Author's Note: Oh, wow! Just barely past midnight and I'm ready to post, lol.
I apologize for the delay; the job hunt left me with a lot less time to edit than I had anticipated. To make matters worse, one scene in this chapter was an utter bitch to deal with because it just felt... wonky. But, that matter has been fixed and now, we can continue with the fic!
Hope y'all enjoy! :)
Chapter Seven: Downfall of Castle and Country Part 1
Cries of pain and a feminine cackle filled the air, followed by the shattering of bone and creak of sundered metal. A man, well over six feet tall and fully armored flew on by, launched into the air like a child's plaything.
In a way, that's precisely what he was…
Now brandishing a black tetsubo with bone white spikes and a ring pommel, Fumiko was having the time of her life, giggling in malicious, childish glee as she watched the poor fucker bounce and roll with many a crunch and clatter.
The two remaining men-at-arms facing her and Shalltear took a collective step back.
"W-what monstrous strength," the left one muttered, instinctively lifting his shield higher.
Fumiko grinned, hoisting her club onto one shoulder, as she leered at the men. "Sooo… who's next~?"
It went without saying that the pink-haired kijo was enjoying her new assignment a bit more than she should have. The mission in question was simple: capture any strong belligerents from the Slane Theocracy and kill the rest.
They had yet to achieve the former.
The two men looked at one another. With a roar, they charged her from the sides. The trail of dead bodies made it abundantly clear that there was no escape from these women, so moving forward and striking was the only thing they could do.
Fumiko's grin widened as she waited for them to come closer. Nothing excited her quite as much as battle did―aside from breaking people in said fight. Then, without warning, she struck, sending them both flying one swing of her tetsubo.
"I don't see how you're enjoying this so much," Shalltear commented. "It's like swatting flies."
Fumiko looked at the vampiric loli oddly. "I don't see how you're not… The looks of shock on their faces, the sound of their bones cracking… it's thrilling as all hell to me." She then shrugged, "Not like any of them can offer me a challenge anyway, so I might as well just play with them."
Shalltear hummed thoughtfully. "You have a point there…" Then, she smiled. "Those screams are quite pleasant, too."
Fumiko gave her another odd look, "You make it sound like you want them to suffer."
"One must extract pleasure from their work somehow," the vampire told her. "Keeps it interesting."
"Suit yourself, I guess. I don't care if they suffer or not. They took up arms on their own and are threatening that village Papa went so far outta his way to protect. As long as I win and hear their bones crack, I'm happy." (1)
''You're such an odd, little kijo, I must admit." Weren't her kind supposed to revel in human suffering? They were the literal antithesis of humanity, right?
"...I get that a lot." Fumiko shrugged helplessly. That's just how she was.
Shalltear hummed again, "I'm certain Lord Kurama created you that way for a reason."
The kijo smiled. "I'm sure Papa did, though I couldn't tell ya what it is for the life of me."
"The Supreme Beings are wise beyond us. We shouldn't question their vision."
The oni shook her head. "Papa doesn't care about that nonsense. I just never asked."
''...Nonsense?" Shalltear's voice gained an edge. To her, such a response felt blasphemous!
Fumiko nodded, not noticing―or more likely not caring about―the small vampire's reaction.
"Yeah. Nonsense. Papa's not like that at all. He takes time to talk to me and my sister. He gives us gifts. He can't cook to save his life. He laughs at stupid jokes and he makes a fool of himself sometimes too, just like a normal dad… I'm sure he feels weird being treated like a god, to be honest."
Shalltear was more than a little surprised to hear that. "Even still… he and the others are our creators. It's only natural that we'd revere them as such. And he's the only one who did not… leave."
"You mean abandon us?"
"...That feels too harsh," Shalltear commented hesitantly, averting her gaze. "I'm… I'm sure they had their reasons."
Fumiko shrugged again. "Maybe, maybe not. Never asked. I just know Papa's the only one who stayed and kept everything running."
"Which is why I and many others, I'm sure, fell for him… He didn't… get bored with us."
Fumiko frowned at that, realizing that their conversation had opened a wound in the loli. "So…" she began awkwardly, rubbing her arm while looking away, "uh… what was Lord Peroroncino like?" Turning around, she noticed the surprised look on Shalltear's face. She only shrugged in response. ''...None of the others ever just came to the 8th Floor to visit, so I never got to know them while they were around."
Maybe getting the vampire to talk about her creator would help Shalltear vent…? Hopefully, she didn't just make it worse…
"I… I see…" Said loli frowned at that. The poor thing… No wonder she acted so casually about the other Supreme Ones; she simply never had the chance to see them and how glorious they truly were! "He was a charming man, always open about his interests. He also had such a crude sense of humor." Shalltear giggled, looking rather amused. "It was quite the guilty pleasure, I'll admit."
''And what were these… interests?" Fumiko questioned, not at all knowing that she'd just opened Pandora's Box.
"Well, I'm sure even you've heard about the sex dungeon by now…" Shalltear giggled again, an uncharacteristically lewd grin upon her face, "He would often come bring me these lovely outfits, too…"
"What kind of food is this?!"
A shrill, nigh-hysterical shout and clatter of silverware drew quite a bit of attention within the dining hall. The one responsible was a woman of immaculate beauty who flicked one of her four French curls in annoyance. Every move she made was the epitome of elegance and grace. Even the woman's anger only seemed to add to her charm.
Clearly, she was a noblewoman of some sort. She simply had to be!
Her table, meanwhile, was backed to the brim with all manner of dishes: loaves of bread, still steaming in their basket; thick cuts of rare, juicy meat; buttered and mashed potatoes; sweet corn; and a salad of the freshest vegetables, drizzled in a fragrant, citrus vinaigrette.
Each one was among the finest dishes of this inn―the Shining Golden Pavilion―one of the most high-end establishments in all of E-Rantel. Miraculously, the building had been left completely untouched by yesterday's… incident; even the staff was completely unscathed, so in the wake of that, it was naught but business as usual.
For the most part…
Alas, despite the best efforts of their chefs, despite nothing but the finest ingredients having been used and their freshness insured by the casting of preservation magic, the young woman turned her nose up at it all.
"It tastes horrible," she huffed, much to the shock of nearly everyone present, leaving them all speechless.
The aged butler standing behind her was the only one who seemed completely unaffected, his stoic visage unmoving even when she turned to glare at him
"I cannot bear to remain in this rundown city any longer," the blonde said. "We are leaving, now!"
"Young Mistress," the butler replied. "It's already eve―"
"Silence!" Her tone left no room for argument as she interrupted him. "I don't care if it's the middle of the night; we are leaving!"
"Understood, Young Mistress. I shall make preparations for our departure immediately."
The woman huffed again. "If you understand then hurry up and get ready, Sebas!" And with that, she tossed the fork, stood up, and stomped out of the dining hall.
Once that little storm had passed, Sebas Tian, head butler of Nazarick bowed respectfully as he addressed the staff and other patrons. "I apologize to everyone for the disturbance," he said, before picking up the chair his companion had knocked over. Once that was done, he turned to a man waiting in the wings. "Innkeeper," he called out.
"Yes?" The man in question quickly approached.
"Once again, I apologize if anyone was startled by that display," Sebas told him. "Though it does not excuse what has happened, please, allow me to pay for everyone's meal."
The innkeeper was more than delighted by his proposal to say the least.
Sebas' eyes then fell upon a destitute-looking man shoveling food into his mouth like a damn pig. When he felt the butler's gaze, however, said man straightened up immediately and scampered on over.
"Master Sebas?"
Though his attire was no less fanciful and high-quality than that of any patron here, it did not suit him at all. In fact, Sebas found the man's outfit to be almost comically inappropriate, as if he were looking upon a clown in a fancy dress.
Seeing how the man looked like he had something to say, Sebas prompted him to spit it out. "What is it, Zach?"
"As a hired man, I am in no position to offer an alternative, but… would it be possible to reconsider leaving immediately?"
The other guests frowned at the man, his oily tone and the way he wrung his hands all but confirmed that he was a seedy, little shit.
Sebas, however, remained as stoic as ever.
"Given the Young Mistress' personality, I daresay that would be impossible. Is there an issue I am not aware of?"
"I… uh… have some business to attend to is all."
"Of course, we will not be departing right away," Sebas told him. "It will take some time to load all of the Young Mistress' luggage into the wagon. In the meantime, please do prepare for our departure."
Sebas took note the wily gleam in Zach's eye, but said nothing. Many a frown in the dining hall deepened as several patrons therein smelled the rat.
"How soon shall we be leaving then?"
"In no more than three hours," Sebas told him. Once more, he saw a calculative look in Zach's eyes, but made no indication of it.
"That'll be fine," Zach said, barely containing the cackle that threatened to surface.
"Excellent! Be on your way, then."
When the slimy, little shit scampered off, Sebas waved a hand in front of himself as if to dispel some manner of pollution that man had left behind. The butler bit back his urge to sigh.
He had no love for such despicable people. Perhaps Albedo or Demiurge could find some amusement in that man, using him as a plaything or what have you, but Sebas most certainly couldn't. Still, all was going according to plan and that was what mattered in the end. But even then...
"Good grief," he lamented. "Humans are supposed to be an outstanding species."
As Zach ran down the steps in a frantic hurry, he couldn't help but reflect on how pitiful his life had been up until now.
Born to a farmer's family in the Kingdom, where more than half of their harvest was given to the local lord, it was a harsh one to say the least. They would barely scrape by, even when said lord didn't just randomly leave them with only 20% of their harvest!
Then, his beloved sister suddenly disappeared, his parents running off to "look for" her and leaving him to tend to the farm alone. He knew from the start that she'd been sold off. Before the "Golden Princess" outlawed slavery, it was far too widespread for that not to be the case and they had been struggling.
Even to this day, when he went to the brothel for a quick lay, he simply couldn't help but see if she was there, if only to find out what happened to her. Zach doubted he'd ever find her… and even if he did, he knew it would be impossible to save her. But as her big brother, it felt like his duty to at least try.
And then, he was conscripted…
Once a year the Kingdom would mobilize against the Empire in more of a glorified annual skirmish than a legitimate war―one that no one but the nobility enjoyed as it was a quick and easy way for the bastards to "prove" that they were willing to put their lives on the line for the peasantry, but anyone with a brain could see right through that bullshit!
The only merit it held was that it meant less mouths to feed when it was done, allowing some of the struggling families to eat their fill. To make matters worse, only the lucky were actually rewarded for their services, for putting their lives on the line for king and country! Sometimes, the troops received nothing for being good, little sheep, no matter what they did!
Zach had been conscripted thrice… the second one only being more disillusioning than the first. But when that third time came, his life turned around. He looked down at the weapon in his hand and asked himself why he should return to that farm at all.
So he ran off with that weapon, not giving a damn what would become of his parents because of it. He had no love for them after they sold his sister. And as luck would have it, he managed to stumble upon a band of sellswords who aided him in fleeing.
Speaking of…
Zach quickly found himself in the slums of E-Rantel, one of the few places those skeletal dragons hadn't touched, and slunk into an alleyway. He looked several times to ensure that no one was following him, knocked three times, waited, and knocked four more.
It was a signal and he received an immediate response. A small, hidden shutter covering the peephole in the door opened up and Zach saw a man's eyes look through.
"Oh, it's you," a voice said, before opening the door. "Come in."
Later, Sebas knocked on the door to the room he and the blonde were staying in before entering. When he did, he saw a very apologetic blonde greeting him with a bow. Beside her, bowing as well, was another woman with black hair done up in a ponytail.
"Please forgive my unsightly behavior," the blonde said.
"You have no reason to apologize," he assured. "You were just playing your part, after all."
Indeed, she was; the woman in question was Solution Epsilon, one of the Pleiades Battle Maids―a master assassin, only slightly weaker than her "big sister", Lupusregina Beta.
The other woman, meanwhile, was Narberal Gamma―a battle mage, also of the Pleiades Battle Maids, and one of the strongest member of the Six Star Formation. Her bell-shaped battle armor was swapped out for the more traditional uniform worn by the homunculus maids, but this one was equipped with a quickchange gem in case shit were to hit the fan. (2)
Sebas looked around the luxurious suite, not at all surprised that it was unimpressive. Then again, he was in charge of Nazarick's 9th Floor, so it went without saying that he was not easy to impress. He also saw that the luggage was already packed up and tucked away for when they leave.
"I'll tidy up the rest," he said.
"S-sir, I couldn't possibly let you do that…"
"I must also protest," Narberal spoke up, looking just as aghast at the very thought.
Sebas shook his head, giving Solution a small, mischievous grin. "You're to play the part of a rich, spoiled lady. I am your butler, am I not?"
The blonde returned the smile, though hers was far more uncomfortable. "E-even so, I'm your subordinate… it feels awkward."
"Consider it an order, then." Sebas said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Rest here until we set out." He turned his attention to Narberal. "You, meanwhile, are to assist me."
"Of course," Narberal replied. She still looked uncomfortable at the thought of letting Sebas do so much work, but orders were orders.
"V-very well," Solution relented. "So… am I to assume that everything is going according to plan?"
"You are. That performance of yours should attract more than enough attention, so it would be a shock if we didn't encounter bandits along the way."
"Oh, we will," the blonde assured. "That Zach fellow just got done arranging it." Then her expression twisted and contorted into a maniacal grin that was simply not possible for the human face to form. "I want to eat him when we do…"
Sebas couldn't help but wonder what she'd heard that man say while listening in on that conversation. "All in good time, Solution. He has a purpose to serve, first."
"Of course, sir…" She bowed to him again.
A single stagecoach galloped away from the fortress city in the dead of night, heading west towards the kingdom's Royal Capital. The full moon bathed the land, illuminating it surprisingly well, but did nothing to reveal something nefarious hiding in the shadows...
Sebas and the others, keeping up their guises of a highborn lady and her two servants, were seated inside said stagecoach, enjoying the comfortable silence. None spoke to one another, for they had nothing more to speak about until their trap was sprung.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped. Solution and Narberal exchanged looks with the butler. The maids' eyes conveyed a simple question, and Sabas' single nod was an equally simple answer.
They waited a couple moments more before somebody started banging on the carriage door.
"Hey! Time to get out, you three!"
The first to follow the stranger's orders was Sebas. Stepping out of the carriage, followed by Narberal.
When the latter exited the stagecoach, many a bandit unabashedly salivated at her beauty. If this looker was just a maid, they looked forward to seeing the mistress!
Sebas eyeballed the bandits for a moment before addressing Solution as she was still inside, behaving with all the haughtiness her role would entail.
"My lady." he said, offering a hand to her, "you have visitors."
Several of the men behind him laughed, others leered perversely when Solution stepped outside. She sneered at them like a true highborn lady who had never needed to lift a finger in her life before glancing at Sebas.
"Is this all of them, Sebas?"
The butler looked around one more time before nodding his head.
"It would appear so, my lady."
"That's good to hear," Solution said with a smile, "It's been too long since I got to sate my... hunger~!"
Many a man in the area shuddered delightedly as she punctuated that sentence by untying her bodice. She then peeled it off and let her ample bosom spring free from its cloth confines. Then, her dress slipped down as she presented herself to them, inviting them to have their way with her. It was too good to be true!
Indeed, it was… but they didn't know that yet.
"So," Solution cooed. "Who wants to go first~?"
One particularly brazen soul came forth, dropping his spear and copping a feel before anyone could react… and that would be the last thing he ever did.
"W-what…?" His hands sank right into her, as though she was made of water, but no matter how hard he tried to pull out, her iron grip kept him in place. "What the hell are you?!"
"I'm a predator slime, of course~!" Solution giggled. She took note of the thunder of murmurs that followed and grinned evilly. "Oh, I see~! My kind doesn't exist in this world. How lovely~!" Then, the man inside her chest screamed in agony and panic, feeling as though a thousand needles were impaling his hands at once, before being pulled in deeper… and deeper… and deeper.
Bloop~!
And in an instant, he was gone, devoured by her seemingly liquid form and digested just as quickly.
"Delicious~!" Solution cooed, licking her chops. "So, who's next?"
And so, Sebas' little side quest of collecting some bandits to interrogate went on without a hitch... save for maybe Solution's appetite being much bigger than expected. In the end, it took no less than five, Zach included, to satisfy her, but that still left plenty for Lord Kurama.
Of course, this was not actually part of their mission; Naruto just wanted them to head to the city of Re-Estize and gather intel. Buuut, when a certain youko muttered to himself about looking for bandits while he and Lupusregina were out and about, Sebas got the "hint" and quickly got to work setting up this arrangement with Solution's help. (3)
While Solution enjoyed her new playthings and Shalltear was giving his poor baby girl a sizable collection of mental scars, a troubled Naruto sat in his true form upon the bed of their room in the inn, a haunted look upon his face.
After meeting his… inner demon… he had come to terms with never going back to feeling like a normal human. But, still… to think he was capable of doing what he had without remorse.
"Is everything alright, Milord?" Lupusregina asked, a concerned pout upon her face.
"Huh?"
The pout slowly slid off her face, turning into a deep, troubled frown. "You look like something's eating at you…"
Naruto sighed. "When I found those necromancers in that hideout, there was a girl guarding them," he said.
The werewolf tilted her head at that. "I didn't see anything there when I looked… Hell, I didn't even smell any woman there, save for… well you?"
Naruto laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh.
"Yes, that would be thanks to a spell I used. Destroy Evidence. Nothing remained after it was done living up to the name."
"Oh?" Lupusregina looked at him oddly. "Why did you do that…?"
"It would've raised some awkward questions," Naruto replied. Then, he let out a sigh. "I… well… I… let loose on her… and she died."
Of course, he pointedly avoided specifying how she died, but his companion got the hint: it wasn't pretty. Not in the fucking slightest.
Lupusregina tilted her head again, looking at him oddly. Naruto didn't know how to feel about her both seemingly understanding and not caring about the implication. Then, the red-haired maid spoke up after a moment of thought. "She was a human, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, what's the problem?" She was so confused… Why was this bothering him? "Humans are nothing more than food and playthings to our kind... 'Cept for little sis, of course."
It was so easy to forget that Aureole was human... But, then again, she was above and beyond her paltry race, an immortal who had been created by the supreme ones... which was why Lupusregina found it so easy to forget that she still was a human at the end of the day.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Naruto shook his head with a humorless chuckle. "This might come as a surprise," he began. "But… well, I was human once. Guess a part of me is still kinda shocked by the fact that I didn't feel anything but relief."
That did come as a surprise to say the least. "Oh, wow! I... I never woulda guessed…" To think one of the Supreme Ones used to be something so tiny and insignificant… only to become something so glorious! It made her realize just how badass he really was.
Naruto sighed, her look of adoration left unnoticed. "I never would've done something like that back then," he continued. "It should sicken me. I should be hating myself for it, I should feel remorse for her, I should be afraid of what I'm capable of doing without a second thought… But it didn't bother me. Not at all. I loved it, in fact!"
Her breath hitched at his haunted expression. Lupusregina hesitated, but her lord clearly needed to talk about it. ''...Do you regret it?"
Naruto grabbed his hair and pulled at it in frustration. "I don't... and that's the fucking problem!"
Lupusregina frowned and took a seat right next to him. "Forgive me m'lord," she began hesitantly, "but I don't see how it is. What you were is… well, just that… It's what you were. Please, don't let it bother you, it's not healthy."
"How can I?"
"Look at it this way… it's not about what you were, but what you are… and who you are," she said, smiling. "You're something more, now. Something greater. You are one of the Supreme Beings of Nazarick, now… and the only one who stayed behind while the others got… bored with us and left."
Despite her oddly-soothing, matter-of-fact tone, Naruto could sense the bitterness she felt. "They didn't leave because they got bored," he told her, letting out a sigh.
Lupusregina flinched at that, immediately assuming that she'd offended him. "M-my apologies, I…"
"It's fine," the youko assured. "I can't blame you for coming to that conclusion… thanks for the pep-talk, though… I needed that." He'd still need more time to come to terms with all of this, but still… that helped.
Feeling emboldened, the werewolf nodded and smiled at him warmly. "Anytime, m'lord."
The next day, in… what was left of the guild hall after one of the skeletal dragons fell on top of it, Naruto and Lupusregina, back in their alter egos, stood before the guildmaster as Pluton spoke.
"Let me be the first to congratulate you," he said. "Not only did you save this city, but you did so alone where many others would've perished."
The man in question was no longer in his old, barely-still-fitting battle armor. Now, he was garbed in a simple tunic, shirt and trousers. His hair was combed back and he looked pretty well kempt despite his workload in the wake of that half-assed zombie apocalypse. His five-o'-clock shadow was the only sign of anything amiss.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "It wasn't that hard…"
"Yes, quite," the man said, giving the "girl" before him an unreadable look, "I suppose that new moniker will suit you, then."
Naruto blinked stupidly, not knowing what he was on about. "Moniker...?"
The guildmaster nodded. "They're calling you 'Kushina the Untouchable', now. Quite fitting, given their claims of how you so effortlessly danced and hopped around those undead hordes." (4)
Naruto turned beet red at that, legitimately embarrassed, but somewhat proud of himself. "It wasn't that impressive…'' he insisted.
"I'm sure your colleagues would beg to differ," Pluton told him with a boisterous laugh. "It's nice to see that you're not letting your skills get to your head though―despite your age, no less! You have no idea how refreshing that is!"
"Kushina has always been pretty wise for her age," Lupusregina chimed in. "And a little too humble for her own good."
"A true prodigy, then?"
"N-no! Not at all!" Naruto waved his hands in front of him, "I'm just… uh, really good at fighting…?''
The guildmaster laughed again. "Ah, to be so young and innocent again!" Pushing those thoughts aside, Pluton then addressed the "blonde" before him. "Well, then," he said, "let's put you in a position where you can make proper use of that skill, shall we?"
Naruto lowered his hands and looked at him oddly. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going to grant you the rank of gold-plate, of course!" Hell, he was tempted to bump "Kushina" up to Mithril! And he would have too, had he seen the spectacle for himself, but this seemed a bit more reasonable, given "her" lack of experience.
For a moment, Naruto just… stared. The guildmaster took his reaction as a sign he was shocked―which he was, but not as badly as it looked. He was just surprised that his "career" would progress this quickly. He hadn't even planned on rising through the ranks at this point; his goal was to find out more about the world more than anything.
But… then again, this promotion would actually put him into a better position to do precisely that, since it meant that he could take on more dangerous missions and actually meet the higher-ranking adventurers.
He felt a weight settle on his shoulder and turned to see Lupusregina smiling at him.
"Isn't that great, Kushina?"
"Uh… yes… it is," he muttered hesitantly, making a show of acting overwhelmed. He was, in truth, the exact opposite, though. To be placed in the top-ranks of the 'normie' adventurers that quickly… it showed just how weak the humans in this world really were...
"As for Regina," Pluton added, "She will be granted the rank of silver-plate. Her feats weren't quite as impressive as yours, but she was instrumental in keeping everyone alive."
"You're too kind," Lupusregina said, making a show of looking sheepish.
Not much later, the two of them were sitting in the guild hall's lounge, their new plates on full display, as they met back up with the Swords of Darkness.
Unfortunately...
"Oh, my dear, sweetest Kushina! Not only are you the fairest maiden in the guild, but you've even ascended beyond me like a rising star~!"
...that included Lukrut.
Naruto sighed, looking up at the annoying ranger in disdain.
"You won't take the hint, will you?" He growled, tempted to end this whole charade and choke a bitch. "I'll spell it out for you, Lukrut. I. Am. Not. Interested!"
What would happen if he used Destroy Evidence on a living being…? Questions for another time―a time he wasn't so tempted to test it on a colleague.
"Ah~! Your cruel words cut deep, but I know you mean them not, truly! Just wait a bit my dear, and you'll see that true love conquers all!"
Like right now...
Fortunately, Ninya intervened, whacking the lovestruck ranger upside the head before he could get himself killed by a 3rd-Tier caster who was established to be on the rag. "Behave, you," she muttered.
"Thanks for the help," Naruto grumbled, eliciting a round of laughs from everyone around the table. He meant it, truly… he was just a little grumpy is all.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Peter asked after everyone's chuckling died down.
Naruto turned to look at him quizzically. "What'dya mean, Peter?"
"It's just that, we were supposed to show you the ropes and keep you safe until you got the hang of this whole adventuring thing. Seems like a moot point now that you're a gold-plate, though."
Naruto tapped his chin with a lone finger, making a big show of thinking about it as he looked up cutely.
It was super effective! (5)
"I was thinking of going back to Carne Village for a bit…'' he said, before biting his lip, "but after that, I don't see why we couldn't go on more quests together. I may be a gold-plate, but I'm still a rookie. I do feel like I need a break after saving a damn city almost singlehandedly, though..."
Truth be told, it was just an excuse to up and vanish for a bit so he and Enri could learn how to read. If he went missing all of a sudden without explanation, that might raise some awkward questions.
"Sounds like a plan," Peter said with an enthusiastic grin. "Give us a holler when you get back, eh?"
"I will," Naruto assured. Then, he groaned, faking a bit of stomach pain.
"Is everything alright?" Dyne asked.
"Just a cramp is all." He was supposed to be having… lady issues, so it would be a bit suspicious if he didn't act the part. His cheeks burned red at the thought, but he rolled with it…
"Oh, fair maiden. Tell me how I can help your a―ouch!"
"Seriously Lukrut." Ninya muttered, yanking hard on his ear and drawing more pained yelps from the ranger. "It's like you're trying to get yourself killed."
Meanwhile, deep in the heart of the Slane Theocracy, a young man entered the Grand Hall of the Six Cardinals. He was a warrior of the priesthood, garbed in an ornate plate and wielding an equally-decorated spear. He looked rather androgynous with long, black, wavy locks of hair spilling down past his shoulders and sharp red eyes.
This man was Zulphas Azrael, captain of the Black Scripture, and awaiting him in the chamber were three people. (6)
He recognized them immediately; the first was an elderly woman wearing a gold and white, magic dress, Lady Kaire, wielder of the holy treasure known as Downfall of Castle and Country. The second was a much younger woman, a bespectacled, red-eyed blonde in otherworldly attire.
Garbed in a pleated skirt, thigh-high stockings, a maroon blazer, simple shoes, and a black hair bow, this woman was unmistakably the Thousand Leagues Astrologer, 7th Seat of the Black Scripture, Roberta Thalissra Elisande.
They tended to call her Bobbie. (7)
Zulphas greeted her with a polite smile and then turned his attention to the only other man in the room.
The man was a tall and imposing one with a commanding presence, standing head well above Zulphas with broad shoulders and a neatly-trimmed full beard. His hair was a salted gray and hue, his eyes were black as coal, and his garb made it clear that he was one of the six cardinals. His blue miter was decorated with gold, sporting a line of rubies in the center, his brown and gold mantle denoting his status as the Cardinal of Earth to be more specific.
Despite seeming at least a decade younger, he was in his mid-forties, though not just his appearance made that hard to believe as he was in good health for his age. If so desired, he could still whoop the asses of many of Zulphas' peers.
This was Raymond Zarg Lauransan—commander of the Six Scriptures… or rather, the remaining five. He was also a former member of the Black Scripture himself, having held the third seat in his prime.
"I'm glad you could join us on such short notice, Captain Azrael," the man greeted
"Your eminence," Zulphas replied, bowing his head. ''I came as soon as I was made aware of my summons. The Black Scripture is at your service."
"As they always have been," he said, a polite smile gracing his face. Then his expression turned dead serious. "That said, I shall cut to the chase. Ever since the Sunlight Scripture failed to remove that obstacle to our vision, Gazef Stronoff, many of our expeditionary forces have grown silent." He then gestured to the bespectacled blonde. "Ms Elisande has expressed her opinion that something―or someone―is hunting them." He frowned, his tone growing dire. "Such an affront to our cause cannot be tolerated."
"I believe this is the doing of the heathen sorcerer, Ainz Ooal Goal," Bobbie chimed in. "I cannot tell what is killing them, but there's ten of them, two of considerable might."
"Have you heard of this man, Captain?" Raymond asked.
"Only in passing, your eminence," Zulphas replied. "If I am not mistaken, he is the one responsible for wiping out the Sunlight Scripture."
Their spy in the Royal Capital had told them as much, soon after Gazef Stronoff had returned and issued his report.
"He is," the cardinal confirmed. "That said, the Black Scripture is to slay these ten demons and escort Lady Kaire to Carne Village, near the Great Forest of Tob. We believe this heathen has made his lair somewhere in the area. You shall bring justice upon this interloper, for he stands in the way of humanity's destiny manifest."
"Of course."
"Lady Kaire is to use her treasure only as a last resort," Raymond told him. "If you manage to defeat these demons without her help, proceed to Carne Village. If not, bring the one she ensnares back alive so that we can study it." (8)
Later on, now back in Nazarick's amphitheater, Naruto was eyeballing one of their new prisoners, the poor bastard had seen better days and his arms held in place by Cocytus in preparation for this little experiment.
Naruto made a mental note to reward Sebas and the others for going above and beyond the call of duty like that... But such things would have to wait.
"Right," he said, "time to figure out what's going on with my Physical Attack stat."
One could practically see the question marks floating above the bandit's head at that.
Pulling Wrath of Jigoku from his belt, Naruto handed it over to Aura, he staggered a bit, suddenly feeling rather weak. He shook it off, though, before reaching into his inventory and pulling out the staff he used while in the guise of Kushina. Raising the impromptu beating stick up high, he brought it down upon the bandit's head...
Whack!
As should be the case for a character with literally zero Physical attack, the strike did... absolutely nothing. Raising the staff once more, Naruto tried again... and again... and again.
Whack!
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!
Strike after strike came down upon the man, not one of them doing any visible damage, if any at all, and when Naruto kicked him in the gonads for good measure, the bandit didn't even flinch.
Of course, the bandit found it far more amusing than he should have, laughing at and berating Naruto for hitting like a toddler.
The youko ignored it, gesturing for Cocytus to do the same when the insectoid... somehow looked about ready to tear his prisoner in half. Naruto didn't quite know how he could tell; the Guardian's body language gave no such indication and he was literally incapable of conveying emotion like a human with that face, but somehow, Naruto could still read him like a book.
Shrugging it off, he retrieved Wrath of Jigoku from an irate Aura and slipped the sword into his inventory, a black tear in space time opening up as he did so. Seemingly as a result, Naruto suddenly reinvigorated when he did so.
It was so weird...
Humming thoughtfully, Naruto couldn't help but wonder if that was a side-effect of the sword's ability. Well, there was only one way to find out, and with that thought in mind, the youko raised his staff once more and...
Splat!
What followed was an explosion of gore and bandit as Naruto's suspicions were confirmed in their entirety.
Staring at the gelid bugman who was now painted red and holding a pair of disembodied arms, Naruto retrieved his sword and cast All Appraisal Magic Item upon it. Several images flashed through his mind, revealing the stats, abilities, price, and so on. Then, Naruto perked up as something in the flavor text caught his attention.
"So powerful is the magic upon this sword that it only needs to be on one's person for the enchantments to affect them."
"On their person..." Naruto mused aloud. "So, in other words, it only needs to be in my inventory, now?" As that realization came to mind, he cackled. "That is so broken! I love it!"
"Broken, my lord?" Aura asked, looking confused. He said that like it's a good thing...
"Uh, right..." the youko muttered, deciding to clear things up. "I meant 'broken' as in a slang term for 'overpowered'. It basically comes from breaking the rules? That's the best way I have to describe it."
Returning his attention to Wrath of Jigoku, Naruto chuckled ominously. Needless to say, in Yggdrasil, the sword had to actually be equipped for its effects to apply, but now...
"I wish I knew about that effect sooner," he mused aloud. "I can't help but wonder what else was changed when we ended up in this new world." (9)
Once that experiment was concluded and Naruto and the others had themselves a bath to clean off the bandit's remains, the youko and his werewolf companion found themselves amid the desolate wasteland of the 8th floor as they ventured forth, chatting about Naruto's plans for the immediate future.
"I'm surprised by how much of that creature's flirting you're willing to put up with," Lupusregina commented. "I do hope it's worth the information we've gained."
"Don't remind me, please." Naruto groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Every time he opens his mouth, I wanna chuck a fireball down his throat."
"My offer still stands."
"I'll have to decline, for now… it might complicate things if he went missing."
Lupusregina pouted.
"Forgive me, Lord Kurama, but you're no fun."
Naruto chuckled, looking at her over his shoulder. "You guys might not find the slow pace fun, but we really don't know much about what's out there." Naruto sighed. "We need information. A lot of information. He who knows his enemy and all that."
"Quoting humans, Boss?" Naruto stopped mid-stride as he heard Tayuya's voice. The red-haired kijo seemingly out of the desert itself like a mirage with a familiar scowl on her face as she approached the duo. "You know, when you said you had something for Fumiko to do, I was admittedly relieved at first. You have no idea how many headaches I get from her… but damn am I bored, now…"
"I figured you would be," Naruto chuckled, ruffling his daughter's hair around her horns. "Your timing is perfect, by the way."
Tayuya raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to one side. ''..."
Naruto did the same, cocking his head to the same side. ''..."
Tayuya crossed her arms with another scowl when he didn't elaborate.
Naruto chuckled.
"I'm here to… relieve you of that boredom."
Tayuya opened her mouth to say something… before his words registered in her head. Whatever scathing remark she had was strangled in its infancy.
''...Really?"
"Believe it!" Naruto grinned at her. (10)
Tayuya snorted at that. "Alright, I'll bite, Boss. What'dya have in mind?"
Several days later, Fumiko and Shalltear were on the prowl once more, near the southern border, conducting business as usual.
Said mission was going rather poorly, though, much to their mild irritation. None of the humans they fought in the last few weeks showed any particular strength or skill that would impress even the lowest of creatures within Nazarick.
"I'm booored." Fumiko whined childishly. "It's been three whole daaays since I got to break someone."
An those bandits weren't didn't last long, either...
Hearing the young kijo's complaints, Shalltear sighed wearily. She had felt such elation upon hearing that Lord Kurama entrusted his daughter to her, but her childishness was so unbecoming… Still, she didn't question his creation.
And besides… being this overgrown child's "mother" over the past couple of weeks served as wonderful practice for when she finally made Lord Kurama hers started giving him an army of heirs~!
"Fumiko, dear, stop complaining. It's unfitting of a lady." Shalltear began once her daydreaming reached an end. "As the crown princess of Nazarick, you need to learn patience."
Fumiko crossed her arms and snorted. "I am patient… somewhat…" She cleared her throat, averting her gaze. She didn't even need to look to know that Shalltear smelled the bullshit. "It's just that we haven't had anything to do for three days…"
"I know, honey, but still, we have an image to uphold," Shalltear scolded. "We don't want to make Papa look bad, do we?"
Fumiko grumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?" Shalltear asked sternly.
"N-nothing…" After seeing the loli vampire beating those brides of hers for displeasing her, Fumiko knew better than to get on her bad side. She wasn't into spankings.
"Good… Now… she should be here any moment." (11)
The woman whom Shalltear was mentioning was one of her vampire brides, lesser creatures of the loli's creation. They were only level 20 or so, but in this world, that was more than sufficient from the looks of it, and she had a small troop of them… or rather a large harem, though Shalltear had only brought eight of them with her for this assignment.
Fumiko didn't want to think about it… mostly because Shalltear liked beating them.
Then, the kijo's train of thought was interrupted by a woman with skin as white as her revealing dress; she had pointed ears and piercing, red eyes with slit pupils and black sclerae and her raven locks were done up in a feminine bob.
"Lady Shalltear," the woman said, kneeling before her mistress. "There is a rather large company on their way as we speak."
The loli perked up at that. "Oh? Would you say any of them might put up a good fight, this time?"
The lower vampire hesitated, unsure if it was a trick question or not.
Shalltear, however, wasn't one to be ignored by her minions. "Well?"
"I… cannot say for sure," she admitted. The bride flinched at her mistress' look of disapproval. "Th-they appear to be led by a team of adventurers, thirteen strong," she continued. "The company itself is around 1,000 strong."
Fumiko perked up, hearing the information. Even if they weren't strong at all, such numbers might give her a bit of a workout. "What rank are these adventurers?"
After hearing that Papa was posing as one, when he checked on her, the kijo was quick to learn of their pecking order. Of course, she relayed that information to Shalltear, since she thought it might be useful in case they encountered any.
"I… did not see any plates of Lord Kurama's description," the bride said. "They weren't wearing any, but they are clearly leading the incursion and otherwise fit the description of adventurers."
"So they're hiding their rank or these people are... workers, I believe they're called?" Shalltear concluded.
"Yes, Milady."
"Workers?" Fumiko questioned; it wasn't a title her Papa told her about. "Who are they?"
"Apparently, that's what they call former adventurers who've gone rogue," Shalltear explained.
"So traitors, you mean?" Fumiko asked with a frown. The thought of people forsaking their oaths mildly irked her, but the idea of them betraying Papa in particular made her skin crawl.
"In a sense." The loli then smiled, sauntering forth. "Come, now, Fumiko, let us… greet our new guests."
A large procession of spear-wielding footmen, bowmen, arbalists, holy knights templar, blessed clerics and destruction-wielding battlemages marched through the woodlands of Re-Estize's southern border with orders to aid with the Baharuth Empire's subjugation of this heathen kingdom when one of the knights templar heard something strange; something unlike the rest of the forest's peaceful ambiance.
Pausing in his march, the blessed warrior turned to seek the source.
Clad in heavy plate, the Paladin was a fearsome sentinel of war. He dedicated himself and his entire life to battling monsters that prey upon human souls and training in the ways of the sword, shield and faith.
A man of noble birth and great talent, the Paladin represented the epitome of might a human could achieve save for those blessed souls who bore one of the six holy bloodlines.
It was men like the Paladin whose efforts ensured mankind would prevail in a world set out to kill them all; either for food or sport.
"WHAT'S UP, BITCHES?!" (12)
Clang!
None of that aided the mighty Paladin when a little horned girl barely reaching up to his shoulders appeared right in front of him and, with a swing of her hardy bat, sent him flying over the horizon. His fellows, surprised by the sudden attack but well trained with years of experience, reacted before the Paladin's body even felt the blow. Armored knights stepped to the forefront, drawing shortswords and holding up their shields; footmen flanked them in practiced pairs, their long spears leveled at the demon; bowmen nocked arrows while arbalists loaded their hallowed bolts; the many armsmen of the Slane Theocracy moving to encircle the intruder. Buffs, auras and blessings were bestowed upon them by the clerics while the battlemages stood back, preparing to weave their spells.
The sight of such frigid coordination and steely resolve should've―would've, had this foe been anyone else―forced even the bravest of monsters to pause.
Clearly, they had never met a creation of the Supreme Ones.
"Oh?" Fumiko quirked an eyebrow, the hint of a grin tugging at one corner of her lips, "You're not cowering in fright?"
Their response came in the form of arrows and bolts.
Naturally, none of them left even so much as a scratch on her.
"Hahaha! Silent types, aren't ya? Doesn't matter. You schmucks look strong enough to entertain me for a while." Fumiko threw her head back and laughed heartily as arcs of pink lightning crackled over her form, glowing runes of the same color appearing all over her armor. "So long as that's the case, I don't care! Ready or not, here I come!"
Tensing her legs, Fumiko let them have one long second so they could understand just how fucked they were before the ground beneath her feet exploded in a shower of dirt and the pink-haired kijo rocketed towards the strongest-looking warrior there, plowing through every man who stood in her path along the way and sending them flying as she bulldozed past.
Ignoring his weak attempt to swing a sword and the flimsy spear thrusts, Fumiko delivered a punishing blow in the middle of his torso with her tetsubo, blasting him towards the closest spellcaster and killing the poor sod in the process, squashing him like a bug beneath the knight's armored bulk.
Fumiko was unphased by the spells sent her way as she dashed towards the knight's two spear-men. Though her Sprint ability still on cooldown, she still vanished in a blur of motion before backhanding one across the cheek with enough force to break his neck and grabbing the second by his face. With a grin and a tug, she threw him into the path of an incoming Frostbolt.
"Come on! Don't tell me that's the best you lot can do!" Fumiko shouted, dashing ahead, the force of her forward motion and armored bulk blasting a path of flying bodies through the procession.
Ceasing her charge, accompanied by a mighty blast of wind and a thunderclap, she came to a stop before a bowman and, before anyone could react, smashed his chest cavity in. A split second later, she swung around, hitting the chanting cleric on the side of his head, caving his skull in just as well. Two more men fell soon after, then vanishing in another blur of motion, she aimed her charge at the biggest knight of the lot with another war-cry.
Before she could crush him like a piece of chalk, the paladin's body glowed with numerous reinforcement buffs; one of which seemed to boost his reaction time. Twisting around so that, instead of smacking into him, she landed on his shield with both of her feet, Fumiko used the Paladin as a spring-board, crashing into another pair of spearmen and punting their dead bodies into the air.
"If this is all you guys have, then I'm very disappointed!" She didn't even notice two fireballs hitting her, seemingly swallowed by an invisible barrier, before batting away the next three and sending them into clusters of her enemies.
"Harder! Faster! Give me all you got!" Fumiko shouted at them, her grin widening.
Blasting another crater into the dirt, she charged towards the same paladin she did before. When he raised his shield for a block, she stopped, kicking up a small cloud of dirt while spinning on her heels. When he tried to cut at her, she grabbed his wrist with her free hand and broke it with a flick, earning a pained grunt from the blessed-warrior. The paladin headbutted her.
Fumiko blinked owlishly. Then, her grin turned feral.
"Is that how you want to play?"
Drawing back, she headbutted him in turn. Seeing him his eyes roll back, blood seeping from his eyes and nose, she raised her tetsubo and swung with all her might.
"Good grief…" Shalltear started, shaking her head with a slight smile. The chibi vampire ignored the broken carcass of another paladin as it flew past her and approached Fumiko.
She was now in her blood red armor, a pair of white, feathery wings on her back and a lance shaped like a tear dropper in her hand; a tube ran from the butt end of her weapon, connected to Shalltear's back. And with her were the vampire loli's dozen or so very satisfied-looking brides.
"You really are an impatient little girl, Fumiko," Shalltear commented, not unkindly. "Didn't I say to wait?"
"But they looked so clueless…'' Fumiko whined, hopping back after caving in the chest of another knight, leaning her head to the side and tilting it in thought when a bolt of holy light whizzed past her right ear. ''And I was getting so bored just standing there..." she said, watching as one of Shalltear's brides started sucking the life right out of the battlemage's throat. The others engaged the last of the remaining knights and their footmen.
"Tsk-tsk-tsk." Shalltear looked up at the girl and chided with a gleam in her eyes, waving a finger back and forth, "That's not how a young lady should act."
Fumiko snorted, kicking up a rock from the ground and launching it at one of the terrified but unyielding footmen with her tetsubo; if nothing else, she had to admit that these humans had guts.
"I ain't no lady."
Shalltear's smile turned into an evil grin.
"Really? And I thought you said you wanted to make Papa proud."
Fumiko crossed her arms.
Shalltear continued her minute-lecture, holding back a coo at the odd little kijo's adorable petulance. "Having the manners of a brute hardly sounds like a step in the right direction, Fumiko. Your behavior does reflect back on him, after all."
The pinkette pouted childishly. ''...no fair!"
"Well, what's done is done, I suppose…" Shalltear sighed. "The rear company is gone, so all that's left are these few, the forward company and their escort. Come along, now. I'm sure those adventurers will give you some challenge."
Fumiko brightened up at that, her pout now gone.
"You think?"
Shalltear nodded. Her bride did say the group was led by some strong-seeming adventurers. And they knew better than to lie to her.
Fumiko cheered.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's gooo~!"
The common-place, day-to-day chattering that marked the usual lunch break in Carne Village suddenly grew louder―livelier―when the human half of its denizens caught wind of a "strangely-dressed wizard'' approaching them.
Said wizard was accompanied by a woman dressed from head to toe in black armor, two dark elf children, and a younger, dark-skinned woman with red hair, wearing a weird, robe-like dress.
All of the goblin scouts who sighted them felt that these people seemed like bad news, so they were surprised when the villagers looked happy instead of frightened. Though the village-folk knew not who the redhead and the little elves were, all possible doubt was removed the instant he and his posse came into view.
The hero had returned.
Naruto arrived at the eastern gate and was greeted with open arms, much to the delight of his subordinates. They all agreed that this was precisely how their Supreme One should be treated―even Tayuya, though she was more chill about it as one would expect.
Of course, Enri was the first one to greet them, the village chief in tow.
"It's so nice to see you again, Lord Ainz," the blonde chirped.
"Same here," Naruto replied, his grin making her cheeks burn, "I couldn't help but notice the new fence, though… among other things. Is everything okay?"
"It is now," Enri assured. "Also, everyone's more or less eager to see your true form, so no need to hide it while you're here."
Needless to say, that got many a curious look from the crowd as they all wondered what he really looked like. Naruto couldn't help but give them a sheepish grin from all of the attention he was getting.
"Alright," he said. "Just so you know, though, my wife and daughter aren't human either."
That just added fuel to the fire, much to Naruto mild embarrassment. And so he took on his true form, urging Tayuya to do the same and Albedo to remove her helm. Of course, they were a bit more nervous about it, but did as he asked.
The villagers all marveled as Naruto allowed for his ears and tails to appear. Many a young boy, meanwhile, was enamored by Albedo's pretty face, not minding the horns so much. Many of the townsfolk did wonder what she and Tayuya were, though.
"To clear things up," Naruto said, "I am a kitsune, a race of shapeshifting fox-people from a far away land named Niflheim. The redhead's my daughter, Tayuya… previous marriage as I'm sure you can tell. So, yeah, I'm older than I look. She's an oni, for the record―a species of... far-eastern ogre? Sorry, but her kind is really different from anything in the area, so that's the best I've got." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
It wasn't inaccurate. They were closer to demons or monsters, but her specific brand of oni was close enough to an ogre. Fortunately, he was able to learn rather quickly that oni don't actually exist here… at least to the knowledge of the adventurers' guild, so it was safe to assume that Tayuya's variety didn't exist, thus giving the villagers no real basis to be wary of her. (13)
Though the goblins appeared to be scared shitless...
"A female one is called a kijo, by the way," he added. "Her mother was one and I'm part-oni, myself, despite the lack of actual horns, so she's more kijo than anything... and I'm sure you remember Albedo." Naruto gestured to the succubus and letting them assume that she was the same thing as Tayuya. "Finally, the elves are Aura and Mare, friends of the family."
Enri, her cheeks red, bowed to them.
"H-hello, and welcome to Carne Village."
Tayuya walked up to her and gave the blonde a once over, which caused the young lass to fidget, before Tayuya sniffed Enri and nodded to herself.
"I think I'll like you." Her words left Enri equally confused and embarrassed. "Gonna have ta work on 'at confidence though."
Naruto chuckled at their interaction, happy to see Tayuya making friends. She didn't really get along with anyone in Nazarick, save for her sister and the other 8th Floor NPCs, so this was very refreshing.
"A-anyway, Lord Ainz," Enri sputtered. "I'm sure you and your family would like to rest up and eat; we just started lunch and you're more than welcome to join us."
The youko smiled at that. "We'd love to."
DMS Notes and Trivia:
1: There are many forms of evil, so I figured that making her and Tayuya have their own ways of being such would give them more character in that regard. So, Naruto is the evil conqueror type, raping and pillaging. Fumiko is the more childish variety; she enjoys playing with and breaking people, not caring if they suffer, or not, but extracting some pleasure from their pain regardless. As for Tayuya... you'll have to wait and see. =3
2: Needless to say, Sebas and Solution have a similar mission to what they were doing in canon, but with Narberal there to provide better communication with the others back home.
3: Someone's given more than one person the wrong idea, lol.
4: Literally the first moniker that came to mind, lol. It's partially inspired by Phage the Untouchable, one of my favorite cards in Magic: the Gathering. I have that deck I had built around her to this day, upwards of a decade and a half later.
You have no idea how salty people get when they see the playset of Cabal Coffers... which were six bucks a piece when I got 'em. XD
Ahem... That said, the moniker itself is quite fitting, albeit for very different reasons. I kinda like it, though I'm admittedly biased, lol.
5: Naruko used Pout! Critical Hit! It's Super-Effective!
...I am not sorry. XD
6: Was this not his name...? I could've sworn I saw it on the wiki a while back, but it has since been removed. In either case, I'mma stick with it for the sake of getting this shit out there some time this year, lol.
7: I don't know why, but she looks like a Bobbie to me, so I'mma call her Bobbie in light of the girl and her peers being mostly unnamed.
8: This scene was primarily responsible for that delay. Originally, Zulphas had met up with all six cardinals, but it felt so sloppily done because juggling all of them and remembering all of those names was a bitch, lol.
It took forever for me to redo, but I like how this looks.
9: This scene was inspired by one of my reviewers, Gaming Masters of The Wall, as he pointed out something very interesting about magical items in Overlord.
10: Grating as I find Naruto's catchphrase to be, this situation was just too perfect for that little callback not to be there. Don't remember if it was me or AdV who inserted it, but damn does it fit!
11: Something about the mental image of Shalltear trying to act motherly just... tickles me, lol.
12: Hello, Teddy. XD In all seriousness, that ERB reference was just too perfect for her character.
13: Still not quite sure if that's the case, but fuck it, we'll say it is, lol.
Parting Note: And that is another chapter done.
Quite pleased with this one, I must say. Gonna have a lotta fun editing the next one, too. =3
That said, it and the next chapter of the Mirran are scheduled to be uploaded on the 5th... alongside a nice, little surprise for the readers of another series of mine. =3 If I'm not able to deliver all three updates, rest assured that what I was unable to post will be released as soon as possible.
The following chapters for Vulpine Overlord and The Mirran, meanwhile, will be released on the 19th.
Hope y'all have a good one, eh? :)