"Eyyyy!!"

After my taming session, we now gave Nier some warm clothes and tested her speed. I feel she's a tad faster in her new form compared to horse form. She did the 1000m sprint in roughly 5 seconds and that was with her casual pace.

"How was that, Ayaka-sama?"

"Pretty darn good. But… can you drop the -sama?"

"No. You're my mistress I dedicated my body to. I must show you the proper respect you deserve."

"Well… if you insist that much. By the way, I totally didn't think this through. You know I wanted you for transportation, right? Can you… still pull a carriage or something like that?"

"Worry not. Only my appearance changed. With just some small modifications, I will have no problems pulling a carriage. In fact the thought of you yelling 'faster, faster' and cracking a whip gets me more motivated, hahaha!!"

"Oi! Cut that out. You're drooling excessively!"

I might have created a monster. But what's done is done. I turned around towards Shera.

"Mom, you think you can make a custom carriage that can handle high speeds?"

"Ara, ara! I thought you would never ask. I can't wait to sink my hammer into some metal. I even have a few ideas. How about this?"

Shera took out a piece of paper and showed it to me.

"Are you serious? This is a fucking armored behemoth! We aren't going to war. Rejected!"

"Then how about this one?"

"This is a freaking pumpkin! Do I look like Cinderella to you? I'm not traveling in this. Rejected!"

"Then maybe this?"

"This doesn't even look like a carriage! This is a boat with wheels! Rejected! Can you do something normal, please?"

"Don't worry, I'll come up with a design that will blow your mind away!"

That's what I'm afraid of. Well, until the carriage will be build, we're back to square one. Where the hell should we go? I wanna go to a quiet place and settle down so I can live a slow and lazy life. I don't want to get caught up in any war or anything. So it was back to the negotiations table. Me, Lina, Nier, Rena, Spyros and granny. 

"My, my. So you say you are looking for a place where you can just be lazy. Indeed, given the recent events our town won't be suited. Let me think for a bit…"

Nier also wasn't helpful. Although she migrated from one place to another, she avoided settlements, so she doesn't know any place that I might like. 

"There might be a place, but it's a double edge blade. The owl sanctuary. A lush green forest with a small village, protected by a powerful magic barrier. That said, the barrier is only one of the issues. It conceals the village, and the only way to enter is to be invited to the village. Although I am pretty sure you will find a way.

The second issue… is the route. We can provide a map, but getting there is dangerous. Because the only way is to pass by Urkbezl fortress."

"Umm… can you say that again? I think I got a knot in my tongue trying to pronounce that."

"Fufu, Urkbezl fortress, is the domain of one of the 12 demon generals. Malak the Brutal. His power is beyond anything people have seen. He alone is a one man army. I'm afraid flying above the fortress is no good, because the area around there has anti-flight wards."

Lina started to ponder for a moment.

"Is there any way to go around it? My mistress would rather avoid attracting attention to her."

"I can't say if it's possible or not. Some say that they have many eyes. It might be possible to pull off, but it might also not."

"Hey, granny, are you absolutely sure this village is suited for my needs and it's worth the effort."

"It's the only place I can think of."

Well… that's good enough for me. What can I say? I'll do anything to live a lazy life, even if that means crumbling another stronghold. Because after that, if I can get access to a village that nobody can find, I'll be safe.

"Sounds like a plan then. Alright. Prepare a map for us. Once Shera will finish the carriage we're going to this owl sanctuary!"

"I'm coming with you guys, too."

Rena raised her hand and happily wagged her tail with great enthusiasm. Spyros on the other hand, slammed his fist on the table and got up.

"Absolutely not! I won't allow that. This is where I put my foot down!!"

"Don't make me put my foot in your face!"

Battle sparks floated between the father and daughter. Oi, oi, I am happy if Rena wants to come with us. I mean that means just more stuff to mofu mofu, but I don't want to start a family war. Spyros is probably just worried and doesn't want to lose his daughter. Thankfully, the granny saved the scenario.

"Spyros, let me put it this way. Weren't you the one that always wanted Rena to be independent? This is a perfect chance. By traveling, she will get to see the world and learn from it. Also, given the incredible strength of our friend, she will be safe."

"That's beside the point. It's about tradition and wolf law. I admit, I'm not chief anymore. But Rena has all the qualities needed to become the future chief once she grows up. You're telling me to ignore all that?"

"True, the law is important, but we have a more important law. Imprinting."

Shock ran across Spyros and he turned pale as a ghost. I slowly raised my hand.

"Excuse me. What's this imprinting thing?"

"Fufu, it's our most sacred law. If someone of the clan imprints on a person, they are meant to be together forever and the rest of the clan must accept it. We also aren't allowed to bring harm to that person. In other words… Rena, although involuntary due to her young age… she imprinted on you. To put it more simple, she marked you as her mate. You can't see it with the naked eye, but we can smell it."

Rena was looking at me with sparkling eyes. Meanwhile… I didn't know how to react. She probably did it in our mofu mofu session.

"But… but… this is unheard! Both of them are girls!!"

"Now, now, sonny, do I need to remind you that this isn't the only case? Remember the Kafka sisters? They also imprinted on each other and they lived happy lives and nobody was bothered. Everyone loved them."

Spyros lowered his head.

"Very well… you're right. I can't object. But… can you at least promise me to visit from time to time?"

I thought Rena would explode again, but surprisingly she said:

"Sure. I'll drop by, when I can."

Guess she really does love her dad after all. And I don't mind visiting this place again. Especially on Christmas. You need snow for Christmas, no matter what anyone says. And with this… I also got a puppy in my party. Maybe I should organize a training session with everyone. My girls need to get to know each other and be in sync. We still need to wait for Shera to finish the carriage, so until then, I suppose we can have some sparring sessions. Yosh!