The sun was slowly starting to set when Luka and Alma Elma arrived in sight of the hidden village of Enrika. Even if monsters were accepted today, the village remained isolated by a mix of force of habit and a desire to be left alone. That, and nobody wanted to face its guardian.
From high up, Luka could see that his own appearance created a few ripples on the ground. Several elves hid themselves, while someone was stepping outside likely to meet him. He didn't even need to see her to guess that it was Micaela.
As he landed, he indeed confirmed that it was his aunt. The disguised seraph was still wearing her usual green outfit, with matching long boots and gloves. Her golden hair seemed to flow in her back like a cascade while her blue, gentle gaze was scrutinizing him.
"Greetings Luka and Al… Ma Elma?" She raised an eyebrow, but kept her composure. "I'm surprised to see you here today without the Monster Lord. Did something happen?"
"Actually…" Luka scratched his head. "Can we go into your house? I don't feel comfortable with everyone around watching from afar."
"Sure, you're always welcome there. Even in the hardest time."
Luka noticed that Micaela seemed unnaturally stiff. Did she already learn the truth, or was it just that she hadn't fully recovered herself from the fight against Ilias? In any case, the trio entered in Micaela's simple house. She invited Luka and Alma Elma to sit on a large couch around a small table.
"Sooo, what exactly happened? You can tell me anything, you have your time, don't worry." Her tone felt as reassuring as Luka remembered. In the meantime, she poured herself a cup of tea and started blowing on it.
Luka looked down, tacitly confirming that he indeed had problematic news to announce to his aunt, even if the latter had already picked an hint thanks to Alma Elma's presence. He sighed, and announced the new.
"We discovered that the Six Ancestors are coming back soon."
The hero was surprised to hear the sound of porcelain shattering, and looked to see broken shards on the floor in front of Micaela and a large splash of tea on the ground. The seraph's hand was slightly trembling, and she was looking aghast at the floor.
"…That was my favorite teacup."
"Sorry, that was quite the new to drop, and-"
"It's okay, it's okay." She slowly breathed in and out. "You're sure about that? I mean, I don't doubt you personally or anything, it's just… I have difficulties believing it."
Luka once again pulled out Morrigan's ribbon to show it to the seraph. Micaela took the small cloth to examine it.
"We got attacked by the Lilith Sisters back at the castle. Morrigan and… Astaroth I think it was are imprisoned, but Lilith is still running outside."
"It's the real deal…" She looked at her nephew. "And you survived- No, you beat back the Lilith Sisters. That's impressive, although I wished you would never have to deal with them. Back on the Ancestors, can you tell me more?"
"Tamamo discovered yesterday that the seal that was holding them back was slowly breaking apart because of the death of Black Alice and Ilias. She thinks that they'll be free in five weeks."
"Tamamo was the one to discover it… And what did she tell you about her dear sisters?"
"They seem… Dangerous at best. She thinks they could threaten the peace born after the death of Ilias." Luka shivered. "I had the dubious pleasure of seeing Minagi in a vivid dream by myself. Simply thinking about it, I feel like I need to take a bath right now… And Tamamo told me I got her attention."
Micaela grimaced. "I am unfortunately not surprised. You didn't happen to spurn her then? That often makes mmater worse."
Luka nodded.
"Well, if anything your own experience and Tamamo's description are accurate of what the Ancestors are. They're selfish, they're powerful, and if nobody manages to stand up to them, they'll treat this world as their sandbox. Is this why you gathered the Four Spirits?"
"Yes. Tamamo also planned a summit of the world leaders. Will you be there?"
Micaela pondered the situation for a moment, and shook her head. "No. Don't get me wrong, I would want to, but I don't want to take the risk of letting the angels here alone, particularly if Lilith is roaming around. I mean, I can detect someone like her from very far, but if I can't be here to stop her…"
"From afar… How much exactly?"
"I can tell that she's nowhere on the western or central part of Ilias Continent. Iliasport or further east, maybe, but… Not close at all."
Luka involuntarily sighed in relief.
"Don't worry. I still keep an eye on Ilias Village, and so does Tamamo. We know it's still a tempting target for a lot of people who think this peace shouldn't be or that the hero should be punished."
"Thank you."
"It's nothing… Now, you all look tired and we're reaching the early hours of the evening. Do you wish to spend the night here, or do you want to go back to the Monster Lord's castle?"
"I wanted to pass by Ilias Village first, it's been quite some time after all."
"Wait, before we go."
Luka jumped in surprise when Alma Elma started talking after having remained silent for so long.
"I remember hearing that you watched the world since times immemorial, and there's something I… No, that a lot of people want to know." She looked expectantly at Luka, gesturing for him to bring something.
"Oh, right, I nearly forgot." The hero pulled out the book on skills for succubus he got from Witch and handed it to Micaela, who instantly started flipping through its pages. "Apparently the succubus race as a whole lost a lot of its power after Black Alice's reign, and we're trying to know what happened exactly."
"Oh, sweet goddesses, that…" Micaela pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, I remember exactly what happened. It's extremely simple and stupid. Mostly stupid actually… Simply put, Black Alice had found a lot of support in the succubus race at that time as they shared a whimsical mindset. She was very close with their queens Lilith&Lilim, and the strongest ones were willingly serving her. This meant that, since it was a time of bloody war, the race took some of the highest casualties of all. Most powerful succubi died, Lilith&Lilim ended up being sealed by your ancestor Heinrich, and only a few powerful bloodlines survived, like the Artiste or Alma Elma's own great-grandmother. They went into hiding by fear of retribution, and decided to return to their roots by focusing only on the pleasure aspect to socialize with humanity… At the cost of everything else."
Micaela sighed. "This is when things got ridiculous. Even as the hatred for succubi born from the support they gave Black Alice died down and even as Succubus Village survived against all odds, they simply stopped teaching all those skills, and nobody really picked up on that book afterward. I blame that on the fact that it's one of the most decentralized race with a queen that only act as the most sexually skilled representative instead of an actual leader, since someone like Tamamo or even Erubetie would have brought back the teachings in, but…" She closed the book and held it back at Alma Elma. "The real reason succubi got so weak is because not a single one cared enough to try to restore those lessons to make succubi more than lazy, hedonistic sluts -No offense Alma, you're the exception-."
The succubus queen was completely aghast. "It's the cost of generations living carefree and carelessly…"
Micaela shrugged. "You can say that." She looked outside, and the sun was starting to set. "I won't hold you back if you want to get back to Ilias Village before everyone is asleep. Thank you for informing me of the return of the Six Ancestors. I will start to take measures to protect everyone."
"Will you be alright?"
Micaela reassuringly smiled. "Don't worry, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I'll be fine on my own and make sure nobody bothers the region."
"Well… Thank you, and take care of yourself."
"I will."
She accompanied the duo outside. Luka and Alma Elma silently climbed on the Garuda Girl who took to the sky soon after. The hero felt slightly sad at this too short-reunion, but also concerned for his aunt as he flew toward Ilias Village.
Alice was passably bored as she listened to the grievances brought by the local residents of Hellgondo or even from the ones living in the castle. In reality, only a few monsters brought up their own issues to the Monster Lord, partly because it could be seen as a sign of weakness, also because it was more often than not more simple to fix the issue directly in a contest of strength, and mostly because most monsters didn't want to disturb the Monster Lord with peccadilloes. Only projects that required a support on a larger scale were brought up to her.
Tamamo had insisted that they both saw over all grievances for today together, as the new of the return of the Ancestors had created a few ripples already, and also because the kitsune expected at least one monster to report about the anomalous activity of a certain purple-haired succubus. So far, most grievances brought up were directly related shows of concern from monsters wanting to check on their leader. For the moment, Alice was dealing with one of the slimes from Grand Noah who broke the monotony.
"I do care for this issue, but as it is, we simply cannot focus on the purification of a region in Hellgondo to make it hospitable for your kin. We did consider creating such an area before the war with Ilias, but with the pollution of Undine's Spring, the focus of our effort has been switched."
"I see. It's a shame." The slime bowed. "I thank you for sparing some time to listen to me."
The slime then slithered away, and Alice sighed as she turned toward Tamamo.
"That might have been the least pointless question we got today. All the others were to confirm the attack of the Lilith Sisters, my well-being, or asking me what do I plan to do…"
Tamamo shrugged. "There's still a chance that someone ends up reporting some activity from our purple-haired succubus."
"I really hope not, and I hope that oversexed fiend will keep to herself and disappear."
"…I was talking about Lilith."
"So was I… I'm certain we won't get a new from her. I don't even know why I'm continuing, I could literally just eat on the balcony at the entrance and we would divide the number of questions by three."
Tamamo tapped her chin with her fan. "You're probably right, but it's still part of your job. Tell you what. If all of the five next grievances are about that without a new about Lilith, I'll take charge of the rest while you go visit the cavern of where everybody is sealed. The Dark Goddess will be elated to be visited by her great-granddaughter."
"Deal."
Barely an hour later, Alice was outside the castle, slowly strolling toward the cavern Tamamo had indicated her. She was still wary of possible ambushes, but the kitsune had insisted that sentries had seen Lilith leave Hellgondo and not come back. When she arrived in sight of the grotto, she realized she could have found the cavern of her own, considering that a literal stream of dark power was pouring inside like a river… She shivered as she got closer to that flow. The entrance was eerily empty, although light seemed to make crystal formations shimmer and bathed the place in a dim light.
She cautiously slithered in, and after a small minute, reached the deeper sanctum which seemed to brim with energy. Alice considered what she could say before an insane laugh echoed through the cavern before a voice that reminded the Monster Lord of Ilias started talking.
"I am back with a vengeance. Monsters are evil and should be exterminated! I'm not doing that because I feel inadequate in front of them!"
Alice jumped up, startled, before recovering her composure. "You must be Hiruko I presume?"
A long, childish moan echoed through the cavern. "Damn it, Tamamooooo… Can't let me have my fuuuun..."
The lamia remembered what the kitsune had told her earlier: Hiruko could be a childish prankster, but it didn't make her any less dangerous than the other. If anything, angels often made the error to underestimate her and paid the ultimate price as they were eaten alive.
"Anyway, I'm out, I don't want to get in the way of the family talk."
"Wait…"
She could feel the presence disappear to leave place for a more majestic one. She reflexively looked down, if at least by respect for the Dark Goddess herself who chuckled in return.
"Get up, child. I'm happy to see you have come to visit me."
Alice got up and looked in front of her. Although she couldn't see anything or anyone, she had no doubt the Dark Goddess was watching her.
"Dark Goddess..."
"Please, just call me Alipheese. As I said, I didn't imagine I would have been able to talk to one of my own child after so much time and within so good circumstances. After all, the last time I was able to communicate involved that damnable Black Alice… But I'm glad Tamamo No Mae managed to make sure my bloodline remained on the throne after such a disaster… But enough talking about myself. Even if my lieutenant talked about us, I have no doubt that you have a lot of questions."
"In actuality… While I would appreciate conversing with you, I came here first and foremost to ask a certain succubus to stop trying to put a move on my husband and to get her daughters to behave responsibly."
Minagi almost instantly answered her in a sing-song voice. "Mmmh... No. My cute little daughters are free to do as they wish… And you're free to do with them as you wish the same way I'm free to do with your husband as I want…"
"Maybe. But I would appreciate if I didn't have the perspective of waking up one day with a dried fish by my side."
Kanon's voice echoed through the cavern. "Awww, is the current Monster Lord afraid of the big bad Ancestors?"
Alice's eyes narrowed. "No, I am not. I am merely concerned for the future you seem to have in mind for humans and monsters after we successfully built peace."
"Weeeell, then you'll just have to show everyone that you can enforce it! What worth would you and your peace have if you weren't able to enforce it?"
A sensual giggle echoed through the cavern. "Don't be like that, dear sister, the Monster Lord and Tamamo have developed a lot of skills to make others respect them, like… Mmmhhhh…"
"The ability to bear with the responsibilities of our actions."
The cavern fell silent, and Alice could tell that she had hit a sensitive spot. Whether it was a good thing or not however…
"I am taking a liking to her." Alice couldn't identify who talked, but the voice reminded her of Erubetie.
Alice sighed. "I suppose you won't ask them to hold back to preserve that peace I built?"
Alipheese seemed genuinely surprised by that question. "Why would I? They should be free to enjoy this world for their own leisure after spending so much time imprisoned. I will only do the same once I'm free myself, but unfortunately, this won't happen before a few additional months."
"I see." She looked down, disappointed. "In that case, I thank you for welcoming me and I will take my leave. I'm confident Tamamo can deal with the daily tasks at hand, but I'm sure she will appreciate my help to deal with the ripples created by Minagi's cute little daughters."
"Please feel free to come back anytime. I will gladly welcome your company again."
After slithering outside of the cavern, Alice stopped herself and took a look around her. She grabbed a rock the sized of her hand and focused all her frustration and her disappointment on the stone before crushing it with one of her hand.
If anything, she understood better why Tamamo wanted to separate herself from them.
"I'll hide, I think my presence will attract… Unsavory questions Luka-boy would prefer avoiding."
Luka nodded. As hindsight settled in, he realized that if Micaela was so comely in her greetings, it was certainly because she suspected that him and Alice had a spat and that he looked for the comfort provided by Alma Elma. If the First Seraph had made that mistake, it was more than likely that the inhabitants of his village would do the same. And dealing with rumors about his love life was one of the last thing the hero wished for right now.
The arrival of the Garuda Girl attracted attention, and cheers soon followed when the villagers recognized Luka. The first who greeted him as he stepped down was aunt Betty, a strong woman between two ages that had helped him after his mother died.
"Greetings Luka, how are you doing?"
"Fine, and I'm glad to see that the village seems to do well."
One of the children came closer to the hero, starry-eyed.
"Miss Monster Lord didn't come with the hero?"
"Alice has some work back at the castle. We have some issues with a few rowdy monsters, and I wanted to check on the village. I was slightly worried."
"Oh, don't worry about us. We know since the assault that those people on Enrika are keeping an eye on us, and several monsters have decided to live here as well to help us."
It's only when his aunt talked about it that Luka realized that indeed there were several monsters living around, namely several childish slime girls, one or two beast monsters and a few elves. The hero was so used to the sight of monsters living with humans that he didn't consider it exceptional, and yet… His village used to be populated by xenophobic people that were fanatical of Ilias, but now they were as accepting of monsters as every other city. That change was the proof of his success in bringing coexistence through the world. Maybe it wouldn't last, but today, he could enjoy it.
"Well, I'm going to take a small look around and spend the night back home."
"You need anything for tonight? I mean, knowing you, you probably have a few meals in advance, but…"
"Thank you auntie, I'll be fine."
Luka decided to make his way to the temple to check on the priest. After all, of all the inhabitants, he was likely one of the most affected by the fall of Ilias. The hero felt relieved to see that the temple was still looking properly maintained, even cleaned. When he entered, he was greeted by the same priest that had seen him leave on his adventures. While the man was already old by the time Luka left the village, he had seemed to age even more since then and the hero was worried he would suffer a heart attack as soon as he saw him enthusiastically run up to him.
"Ah! Luka! I didn't think I would see you again before I passed away! I really hope that you're doing finer than me!"
Luka smiled warmly. "I'm doing well, I was worried about you after the fall of Ilias. I mean… I was worried people would attack all those that had followed her and that you…" The hero cleared his throat. "That most clergy members wouldn't have taken what she did very well."
"Well… Most people were just as confused as us, and I realized some people were still looking up to me for guidance thanks to the force of habit."
"Besides, not everything in her faith should be thrown away." Luka looked behind the priest to see a kitsune with black hair and six tails with a conservative kimono. She was slowly walking toward the duo as she bowed in greeting. Luka better understood what Micaela meant when she told that Tamamo was also keeping an eye on the village. The kitsune looked roughly as strong as a resident of the Monster Lord castle, and could destroy a smaller town if she wished.
"Anera helps me keep the temple intact, and she also is a good conversation partner. When she said she wanted to live here and help me sort the archive, I simply couldn't find the strength to turn her away." He groaned. "Those bones are so old, simply accessing to the higher shelves in the library is dangerous now."
Anera chuckled. "I wanted to see what books were present in library in hope of finding lost pieces of information on monster history while learning more about the faith in Ilias. If you exclude the anti-monster propaganda, the tenants of her faith are simple but worthy of praise. They could be summarized as accepting each other and supporting one another in time of need."
The man shrugged. "We're looking to find a way to integrate her teachings in everyone's daily lives. Everybody could use a little of other's goodwill."
"If you don't need me, I will continue searching the archives." She respectfully bowed again and left, the priest apparently hypnotized by the sway of her tails.
"I really appreciate her company. She's so skilled in stone-carving as well… Do you know she cleaned and repaired all the more damaged frescos by her own? The result is so detailed, it's almost as if the temple was brand new." The priest sighed. "We should never have turned monsters like her away. If only I was younger… Those tails alone make for a great warming presence at night…"
"Father?"
The priest spent several seconds clearing his throat. "Sorry Luka, please ignore those tired ramblings of a man who regret devoting his life to a woman whose scorn nearly led to the destruction of the world."
Luka slowly nodded. "Well… I will get back at my home and get some rest, there's trouble on the horizon."
"Rest well, hero. You deserve it after having saved the world…"
Luka walked down the steps of the temple reassured. It looked like the priest was doing well even after everything that happened. He was surprised to see that Tamamo had left someone to keep an eye on the village, but then again, if even the old priest appreciated her… He didn't even need to bring it up.
He made his way to his house and almost jumped back in surprise when succubus pheromones reached his nostrils even before he saw Alma Elma patiently sitting near the table.
"Already done with your little visit? Take your time, Luka-boy…"
"I need to take a rest, and I'm also hungry, so I'm done for today."
"Hoooh! Alma Elma shivered. Will I be lucky enough to get some of Luka-boy's famous cooking? Alice couldn't stop talking about how your food is the best. Well, it's not the only thing you're the best for in the castle…"
"Alma, please stop."
"I was talking about your sword skills. Even Granberry is still amazed by how fast you learned." She showed a salacious smirk. "What were you thinking of?"
"I stepped into that one I guess... I'll cook something for both of us, so please, keep your teasing at a minimum."
"Awwww…"
"Besides, what did you do when I was discussing with the village's inhabitants? Knowing you, I can't imagine you would remain still…"
"I had to discuss with a certain someone to get the latest news. But she told me that there wasn't anything worth mentioning."
"Who? Anera?"
"Mmh. I see you already met her. Tamamo didn't fully feel comfortable talking about it with you, but she was just as worried that someone would try attacking the village and decided to leave one of her personal handmaidens to defend it."
"I see… I should thank her for that."
"Don't worry… She'll just be happy if you keep being a good husband for Alice."
Luka smiled. "I will."
After a comfortable dinner made of a perfectly seasoned steak and rice with fruits kept in honey as dessert, the duo went to sleep in separate bed in spite of Alma Elma's protests.
The hero still felt a twinge of concern for the future. Would one of the Six Ancestor target this village to force him out? Would they just kill its inhabitants into a display of cruelty to show that not even the hero can stop them?
Eventually, his exhaustion gained over his doubts, and the hero fell asleep.
Surrounded by every thankful villagers, the hero left his village at dawn to return to the Monster Lord's castle. He was still on guard as he was concerned that Lilith could attack him at any time, and the heavy ambiance wasn't helped by the silence from Alma Elma. Luka wondered if he didn't prefer the endless teasing from the Succubus Queen over the absence of sound she was currently offering. Even her usual flirty smirk was replaced by a grim frown. Eventually, she started talking again when the Garuda Girl was almost done crossing the Southern Sea and the continent of Sentora was in sight.
"Luka?"
"Yes?"
"I was wondering… And forgive me if I push my questions too far, but… What would you do if your parents suddenly reappeared to say they were disappointed by you?"
Luka was surprised by the question that seemed to come out of left field. "I… Don't know. I always considered my father as a terrible person for founding the terrorist group Ilias Kreuz, until I learned he had a change of heart and helped Micaela make Enrika thrive. My mother… Well, she always told me that there would be no problems if humans and monsters coexisted… This is weird in hindsight, considering she was one of the angels closest to Ilias, but if anything, she's part of the proof that coexistence is possible. So to answer your question, I'd say it's out of character. And even if they were serious, I'm too happy with what I did to really listen."
"I see… Sorry, it was a stupid question." She giggled.
Luka shrugged the strange behavior from the succubus, and made a stop in Grangold to get back the small dragon girl with all her equipment. After a few additional hours of flying, they finally arrived in sight of the Monster Lord's Castle, and Luka sighed in relief. For once, no challenger had happened to come out of nowhere to tackle him.
When he landed, a few guards greeted him, and after a small discussion, Salamander materialized to accompany the small dragonkin to the forge while Alma Elma left wordlessly with her book. Luka was surprised by the high numbers of talismans that seemed to have materialized on the castle's walls during his absence. Even some of the guards seemed uncomfortable. He wandered the hallways slightly dumbfounded when he was pulled out of his trance by a sniffing noise and a tickling sensation.
"Hey!"
The hero looked down to see Alice looking at him. The lamia had a serious expression and instantly coiled herself around him, but not tightly enough to suffocate him.
"Mmh. You didn't quite enjoy Alma Elma's presence to its fullest."
"Of course not! I remain loyal! That would have been disgusting! And besides, I can tell there's something currently eating at her..."
Alice sighed and freed Luka. "…Sorry, that was rude of me. I should be happy to see you're back just fine, but…"
"Bad news?"
"…I had the opportunity to discuss with the Dark Goddess. Let's just say she doesn't care about what's happening and leave it at that." She looked down. "It wasn't quite the reunion I envisioned when Tamamo originally told me about her."
"I'm… Not that surprised actually. And the talismans?" Luka gestured at the hallway.
"Tamamo is slightly worried that the other Ancestors will try to infiltrate the castle. She has decided to deploy additional wards. Even in our room…" She looked at a wall covered in sheets of paper. "Not quite subtle, but if we don't suffer a single infiltration, I'll consider it pretty effective then. I can tell that you managed to gather the Four Spirits. You didn't get any bad surprise on your way?"
"No, I checked Succubus Village, Ilias Continent… We didn't get attacked by Lilith if it's what you meant."
"Then did something happen with Alma Elma? I expected her to report with you and make it awkward with double-entendres, but instead she directly got to her own room."
"…I don't know if I should say it myself…"
"It probably involves her mother then…"
In a certain way… Yes. And much more than her.
"I'll check on her later just to remind her we're here for her too. Just so you know, we'll have a meeting with the leaders of the human kingdoms tomorrow. Tamamo will give them the rundown on the Ancestors, and I'll go over the plans made. In the meantime, if there's something you want to talk about…"
"This will be the best moment."
Alice nodded. "I'll let you rest. That kitsune has also apparently prepared a fitting training program for you and the other knights for the next weeks, so you may want to rest and catch up with the Four Spirits. I don't think she'll leave you a single second for yourself afterward, and neither will Salamander."
"Yeah… Me neither."