Vol 4 Chapter 25: War Cometh

The next morning, as we were taking down our tents, I noticed Felicia approaching Tama with the classic mischievous smirk on her face.

Oh, I'm not going to miss this!

Following her, I watched them have their conversation from a distance.

"Well well well, congratulations. Was it your first time by any chance? Doing it with him?"

"Y-you! D-don't say it out loud like that!" she replied with a completely red face.

"First time then." A small smirk appeared on Felicia's face. "What changed? Was it because of what happened yesterday with the invisible monster?"

Tama paused, her ears deflating. "You're right. I realized… that I could lose him anytime. T-that, and I'm currently in heat right now." She blushed, pressing her index finger together.

In heat? Oh, that's right. Beastkin would have a period where their sexual desire increases significantly.

"Oh? How wonderful. Enjoy yourselves then. Oh, and take this medicine before you do it. You don't want to get pregnant now, do you?"

She bashfully nodded, her ears wiggling back and forth.

Damn she's cute. You are one lucky bastard, Theo.

With the matter settled, we departed right away.

---------

Meanwhile, back at the city, a certain S-rank party was having their meeting.

They were sitting inside a private meeting room, located in the Guild building itself. As they were an S-rank party, they were given this privilege by the organization.

Ten people were there. Ten S-rank adventurers, each powerful in their own right.

Ten Braves, the strongest adventuring party in the entire region.

Some were sitting normally on their couches. Others were leaning back to the point that their head wasn't visible. Four of them sat on one side and four on the other. Their leader, the one on the front, sat on his own couch. Only one remained standing.

"I told you, didn't I? We should all get him for our eleventh member!" The girl who yelled slammed her bare foot on the wooden floor, causing a crack to form. "He's a really powerful mage! And he can use a sword as well!"

She was one of the Amazoness Hugo had defeated. The short one.

"How curious~ A mage that wields a sword~ Now you're making me want to play with him too~"

The woman who replied was a blue-haired elf. Dressed in a purple robe, she held a staff in both hands.

"Just because he has a sword doesn't mean he knows how to use it."

The next person who opened their mouth was a man in his early twenties. Dressed only in a black open coat and trousers, he was exposing his shirtless chest for all the world to see.

"He knows how to use Graceful Step. Or whatever name you use for fast movement in your Lancelot School."

It was the older Amazoness this time. She was sitting with her feet placed on the table between them, glaring at the man.

"A mage that knows how to quick cast his spells. And now he can use blade skills instead. And he's not even fifteen. If it's true, then he's a monster."

The next to speak was, surprisingly, a hobbit. She had short, dark hair as well as spectacles. And she had a book open in her lap.

"Ha! However a monster he is, he can't compare to our leader. Now that's a real monster."

It was the standing Brave. She was a centaur so she had no need to sit. Appearance wise, she looked like in her early twenties, with bright blue hair tied to a ponytail.

"Ha! The real monster is that swordswoman on the 600th floor. Ten of us and we can't do a thing against her. Even our leader faltered in front of her. How long is she planning to stay there anyway? Just when we're able to go past that blasted 599th floor.."

The next person to speak was an arrogant-looking woman with bunny ears on top of her head. Wearing a green cloak and shorts, with her bunny tail poking out of the latter, she was the ranger of the group.

"Enough."

A calm yet commandeering voice silenced the room. It came from the man sitting on his own on the front of the room. Their leader.

The blonde man was dressed in a full set of white and blue armor, with his hands resting on the hilt of his long sword, standing out in the open in front of him.

He opened his crimson eyes, staring right at the two Amazoness.

"Just because he defeated you two doesn't mean he's suitable to join us. Him helping the weakest one is proof of that. He doesn't respect his own strength. And our party is only for those who do."

He stood up and sheathed his sword. "Let us put aside the matter of the swordswoman for now. I'm sure you have heard of the defeat of Arborea's forces at the southern border.

"Of course I do." The hobbit smirked. "The news is all over the city. Can't visit a damn bar without someone talking about it. They try to say it's a tactical retreat but it's clear as day the demon lord's forces had overwhelmed them."

"Fontaine and Arborea… two city-states aren't enough to hold the tide. This really will turn into an open war, won't it?" The bunny girl sighed with crossed arms.

"How about Miss Marlene? Did she make it? It'd be a shame if a hot chick like her died so young." The shirtless warrior grinned.

The hobbit rolled her eyes. "She does. She's making her trip back now."

"Be on your best behaviour, Thorne." Their leader spoke. "We're going to visit her once she comes back. I'm sure she'll be looking for strong adventurers to replenish her army. If we play our cards right, we'll make a fortune out of it."

"As expected from our great Leader!" The centaur grinned.

"How about that Hugo kid? You're just gonna let him defecate all over our reputation, Great Leader? If he's not going to join us, then he should pay the price for humiliating Jedora and Hedora."

The low, growling voice came out of one of the members that had yet to speak. He was a lizardman, dressed only in a pair of baggy pants and nothing else.

"...What do you suggest?"

"Beat him up. Dump his body in an alleyway."

"How cruel!"

Another one who had yet to speak spoke. She was a harpy of black feathers, wearing a falca (the kimono-like garment) as her outfit. She was covering her mouth with her loose sleeve to hide her giggle.

"Shut your mouth, you harpy. You're going with me to handle this matter."

"Aah, bloodshed! What joy!"

"And you two! You're going as well!" The lizardman glared at the Amazonesses.

"I don't want to kill him." The older one replied. "He's cute. I want him as my husband."

"This is exactly why you two should spend more time training instead of hunting kids." The final member, the scholarly-looking man with a monocle, finally said his piece. "You are amongst our weakest."

"Shut up!" The younger Amazoness yelled. "I don't want to be criticized by a weak old coot like you! You're the weakest among us!"

The old man narrowed his eyes. "I heal your fractured bones and mend your gaping wounds. I bring you back from the brink. Your mistakes—I have to be the one to fix it. I do not appreciate your derisive tone in the slightest, you miserable, flat-chested meathead.”

“F-flat-chested?! I’ll kill you!”

She leaped forward across the table.

Only to be punched in the stomach by the blonde-haired knight, sending her flying to the wall.

“Do that one more time and you’re going on a six month timeout.” The leader said with a cold stare. “Fighting being members isn’t tolerated in the slightest, unless done to spar.”

The older sister rushed to her aid while the other members stood up from their couches.

“Valg. You have my permission to do whatever you want with the boy. But only take Twento and Gokura with you. And those two. You five might be the weakest but if you can’t take care of a single boy, no matter how much of a prodigy he might be, you don’t deserve to be in the Ten Braves.”

“Right! As you command!” The lizardman bowed.

He didn't lift his head until the blonde man left the room.

"Now." He turned to face the amazonesses. "Tell me everything you two know about him."

----------

Hugo

So that's the stratum boss… still not as threatening as the dragon I fought.

Reaching the 200th floor after another month of travel, it didn't take long until we found the big monster we had to defeat.

Chernobog. A tall, thin humanoid monster with a pitch black body and a purple cape. Only its eyes were pupilless white. An arrogant expression was drawn on its face, as if it was waiting for a challenger.

It stood in the far end of the large room we were currently in, luckily not facing to the direction where we were hiding. Compared to all the other rooms we had been in, it was easily double the size of the largest one.

Still, it was still tiny compared to the open battlefield the first boss had, meaning, I wasn't sure I would be able to get away with charging up my Super Boom Cannon all the way from a distance.

Unless…

…

"Super Boom Cannon!"

The spell easily tore through the floor like it was nothing. It was about ten centimeters thick made out of some ancient material yet my cannonball barely lost any power breaking through it.

The boss had no time to turn into its shadow cloud form.

Once again, I just one-shotted an S-rank monster.

"Wow, that's amazing! I would never have thought you could just aim the spell from up here! You really are a master mage, Master Hugo!"

You could practically see the stars in the kiddo's eyes. Heh, is it really that awesome? You just have to think outside the box a little. You can't do this in a dungeon crawler but in the real world, it's always an option.

And so, we made it to the third stratum at last.

???

I see it now...

To think that he appears now... out of all the other times...

An existence that defies the True Enemy... an existence that will deliver this word from Her tyranny once more...

A soul from another land... crossing the membranes of worlds... defying probability so tiny one can dismiss it as a mere impossibility...

The Unchained One. He has appeared at last.

Oh Master... if only you are here to see it...

"Was Lady Marlene really defeated?"

"It wasn't a defeat, you moron! It's… what's the term… ah! Tactical retreat!"

"But I heard the demons actually took over the mythril mines from Fontaine. That's a defeat, right?"

"How about Fontaine then?! Why are they going back here? Shouldn't they be guarding that city next?"

"Does this mean we're going to go to a full war soon? A-aarghh, I don't want to be conscripted!"

"How about all those filthy demons in our cities? Shouldn't we hang them all right away? Can't have spies and saboteurs stabbing us in the back."

"Grandpa! You can't say that just because Grandma left you for a younger man!"

"Haah! That unfaithful woman! Until the day I die my ass!"

Meanwhile, back at the Arborea, the atmosphere had changed completely. A tense air had shrouded the city as news spread of Arborea's defeat. The citizens practically worshipped their Lady Marlene as an invincible mage and the heritor of the Sage himself. And yet, she had lost. Some believed it was because she wasn't as strong as they had believed, others believed the demon king's forces were just that strong.

And now, it was the day that the Lady returned. A thousand soldiers, two hundred on horseback, entered the southern side of the city, fittingly called the Military District. As for the Lady herself, like the other noble officers who were born into the city-state's royalty, they made their way to the Noble District instead.

That day, both commoners and nobles went to the streets. They wanted to see them as they passed through the city.

The Lady took the lead. In her pure white horse and blue noblewoman dress, she was as majestic and beautiful as ever. No smile was drawn on her pure white face. However, her head remained hanging high, displaying that her defeat had not tarnished her honor. She was a wand mage, so she wasn't carrying a large staff with her. Instead, she had a bracelet on her right hand that could transform into said wand.

One by one, the others that followed her all went their separate ways. She had instructed them beforehand to not follow her to her estate even though decorum dictated otherwise.

When she arrived, all the maids, servants, and guards had come out to the courtyard. They all gave a bow as one of the servants led her horse. On the front stairs her father and mother stood side by side, even though they despised doing so. All for the sake of keeping up appearances (even though there were no outsiders present).

And, Victoria had chosen to be there as well. She was wearing a noblewoman's dress, just like her mother and her sister. Her hair was tied upward in a bun and a pair of tiara and diamond necklace decorated her head and neck. She had to be presentable in public, even if she was the stepchild of the family.

The horse stopped, lowering itself to the ground so the Lady could climb down like a Lady would.

"Oh? What's this? My foolish sister has returned? Are you finished playing adventurer?" A mocking grin formed on her pretty face.

"H-hello, Sister Marlene…"

"Enough. I don't want to hear your gnawing voice. I'm tired and I wish to take a nap. Father, I'll make my report later. Mother, you look as lovely as ever."

"Aaw, thank you very much!" The older woman cooed before giving her a short hug. "Don't worry, Marlene. I'm with you all the way!"

"As am I." Her father followed, giving her a hug as well. "I'm sure you did your best. You can make your report tomorrow, alright?" He smiled.

Seeing this sight, Victoria could only force a smile.

After all, she had never been hugged by them. Not even once.

---------

Hugo

Holy hell, this is more impressive than I originally thought!

The Third Stratum. The Lunar Wasteland.

The surface of the moon.

We were surrounded by nothing other than the rocky terrain the moon possessed. In the short glance I had, we were now pretty much like the crew of Apollo 11, as nothing differentiated this moon from the moon we had back home.

Well, other than the large Earth visible in the distance.

For half of it wasn't mostly blue as it should. Instead, they were black and red, as if the sun itself had scorched that side and vaporized all the ocean.

The other half, though, looked perfectly normal, even if the geography was different.

We quickly found the teleporter back to the outside as it was just a few steps to the right of where we were.

Aah, about time. Two months in a dungeon is no joke. Even with Felicia's soft chest, I still can't really relax.

I think I'll take at least a week off from now.

---------

Back at the Relfatia Estate, Marlene was now speaking with her father inside his study.

The Lord of Arborea was always known by his composure. And yet, he now looked downright miserable. Whatever news her daughter had bore, it could only have been a terrible one.

"To think that the Demon Lord himself would come to the battlefield…" The lord tapped his fingers on the table. "No wonder you failed to repel his forces. He brought down his full might, just to steal the mines from us." The man paused, pressing his fingers to his wrinkled forehead. "How about the Templars?"

"Wiped out. Unlike us, they weren't willing to surrender. What a shame. Those demons would've let them go."

"As expected." The lord let out a small chuckle. "But, there should already be reinforcements coming from the Holy Continent. They would surely declare a full blown crusade once they were ready to go."

"Father. I have a proposition."

The feudal lord paused once again, his eyes narrowing and his eyebrows furrowing. "A proposition?"

"Why don't we ally ourselves with Demon Lord?"

The lord froze, his mouth slightly opened as he tried to process what he just heard.

"I'll be frank, Father. Even with the strength of all the city-states combined, with the Church as well, I don't believe we'll be able to win against him. He brought me to speak with him after he captured me. And he told me on how he had procured the aid of another Demon Lord to his side."

"You… are you serious?!" Without realizing it, the feudal lord had stood up from his chair.

"Yes. She was there. Virana, The Demon Lord of Illusions. She... tortured me with her illusions until I believed her identity."

The Lord of Arborea crashed back onto his chair, wiping the sweat that had gathered on his forehead with his handkerchief. "You are right, my daughter. With Virana aiding him, I'm afraid there is little we can do. The nine-tailed fox demon could slaughter entire armies by making them attack each other. We will need illusion breakers en masse to fight her, and only the mainland Church can supply them. The Templars won't have enough."

"He already offered us a deal to take. I shall marry one of his sons in exchange of leaving us alone. His goal is only to free the enslaved and oppressed demons. He will not interfere with our human lives. Or so he says."

"You?! I will have to give you to him?!"

"Yes, Father." She gritted her teeth. "The son… is an orc… and he already salivated when he was just looking at me from a distance." Clutching the fabric of her skirt, the young woman sprung up from her chair. "I don't want it! Please, Father! Make it be that worthless girl Victoria instead! He didn't say it had to be me! He just wanted a daughter from our house!"

The Lord of Arborea sat back down, rubbing his temple with both hands as he leaned on his table.

"...Give me time to decide."

"Father…"

The young woman walked forward and wrapped her hands around his waist from behind.

"I love you, Father."

"Of course, my dear, of course." He took her hands and grabbed them with his own.

On that morning, the Feudal Lord's mind was made up.

If they truly had to switch side, then Victoria would be the one to be sacrificed.

He only hoped the Demon Lord would accept her.

--------

Tira

"Bahahahaha! One more, lil' Missy! One more! You think my big gut can be satisfied with just ten tiny mugs?"

"Y-yes, Sir, right away!"

That night, the young elf was busy working as a waitress as usual. Dressed in a green and white dress with a skirt that went down half her thighs, she readily took the orders of the customers and delivered them either to the kitchen or the bartender. She would also have to bring food and drink back into the tables.

She wasn't the only waitress that night, of course. There were four others, all dressed in the same outfit. The tavern was always full at night so they needed all the help they could get.

"Kyah!"

"Ooo, nice! Black really suits you, Saten!"

"Aahn, honored customer… you can't do that to your poor waitress…"

Tira could only sigh at the sight. As usual, once the customers drank, they would get rowdy and once they did, they would start harassing the waitresses.

Including her.

"What's with the long face, Tinny? Jealous Miss Saten over there is getting all the attention?"

A man behind her had lifted her skirt, grinning in the process. She recognized him immediately as he was a regular.

“Green-striped with a bow? How adorable. Just like you, Tinny.”

Tinny was the way he affectionately addressed her. As much as she didn’t like it, she could only bear it with a smile. “Customer is God”. That was the first thing drilled to her when she first started working here.

“Oi oi, don’t tell me you like her over Saten or Karin! You must be messed up in the head if you like a zero sex-appeal girl like her!” His companion yelled with a laugh. He looked even more drunk than his friend. “A washboard chest, a flat behind, the only thing good about her is those elven ears of hers!”

“Please, ignore this buffoon. To me, Milady, you are the cutest waitress in this tavern, nay, the entire Arborea. You might not have the most voluptuous behind, but these cheeks—they’re just as soft as Saten’s.”

He was now actively groping her butt, moving his hand back and forth across her two cheeks.

"S-Sir, I'm sorry, but I have to be on my way."

"Come on, relax a little. I'll give you a great tip if you stay at my side for the rest of the night." He winked.

This wasn't the first time she had encountered a troublesome customer like him. And whenever she did…

Lightning flew from the bartender's hand, missing the groping man's face by a breadth of a hair.

"Hey, you, get off her! You think this is a whorehouse?!"

The bartender flew from behind her counter, landing right on the man's table.

She was a dark-skinned succubus, dressed in a white button-up shirt and black trousers.

"Eeekk! I'm sorry, Hera! I'm sorry!"

"Tira is my precious employee! Bully her again and I'll kick you out! Got it!"

"G-got it!"

The succubus jumped down, her large breasts bouncing in the process. Her white shirt wasn't buttoned on its two topmost ones, revealing a generous amount of braless cleavage.

"You alright, kiddo?"

"Y-yes! I'm fine! Thank you very much, Miss Hera!" Tira bowed.

"Good!" She grinned, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Don't serve these guys anymore for the rest of the night."

She was the reason why she liked working here. As much as it annoyed her to have random old men flip her skirt and grope her butt, Miss Hera always had her back if they tried anything else. Not to mention she paid her handsomely, more than the average wage of a tavern waitress.

No other incident happened for the rest of the night, other than a handful of other customers flipping her skirt again. After helping with the clean-up, she made her way back to her apartment.

"Be careful, alright?" The succubus waved her hand with a grin. "Don't let the night wolves get you! A cute girl like you—"

"Yes yes, I understand, Miss Hera. A cute girl like me is easy prey. Don't worry. I always took the big, lit-up roads. I don't take any shortcuts through alleyways. I'm already twenty years old, you know." The elf huffed.

"You're ten to me, you little whelp! You're not an adult yet once you have these on your chest!" She squeezed her two massive boobs with a grin.

Tira could only let out a weak laugh in response, glancing down at her own flat chest.

When would she have her growth spurt?

-------

“Hmm… hmmhmm… hmmhmmhmmm…”

The little elf hummed to herself as she made her through the city. At night, especially around one or two in the morning like this, the city was mostly silent, with the only sound coming from the taverns and pleasure houses that were still doing their business.

She was now back in her normal outfit with her spear strapped on her back. She would always bring her weapon whenever she would work late, as a precautionary measure. Thankfully, Hera didn't seem to mind.

It's been two months since they left. They should return soon, right?

Not a single day went by without her thinking about her son. And now that she had more free time without her job as a maid, she could spend it sewing clothes for him. As a mother, he wanted him to look his best

Oh, Sir Hugo, please keep him—uhmmmmphh!

The last thing she remembered was the pair of hands pressing the handkerchief into her nose and mouth.

And then, darkness.