Chapter 251

I yawned as I laced up my boots. Having the opportunity to sleep in a bed again for the first time in more than a week was rather nice. There were so many people here now that we took up more than one room but Grace refused to allow us to pay for the reservations on any of them. She even insisted on putting Tenna and Kino up in one of the smaller rooms that is normally reserved for the prostitutes at night. With fresh sheets of course. I was amused to see Kino talking with some of the Ruby Vixen girls after Tenna had gone to sleep. Seems he snuck away once she passed out.

Our conversation about Madeline wasn't as contentious as I thought it would be. In fact, a few of the girls had already anticipated that she would be joining us shortly after we found her. In the end, I put it to a vote and most of the girls voted positively for her to join us and the remainder chose not to vote at all. I'll still have to ask Maddie what she thinks about coming with us and if she wants to learn to become a merchant under Fellia, but now I can confidently give her the offer.

Today the plan is to go and meet with a high priest at the temple of Velenthel and hopefully have a meeting with Oceane if she isn't too busy in the evening. After going through the letters, I also had an open invitation to meet with Nathaniel, a high priest of Morkinnen and the current person in charge of Goldenhearth. He was busy but the letter said he would make time to meet with me around lunch if I could come by. Most of the other letters were from some of the succubi. It had become a bit of a fad among them to write me. I was a bit surprised the city was willing to hold on to so many letters for me at the gate. However, it wasn't hard to guess where that influence was coming from after I got a free pass to come through the gate from the newly founded 'Ruby Vixen Mercenary Company.' I feel like it would have made more sense to leave them for me at the Ruby Vixen Brothel but maybe there had been some doubt that I would stop by if I had to come through Goldenhearth again. I'll make a point to ask Grace to tell them to leave the letters at the brothel for me instead.

I opened my status again but the only thing that's changed since I last looked at it was another level in drawing. I've continued to practice and work on my ritual magic but after the level I had gotten in combat, the skill had been stubbornly refusing to level up again despite the work I put into it on the trip.

[Status]Name: Lilith BaphometRace: Greater Succubus [Race Hidden - Displayed as Beastkin (Sheep)]Gender: FemaleClass: [Novice Magic Swordsman] Lv. 14Level: 52

Stat Spread:Strength: 100Vitality: 100Charisma: 10 (1010)Luck: 20 (1020)Finesse: 70Magic Control: 100Magic Force: 100 (170)Speed: 70 (90)Endurance: 30

Karmic Energy: 10000

Unallocated Stat points: 0

Skills:Haggling Lv. 15Swordsmanship Lv. 39Illusion Magic Lv. 6Light Magic Lv. 15Light Manipulation Lv. 12Uuna Riding Lv. 13Linguistics Lv. 10Ritual Magic Lv. 17Drawing Lv. 19Mana Sense Lv. 9Luck Magic Lv. 10Enhancement Magic lv. 10Flying lv. 7Intimidation lv. 1Internal Mana Manipulation lv. 5Cartography lv. 5

Class AbilitiesMerchant Skill - CalculationsProstitute Passive - Resist DiseaseProstitute Passive - Magic FingersProstitute Skill - Ease PainProstitute Skill - Freshen UpProstitute Passive - Tight FitProstitute Passive - Group DynamicsProstitute Passive - Go UnnoticedProstitute Passive - Resist SleepProstitute Skill - Center of AttentionProstitute Skill - Nightcap

Special Passives:Soulbound CompanionsSpecial drop rate upSightspeakDouble Down

Innate Abilities:Karmic RetributionBeing of Karma

Racial Traits:Succubus ConstitutionSexual Appetite Lv. 49Succubus BondGreater Succubus Shifting

Titles:[World Traveler - Hidden Title][Origin of Succubi - Hidden Title][Dungeon Destroyer][First Explorer][Early Intervention][Demon Hunter][Follower of Sorsette][Mother of the Succubi - Hidden Title]

I chose not to look at my spells again right now. I had already spent a long time looking through them and practicing with the new ones on the trip. The most interesting new spell was [Hasted Perception] which reminded me of bullet time in some video games I vaguely remember from my previous life. It can be kind of annoying to use though because I'm not able to move any faster so it can make everything feel like it's taking forever. Casting ritual magic like that is a nightmare, but I could see it becoming useful in chaotic situations. I tried casting [Carousel] once, which summoned a magic transparent horse, but with no monster to fight it just stood there and didn't do anything unless I commanded it directly. I'll have to try it in combat, but it doesn't cost too much unless I try to cast it a bunch of times at once. On the plus side, I can use it to lift and carry things or even use it as a mount which is neat, but it takes a lot of concentration to use the spell that way. I'm not sure if I would be able to maintain more than one of them at a time unless they have very simple instructions.

Getting [Augment Strength] and [Augment Speed] together was nice, I could use that to isolate the stat from the augment part through wild casting, but so far my tests with it haven't gone well. Statistic components of magic arrays are incredibly complex to my mana sight and even if I did fully isolate them, I don't have anything to slot in their place. Until I can find another spell that I can isolate the stat from like this, there is no incentive to wild cast either of those spells. It does open the door for me in the future, especially if I can get other statistic-enhancing magic, but for now, there's not much I can do with it unfortunately.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked Bella who still looked groggy.

"Mhmm..." she mumbled. I smiled at her. She was always cute when she was sleepy like this.

We obviously couldn't take the entire group into the temple, so we decided to just keep it to me, Bella, Nelly, and Kal'daeryn. Everyone else would relax and spend some time shopping in the city with the money I gave them. The twins, Silva, and Lorriene were going to scout out the adventurer's guild to see if it was open and operating in the city again. After that they are planning on escorting Tenna and Kino around for a while. Raya, Sibyl, and Mimi were going to spend some time with some of their friends here, and Fellia was going to take Madeline with her to help Cecilia prepare a shipment for Traehall to make some spare money for all of us. Madeline seemed a bit unsure of going with the elf and the human but Nelly reassured her that the two of them could be trusted. It seems she didn't have full confidence in being around non-beastfolk yet, which was kinda understandable since she didn't know any of us all that well. This would be a trial run to see if she got along well with Fellia before I offered to take her with us rather than leave her at an orphanage here.

When the two of us came down to the lobby Nelly and Kal'daeryn were already there waiting for us. Before I could say anything to them a tawny cheetah cannonball almost knocked me over.

"Lilith! I heard you came back!" Eira said excitedly. She wrapped her arms around me in a surprisingly strong hug that robbed me of my breath. Thankfully, she quickly let go. "Oh! I'm sorry! I keep forgetting how strong I am now hehe... I've been working for Oceane as a mercenary! It's been fun! I've been fighting monsters! Ah, there's so much I want to talk to you about but you're probably super busy right now. I'll come back around dinner to hang out, I'll bug you then. Will you be around later?"

I chuckled and patted her on the head. "I should be back by then, assuming nothing goes wrong at the Temple of Velenthel today. I take it you've been doing well?"

"I've been great! Someone told me you'll be going to Traehall soon. Make sure you tell Oceane when you plan to leave later, she's been wanting to send some of us to a frontier town so it'd be a great opportunity to travel together! Oh, I'm one of the ones who was planning on going with a few of my friends. I've leveled up a lot since you were here!"

Nelly walked over and smiled at the hybrid cheetah girl. "A friend of yours? She seems quite lively."

I laughed and pulled Eira off of me. "Nelly, this is Eira. She was one of the first girls that became a succubus when we were in Goldenhearth last."

"Oooh, you're really pretty Ms. Nelly! You interested in playing together tonight?"

Nelly instantly flushed and the sudden offer. She awkwardly looked at Kal'daeryn who looked equally as flushed before turning back to her. "I'll... have to get back to you on that offer after I talk with my... girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend is really hot too! I wouldn't turn her down either if you both wanted to play. Oh, sorry, am I being too forward? Some people don't like that but it's easy for me to forget since I've been working in a brothel for so long. I've gotten in trouble a few times at the adventurer's guild already hehe," Eira said. Nelly just stared at her with a confused and embarrassed expression and I gently pulled Eira away with one arm.

"Sorry, Nelly. Eira is kind of high energy." I turned to the cheetah-girl. "We'll talk later Eira. We've got some stuff to take care of and any more of this and I think Nelly is going to die of embarrassment."

"Aww, okay. Well let me know! I'll talk to you later, Lilith!"

Torien cleared her throat. "Eira, do you think you could show us to the adventurer's guild?"

Morrigan grinned at me and shooed me away while Torien kept Eira distracted. I blew her a kiss then ushered Nelly out of the front door.

"Do you keep company like that often?" Kal'daeryn asked once we had walked a fair bit away from the building.

I laughed. "Not really. Eira is pretty energetic though, that's for sure. The first time we met, she was badly beaten up after the demon attack here in Goldenhearth. Her near-death experience had left her with a surprisingly good outlook on life. She was one of the first... 'friends' we made here in Goldenhearth. I'm glad she's doing so well."

"I've always liked Eira," Bella said. "Her enthusiasm is infectious. She always makes me feel excited when she's around, a bit like Mimi. You know..." She turned to me with a small smile. "She did say that she would try to join your harem if she was an adventurer... and now she's been out adventuring..."

I raised an eyebrow at her and grinned. "You almost sound excited by that prospect."

Bella laughed and shrugged. "I don't think she would be the worst addition to our group, I feel like she might make things more fun."

Kal'daeryn coughed. "Do you think we can change the subject? I don't think I'm ready to think about all of that right now..."

Nelly grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry honey we don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

"So..." I opened. "Are the two of you officially girlfriends now?"

Kal'daeryn averted her eyes away and her tail flicked back and forth while Nelly's mood lifted even higher. "Yep! Kallie asked if we could make it official last night when we were talking on the roof! I never thought she would go after someone so much older, like me, but I suppose I don't look it anymore."

"Nelly! Please. I would rather you call me by my full name in public... and your age has nothing to do with it..." Kal'daeryn said while averting her eyes.

"Aww, but Kallie is cute! How about only around our friends?" Nelly pleaded.

Kal'daeryn's ears went back. "Fine. But not here, this is in the middle of the street!"

Nelly smiled and hugged Kal'daeryn's arm. "Okay, I promise." There were a few looks at the couple as they walked down the street so obviously sharing their affection with each other. This is Goldenhearth, a place where there isn't much Tamin church presence, but it's still a bit more open than most people are used to. I got the impression that Nelly wanted to show off a little after they had gotten together and this was a reasonably safe place to do so. The two of them were pretty cute together. They kind of remind me of when Raya and Sibyl first got together, but even more over the top. The flavor of their teasing is a little bit different too.

"Will Velenthel be okay with the two of you dating so openly?" Bella asked.

Nelly smiled. "Contrary to common beliefs, there's nothing in Velenthel's teachings that says she is against two women that love each other from being together romantically. She just emphasizes the beauty of bearing new life." Nelly lightly rested her hand on her lower abdomen. "I'm not sure if I'm able to have children again, I became barren in my age before... you know. That's something I would like to find out. If that's possible for me again..."

We reached the large building that we had been given directions to from Grace. The building was a bit more opulent than I had expected from a goddess who had been held up as a friend of the common people, but maybe I was reading too far into it. I do remember that nobles often visit Velenthel's temple for healing as well, so maybe there is a lot more money involved than I had assumed. The building was taller than most in the area and took up two large plots of land side by side, similar to how the brothel does but with an even larger area. The walls were made of a pale blue stone that was slightly reflective as if they had been polished to a mirror shine and were trimmed with inlaid gold in many of the creases and edges of the building. The two large lacquered wooden doors had decorative carvings showing many different depictions of the motherly goddess representing all sorts of different races. The variety of different carvings included ones that I recognized and ones I didn't. On the steps leading up to the doors were golden looking braziers that crackled with green fire. The place was busy and the crowd was a mix of commoners, the poor, and even more affluent looking people who entered and exited the building in fairly large crowds. Six paladins flanked the steps in polished metal plate armor with light green and white designs etched into the metal and embroidered into their partial robes.

I was hesitant as we reached the large open doors but followed the crowd through them anyway. I half expected to be halted in the doorway or blocked from entering, but nothing of the sort happened. There were a handful of priests standing by to help direct the people entering to various locations and one quickly pulled the four of us aside to ask us where we were looking to go.

"My name is Lilith Baphomet, the four of us are here to meet with a high priest today? I'm a friend of Grace's."

The plain human woman looked at her chalkboard for a moment and nodded. "I do have a note here to bring you to High Priest Altiena's meeting room. Please follow me." I looked at my friends, not having expected things to go this smoothly, but just shrugged and followed the woman down the busy hallway.