Leaves and Nudists

"Is this your pet? What's her name?"

"Shes cute!!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Be careful where you lick...."

By the time Neto caught up with Charlotte, a crowd of Dryads were fawning over her. He was worried she'd get scared and attack them, but she seemed to enjoy the attention, rolling on her back to accept tummy scratches.

This was the first time Neto really observed her underside. There were large patches of unprotected skin, with only light scales in patches. A definitive weak-spot.

The dryads looked rather alien, but Neto still thought they were attractive. They had long nose-bridges and wide mouths with pointed teeth. Their delicate skin had a faint green or brown tint, and their hair reminded him of a mat of leaves. There were faint trails of light connecting them to their respective tree's.

The more pressing issue was... they wore no clothes!

Neto turned into a radish, avoiding staring at one dryad for too long. They treated him like some awe-inspiring deity. Some approached him while maintaining a safe distance. The first one to speak with him was a... shapely lady. Her eyes were solid gold with speckles of blue and she stood at eye-level with Neto. He guessed she was a little older than him.

"What's your pet's name name?"

"C-charlotte," Neto stuttered. Her ample bosom was a dangerous distraction.

The dryad smiled, showing off a ruthless set of teeth.

"Such a lovely name! So, who exactly are you and what are you doing here?"

Neto gulped. ''Strait to the point, huh? Well, they are guardians apparently...'

"We're adventurers traveling to the underbelly. Do you know where we can find the correct gate?"

Oddly enough, He couldn't sense any exits from this leaf, meaning the dryads probably had it hidden with magic.

The dryad chuckled, forcing Neto's eyes back onto that jiggling breast...

"A snapscale and an ect want to go to the underbelly? Why not stay a while before heading to that foul place? It's been ages since we've heard a delightful story."

The other dryads nodded in approval.

"A feast for the visitor!" One shouted.

"Isn't he a demon? His aura is potent..." another whispered.

"Stories!!!" A third gasped.

'I can hear you guys, you know.' Neto shook his head as they gossiped in front of him.

The feast sounded tempting. Even with unbound entity sating his hunger, he missed the taste of food and the pleasure of a good drink.

A tiny voice on his left shoulder began shouting: "she's flirting with you!! Stay here a while you idiot!!

Meanwhile, a voice on his right shoulder calmly said: "Don't use your downstairs brain. You came here to cultivate and get a new weapon."

'Well, there's no shot this dryad lady is flirting with me, anyway. I'm covered in filth and still look like a scarecrow.'

He decided to listen to his right shoulder.

"Thank you, I really think you are- I mean, this leaf is beautiful! I'd love to tell you stories, but there's a friend waiting for me elsewhere.

"A girlfriend?" she frowned.

"N-no! Just a blacksmith. Right, a blacksmith... I'm going to pick up some equipment. I really wish I could stay, but this is urgent."

A darker shade of green appeared on the dryads cheeks. She wasn't blushing, was she?

'Don't tell me Rakshasa changed my soul to give off Dryad pheromones...' Neto thought back to his escapade in the snapscale den.

"My name is Ume. Sorry the others are acting like that... My people are rather superstitious about Demonkin."

"Oh, Um... I'm not-" Neto bit his tongue. Maybe they thought he was a big-shot? He'd brought a high-tier monster as his pet, after all. She'd called him an ect, which didn't ring any bells in his library of fantasy knowledge.

'I'll have to ask Rakshasa about this later.'

Most of the other dryads were still petting Charlotte, who looked like she was in heaven. There was no way for her to scratch her own belly, after all.

"...That's right. I'm rather used to this sort of treatment by now. My name is Neto, thanks for talking to me despite the stigma."

Ume nodded, gesturing for him to follow her. Neto noticed the murderous glance she shot at the other dryads, who casually dispersed as if that was normal from her. Was she an authority figure around here?

"I'll tell you how to reach your destination, but I just need to make sure of something first."

Cold sweat dripped down the back of Neto's neck. What would happen if she found out he was a human? His guard increased. If he had to fight, he couldn't be sure of coming out victorious. Neto could not gauge their strength, but he guessed they were far more powerful than they seemed.

As he was thinking about what he'd do if Ume attacked him, they walked out of sight of Charlotte and the other dryads, into a thicket of unmarked trees. Neto could not peel his eyes away from the heavenly view in front of him. Every time those legs moved, he peered into the eye of god.

He was confident in Charlotte's ability to defend herself, and hopefully he could do the same, though there shouldn't be a reason for them to attack after showing such amiability. Rakshasa even vouched for them.

However, blowing past all of Neto's expectations, Ume spun around into a kneeling kowtow.

"Please take me with you!!" she pleaded. "I'm sick of this place! Of being stuck to that god-forsaken tree!! I can tell you're a powerful demon, so please!!"

By now, both of Neto's shoulders were hurting.

'I'm only level six... how exactly is that powerful?' He thought, 'Also, how the hell do you want me to separate you from your tree, lady?!!'

"I-I don't know..." Neto frowned. He'd been pulling some rather dangerous stunts lately. His regard for life wasn't that high, and he was more focused on becoming as strong as possible in the least amount of time. Would It really be ok bringing such a pretty young lady along on a journey like that?

"Let me think about this."

However, that beautiful young lady used the forbidden spinning kowtow!!! Not even Neto could treat this situation lightly.

Ume's head trembled slightly, as if she were about to cry.

"Then, while you think it over, please stay for a feast!! It's customary to feed anyone who shares their stories with us. We have so few things to do for entertainment."

Neto could empathize with her plight. He'd been paralyzed for ten years, and knew all to well what it was like to be confined to one place.

'What's more...'

Flashbacks to Gorens engagement party kicked his salivary glands into fourth gear.

"A feast sounds nice." he swallowed.

"Then it's settled!" She stood with insane speed, bending to kiss Neto on one cheek. Her breasts pressed against his left shoulder like ripe fruit.

What an ambush! Completely devoid of animosity, yet strong enough to incapacitate him.

'Please don't pass out, please don't pass out.' he prayed.

Well, he wasn't holding a bag of gold coins like an idiot this time. Also, Ume wasn't wearing poison lipstick.

"Umm.... R-right. Well... Please take care of me."

Blood rushed to his head, and he blubbered like an idiot. At least Ume looked happy. Her cheeks had deepened their shade even more!!

"Ume! There you are! Don't tease the visitor like that. The feast is about to start, and our chief guest is nowhere in sight." A light, masculine voice came from ahead with slight humor.

When had another dryad appeared?

"Father." Ume said with conflicting emotions. Neto took a few deep breaths, putting on his best smile. He faced a middle-aged dryad with a beard of leaves and mischievous eyes. He, just like the rest of the dryads, was butt-naked, and Neto couldn't help but notice something incredible dangling between his legs.

'What is he? A horse?' Neto became insecure about his own downstairs friend...

"I'm Neto. Pleasure to meet you."

"Ah, so you're the Demon trying to steal my precious daughter away? I'm the King of this leaf, Hitoshi."

Neto choked on his own spit. That meant Ume was a princess.... He'd seriously considered taking her with him?!!!

"Don't make weird jokes father, you scare off too many adventures that way..." Ume grumbled.

'He really doesn't look like he's joking..' Neto protested in silence. Hitoshi's stare was like a child holding its finger up to an ant.

"I-I hope we can get along." Neto bowed.

"Hah! Of course we'll get along!! All demons are fantastic storytellers, after all!!!"