Chapter 23: Conflict

"Catgirls!" Hiro shouted in his mind as he whipped out his tentacle towards Luna the moment she entered the room. To his surprise, Luna dodged him with lightning reflexes, managing to evade his attempt even though Hiro had the advantage.

"Ewww! This one is more disgusting than the last one! Why is it pink?" Luna screamed. Hiro took a massive blow from her words. His girls had been so accepting of him that he'd almost forgotten his true form—a writhing Cthulhu-like tentacle.

Feeling dejected, Hiro dropped his pursuit and retreated to a corner.

"Luna! How could you say that to Hiro? Is this why you were rejected by other symbiotes? They are sentient beings! They can understand what you're saying!" Marissa scolded. Today was supposed to be the day Hiro managed to bond with Luna. He didn't have any ulterior motive towards her hydrodynamic body, but he definitely wanted to pet and caress her ears and tail.

"I can't help feeling disgusted. How are you so calm, Sis? You used to be scared of spiders!" Luna protested. Another emotional damage was delivered to Hiro. If there was a hole, he would like to hide in it. He was so embarrassed. Why did he think it was okay for a tentacle to come toward a girl so nonchalantly.

Marissa paused, holding Hiro in her hand. "Well, Luna, you need to judge beyond appearances. Hiro helped me walk again. Without him, I wouldn't have even dared to go to the capital."

"Are the other girls the same?" Luna asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Yes. They were fugitives in their homeland. Thanks to Hiro, they managed to reach here safely, even without any supplies," Marissa explained.

"I see. But is that all? Papa survived a war with over ten thousand goblin champions thanks to Malus," Luna said, comparing Hiro to her father's symbiote.

"Hiro is different. He's not a combat-focused symbiote, and he's also still at a lower level. Please don't compare them like that. All you need to know is that he is a symbiote, and he can become your friend," Marissa replied.

"Ah, Papa said Hiro could turn scales into iron. He wanted me to ask if Hiro could work with other metals," Luna said. "Father is sending some dragon scales and wants to know if Hiro could do something with them. It's said that rare minerals like mithril or orichalcum reside in dragon scales."

Hiro's nonexistent ears perked up at the mention of dragons. With his material analysis skill, he should be able to extract the minerals they wanted. But why did they want him to do such a thing? Weren't dragon scales strong enough already?

Luna approached Hiro and poked his tentacle, but when Hiro tried to slither up her arm, she quickly pulled away. No matter what Hiro did, he could never match her quick reflexes. She truly had the reflexes of a cat. When Hiro retracted his tentacle, Luna poked him again. Hiro lashed out to her arms again, and she evaded it. The poking game continued until Hiro then formed a clawed gauntlet from wood and handed it to her. He didn't want to use his iron reserves so recklessly, especially when Luna seemed to dislike him.

"Hm... What's this, a wooden gauntlet? Why are you giving me a wooden gauntlet? You gave the others iron swords and spears yesterday! I want an iron one too!" Luna complained, but Hiro stayed in his corner. Seeing that she wouldn't get her way, she eventually left. He thought she was an annoying but energetic girl.

Hiro then looked over at his girls. They were with the royal guards and were confronted by soldiers bearing Latvin's crest. Hiro immediately became alert, ready to leave Cecile and Nana's bodies if things got tense.

"We are from House Evesys. We've heard that the daughter of Count Evesys is here."

"You are not welcome here. Leave," one of the royal guards said, his tone aggressive. He knew the situation at hand; symbiotes were a matter of national power, and they couldn't allow anyone near the girls.

"I do not wish to go back. Let me live here in peace," Rebecca said firmly.

"Count Evesys has ordered us to bring you back. You must do your duty. Do you wish to betray your family?"

"Rebecca is a citizen of Litmus now. You are no longer in Latvin. We ask you to respect our laws and leave peacefully."

"We must bring her back! That's an order!" the soldiers shouted, drawing their weapons. In response, the royal guards drew theirs as well. Hiro was amazed at how brazen these soldiers were, daring to draw their weapons against the royal guards of another country. Were they really willing to go to war because of him?

On closer observation, Hiro noticed that the royal guards were dressed more casually. They weren't here for war but to hunt pangolins, which meant they had left their best equipment in the barracks. It seemed even they hadn't anticipated that soldiers from House Evesys would barge into the village and draw their swords.

Nevertheless, they were still royal guards, and despite having the advantage in terms of weaponry, the Evesys soldiers were beaten and captured. The royal guards soon brought the captured soldiers to Marissa's house to report the incident.

The four captured soldiers kept shouting accusations, claiming that hosting Rebecca would lead to war with Latvin. Their threats were ignored by everyone present. However, the royal guard looked at them with confusion. They are still trainees. Moreover, they are used to dealing with monsters, not people.

That night, Hiro was about to play with Cecile and Nana when he heard Rebecca leave the house and head toward Marissa's estate. Marissa welcomed her inside. Luna was there too, and she seemed to be softening toward Hiro. The poking game with Hiro seemed to be her favorite pastime for her. Though she still wouldn't let him touch her, Hiro found that by wiggling his tentacle around, he could trigger her cat instincts. She couldn't resist poking and pawing at his tentacle, and soon they were playing a game of dodging each other's pokes.

"Lady Marissa, I have a letter from my father," Rebecca said, handing the letter to Marissa. Marissa had already read it and asked what was going on. The letter had come through the adventurer's guild, not the Litmus embassy, but a royal guard stationed in Marissa's village had intercepted it. So, she already knew the content of the letter.

"Nah, that's a total lie. Papa never took any medicine, and there's no special care needed, except lending your body once in a while so the symbiote can relieve stress and do their hobbies," Luna dismissed the letter nonchalantly. "But hosting an incompatible symbiote does pose some risk. You'd already be dead if that were the case."

"I see." Despite the straightforward answer, Rebecca still seemed hesitant.

"Do you want to go back, Rebecca?" Marissa asked the important question. Hiro thought it was a ridiculous question; there was no way Rebecca would want to return to House Evesys after what the count had done to her. However, Rebecca didn't answer immediately. Hiro wondered if she was hesitating because of him. But Luna had already confirmed that the supposed need for special medicine was false.

"Hahaha! You're right. I shouldn't return to Evesys after they tried to kill me. After everything you've done for us, it would be stupid of me to consider it. Thank you." Rebecca smiled and walked away, returning to their house. But through sense-sharing, Hiro could tell Rebecca was lying.

Hiro sighed inwardly as Rebecca stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He wrapped her with his tentacle and gently nudged her to move outdoors.

"Hm… Sorry, Hiro. I don't want to play right now," Rebecca said, her voice sullen. Hiro persisted, pointing toward the woods. Rebecca was confused for a moment but eventually understood what Hiro wanted.

"You want me to spy on Father's camp?" Hiro nodded his tentacle. Rebecca looked at him, grateful. "Thank you."

Even if she found out her father wasn't lying, she wouldn't leave Marissa. She had sworn an oath to her, after all. But at the very least, she wanted to clear things up. She wanted to be able to visit her father and make amends, to leave on good terms if she could.

Of course, such naive feelings were ridiculous. But Rebecca couldn't help but hope. Hiro, who had also been an outcast in his previous life, understood the hardships Rebecca faced and wanted to support her. Deep down, he knew this wouldn't end well. But he also wanted Rebecca to have a happy life. The sad look didn't suit her; he preferred the bratty, slightly arrogant kid she used to be.

Hiro covered Rebecca's entire body, including her feet, to make her footsteps silent. As for his pink flesh, he transformed his outer layer of skin into a tree bark. It was still somewhat visible if you looked closely, but he couldn't think of a better solution. He didn't have the ability to dye or change the color of his flesh.

Nevertheless, they succeeded in sneaking into the Evesys camp. The soldiers were positioned right at the border of Latvin and Litmus. A hundred soldiers were camping without much concern, drowning in liquor and feasting like high school kids on a field trip, lacking any discipline. Nobody scolded them, and Count Evesys himself didn't seem to care. However, when a particular man passed by, everyone knelt at once.

"Brother..." Rebecca muttered. Hiro suddenly remembered that Count Evesys had a brother who was also a symbiote user.

"Jeremy!"

"Father, did that useless sister really get herself a symbiote?" Jeremy sighed. A black tentacle then spewed out from his neck and formed another head.

"Yes! You heard it yourself from the soldiers, didn't you?" the head replied.

"I see. Should we chase them?"

"Hm… war with Litmus is not ideal. They may be a small kingdom, but they have good relations with many other countries, including ours. The king wouldn't like it, Jeremy," the symbiote replied.

"Report. A complaint from the Litmus kingdom just arrived. They said our soldiers have illegally trespassed into their territory," a soldier said.

"We're not waging a war with Litmus. The king will have my head if that happens. I simply need you to sneak into the village and kill Rebecca, Nana, and Cecile. Then, take their symbiotes. Can you do that?" Count Evesys asked.

“Symbiotes are sentient. If you kill their hosts, they'll become hostile to you," Jeremy's symbiote said.

"We can simply use an enchanting potion," Jeremy scoffed.

"Yes… You are right..." the symbiote nodded and retreated back into Jeremy's body. Hiro was taken aback; it was clear that the symbiote was being abused. They were planning on using some kind of drug to force Hiro's submission.

"Let's go home. Back to Marissa's village," Rebecca said, having seen enough. Count Evesys was cruel beyond measure, and Hiro could only pity Rebecca for having such a father. On their way home, Rebecca cried silent tears, cursing herself.

"I was so stupid. It was foolish of me to believe his letter for even a moment," she whispered. Hiro sighed as he navigated through the forest, guiding her. In her distress, she even managed to hit her head on a random tree. She bawled on her way back, hugging Hiro.

Nevertheless, Thanks to Hiro, Rebecca returned safely to Marissa's village. This time, there was no doubt left in her heart. She was no longer an Evesys.