When I returned home with the good news, I left the prosthetics with Kokan for his analysis while Ichiha searched her room for two belts. Meanwhile, I took a quick bath to remove the dirt and soot from my sore body. After getting dressed in my shorts and shirt with Sekh’s loving touch and assistance, we returned to the kitchen. 

Kokan was proud of what I had crafted with his daughter. My heart felt warm to receive his compliments. “Here, Mila. I found them,” Ichiha said when she returned to the kitchen. I took the two leather belts and wrapped them through the holes in the socket, placed Niva’s leg stump within it, then tied the belt around her upper thigh.  

Niva’s face was an excellent indicator to see if it was too tight or loose. She nodded when I asked if it felt right, and I put her foot on. I stood at her side and kneeled a second time.  

“Raise your leg.” Niva followed the command. Then she lifted the right leg, then the left, to get used to it. In seconds, she was already out of breath and sweating like crazy. “Okay, this might hurt, but I’m going to help you stand up, okay? Don’t even try to move. Just try to stand, okay?” She gave me a pained glance and closed her eye. Her hand gripped mine for safety and comfort. Then she shook with all the sheerness of being abandoned in the arctic. 

It was like time slowed to a crawl during this heart-palpitating moment. I felt Niva's weak fingers tremble when she actively pulled to lift herself. Enduring the pain... Throwing away the harsh reality of having to learn to walk all over again... It seemed like the only thing in her mind was a singular desire to stand upright. 

And she did it without any help from me. For four seconds, she stood on the prosthetics we toiled endlessly over the better part of a month. Very slowly, Niva turned to my cheering voice and gave me the tiniest smile—her first showcase of a positive emotion since I took her under my protection. She gleamed at having tasted just a sip of potential independence and mobility. Niva let go of my hand and balanced for a handful of seconds, 

She was a fighter—through and through.   

I was told I would never amount to anything in my life. That I should have died as a failure and not a disgrace. That the world would be better with me six feet in the ground. That everything I touched turned to trash. That I’d never be that important to someone... That I’d never be worth something to someone else... That I’d never know the feeling of being loved... For fifteen years, I was beaten down at every turn of the road. It was smacked into me daily... Through pain...heartache...beatings... and burnings...  

I proved them all wrong... 

You see what I'd done, Lucas? This is what I could accomplish, Florence. Your little Shuuta’s done something with their life. What the fuck have you done? Other than relying on Mia to live the lives you two fucking couldn’t? Huh? I grabbed life by the fucking horns and got shit done! 

I brought a sense of independence to a girl that had it all taken away by people who were just as bad as you. 

And you know what? That was a fucking victory in my books. 

SNAP! 

Then the prosthetics shattered at the ankle, but I acted fast and caught her with gentle care. All eyes were on me, including Niva’s, and I wondered how they wanted me to reply? 

Was I supposed to be sad? Upset? Annoyed? Disappointed? Was there a right emotion? 

“Mila... I’m sorry,” Irisa said with tears in her eyes. I figured she was regretting not going with hers because they were better. 

Sucking air through my teeth, I asked the AI, but Tilde answered. “It used the data it had at the time to create the best plan it could. However, that wasn’t enough because the prosthetics only lasted a few seconds. But remember what I said? It’s constantly learning, and you’re damn it learned a thing or two from it breaking. You know what this means, right?”  

“Yeah, I do. Niva, I'm sorry. Do you think you can wait just a little bit longer?” I asked, smiling at the girl I held in my arms. Her mouth opened slightly, but she nodded and softly curled her lips into a smile.  

“Wait, so you’re not upset?” Irisa inquired. I shook my head while we all sat down for a nice dinner and enjoyable conversation. It was pleasant to eat without worrying about the stresses of my failures, and even though I didn’t see them that way, a wave of relief washed over me. The baked fish with cabbage and potatoes were downright scrumptious. Ichiha even made a separate pan that cooked longer at a low heat so Niva could eat it. It was her first time having something that wasn’t soup. Even though her condition, I knew she loved it. That made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  

If I’d used Irisa’s prosthetics, it wouldn’t have broken. And I’d never learned about the point of failure at the ankle. She had left them in her shed at Smithy’s Corner. 

After a few rousing games of tic-tac-toe, it was time for bed. Sekh went ahead of me and made herself comfortable after helping Niva to bed, but I wanted to spend a little more time with Irisa. We just sat on the couch and talked about nothing, but I'd like to believe it was a good bonding experience for us. Especially after we’d finished such a strenuous project. I felt we were close before, but I felt even closer to my favorite green-skinned woman. She looked cute in that low-cut tank top and pajama bottoms. When she raised her arms to stretch, her toned tummy peeked at me. 

We hugged goodnight and sensually rubbed each other’s back, and I walked backwards to my room smiling and waving at Irisa. Niva was asleep, but a meek, quiet noise escaped her lips. After concluding there was no cause to be alarmed, Tilde flew to her dresser, yawned, and tucked herself under her handkerchief. 

I slipped into Sekh’s waiting embrace after canceling my night vision. With my head on her shoulder and her arms wrapped securely around my back, she kissed my head while cuddled. Her skin was so warm to the touch, and she smelled so good, too. We stared at the dark ceiling, our breaths matching the other in sync. The comfortable silence was broken by an innocent sentence filled with something my younger self desired.  

“I’m proud of you, my liege.” 

“Where’d that come from?” 

Sekh stroked my head with all the gentleness of a river. She took her right hand and interlocked my fingers. “I just wanted you to know that.” 

Sekh’s words were always sweetened with sugar, but they hit differently tonight.  

“I love you, and I’ll always be proud of what you’ve accomplished with your second chance. This is just the beginning, my liege. I can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve as the Transcendent Dark Lord.” 

I looked up at her, she looked down, and we pressed our lips together. Afterwards, I monopolized her graceful touch and fell asleep, drowned in her love. 

I haven’t been spending much time with her... I need to apologize and make up for that. 

---

“I’ve found the solution to your problem!” Kokan suddenly said with a piece of bread in his mouth when Sekh, Tilde, Niva, and I emerged from our room.  

“Okay, I’m listening,” I replied, putting Niva in her chair and sitting beside her. She slept through the night without the nightmarish terrors jolting her awake, and I wanted to believe that was a good omen. She also seemed more cheerful-- possibly because I’d followed through on my promises. And probably because her HP finally reached 15%.  

I showed her I was someone she could trust because I'd been in her shoes before. 

“Last night, I was doing some thinking. There’s a village about three days away that’s home to an exceptional blacksmith. Even though he’s pushing 90, he’s your man.” Kokan hit me with a bombshell of information I couldn’t ignore. “He doesn’t forge weapons and armor. He’s a grandmaster of the small and delicate. If you need gears for a waterwheel, he’s your guy. A small pin for a wheelbarrow? He could make one 1/64th of an inch wide with impeccable craftsmanship. You probably want to make the prosthetics yourself, but it’s hard to overstate his sheer ability.” I asked how he knew this, and he said he randomly wandered into the village about five years ago. He couldn’t take one foot inside Ria without receiving a hundred threats—due to the obvious. 

“That’s fine with me. The AI could probably get some fantastic data from watching him.”  

The rainbow-colored pillar of stone materialized by itself and jiggled. “The data gained would be invaluable, my lord.”  

“Alright.”  

“Really? Alright? Doesn’t it seem like everything was a waste then if you’re going to pay someone to make them?” Irisa asked before suddenly clamping both hands over her mouth. She looked absolutely horrified, and her flaw of not thinking before speaking reared its ugly head. 

“Let’s just say it wasn’t a waste,” I replied, folding my hand over Sekh’s fingers. We shared a loving gaze, and I turned back to Irisa. “Forging the prosthetics made me learn something important about myself. I...really needed it.”  

“It sounds like there’s a story behind your words,” Ichiha commented. She sipped her coffee while I nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be happy to listen to it.” 

“There’s something else you should know about the forest village you might find interesting. Tilde, you know of Bellerophon’s list of monsters that chimera must not, under any circumstances, be allowed to assimilate?” 

The fairy flew to my shoulder and tapped me on the cheek. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to really like where this is heading. But yeah, I know of the list. Most of the monsters are too strong for ole Patchwork to kill.” 

Patchwork? 

“Eh? That sounds cool. Mila, if you ever decide to stick with the guild long enough, you’ll eventually be able to customize the metal plate they give you. You could have it as an adventurer name,” Irisa commented. 

“Anyway,” Kokan said, coughing to get the conversation back on track. “It’s called Aetos Village, and the place is inhabited by low-level slimes and draingi.” After witnessing the confusion on my face, he explained further. Slimes were on the monster ban list because they were a shortcut to bring out the true potential of a chimera’s transfiguration. According to Kokan, the different subspecies of slimes equaled the number of stars in the sky. Even if they had a reputation for being incredibly weak, they all came with a base set of skills that would help me in the long run. Draingi were plant-like monsters that walked around on their roots. They could attack with their vines like a whip or jab them deep within their prey and absorb life energy and mana from their victims.   

“When a slime dies,” Ichiha said. “They instantaneously evaporate and leave behind their core.”  

“And that’s where the draingi comes in? Alright, that’s the plan. We’ll get prepared today. Kokan, do you think you can draw me a map?” He nodded and did just that. It seemed like it was to the northeast, so it shouldn’t be that hard to get to. “Niva? What about you? Do you think you can make it?” She looked at my voice, the strands of her white wig passing by her eye, and nodded with more strength than I’d ever seen her show before.  

We brainstormed solutions on the easiest way to transport Niva for a few seconds until I remembered a little something called the wheelchair. It wasn’t surprising that they existed in this world. I had asked the AI to help me, but I didn’t have to further clarify because it learned to use what I needed, not necessarily what I wanted to make. The plans and instructions appeared in my vision, and a thought entered my mind. After telling the AI to display the data, I got Irisa’s and her parents’ opinions on the blueprints.  

And it was a good thing I did because Irisa saw something that wouldn’t work well. The AI took her advice while rebuilding the plans, and a sharp-eyed Kokan realized the AI had leveraged Irisa’s concerns and applied it to something that would have worked regardless and made it even better.   

But wait. Just yesterday, I didn’t know how to share the data. Why did I forget? I just had to ask...  

Shit, I must’ve been more exhausted than I thought... Come on, Mila! Snap into it! 

“I’m probably going to need a little help. Irisa?” I asked slyly and with a curt smile.  

“I suppose I am your instructor. Technically, I guess. Don’t worry, my student! I shall help you out, haha!” she joyously laughed, then suddenly stopped. “Wait, do we have enough iron?”  

“Yeah, just barely. Gloria needs to fuck off and open the dungeon. Can’t believe she’s still there. Arella hasn’t really learned that much. It’s about 60 silver for just a handful of ore, and don’t get me started on bread. It’s outrageous.” 

“Ah, this reminds me. Here, this is for you,” Ichiha said, leaving the room and returning with a small pouch of coins. Tossing it to me, I opened it to find about 30 silver. She said it was my payment for letting her use my webbing, but I gave it back and said I wasn’t doing it for the money. I was practically an expert at stealing. The motherly oni was insistent, but I was stubborn in return and didn’t relent until she lightly bit her lip and backed down after I said I was technically living here rent-free all this time. I didn’t mind being a freeloader, but not at the expense of people who cared about me.   

When Irisa and I got ready to leave, Sekh grabbed her armor and mace and waited for Kokan. During these past few days, she’d been sparring with him when Irisa and I were at the forge. She’d manage to relearn [Shield Bash], [Shield Parry], and [Shield Pin]. Granted, all were just Lv. 1, but it was a good omen since it clearly showed she was getting more familiar with her reincarnated body. The hard part was relearning magic because she couldn’t remember the vernacular of [Mana Language]. Niva was going to be essential to that once she started speaking again.  

The whole reason I saved her was for her power. If she can’t talk, then... No, I refuse to think that way. Even if it’s the truth, I don’t want that hanging around my mind. 

When we arrived at Smithy’s Corner, we quickly got to work on the wheelchair. A blessing in disguise was the lack of complexity. When broken down, a wheelchair had only a handful of parts like the push handle, armrest, frame, backrest, seat, footrest, footplate, and wheels. Irisa and I decided she’d take care of the frame and wheels while I focused on the seat, handles, and foot plates. Since I didn’t want to show off my AI’s data-displaying feature for all to see, we often had to turn around and huddle close together when she asked to see the plans. These little intimate moments were lovely, and I found myself reaching out to grab her apron a few times while the AI clarified some things.  

Since we only had iron to work with, the entire chair was made from metal. I wished we had some rubber to wrap around the wheels, but its price, even if it was expensive before the bitch closed the dungeon, was inflated. The wheelchair didn't have to last long since Niva would be getting her prosthetics. 

Besides, once rested, my skill upgrades would kick in. The following iteration of this wheelchair was 100% guaranteed to eclipse this one.  

By the time we were done, it was totally night, which reminded me of the previous day that ended much like this. The vibrant crimson flames of the furnace roared long past the time everyone else had gone home. It was just two companions—friends, hammering out until the stars had taken their rightful place in the sky.  

“We...did...it...Mila...” Irisa huffed as she took off her apron. She yelped and grabbed her arm, but I didn’t think her pain was serious. When I asked her if she was okay, she said this always happened when she went hard twice in a row. 

“I’ve got my biomass to keep in good health, but I am starving.” We packed everything in the shed assigned to her, and while she probably intended to walk all the way home... “Here, why don’t we test it out?” I said, tapping the seat of our brand-new creation. She sat down and turned her head to look at me with a playful smile.  

“Be gentle, okay? It’s my first time.” She rested her feet and arms and complimented how comfortable it was to be made solely of metal. I grasped the push handles, and away we went, navigating through the narrow space within Smithy’s Corner, which was a good test of the chair’s mobility.  

It was adequate and didn’t negatively stand out in any noteworthy way. We received strange looks when Irisa threw her hands up and wanted me to go faster. I was kinda having fun, so I went for it and really let the wind pass by my smiling face and flowing locks of honey-like hair. 

---

When we returned home from our little spiel of fun, Kokan carried the wheelchair up the stairs so his wife could add comfort to it. She scoured the shop far and wide to find some blankets and pillows, then we put Niva in the chair. She nodded or shook her head to a series of questions we asked, and after about forty minutes, she sat in a metal construction of comfiness. The feather-stuffed pillow was sandwiched between two winter blankets on the seat. For the neck support, Ichiha took an old pillow, cut it into a crescent moon-like shape, then stuffed it with feathers and sewed it shut with my webbing. After a few alterations, it was securely attached to the backrest with a thin rope.  

Really, all that was left was to wait for tomorrow morning. Since we were leaving early, we decided to hit the hay about two hours early. And like always, I spared for a few moments to hug and hold hands with Irisa while we chatted on the couch.  

I’d found myself wanting more of these little moments where it was her and me. Love had abandoned me for 20 years, but I was at least educated enough about it to know when someone had feelings for me.  

No, that knowledge didn’t come from me. It comes from Susize, Reina, Beccy, Murag, and Yaekira. Their emotional knowledge flows through me, granting me access to things I’d probably otherwise miss.  

We hugged goodnight, not failing to notice that my heart was beating faster than usual, and I went to join Sekh, who was waiting at the door. But upon entering our room, I realized something important that I'd overlooked.  

Arella was still in town. She knew what Niva looked like, so I had to give her a disguise. 

“Sekh, remember the robes from that group? The monster train dickheads?”  

“Yes. They’re enchanted with a minor mana restorative effect, right?” Sekh asked, sitting on the bed. She carefully folded her hands in her lap and smiled up at me.  

“Niva, you’re going to wear this dark blue robe,” I said, producing the item. It was a good thing I’d cleaned them a while back. I helped her sit up from her bed and put the robe around her. The AI helped by marking the spots I needed to adjust with its AR functionality. I took it off her, sat at the desk with my sewing kit gainfully acquired from the Barclay’s store, and got to work cutting, snipping, and threading. The AI was always a helpful assistant. Without its help, I’d probably remain in this uncomfortable chair until the early morning.   

Sekh stared as I worked, then a feisty smile curled upon her pretty lips. She hopped off the bed, put her hands behind her waist, and skipped over to me. I met her cute smile with one of my own as she moved behind me and pressed her hands to my shoulders.   

“I take your moaning as a sign I’m doing something right,” said Sekh. She leaned down and kissed my head.   

“Mmn, you are. I’ve…never had a massage before.”  

“Tilde told me to do this. She said it’ll make you relax.”  

“She wasn’t wrong about that,” I said, looking at the fairy. She hovered in front of Niva and was talking to her about something. Sure, I could have eavesdropped, but I gave them their privacy while I continued the alterations. 

I finished up about ten minutes later. With a gentle touch, Sekh held Niva as if she was standing while I put the robe around her. I cut the sleeves down to where they stopped at her wrist, but the robe reached her ankles.  

She just didn't have any. 

The hood was far larger than her head, which helped disguise her even more. 

Huh... That looks good on her. The light blue skin and dark blue robe work well together, and I can still see the sleeves of her blouse sticking out. 

Until Niva used magic, I couldn’t tell if the mana regen effect was working. She’d need to speak for that to happen. It was imperative to diagnose the reason behind her muteness so I could cure it, but if [Analysis] didn’t show me, then I didn’t know. I hypothesize it had something to do with her wounds, but they were fading by the day. She’d recovered so much there wasn’t any more blood in her feces or urine, which Kokan was extremely happy about since it meant her body was fighting hard and succeeding.   

Tilde said Niva needed a staff to complete the spirit summoner look. I had just enough iron to make one. “Ah, no, you don’t need to make one. Having a staff allows her to focus when she’s casting spells. Basically, you can direct the flow of mana through a core object to help stabilize it. Even someone with the innate ability to use skill via thought would benefit from a staff or wand. Hint hint, nudge nudge.”  

I stretched Niva’s legs and massaged her calves and arms. Her face showed strain, but this had to be done, and she knew it. When I finished, I left the robe on her. It looked good on her, and I thought she liked it. It was a gift from me, after all. I doubt presents were a common occurrence in her life.  

After telling her good night, I stripped and hopped in bed with Sekh. Niva wasn’t having any more night terrors, so I didn’t have to worry about jumping out of bed and tending to her mental worries. Sekh was waiting like a beautiful siren as the moonlight illuminated her immaculate fur that was so wonderful and soft. I desired her touch, so I almost wrapped myself around her like a crab. She kissed me gently, put her hands over mine, and stroked my fingers. Her love was too much for someone like me, especially since I almost neglected her... 

Might as well face that uncomfortableness head on... 

“Have I been neglecting you?” I asked suddenly. Sekh answered with another kiss and a subtle shake of her head.  

“Why would you ask that?” she whispered, holding me tighter.  

“My head’s a big mess right now, so I dunno... But it feels like I have. We only see each other at night because I spend all day at the forge. I just feel bad...”  

“That’s something you shouldn’t feel because you were doing something incredible. Without you, Niva would be dead. Or if you hadn’t worked so hard for her, she’d never experienced the joy of independently standing. You did something no one else wanted to do.”  

I told the AI to alert me if Niva woke up because what I wanted to talk about wasn't meant for her ears. 

“But I didn’t do it out of kindness, Sekh. I was solely thinking about her power. Even if I try to convince myself otherwise...the prosthetics were a contingency plan in case her hatred of Gloria wasn’t enough. I want to care about her because... I mean, I want her to live, but it feels like a part of me doesn’t care if she dies since the ultimate backup plan was me eating her for her skills. Be honest. If you’d met her under the same circumstance 1,000 years ago—” 

Without even a moment’s worth of hesitation, Sekh nodded. “That’s the past, and this is now, and since we pledged our loyalty to you... Camaraderie is an unknown feeling, but without the curse dictating how I need to live my life, it’s not something I dislike. My primary goal is still the destruction of this world, but I’ll even go as far as to say I can’t wait to see her evolve. On that note, I want to thank you for not killing her. Seeing her go from a meek girl to someone who can even balance with legs, not her own, is inspiring. Yes, she had support, but it doesn’t make it any less amazing.”   

I snuggled closer to Sekh until she held my head against her chest. She wrapped her arms around me and promised to never let go. “But no, my liege, you haven’t neglected me. Every morning, I’m still blessed to see your beautiful face, and I’m thankful you’re the last thing I see before I go to bed. When you’re off at the forge, I train with Kokan and learn from Ichiha. I’m grateful to them for teaching me so many things, but...”  

“But?”  

“It’s...been a while, my liege,” Sekh whispered. I looked up and saw a gorgeous blush dance around her pretty cheeks. “Since we made love, I mean. Times have been busy, so it’s understandable. And with Niva sharing our room, I suppose we hadn’t had the chance.”  

"Then... What about a date?”  

“Date?” 

“Yeah. When we get back, I’ll take you out on a date. It’ll just be you and me. No Irisa, no Niva, and no Tilde to get in our way. We’ll do whatever you want to. It’ll be my way of saying how much I love and appreciate you.”  

“I’ve never been on one before...”  

“Neither have I, but I want my first to be with you. You’re gorgeous, Sekh. I mean, I can hardly keep my eyes off you.: 

"Really?" she whispered. 

I nodded. "We can walk around and get you some new clothes. I can see it already. We'd be holding hands, living a slice of life we were never granted. If we find a secluded spot..." 

“Hmm... I can’t wait, my liege. And neither can you, apparently,” Sekh said. She held me closer to her chest while reaching a hand down to my erection.   

She poked the tip with her fingers and brushed the back of her dainty palm against my balls. I shimmied down the pillow just enough to cup my mouth around her nipple and sucked away while she placed my cock between her thighs. She shifted back and forth to stimulate the sensitive tip after peeling my foreskin. “I’ll clean up the mess, my liege. Just let it out whenever you want,” she whispered, licking the tip of my ears.  

It seemed like the main course was delayed, but even the strictest person would indulge in an early appetizer, right?