*sigh* "Why do you even bother? I mean this castle already held against worse…"

"Mmh… I'm just curious… You wouldn't blame that sly fox for wanting to have a better understanding of this place, do you?"

"Whatever… Just don't make too much noise. Vinum's in the library and she said that she didn't want to be disturbed… By the way how did you deal with her back then?"

"By never being anywhere near her or her friends. I always considered I had more chance to get my fun if I remained far from them."

"…Good point actually. Also, please, don't start a commotion by getting your fun with unwilling victims again."

"Yes, yes, I got it the first time… that small fox passed the message loud and clear…"

"Good, in that case… I have work to do."

"Mmmh, take care of Kazuya for me. I'm surprised he decided to go to you for help… I would have consoled him if he asked."

"First, you're not supposed to know, and second didn't you actually kill him in your own world?"

"And he accepted me in his own."

"…I had more than my fair share of dubious deals in the past, and for the sake of my life I cannot fathom why he did."

"He's a boy. Do you want more details?"

"…Going by how he talks about you, I'm sure there's more to it than that. I'm out anyway."

"Mmmhh… This pocket dimension is indeed impressive. I'm sure I could make it more fun. Maybe if I bypass the security by directly interfering with the magic at its core itself…"

"…Ooops…"

Pilate still remembered the purple kitsune's dumbfounded expression when the Pocket Castle simply ceased functioning and several hundreds of monsters ended outside in a plain near San Ilia. The culprit for this mess had instantly used a harpy feather to teleport herself away to an unknown destination, and, considering her mimicking ability, they would be unlikely to find her any time soon.

The next following days were a mess of finding residences for everyone while getting sure the most risky elements would be watched over by more reasonable monsters, and while that Yoma Mephisto had apparently worked a contingency plan, the arrival of so many… whimsical newcomers had brought an additional unwelcome challenge to this grand design.

In any case, he had returned to his native village of Iliasville with a few fellow humans and some of the calmer monsters. Their number alone had almost created a food shortage, but the presence of a few alraunes who accepted to give a hand boosted the agriculture and gave the resilience needed to deal with the temporary additional population.

And without additional tasks, he nostalgically returned to his old duty of guarding the temple, where he got to meet his old colleagues and discuss his adventures.

"No way! You were there with the hero when he took down the leader of Grangold?!" Like his colleagues, the guard was wide-eyed when Pilate counted his tale.

"Yeah… It turned out it was one of those succubi that spread chaos supported by a kegendary monster from an alternate dimension… I didn't understand everything myself." He awkwardly chuckled. "But that's not all! I also accompanied him during that more recent crisis too…"

"Oooh, you mean that deal with the Night Country and all those succubi?"

"It was the Land of Night actually. But yes, it was pretty tough."

"Right, whatever…" One of his colleagues smiled salaciously. "You got to enjoy that now? I heard they even joined you and the hero… Lucky bastard…"

Pilate shook his head negatively. "Trust me… You don't want to live with them. They're annoying in the best of their day, and deadly in their worst."

"Yeah but you still got to enjoy some good time with them, right?" The man not so subtly thrusted his pelvis back and forth.

Pilate denied again. "No. I don't feel comfortable requesting anything to them. They killed a lot of people not so long ago."

"Awww…" The guard in front of him finished his drink and slammed his tankard. "Well, if it's everything for today, we'll probably return on patrol. You probably have a lot of things to do, so we'll see you later and not disturb you with the nothing happening around the temple."

"You're sure you don't need help? I don't have much to do for now since everyone is on a vacation…" Pilate grimaced. "Sort of."

"If you simply manage to keep a leash on your craziest partners, it would be perfect."

Pilate nodded and left his company to patrol the Ilias Village. It's true the place now counted an unusually high number of monsters, mostly younger-looking and more civilized ones who took care of them. They'd been accepted in Ilias Village specifically because Mephisto and Luka knew that this bunch wouldn't cause any trouble. The most mischievious was that little silver kitsune, and her pranks were more fun and endearing than anything else.

Not all the other cities got as lucky though. And you didn't even need to go to Sentora to reach them.

Still, he enjoyed this patrol at a strolling place. The village and its inhabitants hadn't changed much since he left a few months ago, and if it wasn't for the tourists, everything would have been strictly the same as back then. He took the opportunity to discuss briefly with the locals, sharing the latest news with them.

"Greetings, Betty. How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm doing good, thanks you Pilate. But you, aren't you busy with your duty with Luka?"

"We're currently on a break after the latest fights."

"Oh… Good. Well, I still don't want to disturb you. I'll probably see you later."

Pilate nodded and returned to his duty. He continued his tour of the village, and discussed a few more times with different people, but all interactions followed the same pattern, and after the fifth time, he almost felt rebuked. Maybe it was just his imagination…

However, as he looked at them from afar, all those people he used to know and see daily were talking with each other without that awkwardness. They were now just treating him as if he was part of a different world. He felt saddened by this change, and decided to go to Iliasburg to change his mind. The town might need some help, as it was now receiving than less some savory individuals. He decided to go there on foot, just in case he would meet some trouble on the road.

A depressed Pilate arrived at Iliasburg just as the sun started setting on the horizon. Without trouble to face on the road, he had kept the whole route ruminating the lack of socialization with his old friends. The city itself was calm, even slightly emptier than usual. He lent an ear to the few discussions, and heard rumors about a recently opened bar in the older part of the town. He shrugged and decided that he could as well indulge in a few drinks there. He easily found the pub and entered it without looking twice at the insignia at the entrance, and, once inside, only took a small look around before making his way to the counter. The place was clean and relatively calm and not much illuminated, with a few tables in the corners being occupied by humans and monsters alike. He directly walked to the currently empty counter and wallowed there, his mood still dark. He was still brooding when an all-too familiar, passably shrill voice echoed behind him.

"Weeeeell, if it isn't the guard of Ilias Temple! How are you doing mister?"

"Morrigan…" Pilate groaned. "Whyyyyyy…"

"Awww! Come on! Don't be like that! You came here for a reason, no?"

"None that concerns you."

"That's where you're wrong. This is my place."

Pilate finally looked up and raised an eyebrow. The succubus was standing on the other side of the counter.

"You're a bartender here?"

"Not exactly, I'm financially backing the place and occasionally acting as a bouncer when some trash needs to be taken out. Barbun's the one mostly doing the service, but she's currently busy if you catch my drift."

The guardsman looked down, ashamed. "…Sorry, that was rude of me."

"Well, you look like you'd slept in the gutter and I'm in a good mood, so whaddya want? It's on the house."

"The most classical beer around."

"Right on you!"

Less than a minute later, Morrigan presented a tankard to the temple guard who drank it straight in a single gulp. Right as he finished it, his curiosity got the better of him, and, with the support of alcohol, he decided to interrogate the succubus.

"So you decided to pay for this place? That's surprising from you."

"I hear that one three times a day... But yep, I funded The Night Flower! I thought that between the monsters on the road and the isolated location, not everybody can travel to Succubus Village, so why not create a small haven for those who want right here? Local succubi have a fallback point and a place to feed, people can come here to enjoy the pleasure of being drained without having to cross more than a whole continent, and Mephisto is happy because those Nightmare succubi come here to chill and don't do worse in the meantime, it's a win-win! Soundproofing every rooms was a bit annoying though."

"Mmh." Pilate soberly nodded, which attracted the attention of the succubus who raised an eyebrow.

"I just said it's a bar doubling as a brothel. I'd have expected an Ilias purist like you to react more strongly."

"Sorry, it's just… I don't know."

Morrigan looked closely at him.

"A stranger in a familiar land…"

Pilate grimaced in surprise. "What? What does that even mean?"

"Well, I don't know what happened to you, but everything in your behavior screams I came home and didn't feel comfortable, now what? You can grimace as much as you want, the body has way more difficulties lying than words do."

He hesitated to tell her everything, but eventually gave in, if only in hope that she wouldn't try anything.

"You're almost entirely right. I came back to Iliasville and I could tell that people weren't at ease talking to me, even if they were just fine talking to each other… I felt like a stranger. I was no longer part of their world."

"Yep. Not surprised. And let's be honest there, you kinda are. That might be insulting to them, but most of them are country bumpkins who're living their lives in their small village… At most, they have seen Iliasburg and fought dog girls, maybe a dark elf or even a centaur for the most adventurous. You… Well, I don't think I know half of what you faced and seen since I joined the hero extremely late, but you've travelled to places they only heard about, faced monsters they don't even know exist, and even helped save the world! Sure, you might have noticed Luka's treated better back there..."

"Can't say I didn't…"

"Well, it's because he's their little special hero who's destined to great things, and you -and I really mean no offense there-, you're just a guard piggybacking on his success in their eyes. Yeah, no matter how hard you try, being as well recognized and treated as Luka is just going to be a faraway dream."

A weary Pilate checked the bottom of his still empty tankard. Taking this as an invitation, Morrigan continued.

"Hey, at least, they don't throw you stones when you show up! It happened to me once or twice. Make it really awkward when they show up there afterward…"

"…What should I do?"

"I'd say you should try to enjoy the moment and forget them, but I know it's hard to forget the place that was your old home."

"I see… Well, thank you for your advices… I'm going to get some sleep."

"You want a room here? I have one free for tonight, with or without a girl, as you wish!"

"Thank you, but I'll just return home."

"Come back anytime you need!"

Pilate got up from his stool with much difficulty, as much because of the fatigue overtaking him than because of all the alcohol he ingurgitated. Morrigan looked at him leaving, and once she was sure he was out of range, she rubbed her hands gleefully.

"Right… Let's hope she isn't asleep yet, I'm sure she might have an opportunity there…"

A tired Pilate slowly made his way through the campaign between Iliasburg and Iliasville while still pondering what he would do afterward… Even if she was whimsical and unreliable, the succubus had a point. Like her, he was now more of a warrior of Luka's army and a fellow resident of the Pocket Castle than one of the guards of Iliasville. Still, it remained his hometown, and feeling alienated from his root was one experience he didn't wish for.

He didn't have much time to think about it, however, as two large humanoid forms appeared from the bush and threw themselves at him. In the blink of an eye, he pulled out his spear and shield at the ready, deviating his first assailant with a rapid thrust before bashing back the second one with his shield. As they recoiled, he could take a better look at them in the moonlight. The first was a brown-skinned demon with a tone body, and was only wearing a sling leotard with combat boots, while the second was a purple succubus wearing an unusually covering biking. Demon and Succubus Monk… Pilate recognized them for already having faced a few of them, and one of each had even joined the Pocket Castle's ranks. However, those two in front of him were definitively not the friendly ones he had shared the arena with.

"Dang, this isn't one of the heroes! Our info was wrong!"

"Still, that man has some spirit… It's not like one of those weaklings that live in the region…" The demon made a beckoning movement toward him. "Say man, wanna have a good time?"

Pilate shook his head negatively and focused. Two on one… That wasn't going to be an easy fight.

The demon monk rushed at him with her fist raised, and the guard parried her attack with his spear before slamming her back in her chest with his shield. Her partner tried to grab him, and he dodged her attack by jumping back. However, he suddenly felt a shock in his back and fell on the ground.

A third monster had come from behind him. He felt his vision blurring, and the demon prepared to stomp on his head. The attack wouldn't kill him, but definitively stun him for a long time. However, a blue, cutting wave reached his tormentor and surprised her, nearly making her fall. The two other monsters were apparently just as surprised and ignored him. As they started rushing toward his savior, he gritted his teeth and got up. As they were ignoring him, he managed to take them by surprise from behind, cutting them and drawing blood with a series of rapid thrusts from his spear. The trio yelped in surprise, and two of them attempted to sweep him with a kick but he held fast. Eventually, they shouted in frustration and fled by the sky.

Pilate slowly exhaled in relief, adrenaline still pumping before turning toward his savior. He was shocked to see that his savior was no other than Izuna, the kitsune samurai. The latter was sheathing her katana.

"…Thank you for your help…"

She bowed. "You're welcome… Are you alright?"

He shook his head nervously. "Yeah… I'm fine. I just got surprised… What are you doing here by the way?"

"I wanted to check on the trainees since they had decided to rest in Iliasville and the Slime Mountains… Then I heard the commotion and decided to check."

"Well… Thank you again… I'm going to…"

Pilate almost stumbled and was almost instantly caught by Izuna. The guard could see a lot of concern aimed at him in the kitsune's valid eye.

"You're exhausted."

"…Maybe… I don't know."

"…There's more to it than just this fight, isn't it?" She repositioned him and herself so that they were sitting on the ground slightly away from the road, not far from the river as the sound of running water reached their ears.

"Well…" Pilate hesitated for a moment, but he eventually gave in and repeated the gist of the discussion he had earlier with Morrigan. Once he was finished, he felt mixed emotions as he both simultaneously felt sorry for dropping this on the kitsune and thought he did so because he wanted her to leave him alone, while a part of him was just starved for an occasion to socialize. Once he was over, she simply nodded.

"And do you regret these old times?"

"No." He didn't hesitate. "Even if I'm disappointed by my changing relations with them, I feel like I have a real purpose since I joined Luka. I no longer feel like a joke. It's just…" He sighed. "I wish I didn't lose that. I feel like I lost what I was going to return to once this adventure was over, but then again…" he chuckled awkwardly. "It's never over. We've seen it."

"Mmh. I never thought about that for Kitsune Village. It's been an eternity since I last stepped in there… I didn't even ask myself what I would come back to, I always considered grooming my fighting skills to be more important."

"Really? What about your family and friends back there?"

Izuna shrugged. "Well… Minamo accompanied me, and I started to think of most people in the Pocket Castle as my real family and friends. Don't you?"

Pilate was slightly taken back by the kitsune's remark which incidentally put what Morrigan had told him under a new perspective. They had gone through so much together… He hadn't noticed, but the kitsune had sat herself closer to him and wrapped her tails behind him. Even when he did notice, he didn't shove them away or even react. He felt fine, not repulsed by her presence as he usually was.

"Yeah… Still, some of them are quite the lot, and I still can't stand up to them. I guess I have to train harder if I want to be just like Luka and stop them from acting up!"

Izuna chuckled. "This is why I love you, you do so much effort to train and when you see someone that looks more dangerous and terrifying, you still make the effort to overcome your fear and stand up."

"Yeah." He pumped up his fist before blinking a few times. "Wait, what did you just say?"

The kitsune turned away, clearly blushing. Even if he was shocked by what she just let slip, he still wanted to enjoy her company. He even thought that she looked cute at that moment, completely embarrassed. She gulped and continued.

"I… Have more than just some measure of fondness for you. At first I thought it was just my innate lust talking, but after so much time by your side, I found out I really liked a lot more things about you than I usually do in my partners."

She finally turned to look at him. "And I realize I was an idiot for never saying it, so I'm taking the opportunity now: I love you. Spending time with you make me feel better and… Sorry, I can understand if you want to stop there."

"No! I mean it's just… I don't know…"

Pilate tried to gather his thoughts. Not so long ago, he was a guard at Ilias Temple. The goddess of light apparently condemned relations between humans and monsters, soooo…

Screw it. If he had to leave behind some good things from his old life, he could as well drop the more questionable ones. Why did she forbid relations with monsters in the first place anyway?

"…You never showed me your face."

Izuna raised an eyebrow. Pilate defensively raised his hands.

"I mean, you always hide your face with your tail. If…" Pilate looked on the side, slightly ashamed. "Sorry, that's rude of me."

"No, no… It's just that I'm so used to do it as a mercenary to hide my identity… Let me show you."

Izuna removed her tails, showing a small, lean but not emaciated face with a mouth that was showing a narrow smirk. He leaned closer and couldn't tell if he wanted to examine her, or just enjoyed her proximity. Eventually, their lips met and they exchanged a kiss, then another longer one, then yet another. As they kissed, they wrapped their arms against each other, and, after embracing for a short moment, Pilate decided to remove his armor to be more comfortable before Izuna playfully tackled him down and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Pilate decided that he could forget all these troubles about his old home, if only for a moment. He wanted to enjoy the benefits of his new life.

"Yeeeees! Finally! For how long I wanted to see that! I couldn't bear that tension between them! Look at them finally accepting it, going at it like animals!"

Not far from the duo, Morrigan was exulting and giggling uncontrollably. On her side, a small fox-like spirit was gesturing down with her hands.

"Shhh! Be quiet please! Izuna-sama has very good ears!"

Morrigan made a dismissive gesture before sitting herself, her head in her hand. "Don't worry, we're isolated, they can't hear or see us. And besides, they're moaning so loudly they'd fail to hear a mandragora scream." She sighed longingly as she enjoyed the spectacle of the couple. "And I didn't even have to step in with magic…" Eventually, the kudagitsune called out to her again.

"Aren't we voyeur for looking at them like that?"

"You're sorta right I guess… Besides, I need to interrogate those two idiots. Let's make a few preparations first."

Morrigan got up and stepped a bit away to take a look at the two monsters that she had captured as they had attempted to escape the region. The third one had escaped, but it wasn't a real concern, the succubus knew that said monster wouldn't come back to mess around. Her two victims were bound and gagged by her own brand of magic, and they were both glaring at her.

"Sooo… I'm currently in a very good mood that you almost ruined with your intervention, but you instead ended being more helpful. As such, I'm gonna ask you first what the fuck are you trying to do before getting more personnal…"

The magic gagging disappeared from the mouth of the two demons. Both sneered as they looked at Morrigan.

"With Est's failure to bring the Land of Night, we decided to look for another way to have this world drowned in pleasure… Our leader got a book from another world, and with that book we will bring in someone whose skills will make those Nightmares pale in comparison!"

"Aaand you need to capture men to get energy for the summoning, preferably from the heroes. Am I right or Am I right?"

The bound demons sneered again. Morrigan grinned.

"Buuut I can tell there's also a little something else that makes the summoning impossible… Otherwise you'd have been a little more proactive since whoever you'd summon would clear any roadblock afterward…"

The two demons groaned. "A special catalyst is missing. Nobody knows what it is though."

"Yeah, I guessed so… This is what we're looking for, right?"

An old jaded voice answered her back. "Yes, it is, thanks you for informing me Morrigan. I'll take care of a few things then I'll see the book owner later."

"Good, in the meantime…" Morrigan returned to where the two lovebirds were busy, which was easy to find as moans kept echoing through the place.

"Wow, they're still going at it?! I didn't imagine that this guard would have so much endurance… I'm… Huuuh, getting kinda jealous honestly."

"You could have cut the communication or told me that we were done, I didn't need to see that you damn voyeur."

"Oh, come on, it's romantic for once! Doesn't it make you want to be in their place?"

"No, and our communication is through. Good night."

Morrigan whined and decided to leave the two lovers alone. She didn't want to ruin their moment, and besides, she was starting to get hungry herself.

"Now, where's Luka already… Meh, don't feel like searching for five hours. I'll get someone at the bar."