After the food was cooked and set with help from the servant, Ai and Aomi came down, along with Nox, Ai explained to her father that Nox was Cirrus’s loyal retainer, and she could use magic to turn herself into an owl.

"Hoh~ That's something." Akeru said amazed by Nox's appearance. "Oy." He leaned over to Cirrus. "Your not two-timing my daughter are you?"

"No." Cirrus replied. "Nox is like a sister to me."

Cirrus and Akeru made some extra for Nox, and after that was finished, they all sat and ate; they chatted for a while before going to bed after a bath.

"Hmm..." Ai and Cirrus lay in bed together, Nox got her own room.

The couple lay in one another's embrace.

"So what do you think of my home?" Ai asked, she rests her head on Cirrus' shoulder. Her hand gently and slowly stokes Cirrus' chest.

"It's nice. Small and energetic. Everyone knows everyone. A community." Cirrus responded with his eyes closed, he lays his head back on the pillow. His arm wrapped around Ai with his hand on her hip, gently and slowly stroking her.

"We can spend our time in peace." She snuggles in closer.

"I can sleep in." He turned to the side and holds Ai firmly in his arms, he could smell the nice fragrance in her hair. It was a mix of hibiscus and sweat along with other lewd scents in the room. "I can relax with you in my arms."

"... I wanna do it again." Ai said in the mood again.

"There is gonna be a lot more sex huh?"

"Why wouldn't I want my partner inside me as we share in our intimacy?"

"You got me there."

 

The following day,

"Wake up, Cirrus!" shouted Ai, full of energy.

"Hmm…" Cirrus wakes up slowly. "Why are you full of energy in the morning?" Cirrus was a bit lethargic from late night activity. "You are usually still asleep holding me close?"

"I wanted to show you more around the village! So come on and wake up!" she said, dragging Cirrus out of bed.

"Come on, it’s cold!"

"I put clothes on you so up and at 'em!"

Ai gets Cirrus up and ready for the day.

"Ai where are you two going?" asked Akeru.

"I was gonna show Cirrus around the village!" shouted Ai.

"Alright! Be back for lunch!"

Jumping out into the snow, Ai was smiling ear to ear.

"Fuwah!! Isn’t this nice!!"

"It’s pretty. I can see how you got so dam tough."

"Come! I wanna show you my favorite places!"

And so, Ai showed Cirrus around the village.

"This is the general store! It’s run by aunty Kisa and uncle Giichi!"

"And this is the only blacksmith in the village! Run by Uncle Kano and Ichibei!"

There were about 54 people in total in the village. They all ranged in age and profession, with a majority of them being farmers, despite the weather of their homeland. This peaked Cirrus's curiosity.

"So uh... You say your farmers right?" He said to one of the villagers.

"We are. I bet you are doubting us right?"

"Very much, yes."

"Well, I'm sure Ai said this place is always snowing or something like that. Well, it's half right. We get spring and summer but no fall. "

"So...only three seasons?"

"Pretty much yeah."

"Huh? What about the rest of the country?"

"I can't say for the bottom half of Yamato, but it is generally four."

"Good to know."

"Say what is the weather in Orario like?"

"Um, it's rather tepid for most of the year. We do get the occasional snow around December to January, then spring for a few months, then summer, and then fall up to December. "

"Ooh! Very interesting."

"Come on, let's go! See ya Uncle Hareta!!" Ai said dragging Cirrus away.

"See you, kids!" He waved them goodbye.

 

Ai took him a bit away from the village and into the nearby woods.

"And this is where I always go to cool off during the summer! The cool stream and nice little waterfall!"

"Isn’t this place always cold??"

"Well yes, but back then I was more sensitive to the heat, but now well, I can handle it very well!"

"Hmm…say are there any villages nearby?"

"Nope, it’s all trees and roads here!"

"I see… What of monsters?"

"There are hardly any around this time of year. They come around during spring and summer."

"That’s good… Say shall we spar? I don’t wanna get rusty, and this place seems like a fun place to spar."

Ai looked around, and a huge smile grew across her face.

"Let’s do it!"

Cirrus pulls Ai's weapon, Brilliant Flash, and Cirrus took out Spekð.

"Come!!" Cirrus says, tossing her weapon to her.

The two took their stances and clashed with one another.

 

The sound of their battle resonated throughout the village, causing built-up snow to fall.

"Huff! huff! So this is a level 8, huh?" Ai said with sweat and water dripping off her.

"And this is you at level 6… If you were another level higher, I’m sure you would have cut me down far more easily, Ai."

"Huff! huff! I can still take you!" She shouted.

"Then go on then!! I’m ready!!"

Ai kicked off rushing towards Cirrus. She blocked his strike and dropped her sword, going in for a punch.

Cirrus got himself ready when she kicked off again into a headbutt.

"OOF!"

Knocking him onto the ground and on his back.

"Got you!" she said, on top of him. "As I said, I can take you!"

"In a fight, right?"

She takes off her sweat-covered coat and sets it aside.

"I-in a fight right??"

Cirrus greatly underestimates how much he has spoiled Ai in her appetites.

 

A boat to Yamato.

"What brings you here, lass?" exclaimed a sailor.

"I’m here to find a child!! A very important one!" said a goddess with green eyes and golden hair, adorned in the clothing of the sea, with clams as earrings and a pink outfit. In her hands was a broken wax-sealed letter. "The people of Solingen do love their alcohol!"

"Lady Aphrodite, the inspection ship is coming up." said one of her handsome children.

"Oh? Is that a white-haired Renard? I wonder if she knows where that emperor and that saint went! Whoops!" The letter she had was taken by the wind.

"Lady Aphrodite, should we not get it?" said one of her children. "It looked important?"

"…Leave it! I remembered it as clear as day!!"

She will come to regret this decision.

 

Ukhara.

"Hmm…." said Artemis, examining the room she was in.

"Lord Al-Kutba, can’t we do anything?" asked Jane.

"Sadly, we can't have Artemis here because she is beloved by several people, and well... it seems Cirrus needs to accept his punishment, whatever it may be."

"Punishment? For what??" asked Robert.

"For taking my ‘chastity’ and running away so suddenly before I could give my punishment," said Artemis. "Hmm…he said he helped Shalzard but given the faint scent of clean spring rain and flowers…no hibiscus along with a white feather... They have been here before."

"I see your title as Goddess of the Hunt was no joke." Said Al-Kutba. "But umm, Cirrus isn’t the type to cheat on his lover? With all due respect."

"I know, but he did it by pure accident when he pierced the moon."

"At first, Lady Artemis just yelled and shot at him around Orario." Said Phi.

"Ah...does that not constitute as punishment?"

"No," Artemis said sternly. "….We are going to Solingen." Artemis said leaving.

"Any reason why?" asked Rethusa, following her.

"Given that he came here, I assume he is heading to places that won’t sell him down the river. Shalzard is one of them, but given his prior history, I doubt he went there and the other place would be Solingen."