Five hours had passed since that tearful moment. The three of them were hanging out inside the main room, Melody sitting at the side of the giant table, Violet, and Annabelle at a smaller table on top of it. Melody sat back in her chair.

"Wow, I am so glad the two of you lived such long lives there. To think that you had four children, Millie." Melody commented.

"Yeah, well, I ended up really liking kids. Mine was especially good. Annabelle's youngest was a tyrant, though." Violet joked.

"Yes, she was a bit much to handle, but that was mostly because her father spoiled her." Annabelle pouted.

"Do you two miss that world?" Melody asked.

The two smiled and explained that they lived long lives and were content with the outcome of their lives there. Now, all they wanted to do was live out their new lives with the friend they had lost during their childhood. Melody smiled tearfully at their reply, hugging the two of them once more.

Once they pulled away, though, Violet got angry. "What is up with your reincarnation, though?! What was Nova thinking!? I really want to see him again so that I can punch him!"

"Come now, Millie, there is no need for that. I have a great life now. A loving mother, a great family, wonderful friends, and now, two of my closest sisters." Melody laughed lightly.

Annabelle agreed with Violet, though, wanting to punch him as well.

"He assigned my reincarnation to another god. He didn't have control over it." Melody said.

"Then I want to punch that god!" Annabelle cried.

Melody could see that there was no taming their desire to punch a god in the face and dropped the subject, just in time for Pappy and the others to arrive with dinner.

"Delicious! This dessert is so delicious! Miss Poppy! Please teach me your methods!" Annabelle was clasping the hands of a giggling gnome.

"Ho, ho, ho, I would be more than happy to teach you a few things." Miss Poppy smiled happily.

They had finished dinner and dug into the fruit cake that Poppy had made for them. As Poppy and Annabelle were in their own world discussing baking and cooking, Violet was over with Melody and Haelga.

"I cannot believe that you are Witch of the South Gaian Forest." She said, shaking her head.

"Hehehe, well, most people believe that witches do nothing but curse others. I, on the other hand, specialize in breaking curses, curing diseases, and making antidotes for poisons." The old woman replied.

"Haelga has been great. She is kind of like the doctor of the forest. Elder Elva is her student and has become quite good at advanced medicine." Melody added.

Violet asked Melody about the elder she had mentioned, and she explained that Elva was the elderly giant and mentor from her early childhood among the giant clan.

Violet then asked Melody how she felt about entering the city tomorrow.

"Nervous?" She asked.

Melody moved sheepishly as she looked away. "I am happy about getting permission, but at the same time… I am nervous. What if the people are scared of me?"

"That's what you are scared of?" Violet asked.

"Well, I doubt they could do anything to me at this point. Not to mention, attacking me would bring forth my family's wrath…." Melody looked away, a worried look on her face.

Melody had a feeling that if anything happened to her while in the care of the city, even if it was minor, her family would lay waste to the whole place.

"Your mother is really regal-looking, Mel." Annabelle's comment brought a smile to Melody's face.

This spurred Melody to talk proudly of Gaia, then led to Autumn's awkwardness, and even mentioned Okan, which shocked her two friends the most.

"An ancient treant?!" They exclaimed together.

"Y-Yeah. He is the one who gifted me the bow. I haven't visited my grandfather in a month. I really should stop by soon. Though I am sure he already knows what is going on. He always tells me that he still likes to hear things from me." The two asked what Okan was like, and Melody happily told them.

"Okan is an ancient treant whose eyebrows and facial 'hair' are made up of green moss. He typically acts like a kindly old man who loved to dote on his family." Melody said, but she froze as a thought crossed her mind.

Wait… Is that where mother and auntie got their extreme doting from? C-Could grandpa has a really violent side too?!

Melody stopped her train of thought as it sent a cold chill down her spine. Melody's father from her previous life had once told her that the most dangerous people to make angry are kind and gentle people. Those kinds of people had high levels of tolerance, and once they tip over that edge, it is a long fall.

He said people with anger issues were like foothills while friendly people were like mountains. Falling down one would get you injured. The other might just kill you…

Pappy appeared before the three. "Ladies, it is getting late. It may be best to head to sleep soon if you mean to return to the city at the scheduled time."

The three girls thanked him, and they wrapped up their conversation, heading over to Melody's bed. Melody, Violet, Annabelle, Maple, and Bell crowded on the large bed.

"Mel." "Hmm?" Melody answered Annabelle.

"I'm thrilled we're together again."

Melody hugged all of her friends to herself.

"I am too." Melody's heart was filled to the brim with the warmth of their love.

Their following morning was chaotic as they all slept in. They quickly dressed in their gear, ate breakfast, and took off toward the city atop Aroo.

Maple stayed behind because she ate too many sweets the night before and needed rest. She also did not want to deal with everyone mislabeling her.

So the trio of Melody, Violet, and Annabelle rode through the forest as quickly as Aroo could. After exiting the forest, the city coming into view, Melody had Aroo slow down to a trot.

"Why are we slowing down?" Violet asked.

"Turns out Aroo got us here way faster than I thought. Good job, Aroo." The bison mooed happily at Melody's praise.

"So we're on time?" Annabelle asked.

"Nope, we are a bit early," Melody replied to Annabelle's question.

The three shared a laugh and continued their approach. Violet and Annabelle felt Melody tense up once they got a close enough distance. They asked if she was okay.

"I'm… Fine. This was around the range where I was attacked last time. But it is okay now." Melody tried to assure them, but they could tell Melody was a single branch snapping from picking Aroo up and sprinting back to the forest as fast as she could.

As they finally arrived near the gate, the tenseness in Melody's body began to relax.

Since it was still early morning, no merchants were arriving at the city yet, but a handful was heading out. Melody recognized some of them, exchanged greetings, and wished them safe travels.

"Hail Princess! Welcome to the city of Hallfen." A familiar guard called out to them.

"Hi, Sam!" Violet replied.

Violet had informed Melody of several people she could trust to help her in the city. Sam was one of them.

After getting down from Aroo, Melody turned to Sam.

"Thank you for the welcome, sir. Please, just call me Melody. Any friend of Violet's is a friend of mine." She smiled.

"Thank you, Lady Melody. Please call me Sam. I see you all arrived a bit early, so the guild master has not arrived yet to welcome you. Would you like an escort to the guild?" He asked.

Melody checked with Violet, and she recommended that they take Sam up on his offer. Sam called over a couple of other guards to join him in escorting the three girls to the adventurers' guild.

The gate was only twelve feet tall, so Melody had to duck only a bit, taking her first steps into the city of humans.

Melody felt that the city looked like what she would expect an advanced medieval castle town. The main roads were paved in stone. The buildings were a mix of wood and stone with glass panes for windows.

The main road was about three carts wide, so Melody had plenty of space to walk with no worries of bumping into stuff.

Violet mentioned that the people were not fully up yet, and the city would be much busier in a couple of hours.

The people who were awake were shop owners getting their shops opened, many of them with children watching in awe as Melody walked through the city.

"Pwetty!" A little girl toddled out toward them around the age of three or four.

Melody knelt down and pulled out a tiny seed. Channeling her nature magic, the seed sprouted and turned into a pretty blue flower. Melody handed the flower to the little girl with a bright smile. The little girl giggled and danced about while holding the flower.

"Thank you very much, Princess." The mother of the girl bowed and thanked her.

The little girl picked up on her mother's actions and copied her. "Tank you pwincess!"

"Soooo adorable!" Melody squealed in glee. After waving goodbye to the little girl, they continued their path down the road.

After making several stops of people wanting to greet Melody and offering food to her to try out from some shops and stalls, Melody stopped.

Whipping out her bow, she swung the bow blocking a crossbow bolt, and drew back the string, creating a nature arrow.

"Do not move, or you die!" Her words froze a heavyset man in place by tapping her Terror Howl skill into her words.

Ever since she got it above rank five, she became able to focus it on specific targets. Melody noticed that skills gained a unique benefit once they edged over the rank of five.

The locals looked upon the scene in fear, not understanding what had happened.

"Melody! What happened?!" Violet cried, pulling out her staff.

"I felt this man following us since we arrived in the city. I paid him little mind until I felt his bloodlust." Melody replied.

Sam and the other two guards charged over and apprehended the man. Melody stood down her attack and returned the shrunken bow to her belt.

"I am so sorry, Lady Melody! We will find out who sent this man!" Sam declared.

The locals calmed down now that the guards had things under control but were quite angry with the man attacking Melody. Some were angry because of how good of a giant Melody was, others because of fear. Rumors had spread about how overprotective and powerful Gaia and Autumn were, and no one wanted to face that level of wrath.

Sam had one of the guards go to summon a few to take the man away for questioning, but Violet had an idea.

"Hey Melody, how good of control do you have over your charm? Do you think you could focus it on just that guy?"

After thinking for a moment, she replied that she felt she could. Violet then asked the guards to bring the man to them.

"What are you doing to me!? Let me go! I ain't talkin'!" The man cried out as the guards brought him forward.

Kneeling down, Melody held out a finger over the man's head. Closing her eyes, she focused her control, suppressing more of her presence just in case, and tapped the man on the head lightly while releasing her charm at her fingertip for but a moment.

The man's head swayed like he was in a daze, and the two guards, as well as several others in the area, turned red in the face for a moment.

Oops, looks like it might have hit them too… But it seems like they will be okay-…

"OH! MY GODDESS! FORGIVE ME!" The man screamed, interrupting Melody's thought. The man was in tears, sobbing on his knees before her. It honestly weirded Melody out.

Eek! Melody recoiled from the man. Okay... I think I focused too much…

"I AM SO SORRY! I SHOULD NEVER HAVE ACCEPTED! WUUUHAAAAAA!” The man continued to cry.

Violet nudged Melody, clearly uncomfortable with the man's change. Hmm? Oh, r-right, the questions.

"Um, well, I might forgive you if you tell these fine guards here who hired you to harm me," Melody said with an awkward smile on her face.

"Yes! Oh, thank you, my goddess! It was a nobleman! The servant of Baron Ludril's eldest son was the one who hired me!" The man answered happily, still in tears. Violet sighed heavily.

"You know of him, Violet?" Melody asked.

"Yes. He is basically the best friend of Lord Vance's deposed son. You know, the one who attacked you." Melody nodded her head in understanding.

Violet said that they should mention this to Lord Caldwell later so that it could be thoroughly investigated and so that he could find any other potential attackers.

They went to leave for the guild when Annabelle stopped them. "Um, Melody, the man."

Melody looked over at the man, still held by the guards, on his knees. He looked like a sad puppy, hoping to be forgiven by its' owner.

"Oh, um, I forgive you of this. Don't do anything bad again, and be an upstanding citizen."

His face brightened at Melody's words. "I swear to you, my goddess! I will! Good guards! Take me to your office! I have more crimes, I must confess! I must work hard to answer my goddess' kind mercifulness!"

The man was practically dragging the guards toward their nearby office with a joyful smile. After they were gone, Violet and Melody felt that they should try to use that only as a last resort and headed toward what Violet and Annabelle called the central square. They were joined by Sam and a couple of confused-looking guards who came to replace the two who got dragged away.

"Here is it, Melody! This is the best place to get snacks! The central market!" Annabelle called out.

The sizeable open plaza looked like it could easily hold thousands of people in attendance. The whole area was paved with stone, making it easier for the dozens of traveling merchants and stall workers to set up and sell their wares.

The people noticed Melody quickly enough in the open area as she walked in. Several traveling merchants approached happily, as many of them had been protected or helped by Melody in the past. Some of them offered various wares to her as thanks, but after a bit, Melody felt terrible because their wares were their livelihoods and said she would shop with them once she had some income. Some stall owners offered food samples to her, which Violet, Annabelle, and she accepted before heading to a large, three-story building.

"Follow me, Melody! We did some additions to the guild building for your size over the last few months." Violet led them to the back of the building, where there was a set of doors that were a few feet bigger than herself.

"I hope this was not expensive to do…." Melody said, opening the door.

"My father's words were: 'With how much money she will make for us, this will be nothing more than a drop in the pond.' End quote." Violet replied. Causing Melody to laugh nervously, now worried if she might be able to meet such an expectation.

"Hello?" Melody's head poked through the large doorway. Ellen, the elf, looked up to see her.

"Melody. Good to see you, please come in. I will notify the guild master of your arrival." She smiled and headed off.

The gruff dwarf who was never too far from her came barreling around the corner to greet Melody.

"Welcome, lass! You're early! Thankfully we got everything ready before your arrival!" Gona welcomed her with a massive smile on his face.

"Did you guys throw a party? You didn't need to do that." Melody responded with a shy smile.

"The party is tonight! Come on, lass! You be the guest of honor!" Walking past the short hallway for her giant stride, Melody entered the main hall.

It was a bit cramped for her size, but the various adventurers seemed to have made several changes and moved things about to give her more room.

"Aww, thank you, everyone." She looked about at the various smiling faces.

Some of them were those she had rescued when she was young and saw a few that she had helped in the last few months. They cheered and welcomed her warmly.

It looked like they piled several furs, cushions, blankets, and anything else that was soft together to make her a seat near the back so she could lean against the wall. They even built a tall side table for her that was connected to a balcony area.

Sitting down on the pile, Melody continued to chat with the adventurers, curious about her and the forest. The guild master arrived but decided to let them talk while getting other things ready. Melody told them a bit about how she lived in the woods and even told them about her various hunts, some of which dumbstruck the adventurers.

"Um, did I say something wrong?" Melody asked.

"No. To put it simply, there is like… Four or five people in all the kingdoms that can take on the monsters you did singlehandedly while they would need a decent party with them. You keep talking about them like you were hunting flying dogs." Violet replied.

"What?! Flying dogs?! That sounds adorable!" Melody's reaction had several of them chuckling.

Annabelle whispered to her that they were what they called flying squirrels in their old world, which made Melody a bit sad. She hoped to see a silly-faced golden retriever flying about with its tongue hanging out.

Their conversation had gone on for about an hour before the guild master had to step in.

"Princess."

"Please, just call me Melody." She quickly responded.

"Very well. Miss Melody, are you ready to register to the guild?" He asked.

She nodded and smiled brightly, which caused several people to blush and smile.

On the second floor, they made a little raised balcony so that if someone was standing on it, they would be near eye level with Melody standing up. A pretty woman in a lightly colored uniform was waiting for her.

"Greeting Princess Melody. The fee for joining has been waived for you. Since we do not have documents of your size, I will fill out your paperwork."

Melody thanked the woman and asked for her name.

"Ah yes, my apologies Princess. My name is Samantha, but most call me Sammy." Sammy had short, light brown hair that went just past her jawline. Sammy looked like an aunt who always seemed to be there to help you out of trouble or get you into some.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Sammy. Please, call me Melody." She smiled.

"Thank you. Now then, your name is Melody. What is your age?"

"Well, my identify skill tells me that I am 19, but I am technically almost five…." Melody replied but looked to see Sammy stunned.

"Melody, you use the identify skill?"

She nodded in response. "Is that odd?"

"No! It is amazing! Most people use the lower skill 'Appraisal' because of the ease of leveling and lack of side effects. Identify is said to be very difficult to level. What rank is your skill at?"

"Um… Ten."

Sammy's jaw dropped open so much that it almost looked like it fell through the floor like a cartoon.

"Could you use it on me?!" Sammy asked excitedly.

"Um, okay. Identify."

Race: Human (Female). Name: Samantha Gale. Age: 24. Level: 18.

Danger Level: None.

Humans are the most common race in the world. Industrious, intelligent, and capable. Likes to be called Sammy. Single. She is very kind, helpful, and tends to be too curious for her own good. Has terrible luck with men. Gets very angry if called The Poison Spitting Demon or any combination of the name.

Health: 90. Stamina: 50. Magic: 30. Strength: 20. Endurance: 20. Dexterity: 30. Intelligence: 50. Wisdom: 40. Charisma: 80.

Skills: Melee (2). Throwing Weapons (4). Arithmetic (6). Light Magic (4). Seduction (3). Intimidation (8),

When Melody got her Identify skill up to ten, she could see all the information of others without needing their permission.

"So, what did you see!?" Sammy asked excitedly.

"Um, well…" Melody whispered what she saw to Sammy, excluding a few items that she felt would make Sammy angry.

"Hmm… Well, that makes sense. Thank you so much, Melody." Sammy said with a warm but knowing smile that she could tell Melody omitted something.

Sammy then asked about what kind of skills Melody had.

"You don't have to go into specifics, Melody. From what I heard, you are a hunter?"

Melody nodded. "Yes, I am a hunter who is good at gathering, disassembly of game, bows, my hatchet, and nature magic. Oh, I can also use a little bit of healing magic as well."

Sammy efficiently wrote down what Melody said. "Thank you. We will get your guild tag ready now. It will take some time, though, since the guild master wanted to make sure to make one in your size. Could you charge this magic stone with your magic? It is so that the tag will only react to you. Yes, just like that. Thank you, Melody. I will get your tag started now. Speak with the guild master. He will take you to the Duke's household to discuss the charcoal kilns."

Melody thanked Sammy and followed the guild master out of the building toward the Duke's mansion with Violet. Annabelle said she would head to the church to take care of a few things.

After several stops to greet many curious city residents, they arrived at the Duke's mansion just outside a fortress that stood at the back of the city.

"What is the fort for? I kind of thought he would live in a castle or something." Melody asked.

"The fort is the last line of defense of the city and the main location where emergency stores are. The walls surrounding it have powerful enchantments on them. There is also a massive shelter beneath it where the populace would hide while the soldiers defend above. The Duke does not live in it because of some personal choice." The guild master explained.

Looking over the fortress, Melody felt that she would probably have a hard time trying to break into it if she tried. As they approached the entrance to the estate, a man in his fifties stepped out to meet them. His hair was dark with a bit of gray here and there, wearing a butler outfit, and he had a light smile on his clean-shaven face.

"Welcome, Princess, Lord Cambel, and Lady Cambel. I am the head butler of the household. The Duke has prepared a venue in the ballroom, though looking at the Princess' size, it may be difficult…."

The man led them off to the side of the mansion, where a large section of the building looked to be a large hall. They arrived at a set of large double doors, but the doors were only six feet high and barely looked wide enough for Melody to fit through.

"Hmm, maybe we should try to do this outside?" The guild master offered.

"No, please let me try at least. The interior looks to be large enough for me." Melody insisted.

A young boy who looked to be in his early teens came out through the doors to look upon Melody. He attempted to speak, but he was blushing heavily, and his mouth kept moving with no sound coming out.

Poor boy looks like a fish! Melody quietly giggled in her mind while smiling lightly at the young boy.

"Greetings, young sir. I am Melody of the North Gaian Forest. Who might you be?" Melody channeled her inner Gaia, speaking regally. Her words seemed to have snapped him out of his trance.

"Ah! Um, yes… Ahem. Greetings, Pwin-err, Princess Melody. Imma, uh, I am the eldest son of Duke Davis Caldwell, Yale Caldwell. It twis', dangit… It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Princess." The boy stumbled heavily on his words, his face turning a shining crimson.

Melody held a calm smile on her face. "A pleasure to meet you as well, young lord, Caldwell."

"P-please! Just call me Yale!" It was at that point Violet burst out laughing at the boy.

Yale looked at her, annoyed. "Hello, cousin…" He said to Violet.

"Bahahahah! Come on, Yale, I have never seen you this flustered before! Were you dazzled by my friend's beauty?" She asked him teasingly.

Melody felt terrible for the poor boy as he was shaking from his combination of anger and embarrassment.

So she channeled her inner Gaia once more. "Violet, it is not proper for a lady like yourself to tease your family so heavily."

Violet stopped laughing and looked away, feeling regretful.

The Duke stepped outside laughing. "Hahaha. I have never seen anyone capable of stopping Violet so easily other than her mother. Welcome, Princess Melody. I heard that there may be trouble with you entering the hall. I can have things moved outside if that would be easier." He offered, but Melody declined, saying she would try to squeeze inside.

After everyone went inside, Melody laid down on her side and scooted her shoulders inside, but her breasts caught on the frame. Melody tried to pull herself through until Violet told her to exhale first. Once Melody did that, she could pop her upper body inside, her chest bouncing heavily, causing Yale to get a nosebleed when his blood rushed to his head at the sight.

Melody had little additional trouble and entered the hall after squeezing her bottom through.

Inside was a large table lined with extravagant-looking food and a massive cushion nearby.

"Wow, I am surprised you got something like this ready so soon," Melody said, patting the soft cushion.

"Hahaha. We used to use it a years ago for all of us to relax. Naile was the one who remembered it and had it brought out."

Melody asked who that was, and a young woman who looked to be in her late teens stepped forward.

"This is my eldest, Naile." The Duke introduced.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Melody." She curtsied.

Melody replied in kind while bowing her head respectfully. Melody sat down on the cushion while everyone else sat at a raised table, and the servants began serving the meal.

After enjoying their meal, the Duke called for a strange man to enter the hall. The man was thin with dark skin, his hair was unkempt, he wore a set of thick glasses and coat that had several stuffed pockets, and it looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days.

"Lady Melody, this our city's best researcher Doctor Michael Dundee. When you mentioned the charcoal kiln yesterday, he was in the crowd and requested to be the one to head it up." The Duke introduced the man.

"Hello! Greetings, your majesty! I am most curious about the charcoal kiln! I have been mulling over things since last night and even set up a couple of test projects! But sadly… I ended up with nothing but ashes…." Dr. Dundee hung his head.

"The method requires a minimum amount of oxy-, er, air, with high heat. It is best to create a wholly filled space with dried wood to help limit the amount of air and then heat it." Melody replied.

"That's the secret?! Oh, I feel like such a fool! Thank your majesty! I will go right now!" The excited doctor turned to leave immediately, but Melody stopped him.

"I will come with you. I did promise to assist in making them." She smiled.

The doctor thanked her and said he would still go to the designated area outside the gate to start prepping the location.

After Dr. Dundee left the room, the Duke spoke up. "Well then, Lady Melody, thank you for coming out to our home and seeing us. Allow us to escort you out."

The duchess said that Melody could have the large pillow as a gift. Melody thanked her, gifting her various containers of natural creams that were great for the skin. Autumn had Melody take a few items to the noble family to advertise for the forest. For the Duke, she gave him a bottle of honeyed wine that she got from Pappy. The Duke's daughter received the same gift as the mother, while the son, Melody gifted a fairy lamp. The Duke and his family greatly appreciated the gifts and thanked her.

After Melody could squeeze her way out of the hall, Violet, the guild master, and herself stopped by at the adventurers' guild to pick up her freshly finished badge. From a human perspective, the badge was the size of a small plate. It had her name and the other details she had given to them.

"So this is a bronze badge?" Melody asked as she looked over it.

"Yup, don't lose it. Thirty human-sized badges could have been made from that." Violet commented.

Annabelle was there waiting for them just outside as they exited the guild. The guild master stayed behind for work, so their group now consisted of Melody, Violet, Annabelle, Gona, and Ellen.

After several stops of people wanting to meet Melody, since it was in the afternoon and more people were about, they finally made it just outside the city gate. They found Dr. Dundee directing several people to rope off and clear the area. They had already removed the grass and had an ample open space that they could work in.

"Welcome, your majesty! We are ready when you are!" The doctor welcomed her.

"Oh, well, um… How to do this?" Melody began thinking of how to convey the idea to them.

She could clearly see the large dome with a small hole at the top, a loading door at the front, and a few small holes around its base.

As she was trying to put together how to tell the doctor, she heard a voice through nature magic. "Melody."

"Hmm?" Melody perked up at hearing her mother.

"Everything okay, Melody?" Annabelle asked, noticing Melody looking out toward the forest.

"Someone is speaking to her through the forest. Though I cannot understand what is being said." Ellen replied.

Melody nodded her head a few times while looking out at the forest. "Awesome! A friend of mine is coming. He should be able to help us with this." Melody commented.

"Who?" Gona asked.

"Lord Tulsen." The moment Melody spoke the name, everyone who heard her stopped.

Looking about, Melody could see the genuine terror in their faces.

"W-What is it?! Are you alright?!" She asked worriedly.

"Um, um, um, um, um, um! M-M-M-Melody… Do you mean, THE Lord Tulsen!?" Violet asked.

"Um, yes? Are you guys okay?"

"Lass! You said he is coming here!? Do you have any idea who he is!?" Gona asked in a panic.

"Well, I know he is a noble of some sort. He is also a master of magic. Oh, he is also really nice." She said with a smile.

"Are you sure we are talking about the same Lord Alexander Tulsen, your majesty?!" Dr. Dundee asked, shivering.

"Hey! What is that?!" A worker called out while pointing above the forest.

Far above the forest, a sleek wooden ship flew through the sky at a fast pace toward their location.

"Is... Is that a flying ship!?" Dr. Dundee cried out in shock.

The ship with white wing-like sails cut through the air above them and eventually circled about after passing over Hallfen. Ultimately, it slowed and finally came to land upon the ground near the site.

Everyone was in shock over the whole ordeal, frozen in place. Melody found it in her to use her skill on the ship.

Name: Winged Rabbit. Owner: The Bison Royal Family.

Built by: Eric Bison and his father.

An airship that utilizes lost ancient runecraft insignias allows the ship to maintain flight in the air. Uses a crafted divine power core to supply an infinite amount of energy to all systems.

A small form leaped from the ship and landed on the ground in front of them.

"This is so exciting!" A young girl with slightly tanned skin wearing a simple armor set stood before them. Though some unique features of the young girl were her rabbit-like legs, face, and two white-furred ears.

S-s-s-s-she's a beast per- Melody began thinking before her thoughts were cut off.

"A beast-kin!? I thought they went extinct long ago!" Dr. Dundee yelled.

Curiosity got the better of Melody at that point. Identify.

Race: Beast-kin (Rabbit). Name: Ruby Bison. Age: 18. Level: Error. Danger Level: Very High.

Princess Ruby Bison of the kingdom of Luna. She is the adopted daughter of King Eric Bison. She is beloved by many for her friendly personality and occasional adorable nose twitches. Specializes in rapid and powerful kick attacks that can reduce even the most dangerous beasts to pummeled meat piles.

Ruby shivered, "W-What was that feeling?" She asked, looking around herself.

"Melody, did you use Identify on Ruby?" A voice called out from above.

A man, dressed in all black, his matching cloak and long red hair flowing in the wind, slowly came down to hover around Melody's shoulder height. The blood in everyone's faces drained at the sight of Lord Tulsen's arrival.

"Um…" Melody began.

"Must I educate you on how rude that is?" Lord Tulsen asked with a playful smirk.

"I'm sorry..." Melody turned away sheepishly.

"Oh! Do you know her Lord Tulsen?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Yes. This is Melody, a giant of the Gaian forest." Lord Tulsen answered the rabbit-kin.

"Ooooooooh." Ruby easily kicked off the ground and landed upon a magic circle in the air, so she now faced Melody. "Nice to meet you! I'm Ruby!" Ruby brightly smiled, and her nose and fluffy tail twitched happily.

So cute! Everyone, but Lord Tulsen, thought in unison.

Lord Tulsen lightly chuckled, "Look at you, Melody. Welcomed into the city at long last. I knew you would one day make it here." He warmly smiled at her.

"Aww, thank you, Lord Tulsen."

"I'll be honest, after I got to know you and heard about what happened, I thought about wiping out the city." He said with the same smile.

"He would definitely do it too. There was that one worl-." Ruby began.

"Ruby." Lord Tulsen cut her off.

"Oops, sorry, stuff I can't talk about." Ruby giggled.

"Lord Tulsen, don't do things like that, please. I know a lot of people in the city now!" Melody complained, causing him to laugh.

For everyone else, those words caused them to break out in a cold sweat at their near-miss. They also severely regretted that the ex-noble responsible was no longer available to offer as a sacrifice to the black-clad man.

Lord Tulsen assured her that he would no longer do it but did inquire if anyone had been rude to her. She assured him it was nothing they could not handle, and the Duke, guild master, and many others of the city were doing an excellent job of looking out for her wellbeing.

"Well, fine. Hmm? What are you all doing here?" He asked.

"Oh, we were putting together a couple of large charcoal kilns so that the city's people could prepare for the winter. The Duke said that the next winter is going to be bad." She replied.

"I see."

Everyone was doing everything they could to not be noticed, except for Annabelle.

"Lord Tulsen. Melody said you were a friend of hers. Is that true?"

"You are?" He asked coldly.

"Oh, my apologies, milord. My name is Annabelle. Melody, Violet, and I are really close friends."

Violet looked like she was about to cry after Annabelle mentioned her.

Lowering down to just above the ground, he looked over the two of them.

"Heh." A bemused smile came to his face. "I will be sure to remember your faces. Though I must say, I was not expecting to see two more, unique souls, other than Melody."

Both Annabelle and Violet's faces changed to ones of surprise at his words as he floated back up to Melody.

"You want some help? I know of the kiln and could quickly form a couple for you. Ah wait, that won't be any fun to make a couple of plain ones." A wide grin came to his face. Everyone but Melody, Annabelle, and Ruby found it terrifying.

"If my Papa was here, he could also help... But he is too busy with getting the kingdom together..." Ruby seemed to get a bit sad.

Several magic circles appeared and flew from Lord Tulsen's hand.

Large circles formed the main cylindrical silos with dome-like tops. From there, holes opened up from sides, creating tunnels away from the silo and extending pipes upward. Like the others, a few more tunnels formed at the front but did not extend lines upward.

"Now for the loading door and vents."

A section of the silo vanished and was replaced by a heavy-looking metal door. On the top dome, several closeable holes appeared with their own individual metal covers.

"Now for the bells and whistles." Lord Tulsen said with his grin still in place.

More magic circles appeared and etched themselves into several areas like the door, vents, pipes, tunnels, and the entire floor of the silo.

"There. All done."

The whole ordeal took Lord Tulsen barely two minutes to finish.

"Wow! This looks great, Lord Tulsen!" Melody cheered.

"Hmm. I think my dad could do a bit better." Ruby commented as she looked over the kilns.

"Yes, but he would also take ten times as long. Your father needs to learn the conveniences of magic." Lord Tulsen said to Ruby before turning to Melody, "Go ahead and Identify it. I will work on making the second one."

Melody did as he said and explained what she had learned to everyone.

Magic Charcoal Kiln. Creator: Alexander Tulsen.

This kiln works nearly autonomously. Acceleration enchantment attached, total run time lowered. Magic Efficiency enchantment attached, lower magic requirements. Automatic heat control. Automatic air control. Automatic cooling control.

Operation:

Load wood inside. It does not need to be filled entirely like a standard kiln. Close the door and channel magic into the activation circle to the right of the door. It will require a total amount of one hundred magic points to run. Formation enchantments will convert inserted wood into individual two-by-six-by-two inch blocks or shorter depending on the wood amount. The kiln will heat wood with magic heat, not fire. Will remove moisture from timber and kiln first, then proceed to high heat stage. Air will be removed from the chamber, and high heat will be applied to convert wood into charcoal. Before releasing the latch, the kiln will cool charcoal down to room temperature to prevent pre-ignition. The latch will release once operation, approximately three hours, is completed, allowing the door to be open.

"T-This is amazing! Thank you, Lord Tulsen!" Dr. Dundee, in his excitement, completely forgot his fear.

"Yeah... Papa would definitely take a while to do all that..." Ruby bitterly commented.

"Don't thank me. Thank Melody." Lord Tulsen replied as he finished the second one.

Bowing deeply to Melody, "Thank you, your majesty! The people will be truly grateful!"

Melody tried to play it off, but Lord Tulsen turned to her with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Majesty? When did you become royalty?"

"Ah! We! I mean. Mother! Er. WAH!" Melody stood up from the crouched position she took for explaining the kiln abilities and lost her balance.

Lord Tulsen jetted forward as she fell backward and created an extension to his arm, making a giant hand made from pure magic. The arm looked to be covered with runes and various designs. He caught her before she fell, bringing his face close to hers.

"Heh. You really should be more careful, Princess." He said with a bit of a mocking smile on his face.

Even with her tanned skin, anyone could see her turn red in the face.

"I, um, yes…." She responded as he helped steady her on her feet.

"Lord Tulsen! Would it be alright for me to study these!?" Dr. Dundee requested.

"I don't care. But if you break it, I won't repair it." He replied.

"Oh, what about the airship?! That would-."

"No." Lord Tulsen's expression turned cold as he crushed any follow-up requests regarding the airship with a single word.

Violet and Ruby noticed Melody was fidgeting while taking glances at Lord Tulsen. Mischievous smiles came to the two girls' faces. They glanced at each other, nodding, acknowledging the other.

Floating over to Melody, "Melody, I must be going. Take care of yourself… Pfft, Princess."

"Meanie!"

Lord Tulsen laughed heartily as he waved goodbye and was joined on the airship by Ruby.

The airship took back to the air and flew off into the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks again for bringing me here, Lord Tulsen!" Ruby said with a smile.

"You were the one who claimed to be bored." Lord Tulsen replied from his deck chair and book.

"Well, everyone is so busy with Luna and getting things changed from Goun."

Lord Tulsen smirked, "I have seen countless times the effects, both short and long, of slavery. Sometimes it is blatant like Goun or so subtle that the people don't even realize they are enslaved. It will take a few years before people change their minds."

"How is that possible? I am sure people would know if they are enslaved!" Ruby asked.

"Create a system where people are solely dependent upon those who believe themselves to be above them. Then those above strips the people of rights, limiting their actions and making them even more dependent. It is false benevolence to disguise their enslavement." Lord Tulsen explained.

"That's evil...." Ruby shuddered.

"It is. But too many people miss such things, or even worse, welcome them because it is easier." Lord Tulsen's eyes changed like gazing at a far-off memory.

"A-Anyway, you promised I could fight some interesting monsters!" Ruby said, wanting to change the subject.

"That I did. Change course to the west-southwest." Lord Tulsen smiled as Ruby turned the wheel. "Oh yeah, what's going on between you and Melody?" she asked teasingly.

Lord Tulsen chuckled, "You should be more worried about your father. He has three wives now with a potential fourth."

Ruby shrugged her shoulders, "I don't mind. Papa is a great man!"

"That he is." Lord Tulsen smiled and turned his attention back to his book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few more hours passed, and they returned to the guild building after testing one of the kilns.

After three hours from starting it, the latch released and opened the door. Inside was a massive pile of perfect charcoal bricks stacked neatly inside. Dr. Dundee was so excited to test and study it compared to regular coal he ran off with a sack on his back to get to his lab.

Gona walked up to Melody in her seated location in the guildhall with a large barrel.

"Melody! Care for a drink? We pitched in together to get the best stuff for ye!" The dwarf smiled at her happily.

Violet and Annabelle sat on a balcony they had next to Melody's spot, and Violet leaned over to her while Melody thanked and accepted the now open barrel.

"Um, Melody, will you be okay? What about your charm? I mean, I think it would be funny to see what happens, but even I think it would be too risky." She whispered.

"I think I will be fine," Melody said, taking a sip. It tasted sweet with a bit of sourness. She felt a slight burning sensation as it went down her throat.

"Mmm! This is tasty." Melody smiled happily.

Violet continued to worry until Melody turned to her.

"Actually, would alcohol be counted as a poison?" Melody asked.

"Um, yes," Violet replied, confused over her question.

"Then I will be fine. I am immune to any kind of abnormal conditions."

"HUH?!" The room went quiet, and all the adventurers stared at her.

"Um…" Melody felt nervous with all the eyes on her.

"Melody, are you serious? So, poison, paralysis, petrification, none of that affects you?" Violet asked.

"Yes. As well as exhaustion, soreness, curses, mind control, and a few others." Melody said, lightly tapping her chin as she remembered.

"Exhaustion? Does that mean you can run or fight forever?!" One adventurer asked.

"No. I still have a limit. If I use up all my stamina and keep going, I will hurt myself. Thankfully my body always tells me when I am close to my limit."

The room was abuzz with the adventurers being amazed or even envious of such an ability.

"Haaaah. You are definitely a cheat character…." Violet shook her head.

On the other hand, Annabelle was quite happy over it; remembering what Melody's previous life was like, she knew that Melody would stay healthy and robust for her whole life.

Melody continued to sip from the barrel while the guild master asked Gona what he gave her.

"We ordered a barrel worth of Yunal Gold Reserve for her."

"A whole barrel of that?! That would cost nearly a hundred gold for that!"

Upon hearing the price, Melody stopped sipping and looked between the barrel and Gona repeatedly, a shocked look on her face.

"Ah! It's alright, lass! We got that specifically for you! Please enjoy it." Gona panicked.

"But…" Melody started to feel bad.

Violet offered the idea of sharing a single mug per person who donated to get it. It took some convincing from Melody, but she was able to get the six to agree. Gona, Ellen, Gerald, Sam, who stopped by for the party, and a couple of others held up their mugs.

"Cheers to good friends and good alcohol! Gahahahaha!" Gona toasted.

The atmosphere became loud and boisterous as they continued their celebration party.

Toward the end of the night, most adventurers either passed out or retired for the night.

"Melody, would you like to stay at my place?" Violet asked.

"Do you have a bed big enough for her, though?" Annabelle asked.

Violet smiled triumphantly. She mentioned that she and her mother converted a large barn into a fancy sleeping area for Melody.

"I could check it out at least," Melody said, standing up.

After saying their farewells to those still awake, the three close friends left the guild building to the city's eastern side.