The golden rays of the morning sun peeked through the gap of the window still of a wooden cabin, illuminating the small but relatively well kept room within it.

The room itself was fairly simple, a small coffee table paired with two chairs made of fine murkwood stood near the door, while an average sized bookshelf filled with all kinds of literature decorated the side. At the center of the room was a bed made of murkwood and various fur and silk stitched together, just big enough to fit two people. There were no luxurious paintings hanging on the walls, nor were there chandeliers that lit up the place, it was just a simple, calming room.

Upon the bed that was cushioned with fine fur and silk, a beautiful young woman with light blonde, slightly disheveled hair and rose colored cheeks, slept a top a black haired man with relatively good looks and a fairly large build that held her firm but gently. The two sleeping together comfortably and without a care in the world were the husband and wife that called this little cabin their home, Lise and Loic, the former first prince of the kingdom of Ireleth, as well as the master of the Black Beast of Calamity. These days however, he just goes about as Keith, a lowly hunter that had married Lise after falling in love at first sight.

*Knock knock knock* "Yoooo Keith! You there?!" 

The obnoxious knocking as well as the loud carefree voice of a man pulled the two from their peaceful slumber.

"Mhmm.." Lise groaned as she strained her eyes and stretched her limbs. Her smooth, almost porcelain like skin that wouldn't lose to any noble girl, glistened against the shine of the morning sun. "Dear, Torval-san is calling you." She continued as she pressed her ample breasts against the hard chest of her husband.

"Ughh.. so early in the morning? What is that idiot up to" Loic answered with displeasure in his voice as he caressed his wife's silky hair with one arm and stretched the other.

"I'd like to stay in bed with my wife for just a little bit more" He continued jokingly as he looked at Lise with a teasing smile.

"Oh stop it, dear." She answered as she lightly slapped Loic's chest. "We did it lots last night, that's enough to last you through the day."

"Hoh? What ever do you mean? I just want to cuddle with my wife." He smiled as he held her. "I think you're thinking of something lewd, Lise." He continued as he showed an even more mischievous grin.

In response, Lise turned beet red from face to neck due to embarrassment. She pouted her lips and lightly hit Loic's chest.

"Myuu! You're always teasing m--- mhmm!"

Her sentence was cut off by Loic who stole her lips in a deep kiss and invaded her mouth with his tongue.

Surprised by the suddenness of the situation, she tried to push him away with all her strength, to no avail. He continued his relentless attack and didn't let go until she gradually lost her strength and gave in, her head slowly turning blank from the pleasure. She reciprocated by using her own tongue and dancing around with that of her husband's. This continued for sometime before the two needed to breathe and separated.

*Puaah*

A string of saliva formed between the two's lips as Loic let her go. She looked down on his teasing face that was smiling, with great longing and desire. Wanting to continue, she wrapped her arms around his head and closed the distance once again,

However,

*Knock Knock Knock* "Yooo! Keith! Wake up already!!"

The voice of Torval once again invaded their ears and destroyed the flowery atmosphere that was starting to develop.

"Ah!" Lise gasped as she suddenly realized what was happening. "Geez, get up and get dressed already, dear! Torval-san is waiting" She continued as she forcefully separated from Loic and pulled him from their bed, her bare breasts lightly jiggling in the process, causing Loic to smile longingly.

[Haah.. I love this woman.] He thought to himself as he stood up and picked up his scattered clothes on the floor.

"Fine, fine.. Yo Torval! Just give us a minute, I'll be down in a moment!" He shouted at the man who ruined his lovey-dovey time with his wife.

"See, I knew you were awake! Hurry up already! I'm starving!" Torval answered back obnoxiously.

"Geez, this idiot."

Over a year had passed since Loic narrowly escaped with his life from the capital after his and Siegfried and Liliana's duel. The young woman, Lise, now called as his wife, had found him in the forest, badly injured and at the verge of dying. She took him in, nursed him back to health and gave him the love and care he so viciously craved.

At first, Loic was very keen on putting some distance between him and Lise, as he was afraid of the misfortune he might bring to her due to his familiar. He became adamant of leaving as soon as he recovered. Fortunately though, the Black Beast became unusually calm after their battle with the Great Dragon.

Lise first introduced Loic to be her husband to the villagers as a front so he can stay in the village without suspicions, at least until he recovered. Overtime however, the two gradually became close with one another and not long after, decided to go through their fake marriage, unfortunately though, they have yet to be blessed with a child.

+++

"Morning, Torval" Loic greeted as he scratched his head and opened his door. "What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"Yo Keith! Took you long enough! I'm starving!" The man said as he entered and rubbed his tummy in a joking manner.

"Go eat at your own house, idiot"

"Hahaha! I'm joking, joking!"

The man called Torval was an average looking man with a long light brown hair, tied to a ponytail, as well as an abundant amount of facial hair he tied in a braid. He had a large build and a somewhat wild aura around him, probably because of the fact that he was the head hunter, as well as the sole contract holder, excluding Loic, in the village. He had grown close to Loic over the past year because of their frequent hunting expeditions, and mostly spends his time around him, much to the displeasure of the couple. Of course, Torval still commands some form of respect, being the head hunter and on top of that, a contract holder, so they still put up with it.

"Good morning, Torval-san. What brings you to our home at this time?" Lise greeted him as she fixed the table for her and her husband's breakfast, while the smell of the bubbling stew that was being heated from last night's dinner permeated into the surrounding.

"Ooh that smells good!" Torval exclaimed as he basked in the aroma of Lise's cooking.

"Nevermind what I said about the breakfast being a joke, let me join you guys!" He continued as he nonchalantly sat down on the table.

"Why won't you have breakfast at your own house, idiot." Remarked Loic as he sat himself down at the center of the table.

"Well, you see.. the missus is actually very mad at me right now hahaha!"

"Hoh, what did you do now?"

"She caught me eyeing this lass from that merchant caravan that passed by the village yesterday" Torval nonchalantly said as he scratched his cheek and chuckled lightly. "She hasn't given me any food since then, so I'm actually starving right now guhahaha!"

"Geez, you really are an idiot."

"You're right about that, Keith. Hahaha!"

"Well, if you're okay with leftovers from last night, then you're welcome to join us, Torval-san." Lise interjected as she prepared another bowl and spoon for Torval. "You're already here anyway, it would be in bad taste if we were to eat while you watch."

Hearing this, Torval's face lit up.

"Hoh! Thats Lise-chan for you!" He said as he accepted the bowl and utensils. "Leave it to her to look after a fellow villager in need!"

"Keith is so lucky to have a kind woman such as you as his wife!" He continued as he struck Loic's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Haaah." Loic sighed in exasperation as he fixed his clothes that were lightly disheveled by Torval's antics.

"Anyways, Torval, I doubt that the reason you came here today is just to eat breakfast, yes?" He continued as his wife came back from the kitchen with the stew in tow. "Did something happen?"

"Ahh but can't it wait right after we finish eating first?" Torval said as he made an exhausted gesture. "It'd be disrespectful to your wife's cooking if we talked business as we ate."

"No, no, Torval-san. It's fine, it's not like the food's anything special." Lise said as she placed the stew in the center of the table.

"Here you go, dear." She continued as she served Loic's portion.

"Thank you, Lise. So then, Torval, what is it?" Loic said as he partook in the stew.

"Ahh no no no, Keith!" Torval exclaimed as he himself took a serving of the stew presented to them. "The cooking of a beautiful housewife such as Lise-chan's must be savoured and enjoyed without any distractions!"

Loic, having no energy at the moment to deal with this man's wiles, decided to just concede and let it go.

"Haaaah," he sighed once again as he continued eating. "Fine then, let's finish eating first, and then we'll talk business."

"Is this alright, dear?" Lise quietly asked Loic with concern. "It might be something important."

"It's no use arguing with him, Lise." Loic answered. "Let's just eat at the moment."

"Mhmm, okay, dear."

+++

After finishing up the breakfast, Lise stood up and took the dishes back to kitchen.

"Ah, I'll help you out, Lise-chan" Torval said as he tried to get up from the table.

"Ah, no need, Torval-san." Denied Lise as she continued walking towards the kitchen. "You have something to talk about with my husband, yes? This much is not a problem. Just go about your business."

"Yes, Torval. Why don't we get to the point." Interjected Loic as he leaned forward the table and crossed his fingers. "What happened?"

"... Haaah"

Realizing that he could not delay it any further, Torval sighed as he sat back down and looked at Loic with seriousness in his eyes.

"You see, Keith.." He said as he leaned back on the chair and looked up to the ceiling. "There have been rumours that a bandit group had taken up residence in the nearby abandoned fort, just across the lake."

"...You mean Fort Sun Dew?"

"...yes."

Fort Sun Dew was an old abandoned fort near the village, and although it was old, it still stood tall and proud, very easy to defend against attacks. It had once been the corner stone of defense for the Irileth Kingdom against the neighboring Edelweiss, but because of the marriage of the current King's sister into the royal family of Edelweiss ushering a peace for the two countries, as well as the Black Beast of Calamity's attack on the royal capital, King Cain Stronheim decided to pullthe stationed soldiers from the fort and assigned them to the rebuilding of the capital, effectively abandoning the fort.

"Where did you hear this, Torval?" Loic asked as he rubbed his forehead. "Can the source be trusted?"

"The merchant caravan's leader told me." Answered Torval as he crossed his fingers.

"He said that there's been an unusually high traffic of people to and from that fort, while the highways have become relatively quieter as of late."

"He thinks that it's because they've been gathering on that fort, and establishing it as their base." Torval continued.

"Haah" Loic looked up to the ceiling as he sighed. "How troublesome."

"Indeed."

"That fort's relatively close to the village, yes? About a day or two by hiking?" Loic asked as he looked at Torval's face.

"Yeah" He confirmed. "But it might take them less than that if they rode horses."

The distance of the village to the fort was ultimately too close for comfort. If a bandit group really did decide to make that place their base, the village would be in great danger. As it stands, only Loic and Torval had the martial abilitiy to fight back the bandits if they decided to attack. It was also worth noting that Loic could not freely use his familiar as he was not confident that he could resist it's corruption.

He looked back at his lovely young wife that was quietly fixing up the dishes in the kitchen.

[I'll be damned if I let this happiness get taken away again.] He thought to himself as he clenched his fists. He looked back at Torval with fiery eyes.

"How many?" He asked.

"..32"

Loic cupped his chin as he looked into the far distance.

"Hmm.."

[32 bandits, he says.. Counting myself and Torval, we have about 19 men capable of fighting, he also his familiar to lean on to, and I'm fairly confident that I'm better than the average bandit.. I think we can take them, so long as they don't have someone who has a greater beast as a familiar.] He thought to himself as he nodded slightly.

He then faced Torval again, and asked, "What did you have in mind, Torval?"

Hearing this, Torval leaned forward and answered in a soft whisper, "I think we should attack them first. With your skill and my familiar, I think we can take them with the men we have."

[So he thought the same as me, huh.] Loic thought to himself as he agreed with Torval.

"I agree with you."

"I knew you would." Torval said as he grinned at Loic. "I'll go talk to the chief, you get ready. If all goes well, we can go tonight and strike them at dawn."

"Tonight already?!" Loic exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't that a little too soon, Torval? We haven't even told the others yet."

In response, Torval only grinned mischievously, "That's what you think, Keith. But I've already told the others last night when we drank, you were the last one to know cus you didn't come with us, I've even already sent out Gunther and Soren to confirm this."

"And?"

"Well, they confirmed it alright hahah"

"You're being awfully calm with this, Torval. Stay focused."

"Ahh, don't worry too much, Keith. Torval shrugged as he stood up and headed towards the door. "They'll never know what hit them."

"Ah, are you finished with your talk with my husband, Torval-san?" Asked Lise as she came back from the kitchen, having finished the dishes.

"Yoooo, Lise-chan! Yes yes, I'm heading out now, thanks for the breakfast! Keith, get ready, yeah?" He shouted as he exited the house.

Lise looked back at Loic and saw the troubled look on her husband's face. Wanting to ease his tension, she cutely sat on his lap and caressed his head lovingly. Loic, surprised at his wife's sudden action, flinched as she made herself comfortable.

"Wha-what are you doing, Lise?" He asked her as she looked at him with loving eyes and continued to stroke his hair.

"Something seems to be troubling my dear husband, so I'm here to make you feel better." She answered in a cutesy manner.

Loic's heart took critical damage from Lise's relentless attacks. [Haaah, I truly love this woman] he thought to himself as he hugged his wife and buried his face on her bosom.

"Huaah!"

It was now Lise's turn to be startled by her husband's sudden attack.

"D-dear! What do you think you're doing?!" She asked Loic in a panic as she tried to pull away.

"What are you talking about, Lise. I'm merely taking you up on your offer to make me feel better." He answered as he held her even closer. "I'm refilling my Lise meter."

"Wha--- myuuu.." Lise groaned as she gave in to her husband's wiles. "Something must really be bothering you, so I'll let you off this time."

"Haah, thank you, Lise. I'll tell you about it later. Just let me stay like this for a while."

"Muu.. okay, dear."

+++

"A bandit group, you say?" Lise asked as she watched Loic working inside the small shed outside their house that he had built in order to store some of his hunting tools.

"Yeah" He answered as he reached for a spear that was hanging above a shelf. "Torval said that a reliable source told him of the information, and the people he sent in advance confirmed it."

"Mhmm, I see.." said Lise as she crossed her arms and looked down, as if deep in thought.

She then looked Loic once again and asked,

"How many?"

"32"

"And? How many men will be joining you?" She continued as she sat down on a chair.

Loic looked at her and smile wryly before answering.

"Including Torval and I, we have 19."

"19.. huh.. isn't that too little?" Lise asked her husband worryingly. "Even with Torval's familiar and your skills, I still think it's too little, dear. Shouldn't we ask the closest lord for some soldiers?"

"The closest lord to this village, if I remember correctly, is Viscount Robert, Lise." Loic said as he picked up a short sword on the side.

"His territory is about three days away by walking, we can't wait that long. The longer we wait, the more bandits might converge in that fort, who knows what might happen." He continued as he sat down the opposite chair and tightened his shin guards.

"If we attack them now, we can take them by surprise. But if they were to attack the village in full force.. I'm not confident that we can win a defensive battle--"

His sentence was cut off when he noticed the growing concern on Lise's face. He could see and understand what worried her all too well.

"Oh, don't make that face, Lise. You have nothing to worry about." He said as he kissed her forehead and reassured her. "We'll take care of them and return home quickly."

"U-uwu.. make sure to comeback to me, okay, dear." She said as she held his hands to her cheek. "Come home, okay?"

Seeing this, Loic's heart once again suffered a critical attack from Lise. He smiled lovingly as he caressed her face.

"I will, my love. Wait for me."

+++

"Yooo, Keith! You done yet?"

Just as Loic was about to exit the house, he heard the voice of his close friend Torval calling to him from a distance. With an old battle axe resting on his shoulder, the leather armoured Torval cheerfully called out to him with a big grin. Behind him followed 17 other people, ranging from the ages 16-46, all wearing leather armour and carrying weapons normally used for hunting animals.

"Hey, Torval. Yeah I'm done, I was just about to head to your house." Loic answered as he slung his bag to his shoulder and kissed his wife good bye.

"Yoo Lise-chan, thanks again for the breakfast this morning! Don't worry, I'll bring back your husband safe and sound hahaha"

"You better, Torval-san"

"Lise-chan, you're scary! Keith protect me!" Torval said as he ran towards to Loic in an attempt to hug him, only to be met by a knuckle to the head.

"Yeeouch! What was that for, Keith??" Cried Torval as he rubbed his head.

"Don't you even dare hug me." Loic said in a displeased voice. He then faced Lise and smiled. "Well then, we'll get going now."

"..Stay safe, dear."

"Yeah, I will."

"Uuuhh, Keith you barbarian!"

With that done Loic dragged the complaining Torval back towards the group of men waiting for them. Upon arriving there, he was greeted one by one by the people he'll be fighting with.

"Now then, shall we get going?" He asked as they started moving out.

+++

It was dusk when the group started moving through the forest towards the fort, it was now the middle of the night, and the group was now searching for a place to take camp for the night. By Torval's estimation, they would arrive at their destination at noon tomorrow. The plan was to camp and rest for the day and wait for the cover of darkness at night, then take the fort by surprise.

The group consisted of a total of 19 people. At the forefront was Loic and Torval, two of the best fighters, while at the rearguard stood Donovan, a 46 year old man, the oldest of the group, with grey balding hair, fairly burly arms and the most experience among the group. He carried with him, 2 throwing spears, 1 small round shield, and 1 short sword.

With that line up, the group was able to make sure that both the rear and the vanguard were led by the most experienced warriors while the less experienced ones were condensed at the middle.

"..hey, Keith-san"

The voice of a young man entered the ear of Loic as they were marching. Looking back, what met his eyes was the figure of Collin, a 17 year old, novice hunter that had just joined their hunting party a week prior.

He had a dainty body, not built for contests of strength, but his eyes were very sharp. He carried with him, a homemade hunting bow with 2 quivers filled with iron arrows.

"Yes, Collin-san? Is something the matter?" Asked Loic as they continued their walk.

Collin looked at him with serious eyes. "Do you think we'll survive this?"

"Hoh? Are you getting scared, Collin?" Interjected Torval with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Want me to hold your hand? Guhahaha!" He continued.

"T-there's no such thing!" Exclaimed Collin as he tightened his grip on his bow.

"Stop it, Torval." Said Loic in a low voice as he shot a glare at the teasing Torval.

"Ohh, I was just teasing him, Keith."

Looking at Collin, Loic tapped his shoulder and smiled before answering,

"Don't worry about it, you'll be just fine." He assured Collin. "Just keep your distance and shoot your arrows, we'll take care of the rest."

"Yy-yes! Keith-san!"

The group then continued their march until they reached a small clearing in the forest and decided to camp there for the night. They assigned a 3 people rotation every hour for night watching, while the others rest. 

Loic was one of the first three people group to keep watch. He quietly surveyed his surroundings and upon confirming that there was no threat, he pulled a necklace from under his shirt, it was a golden locket that matched with the one his wife had. He had bought it from a passing caravan in order to represent his and Lise's love for one another. He clenched it in his hands and held it near his heart.

[.. you've been awfully quiet for sometime now, haven't you?] 

He thought to himself as he looked into the far distance. 

[Tomorrow I might borrow your strength, so I hope we can work together.] He continued, but no one answered.

Loic then looked up to the night sky.

[I miss Lise.]