The house was surprisingly big and pleasant; each of them could take their own room, and there were still many empty rooms left. There was a main room with a library on the ground floor and another big one on the first and second floors.

Geral chose the second big room with a giant double bed for himself on the first floor. A decision that he later regretted. He helped Anabella carry Zera to a small room on the ground floor.

Anabella had chosen two smaller rooms, one for herself and another one for Zera, on the ground floor, close to each other, with a double door in between. On the opposite side were that big saloon and, a bit further away, a relatively big kitchen. To their amazement, they found out that there was working canalization in the kitchen and in the bath and a toilet with flushing water that Awa happily flushed about twenty times.

“Running water! Toilet with flushing water! Bath with warm water!” - Geral exclaimed, pleasantly surprised - “I did not know that I missed these so much! They have all these amenities in Silver Town in a commoner's house! When I compare this to the toilet in Lilitown's inn!? Oh, dear!”

Noviel was admiring the bath.

“Warm water? Do you think there is warm water here? Ma? Can I take a bath?”

Anabella shrugged, busy with Zera. As Noviel could not see her, she finally yelled:

“You need to wash everything well before using it! Geral, will you pull the carriage in the courtyard and the horses in the barn? Awa, stop flushing that toilet, please!?”

After a while, Geral came to her room. He looked at Zera and was surprised to see her looking back at him. Zera's eyes were now active; there was a difference in the way she looked back, as if a small fire had started burning behind them.

“How is she?” - he wondered looking at the girl.

Anabella sighed:

“She's a fighter! She's gonna make it, isn't it, Zera?”

The girl nodded. Anabella turned to Geral.

“I'll need your help. We are going to remove the nose ring and the other implants and then gradually cut all wrongly healed wounds anew. It will be a couple of bad days for Zera." - she turned to the girl -"Are you still OK with it?”

Zera nodded.

“She's a brave girl!” - said Anabella smilling at her

“Can't she speak?” - Geral wondered

“Of course, she can, but she is not used to it. Tell me, can you speak?”

“Yees?” - Zera answered weakly, spelling a long 'e' with a strange melodious voice.

Anabella smiled and caressed her head.

“She is only a little coy.”

She sighed. What followed were two hours of horror for the poor girl. Even Geral had tears in his eyes, but he was surprised at how strong the girl was and how much she could endure. After two hours, they looked like two butchers, but the girl was done.

“We are finished today. Tomorrow will be much less work, and soon you'll be fine. Rest now!” - said Anabella and undressed the bloody apron being left only in her standard robe - “can you go and let some water for me in the bath?”

Geral grumbled. He did not know if he should be excited or aghast at the task of putting water in her bath. He has not yet warmed up to the idea of making love to her. It was, at the same time, exciting and revolting.

He closed his eyes, put his hands over his face and pressed. He took a deep breath. What was his philosophy, or rather way of thinking? Well, all he had looked for was some adventure but not too much, the occasion to meet and learn to know some good girls and boys, have fun and have sex. Possibly with the sexiest and prettiest girl, he could imagine. Was this a bad thing to do? Mephisto's world where everything was possible. It should be possible to find his dream girl?

One problem was that after a while, the sexy girl was no longer as sexy. Maybe he hadn't yet met the right one?

He looked horrified at his bloody hands, realizing his face was now as tainted as his hands, and sighed. He urgently needs to wash.

He cursed and walked towards the bathroom.

Was he now isekaied to this world? Well, then what? Everything was still possible after all, wasn't it?

What about NPC girls?

The NPCs were looked upon by players as possible helper tools. You could have fun with them. Do what you want with them. But not love them. You do not love your dildo.

But now, after knowing Awa, he could not look with those eyes at her. Yes, she had a slender, beautiful body and a lovely face, but... she was just a girl that looked at him as a fatherly figure. After she had jumped there behind him to face the wolves, he learned to think differently of her. She was ready to go down with him there. She was prepared to sacrifice her little self for him. She trusted him. She trusted him with her life. You can say it was an NPC's life, but it was hers. Her life. He could never look at her that way, like at a meat auction.

Worse, he was starting to feel attached to her. Really attached. As you feel for a younger sister or... daughter? Fuck, he was too young to have a daughter? Was he?

He sighed. It was hard to admit even to himself that he cared for her as for a person. But if she was a person, then Anabella and Noviel were persons, too, not tools.

In this case, how does he look at Anabella?

He could not warm himself to her cold body. She is an undead! Do undead feel? Do they make love? It did not make much sense to him; they do not have children, isn't it?

It would be unfair to ask anything from her. How could he ask her to satisfy him if she could not feel anything? Use her like using a tool? Even if she would accept it out of duty feeling, that was not fair to her.

So he was left with Noviel. She was about compatible with him, theoretically three years younger, but she is an NPC. Made like this, OK? But... how to get to her? Should he try his chances with her or look somewhere outside?

But she was here; why should he not try?

Is this not against all rules? He is theoretically married to Anabella.

Oh, come on, that was just to save them from slavers, just a trick! Should he forfeit his chances because he saved them?

He had been in front of the bathroom door for some time, meditating on how to open it without completely tainting it with blood. He pushed his arm around the door opener and, with a smooth movement, opened the door... and found himself eye in eye with a completely naked Noviel... and Awa. A wet sponge landed on his face, and his ears were suddenly assaulted by strident yells.

“Girls! Geral and me, we need to wash!” - Anabella yelled from the end of the corridor.

He stepped back, shocked, but soon two squawking young girls wrapped in bathrobes ran beside him. He did not say anything, still blocked by the image he had just seen: oh, what a perfect body Noviel had!

He sighed. He had seen a goddess. A more ideal body cannot exist. Impossible. He closed his mouth and went inside the bathroom.