3-4

𝒊𝙣𝔫𝑟𝑒𝓪𝘥.𝒄om

Think of this as a bunch of short stories, since I will be writing this during the commercials of the Ravens Patriots game…

—

We stood just outside a Hobgoblin encampment, each picking a stick from the closed fist of the Marquess.

Drawing the sticks, we all looked between one another, before Anput, Jahi and I clicked our tongue in annoyance before turning our gazes to the smiling Leone.

Sighing, we moved back away from the camp, much to the Hobgoblins confusion.

Giving us one last look, Leone walked forwards, tracing a rune in front of her.

Pointing, a thin beam of fire pierced the skull of one of the Hobgoblins, before dissipating in mid air.

Retracing the rune, more and more beams flew through the air, quickly and cleanly dispatching the Hobgoblins.

The spell was so fast that the Hobgoblins couldn't react, staring at awe as their companions dropped one after another.

"Its… efficient."

Hearing Jahi, I nodded, before chuckling when I heard Anput.

"But its soooo boring~"

Finishing off the last Hob, Leone walked back to us with a small smile, her face slightly red as her eyes flickered to Jahi.

Smirking, Jahi stepped towards her and ruffled her ashen hair, saying "Well done Leone!"

I watched in amusement as Leone leaned into Jahi's hand, her face flushing as she smiled.

"Alright! Next one, next one~!"

Laughing, we all followed behind the Marquess, scouring the forest for the next camp.

We didn't have to wait long, and again the Marquess grabbed four sticks, making us draw lots.

"Haha~ Finally!"

Anput was jumping up and down, and I rose a brow at Jahi who was currently staring intently at the midriff and small breasts of Anput.

Sensing my gaze, Jahi gave me a small smile before standing next to me.

Leone joined us, however her eyes were glued to Anput, who was twirling her sword in her hand, her tail swaying as she bounced towards the camp.

I almost let out a yelp when Jahi planted her hand on me, giving me a firm squeeze before smirking down at me.

Glaring at her, I let out a 'Hmph!' before turning to watch Anput.

Jahi just chuckled, her hands continuing to indulge as she too turned towards the excited Jackalkin.

As she approached, the Hobgoblins drew their weapons, charging towards the happy Jackalkin with a roar.

Letting out a laugh, Anput swayed as she avoided the various stone blades, before swinging her sword.

We watched as a silver crescent light flared in the clearing, before the Hobgoblins let out screams of pain as their arms and legs were cleaved off.

With a wide grin, Anput danced around the clearing, her blade flickering towards each Hobgoblin as she quickly finished them off.

The clearing was covered in blood and limbs, and I felt my breath hitch when I saw Anput standing in the center of the encampment, panting slightly as her olive skin was speckled in deep crimson.

I turned my gaze to Jahi, chuckling slightly when I saw her reacting just like me.

I said it before, but I had a thing for women with muscles, and when paired with the lethality of a proficient killer…

Taking a shuddering breath, I looked at Leone, not knowing if I should be happy or concerned.

She was reacting much like us, her face flushed as she rubbed her thighs together slightly.

Sighing, I watched as Anput walked back to us, a large grin on her face as she flicked the blood off her blade.

As she approached, I stepped forwards to meet her, tracing a rune as I used my water magic to clean her off.

She just grinned at me, before making her way towards the group.

We resumed our journey through the woods, finding a large pack of Kobolds that jumped at us as soon as we came into view.

Without a word Jahi rushed forwards, her unique blade flashing in the light as she raised it, swinging it towards the chest of one of the Kobolds. pan(da-n0vel.c)om

Her blade cleaved cleanly through the Kobold's fur covered chest, its guts spewing as the bisected body flew past Jahi.

Twirling her blade, Jahi lanced the tip into the throat of another, the fur shedding from the Kobold as the Stygian Silver poison spread through the body.

Withdrawing the blade, Jahi spun as she slashed the stomach of the Kobold behind her, only to push the body into another Kobold, before her finger quickly traced a rune in the air, glowing brighter and brighter before the clearing was doused in light.

We had to shield our eyes, however we could hear bodies falling and the whimpering of the Kobolds.

As the light faded, I opened my eyes to see the floor littered with limbs and corpses, Jahi making her way back towards us with a satisfied smile.

Slipping behind me, she wrapped her arms around me as I cleaned her off, gulping slightly when I felt her stiffening behind me.

Anput and Leone looked at me, their eyes narrowed.

Anput licked her lips, while Leone quickly folded her hands in front of her.

The Marquess cleared her throat, making us all jump.

Looking towards her, we shivered when we saw her annoyed gaze, before she grinned widely.

"Hehe~ looks like another fun monster is on the way~"

With that she flickered, leaving us alone in the clearing.

Looking at one another, we quickly surveyed our surroundings, waiting for this 'fun' monster to appear.

As we stood back to back, we readied our spells, with Jahi and I draping ourselves in Mana Cloaks, her light and me with wind, while Anput let her metal coat her arms, letting out a growl.

As for Leone, she traced a large ritual circle, which flickered around the clearing before searing itself into the ground.

Moments passed, and we kept our eyes locked on the trees surrounding the clearing.

Waiting with bated breath, we all jumped when we heard the thunderous cry of something above us, before the little sunlight we had was blocked.

Looking up, the large wings of a crimson bird covered the canopy, and we all gasped when we saw its large head swing towards us.

With a flap, a gale swept through the clearing, and with a grunt we all dug our heels into the soft earth.

My hands flickered, and I traced a few runes in front of me, grinning as a flurry of wind blades hurtled towards the bird.

Letting out a shriek, the bird swung its head towards me, its large crimson eyes alight with anger as the blades dug deep into is flesh, sending its orange feathers fluttering to the ground.

Diving towards us, Jahi and Anput swung their blades towards the birds long talons, sparks flying as the two women grunted.

Leone and I traced more runes, sending spell after spell into the birds chest.

However, we both had to dive out of the way as a ball of fire was spat our way.

Getting up, I drew my dagger and ran forwards, slipping under the birds talons and wings, before climbing onto its back.

Shaking itself, I desperately dug my dagger into its back and held on.

Letting out a shriek, the bird turned its attention completely towards me, only to let out another shriek when both Anput and Jahi stabbed their blades deep into the birds chest, while Leone activated the circle, a large gout of flame spearing into the throat of the bird.

Removing the dagger from its back, I slid off the large bird, watching as the orange plumage slowly turned grey.

Appearing near us, the Marquess clapped her hands and said "Good job against a young Vermillion Bird. Now, go rest while I see if I can get something off its corpse…"

We all looked at her with dull eyes, before sighing and leaning against a nearby tree.

[Vermillion Bird (Young) killed (assist)! 2034 Xp]

Sighing, I leaned into Jahi as she pulled me onto her lap, resting her head on my shoulder.

As I enjoyed her warmth, I watched in interest as the Marquess gently plucked a few feathers before carving the flesh of the Vermillion Bird aside, pulling the bones out with wet pops.

Eventually a large pile of feathers, bones, and tendons lay next to the Marquess, and she got up with a smile, her entire arms covered in blood.

Approaching me, she held out her arms, waiting for me to clean them off via my magic.

Giving her a dry look, I slowly traced the rune before canceling it early, some blood still staining her clothes and arms.

She pursed her lips as she looked at me, before sighing and moving away.

We all looked at one another, before laughing, looking at each others disheveled appearances.

After the impromptu boss fight with a Vermillion Bird, we continued through the forest for a few more hours, before making our way back home.

This will be a bit short cause I have some things I need to get done today…

—

The journey home was uneventful, the only major occurrence being us forcing the Marquess to sit outside of the carriage, along with her pile of materials from the Vermillion Bird.

As for what happened inside the carriage…

Well, Anput, Jahi and I enjoyed teasing Leone, with both Anput and Jahi letting their hands trail or 'accidentally' touch the shy girl, and we all laughed when she went beet red.

However, there was one time when Jahi went a little to far, her hand slipping from Leone's arms to glide across her chest. Leone hadn't enjoyed that, and I had to almost pull Jahi away from the girl when I saw her eyes slowly unfocus as she tried to get another feel.

Other than that, we just rested for the few hours, discussing the various things that happened over the months we hadn't seen one another.

Anput talked about how she had been thrown out of the palace a few times, dropped deep into the desert with nothing besides her sword and a small canteen of water to make her way home.

We all looked at her in surprise, before she just chuckled and said it was actually really easy, and that the large sand worms that traverse the desert are actually really tasty.

As for Leone, she told us about the various books on magic the Empress had gotten for her, which she had almost memorized as she tried to satiate her lust for all things related to magic.

After recounting our own tales, with Jahi alluding to our various nights together but never explicitly stating it, we started discussing the future, mainly what we should do for the next visit and what classes we are all planning on taking at the Academy.

Unsurprisingly Anput and Jahi had the same idea, being to take basic magic classes and focus mainly on their swordplay, with the only difference being Jahi wanting to take some classes on history while Anput wanted to take every class related to fighting that she could.

As for Leone and I, we were both going to be taking a lot of classes on magic, with both of us excited to learn enchanting and inscription. Leone wanted to take alchemy, and while I did enjoy cooking I hated exact measurements, so alchemy would never be my thing. Instead, I would likely join Anput and Leone with a blade class or two.

Other than the Academy, both Anput and Leone stated interest to purchase a place near the Academy, where we would all live together. That way we could avoid the small dorm rooms and have our own spaces to do what we wanted, instead of having to use the public areas at the Academy.

Of course, I asked "How much would one property cost in the Capital? Especially near the Academy?"

They all looked at me for a second, before saying "Millions."

Blinking my eyes a few times, I looked at each one carefully before asking "Would… would the Empress, Sultana, and Marquess be willing to put forward that much money… just so we can stay out of the dorms?"

Anput shrugged, Leone looked towards the floor, and Jahi pursed her lips.

"Does the Empress not own a property near the Academy? What with her being the Empress and having been around since the dawn of time…"

We looked at Anput, who yet again shrugged her shoulders after calling Leone's mother ancient.

"I… would have to ask."

𝚒𝚗𝔫𝗿𝑒𝙖𝘥.𝒄o𝑚

After that mini discussion, we returned to talking about various things related to the Academy, before reaching home.

Stepping out, we looked towards the front to see the Marquess asleep, the large pile of monster materials bound with her magic.

Shrugging, we all made our way inside, where the Countess was waiting.

Not seeing her wife, the Countess sighed before walking outside. pan(da-n0vel.c)om

Looking over one another, Anput said "How about we clean up before getting some food?"

Seeing us all nod, Anput made her way to her own room, while Leone set off towards hers, leaving Jahi and I alone.

Scooping me up, for the second time in two days Jahi carried me to our room, planning to work up another sweat before bathing.

~~~

As we all sat around the table, enjoying the meal I had prepared for everyone, the Countess walked in, a few letters in hand.

"Well, here's the start of the annoying period of your life, Jahi. We have multiple invitations to various parties and hunting events, each a few days apart."

Placing them on the table, the Countess chuckled when she saw the dull gaze from her daughter, before adding "Well, it isn't just you either. Leone has been invited, and some have gone so far as to invite Anput! Aren't you all just so lucky?"

I watched in amusement as the two other girls sighed, their previous animation gone as they slumped their shoulders.

However, Anput looked up at the Countess, her eyes shining when she asked "Hunting Events? Like, how the Sultanate hunts Desert Worms or Bone Vultures?"

Shaking her head, the Countess chuckled as she said "Nope. Just plain old deer, rabbits, and birds. These 'hunting' events are usually hosted by the Nobility with weak magic."

Anput slumped further into the table, her obsidian eyes dull as she sighed.

Turning to me, the Countess' eyes shone with mirth as she said "And of course, you have to join them, and watch over them from the side~!"

That reminder that I wouldn't even be participating shattered the happiness I was feeling, only to make me ask "How long are we required to stay? Don't higher tier Nobility and Royalty get special privileges?"

Shaking her head, the Countess said "Nope. Instead, you are usually required to stay the longest, but… well, no one has the authority to stop you, as the only people above us are the two Duchess' and one Duke, as well as the Royal Family, but none care for these events that much."

Hearing that we all breathed a sigh of relief, happy we wouldn't need to stay the whole time in these boring events.

Leaving us to take in what she said, we all looked towards the letters.

Scooping them up, Jahi read through them before saying "Well, at least they are in a few weeks…"

Taking the letters from Jahi, Anput grinned when she said "And I am only invited to two of the six events!"

As she laughed, we all gave her glares, with Jahi standing up, a smile on her lips that never reached her eyes.

"Let's go spar, Anput~ "

Grinning, Anput placed the letters on the table before bouncing out of the room, oblivious to the fact that Jahi wasn't planning on taking it easy.

What followed was a few rounds of extreme combat, Anput having to put everything on the line to keep up. However, she enjoyed this more than usual, her grin wide as her eyes shone silver the entire time.

—

So, I think I'll do like one or two of the events, another lemon or two, before starting the Academy. I never really had a set date for it, no age requirement, so…

—