73-74

Kat PoV

The next two days flew by, with us learning very little; Vice-Headmaster Bijilo went over the fundamentals of most sequence crafting, reviewing the runic language we use for our spells and their origin, while Professor Xiant had discussions about the North and West domains, having Draka and Ulysses describe the places they live.

While those classes were uneventful, Combat Class made up for it and then some; Jillian seemed to be really peeved about Jahi's display from before, and as a result…

Parrying her dagger thrust, I slammed my palm forwards into her modest chest, only to grunt as her leg slammed into my knee, buckling it.

Feeling it seize, I had to desperately try to fend off a dozen slashes, her dagger a blur as she smirked at me.

Her eyes were alight with sadistic glee as I barely managed to block or redirect her blows, trying to regain my footing under her onslaught.

The Elf stabbed her dagger up high only to attempt to sweep my legs out from under me, making me jump backwards to avoid her deceptively strong legs.

However, Jillian proved to be rather quick as well; kicking off her other foot, she launched herself towards me, her dagger aimed at my chest.

Surprised by her speed, I barely managed to twist my body so that her wooden dagger scraped against my ribs, making me grunt from the sudden pain.

Hearing that, her smirk widened, and she swiftly brought her dagger down towards my shoulder.

Trying to block it, I instead found myself stumbling backwards as her foot collided with my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs as I coughed.

Resting the edge of the dagger against my throat, Jillian grinned widely down at me, her long ears twitching as she listened to me pant.

Dragging in breath, I shakily got back to my feet before bowing, moving towards the weapon rack.

It had been the last spar of the day, and I had already faced off against Griselda and another man who used a dagger; his name was Nomi, a Bullkin.

I had been… perplexed, seeing such a large, bulky man using a small dagger, however he had surprised me as he controlled his giant frame quite well.

Jillian walked behind me, and I could hear the smugness in her tone as she said "Not bad… for a commoner."

Refusing to give her a reaction, I placed my training dagger on the rack and bowed to her again, my face passive as I said "Thank you for the guidance, Lady Sariel. Good day."

The woman narrowed her eyes at me for a moment, and as I briefly met her dark hazel eyes, I saw a mixture of mild anger and lust, making me internally sneer.

Ignoring it for now, I made my way back to Jahi and the others, who were staring at me with narrowed eyes as well; Leone was visibly upset that I had gotten 'hurt', while Jahi and Anput had frustration clearly writ on their features.

"Come on; let's go home."

Hearing that, they all frowned before turning around, ignoring me.

Gently shaking my head, I followed behind them as we walked, and I took the moment of silence to ask my system a few things.

'So, I've always wondered this, but if I had chosen [Evil] and [Duchess], would I have been Jillian's servant?'

[Very likely, yes. The 'ranks' were what you were most familiar with, but they would have translated into whatever country you ended up in. For example, the Tian Dynasty; instead of a Duchess, you would serve an accomplished General or Councilor. Again, there are quiet a few people who fit the descriptors given to you in the beginning; an 'alignment' and a rank are very broad. Another example would be Duchess Klaki; she falls under neutral. Does that help?]

'Yes, it does… besides that…'

Frowning slightly, I asked 'Why me? What did I do to deserve this extra chance? Was it just… random?'

The system remained silent for a few moments, before answering.

[It was random. Remember your Point balance? You were, at the end of the day, just an average person; nothing extradorinaiy, nothing crazy. You were just another person living life.]

Nodding, I fell silent as well, resuming the quiet walk home.

Pondering what I had just learned, I was able to bear with the others unhappiness with what had occurred, watching as they all made their way to either their rooms or outside.

Sighing, I sat down on the couch and placed a piece of cloth before me, returning to practicing my enchanting.

After reading more of the book, I found the idea of being an Enchanter more and more appealing. I could make my life much easier via enchantments, both in my day to day life and in combat.

The more utilitarian enchantments were much easier to create, so I used them as a way to practice imbuing my mana onto an object.

Once I grew comfortable enough with that, I'll attempt to place an enchantment on my dagger; nothing crazy, just something that lets my mana flow easier over the blade, reducing the drain during fights and how lethal it could be.

Time slowly passed, and a small pile of enchanted cloths grew beside me.

The amount of mana needed to enchant them was surprisingly little, and I had managed to achieve a success rate of around 2 in every 3 attempts.

Of course, it was a basic enchantment, so until I could do it easily, I wasn't going to attempt to do anything to my dagger.

I could replace it easily, sure, but it now had a familiarity that I couldn't achieve with others; not yet, anyways.

The length, weight, and balance were all things I had memorized at this point; it was second nature to handle the long steel blade as I pleased.

Grabbing it from the small sheath on the table, I withdrew my dagger and stared at it, admiring my reflection on it's clear surface.

Getting up, I made my way over to the small table that housed our spare whetstones and a small jar of mineral oil.

Taking one of my newly enchanted cloths, I set about cleaning my blade, making sure it was spotless, well oiled, and that the edge was razor sharp.

As I took care of my blade, someone sat down beside me.

Getting a whiff of the now familiar citrusy scent, I didn't even look over at Anput as she did the same, running a stone along the edge of her longsword.

She remained silent beside me, and we worked swiftly.

However, before I could get up to walk away she grabbed my wrist, making me look over at her.

Seeing her hard obsidian eyes staring at me, I tilted my head as I waited for her to speak.

The Jackalkin pursed her lips before sighing, asking "Did you really need to let Jillian get that many hits in?"

Shrugging, I replied "Probably not, but it was also useful to attempt to rely on nothing but technique; her style of fighting is different from your precise strikes or Jahi's heavy blows. She utilizes her legs more than her blade, so…"

Getting up, Anput gestured towards the yard outside, saying "If you wish to train, then come."

Following behind her, we entered the large training yard, placing our real weapons on a rack before grabbing some wooden ones.

Moving to stand opposite of one another in the center, we prepared to fight.

~~~

Jahi Pov

Sitting on the roof again, I found that I actually quite enjoyed this space; the others only went to the yard in pairs, so usually it was rather quiet and calm up here.

Admiring the sun setting over the city, I frowned as I recalled the sight from earlier; seeing Kat get pushed back by that arrogant, insufferable Jillian had resurfaced the fight from days prior, against Lord Pele.

Shaking my head, I scoffed as my mind tried to draw that comparison; it was no where near that level of severity.

I knew that Kat was stronger then the Elf, but like always, it irked me that I had to watch as she held back.

At this point I knew not to even attempt to convince her otherwise; my Dogkin wife was rather good at redirecting conversations, utilizing my lust or anger against me quite efficiently.

Realizing that she was going to end up being like mother, I frowned before sighing.

I needed that; I know I did, but it didn't make it easier to swallow knowing that one of my three beautiful wives was adept at 'twisting my arm' as she pleased.

Smirking, I realized that I also had quite the sway over her as well; it has been awhile since I've used any ropes, so my little puppy should be wanting for a good…

Play time.

—

Sorry that these last two chapters have been…

Slow.

Didn't want to use the (Extra) chapters I had built up, since I was capable of writing, but I just needed a little break…

Still want to upload daily though, for that Win-Win mission…

Anyways, hopefully I'll be back at it again tomorrow!

Continuing to watch my two puppies whirling around the training yard, I smiled to myself as I easily lost myself to their beauty.

Kat's fighting style was vicious; her strikes were aimed to maim and inflict severe damage while keeping her opponent alive. Seeing my adorable little murder puppy duck underneath a swipe just to lance her dagger towards Anput's knee made me chuckle.

As for my lithe Jackalkin, I enjoyed the way she twirled away from Kat's ruthless thrust, her cloth binding fluttering in the light breeze before she slashed her sword towards Kat's ample chest, making the Dogkinlean backwards.

Their spar dragged on, both experimenting with different fighting styles; Kat was attempting to put more power into her swings and thrusts, as well as relying more on parries than pure dodges.

Anput was also attempting to utilize her legs more, going for low sweeps and kicks instead of attempting to only use her long blade.

Seeing them trying different styles out, I pursed my lips as I tried to determine if it was a good fit for them; obviously, since this was their first time trying this out they looked a little stiff.

However, of the two, I found Kat's to be better suited for herself; she always tended to disengage from a fight and move to a more advantageous position before reengaging with her opponent.

She also needed to rely more on her strenght than just her speed and reflexes; sure, she wasn't as strong as I was, but when you clashed with her you were surprised by the power behind her blows.

Meanwhile, as I observed Anput's new style, I frowned.

She seemed extremely uncomfortable attempting to rely more on kicks or sweeps, her body hesitating as she refrained from slashing or stabbing with her sword to instead kick at the ever elusive Kat.

They sparred for another half an hour, eventually turning into panting, sweaty messes as they collapsed on the ground, wearily smiling at one another.

Dropping down onto the sand beside them, I grinned as they both flinched slightly, staring at me in surprise.

"Hey puppies~! Did you enjoy your spar~?"

Crouching down next to them, my grin widened as Anput looked away while Kat simply titled her head, assuming her stoic face.

However, as I leaned forwards and pulled them into my embrace, both women trembled as I brought their noses towards my chest.

Anput's eyes glazed over, her tail twitching as she heated up in my arms, while Kat simply nuzzled into my chest, her tail swishing as well.

Enjoying the warmth of my two wives, I kept them in my arms before eventually released them, much to Anput's dismay.

Getting back up, I stretched my arms out and grinned down at them, taking Anput's training blade and gesturing towards the open field.

Flashing them an ambiguous smile, I coyly said "Wanna go a few rounds, puppies~? I'm feeling a little pent up~"

Anput trembled, while Kat raised a brow at me, only to sigh as she looked over at our olive skinned wife.

Watching as Anput panted slightly, her cheeks darker as she stared at me, I rolled my eyes before tossing her her blade back, shaking my head slightly as she struggled to catch the training sword.

Grabbing a new one, I spun the blade around before readying myself for them, a cocky grin on my face as I gestured for them to come at me.

Our spars were long and drawn out, the two agility based fighters attempting to launch pincer attacks on me, their blades flashing as they slashed and stabbed at me from either side.

However, since I had sparred frequently against both, I was able to predict their movements easily enough, blocking and parrying the onslaught of sword strokes and dagger thrusts, only to grin as I would push them away and focus the other in the few moments I had available.

Thwacking Anput on the side of her knee, I spun behind the Jackalkin and narrowly avoided the slash of Kat's swift dagger.

Pushing Anput into Kat, I appeared before them and wrapped my arm around their necks, pulling them into me again before lifting and resting the sword on their throats.

Both my women gulped, before I released them and said "Again."

~~~

Standing over the two exhausted Beastkin, I wiped the sweat off my brow before offering my hand to them, lifting the two drenched women to their feet.

Anput was bruised all over, while Kat was nursing her left arm, where I had punched her forearm.

Resting my hands on their heads between their fluffy ears, I cast a healing spell, a warm golden light cascading down onto their battered bodies.

Watching as their wounds healed, I left my hands on their heads long after, revealing in their warmth.

However, Kat slid out from under my hand, saying "I'll go start dinner."

Watching as my maid walked away into the cottage, I frowned before smirking down at Anput, who was heating up again.

However, before I could push her down and ravish her, Kat peeked out from the door and said "Leone said a messenger came with two parcels and three letters. One of which…"

Frowning, she glanced back inside, likely listening to Leone as she told her the name.

"Is from Jillian."

That made both of our frowns deepen, and Anput also managed to get herself under control, though there was a hint of irritation on her features as we walked into our home.

Seeing Leone holding a long, large box, with a smaller one on top, I swiftly lifted them from her arms and set them on the table.

"I'll read that letter last…"

Not wanting to read it at all, I sighed before flipping open the small cards on the parcels.

'To: Jahi Asmodia

From: Countess Ria Haniel'

Letting out a little 'Huh…' I tore open the paper packaging, revealing a long wooden box.

Tossing the lid open, a replica of my gold and silver blade was revealed, made from a solid steel.

Understanding mothers reasoning for sending the blade, I lifted it and marveled at its almost identical weight and balance.

Placing it back on the table, I turned towards the other package, chuckling at the card.

'To: Katherine Zara

From: Countess Ria Haniel'

The Dogkin pursed her lips before opening the package, lifting out a longer, broader dagger than the one she currently had, before also lifting out a large pouch.

Seeing the pouch, I grinned as I smelt the familiar medicinal tang of her anti-pregnancy medicine, Kat rolling her eyes at me as she saw the grin.

While she admired her new dagger, I turned to the two other letters, handing Kat the one from her mother while I opened the one from mom.

The contents were rather ordinary; make sure you or Kat don't kill anyone, be responsible, try not to get one of my wives pregnant, take school seriously, and telling me about the bank account she had opened for us as a just in case.

Kat just nodded as she read the letter, before rolling her eyes as she crumpled the letter.

"What?"

Glancing over at me, she just said "Not much, just telling me to not be an idiot and that her stomach is growing already."

Remembering the fact that I was going to be a big sister to my two half siblings, I smiled at Kat, who mirrored my smile.

Then, we turned to look at Leone, who was still staring down at the letter from Jillian with slight disgust.

Taking it from the Vampire's hands, I opened the envelope to reveal an ornate folded paper.

Unfurling it, I started reading it aloud.

"I, Jillian Sariel, hereby invite Jahi Asmodia and her wives, Princess Leone Presa-Ash and Begum Anput Sera to my birthday banquet in two weeks time…"

Pursing my lips, I glanced up at Leone and asked "Can I refuse?"

Sighing, Leone shook her head, her crimson eyes filled with reluctance as she said "We need to go. She's not only of a higher status, but it is common curtesy to at least show up… sadly."

Nodding, I placed the invitation on the table, only to glance up at Kat, who had an eery smile on her lips.

"W-What are you..?"

Grinning at me, she stepped forwards and placed her hands on my shoulders, saying "You know what this means?"

Frowning, I tentatively shook my head, making her grin widen.

"We are going shopping… for ALL three of your banquet attires~!"

? My heart dropped as I realized that, since it was a banquet, I would need to dress up properly.

Anput also shared my trepidation, her ears and tail dropping as she stared fearfully at the excited Dogkin.

As for Leone, she seemed indifferent to Kat's declaration…

Actually, she seemed rather intrigued in it as well, staring at me with curious eyes.