“Why must you strengthen your bones?” asked Lin.
“Because human bones are brittle. It is very easy to break them, especially if you push your body really hard. Currently, everything else in my body is strong. My muscles, skin, and organs have all become very durable thanks to the Body Forging Pills I have been using. However, my bones are still weak.”
As I spoke, I stirred the mixture in the beaker until it became a light silvery brown. Once finished, I grabbed a small disc made from the monster core of a fire elemental monster, activated it, and set it underneath the beaker. While waiting for the mixture to come to a boil, I took the earthen seven-year roots and used a small knife to shave them into numerous peelings.
The liquid had come to a boil while I was shaving the earthen seven-year roots. I grabbed a few and tossed them in. The moment the shavings touched the boiling water, they emitted a low hiss. Steam rose from them as they melted and coagulated into the mixture. Their addition didn’t change the color of the concoction, but a faint sulfurous scent did begin wafting from within the beaker. I tried not to grimace.
“You humans are very fragile,” Lin muttered.
“The upper body of a Lamia is not that much stronger than a human’s,” I argued, grabbing the water snake bone marrow. While it was called water snake bone marrow, it was actually one of the ribs belonging to a Water Snake, a C-Rank Demon Beast found in freshwater rivers and lakes.
“Hmmm… this princess must admit that you have a point,” Lin agreed, though she sounded reluctant. Twisting her body around, she placed her forearms on the lip of the tub, rested her chin on her forearms, and watched me with an interested expression.
I placed one part of the rib on the mortar and bashed it several times with the pestle. Nothing happened at first, but I began applying more strength, and cracks formed on the surface soon enough. Once a hole appeared in the bone, I ceased trying to break it. I took the bone, cracked the top part off, and tipped the now broken end over the bubbling concoction in the beaker.
A gel-like ooze slowly spilled out. It dripped into the beaker and emitted a sizzling hiss as puffs of smoke emerged from the contents. I used a stir rod to scrape out all of the bone marrow, and then used that same rod to stir the contents. What had once been a light brown liquid with a silver tint soon turned a slight blue. I deactivated the monster core, grabbed the beaker, and dumped the contents into the cauldron. Only about half the cauldron was filled.
I took a deep breath as I grabbed the cauldron, preparing myself for the next part: refining the pill.
Refining an alchemy pill was a matter of willpower. Alchemists would direct their Spiritual Power into the cauldron, enforcing their will upon the ingredients to compress it into a compact pill shape. It didn’t require much Spiritual Power, but it did take a lot of concentration.
As Spiritual Power surged from my hands, I willed the liquid in the cauldron to change shape. The contents bubbled and sizzled. Sparks flashed. Slowly but surely, the liquid seemed to shrink, even though the amount in the cauldron didn’t actually change. It was just being compressed like when a powerful natural force exerted a great deal of pressure on an object. In other words, it had the same amount of mass. It was just the volume that was decreasing.
After sixty seconds of refining, the liquid transformed into a pill the size of my palm that rested on the bottom of the cauldron. It looked like a light blue pill at first. However, when I picked it up and held it to the light, I could see gentle ripples located on the inside. There were ten ripples in total.
“Done,” I said with a relieved sigh.
“This princess is also finished taking a bath,” Lin said, slowly climbing out of the water. Goosebumps broke out on her body before I handed her a towel, which she used to quickly dry off. Her hair was still wet as she walked over to me just as I was putting away the Bone Strengthening Pill.
“It is quite late,” she said at last. “This princess believes it is time for bed.”
“Yeah…” I agreed before pausing. “Wait. What should our sleeping arrangements be like?”
The frown Lin gave me, like I had said something stupid, made me return her frown with one of my own. The Lamia crossed her arms.
“What do you mean by ‘sleeping arrangements’? Obviously, you and this princess shall be sleeping together.”
“Yeah… that’s not going to happen.”
“And why not?” The Lamia girl narrowed her eyes. “You and this princess have been sleeping together ever since you let her live with you.”
“That was because I thought you were a normal snake,” I replied with a roll of my eyes. “There are numerous reasons why I can’t sleep with you now.”
“And those would be?”
“One: You are a Lamia. Two: I do not love you. Three: I am in love with someone else and do not want to betray her.”
As I spoke, I held up my hand and extended a finger with each point I made. Lin shifted her stare from my hand to my face several times, the frown on her own face growing.
“This princess does not understand why any of those points should matter,” she said at last. “Does being a Lamia make this princess ineligible for you to sleep with her? Does love factor into us sleeping together? This princess has already said you may have concubines. She will not get upset or jealous that you have someone else for whom you feel affection toward.”
“Number two and number three kind of go hand in hand here.” I rubbed my tired face. “I won’t sleep with someone I don’t love. Furthermore, I love someone else, so I won’t betray her by sleeping with you. As for you being a Lamia…” I trailed off for a short second, and then shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter to me. You being a Lamia wouldn’t be a problem if I loved you. However, the only reason I let you sleep in my bed before was because I thought you were an ordinary snake. If I’d known you were a Lamia, I would not have let you sleep with me.”
My words caused Lin’s face to grow increasingly sullen. Her eyes grew dim. Along with her rejected expression, her shoulders began slumping, until it looked like a great weight was pressing down on them.
I felt bad for being so harsh. However, I thought these things needed to be said. I ignored the problem this morning because I hadn’t been able to get my head on straight, but now that we were in this situation, I needed to be firm.
“Then are you planning to kick this princess out?” she asked, golden eyes growing even dimmer at the thought.
I clenched my hands. Thinking about this logically, I probably should kick her out. She was a Lamia who had somehow decided I was going to be her husband, without giving a single thought to my opinion on the matter. At the same time, while it would be easier on me if I did remove her from my home, I also knew that she had nowhere else to go. Kicking her out after having already taken her in was something only the most heartless of individuals would do. There was also the fact that she’d probably be killed by the Nevarian Spiritualists if I did kick her out. They’d likely mistake her for a new breed of Demon Beast.
After thinking about this situation for several moments, all I could do was sigh. I decided that I would need to find a new home—an actual home with multiple rooms where individuals could sleep alone. Then she could have her own bedroom, and I wouldn’t have to worry about our sleeping arrangements.
“No,” I sighed. “I’m not going to kick you out.”
Lin’s eyes brightened at my words.
That night, while Lin slept with her tail wrapped around my body like a tourniquet, I decided that immediately after my meeting with Feinrea tomorrow, I would begin looking for a new home.
* * *
Kari sat in the stone bath of her private bathing room. Steam rose from the surface as she kept her eyes closed and allowed the fragrance of medicine to gently pervade her nose, relaxing her mind. Some of the steam coagulated on her breasts, forming water droplets that slid down the valley of her cleavage, but she barely paid the adventurous drops any mind. Her thoughts were e
lsewhere.
Relaxing in the tub had become a lot more enjoyable as of late, mostly because of the alchemy pills Eryk had refined for her. Not only did they ease the tension in her body, but they also relaxed her mind and enhanced her physical condition. Maybe it was just an illusion. However, as she sat there in the tub, Kari could swear she felt her body growing stronger with each passing second.
At some point, the red hue of the tub vanished as all the medicinal ingredients were absorbed into her skin. That was when Kari stood up and slowly walked out of the tub. She padded across the stone tiles, water dripping from her body and onto the floor, before she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her torso. She grabbed another one for her hair.
The steam still rising from the stone tub that was embedded into the floor made it difficult to dry off, so Kari left her private bathing room and wandered into her bedroom. Tiles shifted to carpet. The soft thump of her feet reverberated against the material as the cool air hit her body. The sudden shift from hot to cold brought a slight chill to her skin, causing goosebumps to break out on her flesh, but she ignored that and walked over to her armoire.
Donning a pink nightgown that went down to her feet, Kari finally turned and studied herself in the mirror.
Many people had often called her an exquisite beauty. The number of compliments she had received from nobles, peers, and common folk alike was uncountable. She couldn’t go a day without at least ten people complimenting her appearance. However, none of those compliments had ever made her feel pretty.
Eryk made her feel beautiful.
Objectively, she was aware of her own beauty. However, her looks had never really mattered to her until she had met Eryk. Where before she used to throw on whatever clothing she saw first, now she actually thought about what she should wear before heading to the library. She wanted to look good in front of him. That was why some of her clothing had been more revealing as of late.
The thought made her blush, but it soon left as a frown replaced it.
“Fay also loves him,” she murmured to herself.
While the knowledge that Eryk had turned Fay down made her heart soar, it also made her chest ache. She could tell that he was conflicted. What’s more, Fay had been her dearest friend until a few years ago. She knew being rejected would hurt the girl she dearly wished to befriend again. More than anything else, perhaps even more than being with Eryk, Kari wanted to rekindle the cherished friendship she used to have with the fiery-haired girl.
“I should talk to her when I get the chance,” Kari concluded with a nod.
Turning away from her reflection in the mirror, she walked over to the window at the other end of her room, and placed a hand on the windowsill. She gazed at the city of Nevaria far below, and then lifted her gaze even further, toward the Demon Beast Mountain Range, which she wished to one day explore.
“Maybe one day I can even explore it with Eryk and Fay,” she said with a smile.
The twin moons shone brightly overhead and cast a pale glow on her face.
Chapter 5
Looking for a House
The area surrounding Midgard was known as the Northern Plains. It was a vast space that supposedly spread out for ten million square kilometers. In this regard, at least, it was not that much smaller than the Endless Desert.
Of course, the arbitrary numbers were mere estimates. No one truly knew how vast the Northern Plains or the Endless Desert really were.
There were many cities, towns, and villages along the way to Midgard. These areas where humans and other sentient species gathered and formed communities ranged in size from being no more than maybe a couple thousand people to consisting of millions of individuals. During this time, Kari and I had experienced and witnessed many new sights.
The architecture of the Northern Plains was very different from Nevaria, which consisted of buildings made from logs and stone. Many of the buildings here were made of a substance called stucco, which was a material made from aggregates, a binder, and water. A lot of these buildings tended to have unique decorations as well. Motifs designed along the interior and exterior of buildings were not an unusual sight in these communities.
Our current location was a city called Vahn. It was a large city that had even more people than Nevaria before it was destroyed. The buildings were all packed closely together and made from geometric shapes like squares and rectangles. Many of these buildings featured flat roofs. I could see people lounging on these roofs when I looked up.
Vahn was built around a mountain, an inactive volcano. This caused the city to be built in tiers like a layered cake. The first tier spread out from the foot of the mountain, with each tier after that being built one level up. The top of the mountain featured something like a temple. There was a large structure up there, which was more majestic than anything else I’d seen in a long time. It could easily compare to the Imperial Royal Palace back in Nevaria.
“Look at all these buildings.” Kari was staring at the numerous buildings with a sparkle in her eyes. It was as though her eyes had captured the luster of the twin moons at night. “I wonder how old they are. Do you think the architecture of this region is based on ancient or more modern building techniques?”
“Most of the buildings look new,” I responded. “However, I can see a few that appear to have been refurbished.”
“Which building should we check out first?” asked Kari.
“Let’s find a place to sleep for the night first,” I laughed. Kari looked like she could barely restrain herself.
I made sure to keep a tight hold of Kari’s hand, both so we wouldn’t get separated, but also so she wouldn’t run off. Given the looks she was sending the buildings we passed, I was sure she’d forget herself and rush into one of them. Kari had always wanted to travel the world and explore new things. I guess coming to a city that was vastly different from Nevaria held the same appeal to her as ancient ruins.
We asked for some directions to an inn from a random passerby and were told to travel to a place called the Warrior’s Refuge. It was a large building that stood at least three-stories tall. Motifs decorated the outside walls, each one so impressive I wondered if they had been created by a famous artisan. Most of the motifs depicted a variety of warriors with burly bodies and bushy beards. There were also some warrior women decked in armor as they slayed Demon Beasts with swords, shields, and spears.
I swear it looked like Kari had hearts in her eyes.
“W-what wonderful architecture! The design is so symmetrical and fluid, and those motifs give this place a powerful aesthetic!” She turned to me. “Isn’t this building beautiful, Eryk?!”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I leaned down and kissed her. “It is. However, before you start hyperventilating, let’s go inside and grab a room.”
“You’re right. Let’s go.”
Leading me by the hand, Kari dragged me through a set of sturdy-looking wooden doors.
The room we entered appeared to be a bar or restaurant of some sort. Illuminated by the glow of numerous lightning element monster cores that hung from the ceiling were quite a number of round tables. There were a lot of people seated at these tables. Several groups of armored men laughed as they drank ale and wine. They looked unruly with their flushed faces and raucous laughter, but I never judged a book by its cover. That said, I couldn’t help but think they were mercenaries thanks to their worn-out armor.
A number of waitresses walked between tables, serving meals and treating customers. Some of those customers would try to flirt with the waitresses. However, I could tell after one man became a little too grabby that they were not normal women. I watched in something resembling awe when, after a man grabbed the ass of a passing waitress, she grabbed the offending limb, yanked the man out of his chair, and slammed him into the floor. A pained squeal erupted from his mouth as his arm was painfully pulled out of its socket.
The other patrons laughed.
“Ha! That idiot must be new! Everyone knows
you don’t touch the waitresses here!”
“What a fool! Gya ha ha! Did he really think he could lay his hands on a woman like Lexi and not suffer the consequences?”
“I can only shake my head at that man’s stupidity. Everyone knows that all the waitresses here are powerful Spiritualists. Only a moron would try something.”
Kari and I watched as the waitress who’d dislocated the poor fool’s shoulder dragged the whimpering man to the door and tossed him outside. As she clapped her hands as though ridding them of dust, she noticed us and turned around. There was a cheerful smile on her face. It was like the whole incident with that man had never happened.
“Hello! Welcome to the Warrior’s Refuge! Are you two here to eat or rest?”
“Uh…” It took me a moment to regain my bearings. “Well, sort of. We definitely plan on eating soon, but we’re also here to rent a room for the night.”
“You’re in luck! I believe we still have several rooms available! I’ll talk with Demeter and make sure that’s still the case. In the meantime, why don’t you two sit down anywhere you’d like? Someone will come by in just a bit to take your order!”
“Thank you,” Kari and I said with a smile.
“Tee-hee. You two said that at the same time. So cute.”
With those parting words, the woman walked back into the crowded bar. We watched her as she greeted several passing patrons, who appeared to be regulars from the familiar tone they spoke to her with, and then disappeared through a door in the back. Once she was gone, we looked at each other.
“I guess we should just sit anywhere,” I said.
“Let’s find an empty table,” Kari agreed.
We wandered into the crowded area, catching the eyes of quite a few people, though I realized most of them were not looking at me. There were more men here than women. All those men were staring at Kari. I couldn’t rightly blame them.
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