Monster Girl Saga

(A/N: And yet another chapter. This one took a while due to a bunch of RL circumstances, but I finally got it done. As always, thanks to Toraneko from TFF for editing 'n' stuff. Enjoy!)

 

CHAPTER 6

 

A dream cannot exist without the dreamer

 

Two days later, having recovered from the encounter with the Elf twins, Luka finally found himself ready to set out. He had decided to travel relatively light: camping gear, clothes, money, his sword, and as a personal concession, a few spices and condiments for food. He had, after all, learned how to cook from Liese, and it was an activity he found relaxing. Additionally, Thermidor wasn’t a terribly good cook, probably owing to her not really needing food to begin with, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Alice wouldn’t cook anyway... and that if she did, she would probably cause a small disaster. The Lamia was as spoiled as they got, and made that abundantly clear in the short time they had known each other.

 

As he said his farewells to the villagers and set out, he looked back one last time. He wouldn’t be returning for a long while, after all, and while times had been hard, all in all he was fond of Ilias Village. His eyes lingered on his house, then he nodded with determination, turned around and began walking down the road leading out of the village and to the north. Finally, his journey had begun.

 

It didn’t take long for him to reach the location where he, Thermidor and Alice had agreed to meet. Upon approaching it, he saw the two monsters waiting for him already. With one last look behind him to ensure no one he knew was following and watching, he sped up and caught up to the swordswoman and her companion.

 

“I’m here,” he greeted them as he approached. “Did you have to wait long?”

 

“No, we just got here ourselves,” Thermidor shook her head. “We were discussing where to go first. The most logical destination is Iliasburg to the north. It’s the largest town on this island, with an inn, shops, and a tavern, so we can get supplies and information. More importantly,” the fencer added as she looked him over critically, “you will need a modicum of armor, Luka. While your fighting style is based on not getting hit, going around with just light clothes on is reckless to the extreme.”

 

“That’s true...” Luka nodded, thinking. “Well, hopefully there will be something my size in Iliasburg. Something usable, that is. I mean, some of the Heroes I see walk around at times look more like the right hand men of the villain out of some fantasy tale than, well... heroic. And I honestly don’t know how some of the more, uh, creative looking armor designs allow them to fight without injuring themselves...”

 

“I assume you mean the whole ‘spikes of villainy’ thing and the preference of Ilias’s pet Heroes for ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ looks?” Alice inquired, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice. “Yes, I have noticed those types, too. I always wondered how they don’t poke their own eyes out, what with all the blades and pointy ends they wear...”

 

“Most men sadly aim for looks over functionality,” Thermidor shrugged. “I at least have an excuse, in that I have no choice but to wear this armor. I’m not sure how they justify their choice of equipment, though. Oversized weapons, ominous-looking armor... I think they may be overcompensating for something.”

 

“...haha, never thought I’d hear a straight-laced woman like you say something like that,” Alice laughed. Thermidor gave her a questioning look.

 

“Straight-laced? I won’t ask you what gave you that impression,” she replied in a deadpan tone. “Besides, if something seems stupid to me, I call it stupid. What am I supposed to do? Condone idiocy?”

 

“I thought you didn’t have much of a sense of humor,” Alice admitted. “I see I was wrong. Your wit is just a bit drier than mine.”

 

“Could we save the discussion over different brands of humor for later?” Luka asked, worried. “We’re still very close to Ilias Village, and I'd rather not be hounded by Church soldiers because someone saw me being friendly to monsters and denounced me as a heretic. I’d like to be able to return here someday and not risk being hanged on sight.”

 

“You’re right. Well, then, let’s move out,” Thermidor nodded. “There’s no point delaying any further.”

 

“All right then,” Luka nodded, then paused as he noticed Thermidor had a familiar-looking bundle slung across her back. “Is that...?”

 

“Mm,” Thermidor nodded as she started down the road. “I’m bringing this sword along. I don’t know why, but I get the feeling it may be of use on this trip. Call it a hunch.”

 

“You never did tell me about it, did you?” Luka commented as he followed, eyeing the cloth wrapping the mysterious sword. He’d seen Thermidor examine it a couple of times, and both the sword’s handle and the sheath were exquisitely crafted, but he’d always been too tired from training to inquire about it, and by the next day, he’d usually be too focused on his next training session to remember to ask.

 

“True. I promised I’d tell you about it someday, didn’t I?” the fencer nodded. “How about this, then: when we reach Iliasburg and check in at an inn there, I’ll take the evening off and tell you all I know about it. It’s something better narrated before a warm fireplace rather than out in the open when we’re tired from a day of traveling.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” Luka agreed. With that, the trio began moving at a brisk pace, heading north towards Iliasburg. As they walked, Luka felt elated, looking at the sky. He’d actually done it, he’d set out on a journey to be a Hero. His morale was high, and he wondered what would await him down the line. What kind of people and monsters would he meet? What sort of difficulties and obstacles would he have to overcome?

 

The answer to that question came soon enough, less than two hours after their departure. As noon approached, Alice began complaining about being hungry, and as if to underline her words, her belly rumbled. Luka sighed.

 

“It’s not even noon yet,” he muttered, glaring at the snakewoman. “And I know you ate a huge breakfast this morning! How can you be hungry already? Wait until lunchtime...”

 

“Lunchtime is whenever someone feels like lunch,” Alice replied matter-of-factly. Luka stared at her.



“What kind of insane backwards logic is that... never mind,” he grumbled, feeling a headache coming on. “Let’s walk just a little bit longer, then we'll stop and I’ll cook you something.”

 

“Good!” Alice replied happily. “I’m told you’re an excellent cook. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do.”

 

Luka grumbled again. He could already tell Alice’s appetite would be one of the greatest challenges he’d face on this journey.

 

As promised, a few minutes later they stopped and set up camp a ways off the road, in a small glade within the woods. Luka promptly got to work, lighting a small campfire and taking cooking implements out of his backpack, along with the supplies he’d brought. He didn’t have anything fancy, but was still able to put together a decent meal out of bread, tomatoes, and a herb salad, as well as a couple eggs Betty had given him in the morning. Having prepared food, he called out for Alice, who came dashing, attracted by the delicious smell.

 

The Lamia quickly ate her fill of the meal, and then asked for seconds. Luka’s eye twitched. He’d intended for that food to be enough to last a couple days, eggs aside, and seeing it disappear in a single lunch made him realize he’d need a bigger backpack, if nothing else to keep more food for Alice to wolf down. Muttering something under his breath about gluttonous snake-women, he cleaned and put away the plates and the other camping equipment after Alice was done eating, taking advantage of a small stream in the vicinity.

 

With that done, the trio got ready and set out again. This time, Luka kept an eye out for small animals, hoping to catch something for dinner so he’d have food, since Alice had eaten most of the provisions. His alertness proved useful, as he shortly caught a couple hares, with some help from Thermidor. Satisfied that there’d be food in the evening, he cleaned, salted, and stashed his quarry, and they continued on with Luka in a far more relaxed state of mind.

 

As he hummed an upbeat tune, Luka felt something strange and stopped, falling silent. A quick scan of the surroundings confirmed his suspicions: most of the animal noises had ceased, which meant either a human or a monster were nearby. Either way, it could spell trouble, so he advanced cautiously, a hand resting on his iron sword. Behind him, Thermidor followed suit, having noticed the change herself. Alice looked unconcerned.

 

As Luka expected, they soon encountered the one responsible for the sudden quiet. In the middle of the road they were traveling on stood a female figure. She appeared to be a human wearing a noblewoman’s dress, complete with hat, gloves and frills. However, taking a closer look, Luka realized the ‘woman’ was in fact a monster. Her eyes had nothing human, being a solid mass of black, and as she approached, he became aware of a peculiar scent coming from her.

 

“Hm... a Slug Girl,” Thermidor commented behind him. “They aren’t very strong monsters, but can be problematic due to their soft bodies. That said, they don’t kill the men they catch... they just carry them off for reproduction purposes.”

 

“I see,” Luka nodded. “Alice, what do you think we... wait, where did she go?”

 

Thermidor blinked and looked around, surprised. Alice had vanished without either of them noticing. Confused, Luka wondered why she would run away like that. He could tell she was powerful, and it made no sense she’d just flee from such a low level monster. He grunted in frustration. He knew she’d explicitly said she would be an observer and nothing more, but this kind of behavior right after she ate up most of his provisions irritated him. Returning his attention to the Slug Girl, he noticed she was eyeing him speculatively.

 

“A traveler?” she murmured, sounding surprised. “Not baptized, either... but I see you’re in company of a monster. Do you belong to her...?”

 

“I don’t belong to anyone,” Luka replied. He had a suspicion he knew where she was going with that question, but he was a terrible liar, and he was sure she’d guess he wasn’t being truthful if he said otherwise. “I'm just traveling north towards Iliasburg. Please let me pass. I have no quarrel with you.”

 

“Mmmm... no,” was the Slug Girl’s reply as she approached with a smile. “You look delicious, and if you don’t belong to that monster over there, then I think I’ll take you for myself.” Grasping the edge of her ‘dress’, she raised it up, revealing a mass of pink, sticky flesh underneath, her lower body shaped like a slug’s.

 

“Can’t we talk this over?” Luka insisted, reluctant to get in a fight so soon after he’d left home. “Will you at least be willing to let me go if I go along with it?”

 

“What? No, silly,” the Slug Girl giggled. “Do you have any idea how rare delicious-smelling unbaptized travelers such as yourself are? Of course I’m keeping you.” She advanced menacingly with a squishing noise. “Don’t worry, I promise you’ll love life as my pet.”

 

Luka frowned as he drew his sword. He’d rather not fight, but it seemed this monster was not willing to listen to reason. Had she agreed to let him go, he may have let her have her way with him for the sake of avoiding conflict, but it seemed this particular monster had other ideas.

 

“This is as good a time as any to see what you learned,” Thermidor’s voice came from behind him. “Let’s see how you perform in an actual fight. Don’t worry, if things get out of hand, I’ll step in and handle matters for you.”

 

Luka paused as he felt her eyes on him. The unspoken threat behind Thermidor’s words was clear as day: if he lost to the very first monster he met in his journey, there was no way she’d let him go on. He’d expected as much, seeing how fiercely protective of him the monster could be, but now he knew for sure. Sighing, he nodded as he dropped his backpack and took a step forward, falling in a defensive stance. The Slug Girl giggled at that.

 

“Hm? Why would you want to hurt me? I’ll make you feel good,” she tried to tempt him. “Come on... I’ll make you come over and over while tasting my sticky mucus...”

 

“...I’ll pass on that. I have more urgent things to do,” was Luka’s reply as he cautiously took a few steps to the side. Slug Girls were weak monsters from what he knew, but he seemed to recall them being dangerous for some reason, although the exact nature of the danger escaped him.

 

Deciding to try and end the fight as quickly as possible so as to minimize chances of hurting the monster, Luka made the first move and closed in on her, bringing his sword ahead in a short arc without putting much power behind it.

 

That proved to be a mistake, as his sword, lacking the power it needed to do damage, instead got caught on her soft, slimy flesh. Luka immediately realized the error, but by then his weapon was stuck. Seeing the terrible position he was in, he immediately pulled back with all his strength, and managed to wrench the blade free before it could become hopelessly glued to the Slug Girl’s slimy body.

 

“You can’t cut me with such a weak attack, you know,” the Slug Girl pointed out, confirming his suspicion. “Now, come to me. I promise you’ll like it.”

 

With that, she lunged forward, attempting to grab the boy. Fortunately for Luka, she was still a slug, and the attack was slow enough that he was able to dodge it even from as close to her as he was by rolling to the side. As he got back to his feet and in a defensive stance, breathing deeply, Luka once again considered his choices.

 

This is no good, he thought. If I pull my swings, I do nothing. If I put too much power behind them, I could kill or fatally wound her. I don’t have the kind of control required to damage her without serious consequences yet. But there has to be something I... can do...

 

As he thought, his gaze fell on his backpack, and he noticed the spices he’d brought from home. Upon seeing the jar of salt he’d taken along, it dawned on him. She was a slug! Slugs hated salt!

 

Sheathing his sword, he quickly bent over and picked up the salt jar. The Slug Girl tensed up as he opened the container and poured a bit of the white, powdery substance on his palm.

 

“Eek! Salt...?” she cried, looking anxious. “Put that down! You wouldn’t be thinking of...?”

 

Luka’s answer was to throw a handful of salt at her. The monster let out another pitiful shriek, now clearly scared, and shrank back as Luka threw some more salt at her.

 

“No! Don’t do that! I’ll dry up!” she pleaded. “I just wanted to make you feel good! Why are you being so mean?”

 

“I don’t want to be mean to you,” Luka answered, sounding genuinely sorry. “But I also want to continue my journey. I’m afraid I can’t just lose to you, but I don’t want to harm you, either, so all I can do is drive you off. Now, please,” he concluded as he held up another handful of salt in a threatening manner. “Just leave peacefully. I’d rather not make this any more unpleasant than it already is.”

 

“Y-you...” the Slug Girl cried out as she glared at him, hastily retreating. “I won’t forget this!”

 

As the monster slithered off, Luka sighed, placing the leftover salt back in the jar. While this was technically his victory, it was painfully obvious that he had to do something about his approach to monsters. He doubted he’d always conveniently have a way out like he did today every time a hostile opponent approached him, and it was becoming evident to him that hoping to keep his hands clean while winning battles was an illusion, at best.

 

“That... wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to see you perform in a fight,” Thermidor spoke up from behind him. “Although I must commend you on your quick thinking. Using salt against a Slug Girl may not be an orthodox way of fighting, but it certainly works.”

 

“Oh, come on!” Alice’s voice was heard as she reappeared from out of nowhere, startling the boy and the fencer. “That was just shameful. All he needed to do was fight seriously, and he could have won.”

 

“Maybe, but I’d likely have injured her badly,” Luka replied, irritated. “And just where the hell did you go when this started, anyway?”

 

“I told you, I’m an observer,” Alice said nonchalantly. “I’ll observe you, from far away. I’d rather monsters not see me, for personal reasons.”

 

“But you’re fine with them seeing Thermidor?” Luka asked dubiously. At the Lamia’s nod, he shook his head. “That makes no sense whatsoever, but... ugh, do whatever you want. I don’t feel like arguing with you. Let’s just move on...”

 

“Before that, I have a question,” Alice stopped him. “Why are you so insistent on not hurting monsters?”

 

“Why do you want to know?” Luka asked as he glanced at her, a questioning look in his eyes. Her only response was a more insistent glare, demanding that he answer her. He sighed. “Well, if you must know, it’s not just monsters. I’d rather not hurt anyone unless they really deserve it. A Hero should be able to solve situations like these in a non-lethal way, and preferably without violence as well. Besides, it’s not like she was trying to kill me. She was just following her nature. That’s no reason to kill or maim her, no matter what other humans may think.”

 

“Mmmm... I see,” Alice nodded. “And what constitutes someone who ‘deserves it’?”

 

“If they're doing obviously evil things and aren’t the least bit repentant for it, then they're the kind of people I see no reason to hold back against,” Luka replied before growing thoughtful. “Well, that's more vague than I meant it to be. I guess what I mean to say is, 'if they are the type who take joy in the suffering of others’. That’s just not acceptable.”

 

“Hm. Good answer,” Alice nodded, pleased. “You at least realize evil is a subjective matter. Your definition of someone to whom you’d be willing to cause harm is also fair enough. If they have no respect for others’ wellbeing, then they have no room to complain if someone treats them the same way they treat others.” Alice folded her arms, giving Luka an appreciative look. “I’m satisfied with what I've heard. Let’s move on.”

 

“...I’d like it if you didn’t act as if you did anything important in this battle,” Luka muttered as he collected the things that had spilled out from his backpack as he grabbed the salt and replaced them in. Alice gave him a look.

 

“What was that? I think I heard some buzzing from a fly who wants to be a Hero but is such a peace-freak that they can’t even beat up a slug without resorting to cheap tricks,” was her reply. Luka groaned, but kept his mouth shut. She had a point - he may have won, but he’d been in a bad position, and it was mostly due to his own hesitation. As such, he really had no room to talk back to her.

 

As the trio resumed walking, Luka began thinking. He had to do something about his hesitation in harming monsters, or he wouldn’t last long in this journey.

 

----

 

“What do you mean, you used up too much salt?!”

 

Luka winced as Alice’s voice pierced his ears. They had stopped for the evening and set up camp again, but as he got ready to cook the hares he’d caught earlier, he realized he’d used up almost all of the salt he’d brought from home, and as such, he would be unable to make a properly tasty meal. That didn’t sit well with Alice at all, and she’d made sure to voice her displeasure at wasting so much perfectly good salt, taking the occasion to snipe at his refusal to take monster fights seriously in the process. It had been grating on his nerves, but since the lack of salt was entirely his fault, he’d kept quiet and said nothing.

 

As he tuned out the snake-woman’s protests, he busied himself with cooking. Even without salt, he was confident he could at least whip out something decent, although it would lack some flavor. He’d taken the liberty of collecting some aromatic herbs as they walked after the encounter with the Slug Girl, and was currently using them as ingredients for a seasoning that would make the roasted meat he was preparing much more appetizing. With the salt that still remained in the preserved game he'd caught previously, he was sure it would turn out excellent.

 

As he prepared the food, the smell from the condiment reached Alice, and her complaints faltered until she grew quiet, tantalized by the fragrance. Luka sighed in relief. Apparently, he was still a good enough cook to make her pause, even without access to the better part of his cooking supplies back home.

 

A bit later, the trio gathered around the campfire for dinner. Thermidor mostly just drank her favorite herbal tea, not really needing food but simply liking the taste. Alice, on the other hand, voraciously wolfed down her portion of roasted hare, making appreciative noises. Luka privately congratulated himself on a job well done, a bit of pride swelling up as he tasted the meat he’d prepared. While the lack of salt made it a bit less tasty than it could have been, judicious use of spices, herbs, and the grease from the meat more than made up for it, and the roast’s smell was good enough that eventually even Thermidor curiously asked for a taste. Her approving nod to him afterwards was all the reward he could have asked for.

 

As Luka sighed and got ready for sleep, he was interrupted by Alice, who motioned for him to follow her. Blinking, he complied, and they moved a ways off. Stopping, she turned to him and waved her hand.

 

“Show me some of your moves,” she asked. “I want to confirm something.”

 

“Eh...?” Luka asked, confused. Alice’s tail swished impatiently as she gave him an annoyed look.

 

“Draw your sword and show me how you move,” she repeated. “I take it Thermidor taught you how to practice without a partner?”

 

Luka nodded hesitantly. “Well, yes, but-”

 

“No buts!” she cut him off, gesturing imperiously. “Get to it! I need to see for myself.”

 

“See what...?” he muttered, but complied, seeing no harm in her request. Drawing his sword, he began to go through the routine practice he was taught by Thermidor, moving fluidly while slashing through the air. Alice observed him patiently as he kept the movements up for a couple minutes, nodding to herself, then motioned for him to stop. Luka ceased his movements at that, sheathing his sword again.

 

“Your form is good,” Alice said approvingly. “You had an excellent teacher. Thermidor is probably one of the stronger, more talented monsters I’ve met if she taught you all that in just a couple years. Most humans would require much longer to learn how to move fluidly and properly link their moves like that while keeping their footing, and while your fight with the Slug Girl was sloppy, your defensive stance was good, your response to the changing situation was quick and efficient, and you demonstrated a flexible mind by making use of other solutions instead of sticking with what didn’t work.”

 

“...you’re complimenting me now? I thought you said I was pathetic back there,” Luka muttered, giving her a suspicious look. Alice glared back.

 

“That’s because you were pathetic, you idiot,” she shot back. “You have the training and skills to beat a monster like that effortlessly, but you end up relying on some pitiful spur-of-the-moment attack because you're too hesitant to use the skills you spent so much time developing. It’s an insult to your teacher, and demeans yourself. Have you no pride?”

 

“Ugh...” Luka groaned. Alice’s criticism had hurt, but he could see no fault in it. She was right, of course.

 

“That said, while your basics are good, they won’t be enough against stronger monsters,” Alice continued. “I’ll teach you an advanced move.”



“You what...?” Luka said, surprise clear on his face. “Why would you do that? And I’m not sure Thermidor would approve of this...”



“Actually, she informed me of it, and I agreed,” the fencer’s voice came from behind them as she walked up to them, stopping beside Luka. “Up until now I refrained from teaching you anything advanced because even though I taught you how to fight, my own skills don’t agree much with your body’s build and your own approach to fighting. I am pretty heavily armored, so I can afford to take hits, but you place a greater emphasis on agility and minimizing damage through superior mobility. They are different approaches, and as such, different skills would complement them better.”

 

“I see...” Luka replied, then gave Alice a dubious look. “But to be honest, you don’t look like much of a swordswoman to me.”

 

“I am mostly a magic-user, yes,” Alice confirmed. “But I also studied the sword arts extensively, so I know the theory behind swordplay, even if I don’t practice it myself.”



“Ah, a student of theory,” Luka nodded. He’d heard of people who studied the art of the sword without practicing themselves, focusing on the mechanics behind it rather than on its application. While they wouldn’t be very good in a swordfight due to lack of training, such individuals made excellent teachers. His doubts were lifted at that. Learning from Alice would likely be worth it.

 

“Very well then, I’ll gladly learn from you!” he declared, eagerly looking at Alice. The serpentine monster smiled faintly, clearly pleased.

 

“Good, I’m glad to see you’re willing to learn from others besides your master,” she said approvingly. “Now, then, what I want you to do...”

 

For the next few hours, Luka patiently practiced under Alice’s coaching, committing her instructions to memory and repeating the movements she taught him over and over. The skill she taught him was simple, yet effective: it made use of his high mobility and small frame to allow him to quickly step in and aim a high-powered slash at the enemy’s neck, combining his physical strength and momentum of a lunge into one devastating attack. Luka practiced the movement until it became too dark to continue, at which point Thermidor told him to call it a day.

 

As the trio got ready for bed, Luka approached Alice. The monster, who was getting ready to sleep by coiling around a nearby tree, gave him a questioning look.

 

“About that move you taught me... does it have a name?” He asked her, curious. “Is there a story behind it? A creator? I’m interested in knowing where it originated.”

 

“It’s called Demon Decapitation,” Alice replied with an amused smile. “It’s said the Dark Elf champion, Zack, was able to cut off the heads of a hundred humans in a single battle using that move.”

 

“...er? Are you serious?” Luka asked, slightly creeped out. At Alice’s nod, he sighed. “Uh... that doesn’t sound at all like a technique a Hero should use. It sounds more like a technique a bad guy would know. I know this is gonna sound vain, but... don’t you have anything more, y'know, Hero-like? Or at least less horribly evil-sounding?”

 

“I’m a monster, you idiot,” Alice pointed out. “Why would I know anything about Hero techniques? Besides, beggars can’t be choosers. Be grateful I taught you anything at all.”

 

“That’s true...” Luka muttered. But you didn’t have to be so mean about it, he added mentally. Some of his thoughts, however, had to have showed on his face, because Alice frowned at him.

 

“You just thought something bad about me, didn’t you?” Alice said in a dangerous tone, her eyes narrowing. Luka chuckled nervously, sweating.

 

“Ahahahaha, no, what gave you that idea?” he denied unconvincingly. Before Alice could say anything else, he hastily excused himself, wished her a good night’s sleep, and bolted off. It may have been cowardly, but he really didn’t want to have to deal with an angry Alice.

 

----

 

The next morning, Luka woke up earlier than usual, and immediately set about practicing the technique Alice taught him. It was an excellent move for a fighter based on speed like him, and he wanted to see if he could further adapt it to his personal use. Initially, he focused on practicing the move in itself, and after an hour or so of this routine training, he began experimenting, being careful to stay away from the campsite proper.

 

However, his efforts at tweaking the skill were fruitless. All the variations he tried had issues - leaving him open, adding unnecessary delay, and so on. Sighing, he returned to practicing the basic technique again, deciding to leave the experimenting for when he himself would be more experienced. He had a feeling that this skill could be modified, but wasn’t sure exactly where the modification was to be implemented just yet. He was confident that with practice, he’d eventually figure it out.

 

After a little more practice, he finally concluded his morning training and sheathed his iron sword, blinking the sweat out of his eyes. Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of Alice, who was standing next to a tree, watching him intently. He raised an eyebrow.

 

“Is something the matter?” he asked her as he walked towards the small spring nearby. “You’re staring at me. Did I do something wrong while practicing? If I did, please point it out.”

 

“No, that’s not it,” Alice shook her head, a note of appreciation in her voice. “I was just impressed by how diligent you are. You only know the basics, yet you trained hard enough that you should be able to get by low-level monsters with those basics alone, and you’re picking up an advanced skill very fast.” Her expression grew thoughtful as she quietly gave him a speculative gaze. “In fact, at first I thought perhaps you had monster blood. You learn incredibly fast for a normal human. But when I felt around during your training just now, I couldn’t feel any monster power, so that’s obviously not the case. Apparently, you’re simply that strong.”

 

“Mmmm... well, thank you for your kind words,” Luka nodded at her, realizing her praise was sincere. “But I’m not letting it go to my head. I still have a very, very long way to go before I’m ready to go to Hellgondo, so I think I’ll travel around the human lands for a while. Seeing new places and experiencing new adventures and dangers should help me grow.”

 

“Heh. I know someone who’d love a kid like you, who actually takes getting stronger seriously instead of making a game out of it - or worse, not even trying,” Alice chuckled. “Of course, being a monster and all, maybe it’s better if you and her never meet. She can get a little unreasonable when she meets strong men, however rare it may be.”

 

“Is that so? Who knows, once all this is done and over with, I’d like to meet that person myself,” Luka replied with a smile. “There’s never a good reason to turn down a chance to meet a strong fighter and learn something new.”

 

“I don’t know...” she replied dubiously. “I’m not sure things would go as smoothly as you think.”

 

“Eh, when there’s a common love for something, things tend to smooth themselves over without too many problems,” he stated. “I’m sure our love for martial arts would be enough for us to get along.”

 

“...heh, you just might be right,” Alice shook her head. “She’s weird like that. By the way,” she suddenly changed the subject. “That ring on your hand... who gave it to you?”

 

“Eh...? You mean this?” Luka said, confused, as he held his left hand up and displayed the keepsake ring his mother had left him.

 

“Yes, that. Is it magical?” she asked, examining it. “It looks like the kind of ring that would normally hold magical power, but I can’t feel anything from it.”

 

“Hmm, my mother never said anything about it being magical,” Luka thought, looking at the ring. “But she did tell me to never take it off, and... come to think of it, it never seems to get smaller. It’s always the perfect fit. Maybe that’s its magic? I mean, I remember wearing it all the way back when I was five, and now I’m a lot bigger than I was then. My fingers got bigger, too. By logic, shouldn’t it be too small by now?”

 

“Now that’s an interesting question,” Alice murmured. “I’ll be asking you to let me examine it in the coming days. You can keep it on - I just want to take a close look at it and see if I can discern any spells on it. Although, if what you say is true, then there definitely has to be some magic. There’s no way it’d still fit if it’s that old and fit you back then...”

 

“Please let me know what you find,” Luka asked her. “I’m curious.”

 

“I’ll make sure to tell you. Now, go on and get washed,” she waved him away. “You’re a mess, and you wouldn’t want to be known as the Stinky Hero, would you now?”

 

“Ugh... figures she’d say something mean,” Luka muttered as he watched her slither away. “It was too good to last.”

 

Shaking his head, he turned around and headed for the spring. He did, after all, need a refreshing.

 

----

 

A short while later, the trio was on the road again. Luka looked around as he walked. He had never really left Ilias Village, and the sights of the southern continent were all new to him. At the moment, the group was passing through a small forest which, according to his map, would be the last obstacle before the plains surrounding Iliasburg.

 

As they walked, they began chatting, having nothing better to do besides watching the scenery. Eventually, the topic of the conversation fell on the journey they were on, and Luka curiously asked Alice what her motive for traveling around was. The serpentine monster smiled faintly at that.

 

“Well, for the most part, I want to take in new sights and explore the human world,” she said. Luka raised an eyebrow at that.

 

“That... sounds a little suspicious. You wouldn’t have ulterior motives, right?” he inquired. Alice chuckled.

 

“Of course I do, you fool,” she answered with an air of superiority, before producing and holding aloft a familiar-looking book. “Behold! Within this book lie all the secrets and locations of interest of the human world! I wish to travel around and see everything this book details!”

 

“...that’s the Traveling Guild’s ‘World Traveler’s Handbook’, isn’t it?” Luka said, unsure what to make of the monster’s words. He then blinked, looked more closely at the book’s cover, and his jaw went slack in shock. “Wa... wait a second! This book’s printing date... it’s year 867?! This book’s over 500 years old! How in blazes...?”

 

“Oh? It did look a little old to me...” Alice answered nonchalantly. Luka stared at her.

 

“A little?! Alice, half the towns and locations in this book don’t even exist anymore!” he managed to croak out as he examined the ancient book. “This... it would be worth a fortune if we could sell it to an antiques collector...”

 

“I’m not selling it, you idiot,” Alice replied, irritated. “How am I supposed to keep track of all the delicacies each town has to offer without this book?”

 

“Delicacies...? You’re keeping this guide to keep track of the food each town is famous for? Talk about a giant waste of a priceless treasure...” the boy muttered, shaking his head.

 

“You call it waste, I call it good use,” Alice shot back. “What better use is there for a book like this than for a true gourmet to employ it to find where the most palatable dishes are sold?”

 

“...I’m not sure what I should say to that,” Luka replied in an incredulous tone. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the thought of someone using such an ancient, precious book just to track down more food to stuff themselves with.

 

“When in doubt, say nothing,” Thermidor advised. “Especially when saying something is liable to get you hurt by your own traveling companions.” She subtly, but pointedly, cocked her head to indicate Alice as she said this.

 

“That’s good advice. Follow it,” Alice nodded in approval. Luka shot the snake-woman a dirty look, but said nothing. It probably was a good tip at the moment.

 

As they kept walking through the narrow forest road, they came across a strange sight: what appeared to be a giant clump of leafy grass was growing right in the middle of the road. Luka blinked. He was pretty sure this road was fairly well-used, being the only one that connected Ilias Temple to Iliasburg, and it was strange for the Church’s officials to let it fall into such disrepair that a growth this size would have time to form.

 

As he looked to his companions for advice, he noted that Alice had vanished and Thermidor was staring at the clump of grass suspiciously. That sent him into high alert; the last time the Lamia disappeared without warning, he’d been attacked by a monster, and the way Thermidor acted seemed to suggest she suspected the “grass” wasn’t as harmless as it looked.

 

“That’s a plant monster, isn’t it?” Luka inquired as he cautiously took a few steps towards it, being careful not to disturb it. The fencer nodded.

 

“I’m not very familiar with plant-types, since I lived in a desert town, but I’m fairly sure that’s a monster, yes,” she confirmed. She then gave him a speculative glance. “How did you guess that was the case?”

 

“You started acting cautious, and more importantly, Alice vanished again,” he replied curtly. “Last time she did the disappearing act, that Slug Girl attacked, so I’m guessing this is also a monster. Still, what kind of monster is it? Let’s see...”

 

“It’s not an Alraune,” Thermidor stated. “There’d be a visible humanoid body aboveground, and they generally don't like open spaces like this one. Hmm... I think I've heard of monsters whose main body lies under the earth, and what you see outside is just...”

 

“...a lure or disguise,” Luka finished for her. “Yeah, this has to be a Mandragora. I’ve read about them in some of mother’s books. They generally hide underground, and they're sought after by magic users because they can be useful in crafting potions. But if they're pulled out, I think something bad happens.”

 

“They scream,” Thermidor said, remembering. “Their scream is powerful enough to kill lesser humans who hear it, if memory serves. And even stronger ones can be temporarily debilitated by it, becoming helpless.”

 

“I see...” Luka murmured, regarding the Mandragora’s leaves with a thoughtful gaze. “What should we do about her, then?”

 

“We leave her alone, of course,” Thermidor stated matter-of-factly. “Mandragoras don’t actively prey on humans. They can take all the nutrients they need from the soil, unless said soil is phenomenally poor in nutritious substances. They do need human semen for reproductive purposes, but generally a Mandragora will only assault someone who was stupid enough to pull her out of the ground... and at that point, I’d say it’s the consequence of their actions.”

 

“You have a point,” Luka admitted. “But, doesn’t that expose people to mortal danger?”

 

“There’s a chance whoever pulls her out of the ground may die. But that outcome requires doing something which anyone who hasn’t lost the common sense they were born with shouldn’t do,” Thermidor specified, waving a hand at the large leaves protruding from the ground. “Look at her! Does she look like the kind of plant someone with no knowledge of her nature and the tiniest bit of common sense would disturb? Only fools and zealots would uproot her. I say they both deserve whatever she would do to them.”

 

“Yeah... Yeah, I think you're right,” Luka nodded. He could see Thermidor’s point: someone who attempted to uproot such a large, suspicious-looking plant was either dumber than a brick house, or aware of her being a monster and meaning her harm. Either way, Luka found it difficult to sympathize with someone who’d disturb this largely harmless monster for no good reason at all. Deciding Thermidor’s advice to leave her alone was sound, he nodded to the fencer and motioned for her to lead the way.

 

Having decided their course of action, the pair moved around the Mandragora’s top, giving it a wide berth so as not to disturb her slumber, and proceeded down the road. A short while later, as expected, Alice rejoined them out of nowhere, and quickly approached Luka.

 

“I’m surprised you’d be smart enough to leave that Mandragora alone,” she said in an approving tone. “I misjudged you. Most humans would end up trying to pull her out of the ground, thinking she’s some kind of infesting grass.”

 

“Well, Thermidor made a good point. If someone really mistakes a clump of four-feet tall leaves larger than most grown men’s legs for ‘infesting grass’, then they are probably idiots,” Luka pointed out. “Grass just doesn’t grow that big around here. Maybe on Sentora, the main continent, but not here on Ilias.”

 

“That’s true,” Alice nodded, impressed. “Mandragoras love to nap, anyway. It can’t be easy doing so on a road often traveled on like this one. She’ll eventually get annoyed enough to just get up and find a more quiet location for her naps.”

 

“Hm... Well, I would prefer if she moved somewhere else,” he mused. “As it is, it’s sort of dangerous for her to snooze in the open like that. If someone who knows how to handle her kind came along...”

 

Luka slowed down and his expression darkened as he thought, then stopped and turned around, walking back the way he came. Alice blinked, then rushed back to catch up with him. Thermidor remained where she was, slightly confused by the sudden actions of her companions, then shrugged and followed them at a distance.

 

“What are you doing, now?” the snake-woman inquired as she reached the young Hero. “You aren’t planning on disturbing her, are you?”

 

“Well, I don’t want to,” Luka admitted. “But if I leave her here... there is a temple full of monster-hating Church knights whose job is to kill monsters to the south. Normal travelers will likely leave her alone, and she can probably handle a random guy with a sword trying to make a name for himself by killing a monster, but...”

 

“...you’re worried she might get hurt if someone actually competent attacked her?” Alice said in surprise. “Why are you even bothering? Keeping monsters safe is not your job, it’s the Monster Lord’s.”

 

“Yes, well, she’s not here at the moment, is she?” Luka replied with a sigh. “So I’m doing it instead.”

 

Alice almost said something for a second, then caught herself and shut her mouth, staring at the boy walking ahead of her with a mix of incredulity, confusion and even a little bit of respect. Pausing, she considered her options briefly, then once again caught up with him and stopped him.

 

“If you wake her up, she’s probably going to be mad at you for it and attack you,” she said. “Go back to Thermidor. I’ll take care of this.”

 

“But...” Luka gave her a dubious look. Alice shook her head.

 

“Mandragoras won’t attack other monsters, so she's more likely to listen to what I have to say,” Alice cut his protest off. “Go back and let me handle this.”

 

“...okay, I’ll trust you,” the boy nodded after a brief silence. “I’ll be waiting for you up ahead.” He took a few steps, then abruptly paused, turned halfway, and said to Alice with a smile on his face, "Thanks. You're a pretty good person, Alicefeeze Fateburn."

 

Watching his retreating form as he walked away, Alice sighed, then turned around and headed towards the sleeping Mandragora, shaking her head.

 

What in blazes is wrong with me? Did I really just need a human kid to remind me of my duties as the Monster Lord? I must be more distracted than I thought, she thought. Still, I have to admit that boy keeps surprising me. It’s a shame he wasn’t born a monster...

 

Sighing again, the Monster Lord set her worries aside and focused on her duties. There would be time to examine the human boy’s behavior - and his effect on her - later.

 

----

 

A short while later, Alice rejoined Luka and Thermidor. At the boy’s questioning glance, she nodded reassuringly, and he sighed in relief. At least now neither humans nor monster would get hurt over unfortunate incidents. With a thankful smile, Luka turned around and resumed walking down the road, humming an upbeat tune.

 

“Geez, look at him, all flowers and sunshine,” Alice muttered as she slithered after him. Casting a glance at Thermidor, who was walking beside her, she pointed to the boy. “Is he always like this?”

 

“Only when he’s happy about something,” the monster fencer replied. She then gave Alice a courteous nod. “Thank you for taking care of this problem for him. I was worried he’d get himself hurt in his eagerness to be of help.”

 

“I think I’m the one who should thank him, actually,” Alice replied honestly. “I was forgetting my own duties as Monster Lord, back there. It’s good that he reminded me of what I was supposed to do - keep my subjects safe.”

 

“Shouldn’t you tell him who you really are?” Thermidor asked the serpentine monster, curious. “I honestly cannot understand why this deception is necessary. Luka has a good head on his shoulders. He wouldn’t judge you without hearing your side of the story.”

 

“That’s the whole point. I don’t have a story to tell him,” was Alice’s reply. Thermidor stared at her, her walking pace slowing down.

 

“What?”

 

“I have no story to tell him,” Alice repeated. “I honestly have no idea what my Heavenly Knights are up to. In fact, with one exception, I haven’t even seen them recently.”

 

“Are you serious?!” Thermidor asked incredulously, her voice rising slightly. Alice motioned for her to keep quiet, and the swordswoman complied, grimacing. In a lower tone of voice, she continued. “How can you not know the whereabouts and current actions of your own elite Knights? With all due respect, that’s completely irresponsible.”

 

“Tamamo said the same thing,” Alice grimaced. “The truth is, they all vanished shortly before I left on my own voyage. I was unable to track them down, and after I left... well, as mentioned, I got into an altercation with someone, and you know the rest.”

 

“So you have no idea where they could be?” Thermidor sighed. “This can’t be good. In fact, it’s bound to cause more problems than anything else.”

 

“Alma Elma is the one who worries me the most,”, Alice sighed as well. “She’s supposed to be the Succubus Queen, but she...”

 

“...is a complete hedonist who lives only for the moment?” Thermidor helpfully supplied. At Alice’s stare, she shrugged. “She has something of a reputation among monsters for that. Or maybe I should call it fame?”

 

“Just what I needed. My Knights’ behavior starting rumors,” Alice groaned. “Well, at least I’m relatively sure Erubetie isn’t going on a killing spree somewhere.”

 

“Erubetie? I’ve heard the name, but I know little else about her,” Thermidor inquired. Alice nodded.

 

“That’s normal. Erubetie is very reclusive,” she explained. “She’s the Queen Slime, and has little interest in her duties as Heavenly Knight, preferring to instead focus on her people. She also has a deep hatred of humans, claiming they are killing her people en masse with pollution.”

 

“Eh? That sounds a bit off, somehow.” the fencer murmured, puzzled. Alice nodded in confirmation.

 

“It is. She’s blowing the problem out of proportion,” the Monster Lord said. “Mind you, there is a problem. Humans throw trash in the water without a care in the world, and water bodies near human cities are practically unlivable for Slimes. And that’s overlooking how those anti-monster terrorists purposely capture and poison Slimes to death just to see them suffer. Erubetie isn’t happy at all about any of this. But the problem isn’t as widespread as she claims it is. She has... issues.”

 

“Human terrorists? Poisoning Slimes on purpose?” Thermidor asked, aghast. Looking in front of them, she gave a worried glance at Luka. “That sounds like Ilias Kreuz. Please don’t mention any of this to Luka. He already has a violent dislike of those people - with good reason, I might add - and if he hears this, there’s a very good chance he may give in to rage and murder a human in cold blood solely because he or she might belong to that organization.” Her shoulders drooped in depression. “I tried to teach him to harness his anger and let it explode only against the unrighteous, but he has a habit of taking things too personally when something doesn’t feel right to him, and that can cause him to act impulsively.”

 

“I noticed,” Alice quipped. “I can’t think of many humans who’d chance getting killed by a Mandragora’s scream just to warn her of possible danger. Which reminds me, the Mandragora asked me to relay her thanks to him. I gave him credit for my warning, and at first she thought I was joking, but when she realized I was serious, she seemed glad to know that there were decent humans out there.”

 

“Yes, that’s part of the problem. He tends to leap before he looks,” Thermidor shook her head. “Then again, he wouldn’t be Luka if he was any different.”

 

“I see...” Alice nodded. Looking up, she saw Luka wave at them from the top of the road. “It seems we’re almost to - ugh - Iliasburg. Really, who decides the names on this island? Ilias Village, Ilias Temple, Iliasburg, Iliasport, IliasIliasIlias... how disgusting.”

 

“Hahaha, Luka said something similar,” Thermidor replied, laughing mirthfully. “Only he said ‘tacky and in poor taste’, rather than ‘disgusting’.”

 

“The more I learn about that boy, the more intrigued I am,” the Lamia smiled at that. Her gaze turned slightly predatory. “You wouldn’t mind if I teased him a little every now and then, would you? Those Elves seemed impressed with him, and got me curious...”

 

“I can’t really stop you if you want to molest him,” Thermidor answered with a frown. “But may I at least ask you to not harm him?”

 

“You really are protective towards him, aren’t you?” Alice chuckled. “Very well, I promise I won’t do anything permanent to him, be it in body or mind. Does that put your worries to rest?”

 

“Not at all,” Thermidor replied honestly. “The truth is that I’d rather you stay away from him, but there’s nothing I can do to stop you if you decide to go after him anyway. Of course,” she added in a conversational tone, “if you hurt him, I’ll do my level best to kill you.”

 

“...heh! I knew it,” the snake-woman laughed. “I wouldn’t expect any less from a woman like you. However empty the threat may be, I can see you mean every word of it. I can respect that. I’ll be careful, I promise. I just want to tease him a little. He’s interesting, and I have no reason to kill or break him.”

 

“I suppose I’ll have to settle for that,” Thermidor muttered, dissatisfied. As she spoke, they reached the top of the small hill the road went over, and looked down at the sight before them. Down the hill lay Iliasburg, the largest town on Ilias continent. Luka stared at it in excitement. Even from a distance, he could tell it was nothing like Ilias Village; all the buildings were so much larger and fancier.

 

As he began to walk down the hill, however, Thermidor grabbed his arm, stopping him. Luka looked at her, puzzled, and his confusion turned to alarm as he saw her watch the town intently, eyes narrowed. Turning around, he began observing Iliasburg as well, trying to spot what had unnerved the fencer.

 

“So you noticed it?” Alice was the first to speak, addressing Thermidor. The other monster nodded.

 

“Yes. The streets look a bit empty,” she confirmed. “Even from this distance, it should be possible to see people walking around town. Instead, there’s no trace of movement. Something’s wrong.”

 

Luka blinked, then observed the town more carefully. With a start, he realized Thermidor was right; there was no perceivable movement on the streets of Iliasburg. His eyes narrowed: it was early afternoon, and by all rights, the city’s streets should have been full of people milling about.

 

“What do we do? Should we check it out?” he inquired, looking at his companions. Alice and Thermidor looked at each other and the Lamia shrugged. Looking back at Luka again, Thermidor nodded decisively.

 

“This situation is very suspicious,” she said. “If there’s trouble going on in town, we should probably stop by and see what it is and whether we can be of help.” Resting a hand on the pommel of her sword, she set out down the hill, motioning for Luka to follow. “Keep your hands close to your weapon, Luka. If trouble is afoot, you will want it drawn and ready as quickly as possible.”

 

The boy nodded as he fell in line behind her. Setting their sights on the town ahead, they broke into a light run. The sooner they got there, the better.

 

----

 

As they approached the city, Luka stopped, looking over at his companions. While he was in a hurry, he realized that marching in with two monsters in tow would probably just make whatever was going on exponentially worse. Motioning for the others to approach, he exposed his concern. At that, Thermidor nodded thoughtfully.

 

“Hm, I can see why you would be cautious,” she agreed. “A disguise is probably in order. Well, for me, not much is needed; if I just wrap a headband around my head to conceal my pointed ears and tone down my glow, I can pass for a human easily enough, although my choice of attire will likely draw stares. Human decency tends to disapprove of showing as much leg as I do, after all.”

 

“Haha, that’s true,” Luka chuckled awkwardly, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the area in question. He then grew serious again, looking at Alice. “The problem is her, though... a headband won’t cut it.”

 

“How troublesome. Why must I do something as disgusting as disguising myself as a human?” the serpentine monster complained. “I don’t feel like it...”

 

“But if you don’t, we won’t be able to enter town...” Luka attempted to reason with her. Then, he remembered something, and a devious idea came to his mind. “And if we can’t enter town, you won’t be able to shop for local delicacies. There may well be something incredibly tasty in there... but I guess that doesn’t interest you, after all.”

 

“Urgh...!” Alice groaned, her face scrunching up in distaste. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? But... for the sake of delicious food... Will this do?”

 

As she spoke, she closed her eyes and paused. Her form began shimmering, then a bright light surrounded her, forcing her companions to avert their eyes. When she stopped shining, Luka peeked from behind his hands, and blinked. Alice’s appearance had shifted to that of a human - two legs, pink skin and all - and while her more peculiar characteristics, such as the golden eyes and white hair, remained, she otherwise looked like a human woman. A very beautiful human woman, Luka amended internally. Not that she looks bad in her normal form... Ah! What in blazes am I thinking? Focus, focus!

 

Shaking his head to clear out the sudden and rather impure thoughts he’d been having, he found Alice staring at him with a smirk. He grimaced; some of his thoughts had to have shown on his face, judging from Alice’s smug expression. He was fairly sure that once all this was over, she’d waste no time in teasing him about it. He sighed, resigned. Nothing he could do about it.

 

Looking over at Thermidor, he noticed she’d already put on a foreign-looking headband. He presumed it was Sabasan design, since it did look like something people of the desert would wear. With the headband on and her natural glow suppressed, she looked completely human, and if he didn’t know better he’d have been fooled too. Satisfied at the preparations, he nodded at his companions and turned around, moving with decision towards the city.

 

As the trio entered the outskirts of Iliasburg, Luka began to have a really bad feeling. As expected, there was no one on the streets, and he quickly realized it was because everyone had barricaded themselves inside their houses. Tentatively, he approached a few doors and tried knocking, but only silence answered him. He was certain that there were people in those houses, but something had them so terrified they dared not even speak.

 

As they moved deeper in the town, Luka blinked. He could feel a faint pressure of some sort. The sensation reminded him of the time when he’d met Alice. Realizing what this likely meant, he stopped and looked towards Thermidor.

 

“There must be a really strong monster ahead,” he whispered. “I keep getting this feeling of something pushing against me.”

 

“I noticed as well,” the fencer replied in a hushed tone. “Whoever it is, they have to be very powerful. Although, it does seem as if they are relaxed. There doesn’t seem to be any intensity behind this fighting spirit.”

 

“Should we...?” Luka asked, stopping near a corner. While he was admittedly confident in his ability as a warrior, he also knew he had limits, and he had a feeling the monster ahead was far beyond those limits. Still, he couldn’t simply turn his back to the situation.

 

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Thermidor sighed. “A monster this strong in a human town is bad news, however one looks at it. We should at least see what we can do.”

 

“Well, I suppose that until this mess is sorted out, there’ll be no eating,” Alice chimed in. “So go and solve this problem already.”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

The boy and the monster fencer stared at the serpentine monster, the silence being almost audible. Alice stared right back.

 

“What? You’re the ones who wanted to be all heroic, aren’t you?” she pointed out. “So go be heroic. Do try to be done before dinner, though. I’m famished.”

 

With that, she walked off on her own. Luka and Thermidor stared briefly at the direction she had vanished into, then looked at each other.

 

“I get the feeling we picked up some really troublesome baggage,” the monster swordswoman quipped. Luka glared at her.

 

“Gee, you notice it only now?” was his sarcastic reply. “Thanks for the insight. It’s not like a blind elephant could notice this or anything...”

 

“Now, now,” she comforted him. “It could be worse. She could be the monster out there waiting for us.”

 

“Right, I’ll have time to feel sorry for myself later,” Luka nodded, becoming serious again. “We’d better check it out before something unpleasant happens.”

 

Nodding to each other, the pair began moving towards the town’s center, where the power they felt seemed to originate. As they cautiously moved through the alleys, swords drawn, they began to hear the sounds of a commotion nearby. A quick scan of the area let them determine the exact location: the town's central plaza. With a clear destination in mind, the pair broke into a run and made haste for their destination.

 

As they reached the plaza, they stopped and hid behind walls. There was no point rushing blindly headfirst into a possible dangerous situation. Creeping closer, they reached and corner and peeked behind it. What they saw caused them to freeze.

 

The town center looked like a small war zone. Bodies were strewn all over the place, all of them apparently town guards. Fortunately, they all seemed to be alive, since they were breathing heavily or moaning in pain, but the situation was worrying nonetheless.

 

In the middle of that carnage, four figures stood. Three of them were soldiers wearing the same town guard uniform as the ones lying unconscious on the floor. The fourth was the apparent culprit for the current state of the town militia.

 

Standing lazily around with a clawed hand on the hilt of a giant sword was a dragon woman in full armor, wearing a head protector and a billowing cape. She had red hair, and green scales covered both her legs and her forearms, but aside from that and the horns protruding from the sides of her head, she looked surprisingly human. She seemed unconcerned by the fact she was surrounded by three men on all sides - and if she was the one responsible for the unconscious bodies all over, she had good reason to be so relaxed; it was unlikely at best that they’d be a threat to her. A feeling of power rolled off her, even in her relaxed state, and a mix of fear, awe and excitement welled up in Luka. He’d never seen such an obviously powerful warrior before, and he couldn’t help but find the experience exhilarating.

 

“Is that...?” Thermidor muttered with a shocked expression, causing Luka to snap out of his reverie. The boy looked at his companion with an interrogative expression, and the fencer grimaced. “That one, I’ve heard of her. Wielding a great sword and capable of drawing upon the power of fire itself... that’s likely the Dragon Knight, Heavenly Knight of Fire... Granberia.”

 

“What?! One of the Monster Lord’s top lieutenants?!” Luka asked incredulously. “What is such an incredibly powerful monster doing in a place like this?!”

 

“I have no idea, but she’s obviously hostile, judging from how many humans she defeated,” the swordswoman replied, frowning in worry. “This is bad... perhaps we should leave.”

 

“Leave? No way!” Luka shook his head. “Who’s to say what she'll do to this town if she’s not stopped?”

 

“I understand where you’re coming from, but she’s far too powerful for us,” Thermidor admitted. “You are simply no match for her even on a bad day, and even at my best, I’d likely be little more than a workout.”

 

“Even so, can you honestly just abandon the people of this town to their fate?” Luka insisted. “Because I can’t. If you’re leaving, you’re leaving alone.”

 

“Luka...” Thermidor began, but he cut her off.

 

“No! If I flee now, how can I call myself a Hero?” he insisted. “You know that as well as I do! You told me so yourself - ‘Sometimes, seeking justice means fighting even when all odds are against you’. That’s what you told me in the past, remember?”

 

Thermidor stared at him in silence, then looked back at the plaza. Just then, a brief exchange occurred between the remaining soldiers and Granberia, which prompted the humans to attack her. Moving inhumanly fast, the dragon swordswoman quickly dispatched two of them, with the third one backing away in fright. As Granberia taunted him to try and step forward, the last soldier turned around and fled. The whole exchange lasted maybe twelve seconds.

 

“...Tch. I did say that, didn’t I?” she muttered, straightening up and looking at Luka. “Listen, now. I want you to stay back, and if things get ugly, I want you to run for it. If I can’t do it, you’ll just get yourself killed needlessly--”

 

“I’m fighting as well,” Luka replied flatly. Thermidor’s eyes narrowed.

 

“Not a chance. You won’t last ten seconds--”

 

“I’m not leaving you alone in this,” Luka insisted, a tone of finality in his words. “If the roles were inverted, would you do what you’re asking me to do?”

 

“That has nothing to do with it,” the fencer protested. Luka stared at her.

 

“Answer me,” he murmured, looking straight in her eyes. Thermidor gritted her teeth, then slumped in defeat.

 

“Even if I say no, you’ll just recklessly rush in the moment you think I’m in danger, won’t you?” she sighed. “Very well, we’ll fight together.” Her expression then softened. “Just... don’t get yourself killed over me. I’d never be able to live with myself if you did.”

 

“Same to you,” Luka grinned, shifting the grip on his sword. “Well, we might as well do this before Granberia cripples someone else.”

 

Sighing, Thermidor nodded. She didn’t really like the thought of Luka being anywhere near a fight with such an enormously strong opponent, but in the current situation, all she could do was endure and keep an eye on him. Leaving him to his own devices would have been worse. The boy was incapable of controlling himself when something he felt strongly about happened. Gripping her own sword firmly, she stepped in the open along with the boy, and they marched towards the Heavenly Knight.

 

“Well, this takes care of the nuisances,” they heard Granberia say as they drew near. “Now, then, I’ll commandeer this town and...”

 

The dragonkin’s monologue faltered as she noticed the two newcomers who were approaching her, swords drawn. She raised an eyebrow; soldiers she expected, but a Bound Monster accompanied by a young boy were not quite a pair she figured she would meet in a place like Iliasburg. She idly noticed the monster was attempting to pass for a human - a smart move in that region, and for one of her kind it was a relatively simple endeavor, since the only things that could really give her away were her pointed ears and the glow surrounding her body, both of which could be concealed.

 

She also noticed, with some surprise, that the boy with her was alert and cautious, never taking his eyes off her and maintaining a firm grip on his sword, ready for action. He appeared to have some modicum of martial training, and the way he moved already impressed her more than the pitiful spectacle the ‘town guard’ had put up. If nothing else, this strange pair might provide an amusing diversion.

 

As she regarded the two newcomers coolly, they stopped about twelve paces away from her, observing her. She decided to wait and let them make the first move, and patiently stood still, an expression of mild interest on her face.

 

To her surprise, it was not the monster who came forward, but the boy. Taking two steps forward, he looked straight in her eyes, frowning.

 

“Good day. I assume you are the Heavenly Knight of Fire, Granberia, correct?” he began in a neutral tone. “My name is Luka. My companion behind me is Thermidor, the monster fencer. May I ask what you're doing here? It’s very far from the Monster Lord’s castle, and I can’t imagine why you’d bother to attack a town in a remote land like this.”

 

“Huh, at least you have manners,” Granberia replied. “I am indeed Granberia. As for why I am here... what is it to you? I don’t see how my actions could be any of your business, or your companion’s for that matter.”

 

“That depends entirely on what your goal is,” Luka commented with a negative headshake. “If you plan to cause this town’s citizens suffering, then things may get... complicated.”

 

“Oh? Are you suggesting you’d stop me if that were the case?” the dragonkin asked, a tinge of amusement in her voice. “Are you, by any chance, a big-name Hero I failed to take note of?”

 

“I am training to be a Hero, yes, although I do not work for the Church of Ilias,” Luka replied honestly. “Rather, I wish to be an actual Hero - someone who rights wrongs wherever they may be, regardless of whether the wronged party is human or monster.”

 

“A Hero who would help monsters? What utter nonsense,” Granberia snorted, gripping her sword. “If you intend to stop me in the name of your Goddess, then get to it.”

 

“I am not one of Ilias’ lackeys, and I will kindly ask you to not imply such a thing ever again,” Luka hissed, his eyes narrowing. Granberia blinked. She hadn’t expected a self-proclaimed Hero to take offense to that. Then again, she remembered as she temporarily lowered her sword, he did proclaim he was not working for the Church. Curious, she decided to inquire further.

 

“You say you are a Hero, yet you deny Ilias, seem to hold her Church in contempt, and associate yourself with a monster,” she asked, genuine puzzlement in her voice. “Isn’t that a contradiction?”

 

“Not at all,” Luka stated with decision. “A Hero isn’t defined by what some Goddess proclaims, but by his actions. So long as one upholds justice and fights in its name, then one has the right to call oneself Hero. That’s what I was taught, and I believe it with all my heart.”

 

“I see. You’re interesting,” Granberia murmured, intrigued. “Still, I don’t see why this would put us at odds. I am doing nothing ‘unjust’.”

 

“It would help if you stated what you are doing, exactly,” Luka pointed out. “As things are now, what anyone would see here is a monster attacking a helpless town and terrorizing its populace.”

 

“I need this town as a beachhead to launch an attack on the temple to the south,” Granberia replied honestly after a brief pause. “Does that meet your disapproval?”

 

“I have no interest in your plans for Ilias’s Temple,” Luka replied dryly. “For all I care, you can burn it down and salt the earth beneath it. That place is a cesspool of hatred and lies. But if you take over this town in the name of monsterkind, the common folks living in it will be miserable. They may be misguided in their faith towards Ilias, but it is hardly their fault for being born in a place like this, where the Church has the power to push Ilias' teachings on everyone. I must ask you to desist.”

 

“While I am impressed by your brutal honesty, I’m afraid I can’t comply with your request,” Granberia shook her head. “I need this town as a base of operations. Therefore, I will not withdraw.”

 

“Then we have a problem,” Luka stated with finality as he took a step back and raised his sword. Thermidor immediately took a step forward herself and readied her own weapon. Granberia gave him an impressed look as she brandished her blade in response.

 

“I will give you credit: you are more of a Hero than the worthless dregs who tried to fend me off and failed or fled,” she stated. She then gave Thermidor a questioning look. “You, though. Why are you stepping in to defend these humans? Do you intend to betray the Monster Lord?”

 

“The desire for justice is what brought me back from oblivion,” Thermidor replied flatly. “Monster or human, it makes no difference to me. I will do what is right, help the downtrodden, and uphold justice. Luka is correct in his assessment: if this town falls into monster hands, its citizens will suffer, even if you don’t mean them to. Therefore, I have to prevent it. It’s that simple.”

 

“You Bound Monsters are impossible to reason with once your obsession rears its ugly head,” Granberia sighed as she assumed a battle stance. “Very well, then. Have at you!”

 

As soon as those words left Granberia’s lips, Thermidor immediately darted forward, attempting a lunging stab. The dragon knight seemed to expect it, and blocked it without trouble. Her counterattack attempt, however, only hit air as the other woman dashed backwards as quickly as she’d moved in. The dragon nodded, impressed.

 

“You’re fast, I see,” she commented. “You may not be all talk, after all. That’s good. Only those who can actually fight should do so... hm?”

 

As she spoke, a sudden movement to her side attracted her attention. Turning around, she batted aside Luka’s own attack attempt. Snorting, she glared at the boy.

 

“I almost forgot about you. So, you intend to challenge me?” she growled. “Then, let’s see what you can do.”

 

“Luka! Back off!” Thermidor urged him as she dashed in again. Granberia’s answer was a horizontal swing that forced her to duck and dodge out of the way, and the dragon knight followed it up with a return strike that caused Luka to abort his own attack attempt again. Granberia frowned.

 

“If all you’re good for is dodging, don’t bother,” she stated flatly as she pointed her sword at him. “You will only irritate me.”

 

With that, she turned her attention back to Thermidor and began lashing out at her, testing her defenses. Thermidor, however, proved that defense was indeed her strong point by meeting the dragonkin’s attacks midway, her sword clashing against Granberia’s every time she struck.

 

Even so, it became evident to Luka that the Heavenly Knight was on a different level entirely. Even as she was busy attacking Thermidor, she kept repositioning herself to leave no openings in her defenses, and he found himself unable to do much more than circle around her and occasionally act as a distraction. Meanwhile, she kept blocking and parrying Thermidor’s assaults without much difficulty, even though the monster fencer was clearly giving it her all.

 

At length, Granberia began to get annoyed. She had expected the Bound Monster fighting her to run out of energy very quickly, given how fiercely she was attacking her, but apparently she had a far greater amount of lifeforce stored away than expected, because her attacks were as intense as ever. She briefly shot a perplexed look at the boy who was still circling them and making an annoyance of himself, and wondered how a fragile-looking kid like him could possibly have provided so much energy to a Bound Monster of the fencer’s caliber without dying of exhaustion.

 

As Granberia looked at Luka, Thermidor saw an opportunity. Her movements suddenly accelerated, and she put all her strength behind a single blow aimed at the dragon’s left side. Taken aback by the sudden burst of speed, Granberia nonetheless managed to answer the attack by twisting around and bringing her blade down, stopping Thermidor’s sword in its tracks. Immediately afterwards, she felt a sharp sting in the back of her knee, and looked behind her to see Luka backing away in haste, grimacing as his arms shook.

 

“Tch! Attacking my knee from behind?” she grunted. “You won’t break through my scales with that puny blade, boy. And I’m tired of you making an annoyance of yourself!”

 

With those words, she violently kicked Thermidor in her midsection, causing her to stumble back, and turned her attention to Luka. For a moment, she stood still, and the boy stiffened, sensing an attack coming.

 

There’s no way I can react to her attack after she starts moving, Luka thought as she saw the Heavenly Knight tense up. I have to trust my instinct and put all my strength into parrying her blow and counterattacking. I’ll never have another chance like this...!

 

As he focused with every fiber of his being on Granberia, he firmly gripped his sword and prepared to move. He prayed that his instinct wouldn’t betray him this time, and steeled himself. Seeing him drop in a ready stance, Granberia snorted.

 

“You think you can stop my sword? See for yourself how foolish an idea that is!” she proclaimed, and then moved.

 

Luka didn’t see the blow coming at all. Rather, he felt it, and began moving before Granberia even took her first step. Twisting to his side, he brought his sword up with all his strength, lashing out at where he felt her sword would be in an attempt to intercept and deflect it.

 

He succeeded. With a tremendous noise of metal on metal, his iron sword and Granberia’s greatsword met in midair, and the dragon knight’s eyes widened in surprise as she briefly lost her balance and stumbled. Luka, however, was unprepared for the enormous force behind Granberia’s cleaving blow, and was knocked off his feet and backwards. He quickly rolled to one knee, but came to a stop when he saw Granberia regain her balance, staring at him in utter surprise.

 

“What...? He parried my attack? But how...” she murmured, confused. Then her eyes narrowed and she looked to her side, seeing Thermidor charge in. Raising her sword, she paused in surprise as she saw the swordswoman run at the wall, then understanding dawned in her eyes as she watched her use its surface as a trampoline and jump high in the air.

 

“Ya-haaa!” the fencer cried as she leaped and came crashing down on the dragonkin. “Demon Skull Beheading!”

 

Granberia’s answer to the fencer’s technique was to swing her own blade diagonally with great force, deflecting Thermidor’s attack just enough that she struck the ground beside her, cracking the town plaza’s brick floor. The force behind the fencer’s attack was still enough to make the dragonkin take a step back. As Thermidor recovered and wrenched her blade free from the ground, however, a dangerous light flashed in Granberia’s eyes.

 

“Cursed Sword skills, eh? Two can play that game!” she hissed, tensing up. Alarmed, Thermidor immediately raised her guard. The act in all likelihood saved her life, as Granberia’s sword darted out chaotically, cutting and tearing at everything before her.

 

“Death Sword Chaos Star!” Granberia cried out as she wildly lashed at the fencer with a barrage of powerful blows. Thermidor grunted in exertion as she managed to parry the first few strikes, but the strain proved too much for her, and her guard was overwhelmed as Granberia’s remaining blows connected. Large cracks appeared in her armor, and the violence of the attack flung her against a nearby wall hard enough to embed her into it. A pained gasp escaped her lips at the impact, and she slumped, gritting her teeth.

 

As Granberia watched her opponent be flung in the air by her technique and impact the wall, she nodded. It had been a good fight, but it was now over - even if the other monster had the energy needed to continue to fight after her attack, she could see that her armor had gotten stuck in the wall. She was out of the fight.

 

She almost didn’t notice the incoming assault until it was too late.

 

Throughout the entire last exchange of blows, Luka had been watching, frustrated. His best attempt had been batted aside and he’d been driven to his knees so easily. The difference in power between him and Granberia was staggering. But even so, he still believed there had to be something he could do. And when he saw the opportunity, in the form of an incredibly small window of time during which Granberia was distracted and her guard was down, he gathered every ounce of his remaining strength, gripped his sword with both hands, and leaped forward.

 

As he closed the distance between them in a flash, far faster than an ordinary human soldier could, the Heavenly Knight finally became aware of his movement. Realizing his opportunity was about to be lost, Luka murmured a plea to his mother to give him strength, desperately pushed his body to its absolute limit, and swung as hard as he could at the dragon knight’s neck with the skill Alice had just taught him - Demon Decapitation.

 

Recognizing the attack being used on her, Granberia’s eyes widened and, reacting as fast as she could, she immediately twisted out of the way, attempting to protect her vital spots from a deadly blow.

 

However, it was far too late for anything more than partial success. She managed to avoid a mortal blow to the soft, unprotected flesh of her neck, but the tip of Luka’s sword nonetheless managed to lightly brush against her cheek, leaving a small nick, and the sword’s blade violently impacted her left shoulder guard. With a terrible noise of shattered metal, the pauldron gave under the stress of Luka’s assault, and a large chunk broke off of it, flying in the air and landing a few steps away from the two combatants.

 

With the momentum carrying Luka past the Heavenly Knight, she stumbled backwards, a shocked expression on her face as she stared at the broken shoulder pad. As the boy rolled on the ground and came to rest on his knee again, breathing hard and with his muscles aching from the strain, Granberia’s eyes slowly moved from her pauldron to him, then to the broken piece lying on the ground a ways off, and then to the boy again. Her mouth moved, apparently trying to form words, but no sound came out.

 

While Granberia stood unmoving, Thermidor produced a supreme effort and wrenched herself free of the wall she was stuck to. Stumbling, she made her way to Luka, her sword pointed at Granberia.

 

“Y-you...” the dragonkin finally managed to utter, still staring at the boy. “How... that was a Cursed Sword skill! How do you...”

 

“Granberia.”

 

A new voice rang across the town square, and all three combatants’ eyes turned towards it. Standing at the end of the plaza was Alice, still in her human form. With an unreadable expression, she walked up to the three warriors. Granberia blinked, then went wide-eyed again as she appeared to recognize her.

 

“Ah! You’re-!” she gasped. Alice frowned at her, causing the dragonkin to fall silent.

 

“Tell me, just what are you doing here?” Alice inquired, after a brief silence. “I don’t recall your orders being to attack a human town in the middle of nowhere.”

 

“Well... the human Heroes to the south-” the dragonkin attempted to explain, only to be cut off by a wave of Alice’s hand.

 

“I came here to sample this town’s fabled ‘Happiness Honey-Filled Ama-Ama Dango’, but with you causing all this chaos, I can’t even do that,” she complained, annoyed. “You’re getting in the way. Go away.”

 

“What? But the Temple-!” Granberia attempted again, and again the Lamia cut her off.

 

“Are you deaf? I said go away,” Alice repeated. Granberia looked at her, then at Luka and Thermidor.

 

“What about this boy Hero and his companion? Surely-” she tried one last time.

 

“This is the third time I've repeated myself to you. I told you to go away,” Alice interrupted her once more, a tinge of anger clearly audible in her voice. “Is this how you demonstrate your loyalty as a Heavenly Knight? By ignoring what I say?”

 

A silence followed that statement, during which Luka curiously considered what he’d just heard. Apparently, Alice was a monster of very high status, as Granberia seemed to defer to her. Could she be a Heavenly Knight herself? he wondered. She certainly is strong enough, and all of this seems to point to it. Or maybe... nah, that couldn’t be it.

 

“...no, of course not,” Granberia finally answered, drawing his attention again. “I will return to the castle, then.”

 

As she turned around to depart, something caught her attention and she took a few steps to the side. Bending down, she grasped something on the floor and held it in her hand, examining it. Her gaze turned from the mysterious object to the three companions, and stopped on Luka, who shivered. There was a strange intensity behind the dragon knight’s gaze, and it somehow made him nervous.

 

“...Apprentice Hero Luka, was it?” she murmured. Her eyes lingered on him for a few more seconds, then she nodded. “I will remember this name. Until next time...”

 

With that, Granberia’s form shimmered, and she vanished into thin air. Luka tensely watched the spot she’d been in for a few more seconds, then deflated, sighing in relief. She was really gone.

 

“That was a mistake on your part, Luka,” Alice stated as he calmed down, causing him to look at her in confusion.

 

“What? I know I was badly outmatched, but I think I did pretty well, all things said...” he protested. Alice shook her head.

 

“That’s the problem. You did too well,” she pointed out. “Now she has her eye on you. You will have to be careful.”

 

“Eh...?” Luka blinked. Alice sighed.

 

“You’ll understand. Eventually,” she stated, waving her hand towards the houses surrounding them as their doors opened and the citizens of Iliasburg timidly stuck their heads out. “For now, though, you might as well enjoy the Hero’s welcome. You saved the town from a Heavenly Knight. Not bad for a Fairytale Hero’s first feat.”

 

“Ah... but without you it wouldn’t have gone nearly as well,” Luka answered honestly. Alice shrugged.

 

“I merely defended my interests. I still want to taste those dango,” she said. She then smiled wickedly. “Of course, it'll be your treat. It’s the least you could do.”

 

“I should’ve expected that,” Luka shook his head as he watched the townsfolk gather around them, smiling and cheering. Inwardly, however, he grinned. Thanks to her, the town’s civilians could rest easy. Compared to that, paying for food was a small thing indeed. He paused as he took in the smiles around them. Seeing the happy faces of those he helped... that was what he was fighting for, and all the reward he needed. He sighed, still smiling. It hadn’t been easy, but this single moment more than made up for the pain and sweat of today’s events.

 

“Hey, you two were amazing back there!” someone in the crowd surrounding them shouted. Several bystanders nodded enthusiastically. “I can’t believe you managed to drive off such a strong monster!”

 

“We got lucky, really,” Luka answered honestly. “I’m surprised we’re still in one piece, myself.”

 

“Young, strong, and modest,” a middle aged woman said approvingly. “More Heroes should be like you, my boy!”

 

“Hey, lady, you look really beat up,” another bystander exclaimed, a worried look in his eyes as he took in Thermidor’s state. He was right: she was unsteady on her feet, and her armor was cracked in several spots. Luka gave her an alarmed look, and turned to the closest person in the crowd - an old man with snow white hair and a handlebar moustache.

 

“Sir, is there an inn or a hotel nearby?” he inquired. “I think my companion really needs to lie down for a while.”

 

“Yeah, she does look like death on legs,” the old man nodded. Pointing towards a luxurious-looking building that could be seen in the distance, he nodded at the boy. “That o’er there is the ol’ Sutherland Hotel. Oldest ‘n most respected inn in this town, it is. Go there and take a good rest, you done earned it.”

 

“Many thanks,” Luka nodded. Behind him, Alice clapped her hands in delight.

 

“That’s great! That’s the hotel mentioned in the guidebook!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining as she drooled slightly. “I can’t wait to try their Ama-Ama Dango!”

 

“...do you ever think of anything but food?” Luka muttered as he motioned for Thermidor to follow him. The swordswoman nodded tiredly, and the trio walked off amidst the crowd, which parted to let them pass, still cheering.

 

After a couple minutes, they reached the front of the Sutherland Hotel. As they approached, a commotion was heard from the entrance, and Luka curiously drew closer as he saw two figures out front, arguing.

 

“... tell you, I’m a Hero! Gimme yer best room at Hero’s rate, lady!” he heard a scruffy-looking swordsman say to a middle-aged, matronly woman standing on the steps to the inn. The woman’s answer was to glare harshly at the young man.

 

“What’s this?! You call yourself a Hero after runnin’ with your tail between your legs when that monster was attackin’ our town?!” she yelled as she brandished a walking stick, causing the man to cringe and shrink back. “You’re no Hero! You're just a scaredy-cat! Get outta here and don’t show your face again!”

 

“Wha...? But, I’m a baptized Hero...” the swordsman feebly protested. The innkeeper glared even harder.

 

“Shut up! You sure as hell didn’t act like a Hero back there! Just go on home, and don’t you ever come back!” she shot back. The man took a few steps back, frightened by the woman’s rage, then turned around and began walking away at a quick pace. As he brushed past Luka’s group, the boy couldn’t help but give him a disgusted look.

 

“...jackass,” he murmured. This type of ‘Hero’ was precisely the kind he detested the most: quick to make themselves scarce when real danger showed up, and quicker still to take advantage of their status.

 

The man apparently heard him, because he stopped, turned around and shot him a menacing look.

 

“What was that? You say somethin’, twerp?!” he growled, attempting to sound intimidating. Luka stood his ground, unimpressed. After facing Granberia, such tactics were about as scary as a fluffy bunny to him.

 

“I said, ‘jackass’. The truth hurts sometimes, doesn’t it?” he retorted. The man approached him angrily and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

 

“Seems t' me, you need some manners beaten into yer head!” he shouted aggressively. “I’m a Hero, ya know! Kids like you wish they were half as awesome as me!”

 

“I don’t mean to intrude,” Alice chose that moment to speak up in a clearly amused tone, “but I assume you are aware that the boy standing before you is the same one who drove off the Heavenly Knight Granberia a few minutes ago, yes? You may want to reconsider your actions before things get unpleasant.” She finished with a satisfied grin.

 

"Bullshit," the thuggish man replied angrily. "This scrawny little chump wouldn't last five seconds against one of the garden-variety monsters outside the city, let alone a freak like that dragon lady was!"

 

"On the contrary," Alice retorted, smugness never wavering. "Luka, if you would be so kind as to show him your weapon as proof?"

 

Luka nodded and lifted his sword, realizing as he did so that his fist had not yet unclenched from around its grip. Even he had to wince at the sight of it; there was a huge notch chopped into its edge near the crossguard, where he had parried Granberia's strike, and at a spot nearer the tip, there was a bend in the blade and a chunk broken away from the cutting edge. Tiny, yet very noticeable slivers of an unfamiliar metal were embedded in it there, from where it had struck and broken a piece of Granberia's armor. I won't even be able to fit it back into its sheath like this, he thought grimly.

 

The man blinked, looked at Luka's weapon, then to Luka himself, to Alice, then to Luka again, and paled. Hastily, he let go of the boy’s shirt, scrambled back, and began bowing profusely.

 

“U-uh... apologies, sir!” he stammered, sounding rather terrified. “I had no idea! My behavior was unacceptable! I hope you’ll forgive me for my insolence...”

 

“I don’t know... what should I do, Alice?” Luka asked, deciding to play along with the monster’s obvious game. Alice’s grin grew a little wider.

 

“Well, where I come from, the common punishment for uncouth, rude thugs like him is public flogging with a barbed whip,” she said in a studied nonchalant tone. The swordsman paled. “But, he truly didn’t know any better, if you ask me, so I would suggest being lenient. How does a brief walk on hot embers sound? Or maybe an old-fashioned date with the thumbscrews... or perhaps we could string him up by his pinkies... or-”

 

A thump interrupted Alice’s list of tortures, and she looked towards the man with a satisfied smile. He’d passed out face-first on the ground from fright. Thermidor broke out into laughter at that, and even Luka joined in.

 

“So much for the Hero thing,” he chuckled. “That was mean, but I feel a bit better now. Thank you, Alice.”

 

“You’re welcome,” the Lamia graciously nodded. Leaving the man’s unconscious body behind, they headed towards the hotel’s stairs, where the matron still stood, watching the scene. As they approached her, she snorted, shooting the unconscious man on the road a contemptuous look.

 

“People like him make me wonder where the world’s goin’, I tell you,” she commented. She then looked at the trio. “Are you lookin’ to stay in my fine estabilishment? Rate’s two million and four hundred thousand gold pieces per person, per night...” she began, then trailed off as she took a good look at Luka and Thermidor. “Say, you're the two warriors who drove off that monster a bit earlier, aren't ya? I heard people talk about you, and you sure match the descriptions.”

 

“Well, yes, we are... but, ah, I don’t think we can afford the rates in your hotel, ma’am,” Luka replied, a little pale after having heard the prices for renting a room. “If you could direct us to an inn more within our price range...”

 

“Ah, never you mind that!” she shook her head, motioning for them to follow. “You’re the heroes who saved this town! I’ll give you the discount rate: two gold per night. Rest o’ it goes on the Temple’s bill!”

 

“Er... thank you, but I’m not a baptized Hero, so I’m afraid I can’t-” Luka began, but the innkeeper waved his concerns aside.

 

“That don’t matter, lad,” she stated. “It ain't a baptism that makes a Hero, it's what they do! And you passed with flying colors! Come on in, now.”

 

As the woman walked back in the inn, Luka couldn’t help but feel elated. What the woman had said was precisely what he believed, and he was relieved to see there were others who thought that way. In a good mood, he hummed a cheery tune as he helped the tired Thermidor up the hotel’s staircase, and the trio disappeared inside.

 

----

 

A short while later, a tired Luka sighed as he sat down on a luxurious couch inside the deluxe room they had been assigned. It was enormous and incredibly expensive-looking: two king-size beds - one of them currently occupied by a worn out Thermidor - finely crafted furniture, silk curtains, two leather couches, and several ancient wood armchairs littered the room, and still enough space to move in comfortably. He looked around, amazed. He knew that Heroes could get the best rooms in inns and hotels for cheap, but the opulence surrounding him was something he’d only read about in fairy tales about princes and kings. He could see why the night rate for these rooms was so high; this place was fit for a monarch.

 

He’d been surprised to discover that the Sutherland Hotel was indeed the same one described in Alice’s ancient traveling guide. That meant the building they now were in was centuries old, and had endured where whole kingdoms had disappeared. He felt a little self-conscious. They were spending the night inside what could be considered an ancient monument.

 

His reverent admiration was interrupted by a knock at the door, and the innkeeper came in, carrying a tray with food on it. A delicious smell came from the gathered delicacies, and he found his mouth watering.

 

“This’s on the house. Enjoy!” the innkeeper announced with a friendly smile, before leaving the room. As she did, she cast a curious glance at the fencer lying on the bed, then shrugged and left.

 

“It’s the Ama-Ama Dango~!” Alice said with delight as she approached the tray. “Such a delicious smell!”

 

With that, she grabbed the closest plate of dango and retreated to an armchair, munching on the treats with a happy face. Luka shook his head with a small grin. Alice seemed to take great pleasure in simple things like good food. He was a little envious of her, he decided as he picked a plate of grilled chicken breast for himself. Settling down on his couch again, he began to eat as well.

 

“You’d better -nom- eat well, Luka,” Alice said after a while as she chewed on her dango. Luka looked up at her, perplexed.

 

“Hm? Why?” he asked, puzzled. Alice’s answer was to point at Thermidor, who was quietly dozing off on the bed.

 

“Thermidor took a lot of abuse during the fight with Granberia,” she explained, mouth still half full. “She’ll need a lot of energy to repair the damage her armor sustained, since that is essentially her actual body. So, she’ll need -om- some food herself, you know. And since you’re her food source, you’ll need to be strong enough for that.”

 

“Ah! That’s right! I was so tired that I didn't even think of that!" Luka said. Then, he blinked as something Alice said struck him. "...Wait, her armor? Her actual body?”

 

“You've lived with her this long and you still don’t know all the details?” Alice asked incredulously as she stopped wolfing her food down for a few moments. “Bound Monsters of the Living Armor class, like her, depend on their armor, as the name suggests. It’s where their spirit actually resides. They can survive if their humanoid body dissipates, for the most part. But if their armor is destroyed, they will die. And as you can see...”

 

Luka’s eyes wandered to Thermidor’s breastplate, which had been removed and set aside near the bed she was napping on. It was full of cracks, dents and nicks, and looked like it was in need of serious repairs.

 

“If it makes you feel better,” Alice continued as Luka stared at the armor with dread, causing his attention to shift back to her, “Living Armors can passively regenerate damage to their armor, much like human bodies can heal their wounds over time. But it requires quite a bit of lifeforce, and complete rest for as long as the armor will take to fix itself. In Thermidor’s case, it may take a week or two, given the damage dealt. During that time, her body will take in more energy than usual, though. So you’re likely going to get drained near-dry in the process. That’s why you’ll need to be well-fed. Well-fed means full of energy, and full of energy means less likely to be knocked into a coma when you feed her.”

 

“I’m resistant to her energy drain, though,” Luka pointed out. Alice frowned.

 

“Yes, she mentioned that,” she nodded. “It... may actually be a problem, as it means she’ll require more semen than usual. Well, you got some rest in the last few days, after that little session of yours with the Elves back in your village, so you should have a decent amount.”

 

“Uh... yeah, I suppose so, but...” he said, eyeing her. “You aren’t going to stay here while we do that, right?”

 

“Of course I am,” Alice stated matter-of-factly. “You don’t really expect me to just wander around until you’re done, do you? Besides, it might be fun to watch.”

 

“I most definitely do expect that! I’m not doing anything with you watching! You’d probably run commentary or something equally unpleasant!” Luka replied vehemently. Alice smiled faintly.

 

“What, are you afraid you will be less than impressive in my eyes?” she needled him in a mockingly sweet tone. “Don’t worry, I won’t judge you... too much.”

 

“Leave him alone, please,” a tired voice came from the bed, and Luka turned around to see Thermidor had propped herself on her elbows and was looking at Alice. “He’s had enough stress for one day without you provoking him.”

 

“Oh, you’re no fun,” Alice pouted, then shrugged and nodded. “But you’re right. All things considered, he did well. Well then, I’ll leave the two of you alone and busy myself somewhere else for a few hours. Perhaps I can get a few more Ama-Ama Dango downstairs,” she concluded as she got up and walked to the door. Turning around, she gave Luka a cheeky grin and waved her hand. “Be sure to give her a whole lot now, Fairytale Hero. Your damsel in distress needs you to do your best.”

 

With those words, the Lamia left the room, closing the door behind her. Luka glared at the door after she’d left, then sighed, shaking his head. As annoying as she could be, Alice was nonetheless correct - Thermidor was in need of energy, and he was the only one who could provide her with it. Setting aside his now-empty food plate, he got up from the couch he was seated on and walked over to the bed Thermidor was on, sitting on the edge. The monster lazily looked up at him.

 

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” she murmured. “I imagine you’re just as tired as I am.”

 

“That’s not true,” Luka denied, giving her a worried look. “You're the one who took the worst of it, and you used up a lot more energy than I did during that fight. Compared to you, I’m in great shape, so don’t worry about me. I’ll give you as much lifeforce as you need.”

 

“Mmmm... you’re always so thoughtful,” Thermidor commented. She then produced a small smile. “I wonder, though. Could it be that you’re looking forward to the time we spend together?”

 

“I’d be a liar if I said I'm not,” Luka replied, smiling back. “But my primary concern is always your wellbeing. The pleasure I get from it is... Hmm... Let's call it a welcome bonus.”

 

“Hahaha, you’re honest,” the fencer chuckled. She then eyed him with a small grin. “Well then, won’t you please unwrap my present for me? I’m just a little too tired to do it myself.”

 

“Are you sure you don’t just want to enjoy the view?” he cheekily answered as he complied, getting up and undressing. Folding his discarded clothes neatly, he set them on one of the many armchairs in the room, then turned back towards Thermidor. As he did, his gaze fell on her and he noticed she’d removed and set aside her gauntlets and her waistcloth. He unconsciously licked his lips as he took her form in. For all that his feelings for her were primarily those a sibling would have, he couldn’t help but admit a strong attraction to her exquisite body.

 

As he watched her, his penis twitched and began to show signs of vitality. Thermidor chuckled at that.

 

“I see I still have an effect on you,” she commented. “That’s good. I was somewhat afraid those two might have spoiled you for me the other day.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, now,” Luka scoffed as he sat back on the bed’s edge. “They had their good points, but that doesn’t take away from your own attractiveness.”

 

“Oh, so you’ve become a smooth talker, now?” the swordswoman teased him. “I must be careful, then. Before I know it, a horde of women will be looking to take my little brother away from me.”

 

“Again, don’t be ridiculous,” Luka sighed with a smile. “Do I look like some sort of womanizing fiend?”

 

“Mmmm... no, not really,” Thermidor admitted as she shifted on the bed and repositioned herself so that her head rested in his lap, close to his hardening penis. Grasping his member gently in one hand, she smiled slightly. “Actually, you look like an absolutely delicious young boy who’s just begging to be gobbled up by the first hungry monster passing by. How lucky that I happen to be that monster!”

 

“Alice’s starting to rub off on you-- ah!” Luka began, only to be cut off as the monster gave his dick a slow, luscious lick, from base to tip. He decided now was the time to shut up and just enjoy himself, and shifted a little to sit more comfortably, letting Thermidor do as she saw fit with him.

 

The monster wasted no time in helping herself to Luka’s penis. Gently but firmly, she began stroking his shaft slowly while gently nibbling at at its sensitive underside and occasionally straying further down to tease his balls. Luka let a moan escape his lips as he enjoyed the feeling of Thermidor’s soft hand and warm tongue.

 

The fencer smiled at his reaction. She knew exactly where to aim to give him the most pleasure, having learned most, if not all, of his weak points over the years they spent together. It always pleased her when he enjoyed himself, and she always felt an overwhelming urge to coax more moans and gasps out of him when they got intimate. Shifting her grasp, she kept stroking at his penis as she wrapped her lips around its head, gently licking and sucking at it in a slow fashion. Luka sharply inhaled at that, twitching slightly as he felt the familiar flowing sensation of her energy drain. His tip was one of his most sensitive parts, and she knew how to stimulate it very well.

 

As Thermidor lapped at his hard member, the humming noise he’d come to know and recognize as a sign she was enjoying herself began to make itself heard, and her tongue began rippling as she licked him. He sighed, feeling himself go weak in the knees. Whenever she did that, he tended to lose control of his body, and had he been standing, he had no doubt he’d have collapsed by now. Instinctively, he reached for her hair and began playing with it. Much like the rest of her, it was soft and smooth.

 

Thermidor hummed a little louder at that, and her hand let go of his now fully erect member as she took more of it in her mouth, swirling and coiling her tongue all around it. Luka had noticed quite a while ago that she could somewhat change her tongue’s length - which made sense, since her body was essentially designed to bring a man to climax as quickly and efficiently as possible, and a long, agile tongue undoubtedly helped at times - and he certainly enjoyed the feeling. A passing thought strayed across his mind - whether Alice, being part snake, could do the same thing - but he pushed it aside. He wasn’t so rude as to start thinking of other women in a situation such as this.

 

For a while, Thermidor kept licking and sucking at Luka’s penis, slowly but surely bringing him closer to orgasm. Luka simply let himself go, savoring the sensations brought about by her skilled mouth. As he reached his limit and felt his climax approach, Thermidor took him all the way in, and began sucking more intensely. The sudden increase in her ministrations sent Luka over the edge, and he let out a long, drawn-out moan as he came, filling her mouth with seed.

 

The fencer gladly gulped it down, her humming intensifying to the point the ripples in her tongue became almost painful to his sensitive dick, and kept sucking, trying to draw as much semen out of Luka’s penis as possible. Luka gasped and moaned, overwhelmed by the intensity of the suction as the monster greedily drank his offering, and barely managed to remain sitting upright as he felt his body go numb from pleasure.

 

Even after his orgasm had subsided, Thermidor kept licking and sucking him, though she became more gentle about it out of consideration for the sensitive state of his member. Slowly but surely, she coaxed every last drop of semen left within it out and cleaned it of any leftover fluid, not spilling a single drop. Then, she finally let it go with a content sigh, licking her lips in satisfaction as she eyed him.

 

Luka let out a deep breath at that, his shoulder slumping as he tiredly kept himself in a sitting position. Looking at Thermidor, he saw that she had regained some of her glow, and had a much healthier appearance. He smiled at her.

 

“Do you feel better?” he asked. At her nod, he continued, “That’s good. You should rest now. You need sleep to heal up, right-- ack!”

 

His speech was cut off and became a strangled cry of surprise as Thermidor suddenly reached up to him, violently pulled him down and rolled over, pinning him to the bed as she straddled him. He looked up to see a hungry light in her eyes, and belatedly realized she wasn’t even close to full, and was now helping herself to seconds.

 

“That’s not enough, Luka,” she breathed. “You aren’t that tired just yet, are you?” As she spoke, she reached down and shifted her panties to the side, revealing her puffy, soft-looking pussy to him. “I know you have enough left for one more time... don’t you want to enjoy all of me?”

 

“Uh, I don’t mind, but...” Luka began hesitantly. “Should you really be this active? You’ll get even more tired, won’t you?”

 

“Mmmm... I prefer it this way, to be honest,” she purred as she undid the knots keeping her panties on and slid them off. With the inconvenience out of the way, she began rubbing her pussy on his half-stiff shaft, attempting to coax it back to life. The grinding motion had the intended effect and Luka moaned, feeling himself grow hard again. Thermidor nodded in satisfaction as she saw him get thicker and harder under her ministrations.

 

“See, I know you by now,” she said with a seductive smile. “You aren’t quite at your limit yet. Well then... I hope you’ll enjoy yourself as much as I will.”

 

With those words, she shifted slightly, grasped Luka’s hardened member, lined it up with her pussy, and slowly dropped down, humming contentedly as he parted her soft folds and sank deep into her. Luka bit his lips, stifling a loud moan as her hot depths welcomed him. As always, the sensation from her energy drain was strongest within her sex, and the added pleasure from the flowing sensation coupled with his lingering post-climax sensitivity made the experience almost torturously pleasurable.

 

Looking down, Thermidor smiled as she saw Luka close his eyes, an enraptured expression on his face. She always did enjoy seeing that look of utter pleasure on him. Often in the past, she would talk him into indulging her simply to see it one more time. She would not admit it to anyone, but being able to bring that look on his face always served to make her feel womanly and desirable.

 

Sighing, she began to slowly move, sensually swaying her hips and grinding Luka’s hard cock deeper inside her as she massaged it with her vaginal walls. She licked her lips in satisfaction at the soft gasps her actions coaxed out from the writhing boy under her. She knew she was indulging in her monster instincts, but at the moment she couldn’t help herself. The urge to make Luka cry out in pleasure was too strong.

 

Shifting slightly, she leaned back a little, squeezing down on his penis in the process. The action caused another gasp to escape the boy’s lips, and he took hold of her waist as he thrust up to meet her. She let out a pleased gasp at that, and began grinding harder, her inner muscles gripping him tightly as she pulled him in as deep as he would go.

 

Luka squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a long moan as he felt her ministrations increase. He could already feel another orgasm approach, and attempted to hang on just a little bit longer, savoring the pleasure he was feeling. However, Thermidor chose that exact moment to start humming again. Her inner flesh began rippling in time with the hum, and the overwhelming stimulation suddenly assaulting Luka’s member finally became too much to resist, breaking down his remaining resistance. With a strangled cry, he firmly grasped her waist and pushed up as hard as he could, releasing his seed deep inside her.

 

Thermidor’s humming became louder than ever, and she began milking him mercilessly, her pussy eagerly sucking his come up and swallowing it as he shot jet after jet of seed into her receptive body, until he was finally spent. The monster fencer’s shoulders then slumped as she let out a deep, satisfied sigh. After a few seconds of pause, she dismounted Luka, his softening member slipping out of her as she let herself drop to his side. For a few moments, neither of them moved. Finally, as Luka’s ragged breathing calmed down, he found enough strength to speak again.

 

“Huh... wow. That was intense,” he murmured, a pleasant weakness still pinning him down. “Well, I hope this is enough. I don’t think I can take much more of that kind of exertion after all that happened today, hahaha...”

 

He paused for a few seconds, but when no reply came, he looked to his side, worried. Thermidor’s eyes were closed, and she was fast asleep, a look of blissful satisfaction on her face. Luka stared at her sleeping visage for a while, then tiredly pulled himself up, got off the bed, and proceeded to tuck the swordswoman under the covers. With that done, he wandered to the nearest couch, dropped onto the soft cushions face-down from exhaustion, and fell asleep as well.

 

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