159-160

Kat PoV

We were on our way home from yet another tedious day at the Academy.

Well, I say tedious only because Anput and Jahi had been skulking about during the Combat Class again, their patience swiftly running out as our Professors had them sit out again.

As we walked through the busy roads, talking about whether or not they should just take the final now, I glanced to the side of the road, where a dozen people gathered around a singular stall.

Letting Anput's whining fade into the background, I focused my hearing on the muttering group, trying to figure out what they were talking about.

Standing behind the stall was an older man, his gray beard well groomed, while his dark green skin and pale yellow eyes denoted his Orcish heritage.

"News from the Kingdom! You won't regret buying a copy! Gates appearing frequently in Tragon Kingdom! Get your copy here!"

He was shouting and waving a rolled up paper in his fist, and I watched as the people surged forwards, dropping coins into his free hand to get themselves a copy of his newspaper.

Tugging on Jahi's hand, I alerted her to the man, and we walked forwards as well.

Hearing that Gates were appearing in the Tragon Kingdom at a more frequent rate was something that we needed to learn about.

Both because it could alter the political dealings with the Western Kingdoms, and also because I knew little of the Labyrinthian and Gates.

So, I slipped through the crowd and gave the man the silver necessary for the paper, rejoining Jahi and the others in a few seconds.

Unfurling it, I scanned the words before nodding, gesturing for us to return home.

Jahi took the paper from my hands, reading it as we walked, her face growing serious the further down the paper she got.

Entering into the cottage, I walked into the kitchen while the others sat at the table, listening to Jahi as she started talking.

"Tragon Kingdom has had four confirmed Gates open up throughout their lands, and another seven unconfirmed attacks on smaller rural villages. They can't determine the cause for this surge in Gates, but one thing is certain…"

Handing the paper to Leone, Jahi leaned back into her chair and sighed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"They're in trouble. Each location targeted is important in some way, either as a food source, populated area, or strategically placed cities. The death count has already hit ten thousand, and that's with them lowballing the estimates."

Leone frowned as she handed the paper to Anput, her crimson eyes flaring as she said "While it is saddening that Tragon is seemingly being targeted, this is… well, frankly, pretty bad for us as well. Romagi is going to be on high alert and ready to attack at a moments notice due to paranoia. If the Romagi King wishes to declare war on us, claiming we have the… ability to open those Gates, his citizens would likely believe it.

The Western Kingdoms are more primitive then the Empire, and as such a large gathering of Humans, well…"

Leone trailed off, her voice filled with reluctance as she pursed her lips.

Jahi nodded, finishing her line of thought.

"The Humans have always had an inferiority complex towards the other races, and now that Gates are seemingly picking on them, they could very easily twist this as the Empress attempting to suppress them. Their understanding on the Arcane is limited, and the amount of people with a Core in the Western Kingdoms are much less than here."

"So they're a bunch a weaklings? Why should we care then? This should just be an opportunity to study why the Labyrinthian is capable of producing so many more Gates in one location and find ways to prevent that from happening here."

Although callous, Anput raised a good point, one that Jahi seemed to agree with.

"They are weak, but so is our Western Border. The Counties over on that side of the Empire are former Knights of the Romagi Kingdom, and while they might have been placed under heavy surveillance and given a strict check and balance system, they remain Humans. Who knows if they'll defect and give up the Mountains between Romagi and us? There are many ways to rid themselves of the Councilors and Soldiers the Empress 'gifted' them…"

Leone frowned again, her eyes conflicted as she said "Even still, they are still citizens of the Empire, and the loss of life anywhere should be mourned. Those villagers and normal citizens shouldn't have to suffer simply because we dislike the ones who rule them."

However, Anput just shrugged, saying "So? I could care less about the random citizenry of a foreign, barely amicable nation. Especially not when something far more dangerous seems to be using them as a testing grounds. If we can learn just what is causing this, or how it is happening, then their sacrifices have been more than worth it."

Leone glared at Anput, the two women on opposite sides of a moral compass; Leone was compassionate and cared about others, while Anput sought power and knowledge by any means.

As for Jahi…

Sighing, she looked between the two and said "I'm sure the Empress already knows about the happenings and has sent someone to the Western Border, but I doubt she'll step foot into the Kingdoms themselves. Humans are a short lived race, and its been a lifetime for them since the Empire quelled their little insurrection against us a century ago.

Besides that, the Romagi King will most definitely use this as an excuse to try and reclaim those Counties; those were some of the stronger Knights under the Kingdoms command, and yet they turned to us when we threatened to absorb the Kingdoms into the Empire, stopping that."

Anput grinned smugly at Leone, adding "Compassion should be reserved for those that can afford it, Leone~!"

Glaring at the Jackalkin, Leone looked away, towards me.

"Kat, what do you think?"

Lifting the teapot off of the stove, I moved towards the table, glancing between them.

Sighing, I poured each of them a cup before saying "While I pity the innocents who lost their lives, I am much more worried about what is capable of opening and almost controlling those Gates. I mean, from where they've been confirmed, those aren't random spots. Each one targeted something critical to Tragon.

The largest producer of grain in Venetia City, the second largest Military Academy in Fort Uxan, Fort Olivat between Tragon and Romagi, and lastly Iltaxia Village, which produces some of the strongest warriors for Tragon. Each confirmed location is something that Tragon cannot afford to lose, and yet each of them has been destroyed.

Whatever is doing this is smart, and I'm more concerned on what is capable of this. If it's a monster, then how did it grow so clever and learn so much about the outside world? And if its someone controlling these Gates, who managed to learn how to summon them? What's their end goal?"

Jahi nodded, her face serious as she said "I don't know which is scarier, honestly. If this is a monster, then that means the inhabitants inside the Labyrinthian are growing far faster then we could have ever anticipated. But if its a person? What level of power do they have to hold to be capable of working alongside the Labyrinthian?"

Anput was silent, her features just as serious as she nodded, staring back down at the paper.

A somber atmosphere descended around us, and I sighed as I spoke softly, grabbing everyones attention.

"We can't do anything ourselves about this, but we can improve ourselves. So, I would like to return to studying the History textbooks, prepare to take the finals, then start taking on more requests down in Zhu'Rong Caverns to hone our skills and get some more money.

This first year at the Academy is… honestly a little wasted on us, so we need to start doing something worth our time. If it's a monster or a mortal, either way we need to prepare ourselves for a fight, since this will likely lead to conflict with the Western Kingdoms and whoever or whatever is controlling those Gates."

The other three nodded, and Jahi took over, saying "So, we'll start studying a bit more and get out of all three classes. With the free time, we can go into Zhu'Rong daily and hone both our physical and magical skills, while also continuing to learn more about the Labyrinthian; Second Years at the Academy have access to most of the Library, and when we 'graduate' early we are considered Second Years. We should also take a trip up to the Palace to take a peek at the Royal Library as well."

Leone smiled at that, her crimson eyes alight with joy as she added "Mother would be happy to help, and Mom wouldn't mind letting us in! Besides, I'm sure we can learn a thing or two from each of my Aunts as well, maybe even my older siblings!"

Anput smirked at that, her face already looking exhausted as she murmured "All hundred of them~?"

Glaring at Anput, Leone started quibbling with the Jackalkin, who grinned as she snapped back, their 'argument' making Jahi roll her eyes in amusement, before the Demoness watched me prepare our dinner.

With that, our house turned noisy, but the warmth that filled the air was worth the noise, and later that night it grew noisy for a different reason.

In the spirit of today being couples day (blegh), I decided to have the girls go out and enjoy themselves…

Since I'll be inside all day lol

—

Since it was yet another day off for us, I had hoped that we could get a good chunk of the History material studied and tested between one another, but Jahi had been adamant about using some of our time today to relax, stating that we needed some rest for our over exerted minds.

Which had some merit, but it was still slightly grating seeing everyone letting loose so easily and without even an iota of arguing to finish studying…

Sighing, I glanced around the empty living room, which I had just finished sweeping; in the spirit of an off day, everyone was still asleep, so I had time to myself before they woke up.

Slowly cleaning the entirety of the living room and kitchen, I switched up my pace as I sat down at the kitchen table, a pile of cloth sitting before me.

I had neglected my enchanting practice recently, so…

Taking a little time from my chores, I slowly scraped off the rust from a week or two of unpracticed enchanting, my runes and mana control more sloppy then I was comfortable with.

After that, I got breakfast going, keeping it simple as I prepared a few loaves of bread, which I would then dip in a mixture of whisked eggs, cinnamon, and some other fragrant herbs to create 'French' toast, while also grilling some sausage links.

Everyone began to filter in as the smells of my cooking wafted throughout the cottage, and as always they were all in varying states of undress.

Watching them gradually wake up with each bite, I smiled as the food slowly vanished, each girl lounging around with content expressions and filled bellies.

Sending each off to wash up, I finished cleaning everything before joining them out back, where we all began our daily drills.

Practicing with my daggers, sparring with Anput and Jahi, mana control exercises with Leone, and some basic strength and agility training as a group.

Our time in the yard was a few hours long, and each of us were physically drained after Jahi increased the intensity of the workouts by a few times.

After we all took a bath together, I was about to go start dinner when Jahi pulled me out of the kitchen, tossing the new red dress into my arms and watching as I changed into it in front of her.

The Demoness visibly struggled with not throwing herself at me, her heated gaze palpable on my skin as I stripped from the maid dress into the red dress she had bought me.

She had been especially interested when I had started giving her a show, teasing the large Demoness with a smug smirk.

When I exited our room, the other two girls were ready and waiting, both staring at me in surprise since I was finally wearing something besides the black and red maid uniform or the tight leather armor.

Anput was back into some of her countries clothes, wearing a deep blue set of cloth that left much of her olive skin exposed.

Of course, I found that both a wondrous sight and something I wanted her to change out of immediately; I loved seeing her bare skin and lithe figure, but I also hated that the random people on the streets would get to see it as well.

Sensing my gaze, Anput gave me a smile as she spun around slightly, giving us a full display of her incredible figure.

Chuckling, I shook my head before turning to Leone, who had also prettied herself up quite a bit.

She was in a shining white dress that hugged her curves, and her ashen hair was held back by her golden tiara, while a pair of ruby earrings accentuated her beautiful crimson eyes.

The Vampire had even applied a thin layer of makeup, the blush only adding to her own natural blush as she shyly looked up from beneath her thick lashes, which was extremely seductive.

Both Jahi and I had to hold back from grabbing the Vampire, who was staring at us with wide eyes as we both took shuddering breaths.

Finally, Jahi was in her sharp three piece suit, though she hadn't put as much care into her appearance as she had before.

Sighing, I stepped closer to her and tugged on her violet tie, straightening it out and lengthening it, all while standing on my tiptoes.

Jahi was smiling warmly down at me as I fussed over her suit, smoothening out the wrinkles and fixing the lapel pin that was the Asmodia symbol on her chest.

"You…"

Chuckling wryly, Jahi reached out and stroked my ears, forcing me to stop.

"That's enough, Kat~ We're going out to eat at a normal restaurant, not some Noble Ball~"

Pouting at her, I whispered "And? I want you to look good no matter where we go…"

Chuckling again, Jahi leaned down and placed a kiss on my nose, before spinning me around and wrapping her arms around me.

"Alright, come on everyone~! Dinner awaits~!"

Keeping one arm around my waist, Jahi grinned down at me as she slipped her other arm around Anput's exposed waist, all while Leone pouted at feeling left out.

Though, her pout disappeared when Jahi leaned forwards and whispered something into her ear, making the Vampire turn as red as her earrings and eyes.

Walking down the roads of the capital, Jahi led us into yet another new restaurant, where she had somehow managed to book a private room in the back.

Sitting down around a lavish table, I scooped up the bottle of wine and poured everyone drinks, watching with a dry gaze as Anput instantly downed her glass, flashing me a large grin as she asked for another.

After staring at her in silence for a few moments, I relented and poured her another glass, swiftly placing the bottle besides myself and watching as she prepared to drain it again.

However, seeing that the bottle was far away from her, and safely standing beside me, Anput pouted as she sipped instead, her eyes longing for the wine.

Chuckling, Jahi sipped on hers as well, before reaching over and giving the Jackalkin a consoling pat, which made the woman smile.

When a waiter appeared, we all placed our orders when handed the menu.

Jahi went with a steak dish with baked potatoes and a smattering of greens, Anput chose a steak dish as well, but went with a vegetable broth as her side.

Leone kept it simple with a fresh garden salad and a grilled chicken breast, while I ordered a white wine pasta dish.

The bread that was served to hold us over had the other three frowning slightly, which made me smirk as I leaned forwards, asking "Not as good as mine, hm~?"

Jahi sighed, nodded, and stared at the loaf for a moment as she said "No, it really isn't, but…"

Smiling, she gestured around to the beautiful room, before staring at each of us for a moment, saying "I can't really ask you to dress up to just… eat at home like normal, now can I? Besides, the money is for the experience as well!"

Even though I rolled my eyes, I smiled just as much as the other two, enjoying the way Jahi started complimenting each of us.

When the food finally came out and we dug in, the conversation drifted along freely, each of us picking a random topic and allowing everything to flow freely, the wine spurring along some more… raunchy lines.

The food was good, the conversations great, and the wine warming each of us up, concluding the first half of our relaxing night.

When we returned home, each of us was smiling ambiguously at the others, which only made our Demoness all the more riled up, her 'true' nature showing its beautiful face as she pulled us onto her bed, her hands instantly tearing off our clothes as she set about showing her love for us in its most carnal form.

The night was long, the fun very much there, and when we all finally drifted off to sleep, we didn't know it yet, but we would look back on nights like these and smile wryly, wondering how we could have been so carefree.

—

So, a little update kinda thing, as well as padded wordcount for 1.5k, but this is where I plan on taking the novel;

Soon, we will be entering the next 'arc' so to speak; last chapter gave a rather good idea, and the whole Academy thing can only be written about for oh so many chapters before it becomes… dull.

Which means I need something new and fresh, and what better 'something' than a portal spawning monster that wants to eat everything~?

That's where we are going, and I have a rather… interesting idea to use at the 'end' of that 'arc', so I hope you'll be looking forwards to that~!

For now though, we still need to get a few, and I'll try and keep them brief, chapters out of the way of basic things; some more improvements to skills, acing the exams, and more!

—