Chapter 3: A Little Fox and a Little Kitten

Apparently, if it weren't for Sora's existence, they would have tried to do their operation at the Academy like they did in the game [Britannia: Lost World]... and they would have definitely failed.

After all, Shigaraki Sora knew from the game that Director Amelia hadn't actually left the city in this timeline, unlike how she did in the Lost Order game, as the fair knight somehow made a different choice in the original that saved her life.

Honestly, this was all crazy—like saying the flap of a butterfly's wings had the power to spark wars across the planet... but his situation of transmigrating to a game world was already crazy enough, and Sora accepted it just like that.

Anyway, back to the reason Arthur was talking about Laura's pregnancy being a disaster, in its own way.

Since all players of the game knew of the existence of powerful factions within the Loveritia empire that had constant power struggles with each other both in public and in the shadows, which caused almost as many troubling events as Arthur Pendragon caused to the protagonist and his friends in the main story.

According to the [Story] feature, there will be a lot of chaos in the empire in the future when the Four Great Factions of the empire find out about this sudden pregnancy... Especially from two of them, whom Sora will have to face sooner or later as the acting Archduke.

The first was the Imperial faction, obviously led by the Three Imperial Houses, with the Sixth Emperor, Raymund Lunen Ivrin Lainervorial, at the top.

This was a huge faction of Imperialists who valued their country's honor and loyally supported the sovereign families since its founding, looking out for the interests of the Imperial Crown. This was the faction Arthur was a part of—nominally, of course. His fiancée is Laura, after all—and literally the largest faction; they were the ones who made sure that the Emperor's authority was as huge in the country as it should be, although not on par with the authority of the imperial family of the Yamato Empire, which was a centralized government.

The second was the aristocratic faction, currently led by the Duke of the North, Halmore Dominguez von Cerodian.

A slightly smaller but not insignificant faction of aristocrats who prioritized their own interests and sought to elevate their power above the Imperial Houses, being one of the greatest political adversaries of both Arthur and Lars...for Arthur, it is because he is the second generation of a new family of sovereign nobles who surpassed them in power in just a decade due to the 'stupidity' of the previous Emperor, something they did not like.

This was the unpatriotic faction that prevented the complete centralization of power around the Imperial Crown and held at bay many of the progressive policies that the Imperial Houses wanted to implement to further increase their power and control over the Empire based on the support of the people.

And, basically, they were also the reason why many commoners lived their lives toiling in factories across various minor territories, struggling to even dream of becoming 'Aspirants'. (Though the church's demand for a lot of gold to become Aspirants had a lot to do with that...)

The third is the "holy" faction, led by the current Pope of the Creation Church, Francis Neah Victorini Santrus, from his headquarters in the Vatican City State of Miliar, Arcaden.

This was a faction of greedy religious people, formed by the priestly families who serve the goals of the Creation Church and secretly seek to overthrow the sovereign families and nobles to create a new holy nation, with the Holy Queen as Holy Empress.

They are a pain in the ass, especially evil for their indulgence trades run by unscrupulous clerics and the unpleasant upbringing they gave to the poor Saint, Morgana Le Fey.

They had a certain degree of political influence even in a country with no official faith like the Empire, as it was the largest faith in Centoria, spread across a wide variety of countries, and militarily speaking they had the support of the Tripartite Order under Franccius; an order of holy knights divided into Paladins, Inquisitors, and Templars, which are not to be trifled with in any way.

And finally, the officially leaderless faction of the Bourgeois, formerly known as — and still disparagingly called in social circles — the Plebeian faction, which is made up of Bourgeois families seeking to satisfy their own economic interests while remaining officially neutral in those political power struggles.

That's obviously a load of bullshit, as they secretly give the Imperialists a ton of "donations" to maintain their power, and the Petty Bourgeois even secretly collaborate with the Aristocratic and Holy faction in pursuit of greater benefits for themselves.

Thanks to the summarized data from the Master System, Sora understood the fact that the aristocratic and sacred factions were the ones who would be the most furious if they found out that he, the Archduke of Draco Silva, previously indifferent to his fiancée, had suddenly impregnated her out of nowhere; not only gaining an heir in advance before they were even married, but also voluntarily or unintentionally strengthening his ties with the Lunen Clan.

It was basically like stating that he had finally officially sided with the Emperor, something the Imperial faction would no doubt celebrate, as it meant a significant increase in their power, considering his family's wealth and military might.

Even more so considering the fact that Arthur Pendragon von Draco Silva was actually a Torrius, a powerhouse of enormous individual might in his own right that would make even a Duke bow his head in respect, even if he was originally a minor baron like Lars's father.

And one thing Sora was now sure of, was that this would provoke many dark movements in this complicated power struggle that enveloped the entire Loveitia Empire... no doubt provoking disturbing movements from other countries as well... Just thinking about that made him realize his stupidity... and he wanted to hit himself.

What was she supposed to do now? Abort the child without anyone knowing?

There was no way Sora could ask something like that of Laura, whose eyes were those of a woman in love who clearly wanted to live by his side for the rest of her life and bear the fruit of their love (Not to mention that her feelings grew stronger long after the act, cough).

And even though Laura herself didn't want to give birth to that girl, Arthur didn't want to take away her baby, her own blood, the opportunity to see the world and live.

So all he had to do was be a man and deal with the consequences of his rash actions... (And damn, a pregnant Laura is surprisingly a turn-on for him, even if he can't see her swollen belly yet!).

For now.... Turning to look at Franx, who stiffened as Ikaros stared at him with her adorable eyes, Sora decided to focus on punishing Franx for his evil deeds motivated by his lust while smiling.

—¿Ahhhh? Arthur-sama ~…

Later, Franx Leumiere would be seen caressing her rear end with a look of embarrassment and strange emotion that made Laura, Luminia and Nava give her a death glare while Ikaros wondered with a finger on her lips if spanking the rear end was really a punishment for a disobedient servant…

♦♦♦♦

The Pendragons.

That was the name by which a new but powerful noble family of the highest rank was known, which appeared just 30 years ago in the history of the Loveitia Empire.

Although the Pendragons were such a young noble family that they only have four recorded members today, they quickly rose to tremendous status thanks to the tremendous achievements of their two founders.

First, we have the second son of the Duke of Cornwall, Marcus Frederick von Cornwall, who became independent of his family upon reaching official adulthood in the empire.

Originally affiliated with the Tower of Sorcery as a talented Caster and researcher of the Aristocratic Faction, Marcus one day left and began living as a sorcery-skilled adventurer for five years, quickly reaching SS-rank as an Adventurer. 

Her talent for sorcery was surpassed only by her unique androgynous beauty, which captivated numerous women, who sighed in her presence with dreamy eyes.

Then we have the younger distant cousin of the current King Uther of Camelot, Igraine Wleding von Caldeus, a skilled Saber and also a tremendous beauty from the Kingdom of Camelot, who ran away from her family, as they wanted to marry her to King Uther who coveted her beauty.

Igraine soon after became a free swordswoman who wandered the world playing a heroine until she finally joined the Adventurer's Guild, one day arriving in Loveritia. 

From there, the beautiful black-haired woman met up with Marcus, pursued him, and some witnesses even claim she forced him to be her partner in crime…in more ways than one.

Later, Igraine also achieved the rank of SS as an adventurer.

Thus, together they embarked on incredible and glorious adventures that brought them great fame and recognition across the continent, and even led a crusade against a Dragon's territory on the borders of the Loveritia Empire, earning the favor of the previous Emperor and the title of Archdukes by saving the population from a terrible disease resistant to divine power with a cure that only grew in the Dragon's home, which was the cause of a war that led the powerful creature to its death.

And what was the reason for giving them such a high title as Archdukes?

Simple; Dragon Slayers are revered by multiple kingdoms due to the ancient legends the church tells about them, protecting humanity from the fearsome True Dragons of the Old Age.

Furthermore, it was precisely two sons of high nobility from two brother countries who became such legendary beings (they didn't exactly do it alone, but the Loveitian nobles didn't really care), not to mention that both of them saved the continent from total collapse with that bloody war against the True Dragon and his servants.

For this reason, the Imperial Crown deemed it appropriate to grant this title, which had not been present in the empire for centuries; the three Imperial Houses were unanimous in their agreement.

Of course, there were former nobles who objected to their receiving such a high-ranking title; despite the fact that they were the only reason the nations of the continent, and potentially all of humanity, didn't fall from grace.

They were especially unhappy with Camelot's noblewoman, a foreigner, even though both countries had the same origins.

However, the Emperor and the three sovereign families were not only steadfast in appointing both adventurers as Archdukes, but also Marcus and Igraine; using the support of the Imperial people and their fellow adventurers to their advantage, they pushed back the old noble families that sought to halt their rise.

Finally, both adventurers were able to receive their well-deserved noble titles, becoming the most powerful nobles after the imperial family after being given the vast territories of the True Dragon to rule, despite the reluctance of the former nobles.

Unexpectedly, those two powerful nobles would make their newly formed house completely neutral when it came to the empire's politics, establishing their Palaces on a mountain where the dragon once lived—now proudly part of their sprawling territory—while keeping control of these factional power struggles as much as possible.

And it must be said that the Pendragon Palaces were not built on that mountain just to make them grander, as the nearby forest was filled with medicinal plants to treat the dangerous Crimson Plague disease, as well as many other useful plant ingredients that were valuable resources that the Archdukes wanted to personally control.

It was there that they also built their capital, Baldur City.

With its large suburban houses with elm wood roofs and walls and a variety of culinary delights, Baldur had a beautiful atmosphere for the inhabitants of the surrounding lands.

Although the main attraction was considered to be the Adventurers' Guild, built 10 years ago and designed by honest and forthright dwarves.

As the city was built on land with many valuable resources, Baldur had a thriving economy, supported primarily by blacksmithing, engineering, and alchemy.

But its greatest strengths are its sophisticated cuisine and the cultivation of rare plants, purchased from farms within the city, protected by large walls that separate them from both the residential areas and the dangerous outside world.

Sugar was also a big trade, although not as much as the aforementioned products.

Furthermore, Bartur has no shortage of skilled craftsmen.

Although the dwarves had originally come here temporarily to work and earn a lot of money, the good living conditions and the non-discriminatory treatment of the knights made them reluctant to return to their homelands, so they decided to live here without much hesitation.

Thus, it is possible to find several dwarven-populated areas below Pendragon Mountain, filled with blacksmiths and with the smoke from their forges rising into the air.

As you walk past, you can hear the sound of hammers shaping metal, or dwarves laughing after a good drink... or even the more macho ones fighting each other with high testosterone to get the attention of a beautiful dwarf.

Baldur, then, was a city made up primarily of humans and dwarves as ordinary citizens living among themselves, unlike anywhere else on the continent.

Thus, the capital of the Archduchy was one of the most prosperous cities in the Empire of Loveritia, even compared to the imperial capital.

Although officially the Archduke was the only official lord of this city, he had under his command vassals who acted as his representatives or as a small government, who now serve the young Archduke, Arthur Pendragon von Draco Silva.

And unlike most of the lesser cities in the empire where unemployment rates were high, Baldur offered many opportunities for those with or without an education, which was very valuable, since despite many social reforms, there were still too many territories where commoners had to work in factories with low wages as their only option to get a real job... or beg or become criminals.

This would be one more reason for people from other territories to say they should migrate from their cities and towns to work here or at least become subjects of Pendragon.

After all, the city had many benefits besides a good employment rate: its streets were well-maintained and crime was kept to a minimum.

This was mainly because the ruler was a powerful empire with excellent vision and an excellent garrison of police officers assigned to maintain order.

Here there were also small schools of sorcery, huge market chains, guilds of various kinds and entertainment areas that made up the entire city of Baldur along with the homes of the commoners and nobles.

The Adventurers' Guild was located in the center of the city. Along with the Palaces, it was the most imposing building constructed when the city was founded, as its founders were adventurers.

Both Archdukes had great respect for adventurers, and that's why they wanted them in this city. Furthermore, in the most delicate moments of war, adventurers could be the ones to protect the people.

While the lord and his men went to war against tribes of beastmen, orcs, globins and other beings to expand control over the territory they had been granted, the adventurers could protect the city from sudden enemy raids and reduce casualties.

After all, being a large city, Baldur had enough wealth to solicit even SS-rank adventurers like the Archduke and his wife, who were some of the most powerful adventurers in the world.

And because of Princess Nava's accomplishments in trade (although this was not public knowledge), twenty of these individuals could easily be appointed thanks to her current vast wealth without affecting her daily operations.

It was undoubtedly the best place to live in the empire; the pride of the Pendragon family.

♦♦♦♦

Currently, the moon was gradually rising and birds were migrating throughout the capital city of Baldur.

Even so, many people were walking leisurely back home, almost all of them adventurers.

Some headed to the markets to buy or repair weapons, filled with the shouts of enthusiastic merchants advertising their wares, while others headed to the taverns for lunch or a beer with a good dwarf-mouthed man.

People worked to take care of the fields outside, and soldiers patrolled the streets with hawkish eyes, intolerant of any crime committed on these lands.

And amidst all that energy, a procession of luxurious airships in the skies—which bore the Pendragon family insignia on their great sails that flapped in the winds of manna—inevitably caught the attention of the inhabitants below as they saw their imposing shadows while blue lights in the form of circles below made them rub.

The golden shield of the ruling house of these lands, the roaring Black Dragon pierced by a knight's magical sword, looked magnificent from below as it waved.

-Huh? Those are Pendragon's Arcanaships... Has the Archduke returned?

"That's how it should be, isn't it? After all, those Archonships look too luxurious for servants to use..."

-But he goes to the Academy to study or something... Isn't that Princess Nava then?

-Who knows...

No matter if they were humans, dwarves, or even the very rare beastmen living on Baldur, many of them turned to look at what looked like a luxurious air caravan with surprise and interest, discussing among themselves as they looked at the skies.

What was happening in the capital hadn't yet spread here... After all, let alone image viewers, not even magic radios were common enough for all commoners to use at will. Not to mention that most adventurers were too wrapped up in their own affairs to worry about "trivial" things.

If they knew what was happening... all of Pendragon's subjects in Draco Silva would raise an uproar.

As for the group of arcane aircraft, the one that went ahead of all was a black one with golden lines that looked worthy of a King, leading the caravan with two guardian ships at its side, in addition to having two dozen additional ships bringing up the rear and another aircraft only smaller in size than the main one, only white with blue lines like the sea.

All these aircraft headed towards their target in formation, the top of the mountain where there were three white limestone Palaces of surprising beauty... The Palaces of the Archduchy of Draco Silva.

♦♦♦♦

When all the aircrafts finally reached their destination, they all headed towards their landing site, flying over the steep cobblestone path that led to the center of the enormous and seemingly labyrinthine garden, where there was a magnificent fountain, serving as the centerpiece, with small rainbows coming out of the jet of water and bushes of flowers of various colors surrounding it.

The cobblestone path circled the fountain and branched off to the east, west, and north of the fountain. Four figures watched the beautiful scene from above, three of them resting their arms on the railing on the deck.

Each of them was very beautiful, enough to cause admiration among ordinary people.

Eran Arthur, Laura, Nava and Ikaros.

-The great Pendragon Palaces are truly beautiful...

-Hmm. They really are...

As they continued the short journey to the landing strip behind the palace, while looking down on everything with her fiancé, Laura couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

It had been a long time since she had been there and as such she was still amazed at how amazing it was compared to the larger Lunen Palace.

It was...so beautiful and perfect.

The lawn covering the enormous atrium, the trees lining the perimeter of the garden, the flower bushes, everything was so perfect from above, as if several extremely skilled gardeners had taken care of them just before their arrival.

"Laura... Are you sure you won't return to Lunen Palace? Your family must be very worried right now..." Standing beside her, Sora simply placed a hand on his fiancée's shoulder as he spoke to her with concern.

Except for that madman, Emperor Raymund. Possibly the only thing he'd be worried about is a useful tool for his family getting damaged... Of course... he hasn't yet fallen into full-blown Satan worship as far as I know... He wouldn't sacrifice Laura and the rest of his family for immortality until that happens... But it's only a matter of time...

As part of Sora's mind was momentarily distracted by recalling certain scenarios from the game, he heard Laura's soft reply.

—Mou~...I'm sure I want to be here, Arthur. I don't want to be apart from you, after everything that happened... —Laura narrowed her beautiful eyes and pouted— so please stop telling me that. I don't like how you feel, like you're pushing me away.

"Ah... I'm sorry." He could only lower his head in guilt.

-Oh! Don't take it so seriously! I was just saying...

The princess exclaimed nervously, with a blush on her cheeks she tried to explain herself.

She couldn't tell him that the real reason she was following him here was mainly because she wanted to see more of his rock-hard, well-defined muscles and abs, his perfect figure that she had always fantasized about and had recently seen in its prime, and most of all, the big "gun" he hides in his pants.

That was too embarrassing, even after what they did in the guest room... However, he also couldn't let Arthur think he'd hurt his feelings or anything like that...

But at that moment, Laura didn't know what to say.

-Haaa... You should just say once and for all if you want to have sex with Arthur-niisama again and save us all the drama, okay? - Nava said disdainfully as she looked up at the moon, annoyed.

-Nava-chan?! Saying things like that... is... is...

"More embarrassing than having your uterus filled with semen? I'm sure you felt good, though I didn't see it. It smelled fragrant enough in that room to give me an idea."

The Princess of the Archduchy grumbled in a jealous voice while giving him a fierce look out of the corner of her eye, causing Laura to lower her head shyly, Ikaros to unconsciously stroke her belly, and Arthur to laugh uncomfortably while mindlessly looking at Laura's belly at the mention of the subject.

He grimaced and asked the system for the ninth time, unsure, while resisting the urge to stroke her belly.

.... Alice-chan, are you really pregnant? Is it really that simple?

Honestly, it was still hard to believe. Even if you say his Quirk is so incredible, it still surprises him. No one knows how many times he came inside Hinakawa Yüna without anything happening, despite him shouting things like, "Imperish me with your hot semen!" Every time...

I even suspect she used some kind of birth control, but she never questioned it. They were too young to be parents, anyway…

<Master, keep insisting and I'll ban you from using me for a week... Princess Laura is definitely pregnant, and the fact that the process won't take more than a week is because Master's Level of Existence overwhelms her by a wide margin, not to mention his Quirk… I've already explained it to you in great detail along the way>

"..."

This attitude reminds me a bit of  Akari-chan , an IV who knew how to get on her player's nerves with her unnecessarily emotional tone... to the point where I had to teach her a lesson in my private room, hmm

The game {Chronicles of the Greater Grail} allowed players to create a virtual assistant along with the Avatar that would keep them company on their adventures and they could use their avatars while offline for various purposes.

Arthur, or rather Shiragaki Sora, had naturally used that function to design a cute IV girl in the past.

She spent a lot of time designing her appearance—almost as much as her own avatar—and she put aside personality, thinking that a silent, obedient, incorporeal loli was cute...

Although it became a slight annoyance after she somehow developed a personality of her own through self-learning, he couldn't help but remember her somewhat fondly upon hearing Alice act like this, especially due to the quality time spent in the player's lounge.

He wondered for a moment if Akari still existed in this world somehow or was a being unique to the original Britannia....Thinking like this, Arthur remained silent for a while before sighing.

Anyway, when I think about it, I had my first day in another world, summoned a Servant, a magic sword, fought a demon...and finally found out that in a few months I'll be a father due to reckless sex... others would just say "What the...really crazy!"

The funniest thing of all is that instead of the anxiety or panic that other men would feel, Shigaraki Sora couldn't help but constantly think that a pregnant Laura would be even more beautiful and exciting than before in his eyes!

More than that... I was even seriously considering doing it again while looking at the sexy Nava and Ikaros and thinking about the erotic pregnant Luminia!

I wanted to fill them with cum right now for hours and finally leave them with really big bellies, right now!

Shit... I'm really sick

Sora began to reflect on his perversions as they finally arrived at the real Pendragon family home after that fiasco in the Imperial Capital, without any dangerous incidents that should follow... at least that was what he hoped.

♦♦♦♦

As the magnificent Archairships began to land in the landing zone between the grand Pendragon Palaces, the first to open its doors was naturally the one carrying the Archduke and the two most important princesses of the Empire along with their closest maids (Ikaros was now wearing normal maiden clothes).

They soon entered the magnificent building in silence while being watched by the strange servants inside, who assumed solemn and respectful postures as they watched them pass by.

After them came the other Archairships, mostly gray and less luxurious in appearance, despite their large size and unique beauty. In fact, some were Archairships designed to transport people, while others were used to transport objects belonging to the destroyed mansion.

However, the one carrying the beautiful Pendragon maidens, unlike the male servants, was not a cargo Arkoship, but a beautiful white flying ship similar to the Archduke's.

This showed clear favoritism towards certain members of the servants....

Anyway, from this flying ship came the famous beauties who served the family and somehow all survived the attack of the Demon Count.

All of them were now being guided along with the male servants naturally to the Archduke's central Palace after the fall of the mansion in the imperial capital while being guided by a smiling Luminia (who was somehow terrifying) and a more serious than usual Jonathan (who was even more terrifying).

Although some of these servants looked somewhat haggard as they walked, as if they had been in a war, overall many of them took the liberty of looking at their new "home" with bright eyes; some even smiled a little, pleased with the change.

What happened with the whole Demon Count thing in the capital may have been quite traumatic, some might clearly end up experiencing nightmares and not sleeping well for days because of this experience.

After all, they witnessed other servants and even knights being killed all around, and it was normal to be in shock even now, especially seeing the death of a friend.

However, for most of them, there was something more important in their lives.

And not only did they not lose their well-paying jobs in that strange incident or die under the sudden attack of the fearsome demon; they managed to preserve their small lives thanks to the young Archduke personally slaying the creature in a legendary display of his power, but in a way, they were all now experiencing a significant "promotion" they could only have dreamed of in the past.

After all... Isn't it common knowledge that the workers in a typical mansion in the imperial capital of Loveritia have a much lower salary than the servants in the capitals belonging to high-ranking nobles?

That they had better sleeping facilities?

That among servants, the status of a servant of a noble capital is higher than that of a servant who takes care of one of its many private mansions?

Truly... just being transferred to work in the Pendragon Family Palaces was something worth celebrating, as they were no longer the lowest echelon of servants.

Especially since their fears of being taken to a mansion of lesser value than the one they once worked in were unfounded!

Although... of course, considering the many deaths that had occurred, they could only celebrate in private. So they wouldn't be called crazy, miserable bastards.

Among those jubilant servants and maids who could not completely contain their smiles and were carrying many things that were also saved from the chaos, was a young maiden of the beast species with fox ears and tail, gazing with childlike wonder at the magnificent sight of the most beautiful buildings and gardens she had ever seen in her life.

Her eyes almost shone like stars as she took in the beautiful surroundings, and her cheeks flushed with excitement, almost spinning on her feet.

She had beautiful facial features: full lips, a thin nose, long eyelashes, and dark brown eyes that had a curve that made her look like a fox.

Her beautiful brown hair, which reached down to her back, swayed in the occasional passing wind, causing her to try to hold it with her delicate left hand while with the other she held a large gray suitcase about a meter long, which she lifted with surprising ease.

However, no one around was too surprised by this show of force... as it was simply normal.

Leaving aside that there were many Aspirants in this world capable of breaking through thick walls like Hulk, wasn't it common knowledge that "Demihumans" filled with Elves and Dwarves had parameters of higher grades than humans naturally?

You'd have to be a clueless idiot to be surprised by that. Besides... this girl was known to be the physically strongest among the Bestians who served the Pendragons.

There was nothing strange, even if he suddenly decided to destroy a house like some human wrecker...

"What are you doing, Kana-chan? Will you stop standing there like an idiot, staring at the place like a little girl, and walk quickly so we can get into the palace right away? You're making me feel embarrassed!"

The beautiful fox girl was only able to snap back to reality when she heard the annoyed voice of a young girl—correctly, another young maiden—approaching her with her hands on her hips; her own suitcase was set aside as she looked at her with a stern expression.

—Ah... Of course, Shia-chan!

The girl named Kana jumped in surprise, making her plump breasts bounce gracefully as she looked at the source of the voice.

Shia was a beautiful, quite short girl, whom some would call Loli just by looking at her, who accompanied her as her companion and friend.

This maiden, like Kana, was a small beast maiden; only from the Felinoe family, unlike Kana, who was from the Caninoe family.

Shia had adorable cat ears the same color as her light blue hair and a black-striped tail that moved back and forth slowly and deliberately.

And, like Kana and other beautiful maids of the Pendragon family, she wore a shorter skirt than usual; which outlined her not at all small backside while leaving her beautiful white thighs covered by gray stockings that made them look more attractive to the eye, with an innocent but sensual air, courtesy of the kind head maid, Luminia.

Both beautiful women began walking quickly towards the palace with their suitcases, following the other servants as they began to talk among themselves.

—Kana-chan, I know the Pendragon family palaces are magnificent and dreamlike, I myself am struck by that beautiful scene before landing that will remain etched in my memory forever…

Recalling the beautiful sight she saw during her time in the night skies, the young cat commented with a slightly dreamy expression as she thought about the beautiful palace they were about to enter, before returning to speaking seriously with her companion and friend.

—...But, you know, you'd be in serious trouble if you stayed behind instead of properly following the head maid to our new workplace as maids. What if you get fired for acting out of character? You'll only have yourself to blame if that happens. The lives of beastmen like us are very hard, Kana-chan. One small mistake and you'll end up ruining your life forever. You know how hard it would be to find a noble who would give our race a good salary, right? Don't be stupid, I won't always be there to take care of your enormous ass.

Her gray, slightly feline eyes seemed somewhat sleepy by nature, but the expression on her beautiful face was serious as she rudely scolded Kana, as if she were dealing with a problem child she was babysitting; quite funny considering that between the two of them, she was the one who could be mistaken for a child from a distance given her height of approximately 151 cm, while Kana had the height of a model and a body full of curves in all the right places.

...And they were both the same age.

—Y-you're right... but I couldn't help it, you know... It's just too beautiful! And did you see the garden? It was even more beautiful than the one at the mansion in the capital!... Umm... Quite nice! Yeah... — Kana initially spoke excitedly in response, but only ended up saying the last part feeling awkward as she remembered how the old mansion's garden ended up mutating into monsters because of the invading demon.

To put it frankly, seeing the garden plants writhing with a mutant, demonic appearance, as if they wanted to drag you into the depths of hell, was a sight that would change your view of flowers if you were of a fragile mind.

—Very beautiful...

-Yeah...

Remaining silent on the awkward topic, the two walked along with the other 20 maids who also only carried suitcases to the palace, while the 15 male servants were the ones carrying the heavy loads to who knows where under the guidance of the butler Jonathan.

There, among the rare servants who departed who knows where, everyone was greeted by a world of grandeur and splendor reminiscent of a beautiful castle clad in marble with different shades of gray and walls covered in white paneling. 

A vision that left everyone quite surprised by its beauty, and that was not all.

From the high ceiling hung several silver chandeliers, equidistant, giving off a soft, warm light.

The floors were not marble as in the mansion in the capital, but pure, gleaming parquet. Each piece of wood was beautifully cut, hand-scrubbed, and polished by skilled artisans, then affixed to the palace floor, giving it a beautiful appearance with its mosaics.

These magnificent parquet floors are works of art in themselves.

The Pendragon Palace's design combines art and dignity, and its parquet floors—a growing trend in recent years among the lower nobility—are highly regarded in the empire's high society for their incomparable elegance.

Almost all the maidens sighed at the great beauty of the interior, never expecting to see anything like it in their lives.

It was simply shocking how even a simple piece of wood could be turned into something so visually captivating, and Kana and Shia tried not to gape at everything they saw.

They weren't the only ones who had such emotions evident on their faces, and Luminia laughed in amusement as she looked at them as if she found them cute, personally guiding them to where they would live from now on.

As for the men, although they were busy carrying 'goods', many of those boys seemed to have some free time to admire out of the corner of their eyes the physical beauty of the Beautiful Maidens with whom they rarely interacted, without showing much interest in the interior of the Grand Palace.

All the maidens who "miraculously" survived during the Demon's slaughter were, after all, the most beautiful maidens in the servitude, and many focused more on Kana and Shia.

They watched Kana, who even while carrying a huge suitcase moved with agility while having a naturally haughty pose, her F-cup breasts bouncing gently with each step.

Her movements, as far as could be seen, were graceful yet very seductive as she moved her tail and hips temptingly without any intention; none of her strides seemed to make a sound as her long legs walked across the wooden floor of the Grand Palace.

Many men among the servants always stared at Kana's sexy figure with dirty looks, as if they were hungry wolves witnessing a delicious and juicy piece of fresh meat in front of them.

Having recently gone through a life-or-death experience, it was even more intense than usual, as if there was a will to not regret it…

Kana had such an erotic body that she could easily set up a tent in almost any man's pants with her sensual movements, and they tried hard not to drop what they were carrying and get punished by Jonathan as they watched her with undisguised lust.

Not only Kana, but Shia herself was the target of those lustful glances.

Despite her petite figure and breasts that were much smaller than the average woman, her appearance was also quite attractive, especially because of that sexy feline figure, her sensual thighs, and those erotic buttocks of hers that were bigger than Kana's, something she was secretly proud of.

It didn't help that Luminia's personally designed maid clothes enhanced the appeal of women like them without looking actually vulgar, which was a display of incredible sewing skill...

And when it came to beauty, these two girls were on par with Luminia, the strict (More with servants) but kind (More with maids) head maid who was also in the fantasies of everyone who considered themselves a real man in the Pendragon Manor (It is doubted, half of them screamed like little girls during that disaster in the capital)

You could say that both Kana and Shia were top-class beauties, very popular with the servants... in a bad way, so to speak.

Fortunately, they and the others have long since learned to ignore the stares of unpleasant men as they all walk away.

So, Kana and Shia distracted their minds by admiring the interior of the palace as they were led to what they assumed were the maids' quarters.

The halls were strangely empty... as if the palace itself lacked servants. But that didn't make sense judging by what they'd seen. So they simply concluded that the other maids and servants were elsewhere, performing some kind of important duty.

Despite that, the two marveled at the cute decorations and paintings they saw occasionally until they came to a beautiful hallway filled with many separate rooms with beautifully designed doors... The only hallway with that many doors, in fact, which was also very strange.

It was here that Lumina abruptly stopped, causing the maidens who were following her like ducklings following their mother to also stop, blinking in confusion.

Unconcerned, Luminia looked at them with a serious expression as she spoke, "From now on, ladies, you will be living in these rooms. Please note that most of you will have to share a room with a roommate, as there are only eleven rooms available. You will be able to choose who to sleep with among yourselves, and I will give you the key to each of them. And don't worry, I've already made sure that all of you have two beds to sleep separately. If you have any questions, just ask me now."

She finished with a small smile, which rose slightly as she observed the maids' growing confusion, and which did not change even when they began to ask her questions, somewhat uncertainly.

It wasn't strange that they behaved this way. After all, although everyone had expected to have pleasant dormitories, this was completely different from what they had imagined.

Generally, the maids of nobles and bourgeoisie shared rooms, since only the highest-ranking servants, such as the butler or head maid, were allowed a private room.

That in itself wasn't the strange thing... the strange thing was that the head maid's words seemed to suggest that only one of them wouldn't have to share a room with anyone due to the lack of other rooms...

Doesn't that mean that if there were more rooms everyone could have lived in their own private room?

That didn't make any sense!

There was also the fact that the Handmaids' bedrooms were usually located in the attics of annexes to noble houses or in secluded places adjacent to their mansions. That was normal; you would never find common maids living in what looked like important guest rooms.

...But as Luminia explained, the Pendragon Palaces didn't have any servants from the beginning, except for the kitchen attendants, or those who protect the kitchen perimeters, who live in another section of the central palace.

In fact, automatons with magical powers were commonly used here for cleaning and internal security duties, which were managed by Luminia herself as the Palace's supervisor. And those automatons were the same servants they had seen before, which made Kana realize why they had seemed strange to her when she first saw them.

To begin with, they weren't even living beings... that's why I couldn't feel their spiritual force.

For a moment I thought they were professional killers or something...

She couldn't help but marvel at Pendragon's wealth, that he could afford something like that, just to keep his Grand Palace clean. Kana was also curious about the inner workings of such things... How could they be so sophisticated as to mimic the movements of a living being?

She was curious like a sorceress.

—W-Why are we here...? — A sexy dark-skinned, golden-haired maid couldn't help but ask in a shy voice unconsciously, causing the other maids to jump and look nervous and annoyed with the poor woman.

They couldn't help the unfounded fear that they'd be kicked out on a whim at the sudden thought, "Well, well, I suppose I should fire them?" simply because she couldn't contain her curiosity. The girl herself seemed to think so, as she seemed to regret speaking without thinking, looking as if she wanted to stick her head in a deep hole with her hare ears drooping.

Showing a smile, Luminia simply said, "It would be a shame if you lost your jobs so suddenly to the terrorists, wouldn't it? So we decided to bring the survivors of that attack with us so they could continue serving the Pendragon family."

Besides... it's a waste to thoughtlessly waste magic crystals on such mundane tasks as cleaning, so you might as well come and do it yourselves, saving us from wasting these valuable minerals. That's also the reason our automatons didn't help with the transportation.

"...?"

She just went and said we're a cheaper means of cleaning up for Pendragon than her absurd wealth, didn't she?

Well... magic crystals were already an extremely valuable resource; only the Pendragon family could afford something like that in the first place, and even then it doesn't seem very sustainable, so it makes sense...

"...."

.. . Make sense, my ass! This doesn't make any sense! Isn't the most impure magic crystal on the black market supposed to be fully capable of powering a weapon of war for a year, albeit with terrifying efficiency?

Are you telling us that they wanted to store, now and forever, those precious, highest purity magical crystals (and they are certainly high purity!) in machines that only clean here and there, only now?

Tell us something that makes sense! There's rotten fish here, I have no doubt!

That's what Shia believed, thinking that this was all very suspicious. 

However, Kana and the other maids seemed very convinced by all that nonsense as they nodded, some already choosing who to share a room with because they were quite satisfied with that answer, and Shia sighed.

What's going on in the Head Maid's head...?

The cat girl couldn't help but wonder as she looked at the half-elf who smiled politely, her blue eyes shining with unknown intentions, as she handed some keys to the maids who approached her.

However, she had to put those thoughts aside when Kana asked her to be her roommate, which she naturally accepted.

Well... whatever, we'll find out later...

♦♦♦♦

Already inside a rather beautiful room that by all accounts was not for any maid, Kana and Shia left their suitcases and sat on their respective beds, feeling the softness of these, and sighed in disbelief as they looked around in amazement and some discomfort.

The place they were in, to them, looked like the elegant bedroom of a nobleman although they knew it was only a guest room, something that was not unknown to them as maids, but unless they were lovers of the Archduke or something like that, it would be a place they would never normally sleep in.

In the mansion, many maids, such as Kana and Shia, only shared a small room whose only furnishings were a relatively nice wardrobe, some simple beds, and a common wooden table.

The only thing really worth seeing in their old room was Shia's magic radio, which he bought by saving quite a bit of money, and all those things together that they brought as luggage would only take up a corner of this large room.

There was also a small silver chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and they could see what looked like some kind of desk, with incense burning on it. Having all that space to themselves surprised them. Plus, all this furniture has a very elegant design.

For Kana and Shia, who were used to everything being cheap due to their origins, this was a somewhat uncomfortable, but not unpleasant, change.

The white four-poster beds with black sheets were soft and fluffy. They both had to admit they were immediately hooked on these beds, which would undoubtedly provide them with excellent nights from now on.

Her miserable mattresses of the past were of such inferior quality that it was simply sacrilege to even compare them in the first place. There was also a bookshelf full of books in the room, something book-loving Kana was very grateful for.

—It's incredible... starting today, not only will we be working in the Pendragon Palaces, something I never imagined I could do, but we'll even be living in rooms no less than those of a baron...

Kana lay face down on the bed rather listlessly, stretching out her arms, feeling the pleasant sensation of the bed as she turned her head and looked up at the ceiling of the room; which even seemed to have some beautiful reliefs on its surface.

—Yeah... one can't help but wonder if all this is real... you know,— Shia also leaned back with her lazy cat eyes half-lidded as she commented, speaking her mind without a filter. —This day has been completely crazy; the mansion we were working in was attacked by a Demon Count that came out of a green meteor, of all things; many died fighting or fleeing from it, and in the end, after the Archduke himself killed it, the mansion was completely destroyed in a sudden explosion, killing even more people... It just doesn't make sense, what was that all about?

She just couldn't help but wonder now, while Kana just smiled strangely, also confused.

Everyone had avoided talking about the subject on their short trip to the Pendragon lands thanks to the expensive imperial gates that connect almost all noble territories, because they were still in shock.

But now that they felt their lives were safe, they couldn't help but question the matter, if only among themselves.

The events leading to the fall of Pendragon Manor were too strange. Neither of them could see the point of the attack, except perhaps to humiliate the Empire's only Archduke.

But who would win? Isn't it too risky to get involved with demons just to humiliate another noble?

Because the murder of the Pendragon family or even the kidnapping of the Imperial Princess didn't seem like it; everyone believed there were plenty of opportunities to try to kill or kidnap everyone without so much disaster...or at least Princess Nava.

However, the Cultists only destroyed the mansion when they were not inside and did not attempt anything further after the departure, indicating another objective.

But wasn't that madness, regardless of the purpose?

Did those in charge want the Creation Church's Inquisition to be at their doors if they were discovered? 

Were they not afraid of the sacred flame that would burn their bodies and souls according to the gravity of their sins?

What was the big plan behind all that?

—Yes... I don't understand.

Kana sighed once more and shook her head, suddenly standing up from the bed without any sign of regret even though she heard a strange voice in her head tempting her to lie back down, and her enormous breasts bounced happily at her actions as she walked over to the large window in the room, speaking once more: "Anyway, this has nothing to do with us; dwelling on the matter won't do us any good. No matter what happens, the truth behind the demon incident may come out sooner or later. And even if it doesn't, why would two maids like us worry about such matters? That would be a pain in the ass."

—Wow... you finally say something that makes sense, Kana-chan...

Shia sat up smiling on the bed and looked at her friend who was shaking her head with a mocking smile on her erotic lips, looking at her in shock as if she didn't expect to hear anything logical come out of her mouth, before commenting something worried.

 —But... maybe it's not such a good idea to keep working for the Pendragons? I mean, no one knows if they'll carry out another attack... you know, this time on the palace...

—Everything is going to be okay!

Kana replied excitedly, as she looked at the beautiful view of Baldur's Capital City and the magnificent garden of the Grand Palace, reminding her that they were at quite a high altitude, as she inhaled a breath of the fresh air that passed through her and smiled, pumping her fists.

—Archduke-sama, the youngest Torrius on the continent, will surely triumph again against any Demon that appears in his Grand Palace... so let us enjoy our time here as much as we can without worries! — He said as he turned to look at the cat girl, holding onto the window with both hands.

—...What nonsense are you talking, woman?

Shia looked almost like she wanted to punch herself in the face at those words.

Shia was speechless at the airhead before her.

Why would everything be fine if the Archduke killed any future demons? Did he conveniently forget that many died before he even lifted a finger? Was Kana crazy?

And he can't have forgotten that he goes to the academy, right?

Reacting to her friend looking at her like she was crazy, Kana moved away from the window as she walked towards Shia, waving her finger in the air with an arrogant attitude.

—Oh, Shia-chan~... Didn't you say so yourself? This is the best job we can get as beastwomen in any human nation, and giving it up will only bring us trouble. Whether demons appear or not, we can't give up, right? After all, none of us want to become prostitutes...

"You're right..." Although she didn't like his tone and attitude, Shia nodded with a frown. 

Of course, I knew they couldn't get any better than what they had now. Not with their position among the human countries, of course. 

But still... Did this girl really forget that the Archduke still had to go to study anyway...? 

And even if he really did go back and forth between the two capitals to go to Bomenslik Academy City (which would be super extravagant), there was still the obvious possibility of being attacked while he was away.

She's still a complete airhead... How the hell can you learn sorcery with that brain? Don't you need good critical thinking for that or something?

Shia just didn't understand at all. Her friend was a complete mystery in that sense. And not just because she apparently had the intelligence to learn that mystical science and become a Caster...

It wasn't something everyone knew given the low number of beastwomen and the general disdain faced by beings called "demi-humans", but long before the anomaly called Kana was born, there was not a single beastwoman with magical talent in the entire cursed Super Continent of Centoria.

All of them could only use Mana Arts to strengthen their already incredible physical abilities, and very few could use extremely basic magical manipulation for daily life, which was already considered quite talented.

In that sense, Kana was truly an unnatural phenomenon, a total anomaly, or one could even call it an absolute singularity of this world that could shatter all common sense on this earth into small, insignificant pieces and laugh at it with a despicable smile.

That's what the cat girl firmly believed in.

From a very young age, Kana was able to understand the thaumaturgical formulas taught to her by an old Caster who cared for them both and other children as the owner and director of a small orphanage along with his daughter.

The man, who was like a father to them, showed more than once how impressed he was with Kana's unmatched magical talent compared to other human children, concentrating quite a bit on teaching her the basics of magecraft and spellcasting; as he had no thoughts of Kana enrolling into Bomenslik Imperial Academy despite making sure she obtained a Divine Spirits Class Emblem.

The orphanage director even joked that Kana could very well be the reincarnation of an archmage from ancient times before Aspirants even existed....which was so ridiculous that Shia and the others didn't find it funny at all, much to the annoyance of the old Caster who insisted that he was serious about it.

Frankly... Shia was quite jealous of Kana for her incredible talents, unique in the entire history of the Bestians... along with that spectacular body she had even before turning 18.

Although, if there was one thing I didn't envy, it was that head of his, which seemed to be full of air when there wasn't any sorcery involved. Seriously, it was incredible...

And while Shia was thinking rude things to herself, the fox Caster continued talking.

—....Besides, old Kaiter told us that the best thing we could do was graduate from Warmater School and work with the Pendragon family before leaving for heaven, right? Since it would be the only place that treats demi-human servants like us well," Kana finished with a triumphant smile, as if she had won an important argument.  

—...Although both he and Lima-san also insisted that you hide your excellent spellcasting ability from humans and other species, remember?

—Ah!

Kana's fox tail and ears perked up in surprise and nervousness at the memory of that fact, before timidly grabbing her own tail and stroking it weakly as she pouted, looking away with guilty eyes, "... It should be fine... It was just a simple Elemental Interference Spell, something anyone with half a brain can cast, you know? It's no big deal..."

—...Shia isn't capable of doing a simple spell, stupid Shia, with less than half a brain, insect Shia, Shia praising Kana-sama—— -Shia looked at him with dead fish eyes, while raising and lowering her arms in false reverence and said in a completely monotonous tone, causing Kana to panic.

—Y-you know that's not what I meant, Shia-chan! Stop doing that!

The fox girl waved her hands as she fidgeted, causing her enormous breasts to bounce once more, and complained, “Come on, neither the head maid, nor the archduke, and even the princesses or the harlot-looking woman were surprised by what I did, as if it wasn’t anything too shocking, right? Then there’s no problem! We can still stay here without any problems! Let’s be happy in this nice dormitory~”

She tried to act cute while winking at the end... though with her voice, face, and body, Kana sounded more seductive than anything else.

Shia simply sighed upon hearing that.

Well... even if I explained to you that nobles know how to hide their thoughts and emotions to try to take advantage of things, it would still go in one ear and out the other, wouldn't it? And do you really think anyone would think you could cast more advanced spells than those puny intermediate spells, as you call them, when you don't look tired at all?

You really are stupid, Kana; even if you offered me that magical talent, I wouldn't accept it if my mind had to become the same as yours...

Once again...Shia sighed just thinking about it.

“Also, think about it… Nowhere else would you be able to see such a cool and fascinating image of the Archduke fighting a demon in person! I felt like my chest was going to explode watching him act so cool in battle while using what looked like a holy sword!” The fox girl squealed in excitement as she spoke, causing Shia to lose her train of thought and look at her in disbelief.

—...Yes? Excuse me?

—Ahhh~... it was amazing... — Kana moaned erotically, ignoring Shia's questioning, and continued talking to herself in an ecstatic tone.

—You know... the Archduke was great there... At first I was very worried that the man I admired would expose himself to danger, appearing alone in front of that terrifying demon...

Yes, I remember you yelling at him to keep his "sexy self"... It was ridiculous how embarrassed I felt in such a precarious situation and had to drag you...

Shia recalled expressionlessly while Kana's eyes filled with fear for a moment, remembering the fearsome monster from hell that appeared from a gigantic meteorite that landed in the atrium, then attacked everything in sight.

But her beautiful eyes quickly filled with a child's enthusiasm in the blink of an eye as she continued in a honeyed voice.

—Still, I couldn't help but be amazed at how he so one-sidedly defeated the Demon Earl who looked like a giant bull all on his own! He looked so cool, so manly, and so cold in that black armor and gallant sword, just like a fairy tale hero... watching him fight made me feel a strong heat in my crotch that's almost unbearable... Ahhh~♥, just remembering something so unforgettable makes me feel it strongly again. ~

With her tail waving freely and wildly through the small opening at the back of her uniform, Kana looked like a teenager falling in love as she spoke in a sweet and flirtatious voice, rubbing her attractive legs together and wrapping her hands around her body as she trembled, as if trying to calm the intense passion growing within her; unintentionally emphasizing her enormous assets, with her two prominent nipples protruding from the center of them.

It was quite an erotic visit, especially with her maid uniform that seemed specifically designed to fit the body of the person wearing it, highlighting her wide hips and the shape of her butt, which wiggled incessantly with excitement along with her fox tail.

Between her legs, there was a bit of fluid flowing from a certain area that was thankfully covered by her black pantyhose, and although she didn't mention it, Kana felt her womb tingle as she remembered Arthur's display of power.

Now she was totally and completely aroused at the thought of the man she was so attracted to.

—And the Archduke is truly handsome! His face, his eyes, his body! Everything is perfect! And he’s even a Torrius-rank Awakened unexpectedly! The youngest Torrius… so incredible! Who could have imagined that the Archduke would have come this far without using the Ascension Piece system?! He’s a true genius who can draw upon the full power of his bloodline!

—There's no denying that, Kana-chan...

Shia nodded with a complicated expression on her beautiful face.

The Ascension Pieces system Kana spoke of was a mental ritual designed around chess, a divine game that became popular among gods and mortals alike millennia ago.

These imaginary pieces were fantastic versions of oneself, which were used to ascend aspirants to entities of a higher existential nature and make them more powerful by default.

The concept of Ascension Pieces was designed over a thousand years ago by Mammon before his deification and fall, with the goal of giving birth to powerful humans after the Great War of the Gods that nearly destroyed the world.

Drawing on the essence of the myths, legends, and tales encapsulated within them, each piece is a vessel for existences stronger and more mythical than mortals, conceptually speaking.

Only by reaching a certain level of soul strength and physical endurance beyond the human limits of that rank does one qualify for the next ascension. Failure to do so will result in a tragic outcome...although that could also happen if you create an overly idealized version of yourself that might "be a completely different self" trying to replace you.

It is important to imagine a self that does not deviate from the original, at least in personality and talents, which for some can be extremely difficult.

It is also worth mentioning that creating ascension pieces that do not correspond to the soul level cannot be used without risk of death....Also, only aspirants with a Conceptual Body/Saint Graph can use them.

A normal human would explode... literally.

However, in this world, there were some quite unique phenomena that did not need such things to become stronger than normal humans.

There were many families with very ancient bloodlines and powerful spiritual essence accumulated over generations that geniuses like Arthur could use to rise in power after awakening it and obtaining their Saint Graph, even without class emblems or ascension pieces.

That being said... it was still absurd to reach the rank of Torrius with pure talent.

Shia didn't know many things, but even she was aware that the most powerful caster among Bomenslik students, President Germinalia Liam Celesty, was only at the Episcopi Rank at 22 years old, and her age was clearly in the final academic year.

But did Arthur Pendragon von Draco Silva surpass her in that way?

Shia couldn't help but feel that there was more to the Archduke than met the eye.

Especially since he had been hiding that extraordinary power until now. He guessed that the nobles who disliked Pendragon must also be quite nervous right now with this news.

—You have no idea how nervous I felt when he looked at me after I thoughtlessly attacked those disgusting undead!

Saying those words, Kana suddenly blushed even more.

—But I really couldn't help it! Those things made my Arthur-sama's beautiful face distort in disgust, and that was unforgivable! How could they do that to my idol!? His face must remain serene and fresh, not distorted by ugly and disgusting things like that... That way your beauty will remain intact! That beauty and strength of yours, unmatched in your generation, is simply... So sexy~!

The grip of his arms on his own body tightened as he breathed heavily.

Her tone of voice was so seductive that anyone who heard her and watched her actions would either get instantly horny (mostly men) or look at her like she was a crazy whore (mostly women).

This is what Shia did, while rolling her eyes at her coworker and childhood friend, who started talking nonsense while going into heat... again.

Hey... Do you realize you shouldn't call a noblewoman by her name, even if you were a mistress? And you're not even one!

Also... "My Arthur-sama"? I'd like you to say that in front of Princess Laura, the Emperor's most beloved princess, she will surely welcome you with open arms for coveting her man...

Thinking so, she couldn't help but snort as she sneered, "If you're so enchanted by the Archduke's appearance and power, Miss Slut in Heat-san, perhaps you'll have some luck seducing him with those two meat sacks hanging from your chest and that fat little butt you show off at every turn. And perhaps you'll easily get the Archduke to 'attack' you all night, and with a bit of luck, become his lover... Maybe he'll even make you give birth to a litter of fox cubs! Isn't that wonderful?"

The sarcasm was evident to everyone as Shia looked somewhat bitterly at her friend's hot body, but the other didn't seem to notice.

—Really?! But I wouldn't know how to start... What if he doesn't like beastmen like me? How could I have his cubs then? What should I do, Shia-chan?

"..."

She just went and at first she was excited at the prospect, then she asked with concern and uncertainty, with slight tears coming out of her slanted and unnecessarily seductive eyes.

Rolling her eyes again, Shia finally gave her question serious thought.

There's a chance, right?

It wasn't an unfounded concern; there was a time when humans wanted to enslave or completely exterminate other intelligent species in a war for supremacy until they were stopped by the Mother Goddess Emanuel and her seven subordinate gods—who didn't want another war of world destruction—when the beast race of the Centaurs was shockingly exterminated.

And yet, to this day, several species of so-called semi-humans or, even more derogatively, "lower animals" still teeter on the brink of extinction as they hide from supremacists, serving as irrevocable proof of human intolerance.

While it was true that the gods of heaven now completely forbade humans from attempting to enslave or even exterminate an entire species as in the past, to this day humanity still showed blatant disdain for other species.

More than that, being the dominant species of the Centoria continent alongside Dragons and Elves, humans even made sure that dwarves and beastmen could never again have their own kingdoms and empires like in ancient times, keeping them as second-class citizens in their own kingdoms and empires, with low status even compared to ordinary commoners.

By this he means they were better off than slaves and the homeless, but not necessarily as far off.

Discrimination was strong in all of these human countries, and there were many cases of non-humans being enslaved in various ways across the continent for ridiculous reasons just because they weren't human yet, to the point that this city, Baldur, is considered a paradise for many non-humans... as its living conditions are much better than other places, especially thanks to the Archduke.

If it weren't for how dangerous it could be for dwarves to move, even more Dwarves would have tried to live in this place in large numbers no matter the price... Who wouldn't want to live better in a world where human supremacy is spreading?

Especially if you could work for a noble who was neither favorable nor hostile to me, regardless of whether you were human or not. As long as you were useful, Archduke Draco Silva would treat you with the minimum respect you deserved as a sentient being.

However, it was not certain that the same would happen to Arthur, his son.

Although he clearly had some favor towards the beautiful Luminia, a half-elf, it was common knowledge that bestiarians like Kana and Shia, were even more despised and discriminated against than any other race due to their beastly characteristics.

And although he implemented several policies that benefited them, it may well have been only for the sake of family reputation.

Maybe it would be too risky to try to get close to him... What if he just doesn't do anything to them because he doesn't want to go against his dead parents' wishes?

If that were the case and Kana approached him to seduce him, Arthur could invent a good reason to punish her and kill her, or even torture the poor, horny woman. It would be such a sad ending.

Although her eyes may have deceived her... but with her beastly senses, Shia thought she had caught Arthur himself staring at Kana's breasts in the act after she demonstrated her unusual skill with spells some time ago in the destroyed mansion.

I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

—Well, Kana... it's certainly very risky to try to seduce him without knowing his position in our species, no doubt. More than losing your job, he might even kill you for your audacity... However, it's also true that he might attack you and turn you into his sex toy. It all depends on luck...

That was what Shia decided to answer as he stood up to stretch lazily.

—S-shia... Ahhh ♥... just thinking about what you said coming true... Ahh ♥... makes me so horny I can't stand it~

Kana's cheeks blushed again as she gasped in a hot, erotic voice at her uncontrolled imagination.

Wow... This woman only thinks about having wild sex, right? How crazy...

Actually, Kana also fantasized about having a bunch of cute children to spoil after enjoying a cum bath from her beloved Archduke, but for her sake, Shia didn't need to know that at all.

Oh, really...

While her friend continued to fantasize in her own world (Are you masturbating...?), Shia sat down on her bed with a sigh and started thinking of something to herself.

It's true that, extraordinary appearance aside, Archduke Arthur's strength alone is such that it would make any beastly woman go into heat and desire him completely... even I'm a little tempted to have children from such a strong man~

Shia took a deep breath, narrowing her eyes as she also remembered the intense battle from a few hours ago, and her cheeks turned a little red. She had to contain the jealousy that was also growing inside her, so as not to act similarly to Kana.

Then he sighed again, looking at Kana whose scent of her juices could be perceived even by a mere human...

It is, in fact, in our nature to desire to reproduce with strong men... Not even I can avoid these desires... not when our species' libido is superior to that of humans and even elves...

I understand why you're attracted to him... I really do, even though I won't admit it out loud...

But... Can't you really try to control your lustful behavior better, Kana? Do you think any servant in the mansion hasn't seriously considered attacking you because of how erotic your body is and the way you move those hips of yours? 

The only thing stopping him this whole time was your absurd strength and our head cleaner, who kindly cleaned the floor with that filth every time for some reason! If they see you acting like this now, they'll probably risk their little penises to rape you!

Unaware that she herself had been in danger several times, Shia snorted and mentally complained about Kana's stupidity.

Seriously... This idiot is lucky that no one but me is observing such perverted behavior within our...!

—Can we talk in detail about what you were discussing, Shia, Kana?

"¿¡Kyaaa/Nyaaa!?"

Both Shia and Kana, who was carelessly rubbing her private parts, cried out in surprise upon hearing that beautiful and elegant female voice emerge from nowhere in the new room they would be sharing; something shocking given the sharp senses of a demihuman.

That voice... sounds familiar...

Turning with their hands over their beating hearts towards the fountain, they both widened their eyes when they saw the aforementioned head cleaner, Luminia, looking at them both with a mischievous smile and... Happy?

—I'm so sorry if I surprised you, I really didn't mean to~ - Judging by her strangely playful tone, unlike what they were used to, she was clearly lying, —But I'm really curious...

...The head maid didn't hear everything we were talking about, did she? After all, she asked what we were talking about... Right?

We're fine... right?

With cold sweat running down his back, Shia thought they were screwed despite trying to convince himself otherwise...

Unbeknownst to Shia, this would be the beginning of a rather "fun" life, in more ways than one, for both of them...