other people trouble, so getting scolded like that for my first time was a little … exhilarating. I think I may remember to not repeat mistakes better if I received that kind of constructive criticism. I wonder if this is that ‘tough love’ I have heard about? Well, whatever it is, please continue to treat me that way if I mess up, Master Soar. I can take you getting a little rough like you were on my butt earlier, and I promise I will learn from it.”

Nova and Marble snorted above me as Melody spoke, holding back their laughter as hard as they could. I could imagine the shit-eating grins on their faces as they looked down on me.

Marble started through telepathy,

Marble then did an impression of Melody, <“Master Soar, I did a very, very bad thing today.”>

Nova followed while imitating me.

<“Ohh, yeaaah, I’ve been a very naughty angel that deserves a spanking!”>

Keeping a straight face for me was impossible now. I could tell from the way Melody worded things that I had just tainted one of the purest sentient beings in all of history, both on Earth and Manara, and put her firmly on the path of degeneracy. Not even hiding behind my hands helped me shy away from this painful truth.

I begged my fairies.

“What are your fairies doing above you, Soar?” Melody asked, “And if I may point out, I have also been sensing great embarrassment and shame from you for some time. Is everything okay?”

Oh, yeah, if Sarise was able to sense how I was feeling because she’s my familiar, then Melody would no doubt have that same ability. Ugh, it’s going to be difficult keeping these emotions in check so I don’t worry the both of them. Also, what’s up with Melody asking me to ‘scold’ her and ‘get rough with her butt’ whenever she does or says something wrong? For her to make a request like that, does she really know what she’s asking? Should I actually treat her like a dom would a sub? Let’s just put that aside for now and give her a vague answer.

“Don’t worry about it. My fairies are just goofing off and giving me a hard time,” I strained out before clearing my throat, “Going back to your request, I will keep it in mind and apply it as and when I see fit, but please speak up if I ever go too far. While familiars can sense what their masters are feeling, it doesn’t work the other way around. I won’t know if you’re hurting unless you tell me, so always speak up, okay? And always let me know if there’s something you need from me. This whole familiar thing is still new to me, too.”

Melody made a firm salute, [Redacted] “Yes, Master Soar, duly noted.”

Well, at least she’s earnest, but I wish she still gave a damn about being naked in front of me, I thought, Should I bring that up? But what would happen after that? She can’t poof up clothes with clothing magic, Sarise is busy with my parents, so she can’t help, and of course, we don’t have anything that would fit her. One of Dad’s shirts might work, but I don’t know where he’d keep them, and he’d be suspicious if he finds Melody wearing it. I suppose I could get a spare blanket from the storage cabin to cover her up … but wait, might Melody take that gesture personally such that it would hurt her self-esteem? She does seem quite soft … and not just physically. Guess I’ll have to live with this for now.

I cleared my throat, “Now, I would like to take you back to my home so you can clean up and get us both presentable before I introduce you to my parents, but there are some things about me that you need to know first so there are few to no surprises …”

I first explained how I had a full fairy harem, allowing me to use all six of the different Elemental Magics. I reintroduced Nova and Marble and explained how they helped me set up the cave so I could summon her. Then there was how I had just registered as a C-rank Hunter today, and I showed Melody my ID card. After that was how my parents and our friends threw a party for me and Agnes to celebrate becoming Hunters. Lastly, I explained that some of these friends and their families would be living with us. While there will be a lot of people living with us, I was fortunate to be reborn in a home that used to be an inn. Save for my parents’ room as well as my own, there was still enough for the others to occupy.

Melody sat there looking more and more amazed as I explained everything, making comments here and there about how incredible I was to pull all this off at my age—I left out my true soul age, of course, acting modest about it instead. She also showed some nervousness when I mentioned all the people I’d be introducing her to. I had expected as much seeing how self-conscious she was about her body image, but thankfully there was still the determination in her eyes to conduct herself properly as my familiar.

Finally, there was my other familiar, and the main reason why I had to summon another from Zaleese in the first place.

“Your other familiar is a devil?!” Melody exclaimed with widened eyes.

I nodded, “Yes. Her name is Sarise, and she doesn’t know I’m out here doing this yet. She and an ally of ours are talking with my parents and teacher right now, trying to convince them to let my demonic familiar stay with us, despite the bad reputation they have here in the Reskondant Kingdom. Our ally, Zalena, has known my parents for some time, and it sounded like she had a plan for how to persuade them, but I wanted to make sure Sarise’s permission to stay is guaranteed.”

“So, you made your own summoning chamber to summon a familiar from Zaleese, all for this Sarise?” Melody asked.

“Yes. I was hoping having a familiar from Zaleese might help balance things out and convince my parents to let Sarise stay. She’s able to perform clothing magic, so I can have her conjure up your clothes from now on, if her magic will allow it. This also means you two will have to work together as my familiars as we go on quests, help with chores, and do other things. I don’t know how things are between the residents of Zalecks and Zaleese, so I’d like to know what you think about living and working together with Sarise, a devil from Zalecks, from now on,” I said.

“Are you kidding?! I couldn’t be any more ecstatic!”

I blinked in confusion, “What?”

“One devil, one angel, two familiars from different worlds, working together side-by-side for the sake of their master and saving a kingdom from destruction, doesn’t that just sound like an amazing story packed with romance?!” Melody exclaimed while bouncing in her seat, [Redacted]

Mind shut down by the angel’s exotic show for a moment, I shook myself out of the daze and scratched my head, “I mean, it does, but I’m not planning on being that proactive and there isn’t anything dire going on in the kingdom right now. You two would just be helping me with my Hunter quests, I’d rather be as low-key as I can.”

“That’s fine! I’m just so happy to serve a master great enough to summon both a high ranking angel and a high-ranking demon together!” Melody seemed to realize how hyper she was getting as she settled back in her seat and looked down, smiling bashfully. [Redacted], then mentally kicked myself in the butt for viewing this angel as a sexual object.

“To be truthful, I was really nervous at the thought of handling these familiar duties on my own, especially since I haven’t gotten the proper training, and I was feeling a little scared just thinking about it,” Melody said with her head still down, “I’m aware how bad the demons’ reputations are in some places in this world, but I also know most are good people that were just given bad draws. Knowing I’ll get to work with another amazing and skilled familiar, it puts me at ease and motivated to work hard and not fall too far behind my senior. Most importantly, if she’s summoned by you, a master who willingly accepts me as I am and wants me to be your familiar, then I have a feeling … that I could be great friends with her.”

Thank goodness … I was worried about some kind of feud forming with polar opposites living together, but if at least one of them wants to get along, maybe this will actually work out? This concern had been based off of what I knew from Christian mythology on Earth. Heck, I had been starting to think of Zaleese and Zalecks as parallels to heaven and hell, respectively, but I guess things really are very different in other worlds.

“Anyway, if my being here helps Sarise stay with you, then that’s all the more reason for me to work hard as your familiar. I promise you that once your parents see me, they’ll gladly let her stay,” Melody declared, standing up once more with pride, [Redacted]

Okay, really, how is she not ashamed to be naked in front of me now like she was in the beginning? It’s like she’s begging to get sexually assaulted by acting so sexy and adorable! Furthermore, is this really what angels consider as ugly? If I was a shameless adult and we were in Zaleese right now, I’d show them what I think of her beauty right in front of them. No, that isn’t the point. I don’t know what the standards of beauty are among Zaleesians, but she clearly doesn’t know how drop-dead gorgeous she is to me, and probably any other heterosexual male. A part of me wants to hide her body for my own sanity, and I know I don’t want other guys to stare at her with hungry eyes, either, I thought, forcing my gaze back up to her face when I realized I was staring at her body in a daze. It didn’t look like Melody noticed my staring, as her eyes were closed as she maintained her proud pose.

Despite that moment of awkwardness, my hopes were rising as I forced myself back on topic, “Really?”

My angel nodded, “Oh, yes! In the many human kingdoms, masters with Zaleesian familiars, especially angels, are regarded as the most trustworthy people to work with! That’s why royalty, scholars, bishops, and other influential people practically all have a familiar from Zaleese! At least, that’s what all the stories I read said about human kingdoms, anyway, so they must be just as popular in Reskondant! Just show me to your parents, and let me handle the rest.”

I have to question the source material she based this info from, but seeing her so confident about this, it’s probably true, right? I thought before nodding, “All right, for your first job as my familiar, please convince my parents to let Sarise stay with us. I will leave it up to you, Melody.”

Melody nodded, “Yes, you may count on me! Oh! Speaking of which, with so much going on, I forgot that we still need to perform the bonding tradition to confirm our union!”

“Tradition … oh, you mean the kiss on the forehead thing, right?”

“Yes, that. We should get that out of the way, and … may I ask something of you, Master Soar?” she asked while fidgeting in place.

After what I did, I should definitely do something for her to make amends. “I’ll do whatever you may ask, Melody,” I answered.

“C-Could you … hug me?”

My mind blanked briefly. The vision that I had aimed at Melody’s face so hard all this time zoomed back to see the entirety of Melody’s adorable, sexily plump, voluptuous figure once more.

“Despite how ugly I am … I mean, forgive me, how ugly I always thought I was, you like my body just as it is,” Melody stated while fidgeting again. My eyes couldn’t steer away from the way her soft, sexy skin covered with gold grapevine markings jiggled and shifted, “I never heard anyone say things like that about me before, but that stuff all sounded really nice coming from you, and it made me really happy. I wanted to throw myself at you right away, but my mind was occupied with other happy thoughts, and I figured familiars shouldn’t touch their master without permission, right? It’s probably a good thing anyways, with my extreme lack of coordination while my halo is broken. Is it … too much to ask?” My eyes weren’t on Melody’s face, but I could imagine from her words that her newly improved self-esteem was starting to crack already.

My mind was in utter turmoil, If I don’t accept this now, Melody may question my opinion on her body’s appeal, but she’s naked. Shy and submissive as she is, she’s really considerate and puts others before herself, which was why she held herself back up to now, But She’s Naked. Though different than I imagined, she’s a purebred angel, through and through, and clearly sees nothing wrong with this, BUT SHE’S NAKED!

This will only be one time, right? While she’s like this? After that, I have to be sure she has some clothes on at all times, maybe thick robes that cover her whole body? That’s normal for angels, right? But, wait, isn’t that a form of body shaming in itself, one that would likely make her lose even more self-confidence? Argh! Why haven’t I seen more full bodied beauties in this world yet?! The only adults I know that aren’t skinny are my dad, Sam, and Wallace from the restaurant! Where are my confident women who aren’t afraid to have more than a scrap of meat on their bones?! Ugh, whatever, I can at least have her wear something to cover up the juicier areas. Resolving myself, I stood up from my seat and spread my arms out wide while forcing a welcoming smile.

My pure, innocent, angel’s eyes pooled with tears of gratitude as she smiled and held out a hand to me, assuring me that I’d made the right move. Putting Melody’s lack of coordination into consideration, I walked up to her, and she pulled me straight to her body without hesitation when I was close enough. To my surprise, though, she [Redacted] Her mixed scent of sweat and angelic pheromones penetrated my nose when I inhaled deeply in surprise. [Redacted] I panicked, after all the prior teasing, my sanity was on the brink of collapse from this final bit of stimulation. I needed to quickly readjust my position, but my fairies stopped me.

Nova said through telepathy.

Marble added.

Though I resisted for a moment, my inner adult self quickly caved [Redacted] What the fuck are you doing, man?! I screamed in my head when I suddenly realized what I’d done, Dammit, I can’t let go without hurting her now!

“Once again, thank you for accepting me, Soar,” Melody said [Redacted] “No matter what happens, from now on, through thick and thin, my body, my heart, and my soul are yours to command at your leisure. Please, use me however you see fit, a-and … p-punish me when I’m a … naughty little angel.”

With the way Melody spoke and actually thinking now about how uncharacteristically forceful she was in her embrace, I knew Marble and Nova couldn’t not have had anything to do with this. Their stifled snickering from behind me all but confirmed it.

There’s ... no going back from this, is there? I thought, [Redacted] Pure and naive about the world as she is, I’ve become this angel’s sole source of comfort and guidance. There’s no way I can tell Melody now how erotic and private these acts are without making her feel dirty and disgusting and destroying her self image in the process. But how far will I have to go using sexual elements to help her gain the self worth she deserves? Can I really take advantage of her innocence and use such twisted methods to build her up? Would she even remain the same as she is now if these acts get more depraved?

Wait, who says it has to get worse? I don’t need to take it so far, right? All I have done so far is to give her a massage and a healing treatment. The main point is to help her to build up her self-confidence and a positive body image, which just so happens to involve lots of groping of various parts of her body. It feels really good for her, and it’s not that bad if she thinks doing this is okay, right? If it’s just this level, if it’s just touching her body like this, then I think I can live with it. She seems to enjoy it, anyways, and it is helping her feel better about herself. So, really, is there any reason why I shouldn’t do this for her? The fact that I’m getting a kick out of feeling up Melody’s body is just a bonus, right?

No, what the fuck am I even talking about? No matter how I spin it, I’m basically abusing my position as her master to satiate my depraved desires. And yet, if I restrain myself from touching her after this, she’ll likely regress back to being pessimistic and self-degrading, or worse. Unless I can wipe her memory of all this, there’s no way she’ll willingly live normally as an angel again … and I’m the one who did this to her. I can’t just run away from any responsibility for this and ignore it.

I guess I’ll just have to make sure I don’t go too far. After all, I still fully intend to upgrade my ‘Great Sage’ gift one last time. As long as I don’t pass the point of no return that is sex, and Melody continues to enjoy having my hands on her while gaining in self-confidence, then this should be acceptable. I just can’t allow myself to get any enjoyment out of any of this. Elmyra, Nodem, please forgive me for any sacrilege I might put your child through, and then some, going forward. I’ll accept whatever consequences that may come upon me at my second death.