Slow March of Progress - Part 3
Intermission – Prince Hekeman-u
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"We have no more leads, and no sign of activity related to golems has arisen yet," the Spymaster concludes with a solemn tone. This affair has tarnished his reputation.
"Then we shall archive this, but we'll never forget this insult. The survival of our nation was only possible through the Ryder's intervention," Mother announces, her tone so dry it's obviously hiding a large amount of anger. We're a proud, independent people, but the Fortress of Calamity wounded us.
A silence befalls us, and it's as if all eyes were accusing one specific person in this room, but nobody dares utter it… yet.
We can't pathetically wallow in our own thoughts like this, so the Spymaster brings up a related topic, "Rumors have started to spread that the Emperor denied giving the Ryders aid, even going so far as throwing him away from the Throne Room."
This is a revelation that sends our minds into reflection. Could it be we're all mistaken?
"But we will. Our nation pays its debts," Mother encouragingly replies. Even if it takes my entire life to pay it off, or my child's entire life, or my grandchild's entire life, and so on, and so forth, we'll fulfill it.
Our pride and honor is at stake, and as the room empties, my eyes turn to the one threat to it. My sister, Princess Haotawa.
"What have you done?" the words come out of my mouth without my consent, and I immediately regret.
Her solemn face lights up and her lips widen into a smile. "What could you possibly mean by that?" she asks, her tone and expression perfectly gentle, but I can feel that she's hiding a scowl.
"Our kingdom was built on honor," I declare, my bitterness taking over my good sense.
"Yes, yes it is…" she replies with a disinterested tone.
This… is driving a wedge between us.
It could've been someone from the outside; the Ryders have many enemies, but it was too clean, too precise, too competent. There's only one person who has the power, the connections, the precedent of doing this type of shady work, so is it really that bad to suspect my own sister?
I pray that I'm spared from Mauahara's Curse. I do not wish to slay my own kin.
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Intermission end.
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Today is the 10th, Tann, day of Darkness. I didn't notice this before, but it's quite the ominous day to be born on, especially since we're in the month of Death… and today's Yunia's birthday.
It's just superstition that the day you're born affects who you become since there's nothing inherently special about your birth. If anything, it's mana that the mother is exposed to throughout the whole pregnancy that affects the child, but even then you need some heavy mana exposure for any noticeable changes to happen.
Then these thoughts are wiped away from my dreams as I wake up to a pair of blue jewels staring at me as they slowly go down, a slick warmth enveloping my cock, gently sliding against my head and shaft, which brings my level of pleasure past the point of no return. My balls twitch, and the bliss spreads from it to my head as I explode with a thick cumshot directly into the back of her mouth.
She doesn't even twitch as she takes it all, then remains staring at me intensely as I repeatedly unleash ropes of cum. A perfect, long moment of heaven. And once my orgasm subsides, she pulls up and out, then opens her mouth and shows me her reward. Only when I nod in approval does she finally swallow it all.
"Happy Birthday, Yulania, my love," I huskily hum, and she gives me a beautiful, proud smile.
"You always call me Queen, so this feels different. Even saying my full name sounds novel," she remarks while slowly stroking me.
I moan softly as I'm still sensitive, "Good reminder… hngh… since even if I share my feelings through our connection, it still feels good to speak them out loud."
"I love you, Wolfy," she bravely confesses, her ears twitching and reddening.
So I extend a clawed hand, and she leans forward so that I can cup her cheek. "I love you, Yulania," I whisper with a handsome voice, and then I pull her towards me for a kiss.
What a lovely tongue she has, but it's her birthday, not mine, so she pulls back and turns to the girls. "I love you, Roxanne-…"
"She said my name first!" the slutty succubus happily brags.
But Yunia ignores her and continues, "I love you, Kaatohe; I love you, Hanafuria; I love you, Alissa; I love you, Ciel; I love you, Aoi; I love you, Lina; I love you, Osaria; I love you, Poosh; I love you, Klein; I love you, Hukarere; I love you, Caterina; and I'm starting to love you, Thea."
Alissa notices how Thea's tail twitches at the mention of her name, but I'm more interested in Kaatohe coming before everyone else but Roxanne. The proud Queen in question does not deem it worth addressing our speculations, though.
Now, everyone gets a kiss from her, with tongue, even Caterina. I get hard again as I watch my gorgeous wife shove her tongue into the mouth of a milf that isn't even the lover of either of us. It's such a depraved thing that even Hana gets horny. I just wanna fuck someone's wife…
--
My [Draconic Transformation] leveled up by 1. I was rather expecting this due to never having fought while flying as a dragon before, so I definitely gained a lot of unique experience from that.
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Teresina is back for breakfast, again wearing a sexy negligee that makes me hard, so I cum down Hukarere's throat while staring at her body. She doesn't look like she's in the mood for anything lewd right now, but she knows exactly what I'm doing, and I can see her mood improve a tiny bit after I groan softly during my orgasm.
We don't exaggerate on the sweets today because there's going to be a party for Yunia's birthday, and we'll overeat then. Always better not to be unhealthy if you can avoid it.
--
Our orb-boosted mana circulation training is cut a bit short since the party will start before lunch. We take our time getting dressed and prettied up, but it isn't like we want to make them wait, we just need to make sure everything is in order… the wait is just a bonus.
I mean… I don't want to make the Root Lords wait, but the Heart Lords deserve a bit of it so they remember their place.
Our clothes are custom-made just for today, which is a bit of an extravagance but elves can knit super fast with [Weaverism], so not that extravagant, barely acceptable to me. Mine is, as usual, tight pants that make my bulge visible, a vest to hug my slender and athletic body, and a silver cape parted in the middle to not hide my gloriously thick tail. This time, I have gel on my hair to pull it back and give me a refreshingly neat look that makes Alissa so horny I almost fuck her, but this would make everyone horny, so we hold back, for once, because we don't have the time.
Alissa is wearing a furry black dress this time, not a kimono, but it has to be slutty. It has puffy cuffs, collar, and hem; low cut for cleavage, and high up the thigh so that everyone wants to take a look at her panties, but she's wearing none. The danger of exposing her is making me more excited, lately.
Hana is wearing a new emerald scale dress that matches hers, but the cloth is semi-transparent while there's space between the scales, so if you stare long enough as she moves you'll glimpse everything. I almost want her to just walk fully naked but her teasing others to stare is sexier.
Roxanne has a body-conforming light-blue leotard with a half skirt that shows even the shape of her nipples and pussy lips. It's almost like she's just wearing body paint, but it's right at the edge of "appropriate" (for elves). I rub her pussy a bit to get her horny, and now the shape of her clit becomes noticeable if you're close enough, but getting her excited will also stain the dress, so I won't push it (for now).
Ciel's hair was beautifully curled, puffing it up and covering more of her face and shoulders, making her look cuter, but also bringing even more attention to her irresistible cleavage. Well… almost irresistible because I hold back from fucking her tits. We've also forced her to use a semi-transparent dress, so you can make out her areolae and that she isn't wearing any panties.
The theme here is tight clothing, so Lina is also wearing a dark blue leotard that resembles a swimsuit but with a puffy little white skirt, showing off how slender she is and also the shape of her little mounds. Again, I hold back from sucking on them, and just the memory of my lips makes her feel like they're aching for it. It'd feel wonderful to ruin her pretty makeup.
Human-Aoi is wearing something more elven, a red bikini to cover her lewd parts and multiple silver metal snakes that stick to her skin as "clothes." I like that she's "naked" in her normal dragon form, but her human form arouses more people, so that feels nicer.
Now Yunia… she's once again wearing the sluttiest thing imaginable, a micro silver bikini, crystal heels, and nothing else. Her glorious golden hair has been curled to perfection while her perfectly smooth pale skin is powdered with silver to make her shine in our family's holy color. She's like an actual Goddess of sex straight out of the best-drawn doujin you've seen. I actually ask the girls to help hold me back from fucking her, but even they struggle to do it because they think Yunia really would look amazing covered in my cum.
Fffuck…
But okay, now we're ready, so we go down and socialize.
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Intermission – U Thant
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There's a party starting down there, but I don't wanna go. This high-life bullshit is actually… boring, but Lily says we gotta get involved and learn how to "maneuver" in this world so we don't get fucked in the ass later by an idiot wanting to exploit us.
Why would they even try to mess with us when we can just destroy whole cities on our own? It feels so reckless and stupid.
Wait… how would they even use us if we can just destroy whole cities on our own? How can they stop and… I don't know, chain us…?
Wait… they can just… "recruit us," I guess. Sweet lies about the truth, and since they're too important to be executed and we're too kind for murder, the worst that can happen is that they'll be forced to apologize.
This is just like the recruiters back on Earth… I wish I could've shot the face of that bastard that gave me that lecture, lying to my face about what war meant. The money they give you isn't even that good for the amount of danger you go through…
Fuck… okay, I get it.
It's not gonna be some comically evil, stuck-up noble piece of shit that will push us until we break, it'll be the liars and deceivers pressuring us to do their dirty work for them. I don't even know what dirty work, but I just know they'll find a way…
"What are you frowning at?" a sweet voice almost makes me jump in surprise.
I try to hold back how startled I am by slowly turning my head to the side and quietly asking, "What…?" And I see Chesa beside me, leaning against the balcony. It's weird that the taller one is so silent when walking while Lily sounds like a bull when she comes in.
"You're frowning. Did you see someone fucking?" she asks again with a wry smile.
That's… an awkward topic to talk with a girl. "No… and why would I frown, then?"
And her smile turns teasing. "Peeper. You men are always so thirsty."
"You just say this because you're-…" I stop myself before I blurt out something bad.
"I am…?" she repeats with a raised eyebrow, and I feel like her tone is just slightly threatening.
Lily and she can be so mean sometimes while all the girls I used to know were so kind…
"You get disgusted by these things, but they're normal," I frankly explain.
But she huffs and pouts. "'These things'… and I thought you disliked Wolfy."
I shrug. "I still do, but it isn't like I hate everything about him."
Her head-tail twitches from side to side like a cat's, and she looks down at the party, her tone annoyingly softer. "He's not really that bad."
And that really irks me, so I just rant and list them out as they come to me, "Aside from the slavery… and the multiple wives… and the underage-…"
She immediately raises her hands and interrupts, "Okay! Don't need to remind me."
"Then why are you even defending him?" I pressure her further with a frown.
And she softly shakes her head then sighs and slumps on the railing. "I'm not. I just don't think you and Lily should complain so much."
"But you're literally defending him," I reply, confused.
She growls like a little animal then stands up, suddenly full of courage again, and glares at me. "Grr… Okay, fine! He deserves to be defended."
I raise my hands between us because I'm more confused than angry now. "I'd understand if Samkelo did it, but you?"
And she returns to being the same awkward and quiet girl again. "He could've been so much worse. At least the Gods like him."
"What about it? The Gods seem like they're jerks themselves," I reply, feeling awkward myself now that religion has been mentioned. My squad comrades used to pray a lot, but not me.
"You're the one with divine magic!" she exclaims and stares for a moment then returns to observing things below.
But this brings my frustrations to the surface, making me raise my tone. "And yet they don't take it away from me or even punish me! I don't get them!" Then I sigh deeply and slump over the railing, suddenly feeling very insecure.
Why did we even get these powers for? Why were we chosen when anyone else in my squad would've been a lot more submissive? It just feels wrong and weird to know that there are actual "Gods" above looking down on us. Like, do we get any privacy?
These thoughts seem to haunt Chesa too, for we fall silent, and only the cheers and music coming below breaks it. Seems like the elves are dancing and having a lot of fun…
"They're Gods; they have things more important to do than babysit you," Chesa suddenly remarks with a cute snort.
"I'm the one with the big boom powers. I'm dangerous," I hum with a shrug.
And she replies teasingly, "So, should I fear you?"
"N-no…" I awkwardly deny. I hate the idea of being seen as "dangerous" even if it's true. I'm just… a normal dude.
And she lets out a soft sigh. "I feel like… you and Lily worry too much."
But I grit my teeth as some unpleasant memories return. "I've… seen too much shit." I worry for a reason.
"Didn't you say you were a conscript?" she gently asks, worry appearing into her tone.
"Yeah. I fought a few times…" I awkwardly answer. This isn't a pretty topic to talk about, especially with a girl.
"But you killed monsters here," she states questioningly, and I immediately understand her point.
"Monsters aren't people, and I would really hate to have to fight another human again," I immediately confess. There's no point in being delicate when it comes to this.
But she insists, "The monsters were very human-like." And this makes her seem so childish in my eyes.
"Not people," I repeat gruffly then walk off the balcony and into the recreation room again, but her footsteps immediately follow.
I think I need a chocolate…
"Is that something you don't like to talk about?" she quietly asks, sounding pretty childish again. Seriously, this part of her is very frustrating, it's almost insensitive of her.
"You thin-…" I hold myself back from a snappy answer as I jerk my head towards her and just sigh instead. "To think about killing a human feels weird. Different. It's like a 'precious' memory." -She raises an eyebrow at me- "I-I know it sounds weird, but this is something that comes from when I was still human, and I don't want to 'lose' it because it reminds me of how I was."
Then we stop before the table of sweets, and I choose a not-apricot bonbon. Back on Earth I could just drink a beer to relax, or a Sombai if I was feeling fancy, but none of the alcohols here feel the same, so chocolate it is.
Chesa continues to stare at me as I eat, deciding to still haunt me with her curiosity, but I can't really say no to her questions. I don't even like her that way, but I hadn't talked to girls for years while in the army, you know?
"Why do you want to… 'preserve' this memory? You're… still you even if you look differently," she continues the questioning.
And I just shrug. "I don't know, but it feels 'precious,' so I don't want to lose it."
She hums softly and narrows her eyes in thought. "Hmm… Maybe you and Lily are stuck in the past, so that's why you can't accept Wolfy. He changed while you and Lily haven't."
"Have you changed?" I reply a bit snappily and eat another chocolate.
And now she's the one who shrugs. "Maybe, but I don't care about changing, so I guess I won't notice if it happens."
"Why don't you care?" I casually turn around this interrogation.
She frowns and looks away. "I don't know, how am I supposed to answer that?"
"You can become someone you hate," I hum. I'd hate myself if I became a monster…
"I already dislike myself, so it can't get much worse, right?" she answers with a self-deprecating tone, and that really concerns me.
"What? What do you have to hate?" I question, hand stopped in the air holding another chocolate.
She looks down and starts to get really shy, returning to her usual self. "My own feelings…"
I raise an eyebrow. "What feelings?"
And I see her blush a bit as she stutters, "Of… of… boredom."
This makes me snort. "Of all feelings, 'bored' is one that I haven't felt in a while. Yeah, I'd even say that I want some quiet."
"I should be feeling the same… should," she confesses, sounding both frustrated and embarrassed.
I face her, and she strains her neck trying to look away, but since she isn't physically leaving, I think she wants to hear what I have to say…
Wait, does she want to… be comforted? I mean, I get that it's weird that she's bored in an isekai, but she was forced to be here. What if all she wanted was to be a programmer in front of a PC all day? You can't control that.
So I encourage her with a shrug, "Who the fuck can even say what you should be feeling? Just… feel whatever you want."
"And I want to be happy," she immediately answers and finally looks at me again.
"Okay… I get what you mean. This place sucks," I hum and eat another chocolate, then I realize how weird my words sound when I'm in front of a table of all kinds of chocolates specifically set for us while we rest on the balcony of a castle.
Almost feels like everyone wants us to forget about home by letting us live as if we were obscenely rich. Feels dirty.
And Chesa and I fall silent. It seems like we're in perfect agreement about how things suck. She then walks back to the balcony to watch the party below, and I follow after a second as something comes up to me.
"Why do you call him 'Wolfy', though?" I question her curiously.
"It's… cute…" she whispers embarrassedly.
And I have some very mixed feelings about her reaction…
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Intermission end.
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--
Hall of Fame of Patrons
The patrons who support the Realms shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:
Prince PreownedFIN.
Prince UncontrolledEngie.
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Lord Maurice.
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Lord d3235.
Lord Leadpoison.
Lord Vitalica.
Lord Black Unicorn.
Lord School Work.
Lord Philip.
Noble Cb Sir.
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