Part 1

3rd Person POV

-Time Skip, 3 days later

"You there, put more strength on that swing! Wait, wait, not like that!" Nora sighed.

Looking at the knights doing practice swings incorrectly, he stopped a particular knight and gestured for her to come to him.

Standing in front of the training knights, he was facing everyone so they could see him and he could observe them as well.

"Stand over here." Nora ordered.

A little bewildered, the knight followed his command. Nora took a stance beside her and grabbed her sword.

"Pay attention. This is what you were doing." Nora mimicked the knight's movements.

Everything looked perfectly normal, or so the knight believed, but on a closer look there was a feeling that something was off.

"Now, take a look at what you should be doing." Nora repeated his swing but this time there were obvious changes. "You let the weight of the sword guide you. If someone took advantage of that during a fight, you will suffer greatly."

After Nora handed the knight her sword, she took a stance again and repeated what she believed Nora did, but he only sighed. Pulling a branch from his storage, he gestured for her to repeat her swinging but at some point, Nora used the branch to correct her. If the mistake was too obvious, he would smack her in the part she was making the mistake. Nora ignored the unusual moans the knight let out and patiently corrected her.

A few minutes later, Nora nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, everyone. Let's take a break." Nora muttered in a loud tone.

As soon as he said that, all the knights dropped to the ground and immediately removed their helmets as they began gasping for air.

"*Tsk* It has only been a couple of hours and they are like that... Barghest is quite easygoing with their training regimen." Nora shook his head. "No, maybe I am not motivating them enough... I lack the charisma others have so I should make up for that however I can."

One of the knights wanted to retort to Nora's words since their training armor was heavier than their usual ones, but before she could, Nora stood in front of her and placed his hand on top of her head. A refreshing feeling enveloped and the physical and mental fatigue was washed away. Not only that, a spell was cast over her and she felt her sweat being cleaned. In less than a second, the knight went back to her pristine appearance and her strength was back to square one. Bewildered, the knight stood up and began moving her body and it was then that she noticed that her previous assumption was wrong, her strength had not only recovered, but she felt even more power filling her.

Before the knight could voice out any questions in her mind to dispel her confusion, Nora grabbed her hands.

"I know that I am asking too much, but would you be willing to continue? My command might be lacking, but I will make sure to guide you during your training and help you reach new heights. If you could put your trust in me." Nora held the knight's hands. "If you are able to do so, I promise to offer you my full support."

The knight felt like she was critically wounded, but only her heart had received damage. Slowly nodding, she needed Nora's hand to support her after seeing him smile happily.

Watching everything unfold, one of her fellow knights was about to ask what happened, but she soon felt a refreshing feeling envelop her. It was the next knight's turn to receive Nora's favor.

...

...

...

"6 hours huh, not bad, if I constantly send Senjutsu bullets at them with encouraging words, they are able to get motivated and continue working hard. I usually put to use my uselessly big ki pool with the Slash Dog Team, The Kitty Brigade, or the Other Side Brigade but it is the first time I use it on trained individuals." Nora nodded in satisfaction. "I guess we should wrap this up."

Stomping the ground loudly, all the knights immediately stopped their actions. The eager looks he was receiving gave Nora a bad feeling, but he dismissed his guts warning him.

"Give me 50 rounds around the training ground and we can wrap up everything for today." Nora shouted.

Bewildered why he got a military salute, Nora watched as the knights immediately followed his orders.

"There should not be any issues with the recipes I know. Fae is not that of a unique race regarding their food intake... let's make a lot since I had them work more than they are used to." Nora said. "Yosh, I am friendly enough with the maids in the mansion so they will surely lend me a hand if I ask them."

...

...

...

"...I never thought that happiness could have a physical form."

"This should not be eaten by lowly knights such as ourselves, but the Queen."

"You don't want to? Give me your share."

"You have to take away from my cold and dead body!"

"...I should perhaps tone it down a bit when I make food from now on... No, it would go against my motto of always giving my best in the kitchen." Nora mumbled as he saw the ruckus the knights were making.

Some were crying while others were muttering incomprehensible things, but there were some ready to fight yet one look at Nora and they immediately fixed their posture and smiled amicably toward one another.

"I saw nothing." Nora tactfully turned away.

Deciding to watch over the knights eating for a while longer, Nora noticed a small pink-haired figure eating more than what her figure could ever take in.

"If it isn't Habenyan, what brings you here?" Nora called out.

"Eh? Habenyan?" Habetrot was about to stuff her mouth with a piece of bread when looked at Nora curiously.

The nickname caught her off guard so the petite one stopped eating for a moment.

"Aren't you part of the cat lover faction? You surely have an amazing passion for cats so I thought that since we are friends, I would give you a nickname." Nora grabbed the bread from her hands. "Sorry, was it bad to do so?"

Reaching for a sauce on the table in front of Habetrot, Nora put some of it on the bread and gave it to the girl again. The girl did not waste time and devoured the bread easily.

"I don't mind, although I am quite surprised by that. " Habetrot said.

Noticing Habetrot after Nora began talking to her, the knights gave her space and left the table for Nora and the petite girl to talk... not before taking about 70% of the food served on it.

"You are literally the most approachable person I have met in this land." Nora puzzledly said. "Most want to eat me or kill me..."

Coughing after hearing what he said, Habetrot grabbed a glass of water that Nora handed to her.

"Eating... you must be talking about either Melusine or Barghest." Habetrot sighed. "Melusine never had the talk about the bees and the flowers so she is relying on instincts for that matter and Barghest, well, she is a glutton so she might seem like she will eat you in the regular way."

"Either way I will get eaten." Nora shrugged his shoulders. "There are also those that want to kill me such as Baobhan Sith, Mordred, and your friend the Queen."

"Morgan is not a bad person, but... I can't deny that her intentions do not get understood by those around her." Habetrot muttered in a bitter tone. "I can guarantee that she has no enmity against you."

"For now, I believe." Nora mumbled. "She could change her mind after I beat up her knights and have an audience with her."

Groaning at that, Habetrot looked at Nora with eyes that screamed 'I have to retort to that at once' but Nora's hand acted faster than what Habetrot's mouth could open. A piece of bread was put in Habetrot's mouth and the girl was left with no option but to eat first before she could talk again.

"Mordred seems like a mad dog ready to pounce at anything but I am not sure what I did to Baobhan Sith to make her look at me with such a cold look." Nora spoke.

"...she has some circumstances." Habetrot did not elaborate any further. "Although her behavior has been rather odd as of late."

Noticing that she spoke more than she had to, Habetrot looked left and right and sighed in relief since not a single knight seemed to pay attention to her.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about an outsider like me hearing about it?" Nora put on an evil smile. "I could use that information to cause some chaos if I wanted."

The youth's smile froze when Habetrot just gave him a sunny smile and a thumbs up.

"I believe I can trust you." Habetrot said. "You are genuinely a good guy."

Sighing, Nora bitterly shook his head.

"Hmmm, you seem to have an issue with most of the knights so how about I introduce you to one knight I am certain you will not find any fault in?" Habetrot commented. "She is a noble and proud knight, but she is very kind and friendly."

"I find that hard to believe, I also don't want to be a bother-" Nora was about to turn down the offer when-

"She can be a strange child sometimes. She has a huge armor-" Habetrot tried to talk but-

"On second thought, I am a man who seeks the unknown, I recall seeing a huge black robot, could that person perhaps be the knight you speak of?" Nora asked.

"Eh? Robot...? She has a huge black armor." Habetrot replied.

"Yosh! Let's go meet her, like, right now!" Nora picked up the petite girl.

Placing her on his left shoulder, he pointed forward.

"I leave the navigation to you, my friend!" Nora muttered.

Leaping forward, Nora moved at high-speed.

"It's the other waaaaaay!" Habetrot's high-pitched yell matched well how she was grabbing Nora's collar as she tried not to fall.

...

...

...

-Time Skip, 2 days later

"What is this ruckus about...?" Barghest muttered.

After she was solving an issue far from her territory, Barghest came back to check on her knights' training, only to hear loud yells coming from the training grounds.

Usually, they would not make any sound using their mouths as they silently trained, but right now Barghest could hear yells and curses coming from the training ground.

Walking faster than usual made Barghest arrive on time to see her knights forming a circle as a group of knights was facing a unique individual. It was tall and was wearing armor, but different from the knights in her command, the armor was incredibly rusty and would make screeching noises whenever the wearer moved. That by itself was bizarre, but the fact that the rusty knight was facing five of her knights with incredible ease made Barghest want to rub her eyes or pinch herself to confirm if she was awake or not.

She was aware of the skills her knights had, but for some reason, they were moving sharper than usual and faster too, nonetheless, their foe was even more amazing since the rusty knight was deflecting or parrying their blow with ease, not even moving a single step from his position.

"Who is that...?" Barghest tried very hard to recall any of her knights that fitted that description but it was in vain.

It was as she tried to recall that she heard of something that left her bewildered.

"Come on! I bet this month's salary onto you, Ami, you have to land a hit!"

"Eri! Remember that there are no rules. Use whatever means you can to blind him, grab some dirt and throw it at his face, if you land a hit, we will get rich!"

"Ann, forget about the money! We can ask one request from him if we win! Don't you want to get rid of that virginity of yours once and for all!?"

At those words, not only Barghest was baffled but even the rusty knight faltered for a bit, although he easily deflected back the dirt thrown at his face as well as the desperate attacks from two of the knights as well the surprise attack from the rest.

Feeling like she had seen enough, Barghest wanted nothing more than to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"What in the world is this!?" Barghest raised her voice.

It was only then that the knights noticed Barghest and they immediately paled. However, they recovered just as quickly and scattered.

"Shiki Household Survival Tactic, Number 1."

"Run away if sh*t hits the fan!"

"Don't look back and be prepared to flee to another country!"

Nonsensical shouts were heard, but the knights scrambled away with practiced movements. There were many pulled-out wigs or changed their outfits completely as they ran and that left Barghest unsure what to retort about first.

"...no, the most likely culprit is still there so I can still get answers." Barghest looked towards the rusty knight.

The closer she got to him, the more she seemed to recall a certain person. The main detail that gave away his identity was not his height or build which was clearly that of a male or the fact that Barghest had not males on her knights, but rather the tails that appeared as soon as he relaxed so the rusty knight could only be someone.

"I wonder if I should be proud of their grow or be sad about how easily they abandoned me." Nora's tone was complicated.

"Could you explain to me what is going on?" Barghest inquired.

Turning towards her, Nora removed the old and rusty helmet on his head to face Barghest.

"If it isn't Bageko, what brings you to my humble abode? Can I offer you a drink? Would you like coffee? Tea? How about some juice? I recommend these lands' orange juice, I found some plots of lands that looked a little lonely so I grew some plants and they became great hits among the population." Nora spoke. "Can someone prepare a table and a parasol? This lady and I would like to have a conversation."

Snapping his fingers, Nora's words called a group of maids that prepared a table and chairs along with a large parasol.

"Tea would be nice, thank you- wait, why are you ordering my people like it is the most natural thing to do!? No, wait, why are THEY obeying YOU!?" Barghest asked. "My knights from earlier were also acting strange... and who the hell is Bageko!?"

Even as she yelled, Barghest soon found herself being led by Nora to sit on the chairs prepared, and after the maids left the necessary materials on the table, Nora began brewing tea slowly. Barghest was about to get angry again, but Nora simply focused on preparing the tea. The aroma from the tea caused Barghest to relax slightly and she swallowed her questions. It was only by the time Nora had poured her a cup of tea that Barghest opened her mouth again.

"...what is going on? I left for less than a week but I noticed so many changes after I arrived." Barghest muttered.

She was about to grab the cup of tea, but her gauntlet was getting in the way so she took it off and drank a bit.

Her eyes widened, but Barghest did not comment anything as she limited herself to drinking the beverage in silence.

"I was bored to death so I went around visiting. One thing led to another and I ended up becoming the instructor of Melusine's and your knight order." Nora confessed. "That still left me some free time so I went around helping in the mansion with the cleaning and cooking so I somehow got the acknowledgment from the maids, although, after that, I was no longer allowed to do so much in the mansions so I went around the territories helping out with farming or construction. I noticed a lack of vitamins in the diets of your subjects so I planted some fruits that were rich in what they needed the most."

Slowly, Nora pointed out what he had been up to.

"I also went to hang out with Habenyan and Britonyan a few times as we started a business together." Nora smiled. "I also-"

"Wait." Barghest signaled Nora to stop by stretching her hand forward. "I think I heard enough for today."

Massaging the bridge of her nose, Barghest felt the effect of the working. She had been full of stress lately and now the tea caused her to relax more than she expected.

"We will talk about this tomorrow." Barghest stood up but got unsteady on her feet.

"You need to manage your schedule better, it only took a cup of tea and your body is about to collapse. When was the last time you took some time to sleep?" Nora asked.

"That is none of your business." Barghest growled.

"I wonder if you guys hate me because I am a cat." Nora sighed. "You should trust my advises, I am not some quack medic, I am a certified doctor so I am more than qualified to make your problems my business."

Avoiding a fist that Barghest threw at him, Nora lifted the knight despite her struggles.

"Drop me, right now." Barghest said.

"Yeah, yeah, I will drop you. Just was it a minute." Nora ignored the knight.

Slowly, Nora moved towards the mansion. Even though Barghest tried her best to escape Nora's grab, she only ended up changing positions, from piggyback carry to potato bag carry, until she was left in the princess carry position.

"What is wrong with you?" Barghest half gave up as the sleep took her energy.

"Me? Well, I have been accused of liking maids too much and they call it one of my hopeless sides." Nora said. "I have also been acquiring a love for nurses and bunny girls outfits so my bad sides only keep growing."

"I didn't mean that!!!" Barghest retorted.

"Really? I bet you would look incredibly good in any of those, you are tall and-" Nora began to talk.

"I would definitely not look in a girly outfit." Barghest muttered.

"Did someone tell you that?" Nora asked.

Getting closer to the mansion, Nora slowed down his speed, but Barghest did not notice.

"No, I just know that it is like that." Barghest bitterly said.

"Is that so?" Nora stopped.

With his eyes closed, the youth pondered before nodding and walking again.

"Would you like to give it a try? I have enough skills to make you any kind of maid outfit, from a classic Victorian one to a French model, or even a mini skirt one that shows plenty of cleavage." Nora offered.

"Huh? Why did it come to that? Who said I wanted to wear something like that?" Barghest retorted. "You seem to be taking me for a fool, but you should be well aware of one fact, the Fang clan has a high aristocratic standing, I cannot allow myself to do something that could bring shame to their name."

Ranting, Barghest spoke to Nora as she turned down his offer.

"Is that so?" Nora nodded calmly. "How about a bet then?"

Getting cut off, Barghest looked at Nora suspiciously.

"I was told to never gamble with gentlemen..." Barghest cautiously said.

"What good advise." Nora chuckled. "But I am just a cat so isn't it fine if we gamble?"

Feeling like there was something wrong with that logic, Barghest tried to come up with a retort.

"Don't sweat the small details, Bageko." Nora muttered.

"Don't call me that! I am Barghest!" Barghest spoke in a strong tone.

"Bageko is cuter so isn't it fine?" Nora asked.

"There is no way it can be fine." Barghest replied.

Clicking his tongue, Nora climbed the stairs to the second floor of the mansion.

"I heard that you wanted to be more girly though." Nora inquired.

"Who told you that?" Barghest mumbled.

"There was this old lady who had known you from a young age and told me that you wanted to be more girly because your dream is to be a-" Nora was unable to continue his words.

"AH! AH! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Barghest yelled. "Urgh, my deepest secret was shared with a stranger... no, how did she even find out? My diary should be encrypted and I am certain I have been putting defenses since I bought it years ago, the defenses it has can even withstand a full power blow from Galatine."

"No need to be shy about it, I think it is a wonderful dream." Nora ignored most of Barghest's words.

He felt that it would be bad if he told the knight the old lady could easily open the book using some kind of artifact, but as the partner in crime with the old lady, he decided to keep quiet.

"...just kill me." Barghest covered her face with both hands.

"The bet will go like this, if I win, you will do whatever I ask you to do so, no matter what it is." Nora muttered.

"...what if I win?" Barghest asked.

Instead of immediately shutting down Nora's request, the knight felt a growing curiosity over the bet. There was something different from the way he was talking about. She got the feeling that a different person was talking to her at the moment, different from the guy who would rather run away than to fight her.

"Let's apply the same rules to me, although I highly doubt you will get the chance to succeed." Nora smiled. "That said, fighting you while you are not at your best could be a problem down the road. I will beat you once you are at full strength, so make sure to sleep a lot and get enough rest, I don't want to fight a drowsy knight."

"Don't look down on me, I am one of the queen's knights! Did you think I would fall down that easily? Even now I have more than enough energy to spare to deal with a rude person like you." Barghest angrily said.

Feeling she was being mocked, Barghest tried to push Nora away and stand by herself, but it caused her a huge shock when she was unable to get away.

"Easy there, sleepy head." Nora mumbled. "I am a cat of my word, I decided to carry you to your bedroom so I will do it no matter what. Don't go making things hard for me and stay put obediently."

"There is a limit to how much you can make fun of me! What do you think a knight's honor is? Saying whatever you want, you just do not have any awareness about how insulting you are treating me is?" Barghest spoke.

"Sorry, I am not a knight so I cannot say I understand what your point is." Nora muttered. "I am honest to the bone so you can expect me to continue being rude. I am not about to change my ways just because someone suddenly came and said I should do it. Particularly, if that person holds hostility against me. I honestly desire that you and I can become friends, I like making friends, and I like joking around or simply fooling around. We can also flirt if you like that kind of thing. I am very patient and try to befriend others if there is an opportunity, however, do not get me wrong. I am no saint, I don't have an unlimited amount of patience and there is a limit to how much hostility I will tolerate. I am not your enemy. If my fooling around is what bothers you, I will take you on seriously."

Arriving at Barghest's room, Nora lowered the knight before turning around and walking away.

"Wait, what about the bet?" Barghest inquired.

Looking back, Nora did not seem in the mood to joke as his reply was rather monotonous.

"We will fight in 3 days, I have accurately gauged that even if you still recklessly insist on not taking a proper rest, with your status and strength, you should reach your peak as long as nothing drastic happens." Nora said. "I have heard that you have been blessed with a special trait that your strength increases when the sun is out, although I am not sure how that rumor came to be, I will take you on at 12 just when the sun is the highest."

Not saying anything else, Nora stepped away.

Finding his actions somewhat uncomfortable, Barghest called out.

"Wait, I would like to hear more about the bet." Barghest spoke.

"I have no need for such a thing. I shall get your acknowledgment after the duel and that shall be it." Nora mumbled.

Even if Barghest wanted to stop him, she would be unable to do so as Nora disappeared from her view.

"For me of all the people to lose my composure..." Barghest rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Perhaps, I should really rest. The corruption might be polluting my mind more than I thought."

Thinking that her behavior had been rather unusual, Barghest felt like she was unnecessarily hostile towards the youth. She had not felt any ill will so she might've overreacted. Nonetheless, she could not simply accept his whims. Her position and responsibilities were not to be taken lightly and he was not respectful enough. Not only her pride as a knight was wounded, but she also had to be mindful to not bring shame to her clan as well as careful to not tarnish the reputation of the knights selected by their queen.

As she slipped into her room, Barghest wondered if she should be angry at the youth or not. He had trespassed into her room, but he also left a package on top of her bed. Something as suspicious as that garnered the most sensitive response of being disposed of at once, but Barghest caught a rather hard-to-ignore aroma that made her reconsider what her brain had decided.

As she raised the black box resting on her bed, Barghest could sniff an absorbing aroma. The black box was opened and an almost blinding golden light greeted her, and when her eyes got used to it, she could finally see what was inside the box. Immediately, her mouth began watering and she gulped loudly. An absurdly appetizing piece of meat stuck in a thick bone that was around 80 cm long while plenty of meat surrounded it.

Unconsciously, Barghest grabbed it and sank her teeth into it. Holding the piece of meat from the bone, Barghest could've sworn that it was going to be easy to eat since it seemed soft, but as she bit it, she had to pull her head back as the meat stretched like rubber before finally being torn apart. Her mouth was assaulted as soon as she could savor the juices that the meat released as she chew on the meat. The seasoning was nothing she had ever tasted before and Barghest ended up even licking the bone after eating the meat. Gulping loudly, she noticed that the space in the box was bigger than what the outside could show.

Multiple thoughts regarding how the youth could leave a box like that lying around carelessly or the dangers that the meat could cause her... were not in Barghest's head. It was at that moment, that despite hating a nickname used on her, Barghest could not deny that it depicted her accurately. Barghest the glutton.

       --------------------------------

 

MC's POV

"Hubby, might you illustrate to me the reason why you acted a bit like a jerk?" Tamamo's tone carried a hint of seriousness.

"I am a jerk." I replied.

As I left the territory of Barghest, I took a farther route through a forest but slowed down as soon as Tamamo materialized.

"Hmmm." Tamamo looked at me with an unimpressed look. "Should I spread the poems you wrote in your pseudo chunni phase?"

"Oi, I have never been a chunni, I just thought that Ami-chan looked lonely so I began exchanging letters with her." I muttered. "I hoped that Vali would try to get along with her since they were both chunni, but that idiot had no interest in anything other than fighting or eating ramen."

"Do I really need to ask again?" Tamamo raised an eyebrow.

"Jeez, I love my dear Tamamo but would it kill you to be kinder to your beloved cat?" I sighed. "I am trying to become the target."

Trying to play it cool, my words caused Tamamo's tails to display how happy the fox was, but she maintained an aloof expression.

"Is it about that weird magic spell that was cast over Oppai-san?" Tamamo asked.

"As expected of the hex expert." I chuckled. "It did not escape your eyes."

Sulkily snorting, Tamamo looked at me like you look like a fool.

"Why would you desire to be the target? I can roughly get what went inside that head of yours when you saw what kind of curse was on that woman." Tamamo asked.

"I think something major will happen soon." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Indeed, if outsiders like us could detect those anomalies, there is no doubt that the queen, who is quite a magic user, is already aware of it as well." Tamamo pointed out.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I pondered about that exact detail.

"Unfortunately, Melusine has been busy, and aside from the first day where she hugged me until she was asleep, I hardly met her." I mumbled. "I would rather take a look at her to see what sort of spell she has been afflicted with or if she is the culprit. As of now, Habetrot and Britomart are out of suspicion."

"Habenyan is a foolish child whose nature is lawfully good while Britomart-chan is similar but she is also... an air-head (?) that one can easily read so you have pulled them out of the suspects' list." Tamamo said. "Bageko though... I assume that you also angered her for that reason?"

"There is always the possibility that she is faking her affected-by-the-curse status." I shrugged my shoulders.

"My dear husband is not very honest." Tamamo sighed. "Let's leave it at that."

Winking playfully, Tamamo suddenly stopped her steps and I stopped as well.

"Oh my, I did not think I was that obvious..." Tamamo mumbled. "One of the shikigamis I released was just destroyed."

"Was it the queen's doing?" I asked.

"That would've been quite normal and it has happened to you and me at the same time already, my dear husband. However, this time a strange creature was responsible for it." Tamamo smiled.

"Creepy, why would you smile while saying that?" I mumbled.

Still smiling, I noticed how the veins on Tamamo's head showed.

"Oh, hubby, I must've surely misheard what you just said." Tamamo giggled.

I felt danger so I could only try to reduce the danger.

"I will give you one ticket." I pulled out a certain item.

Before I finished showing it, the ticket was taken by  Tamamo who slowly, very slowly slides it into her cleavage as she enjoyed herself by looking at me staring right at her actions.

This fox will make me lose my reason one of these days. There is so much I can handle, I am not sure what kind of disaster I might cause if I get horny. Not only her, but Kuroka-chan is also stepping her game... as well as the cat girl's brigade and a large number of people I will not enter into detail.

"Fufu, soon..." Tamamo's eyes were those of a predator.

"...what happened to the 'I will be your ally even the whole world is against you'?" I asked.

"Fufu, I AM your ally NO MATTER WHAT, but this is another matter entirely. Besides, I am certain that this is something you will enjoy." Tamamo put a hand on my shoulder as she leaned on me.

Our height difference was distinctive so I obviously had to look down to face her, but the fox took advantage of that to display the always amazing view of her cleavage as she looked at me with a pair of sultry eyes. Instead of entrusting her whole weight on me, she only leaned enough for her wonderful chest to change shape as we touched. It was a difficult situation and years of meditation were insufficient to be level-headed at this. I was by no means downplaying the charm of the other women that would tirelessly try to seduce me. However, Tamamo was a hard nut to crack, she never gave up and was always at my side. I dare to say that her relentless attacks were the ones I had received the most and they had made a dent in my defenses.

Slowly, I put my hands on her waist and I could feel her expression crack for a second as she displayed a bit of a nervous look. My hands were not idle as they tried to explore her body. I had already reached below her waist and I was groping a place we both knew was beyond our simple flirting or joking around. Nonetheless, even though we knew it was time to stop, I did not feel like doing so while Tamamo eye's had already a tinge of lust. I continued using my hands as I confirmed what you could easily see from the outline of her always tight-fitting kimono. Her thin waist was rather unbefitting of her ample hips and rear, in more simple words, Tamamo's ass was being mercilessly being molested by my mischievous hands.

Her tightly closed lips were a sight to behold as she tried to hold back a moan, but while it impressed me, it also annoyed me to no end as it ignited my competitive spirit and dared me to try harder. I would strongly grip her elastic ass and it would accommodate my hands by changing shape. My fingers would sink in but the annoying fabric of her kimono restricted me. Nonetheless, I was making progress by combining slow and fast motions with my hands as well as gentle and forceful hand movements.

I decided to kick it up a notch and do something that immediately left Tamamo wide-eyed.

"T-that's m-my..." Tamamo forcefully stopped her words midway.

Perhaps she was too ashamed to say it or she might've been trying to hold back a moan, and seeing her struggle like that just aroused my sadistic nature.

"Hmm? Your what?" I smirked.

I had barely sunk my index finger in a particular place, a place that this silly fox did not expect. I believed her mind was shaken given that she was expecting me to go straight for her labia or perhaps to tease her clitoris, but I would have a hard time doing that without getting rid of her kimono so I had instead pushed my finger in her ass.

Watching as she finally opened her mouth to answer to me, I pushed my finger deeper inside.

"Hmmm~" Tamamo was able to close her mouth fast enough so her moan was barely heard.

It wanted to attack again, but I noticed that we had someone peeping on us. I was already familiar with these kinds of spells since they were used to observe targets from far away using magic, even I could use it to share a shikigami's view.

Smirking, I directed a look in the direction I felt being observed and... continued bulling Tamamo.

It was kind of thrilling to imagine what kind of face the queen would make now that she was observing us.

Part of me blamed this inexperienced body and pubescent hormones given that my breath was growing ragged like Tamamo from the excitement and I felt like pushing down the fox. My heart seemed ready to burst and it was not the only thing. Tamamo had widened her eyes for a second when I dug my fingers deeper inside her asshole since my lower half glued itself onto herself. I was at full mast and my dick could not get any harder.

"Nora..." Tamamo's sweet breath was drawing me in.

Her cherry lips looked lustrous and I slowly lowered my head. My throat was dry so I involuntarily gulp saliva.

Parting her lips, Tamamo closed her eyes, nonetheless, I purposely missed her lips and kissed her cheek before raising my head. Her perplexed expression as she opened her eyes and stayed imposition waiting for my kiss just made me want to bully her more, but I only had so much patience. I did not lower my head as I smiled mischievously at her. Each of my hands pulled her up by holding her bountiful ass.

"..what-" Tamamo was surprised but her words were cut short.

Our lips met, and without any sort of instruction or command, we kissed like mad. Our tongues almost gave me a heart attack as soon as they touched. I felt like a current of electricity coursed through my body and I was certain that Tamamo felt the same way given how wide-eyed she was.

I technically had lost my first kiss accidentally during the Musashi Great War, but it was more innocent than this despite causing me a similar reaction. Nonetheless, this was a french kiss involving our tongues so it was a lot more exciting. Tamamo's heartbeat was so strong I feared she would get a heart attack and my mind was filled with useless thoughts like how good she tasted as well as how unrealistic it felt to make out with a physical version of Tamamo who was technically a soul. Yet, I pushed those unnecessary thoughts inside a box in a dark place of my mind and continued making out.

For someone who was at my mercy a second ago, Tamamo was aggressive while kissing. Her hand had wrapped around my neck and she was slowly pulling my head closer. It was not like it would change anything since we were glued together, but her desire to be entangled with me was no lesser than mine. I could not let my hands simply hold her, I moved her legs and she instinctively wrapped them around me.

It had barely been a minute since we started kissing but I could feel my breath being almost taken away completely and the need to breathe was starting to kick in, yet, I just focused slowly wrestling for control of the kiss. Tamamo was aggressive alright, but I did not allow myself to be taken advantage of. I was just as excited as she and my desire to explore her mouth was not going to be stopped so I attacked.

As our tongues fought for supremacy, I let my hands wander. Tamamo was able to wrap her legs around me thanks to an opening on each side of her kimono so my hands went there to directly touch her skin. The heat I could feel as my fingers slowly crept inside her clothing only made this experience better.

I was already familiar with the skin of this naughty fox who would find her ways to not get noticed by Raikou and bathe with me. She would always try 'funny' stuff every time and I had to praise myself for control back then. In hindsight, I am quite pent up thanks to all that.

Surprisingly, Tamamo was wearing a normal pair of panties. Pulling it from the gaps in her clothes made Tamamo's eyes go wide but I just wanted to take a look at the color. Pure white, certainly not what represented our current business. My right played with her ass while the left one wanted to confirm something. Since a while ago, I felt a damp sensation and my hand confirmed that Tamamo's panties were flooded. Putting aside the panties, I let my fingers softly grab the protuberance, Tamamo's clitoris, and suddenly pinch it. That was all it took for Tamamo to arch her back and break our kiss as she immediately drenched my hand with her juices.

Looking as she trembled and sent me a complicated look, a mixture of lust and reproach, I pulled out my left hand mostly drenched in her juices, and licked my fingers.

"I could get addicted to this." I smiled dubiously.

Looking at me licking her cum seemed to make Tamamo hornier because she pulled me closer to continue the kiss despite having to greedily suck air as soon as we separated. Yet, I did not allow her to do as she pleases. My right hand still playing with her, I was observing her reaction as my index finger played with her anus. I was going to learn of her weak points slowly, but that was not the only reason why I was avoiding her attempts to lock out her lips again.

"Lick it." I spoke in a strong tone of voice.

Pushing my left hand in front of her, I saw her hesitate briefly before timidly began licking her juices. However, it seemed that she had decided to tempt me by locking eyes with me no matter how she moved her head for her tongue to reach every corner of my hand. Her cheeky and arousing attitude was rewarded by me. Pulling out my index finger, I saw her show some disappointment. Nonetheless, I did not let it bother me as I pushed my thumb into her mouth and lowered my head until I could whisper in her ears.

"How was it? To cum when you have a gallery looking at you." I smirked as I moved my right hand in position.

It was then that Tamamo almost bit my finger and jumped, although her actions did not let her get down. Instead, the motion of her pushing backward made the middle finger I had lined up nicely drill into her ass and Tamamo had a mini orgasm right there. The middle finger was longer and she had jumped pretty hard so it was no wonder my finger ended up pretty deep.

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Tamamo hissed as soon as she recovered.

Looking at her angry self, I knew I was messed up when that did not make me less aroused.

"Are you shy?" I chuckled. "Didn't you get your hands on some videos about couples doing it on public places like trains? They would also role play like the guy was a molester-"

"Mukyu!!!" Tamamo cried out. "I most certainly DID NOT, those files do not exist on my laptop!"

Her denial was cute, but given we share everything, she seemed to forget that she confessed she had them and even invited me to watch those together.

Suddenly, I felt like the spell used to look at us was fluctuating so I directed my eyes there in annoyance. I definitely did not want anyone to interrupt us, and if the queen had decided to show up at this time, I will go berserk.

It could be said that it was struck of luck that my ability miraculously triggered an interested reaction as I felt my eyesight shift into a completely different place. I could tell it was a very fancy room but I did not get a detailed took except for a small diary on top of a desk and some magic books lying carelessly beside it. I was face to face (?) with one casting the spell and I almost whistled from the view I got, nonetheless, the spell was cut short and my vision returned to where it should be.

Bummers.

I wanted to get more used to that feeling so I could reproduce it later but I could do nothing about it.

Smacking my lips, Tamamo still struggled to get down but it only worked to make my finger have its way with her. I tactfully did not point out that Tamamo was not really trying her best, and how her movements were leaning to make my finger reach particular places.

I... decided to stop. All in all, I knew we could not continue. Even if I did not make the choice, she would surely do so in my stead.

She had given us some privacy with the other ones residing close to me through magic, but that had a limit. Besides, if we continued to play around, we would really cross the line. If I did it like this, I would come to regret it.

"...shall we leave it like this?" I smiled wryly.

Tamamo stopped struggling before pulling me in and kissing me as passionately as before, but this time it was a short kiss.

"I will forgive you since you I am ahead of Yasaka. You two might've shared a kiss, but I have been the victim of your naughty hands so I have enough material to brag." Tamamo said.

Chickling at her words, I hoped she did not go on board. I have been unable to get another one from Yasaka and she had avoided the topic. That said, it is not like I will get in the way of Tamamo. If she wants to brag, she is free to do so. I will face Yasaka's wrath later on without fear. For someone who has repeatedly told me to get a large harem and has been beginning to approve of Magari's plan to raise the nekomata population, she can get jealous if I don't pay attention to her often.

"...you sure you don't want me to give you a hand?" Tamamo asked as she put her hand over my excited dick.

I wished that she could be less... her, and stop making those obscene signs with her free hand. Above all, don't raise the sign of giving me a handjob towards your mouth, getting a blowjob is very tempting, but I am 100% sure I will push her down right here if we continue playing.

"Do you want me to dislocate your pelvis?" I asked.

Shuddering and blushing madly, Tamamo nodded but then shook her head.

"Good." I let the fox down.

As she turned around, I gave one last look at her cute ass. The fact that she turned her head to smirk at me was annoying so I gave her a good smack.

I felt slightly conflicted about letting myself go like that but just decided to go and take everyone to rest.

...

...

...

Vowing to myself to keep better control of myself, I decided to put what happened behind me. The main reason is to avoid getting horny and to prevent any unhealthy thoughts to make me do something stupid with the other girls. While I cannot deny that more than 60% would be more than happy to be approached like that by me, it does not make me want to take any chances. Yasaka-san has repeatedly told me to take more than a woman as my lover and while it was annoying to me at the beginning, I have let the common sense of this world where harems are an everyday thing make me consider seriously having several partners. There is no doubt I WILL BE TAKING Yasaka-san as my lover, Tamamo is certainly going to TAKE ME as her mate in some way or another so I just gotta accept it, although I am not against having her at my side. My two cats at home have already made a list of how to name our children that let me sweating coldly given the long parchment each of them had. I was not sure the smaller of the two was really sure what she was doing but I will have to give her classes about it given how no one seems to be interested in explaining it to her.

Thinking of all the women that had expressed their desire to either eat me up or date me, I felt somewhat scared. One cannot simply appear one day out of the blue in front of the girl and say 'hey, babe, remember when you confessed your feelings for me? We should totally give it a go, oh, by the way, I will also date like 7 girls as well, but do not get too comfy with that number, I am the guy of the moment so expect that number to at least reach three digits by the end of the year.

There is no way I can say that, can't I? I would be royally screwed and I was certain that more than 30% would be cooking me by the end of the day. I just hope that if someone cooks me, they do it right.

Having those idle thoughts, I made my way to the place I got along with Habetrot to work on the bride maid and knight maid ideas. Yesterday we had taken the measurements of our model pretty late given some paperwork we had to deal with.

"You are making a funny face." Habetrot immediately as I set down a foot down inside our place.

"I am 90% cat and 10% comic relief, I have to be funny sometimes." I lied.

Not understanding my lame joke, the petite girl continued to sew skillfully.

Sitting beside her, I observed her hand movements that would make a normal person be unable to see anything but a blur. Once I had seen enough, I copied her actions.

While my skills were not bad, I could certainly not match someone who dedicates themselves to their craft for such a long time. While I employ the time people usually use for sleeping to practice or study things I normally do not have enough time for, that is still not enough to go beyond people's hard efforts. Pouring your soul into something is not an easy matter.

"...did you lie to me when you said that you only had some basic sewing knowledge?" Habetrot suddenly asked with a twitching expression.

Confused, I tilted my head. What was this nonsense?

Noticing my confusion, Habetrot pointed at my hands. You could see a blur form from how fast I was.

"You are quite fast." Habetrot pointed out.

"Oh, that? I was technically not lying. I was as good as you saw me the first day. I simply copied the way your hands moved and what you were doing. My beloved Shishou always says that I am quite lacking compared to her disciples and I should learn things faster. It is a bit shameful to admit, but it took a few hours to be capable of being able to fully able to replicate your actions." I sighed. "Shishou can easily do things like that with just one look..."

Habetrot's expression looked strange but she did not say anything else regarding my skills. That said, her movements got a little cranky like those of a robot, making me wonder if she was not feeling ok thus I head patted her and soon she was back to normal. If this head pat of mine can even calm down Ophis who wanted to throw a tantrum when her sweets were eaten, I believe I am closer to reaching the realm of 'One head pat to rule them all' I read in the sketchy book from those trials in Urakyoto. I amassed quite a bit of those training manuals and technique books but about 70% were questionable and their titles were enough to earn you a few scornful looks if you read them aloud. Starting from Geass magic that seemed to be an even more improved version of the slavery geass I had a hard time dealing with, I had acquired some Adult Oriented level Hypnotic Magic spells that would be surely part of some doujinshi or spells that could turn on any woman, not to mention the questionable potion's recipe that even with my wide range of knowledge left me speechless. I originally thought those were fake but after a few tests, I understood that Forest Wraith was not pulling my leg. At this point, my scum bag levels are quite high.

Sighing heavily, I stopped patting Habetrot and hardened my heart to not try to continue when I saw her disappointed look.

"By the way, I have been meaning to ask you about something." I muttered.

Watching how she looked like the world was about to end, I pulled out a knitting kit and began working. It was something I was pretty used to doing so my hands moved fast enough to disappear from Habetrot's view.

"I can answer most of the questions you have, but not estate-level secrets or the measurements of any of the knights or Morgan." Habetrot immediately stated.

Bummers, I wanted their measures... or not.

"I already have those so you don't have to bother with that." I rolled my eyes.

Easy peasy for me.

"...wut?" Habetrot eyes were an interesting sight but I did not explain any further.

"Is your Queen single, a widow or what?" I said.

I felt a rather high level of animosity directed at me... from my camp, Tamamo, Miyako-chan and my familiar expressed their dissatisfaction but I simply ignored it. I admit that she was... hot, but I did not ask with ulterior motives. There was a rather legit reason. 

"*Cough* *Cough* What!? *Cough*" Habetrot looked pretty shocked by my question. "You want to get killed!? If you said that outside and someone happened to overhear, even I would be unable to save you from the ire of the population. Not to mention, Baobhan Sith will certainly try to murder you for being disrespectful."

Nodding at that, I glanced in a certain direction where I was detecting a certain voyeur spying on me. I thought she would give me a rest after yesterday's night heated situation, but she was rather determined to peep at me. Yesterday I had given it a try and succeeded in giving her a scare. Since long ago I have been on people's eyes directed at me, and I believe it was thanks to my ability. It would activate by itself and I would be looking at the general direction I was being observed from. Nonetheless, whenever someone was using a spell, I would be unable to see who was looking at me. That is until yesterday when party due to my annoyance, I pushed myself and my eyes seemed to be able to reach her, metaphorically of course. However, I was capable of observing her far off in her castle while she was in her bedroom. A distance that I would be unable to cover using my ability. My location at that time was rather distant but I still reached her.

This time, I focused and recalled the feeling from before, but as my eyesight landed on her, I felt the spell being cut off and while feeling uncomfortable dizziness, I was denied of peeping back on the queen.

It seemed like a long process, but barely a few seconds had passed.

Inwardly clicking my tongue, I turned towards the petite girl.

"Calm down, I won't die before I fulfill my 72 dying wishes." I sighed.

"That's 71 wishes too many!" Habetrot retorted.

Giving her some time, I stopped myself from teasing the small Fae. We would be unable to finish the conversation otherwise. That said, while she rebooted, I finished a cat-eared wool hat.

It seemed like my gift made her more talkative since she was almost shining with joy and began talking.

"She is perhaps only a little older than you. Mind you, I am not sure how old you are exactly, but you are a teen." Habetrot explained. "The other Fairy Knights are not very old either. In that regard, you could consider them knights who started when Morgan gained her authority. She was the one to appoint them while also making sure to teach them how to fulfill their duties given how inexperienced some of them were."

Impressed at that, I had to give her a praise to the queen. I can tell that even if she is talented, that woman put on a lot of effort to be that outstanding.

"Among them, there was a child who could only look at Morgan in admiration from all she did, and... she was an orphan, so it ended up with Morgan taking custody of her." Habetrot muttered. "That was Baobhan Sith, the one who will cause you more trouble if you want to fulfill the quota to meet Morgan using the right channels."

"That girl is a real piece of work." I sighed.

Recalling the sheer amount of hostility contained in her eyes, I reckoned that it would be easier to trick Artoria to wear a frilly mini-skirt maid outfit with fake cat ears and tails again on my own. Surely that is nothing but impossible because I had only made it happen thanks to my ally and partner in crime, Alice.

"...she is not evil." Habetrot sighed. "She used to be... the kindest among all the fairies, her sense of justice was also the greatest, but alas..."

Looking depressed, Habetrot did not formulate any further.

There seems to be quite a bit I need to do some digging on. What I just heard honestly makes no sense if I compare it to the pink-haired girl.

"What about Mordred? I take it that she is nothing like the rest." I asked.

My main interest was Morgan, the queen, but since I could learn a bit about the others... I should ask.

"She is even more unique and her circumstances are hard to explain. She is rather hard to get along with me so I cannot tell you that much. That said, you seem to at least know her gender despite her armor being enchanted with several spells to hide that fact." Habetrot smiled wryly.

I was slightly curious that she did not look impressed or surprised.

"It was easy to tell by the smell." I said. "I think she is quite amazing to be able to not get along with the adorable and friendly Habenyan."

"Usually it is impossible to tell something like that, but I guess it is you we are talking about so anything is possible." Habetrot giggled. "...flattery will get you nowhere, want some candy?"

Pulling a candy out of her bag, she offered me some. I prayed that some evil guy would not take advantage of this girl. How odd, I felt some sort of contradiction in that but I decided to ignore it.

"That said, Mordred, she is not a fairy, is she?" I mumbled. "A homunculus, that's what that child is."

Dropping the candy from her hand, Habetrot showed a very surprised face. I decided to be merciful and close her open mouth... or not, I put a finger on her mouth and she finally reacted by pulling herself back and shaking her head.

It was kind of funny so I did not feel bad about playing around like that.

"H-How did you find out!?" Habetrot asked in a flustered tone.

"...as the Queen's friend and close advisor, you should've denied my claims no matter what." I sighed. "Is this place alright? If they caught you, I got the feeling that you would blabber every secret this place has."

"How rude! I can tell who I can trust and who I should not get close to. I might not look like it, but my eyes are very good at picking that kind of thing." Habetrot retorted.

Eyes...? Now that is new.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

I was aware that some fairies had something akin to what was called 'Evil eyes' and those with certain ties such as being descendants of those with traits similar to fairies could also display an evil eye. Nonetheless, it was a random system and the Biblical God tuned his Sacred Gear System to help humans with special supernatural abilities to be able to wield them more easily by having the gear awaken as part of that special ability. In that regard, the information was rather scarce given how rare such a thing has been through the years and the problems with Gear System made it so that kind of situation was not 100% foolproof.

"Fairies are an all-seeing race..." "Yeah, yeah, I read that before." "Sometimes you can be pretty harsh on others, you know that?" "Some say it is part of my charm." Habetrot and I had a small exchange. 

"*Cough* Very well, I should add that not every fairy has the same gift. Some even are not even able to use it." Habetrot commented. "To see past lies and deceit is among the most powerful abilities fairies can wield but master them is equally difficult. Our kind... was once hunted down for the very same reason."

With a forlorn tone, Habetrot sadly looked down.

"Did you witness that?" I asked.

"Haha... yes, I am a bit special since I have different abilities in each eye so there was a time I had a hard time." Habetrot smiled weakly.

Feeling how her small figure looked even smaller, I picked her up. The girl did not even fight as put her leg on each of my shoulders.

"Yosh, let's stop that stupid topic!" I stood up full of energy. "It is time to go and create some festival of some sort."

Her current mental state made her easy to manipulate, that much I was aware of. During my time learning how to interrogate, I would use several techniques to weaken the mind of the person so I could extract information without much effort. Sometimes the threat of death was good enough, but some other guys were quite resilient since they had received training so I would weaken them by mentally wearing them down and they would easily talk. However, I will not take advantage of this one.

"What has gotten into you...?" Habetrot asked.

"It is time to show off your cute hat that raises your cute meter by 1000%, now, let's call Britomart and do something crazy." I chuckled.

"I think this is pretty crazy though!?" Habetrot pointed out.

How cute, she thinks this is all I can do.

"In the first place, we have a dress to finish- Uh? What is this on your neck? A tattoo? It looks somewhat different from others you have..." Habetrot's curious voice made me stop in my tracks.

I immediately activated my ability to see what this was about but-

"Ah, it's gone..." Habetrot muttered.

Feeling slightly ticklish as she poked my neck with her tiny hands, I scratched that area but I could not tell what that was about.

"It looked kind of cool." Habetrot mumbled. "Two snakes forming the infinite symbol... You say you do not like Melusine, but you even got a tattoo for her."

Wishing to retort to so many things, I felt my neck itchy again.

"Ah, it is back!" Habetrot giggled as she poked my neck.

Trying to look at it would certainly just make it disappear, I was clear on that so I did not try it again.

"Do you know what that symbol means?" I sighed.

"A sign of your infinite love for Melusine?" Habetrot asked.

"Nope, it means I will have to spank a small ass until it is swollen." I looked up.

Even as I felt how Habetrot stiffened in surprise and most likely was turning red due to a misunderstanding, I simply did not have the energy to clear it.

I know that I provided her with a place to stay and I made sure that Urakyoto became a fortress where those who wished to use her power were unable to find clues about her, I asked nothing in return. Despite providing food, clothes, and an incredible amount of sweets to let her live comfortably, I did not ask a single thing in return. Even when I was offered any form of payment she had to offer, I was sure to tactfully turn down her repeated forms of offering me power. That said, I seemed to have underestimated the being who has been alive for so long, how the heck did she give me that?

Ignoring all matters that could not be explained, I just decided to have fun.

Wait, I believe there is something we lack.

"Gotta bring the maid outfits..." I said.

"Is that really necessary?" Habetrot asked.

"Yup." I nodded.

Part 3

3rd Person POV

"You seem to have enjoyed yourself a lot." Morgan sarcastically said.

Drinking tea in her usual spot, the Queen watched how her friend was sitting while carrying a back filled with sweets, candies, and other tasty treats. Her cat-eared cap was as pink as her hair with the tips of the ears white as snow. Habetrot had a few balloons tied on her free hand as she munched on some cookies, although the interesting part about the balloons was the maid drawn onto them.

"The maid festival was a success." Habetrot said. "Everyone enjoyed themselves, even 'those' guys." Habetrot giggled.

Listening about 'them', Morgan narrowed her eyes and wondered if her friend was trying to hint something but she dismissed her thoughts once Habetrot spoke again.

"Nora was amazing! They suddenly began fighting with a shopkeeper and she was about to lash out. It was a petty fight over the price, to begin with, and both were in the wrong but Nora's bright smile won them over. He paid for everything himself and managed to soothe both sides, while also making friends on the way. By the end of it, he was invited to drink at the bar by the guys to talk about their hardships... and for some reason, the shopkeeper invited him to her house tomorrow night." Habetrot tilted her head cutely. "Morgan, why did she blush when she said she had a surprise for him?"

Sipping her tea calmly, Morgan tried to cooly dismiss the topic.

"Morgan, are you ok? You are blushing, and your tea cup is spilling the tea all over the table." Habetrot pointed out.

Cursing the guy who was the reason for the topic and the culprit for her sleepless night thanks to his actions the other night, Morgan wondered why did he have to haunt her.

"It is fine. I was troubled over some paperwork I thought I had not finished, but I calmed down after recalling that I had dealt with it." Morgan lowered the teacup.

Watching as the liquid had spilled all over her thighs, her mind played tricks on her regarding the matters she had witnessed. She was almost certain that he knew she was watching and he did that to show off. Morgan had already ascertained that it was a mistake on Melusine's side to think he was proposing the youth, but Morgan had no intention of doing anything even if she knew. Currently, she was the only one who could give closure to the problem and no one would know she knew if she did not speak out. Above all, her mind was busy with other problems. It certainly did not have to do with the word 'revenge'.

"Morgan, do you think we should continue being so cautious and allow 'that' problem to continue?" Habetrot suddenly asked.

"...corruption is slowly creeping in. It is a matter that I have to eventually solve, I can't do so at the moment. It will be soon the time to tune up the barrier." Morgan said. "It is a complex ritual and I fear that there will be complications once it starts."

"I see." Habetrot nodded. "However, I believe 'they' will make their move during that time."

"Let them do as they please, delaying the tune-up is not an issue we can delay. I have taken several ideas to improve the order while I am busy with it, but I want you to do a follow-up." Morgan said.

"I don't mind helping you, but will you be alright taking care of the barrier alone?" Habetrot asked in a worried tone.

"Even if they reject me, those relics are the foundation of the barrier. Without it, we would just go back to the way things were." Morgan replied. "We do not need the outside, they are just harmful to the Fae. Whether it is those people dressed in black or not, they all have brought immense pain to our kind."

Using a harsh tone, Morgan even stood up aggressively as she planted her hand on the table.

"Morgan..." Habetrot pitifully called out. "You... don't have to be so harsh on yourself. It was not your mother's fault or yours, those guys were to blame."

"Habetrot, it was both of our faults. No matter what, Mother and I were at the top, it was our job to be ready for such a thing. However, we were not. Thanks to our negligence that our population took such a big hit. So many of our soldiers died leaving so many families without a father or mother. We had issues given how low the male population was even before it happened and now it is even worse." Morgan lashed out. "Do you have any idea how difficult it was for those families whose only income came from those who died? Do you think the money I provided after their death could substitute the love of their dead family member!?"

Listening calmly as Morgan's voice continued to heat up, Habetrot felt immense amounts of pity for her friend. Despite being at her side, Habetrot was unable to become the support her friend needed because she rejected to let others shoulder the responsibility.

"Their lifestyle completely changed... so much was lost so I cannot allow myself to fail. Not now, not ever." Morgan declared.

Her tone was filled with resolution but it was obvious that Habetrot was not the only person she wanted to convince of it, but herself as well.

"Morgan... when was the last time you have... taken a break?" Habetrot inquired carefully.

"...that has nothing to do with this." Morgan turned her head away.

"Morgan..." Habetrot looked at the queen with upturned eyes.

"...I sleep well enough every day." Morgan replied.

"You have not taken a vacation since your mother died, have you?" Habetrot pointed out.

Biting her lips, the cold queen that gave Nora the impression of being slightly unapproachable until a few days ago started to look like a small child being reproached.

"...We have been busy." Morgan said.

"That was years ago, we had the opportunity to rest for so long after that yet you always refused." Habetrot sighed. "Morgan, it is ok to lower down your guard sometimes. I am aware that I might not be reliable, but if all the people serving you do their best, we can at least afford to cover for you."

Shaking her head, Morgan turned around to leave.

"I am the Queen. I will never forget my role. I will never look for an easy way to face my problems. My duties, I will always fulfill them. Rest, having fun, and living a normal life, I have forsaken those." Morgan mumbled. "You can enjoy those in my stead... as long as you can remain as cheerful as you have always been, I will be able to continue doing this. I have entrusted you with my joy and happiness."

Sighing sadly as Morgan began leaving, Habetrot could not help but mutter.

"That is not how it works, idiot." Habetrot stood up and chased after the queen. "Could you please meet with him?"

"...you mean that guy?" Morgan stopped.

"Yes, just one meeting, without any of your guards, not an official meeting, an unofficial one." Habetrot said.

"...I don't think I will be safe with him alone." Morgan did not allow Habetrot to see her reddened cheeks.

"Huh? I think he would face any kind of enemy to protect you if you are in need." Habetrot muttered.

"...isn't that because I am the Queen?" Morgan asked sarcastically.

"...I wonder, I am not sure what goes inside his head." Habetrot tilted her head. "I believe he is a walking contradiction. He is kind to basically everyone, but under his kind exterior, he can be quite scary."

Suddenly turning to face Habetrot in wonder, Morgan thought she heard wrong. The girl who was speaking wonders of the youth had said something odd.

"I believe he is someone one must not absolutely become the enemy of. I am aware that his patience is pretty big, but that only means that once it ran outs you have to face the complete opposite of that." Habetrot mumbled.

"Pretty big? You saw him getting angry pretty easily when Mordred and him met." Morgan said.

Shaking her head, Habetrot denied Morgan's words.

"He was annoyed, but not genuinely angry." Habetrot spoke. "Morgan, you should be aware of it... despite being hidden behind an intricate spell, the amount of energy contained inside his body is utterly insane. Even you who have magical energy to spare... it pales in comparison."

"...yes." Morgan mumbled. "I have been keeping an eye on him because of that."

Not entering into details, Morgan did not want to dig her grave.

Feeling like her friend's tone was odd, Habetrot felt the need to dig into that, but she decided to continue with the topic.

"Morgan, I honestly believe he has no ill intentions." Habetrot said. "My eyes never failed me. He has a beautiful soul... I also reached the same conclusion while talking with him. That said, there is one thing I have to agree with. If you are his enemy, and he absolutely loathes you, I have no doubts he will face you with no intentions to let you live."

"I don't think you can tell that from a normal conversation." Morgan raised a question. "How would you know that?"

Despite her trust in her friend, Morgan could not tell how that information was reliable.

"He doesn't want to lose anything." Habetrot smiled sadly. "I feel bad but I had stepped on a landmine while we talked."

Curious over the topic, Morgan awaited Habetrot's next words.

"What do you think that he desires the most?" Habetrot asked.

Without a second thought, Morgan was unconsciously answering before she could even notice.

"Maids!" Morgan nodded.

Snorting, Morgan felt that despite speaking without any basis, she had done a good job.

Smiling wryly, Habetrot felt like denying that was impossible, so she simply said what she wanted to say in the first place.

"To make everyone happy." Habetrot muttered.

Finding that hard to believe, Morgan wanted to refute it.

"He told me this..." Habetrot held a hand on her throat and the next words coming out of her mouth were in a different tone of voice. "Being alone is sad, I just want to be able to be with everyone and live an easy life. Jokin' around, going out to have fun, mercilessly beating everyone in card games, sightseeing, or eating new stuff, I could enjoy my life that way. Because... Losing someone is sad, you have to enjoy the time you have with your loved ones to the maximum."

Instead of her usual voice, Habetrot spoke in a masculine voice that was unmistakable Nora's.

"Hmm, he really taught me a neat trick, don't you think?" Habetrot smiled.

While incredibly impressed by that trick, Morgan had to take some time to ponder about the words she just heard.

"You two should really meet, you are going to become good friends." Habetrot said.

Despite being ignored by Morgan who kept her head lowered in deep thought, Habetrot felt satisfied that her friend was bothering to give it some thought.

Nodding at that, she left with light steps.

She had a feeling that the situation on the border will deteriorate, but there was not much she could do given her lack of military strength. If she had enough power to rival even one of the knights, she could perhaps do more, but she never had that gift.

"Morgan, Baobhan Sith, Melusine, Barghest, Mordred, Britomart... they are all knights with incredible talents and Morgan chose them for their skills, but she has failed to help them with their scars." Habetrot mumbled. "The previous queen was cold and merciless, she was extremely effective... but she never one to pry in her knights' problems. At this rate, Morgan will just be the same. She won't... reach happiness like that."

Her heartful wish was to see her friend smile happily and free of worry like before. For Habetrot, it did not matter if she was called a bad queen or anything of the sort. It was selfish of her but-

"Who gives a damn what others think? What? Responsibility? Sure, if you feel like it is getting tough, give me a call, Nora-kun is a child who can do it if he tries, I surely will meet your expectations... or screw up badly while trying." Habetrot mimicked the youth's voice. "Haha, alright, let's see if you got what it takes to help my friend, Nora!"

Imagining what kind of things will happen when those two meet, Habetrot found it amusing just thinking about it.

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3rd Person POV

"Curse you..." Barghest coughed.

Swallowing a mouthful of blood, Barghest glared at the figure in front of her.

"Quit yar yapping, I do not like this more than you do, bastard."

Wearing her armor, Mordred scowled at her fellow knight.

Barghest was currently being caught in a blob of black liquid and it had hardened as soon as Mordred finished talking.

"The attacks are continuing even now, there is no time for this." Barghest tried to force her way out but her body did not budge.

"Give it up, even if I am unable to break free." Mordred clicked her tongue. "Oi, you said she would lose control by now."

Speaking a loud, Mordred seemed to receive a reply somehow using magic.

"Yeah, yeah, just put her through 'that' again? Alright, I get ya so don't bother me." Mordred spoke in annoyance.

"Why are you doing this?" Barghest asked. "I rushed here because the situation had turned for worse, but you suddenly ambushed me..."

"What a pain, she is not losing control." Mordred pulled a blackened stone and pushed it towards Barghest, but the knight remained the same.

"What is your objective? Surely you do not think the other knights will stay quiet. When Britomart, Baobhan Sith, and Melusine heard about this, you will face heavy punishment." Barghest declared.

"Oh yeah? Well, I just have to take them down whenever they come." Mordred boasted.

"Don't overestimate yourself, you only took me down because you ambushed me. In a fair duel, you stand no chance." Barghest said.

Watching as her fellow knight only held the blackened stone in wonder.

"As long as I win at the end, that makes me the strongest. Don't you think that now after you lost you are weaker?" Mordred suddenly said.

Grinding her teeth, Barghest did not continue asking questions. Mordred had appeared one day out of nowhere and her skills had been too high to be someone that was unknown until, but given that the queen introduced her, no one raised any questions. Until now, she could not be said to have interacted that much with the brash knight other than mock fights. Barghest always got the upper hand so she did not consider her skills lacking, nonetheless, she always felt something strange about Mordred but could never put a finger on it.

"I wonder if it is broken... her calculations said you should've lost your reason by now." Mordred muttered to herself. "Did you get rid of it somehow...? Ah? Leave her alone and go back? Alright, alright."

Up until now, Barghest heard Mordred speak about being affected by something, but... thinking about it, she had been feeling oddly annoyed lately and only after eating THE MEAT did she calm down.

Giving one last look at the desolate wasteland, Mordred gave one last look at Barghest and turned around. The trapped knight was confused about why she acted that way, but she decided to focus on a way to escape. Communication magic seemed to be cut for her so asking for help was not going to happen.

"Too bad the duel will not happen... wait, couldn't I just take your place!? Ahaha! Now we are talking, finally some action." Mordred gave a look to Barghest before suddenly chuckling happily.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Barghest found that even by her standards, Mordred was acting strange.

"I don't know about any crap about being worthy or not, but I can at least have some fun before things start." Mordred said.

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 Author's Notes

How you doing folks, fellas, people... humans (?)!

How was the chapter? I am uncertain how to classify this chapter due to the content. I will beging showing how he growing and how he is find it hard to hold back.

Regarding the kisses and the like, there will be chapter in the future regarding it.

What else..? Well, just tell me how it was, specially the scene between Nora and Tamamo.