Reaper gritted her teeth as she forced herself to remain neutral over the scene happening in front of her. The legends of heroes were often- correction, ALWAYS embellished as they were written down. Whether it was because the priest laying them on paper wanted the church of Ilias to look better or decisions were taken to leave some questionable passages out of these, the stories were rarely loyal to the facts. Sometimes, it was because the hero had made a choice that anyone with a decent moral compass would disapprove. Sometimes, it was because he simply failed in his goal, leaving a sour mark on his record. And sometimes, it was simply because he would act in an undignified fashion, unfitting for a hero.
Fortunately, in Luka's case, the first was always out of the question. No matter what he did, he would never maliciously harm the innocent or the ones he considered his friends. He would exercise justice on the worst of the lot, but only in a fashion that would make sure that they would service him appropriately afterward.
Service… Reaper shook her head. That little Freudian slip was more than appropriate. As it happened, Luka unfortunately suffered a lot of these undignified moments. His companions were victim of these. Even the patient and whimsical Succubus Queen had grown ambivalent about the hero.
I'm sure Luka will be happy to see the tanukis perfectly absorbing themselves in the Pocket Castle. Aaah, never mind about him. He's probably too focused on having fun with Morrigan where he currently is to care about it.
Reaper sighed. It was a good choice of words to describe the situation of Luka.
To the credit of the hero, he was not responsible this time.
"HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! "
As it happened, Luka, Sonya, Alice and Morrigan were not having fun inside the Forgotten Tower as they were at risk of suffering an unpleasant kind of absorption. Tamamo had warned them that a passably disturbed Erubetie had been sent to take care of the Roach Queen there. They had prepared to face both the roaches and the Queen Slime accordingly. Alice had even warned them that, should the situation require, Erubetie could create a few weaker copies of herself and send them at her targets.
What she didn't expect herself, however, was that Erubetie wouldn't limit herself to just a few.
Sonya cried her lungs out as she summoned a holy rain to slow down the horde of Erubetie clones that were rushing up the stairs right behind them. However, it proved relatively fruitless as just as many passed through the interstices in the floor. "THEY'RE EVERYWHEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Alice casted a lightning storm that slowed down the innumerable hordes of slimes. "This isn't how I imagined I would meet my subordinate again! She's gone crazy!" The small lamia barely dodged a few running slimes that tried trampling her to rush at their target. She blasted them in the back with a lightning bolt, making one clone explode and cover her in goo. "Ack! I got some in my mouth!"
"Mandatory what she said joke!"
"Morrigan, now is really not the time!"
"In succubus culture, it's always the time for a good sex joke!" The succubus imbued her blade with a poisonous aura and slashed several clones that quickly dissolved. "Particularly in the middle of a slime apocalypse when you get covered in a gooey substance! Now focus on the fight! It may be just a question of time before OH FUCK! THEY CAUGHT LUKA!"
The three women focused their assault around the hero as copies of Erubetie tried to wrap around him. They barely managed to pull him away with a powerful rain of lightning bolts from Sonya and Alice combined to a few precise strikes from Morrigan cutting him away from the waves of Erubetie trying to get him. Luka stumbled a bit as Morrigan used her aura to help him up.
"…thanks, I thought I was toast for a moment."
"We have no time to talk; we have to rush our asses away from here!"
"Not so fast! We have to save the Queen Roach! Let's get to the throne room!"
The four of them ran desperately toward the room where the Queen was nesting herself, all while occasionally saving a panicked roach from one of the numerous slimes swarming the place. Slithering away as fast as her small body allowed her to, the single look Alice threw behind terrified her. The clones of Erubetie were flooding from every direction, mindlessly rushing toward their destination. The heroic quartet arrived at their destination barely before them, Sonya pestering as soon as they entered.
"ILIAS DAMN IT! WHY DOESN'T THAT ROOM HAVE FUCKING DOORS?!"
"It doesn't matter. She would eat through them in less than a minute anyway."
On the other end of the room, standing in front of the terrified remnant of her clan, the Queen Roach was imperiously looking down on the four of them.
"Mph! Did the Monster Lord finally send her assassins to dispose of me? I knew that she was afraid of the truth!"
In the blink of an eye, her vision was limited to the glowing eyes of Morrigan.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE YOUR ASS WE'RE ALSO IN DEEP SHIT YOU NUMBNUT!"
"(I didn't think I'd enjoy seeing Morrigan threaten someone…)"
The Queen Roach mewled and trembled in fear. Between two spells cast, Alice called out to her. "We're here to prevent the annihilation of your clan! Join us, and we will leave this place at once!"
"Huuuh…"
"Hurry up, we're running out of mana here!" Sonya struck down another clone in a series of powerful attacks. While her power was enough to quickly take any Erubetie copie down, it was only as effective as punching water to stop the rising tide in the grand scheme of things.
"I can't abandon my clan!"
"I'm not even sure we can get out in the first place! GAH!"
"FUUUUUCK!" Morrigan dashed back in the battle to cut down another clone that was threateningly grabbing Sonya. "I can evacuate everyone through the ceiling and load them on Galda, but you need to keep Erubetie distracted!"
"We'll give you all the time you need." Luka summoned the power of Salamander to further strengthen himself and attempt to stem the situation. "Sonya! Alice! With me! Together we'll save the Roach clan!"
"Do it and I'll follow you to the end of the world!" The Queen Roach jumped straight in the middle of the fray, joining the heroes as they worked to hold back the tide of slime clones trying to absorb them. Waves of slimes crashed against swords and magic wards as they held the line while the succubus raced to evacuate the remainder of the clan.
"Alright, that's enough roaches saved! We need to go now!"
"Good! It's about time!" The Roach Queen tried to break away from the fight, but the moment she so much as turned away, several slime tentacles tried to bring her back in the sea of Erubetie clones. It's only thanks to a last-second strike from Luka that she avoided the fate of being dissolved. Stunned by the selfless action, she stared at Luka in shock even as the hero kept fighting."
"Why… are you saving me?"
Luka could barely find the time to answer "Because! I don't want monsters to die! Even moreso if you want to join us!" Luka took a moment to pant. "We're going to need every help we can for the future!"
"No matter how they look?!"
"No matter their past. We have to stand together to face the future."
The Queen Roach started looking at Luka like a lovestruck teenage girl, her vision filling with pink hearts to the displeasure of Sonya and Alice who both noticed it.
"(Oh. Ooooooh noooooo…)"
"(It's going to be Spider Princess all over again, isn't it?)"
"The Morrigan airlift service apologizes for the inconvenience, but… YEET!"
The Queen Roach screamed in surprise as she was thrown from the tower, leaving everyone else behind.
"(Oops, I didn't aim correctly. I hope Galda will catch her…)"
"Ok… who- SHIT!"
Morrigan jumped into the fray to blast a few copies of Erubetie that were threatening to absorb Sonya again. The party was getting pushed back closer and closer to the end of the throne room. The succubus growled.
"I can't move everyone and defend the party at the same time!"
"And the moment we stop distracting her, she'll swallow us! We're doomed!"
"No!" Luka took down five Erubetie clones down in so many slashes. "We just have to get away one by one! Evacuate Alice, then Sonya, then me!"
"Wha-. Are you insane?!" Alice called out to him. "You won't hold a minute on your own!"
"Then we better not take a minute! Morrigan! Now!"
"Right on ya! Sorry, Monster Lord…"
Morrigan quickly brought a reluctant Alice to the Garuda Girl who was still waiting atop the tower. Once she was safe, Alice sword loudly.
"You better bring him, you hear me? Damn it, I can't even take the risk of helping them from here…"
Morrigan didn't even take the time to answer and instead focused on saving Sonya. The priestess yelped when she was lifted on the ground by the psychic powers of the succubus, but she quickly stopped struggling. She was brought to safety as quickly as possible, but when Morrigan turned back, it was already too late: Luka was completely swallowed in a wave of slime.
"SHIT!" The succubus dived but a slime pillar blocked her path before trying to toss her away. Her assault got quickly supported by spells from Sonya and Alice, but it was fruitless. Gradually, they had to get away further and further to remain out of reach of the numerous tentacles trying to attack the roach girls with them. As they gradually lost ground, they saw a slime wave pour from every window of the tower.
"LUKAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Alice closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. There was no doubt that anybody inside the tower was now dead. "No… there's no way."
"Hang on, I'll try to reach him through telepathy! If I push through…"
Morrigan projected her mind in the tower and was reminded that Erubetie wasn't just one slime, but an amalgamate of consciousness that sometimes conflicted with itself.
However, right now, they all seemed to be in relatively good accord on their current goal.
Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Erubetie Orgy Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka Sex Luka
"Huuuh…"
"Morrigan. Please tell us the truth."
"I can steel feel him, so… I think that he will be fine?"
"…You don't sound so sure."
"I won't lie, I heard him, but Erubetie is making a lot of interferences, sooooo…"
Sonya started tearing up. "…He's actually dead isn't he?"
Behind her, the Queen Roach dreamily sighed. "My beloved has sacrificed himself to protect me…"
"He didn't sacrifice himself for you, you delusional worm-for-brain! He did it for everyone!"
"Whatever…" Alice sighed. "She has a point. Luka just sacrificed himself. He's dead."
"Oh come on! " Morrigan exclaimed herself. "Be a little confident in Luka! No matter the challenges he's faced, he's still with you isn't he?! I trust him, Asta trust him, and you've been accompanying him since the beginning and somehow you still don't trust him?"
"Mmh." Alice solemnly nodded. "For once, you're entirely right. Luka has always survived so far, he wouldn't lose his life so mundanely. We'll come back with help and free him."
"Yeah…" Sonya sadly smiled. "Don't worry Luka. We'll be back for you."
As the tower disappeared on the horizon, everyone was mourning the heroic sacrifice of Luka, save for one exception. Behind her smile, Morrigan was shifting from the weight of the burden lying on her shoulders.
In hindsight, I'm pretty sure that he would have held if he kept on fighting… yeah, he definitively surrendered as soon he was sure nobody saw him and therefore get some plausible deniability about what happened and wanted to enjoy a slime orgy.
…It's better if I keep that for myself or he will REALLY end up dead.
"It is easy to face death when it's merely a pleasurable inconvenience, isn't it?"
"Yeah…" Luka awkwardly scratched his head in front of Reaper. "Thank you for bringing me back."
"I would have done the same."
"Wait, what?"
"Now, off with you."
"Wait, when you say that, are you talking about the resurrection or Erubetie?"
Reaper nonchalantly swept Luka in the magic circle with her scythe. She had more… important work to do than answer the hero.
That moment with Erubetie had given her ideas.
"Maybe that angel scientist should get… some inspiration that would allow me access to interesting abilities. If I don't get disturbed too much, I should be able to delicately direct her."
Reaper felt a sudden chill in her back. A wet, heavy, unpleasant chill.
"FORESHADOWING!"
Reaper glared at the White Rabbit who was jumping around after having thrown a bucket of ice in her back. The lagomorph was giggling like a schoolgirl.
"You remembered what comes next, don't you?"
Reaper nodded.
"Good, in that case, I'll inform you that Luka has decided to only be accompanied by his fellow heroes for that one."
"And what of it? The hero is free to choose who will accompany him. I'm skirting the limits of my duty by announcing so, but I prefer him to be accompanied by reliable men than some of those walking calamities that would suck him dry in a heartbeat. Facing seductive monsters is dangerous enough as is without adding monsters on his side that would do the same."
"…"
Then Reaper was hit with her own words. "Oh. Ooooh no. Ooooooooooooooooh noooooooo."
"Oh yes. Ooooooooh yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss…"
"Fascinating! Even amongst monsters, your kin is incredibly robust, fertile, yet extremely rare and localized! How is that possible?!"
Promestein hurriedly scribbled a bunch of notes in front of an increasingly nervous Queen Roach.
"I just… ask them not to procreate too much." Her tone became dreamy as she blushed. "But I might revise my judgment if I get my hands on that hero Luka~. He captivated my maiden heart. I would certainly enjoy being fertilized by his pure heart after he saved my life.~"
"Just like everyone else." The small angel scientist retorted without even bothering to look up. "You will have to get in line for that. I wish you the best of luck in that regard."
"In line?" The Queen Roach haughtily scoffed. "I'm a monster queen. I can give him pleasures that have no equal in the world, one so addictive he will beg for my presence by his bedside."
"I would advise against giving him his speech. He expressed a certain lassitude from hearing it, particularly from Alma Elma. And Daji. And a lot of monsters. Hence my point."
"Wait, the famed Succubus Queen is one of his allies?!" The Queen Roach went wide-eyed. "I didn't know that!" She leaned closer to Promestein to whisper like a conspirator. "Do you know if they copulated?"
"Yes, and she's seriously been increasing this game with the expanding competition. She's often fighting Morrigan over who gets to accompany him, then there are the matters of the Nightmares from the Land of Night…"
"The who of what now?"
"And there are also all the other queens that wouldn't mind taking a bite out of him -which is often the biggest cause of conflict between Alrauna and Lucretia-, and I also think Sonya and the small Monster Lord are vying against each other for his affection as well even if they try to deny it. I think I'm forgetting someone else who's obsessed with marrying him, but I can't remember who…it might be someone out of the castle if I'm right."
"That sounds incredibly private! Should you even talk about that?!"
Promestein answered with a shrug. "…probably not."
The shoulders of the Queen Roach slumped. Her hope to enjoy herself with this new stallion had been dashed by a tide like a sandcastle.
Then her despair turned into a delusional determination as she imagined herself with Luka, her future beloved one. The obstacles became so many challenges that she would beat to prove the strength of her love for him.
"Ah. Perfect timing." Mephisto made a beeline to the duo. "If you wouldn't mind, we should complete the paperwork to validate the recruitment of you and your kin together now. I know that this is incredibly boring and mundane, but it is a necessary task none the less."
"Sure. I don't mind" Said the Queen Roach in a voice that told how much she minded what she saw as a useless loss of time.
"Perfect! Don't worry, I won't take too much of your time, if only because I'm overworked myself…"
Promestein mechanically butted in the conversation. "Didn't Ponpoko join you finally?"
Mephisto cringed. "I might have scared her a bit earlier. I don't even remember what happened. Was I that bad? On a scale ranging from disappointed Papi to horny drunk Daji, how out there I was?"
"Angry but playful Alicetroemeria." Promestein answered without missing a bit.
"Oh dear." Mephisto sighed. "I guess I will have to find her a fitting gift if I'm to stand a chance to recruit her again. Those old bones could really use some help with all the paperwork." Then the yoma happily invited the duo to follow her. "Let's not lose any time and get to it then! Can you start by giving me your name, please?"
"Groys." The Queen Roach followed them, still swimming in her delusion when an explosion rocked the castle. Fully alarmed, she checked around her in surprise while her two companions looked particularly nonplused by the explosion.
"Ah, it sounds like Alma Elma and Morrigan are busy debriefing Luka's expedition in the Forgotten Tower."
From afar, two voices could be heard over blasts being exchanged.
"He came out fine! What the fuck are you even throwing a tantrum for?!"
"You abandoned him in the middle of the Forgotten Tower and left him to die!" The accusation was punctuated by another explosion. Mephisto invited Groys to keep moving forward.
"Don't worry, they're just roughhousing a bit."
"Oh, come on! You already saw him fight twice stronger and win! And he survived! And it was your fucking friend! She's the one who became batshit insane!"
"Do you care to remind me as to why?"
Groys reflexively flinched when she heard the absolutely icy tone of the question. Even Mephisto seemed worried.
"Good grief, we might want to hurry up…"
"Huuuh… right." Morrigan awkwardly chuckled. "Because she took in Kanade's cells after we brought them? Hey, wait, I was just doing my job, she's the one who choose to take them!"
"Riiiight. I'm sure you didn't coax her in the slightest."
"No. We actually didn't! She decided to do it on her own! And-" A silence fell. Afterward, Morrigan sounded utterly resigned. "There's no stopping you, is there? You know what? Do it."
Groys flinched again when she heard a sinister crack. Then another. Then a third. Then a fourth. Then Alma Elma talked again in a sing-song voice. "Alright. We're done. All is forgiven, we're still friends.~"
"Good. I suppose you won't fetch Alrauna or anyone else to heal me now?"
"Maybeeee~!" Groys was sweating in terror when she saw the giggling Succubus Queen approach her. "Oh, hey, welcome to the castle, queen Groys!" Alma Elma punctuated her sentence with a curtsy. "I hope you will enjoy your stay."
"I… I'm sure I will." Groys was terrified of the seemingly whimsical monster who was just done casually breaking the limbs of one of her fellows. If her heart had been beating uncontrollably for Luka when she had entered the castle, right now it was threatening to burst from her chest out of fear.
"Now, if you don't need me, I'm going to give a show that people won't forget at the colosseum. Please come by!"
The Succubus Queen blew a kiss and quickly disappeared, leaving Groys both worried and confused.
"I advise you not go there unless you want to get raped in front of everyone."
I'll get there as soon as I'm done! …or not. Maybe I could… no… aaaaaargh! I can't decide! Five minutes in this castle and I'm already going crazy!
"Anyway… paperwork time!"
Groys was caught off-guard when Mephisto opened the large set of doors leading to her working room as a towering pile of paper threatened to fall on her. Without looking, Mephisto stabilized the pile with a single spell and continued onward without missing a beat.
"My apologies, the room is a bit messy with the recent recruitments. Now, let us make sure that your sudden appearance in cities doesn't start the same mess as Yamata No Orochi when she first joined us…"
What followed was a blur of boredom for the Queen Roach as she filled out a mundane work. However, the grounded task helped her calm down her thoughts surprisingly much after her near-death in the tower and her ambivalent encounter with the succubus queen.
Of course, her emotions were once again quickly thrown in turmoil when Sonya and Alice entered the room. Both of them were seeing her as a competitor for the affection of Luka, and while the Monster Lord made the effort to disguise her disgust, the priestess of Ilias made no effort to hide her own. Groys just shrugged and returned to her work. The roaches had always been somewhat shunned by other races, making her used to the cold treatment. Furthermore, it looked like the two newcomers didn't care about her as they made a beeline to Mephisto.
"Did we get any news from Luka and the others?"
"It's barely been a few hours, young ladies." Mephisto passed both of her hands over her face. "They probably barely reached Mt Horai by now, and I'm not even sure that they fought or even met a single group of kunoichis yet. Why are you all worried that much?"
"Well…" Alice uncomfortably shuffled. "We're a bit worried about how Luka was doing after escaping the Forgotten Tower. He looked a bit… off. And we've been caught a bit off-guard since he decided to go to the Elf Village with the other heroes since…" Alice glanced at Groys with wariness. "Nobody has good memories of the last time they were on an adventure together in a cold mountain."
"This is nothing like last time." Mephisto nodded in understanding. They all wanted to avoid remembering that debacle in another world as much as they could. "Barring the different circumstances, we have an incredible amount of intelligence thanks to the information shared by Gekka, Minamo and Doron." Several parchments with clear pictures of the local kunoichis appeared on Mephisto's desk. "The seven heroes were perfectly informed of the skills the local kunoichi have, up to details that were a little too much intimate to my taste." The yoma smirked in satisfaction. "They were quite enthusiastic at the perspective of rushing in and taking care of Elf Princess, and have geared more than appropriately."
Alice quickly browsed through the parchments. Whether it was about their looks, their skills or their mentalities, those monsters could best be described as professional seductresses. "…I wouldn't know better about them, I would say that they're doing it to taste the skills of elite kunoichis, but... you're right. We should trust them. Luka just wants everyone to bond together in an adventure he can control."
"See? Now, if you don't mind, we have some work to do."
Lest quickly parried a flying kunai before striking back the elven kunoichi who threw it. After Kazuya shot a few more times in their direction, the elves quickly scattered in front of the heroes gradually climbing toward the peak of Mt Horai. Once the heroes were sure that no one else was immediately going to attack them, they holstered their weapons and focused back on their ascensions.
"I feel bad for brutalizing those elves but I really don't want to be stuck in the snow… I really hope that they won't hold it against us once we're up there."
Luka shrugged. "Monsters prefer people that resist them. They're more unlikely to give us what we want if we act like a bunch of perverts." The hero looked up, lost in thoughts. "Sometimes I wonder if they're looking for a challenge to prove themselves or if they're a bunch of masochists?"
Novissa answered with a grimace as he strongly disagreed.
"What, it's true, isn't it? I mean, why else would they join me AFTER I beat them? And it's not like they're holding grudges against me either afterward!"
"That's…" Kazuya remembered his own experience of the various demons he encountered. While they joined him because of his kind soul, he was forced to acknowledge that they were quick to pass on their past fights. "That's indeed true. I don't know how to feel about it."
Hakunen awkwardly glanced away, the conversation hitting too close to home for him as well. The only one who was left puzzled was Lest, who unfortunately decided to keep his opinion on the matter to himself.
Some measure of time later, the group arrived in the Elf Village, enjoying a more clement weather than on the mountain. Their sudden appearance attracted barely more than a few glances, making Kazuya chuckle.
"Your companions were right, Luka. Once inside the village, nobody attack us. And there are only female monsters in this place."
And they're all as sexy as they looked in the reports… elves, succubi, harpies, scyllas… even the arachnes there look on the better side. And that blue-haired succubus looks hot. She's a bit familiar though… Ooooh, shit.
Luka passed his hands in his hair. "Craaaaaap. Why is Neris here?"
Kazuya's voice lost most of its enthusiasm. "Ah. Do you know her Luka?"
"It's… complicated. Really complicated. She's always here when the situation is complicated and further complicates things."
"And she's in a place where it will be complicated to avoid her… and she's already coming that way anyway. Anything to know before we talk to her?"
"She and Alice have a complicated relation."
"No shit?!"
"Hey Luka, I didn't imagine you were in sausage fests!" The girl chuckled. "Nice to meet you all, I'm Neris! What are you all accompanying Luka-boy for? I always saw him with a more feminine company."
Kazuya decided to take the lead on the conversation, feeling slightly worried of the jealous touch that was leaking from the voice of their interlocutor.
"We decided to support him in his quest to take down the rebel elf princess, and he was afraid that his other companions would get too emotional in front of her."
"Yeah." Luka blushed slightly. "Alice and Luka were a little angry when they learned that we were dealing with the elf princess since she tried to coax me in a marriage back then. I'm sure that it's water under the bridge, but they don't think so. Sooo, Mephisto is trying to keep everyone calm while I go deal with that."
"Ah. I thought I could be able to discuss with mom about Granberia. I guess it will have to wait…"
"Wait, mom? Who are you talking about?"
"Huh, something else, never mind, I always think about fifty things at the same time." Neris held out a large grape vine. "Do you want some grapefruits? They grow some amazing stuff around here!"
"No, thank you very much, we will be on our way. Let's go guys."
As they left, Neris noticed Lauratt watching alternatively between her and Luka. His eyes eventually locked out on the succubus as he pointed at her, then at the hero, ignored by everyone else. Neris glared back at Lauratt and took out two grapefruits in her hand, and, after making sure that she had his full attention, she slowly crushed them with an extreme strength, spraying the juice inside everywhere around. Lauratt reflexively protected his crotch and returned in the middle of the group in a hurry, enjoying the safety of being out of her sight.
"Wow, it looks like our intelligence was right… there's nearly a whole army guarding the entrance of the mansion of the Elf Princess." Luka stretched, not particularly concerned. "Luckily, the back entrance through the garden should be less heavily guarded. We'll be able to enter discreetly there. Once inside, we split up and you all distract the guards the way you want while I go for the Elf Princess."
"Yeah!" Lest readied his sword. "We'll show them a fight that they won't forgot anytime soon!"
A few awkward glances were exchanged between everyone else. Luka grimaced. "This isn't what we meant when we talked about distracting the guards. Ah, sorry, I forgot that you weren't there at the strategy meeting since you were busy keeping an eye out on Musette."
"Why? Did I miss something important?"
All the heroes remained silent. Resigned, Kazuya raised his arm.
"Alright, I'll tell him."
"He's mine tonight you grass-brained pretender! You got it last week, now it's my turn!"
"You drained him to the brink of death last time! He didn't have anything to shoot for me!"
"That was weeks ago! You had him for long enough!"
"What's the point of having him if he's passed out?!"
Kazuya slowly exhaled as he passed both of his hands over his face. He was all simply exasperated. Each time he wanted a moment of intimacy with Lampas or Mukuro, the other would jump in and accusations against one another would start flying. It had been like that since they regrouped, and somehow it felt that it got even worse those last weeks. It had reached the point that he couldn't get to sleep with either. And instead of jumping on the opportunity as he expected her to, Daji seemed to delight in his frustration and preferred playing pranks on other people in the castle.
His frustration had grown enough for him to consider requesting some time with other monsters, but he had an exceptionally abysmal luck in that direction. They were either busy themselves, or uninterested, or had been threatened by Lampas, Mukuro and Daji, leaving him as a mess of sexual desire.
Hundreds of sexy monsters around and I'll have to resort to a date with Rosie Palm… god damn it!
Stop it Kazuya, it's only that bad because you're getting bored. You'll be doing better if you accompany Luka on an adventure.
After questioning a few monsters around, Kazuya ended up meeting with the hero and Hakunen in the conference room. The two of them were leaning over a large number of parchments.
"What's up guys." Kazuya couldn't help but sigh and wallow on a chair. "You're preparing the next move?"
"Yeah…" Luka scratched the back of his head. "Take a look at this. There are a lot of kunoichis guarding the place." Kazuya checked the pictures of the kunoichis and the information.
They look as dangerous as they're sexy… Stay down, you!
"Mmmh. Do you have chosen a team yet? I would gladly help you if you need!"
Luka uncomfortably shifted. "Not yet… but the thing is…" After spending a minute stumbling on his words, the hero groaned in frustration but became surprisingly determined. "Promise me you won't say anything."
Both men looked at each other before solemnly raising their hand.
"Good." Luka nodded. "My plan for the Kunoichi Village… is to get laid by the locals. A lot. To be exact, I intended to get along with Elf Princess's marriage a bit to let me enjoy the company of her guards."
"What?! Why?!" Kazuya exclaimed himself in surprise. "You have all the monsters that you want in the castle! If you ask any monster, I'm sure that they would gladly ride you unconscious! In fact, I'm sure another one would hear and offer to join you and…" His voice became lower when the realization hit Kazuya. "Or more likely be jealous, spread rumors, and make your life hell as they fight against one another for you." A burst of sympathy reached him. "Oh, god, I just went through that with Lampas and Mukuro and you have to deal with the same with how many monsters already?"
"Two hundreds and thirty-three. The others are less interested in me or gave up." Luka shook his head. "I simply CAN'T request the company of anyone in the Pocket Castle without starting a war whatever anyone says! Hell, even taking the wrong companion throws me in a world of pain! Alma Elma is giving me the stink eye because I had asked Morrigan to accompany me on my last adventure, and vice-versa for the one right before!"
"I understand you… What about you Hakunen?"
The monk heavily blushed. "This is the same… monsters keep fighting over me, and I can only safely walk in the castle when master is accompanying me. And then she's the one who rapes me. I just want new company, but I want to be with them because I choose to, like this succubus…"
"You're a man of culture."
"I don't know if I can say that." Hakunen shamefully turned away. In the awkward silence that followed, Luka took a decision.
"You know what? Lest is busy for now, but we can ask the others."
"So Lauratt and Lars want to deal with monsters other than Nightmares, and Novissa is a bit interested about those Spider Girls… what about you, Lest?"
Lest himself was wide-eyed in shock. "I-I thought that we were just on a mission to deal with a rebel monster. I'm loyal to Litia! I don't want to have sex with monsters! And I already have a horribly powerful succubus on my back!"
"Ah. I didn't expect you to refuse it. Oh well. It's okay as long as you don't sell us out."
Lest looked visible split between his honor and his desire to remain friend with everyone else. The Almighty Swordsman started pondering the ethical ramifications of each decision. When he saw everyone look at him, he reluctantly accepted out of the sheer peer pressure he felt over him.
"I'll accompany you and hide in a safe corner I guess."
"Good." Luka patted Lest on the back with a smile, but he ended more intimidating than friendly. "Let's enter the place through. I saw the guards leaving a minute ago for a break."
"Are we sure it's not a trap?"
"We would feel it if it was the case, and besides, most monsters can only do something boring that they've been asked to do for so long before starting to wander off. Often to find someone to have sex with."
Not a single of his companion disagreed. As such, they nonchalantly entered the garden of Elf Princess' mansion with a confident stroll. There were indeed a few monsters around, but they were all taking care of the mansion's garden or its surrounding area instead of remotely guarding the place. Hakunen stared at a succubus who was visibly taking a break from gardening, attracted by her huge breasts barely covered by her kimono. The blushing monk received a friendly push from a grinning Luka, while Lest shook his head in disapproval and decided to hide in his own corner.
Just as they were about to enter the mansion, a harpy came out at high speed and almost ran into them, dropping a missive on the ground.
"Oooops! Sorry! I was just carrying a message to the guards to inform them to watch out for a bunch of heroes!"
"It's okay…" Kazuya grabbed the missive on the ground and accidentally set it on fire with a flame spell. "Argh! Sorry, I'm so clumsy! I swear I just wanted to pick it up… I'll make it up to you."
"Eh, it's okay." The harpy shrugged. "The place is well-guarded enough as it already is. They don't need a stupid message to watch out for heroes."
"We'll keep an eye out for those heroes ourselves…" Kazuya winked.
"Really? You'd help us for free?"
"Yeah… Luka here has been sent to personally help guarantee the safety of the Elf Princess."
"That's so cool!" The harpy jumped up and down in excitation. "I'll make sure the guards bring you to her room!"
Birdbrain.
"That won't be necessary. We don't want to disturb anyone more than what we have to. Just tell us where we can find her."
"Oh, it's a bit long, but I'll tell you. First you have her room which is there, but she doesn't come out ever, so you have the guards who have the keys in the kitchen, but they only go inside her room to give her food, because she's incredibly picky. For example she doesn't like curry if it's done in a certain fashion. By the way, did you know that she was originally raised by the amazoness? She's so skilled with weapons that she can use three of them at the same time! However, she doesn't like it, so it's why she's spending her days cloistered in her room waiting for the charming prince, and in the meantime, she spends her days sending messages with some high quality magic orb thingy!"
"That's quite some… scattered information you just gave us. Did you tell us all that so we could do that in their stead?"
"Nnnnope~! It's because I was just stalling you so that everyone could get in position!"
"Eh?"
"Attack!"
Oh crap, we got outsmarted by a harpy…
None of the remaining heroes could react in time before being assailed by a swarm of kunoichis that appeared from every direction. Kazuya was instantly wrapped between the thighs of his interlocutor before another one jumped on him and pinned his arms to the ground, completely restricting his movements. Luka could barely see a glimpse of Lauratt wrapped in tentacles before the magus and his assailant disappeared in a well of shadows. As a result, the three remaining swordsmen were unable to counter the storm of spells that assaulted them. Luka gritted his teeth and readied his weapon for a fight…
…then his sword slipped from his fingers just as quickly. Even if it wasn't how he imagined how his plan would go, the result was exactly what he wanted. A trio of elves jumped on the opportunity and on the hero pinning him to the ground and incapacitating him the best way they could.
"Argh… I lost."
"Ufufufu… It looks like a cruel fate awaits you." The elf responsible for the deathblow licked her lips. "We will all take our time to torment you with our amazing sexual skills, making you come until you turn into a cripple only good to be our personal slave…"
"Oh, nooooooo…"
Back in Hades, Reaper was horizontally lifting her scythe over her head, her indifferent gaze locked on the place where the heroes would appear after their defeat. It was this kind of moments that made her loath her work. Heroes were supposed to die in a noble fashion, holding back tides of monsters, not dying after overexerting while abandoning against a harem.
History only looks good as long as you don't know the truth.
BONK.
One.
BONK.
Two.
BONK.
Three.
BONK.
Four.
FWOOSH.
Five. This one doesn't deserve it.
BONK.
Six. The seventh should quickly follow.
…Or not. That Novissa has an impressive endurance.
…when will he come here? It sounds dirtier than what I wanted; the White Rabbit might have influenced my mind. Concerning. Ah. Never mind.
BONK.
And seven. I am impressed that they needed three spider girls to finish him off. They even entangled themselves with their arms.
Reaper let the heroes gather their bearings and return to their world. Afterward, she materialized a board with a list of all the locations the hero had crossed, and added a fifth mark to the Kunoichi Village. She sighed as she looked down on the world again to see the heroes returning in their not-so-noble quest once again. Given their power, there was no reason for the board to be covered in so many marks, but somehow the perspective of sex with kunoichis had overridden every one of their reasoning, forcing her to make short rewind after short rewind to keep the heroes going forward.
Next time, I hit them more than once on the head.
A quick look down informed her that it would be unnecessary.
Reaper grimaced. It was going to be infinitely worse.
"Aaaaand voilà! We're done for now!"
Groys sighed in relief. That much paperwork had given her a headache. "Was so much administrative work necessary? I can feel my blood threatening to burst from my head."
"It was a necessity, otherwise you would never have been able to get in there on your own, and even if you somehow managed, you'd keep triggering every alarm known to man." Mephisto got up. "Teeny will show you your new room as soon as she's available, so in the meantime why don't we check if we have better equipment for you?"
"Mmph! Do you really think you can have better available than equipment made from the finest meteoritic material?"
Mephisto shrugged. "Let us check just in case. Besides, introducing you to our supporting circle and make sure they know that you're now with us is important too."
Groys meekly agreed. Whether it was intentional or not, that demonstration done by the Succubus Queen carried the clear message that staying alive would directly be correlated to her ability to stay on the low and remain unnoticed. However, Groys felt a cold sensation when they approached the entryway. The source of the unpleasant feeling was quickly identified as Spider Princess who was approaching her with a malicious smile.
"Well if it isn't the foul Roach Queen gracing us with her presence! Did you soil your tower that much that you decided to invade the castle and turn it in your new nest?"
Groys huffed back. "At least I wasn't dragged out of my den after I attacked humans once too often like a sadistic pest. I was saved by the hero Luka himself, and I'm sure that he will enjoy the reward I have in mind for him tonight."
"Now, now, there's no need for a fight."
Spider Princess snarled back. "Watch your tongue! You're talking to the second highest voted for contender for the throne of the queen of the insects!"
"Wait, you voted for an Insect Queen while I was away?!"
"It doesn't matter, you want to get Luka for yourself?!"
"Yes! He will be mine! That stupid title can be kept away for all I care!"
"I don't think that you have your priorities in order there…"
"And I bet you were the only one who voted for yourself, didn't you?!"
Spider Princess growled in anger. Groys decided to further egg her on. "I knew it! Nobody else would vote for you! I'll make sure Queen Ant and Queen Bee restart another vote that you will be excluded from this time!" The Queen Roach romantically sighed, her face flushing slightly. "And then I'll make sure to fulfill my procreational duty and get a lot of children from the hero afterward…"
"He is MY betrothed you dirty quack! I won't let him catch whatever disease you're carrying with you!"
"Good grief, I'm off to get Sonya and Alice, it sounds like it would be more in their range than mine. I would ask you to stay there, but I don't think I need to. Just try not to get hurt while I'm away."
The two monsters were still turning around one another when Sonya and Alice arrived. Spider Princess took a moment to scoff at them when she saw them approach.
"Ah! If it isn't the ridiculous miniature Monster Lord and the unfortunate failure of a childhood friend showing their unsightly faces in a misplaced attempt to claim superiority over the hero again!"
Sonya closed her eyes and sighed. "We don't claim anything, the only reason Luka isn't with you more often is because he prefers other people."
"Oh? Did both of you delude yourselves enough to imagine that he would prefer a boorish country bumpkin and a comically childish Monster Lord over my impossible elegance?"
Spider Princess felt a powerful weight on the back of her abdomen the moment a dripping voice reached her ear. "Did you ask him? Did you experience it for yourself?"
The insect queen tried to shake Alma Elma from her back repeatedly, twisting, turning around while everyone was watching. The enthusiastic succubus queen raised her fist to the sky.
"Weeeeeee! Rodeo time!"
"Fantastic. You're back even faster than usual."
"That's because they came faster than usual!"
Alice and Sonya both facepalmed in unison while Groys looked confused, not knowing what to do with being surrounded by rivals goofing around. While Alice was trying to get her subordinate under control, Groys tentatively approached the young priestess.
"Sooo… you've been friend with the hero since childhood, right?"
Sonya groaned. "Yes, I'm his unlucky childhood friend, the one who gets to enjoy his company once in a blue moon and keeps hearing how all monsters get a turn with him while I hear them from my bed. Alone. All night long when it happens. Sometimes they even invite me to sit on a chair and watch" She sadly smiled. "But as long as no one else forcibly try to marry him to get all of his affection for herself, I'm fine."
Alice and Alma Elma rejoined them, leaving an unconscious Spider Princess in the care of Teeny.
"…you know that's what Spider Princess wants to do, right? She just threw a hissy fit because she's seeing Groys as more competition, and we have to take her down daily."
Groys refrained from saying that she had also intended to keep the hero for herself. She was gradually revising her plan toward a version that would make sure her lifespan didn't get critically shortened.
Sonya answered in a slightly more aggravated tone of voice. "As long as the issue is kept in the Pocket Castle where we can all discuss it, I'm fine."
Then an alarm rang, surprising everyone. Before Alice and Alma Elma could even check any information about the cause, the frontal door opened wide to let Neris in. The blue-haired succubus was pouting, her arms crossed under her chest.
"Mom, Luka and the heroes are giving up and having sex with the kunoichis with the Elf Village!"
Sonya's voice was further strained. "He's an adult. He can do what he want. As long as. He doesn't get married. With someone we're fighting. I. Am. FINE."
Alice blinked a few times and babbled a bit before being able to form a coherent answer. "Okay, first, wrong timing Sonya, second, what's exactly his plan, and third-"
"Luka's planning to marry the Elf Princess and exploit her affection to get himself a harem."
"ALRIGHT! HERE I COME!"
Sonya summoned a large hammer that she swung over her shoulder and walked through the gate of the castle absolutely fuming, quickly followed by a concerned Alice that was alternating between trying to convince her that Elf Princess was a foe too dangerous to be faced alone and pleading to leave Luka alive. Behind them, Neris was grinning like a cat, nodding approvingly. After sending Groys on an errand, Alma Elma approached their unexpected guest with a somewhat malicious intent.
"You're a strange one… breaking in the castle like that to announce that Luka is currently going on a risky debauchery rampage so that we know and go… help him out. What is your endgame?"
Neris innocently shrugged. "Oh, I'm just a traveler having the best interests of the hero at heart. Nothing more."
"Oh, please, stop lying missie. I'm sure Alice and I have raised you to be better than that." Alma Elma slowly breathed in and out. "I can't wait to see how Alice will react when I tell her that in a world, she got a daughter with Luka and I got to be her godmother. Tamamo was horrified, wasn't she?"
Neris's flirty smile disappeared from her face for a short moment before showing up again. "How about you don't do that and I instead share with you some videos of when they got it on?"
"Deal!" The two monsters shook hand. "I'm sure that this is the beginning of a beautiful relation… how about you start by telling me how did you find out about Luka's plan?"
Neris winked. "Secret~!"
"Amira was the one who told you, wasn't she?"
"Yes."
"That… didn't go as well as I expected. Let's get this over with quickly… I don't know about you guys, but I'm nursing an impossible headache." Luka grimaced as he held out his head.
"I feel fine."
"You're lucky Lest…" Kazuya shook his head in a fruitless attempt to clear his headache. "You're very lucky."
Luka slowly opened the door leading to the room of the Elf Princess. He barely had the time to catch the sight of the raven-haired princess in her kimono that she ran and hid behind a screen. The hero groaned as he didn't have the patience to deal with any antics from her part.
"Come out, we just want to get this over with, we won't do anything to you, we're heroes!"
A meek voice came out. "Letter… desk…"
Is it only me or she sounds disappointed? Did she expect me to come in and carry her away bridal style?
The heroes obliged and took a look. As Luka browsed through the hideously thick book that the Elf Princess had qualified as a letter, he bitterly regretted having brought the other heroes who were all awkwardly blushing at the incredibly flourished descriptions of how she imagined her life with Luka. The measured browsing evolved into a frantic flipping as he eventually searched for the conclusion.
"...and I refuse to let the Monster Lord get in the way of our marriage by destroying the world." Luka grimaced at the conclusion the Elf Princess had reached. He didn't know what was worse between how twisted the information the Elf Princess got was, the fact that she was still hiding behind a screen, and how skewed her priorities were.
"Ah… let me reassure you, the current Monster Lord won't get in the way of anything happening between us."
"No, you're wrong!" The Elf Princess surprised everyone by coming out of her hiding place. "I heard everything about the plans of the Monster Lord to kill everyone and destroy the world! She will kill each of us to the last!"
Luka grimaced, if only because the sudden exclamation further worsened his headache. "That's… not quite her plan. How did you even hear that in the first place?"
A cold otherworldly voice echoed all around them. "That would be from me." As the heroes warily looked around them, a strange undead monster whose lower body was made from worms appeared. "We already meet again, hero Luka."
"Luka, what the FUCK is that?!" Lest loudly exclaimed himself while Novissa audibly retched. The strange monster huffed in offense at her remark.
"Your companions are incredibly rude. I'm the ruler of the underworld, Izanami, and I only told Elf Princess the truth and nothing else."
"Oh, gooooood…" Kazuya started massaging his face while sweating heavily. "Couldn't you have told us that you faced the lord of hell?!"
Izanami raised an eyebrow. "My only domain is the Underworld. And I'm only on the surface because Black Alice pulled me out and I wanted to thank her for her generosity."
Argh… I didn't think I would have to deal with them so soon after the war between the fluffies… I think we can still take her down if we don't get another bad surprise.
Before Luka could formulate any strategy, the door opened wide again on a dragonkin. Luka and Kazuya gasped in shock when the newcomer arrived.
"Granberia?!"
Oh, crap, I completely forgot that she was also sent here as well!
"Here you are!" The dragonkin barely glanced at the heroes before her eyes locked on Izanami. She threateningly growled while preparing her sword while the door magically closed behind her. "I'm not surprised to see that a servant of Black Alice is responsible for starting another rebellion! I will make sure your ploys end now forever!"
"Oh, do you really think your sword can hold up to me? I see the lack of resolve in your eyes. You will flinch at the first attack and fall to your knees at the second."
"Will you dare to prove your theory?"
Both monsters glared at one another, waiting for the other to move to riposte. The heroes themselves backs away slightly to not get caught in the explosion of violence that was going to follow any second, all while keeping a worried eye on the Elf Princess in case she would try abducting Luka again.
Then the entrance of the room suddenly exploded. Luka saw a trio of unconscious kunoichis flying across the room accompanied by a rain of wooden and paper splinters. And, at the entrance of the room, was the last thing he wanted to see: An absolutely irate, burning red Sonya wielding an ever larger war hammer than the one she usually carried.
"LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Granberia reflexively charged at this newcomer after identifying her as a foe. Unfortunately for her, Sonya was more than ready and answered her charge with an attack of her own. If her entrance had blasted a group of kunoichis across the room, the following move sent the unlucky dragonkin flying through the roof. Izanami herself flinched when she assisted to the unfortunate fate of her challenger.
"Oh no. I refuse to deal with that. Give Reaper my regards next time you see her."
"Wait, you know about her?!"
The undead monster disappeared before Luka could get an answer. His attention was quickly brought back to the priestess that was panting in pure fury, staring at the hero with a burning rage. Fortunately for him, the Elf Princess stood between them.
"I won't let you attack my husband and get in the way of our marriage! He's my promised one, the loyal knight in shining armor I always dreamed of!"
Sonya released a humorless laugh. "Ha! You really think that he's loyal?! That you're going to marry him?! That he will stick to you whatever you do to him?! Everything you do for him will be useless! You'll just get him stolen again by the first succubus he comes across! Don't hold on to your dream, it's useless!"
Luka loudly gulped while the other heroes awkwardly shuffled away, trying to put some distance between him and them.
Not that they were better themselves as they silently acknowledged.
"You're a liar! We will be married and stay together forever and ever! I won't let you badmouth him again!" The Elf Princess pulled out a long katana and an impressively huge flail shaped like a skull before charging Sonya.
"Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!"
The priestess held her own and riposted just as fast, parrying the numerous attacks in a fit of berserk rage that wasn't going to abate any time soon.
"Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!"
"Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!"
"Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!"
The heroes gawked at the impossibly fast-paced fight happening in front of them. Lest leaned toward Luka and whispered as silently as he could over the sound of fighting.
"Shouldn't we help her?"
"Which one? Because we came for Elf Princess, but I'll be honest… I think Sonya will have my head if she wins…"
Lauratt flinched and nodded negatively. He still remembered the earlier threat from Neris. These girls didn't go for the head.
Kazuya pointed at the exit. "Let's just leave while they're too engrossed in the fight to notice us."
"Do you really think they won't notice us leaving?"
"Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!"
"Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!"
"Yup."
The two girls kept exchanging blows at breakneck speed. Luka couldn't see a single difference in their energy between the beginning of the fight and right now.
"Ok, probably not."
As the heroes slunk away, the shoulders of Hakunen slumped down. "I feel bad for letting them fight. I feel like we really could have done something."
"Could? Certainly. Should? Unlikely." Once they were sure that they were far enough of the fight, Kazuya took on a more scholarly tone. "You see Hakunen, this is the quintessential trolley problem if the trolley was thrown straight at us, which means it's actually nothing like the trolley problem… anyway, we might not have made the best choice, but the one that was the least bad given our circumstances. Letting them fight means that none of them will follow and attack us. If we did help Sonya, we would have suffered her wrath. If we helped Elf Princess, she would have then attacked us to get to Luka and crippled him to forcibly marry him and she would still be currently rebelling against the Monster Lord until we beat her. Which we definitively could and should have done. Crap." The heroes stopped dead in their track as they were about to leave the mansion through the garden. "That was not our best judgment. It's probably not too late to get back in and solve that by ourselves…"
"Yeah… let's take care of this… we're heroes after all. We shouldn't have left." The heroes shamefully slinked back to the room of Elf Princess, but stopped when they felt a sudden burst of pleasure magic filling the room. Luka gestured for everyone to stay behind while he scouted ahead, even as he felt sweat fill his gloves. The silence felt more threatening than the cacophony of fighting a few minutes earlier, and it's only when he approached the room that he could catch bits of discussions. He discreetly peeked inside and grimaced. Sonya was slumped against a wall, dazed, while Alice was discussing with the Elf Princess.
"…and then that Izanami left after Sonya threw Granberia in the sky, but the heroes disappeared right after you and Sonya started fighting?"
"…yes."
"That sounds completely out of there… I'll have to find them quickly; I have A LOT of question for them." Her tone left no doubt about how angry Alice was. Still concealed, Luka gulped.
Crap, ooooh crap. Ok, if I say that we retreated because we were threatened to be overwhelmed and were about to get more reinforcement, maybe we could save our asses. Let's make sure the others know it so that we agree on the story.
Luka joined back the others as quickly as they could and, after a very quick talk, everyone agreed with his plan. They hadn't even left the village that they ran into another snag, this time taking the form of Alma Elma. The Succubus Queen smiled widely when she saw them.
"Oh, did the legendary Heroes of the Seven Worlds already beat the Elf Princess and survived Granberia? Impressive!
"Huuuh, actually we were looking to get more help…" Luka awkwardly scratched the back of his head, hoping that his nervousness would be put on the account of being ashamed by his failure and not the fact that he was hiding the truth from her. "The Elf Princess is tough, and her guards took a lot from us."
Crap, why did I say it like that?!
"Oh. I guess it makes sense." Alma Elma shrugged. "Just so you know, Sonya couldn't tolerate having her poor, maiden heart further played with by the Elf Princess and rushed in… you didn't happen to see her?
"No…" The heroes all shook their heads in unison.
"Oh well… in that case…" She stretched. "Let's get in and find her! I'll accompany you myself to get to the bottom of this. If those monsters troubled you, I'm worried that they could more than trouble her."
Luka gulped. This was not going to end well. However, the best he could was play along and hope that they'd be able to talk this way out of this one. He regretted not having further groomed his smooth-talker skill. Maybe Kazuya would be able to push a deal through.
More concerning, Hakunen himself was also sweating in obvious fear, having a lot of difficulties dealing with the pressure. Alma Elma noticed it and voiced an apparent concern.
"Are you alright Hakunen?" She leaned closer, making him nervously recoil. "I won't eat you like those girls, you know~…"
"I-I'm fine! I-I just heard that Elf Princess is a skilled warrior! The most powerful of shut-ins, whatever that means!"
"Oooh, don't worry about that. She's only an elf, and I can make short work of them. Now, let's find Sonya and Alice, shall we?"
As they progressed through the hallways, they ended up face-to-face with a somewhat despondent Alice carrying an unconscious Sonya over her shoulder.
"Ah, Alice-"
"We already heard about your plan with the Elf Princess." Luka could swear he heard a plate shatter in the distance. Alma Elma pouted and crossed her arms under her chest like a child.
"I wanted to play with them a bit more. Party ppoper."
"You can." Alice sounded calmer than Luka expected. Somehow, it was worse than everything else. The Monster Lord had always been somewhat jealous and only tolerated his escapades. An outburst would have been quickly over. That cold rage meant the worst was still ahead, and that it could last for a long time. "You're welcome to play with them like they played with everyone's emotions."
"Perfect! Alma Elma cracked her knuckles. "I didn't think that it would be this way when I imagined taking on all of you at the same time, but I'll enjoy it none the less."
"Wait, wait, wait." Luka felt relieved when Kazuya stepped ahead to mediate the issue. "We're sorry! We're all sincerely sorry. But we were all TIRED of the rivalry in the castle to lay with us, of the conflicts between monsters treating us as prizes, and of being unable to go anywhere without starting the fight! What we did was stupid, but we were desperate! Surely you understand?!"
"Mmmh…"
"And besides, we're all allies! We have dangerous trouble to deal with ahead! We're too civilized to fight like chiffoniers in that time of crisis, aren't we? There's really no need for violence! Just… we'll apologize in any way you see fit!"
"Mmmmhhh…"
The Monster Lord remained immobile. She silently acquiesced with Kazuya that the fights between monsters to nail one of the heroes had been a frequent issue. She understood why the heroes did what they did.
It didn't justify risking their lives for fleeting pleasure though.
And she didn't like their escapades themselves either. She didn't imagine that the companions of the other heroes would either. She would have to ask them as well. This was getting complicated for her.
As if Alma Elma was reading in Alice's thoughts, she decided to chime in.
"I think I have a solution that everyone will agree with.
It took less than ten seconds after Alma Elma had finished announcing her punishment plan for every monster, human and angel living in the Pocket Castle to enthusiastically agree with her. Originally, the Seven Heroes tried contesting, but Alma Elma had found the one perfect sentence that made them submit.
Heroes are servants of the people, aren't they?
"Your dinner, mistress."
Luka kneeled as he presented Alice a plate covered in food on a silver platter. She haughtily accepted the food presented and sent him on his way, which he obliged, defeated.
This was their punishment. For a week, they would serve every request as long as it was not sexual. They were available enough to serve everyone for the time being, stopping any conflict between girls dead in their track, and they wouldn't have to fight themselves. It was a win-win.
They could have done without the French maid outfits though. Alma Elma had insisted that they were needed to mark their condition and threatened to do to any monster the same damage they would do as they tried to get the heroes.
Luka's path crossed with Novissa and Lauratt at the same time. The outfit of the warrior was ridiculously small, while Lauratt ended up looking like a girl. It was more humiliating than he anticipated.
Luckily, in a last bit of desperate negotiation, the heroes did manage to obtain the agreement that nobody would record them or tease them with that afterward.
"Heeey, servant Luka!" Sylph approached him with a malicious smirk. "I want to play! Can you fetch my fairies friends?"
"Of course, mistress Sylph. I'll do it."
"Repeat the order I gave you! I want to make sure you understood!"
"I will fetch your fairy friends." Behind the corner, he could hear Salamander and Undine puffing. After serving him, the spirits were somewhat eager to getting served by him.
At least, this will be forgotten. Maybe it will take a week. Maybe it will take years. But at the very least, one day, every memories of this week will fall to the erosion of time…
"…White Rabbit, the additional recording orbs are only to guarantee that important events are registered. This does not qualify as an important event."
"Oooh, don't you think I didn't see the ones you hid under your coat to record Luka? If I entered your room at the wrong time, I'm sure I would find yourself watching it, busy enjoying yourself within the sea of chaos!"
"Alright. We never had this conversation."