Hugo

“Hello, Erika. It’s me, your big brother Hugo.”

“I’m sorry for contacting you all of a sudden like this. I’m sure you haven’t forgiven me for what I did that day. I broke my promise. And not only that, I ran away as well, leaving you and Marina to fend on your own.”

“I wouldn’t ask for your apology. Not until I meet you in person. So this is just me letting you know that I’m fine. I’m currently in the Demon Continent, heading to where Sherry is. After I fetch her, we’ll make our way to your place without delay.”

“...I’m not sure that you want me intruding into your dream like this so I'll keep it short. If you would, please tell Marina that I'm safe and healthy."

"As for you, Erika, I can't wait to see you again. You must have grown a lot."

"Goodbye for now. Eat your vegetables. And be nice to your sister, alright?"

…

There. That should do the trick.

It was the second night after we left Arborea. We were now resting inside our stone huts, courtesy of yours truly.

As usual, Felicia shared a room with me. In fact, she was right here beside me now, to my left. She had left me to my own devices as I concentrated on the Dream Crystal, telling it what to send.

"You're finished, Milord?"

I cocked my head to the side, finding her lovely smiling face. "Yeah. Just need to sleep now."

"Go on then. Send the sweet dream to your dear little sister. Don't worry. I'll stay on this side so you won't get... distracted."

I saw the twinkle in her eyes. Combined with her small smirk, it was all too obvious what she meant by that.

Still, my eyes glanced down to her chest anyway. As usual, her dress straps were draped loose around her skin, giving me a peek of her breasts and nipples.

I averted my gaze. No good. I can't be thinking perverted thoughts when I send the message.

I closed my eyes and relaxed my body, repeating the message over and over in my mind.

And then, before I knew it, I lost my consciousness.

--------

Felicia

And there he goes… That was quick. He really must be tired from all his training…

...Teehee, he really is cute while sleeping like this. His soft breath, the beats of his breath, and of course, that shy yet lust-filled monster inside his pants… just a little touch and it'll go all hard and warm. Though of course, I can't play with it now. He can't be having lewd thoughts when contacting his sister after all!

I sat up, my gaze still lingering on his crotch. I then looked down into my bosom, seeing that my nipples were hard and swollen.

I should leave. I'm starting to get horny. I won't be able to resist if I keep staying here.

I stood up, fixed the straps on my dress so my nipples wouldn't show (they were for his eyes only after all) and walked out of the hut.

Only to find the sourpuss Nerthusian sitting on the campfire, looking at me as if I had done something wrong.

"You do know that the kid already promised his chastity to Sherry, right? You might not actually perform intercourse with him but I'm sure she won't be happy of you playing with his manhood."

A smirk formed on my face. I sat down over the fire across her, making sure that I opened my legs slightly, showing a glimpse of my red thong to the woman. Only to annoy her a little bit more.

"Oh, I know. But as his future wife, I have my rights too. And it helps him relax, you know. Behind that smile of his, he's hiding a lot of pain — pain that a woman's body can help, ah, what's the term, assuage. Such a fancy word, isn't it?" I giggled.

The sourpuss, of course, disagreed.

"Look at you." Her eyes narrowed in the most judgmental manner. "You think I can't read your mind? I see your joy of stealing him away from Sherry. And your lustful thoughts for him as well. This is not about him. This is about you."

"Oh, I won't deny that. Not in the slightest." My smirk widened. "I am a jealous woman. If I could, I want him all for myself. And I enjoy sexual activities as well. But only if it involves him. He made me feel like a good and worthy woman, not a whore who gave her body to men to charm them."

"You charmed him. You and your seductive wiles. Even now I can see your undergarments. And your top leaves little to the imagination as well. You might be reformed but you're still a seductress. And you seducted him to betray Sherry."

"Betray? Oh, don't be silly. Do you know how many times we could've have sex? But he always refused even when his little sword was still throbbing. That man… he's as faithful as they go."

I huffed, annoyance filling my chest. Sherry this, Sherry that. Milord loved her, that much was undeniable. If he was the unfaithful man this sourpuss imagined him to be, I would already feel his sword pulsating inside my womb many times.

Urgh, even thinking about that made my flower wet.

A sight escaped the sourpuss' lips. "...I sometimes wonder if humans aren't just nicer-looking orcs. You, Hugo, and that Theo kid… you all have such dirty thoughts."

Hearing that, I could only burst into a laugh. "What are you, a nun? Are all Nerthusian this naive like you? The desire to procreate with the opposite sex is normal in all living creatures. What matters is how you guide and satisfy such desires. Lord Hugo and I have each other while Theo has his cat. Having that desire satisfied is an important part of keeping yourself healthy, both physically and mentally. Sheesh, no wonder you have that dull look on you at all times."

She could only respond with a glare.

"But don't worry! I have a temporary solution as you seek out that ideal man! I have some toys you can use to, ah, relieve yourself. I'll even teach you how to use them!"

"No." She stood up.

"No? What do you mean no? Hey, don't just walk away!" I walked over to her and blocked her path. "Look." I placed my hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "I've seen the way you look at Milord. I'm fine with you taking over the motherly role for him but an actual romance is out of the question. You may like his father but that doesn't mean you should like him as well."

A scowl formed on her face. "Idiot. I'm not you. I don't like young boys in the slightest. Whatever 'look' you imagined I gave to him, it was not a romantic one in the slightest. I only like Alan and no one else." She then slapped my hands away before returning back to her hut.

Still standing outside, I let out a chuckle. No blush. She might be speaking the truth after all.

Good. I folded my arms. I don't need more competition. That Sherry girl is more than enough.

Still, I have to be careful. Not just with her but with Tira as well. That elf wants to be his maid. And you know how maids are.

And there's the matter of that Goddess. Just how capable she is in "manipulating Fate"? Certainly not absolute as Milord is still alive and breathing. Tch, that elf didn't really give a precise explanation.

...Well, it doesn't matter. For now, I should do what I can do. And that is, to refine myself further as an alchemist. Milord spoke about his mana issue. That means I need to make better mana potions.

Too bad that elf won't share any knowledge of the ancients' alchemy. Or maybe she just doesn't know. She's not the inventor after all. She's just the guard dog.

I sat back down in front of the fire, summoning a book for me to read at my watch. It was an encyclopedia of herbs that I had bought in Arborea. Demon Continent herbs to be exact. My knowledge on them was, sadly, still quite lacking.

When the cold night wind blew, I shuddered, wrapping my coat closer to my body.

I sighed. That's the downside of wearing skimpy outfits. You're just weak to this sort of thing.

Still, I continued my reading, eventually losing myself in it that I didn't even notice the cold anymore.

That night, my watch went by like a flash.

-------

Erika

"You… you idiot! How dare you! How dare you say that to me now?! You… you cowardly, no good, panty-stealing brother! Get out! Get out from my dream! I don't want to see you ever again!"

Little did Hugo know that his message came at the worst possible time.

It was just a day after the disaster. Erika was now sleeping inside one of the relief tents the survivors had erected, built on the outskirts of the town. Thankfully, it wasn't winter yet so they wouldn't have to worry about the cold.

Her legs had yet to retain their functions. A healer had checked them but he said he could do nothing to fix them. Naturally, it stressed the poor little girl who started to fear that she really would never walk again, despite Sophie's assurance.

And, there were still no words on her sister or her grandfather.

For Hugo to appear out of nowhere in her dreams, with that stupid grin of his… she would have slapped him if she could.

When she woke up, tears wetted her cheeks. She quickly wiped them off before Sophie entered.

Those tears were tears of anger. It wasn't like she missed him or anything. Nor did she wish he was here comforting him. Not in the slightest.

She didn't say anything to the hobbit. Nor to the two lizardfolk. She kept the dream close to her chest.

She wouldn't want them to think that her brother actually cared for her! No, that scum should just disappear!

After Sophie helped her dress up, she carried her piggy-back style to the outside. Despite her small stature, her strength seemed to be similar to that of an adult human woman.

"Okay, Erika! Let's go get breakfast!" The hobbit yelled, a big smile decorating her face. Hmph! How could she be so cheerful, after everything that had happened?!

Outside, she was greeted by the sight of a busy, bustling camp. However, an unmistakable gloom hung over the air. Everywhere she looked, she could only find pained, distressed expressions, as the citizens of Lochestat tried desperately to cope with what had just befell them.

“Please, m-my children! They’re still in there somewhere!”

Looking to her left, she saw a haggard-looking woman, grabbing the arms on one of the city guards as tears streamed down her face.

“I-I’m sorry, ma’am.” The guard shook his head. “But we’ve looked and there really is no one there.”

“No! You lie! They must have survived! They’re smart and courageous! They would’ve hidden themselves under a table o-or a bed!”

“Even so, they wouldn’t have survived that. Your house… there’s nothing left there. It's just rubble now. Unless they're outside, I don't believe they could have—"

“Then let me go! I’ll search for them myself!”

The woman pushed the man away and bolted, quicker that he could react.

However, it only took her a few steps before she tripped and stumbled down to the dirt.

The guard, with furrowed eyebrows and a sorrow-filled look, chased after her and helped her get up. “Ma’am, please! You’re too weak for that! You should just rest and—”

“Rest?! You’re telling me I should rest when my children are out there, waiting for me?!”

Erika couldn't bear it anymore.

She looked away, burying her face onto Sophie's shoulder.

But, she quickly lifted her face back up as she heard two men quarreling with each other on her right.

"You idiot! Put that knife down! Right now!"

"I don't care! My wife, my kids, my house — they're all gone! I have nothing to live for anymore!"

"You think this is what they want? To see you cutting your own throat?

Two young men faced off against one another, one sobbing and crying as he held a knife to his throat.

Erika had never seen a grown man cry like that. Once, her grandfather cried when she first met him but he said it was tears of happiness. But that man's tears… that could only be tears of sorrow.

And what was he trying to do with that knife? Wouldn't he die if he brought that knife to his throat?

…

Now she understood.

He wanted to end his pain, his sorrow, his grief.

It was like the main character of the Tragedy of Ilsa, one of the books she had read in her grandfather’s library. He took his own life at the end of the story after realizing that his lover had died because of him.

She asked her maid, Lorry, about it, but she just told her that good girls like her shouldn’t read such a book.

And now she was dead, buried under the rubble just like everybody else.

-----

That day, she saw many others who were struck by the same grief. Despair hung in the air, its stench overwhelming.

Some came to her, asking for her sister’s whereabouts. She could only tell them that she had departed to the capital, dashing whatever tiny hope they once had.

She realized just how loved her sister was by the populace. Perhaps even more than they loved her grandfather.

The slaves she had set freed… They offered their help in constructing a better temporary shelter, one made out of wood or stone instead of just tents. To rebuild the city, it would take many, many long years. Unless, of course, her sister was there with her earth magic. There were a handful of earth mages amongst the survivors but they were not good enough at it that they could construct houses out of it. And so, they had to make do with a temporary shelter instead.

As for her own despair…

She shouldn’t be selfish. These people… they had suffered more than her.

Even if… even if she couldn’t walk anymore for the rest of her life…

…

…

No, she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t brave and selfless like her sister.

She burst into tears that night, wailing at the creeping truth that had gnawed inside her mind.

Her legs… they weren’t going to get better anytime soon, if ever.

She had become a useless, worthless cripple.

-------

Hugo

"Dearest Marina…"

"It's me, Hugo. Your little brother."

"Sorry for not contacting you sooner. A Dream Orb is quite hard to find after all."

"I have to apologize. For everything. You might have heard my apology from Erika but I'll apologize again."

"I… ran away. I left you behind. I was scared… scared that you would hate me, after my failure to keep our parents' safe."

"I know you said you've forgiven me but I don't deserve such leniency. You're spoiling me, Sis. You should be angrier at me."

"..."

"I'll go to your place once I fetch Sherry. That would be still a few years from now, I'm afraid."

"But, I now have a crystal that can send you these messages frequently. So I'll keep in touch, tell you what's going on."

"Oh, one more thing. I've… picked up a young woman at my travels. And we… kinda fell in love with each other. I'm going to marry her and Sherry in the future. I know. I know. I'm a cheating bastard. But that woman… Felicia's her name… She needs me. She had a terrible life and I wanted to support her, just like I did with Sherry."

"I hope you understand. I'll tell you more about her later, alright?"

…

And that's for Marina.

A couple of days later, after a lot of thinking on what to say, it was Marina's turn to receive my dream message.

Unlike Erika, I thought of giving her a lot more details of my adventures. And of course, introducing Felicia as well. Knowing her, she'd be all jealous and upset if I didn't mention her beforehand before we reunited.

Oh, who was I kidding? She would be upset either way. She had always been a brocon after all.

Still, I wanted to tell her all of Felicia's good qualities. After she calmed down, surely she would realize that she was a good fit for me.

After that, I could tell her about all my adventures. In short bits though since there was a limit on how long for the message that I could send.

Oh, and I should tell her about the Goddess too, just so she would be more careful.

"Ah, it seems you are finished, Milord. The next one is for your older sister, right?"

Just like before, Felicia was beside me, laying down in my tent as I imbued the Dream Crystal.

"Yeah, it's for Marina." I turned my head and smiled. "I'm introducing you to her by the way."

"O-oh, really? That's… that's good…" She glanced away.

I chuckled. "Nervous? Don't worry. She might be a bit of a brocon but she's level-headed enough to recognize you as a good person. And a 'worthy' woman to be my wife."

She let out a shaky laugh. "I don't know about that, Milord… You should tell her that I had seduced and slept with men before. And mention the necromancy thing as well. You shouldn't just tell her my good aspects as well. That's lying by omission."

.. Hmph, there she goes beating herself up again.

Time to cheer her up!

I sat up and grabbed her right breast and gave it a firm squeeze.

"A-ahn! Milord, what are you—"

"This is for bringing that up again." I put up my most pouty face. "I told you before, didn't I? I didn't care about any of it." I continued squeezing the supple lump of fat.

"Y-you might not care but your sister — a-ahn! — certainly would!"

"Then leave it to me. You don't have to worry a thing."

I ended the massage by pinching her nipple, earning a shudder and a lewd scream from her.

"Heh, what's up with that reaction?" I chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you're already used to me playing with your breasts. You're not faking it, are you?"

"No!" She pouted, covering her chest with her arms. "It's just that… you haven't touched me in a while… so I've been holding it in…" Her legs squirmed.

"Huh? You have those toys you can use."

She huffed. "Really, Milord? Telling your future wife to pleasure herself instead of doing it yourself? That's not like the Milord I know." She threw her head to the size.

She's faking it. She just wants my attention.

...But she's right. I have been spending my nights meditating lately, training to expand my raw mana range. I don't have time to play with her at all. And tonight, I have to send this message to Marina.

"You're right. My apologies." I gave her my biggest smile as I patted her head.

Her pout disappeared, replaced by a giddy smily.

"Tomorrow night, alright?"

"Next morning. We can do a quick one before we depart."

"Fine. Don't blame me if you ended up walking around with a soaked dress though."

A beautiful, sexy redhead asking for me to help her masturbate… That Goddess is really not doing a good job making me miserable.

Maybe she's just given up.

---------

Marina

Some days had passed since I fell into Lilian Treble's trap.

After taking control over my body, she used me to repair the ravaged capital. But not before announcing herself to be some sort of a savior, who had saved the kingdom from my evil and would now help it rebuild.

Of course, everything went according to her plan. The king, the knights, and her father all perished in the earthquake, leaving a power vacuum for her to fill. And the masses — they all readily believed her. Perhaps it helped that she compared my taming to the taming of the griffons. Griffons were almost considered as sacred beasts in the capital, with only a chosen few being able to tame them from the wilds. Nobles, mostly. And since she was the daughter of one of the most influential nobles in the kingdom…

They were naive. She could easily imagine an argument that Lilian was the one behind the earthquake, that she made her do it with her demonic power of mind control.

But, they would rather believe her, of course. I had always been a stranger in the capital. A foreign, rogue chess piece that they would rather do away with.

And now, I could only watch in silence as my body helped her gain the power she desperately craved.

Currently, I was in her room, with her sitting on the bed right in front of me. Said room was one of the many temporary houses I had constructed with my wood magic.

"Good job for today! You really are as powerful as they say!"

She patted my head, smiling as she did.

She was treating me as if I were her pet.

"At this rate, the city would be back as it once was in no time at all! Isn't it wonderful?" She clapped her hands together. "...No? Not even a smile? Alright, suit yourself."

...Is she an idiot? I can't even smile even if I wanted to.

Suddenly, her smile vanished. "I'm sorry, by the way, for making you be my slave like this. But, thanks to you, I can have a happy life now."

Then free me, you imbecile.

"I can marry the prince and I can take care of Mother properly, free of Father's tyranny. For that, I am infinitely grateful." Her hands rested on my shoulders, a smile slowly blooming back in her arrogant face. She leaned forward, her voice halted to a whisper. "But for now, I need you to stay around. The Goddess told me to keep you so that's what I'm going to do."

This Goddess… She's the real enemy… This girl is just a puppet…

... It's not fair. How can I have prepared for an enemy that just came out of nowhere? The Magocracy is one thing but this… being… how could she have granted such a power to her? This… puppeteering… it's not your typical magic… she doesn't really cast it… it just runs on its own all day and night…

Perhaps… is it a curse? Maybe there's a cursed item that she uses as its focus?

No… I need to be in physical contact with the object. Like those brainwashing slave collars the Demon Continent uses…

...For now, I should try to gather as much information as I can. I must keep a close eye on this girl and not miss a single thing that she does. Yes, that is all I can do for now.

… Erika… Grandfather… please… be safe…

…

Arghh! W-what was that jolt? It came out of nowhere!

...Wait, my sight… it's melting away… What's going on?!

My surroundings, the bedroom of my captor, blurred into a white, endless space.

And then, I saw him.

H-Hugo?

H-Hugo? Is that you?

Instinctively, I took a step forward.

W-wait, I can move!

I looked down and saw that I had reverted back to my human self.

This is… this is a dream! Of course I can move in a dream! I'm not tied to my physical body here!

And this… this is him sending me a message with a Dream Orb! Just like I did!

I ran towards him. I wanted to see him up close.

What I saw made my heart skip a beat.

He's… he's grown so much… He's as tall as me now…

I reached forward to him.

Only to find that my hand phased right through his body.

Of course. It was just an image. It wasn't real.

Still, I wish… I wish I could hug him.

As much as it embarrasses me to admit it, I really need a hug right now. After all that has happened…

He began to speak, delivering his pre-recorded message with that delightful smile on his face. Oh, he grew up to be a fine young man alright. He was now both cute and handsome. Sherry was lucky to have him.

…

What?

What did he just say?

He… he picked up another woman on his trip to be his wife?

B-but Sherry… he's going to marry them both?

H-hey wait! Don't leave yet! You can't just say that and not explain more!

The dream vanished, returning me back to reality.

To my puppeted half-dryad body. To my prison.

However, I could care less about that fact, as an unpleasant flame slowly grew inside my chest.

This Felicia… she must have seduced him! Hugo's weak to pretty women after all!

Grrr, this is why I wanted to go with him! I have to keep him safe from those wenches!

That night, the only thought that blazed inside my mind was that of Felicia.

And once that died down, it was followed by the excitement of knowing that my dear Hugo could now contact me frequently through my dream. I didn't even know it was possible.

If I were to be stuck as her puppet, then at the very least, I could hear his voice. See his face. Witness his growth to adulthood.

I was happy. He still cared about me after all.

Even with a woman in both of his arms.