Chapter 20

Even though they accomplished a great feat, the atmosphere is...awkward. Ren and Liza are unable to say anything to each other as they trot along. Lorilay, who's riding with Ren, is caught in the figurative middle of the two, tense! So tense! What's with these two? We should be celebrating after accomplishing something so amazing, not being prickly with each other! What should I do about this? It looks like they need some sort of push to make up...a push…I'll do exactly that.

Lorilay suddenly pulls on the reins of the horse, leaving Ren puzzled by suddenly coming to a stop. Liza continued on for a couple of trots before stopping her horse and looking back, also puzzled. Ren turns his head to look back at Lorilay, "something wrong?", that's dangerous. Lorilay is a bit hesitant, mustering up the courage to carry out her plan, "w-we're setting up camp h-here", her voice squeaking from her nervousness. The other two are now even more puzzled by what's going on as Lorilay gets off the horse and starts setting up camp by herself.

Liza, "we still have plenty of daylight. We can make it closer to the border", what's this so suddenly? Lorilay flinches a little and stammers an excuse out, "w-we'll make it to the Dark Elves' capital before the competition, so it doesn't matter if we set up camp now or later". Liza looks toward Ren, but then quickly adverts her eyes, how did I interact with him normally? I'm so conscious of him that it feels weird now, and I don't know what to do!

Ren tries to make sense of the situation as Lorilay sets up camp, it doesn't make much sense to set up camp here, so she must have a reason...oh, "if you're too tired after the battle, just say so", he says as he gets off his horse. Liza has a moment of realisation, "Ah! Sorry, I should have been more considerate. You did fight very hard. It's only natural to want to rest after getting a good distance away", I fought hard too, but nowhere as much as you. I was fine with the short break.

Lorilay, that didn't even occur to me, but they took the bait. Ren, "if you say we'll reach there before the competition, then there's no problem". Liza, "you can just tell us next time". Lorilay, wait, why am I not actually tired?...no, I am. I was just too distracted by the awkwardness. I'll probably be out like a log afterwards.

They all silently set up camp, not a word between them. The atmosphere is so awkward that everyone feels like they're all walking on eggshells. Lorilay, yep, I need to fix this as soon as possible. Once everything is set up, Lorilay grabs Liza's arm, "come with me". Liza can't say anything to the resolve on Lorilay's face, so she lets Lorilay drag her into the tent without a word.

Ren notices their conspicuous actions out of the corner of his eye, hm? What's going on? Did something happen? Did she get an injury during the fight that she doesn't want me to see?...No, I don't think he got close enough to do anything...screw it, I'll just practice my field. I feel like I'll never come up with the right answer no matter how much I think about it.

Once in the tent, they suddenly find themselves kneeling across from each other. Liza, "what's going on? Why are we…here?". Liza's voice raises as Lorilay starts taking off Liza's shirt jacket. Lorilay doesn't say anything as she then starts taking off Liza's shirt. Liza stops her midway, her underboobs now on display, "what are you doing?". Lorilay, "we should be feeling on top of the world right now, but somehow the awkwardness between the two of you eclipses that. You two need to make up right now, and I heard the quickest way to do that is to get physical".

Liza, "well...that may be true, but is it that bad?", this is our fist time going through a spat, so I didn't know the severity of it. Lorilay, "I feel like I'm walking on needles even though everything should have been settled between the two of you by now". Liza shamefully looks down and away, "I know I was wrong...I just don't know how to act normally now", I may have been wrong, but what I said wasn't wrong, so no apology needed...right?

Lorilay, "you don't act, you just do. Do you have a better idea than this?". Liza scrunches her face in resignation, "ok", as she lifts up her arms, allowing Lorilay taking her shirt off fully. Lorilay begins undressing too once she finishes stripping Liza. Ren's training is interrupted by Lorilay calling him, "R-REN, can you come here please?", this feel so awkward. Ren rises from the log he was sitting on, what is going on?, as he pokes his head into the tent, oh...so she was horny. Em…guess the instinct to preserve your genes or something kicked in...not that I need to make any excuses or anything.

While 'this' is underway, a patrol of goblins finds the aftermath of the battle. They examine the area, but it's clear that they aren't intelligent enough to make proper sense of what happened. One of the goblins finds Zeck, barely hanging onto his life. Zeck breath slow and roughly as he unconscious body lays on the grass. The goblin that found him raises his club and brings it down on Zeck's head. The blow was enough to finally snuff the life out of him.

After a while, Ren leaves the tent and sits back down on the log. He just thinks to himself for a while, amazing, truly amazing. I never thought I'd be with two such beautiful women...and I still can't believe that they're ok with more. Liza said I'd have a lot of wives, and even though I'm apprehensive...it's also exciting. I was already content with just Liza, but I can't imagine not having Lorilay around now. If I meet any more women on the same level as these two, then I have no complaints...but still, more seems excessive. Like, it's just impossible, both mentally and physically. I'd don't want to neglect anyone. It seems I have good sexual stamina from what they've told me...according to gossip and common knowledge, probably because I'm young, but there is a limit, and I will reach it. Still can't believe this is my reality now. Sleeping with two beautiful women definitely lightened the burden of what I did earlier, far more than they know. I'm really grateful to them, and I want to return the favour. If they want kids, I'll give them what they want...can't believe I just thought that.

As Ren is thinking to himself, Liza exits the tent and sits beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, "sorry", well that just came out no problem. It's like all my agonizing disappeared. Ren raises an eyebrow, "and you're apologising for...?". Liza, "...you were right and I...was...wrong", weird, it's like my body refuses to say those words.

This initially didn't do anything to alleviate Ren's confusion, "again, wha- oh that". Liza chuckles, "guess Lorilay was right, getting physical was the quickest way to make up. I don't feel awkward anymore, and you completely forgot we were awkward in the first place". Ren sighs, "so it was her idea. I was surprised to see you two like that". Liza, "she tied to strip me naked without explaining anything first though". Both of them share a chuckle.

Ren, "I have to say that it was effective, but I'm not sure if it would work if we had an actual fight". Liza, "I guess we'll have to find that out in the future. Ours was more of a spat than a fight". Ren, "and neither of us was wrong either, we just needed something to help us get over it". Liza, "casually slipping in that I wasn't wrong won't make me think I wasn't wrong", to some extent. I know I wasn't ENTIRELY wrong.

Ren, "I was just saying the truth, you had a valid point". Liza can't help but smile a little, "you're just buttering me up so I'll make dinner since Lorilay's not the best cook". Ren, "that is completely untrue", I hate all the food here, but I can't tell her that...she'll feel super bad for me anytime I eat. Liza nuzzles up to him with a smirk, "so you're not hoping I will?". Ren, "this and that are completely separate and are completely unrelated", it honestly doesn't matter who cooks it. It will be bad anyway. Liza is unconvinced by her words, "aha, I knew it".

Ren, "no, really, the two aren't related in any way. I'm always hoping someone else will make it as I can't cook", I have almost no idea what the ingredients used in the cooking here are, so I naturally don't know how to cook them either. Liza leans in to kiss him on the cheek and then gives him a loving smile, "you'll never learn if you don't practice, not that you will ever need to. Your women will take care of you". She starts walking back to the tent and enters it, "I'll cook in a minute, just let me get dressed".

Ren can hear Lorilay's voice from inside the tent, "I can't believe you said that! I'm not that bad of a cook". Liza, so she's still awake. She looked like she'd pass out towards the end, "I'm surprised you can say that when your cooking is way worse than...anyone else's". Ren, way worse? They all taste equally bad to me.

Lorilay, "how mean! My cooking's definitely not that bad!". Liza, "I'm surprised you can say that with a straight face...not that I can tell what your face looks like because your ass is in my face! Hurry up and get dressed! You shouldn't sleep naked". Lorilay, "what? It not like you haven't just seen it before". Liza, "this and that are two separate things, just hurry up. Why were you nervous about earlier if this is how you act when naked?". Lorilay, "this and that are two separate things". Liza, "don't use my own words against me!".

The two continue to bicker as they get dressed, and after some rustling inside the tent, both Liza and Lorilay emerge and begin to cook, competing with each other. After they finish cooking, Ren is...not enjoying the bland meal, the cooking here really is awful. I mean, how can you not know what a seasoning is? Salt has to exist in this world, right? They literally just roast or boil whatever meat and vegetables those are, so it's all so bland.

Both Liza and Lorilay are looking at Ren expectantly with ladles in hand, uh oh, what do I do? I can't tell them they suck...or can I? Convenient excuse found!, "sorry, the level of food in my world was far more advanced than here, so I can't tell who's better. They both taste the same", perfect.

Liza raises as eyebrow, "taste? Everyone knows taste isn't a factor when cooking. It's all about the texture. So you choose not to decide who's better...that's a very convenient excuse you've come up with". Lorilay, "I appreciate you not wanting to hurt our feelings, but I'd like for you to actually decide. Stuff like that actually hurts our feelings more". Liza and Lorilay share a glance of understanding.

Ren, "it's not a convenient excuse, it's the truth. Really", I guess it sounds like a shitty excuse from their point of view, but how else am I meant to explain it? Liza sighs, "he's sticking to his excuse, Lorilay. Guess we'll have to find someone else to judge". Lorilay puffs up her cheeks a little, "guess my foods not so much better that he can't just say it outright". Liza seems genuinely insulted by this, "wha? He's clearly just trying to spare your feelings". Lorilay, "mine? You-". Liza and Lorilay begin bickering again like Ren isn't even there. Ren tries to calm them down, but it only adds fuel to the fire. They eventually settle for settling the score at a later date.

The next morning, with things finally back to normal between them, they set out for the Dark Elves country. Lorilay is riding on Liza's horse, holding onto Liza for balance. This gives Lorilay a close-up view of Liza's hair. She then starts examining it in detail, startling Liza, "what?".

Lorilay, clearly displeased at what she sees, "you...your hair...what have you done to it?". Liza, "I haven't done anything to it". Lorilay, "this goes beyond not doing anything. How did it get so frayed? The amount of split ends is unthinkable for a woman to have". Liza adjusts her riding posture, which means she must be mindful of the spear in her hand as she does so. Lorilay hones in on this like a hunter pouncing on its prey, "you better not be cutting it with that spear".

Liza doesn't say anything and tries to act nonchalant, but this only confirms Lorilay's suspicions. Liza suddenly feels a metaphorical chill radiating from behind her, causing her to freeze up. The chill intensifies as she feels a hand grasp her shoulder and pull her back a little, feeling a whisper in her ear, "you're banned from ever tending to your hair from now on".

Liza wants to protest, but she's too frozen from the aura that Lorilay's giving off to say anything. Not one word of protest is allowed. Lorilay gives off a threatening, low tone, "understood?". Liza can't help but give a compliant, "ok". With that agreed upon, the icy air fades, and Lorilay takes off Liza's cap, "how can you call yourself a woman if you don't take care of your hair?", as she takes out a comb and starts combing it. Liza answers begrudgingly, "my mother says the same thing. There was hell to pay when I tried to cut it short".

Lorilay is a bit annoyed, "of course there would be hell to pay. A woman's hair is an extension of herself. You have to treat it with care". Liza sulks a little, "bit it just gets in the way of fighting. It's more of a hindrance than anything. And there are girls that can pull off the short hair look". Lorilay, "hm...I can certainly see that point of view, but even so, most female soldiers still keep their hair long do they not? Very few people can pull off that look without taking away from their femininity. I'll be totally honest and say that I don't think you can pull it off...not for another decade at least. I assume that's why you have a short ponytail instead of a bob".

Liza pouts at this, "stop repeating what my mother says! I don't need to hear her words when she's not around". Lorilay, "sounds like a woman who knows her stuff. You should probably listen to her more". Liza, "are you trying to piss me off?". Lorilay, "not particularly, I just think you're wasting your feminine charm".

Ren was just staring peacefully into the scenery as he trotted along behind the girls, all this horse riding is taking its toll on my butt. It feels like it's going to split me in half. I've been horse-riding before, but not for hours upon a time and for consecutive days. He finds himself drawn back to reality from Liza asking him a question, "what hair style do you think would suit me?".

Ren, "hm... I'd have to see you in them first before making any decisions as I've only seen you with a pony tail. There will be other styles that suit you, but a ponytail does suit you…I can't say for sure". Liza turns her head to face forward again, "oh...is that so". Lorilay can't help but smile, haha, doesn't seem like she'll change her hairstyle for a while.

After a few hours of riding, Lorilay spots a line of trees in the distance, "Ren, look, you see that forest?". Ren, "yea, wow, the open plains just suddenly turn to a forest". Liza, "that is the border. It marks the beginning of the Dark Elves' territory". Lorilay, "the Dark Elves live almost exclusively in this forest, whereas the Elves live almost exclusively in the mountains down south-west". Ren, "hm...interesting", I wonder why it suddenly turns into a forest. And why it's inhabited exclusively by Dark Elves. Intriguing.

They make small talk on the way to the border, but it takes longer than Ren thought, I thought we weren't that far away because we saw the treeline, but the trees are freaking huge! They're so big that you could see them from much further away than normal trees, so it wildly threw off my sense of distance. I've never seen a redwood in person, but could these trees be bigger than those?

Once they are standing before the trees, a couple of Dark Elves in uniforms appear from within the treeline. One slender woman in particular is dressed more importantly than the rest, clearly a higher rank. She is the one to address the group, "halt! Why are two humans and an Elf coming from the Demon lands?". Ren is the one to reply from the group, "we want to participate in the tournament but we wouldn't have made it in time if we went the safe route".

The border guards are all in shock, the woman saying what on all their minds, "crossing through the Demon lands is suicide". Ren, "not necessarily", the patrols were all really weak, it's like they weren't really there to be honest. Only Vall and his aids caused us any trouble. The higher ranked guard just looks at Ren, amused, "well, don't we have a confident one here. Zack".

A Dark Elf towards the end of the group responds, "yes, captain?". Captain, "guide them to the capital". Zack, "yes mam". Captain, "Zack will lead you to the capital. The tournament is tomorrow, so you won't have a lot of time to rest up. That should be a problem for one's who can journey through the Demon Lands unscratched". Ren, "thanks for the help".

The group stats to follow Zack, Lorilay being the first to address him, "thanks for guiding us". Zack, "no need to thank me, I'm just doing my job. It will take about half a day to get there". Ren, "still, thanks. Sorry for making you step away from your post". Zack, "my commanding officer takes any opportunity that arises to send me away from the front lines. It would've happened one way or another".

Ren finds that unusual, "hm? Why?". Zack looks at him, not sure if he's being serious or not. Ren, "what? Why are you all looking at me like that". Liza decides to be the one to enlighten Ren, "because it's obvious they're sleeping together. Who doesn't want to keep their partner away from danger?", men are getting rarer and rarer, so it's only obvious she'd do that. Ren, "oh...well, if you put it like that", I'd probably do that too. Zack can't help but think, is this guy not the sharpest sword in the armoury?

Ren decides to continue on like nothing happened, "the inns are probably full of people who want to join the tournament. Do you know anywhere less well-known, Zack?". Zack, "every year, the number of contestants dwindles, and so has the spectators. Only those who know they are strong compete, not those who think they are strong, though there still are a few with overconfidence that participate". Ren, "so we'll have no trouble finding a place to stay?". Zack, "affirmative. It's not worth it for most to travel here. We do still get some outside visitors, but not as much as we would for the Ruler's Tournament. There should be a bit of space".

After half a day, they enter the capital. Just like the forest itself, its surrounded by huge trees, and most of the houses are built from wood or hallowed out trees that are quite large. There are also tree houses in the canopy. Ren can't help but stare at the unfamiliar wonders, "wow, there's trees everywhere despite it being a city. It's like they live as one with nature". Lorilay, "Dark Elves prefer to live in as natural a setting as possible, surrounded by plant life. It's completely different from us Elves who like to live up high in the mountains".

Ren finally turns his gaze to the city's people, "wow, look at all the Dark Elves. They all have muscular builds. Look at that guy, he's fricking huge...wait a second, does that mean that since the Queen is the strongest, she'll be built like an ox?". His face goes pale at the thought, I don't think I could manage if her muscles look like that guy's...no offence to muscly women, but everyone has their preferences, and overly built is a bit outside of mine. Thinking like this makes me feel awful...

Zack looks at the group in surprise and then points at Ren, "is this person an idi-... alright upstairs?". Ren stares back at Zack, not expecting such a comment, "just because you corrected yourself doesn't mean your comment was any less rude".

Liza, "sorry, it has probably never been explained to him. Ren, it's the opposite, the less muscles a Dark Elf has, the stronger they are". Ren can't help but be shocked at the logic defying explanation, "really?", how does that logic work...better not to think about it. Ren then looks Zack up and down, "so Zack is fairly strong then. He has a decent built by human standards", well, my world human standards. Zack, "I'm a border guard to the Demon lands, only the strongest of the Elves who aren't assigned to the royal palace are given that position".

Ren, "no wonder those border guards weren't macho either. Well, thanks for guiding us. We'll buy you dinner", even though I have no money to spend. Zack, "no need". Lorilay, "are you sure? it's no big deal". Zack, "there's food at the outpost I'll stop by on the way back, so I'm fine. Good luck tomorrow", I feel like I shouldn't be around this guy. Even if someone like him can get some real beauties.

Zack turns to leave, but before he does, he turns back to say one more thing, "oh, and just so you know, that rule is just a general one. There are plenty of exceptions to that rule, so be mindful of that", seriously, who could grow up not hearing about the Dark Elves. Having said his piece, he turns and walks on.

Liza waves and gives him one more, "thanks for everything", before he leaves. Now with Zack out of sight, Lorilay slumps her shoulders, "I honestly didn't know that last part". Liza follows suit, "me either". Ren joins in for some reason, "same". The other two can't help but chuckle at his audacity to say that.

Ren turns to leave, "let's go find an inn, get some food, and sleep", the other two following after him, where the hell am I going? And why are they following me without question? They soon spot the huge Dark Elf that Ren saw earlier, him being pretty hard to miss after all. Up in the canopy, a twig falls off a branch and lands on the bulky man's head, causing him to collapse to the ground, unconscious.

The three of them are stunned into silence. They stop in their tracks, unable to stop themselves from staring at what just transpired, not sure how to process it. Ren picks up said twig that fell near his feet, it's...a regular twig. I thought those trees were made out of steel or something. I mean, he fell like he was hit with a bag of bricks.

A couple of Dark Elves gather around the bulky man's motionless body. Stranger A, "again? This is ridiculous". Stranger B, "you said it. Last time, he passed out from bird crap. Next time, it will be a leaf!". Stranger C, an elderly woman, starts to pick up the huge man with no effort and put him on her shoulder, "I'll take him home".

The three of them couldn't take their eyes off the buff stranger being carried off by the elder lady like it was nothing. Liza, "I mean, I understood the rule in my head, but that doesn't make this any less surprising". Lorilay, "I'm not sure if that counts as weak, more like extremely frail". Ren, "surprising? I didn't think that was humanly possible. I mean...it's just a twig!", as he snaps it in half like it was just a...normal twig. Lorilay, "well…what isn't physically possible for humans is possible for the Dark Elves. The weakest of the spectrum...was as we saw. But those on the strongest end of the spectrum can crush boulders with just raw, physical strength. And that's without weapons or Unique's. Not that Dark Elves can have Unique's anyway".

After shacking off what they just saw, they search for a place to sleep and eat. On the search for food, they come across a booth in the market plaza. Liza reads the signboard, "tournament signups". Ren, "oh, figures there'd be something like that. I was actually thinking about how to sign up", the twig thing almost made me completely forget about the tournament. Both Liza and Lorilay, he was just going to show up right before it started, wasn't he? Not that I didn't forget about the signup as well.

Ren approaches the booth, "is this for tomorrow?". Worker, "yes, you need to sign up here by dusk if you wish to participate tomorrow", can he not read the massive sign that you can see from the outskirts of the market? Maybe his eyes are bad? Ren begins to sign his name...but passes the sheet offer to Liza, "please". Liza gives a small smile while taking the sheet, handing it over once she's done.

Ren can't help but be conscious of the booth worker, not knowing where to focus his eyes, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to seeing buff women. The booth worker can sense his unease, no need to be weary of me boy, I don't bite…unless you want me to, "I've received your admission, Tsu-ba-sa...Ren? The tournament starts at 10am tomorrow, please show up at the stadium at no later than 8:30".

Ren replies, "no problem", and then looks at Liza and Lorilay. After a few seconds of staring blankly at each other, Ren asks, "are you guys not signing up?". Liza and Lorilay tilt their heads in unison, "why?". Ren falters a little at the sight of this, "...because it would increase our chances of winning?". Liza, "but if someone wins, they get the Queen as their wife. Why would we want that?".

Ren, "well...OK, I see your point. I just thought she'd join us if any of us win". The booth worker decides to intervene, "that would be the case. However, her Majesty is straight, so a female champion would be monetarily compensated instead". Lorilay, "Oh...then participating is possible for us. But we may end up fighting each other. Do you want that?".

Ren thinks for a few seconds, "no, training would be one thing, but I don't think I'd be able to fight you two in an actual fight", should have thought of that beforehand. Lorilay smirks at Liza, "I knew he'd say that, not to say that hearing that doesn't make me happy". Liza starts to tease him with her own smirk, "so you care about us too much to fight us?", also elbowing him in the side.

Ren rises to the provocation, looking her straight in the eye, "damn right". Liza adverts her gaze, a blush creeping up her cheeks, "you answering with such confidence actually annoys me for some reason. I thought you would deny it embarrassingly". In contrast to Liza, Lorilay looks as happy as can be. Ren, "I'd be embarrassed admitting that around my friends or family, but I don't have any here, so I'd admit anything", not that I don't feel a little embarrassed.

Both Liza and Lorilay feel a pang of guilt in their chests. Liza, "that makes me happy and sad at the same time". Lorilay, "same". Ren didn't mean to make them feel uncomfortable so he tries to play it off as light-heartedly as he can despite a weight settling on his heart, "what's there to be sad about?". Liza hesitates on how best to answer, sensing his intent, "...not seeing you all embarrassed while admitting it". Ren forces a smile, "I'm fine with that". Lorilay tries to follow Liza's lead, "it's not bad per say, just a little disappointing".

An awkward air settles in the air so Liza decides it's best to end the conversation there, "let's get going and find a place to eat and sleep". The other two don't object, so they set off. Liza and Lorilay make eye contact, we should get physical later. The booth worker watches them go, they sure go at their own pace. It felt like I was never here in the first place. I couldn't try to give the boy my address. I wanted to show him how a woman that wouldn't break like a twig could handle him.

As they walk around, Ren is preoccupied taking in the sights, fascinated by the wonders of another world to think of his friends and family back in his home world. This allows Liza and Lorilay to speak without drawing his attention. Liza does her best to lot let the tears forming in her eyes to spill, "I know that he came from another world, but I didn't really think about what that meant".

Lorilay feels quite emotional as well, "I'm the same. Just thinking about it a little from his point of view will show that not only has everything he knew been flipped upside down, but anyone he relied on isn't here to support him. I feel ashamed of myself for only caring about my own needs".

Liza, "me too. But we can't fix these problems just because we want to. The only thing we can do is support him however we can and create a new family for him here". Lorilay, "let's do our best to make that happen". And somehow or another, it returned to them wanting to become mothers again.