The reception room of the Emperor Hotel, the finest hotel in the Hideita Empire, was adorned with luxurious chandeliers and furnished with plush sofas. On the table, there were delicious-looking cookies accompanied by a warm cup of tea.
Rico and I had come to the suite room of the Emperor Hotel. As expected of a suite room, the cookies and tea were of top-notch quality. These sweet treats would surely help soothe the fatigue from our busy days.
âThank you for waiting.â
Soleil and Astes appeared eagerly. Both of them were dressed provocatively as usual. They seemed to have hastily prepared due to our sudden visit, as Astesâ clothes were slightly disheveled. Finding their appearance somewhat amusing, I slowly spoke.
âI apologize for the sudden visit.â
âWhat could it be that you need?â
Soleil tried to maintain composure, but her nervousness was evident.
âI came to the capital to report to His Majesty. I originally planned to come tomorrow, but the report was completed earlier than expected, so I decided to visit today. I have one report and one request for you.â
Both of them involuntarily swallowed hard.
âFirst, regarding the report, we successfully captured the capital of the Kingdom of Juka.â
âHuh?!â
Soleil let out a voice that could barely be heard. Her face instantly turned red. Ignoring Soleilâs reaction, Astes leaned forward and spoke.
âMarquis-sama, it has been about two weeks since we made our request⊠What does this mean?â
âWell, I personally led the first army and captured the capital.â
âYou defeated the Imperial Empireâs strongest general, Matokal, and their army?â
âYes, Matokal, along with two barrier users and three magicians in her retinue, became our prisoners.â
âLinos, there is one more person.â
âAh, right. Vice Captain Raylic, or should I say, Furuchin⊠I mean, we captured Vice Captain Raylic as well.â
The news was too shocking, leaving both of them dumbfounded with their mouths wide open. Itâs not proper for young ladies to keep their mouths open like that. Soleil struggled to move her mouth and squeezed out her voice.
âS-So⊠that means your allies must have suffered significant losses, right?â
âNo, there were none.â
âWhat?!â
âWe successfully completed the operation with our force of 300 without a single casualty. As for the losses on the Laramon side, out of a total of 3,019 personnel, 3,011 were killed, 7 were captured, and 1 escaped.â
Once again, both of them froze, mouths agape. Well, thatâs understandable. Itâs not something youâd expectâhaving a unit believed to be the strongest completely shut down by a mere 300 soldiers.
âShall I continue? The other request is for you to guide us to the Sairius village.â
We had a rough idea of the Sairius villageâs location in the Lunoa Forest. However, no matter how many times we went, we couldnât find the village; there was only a deep forest. Upon investigation, it seemed that the spirits were protecting the entire village, making it inaccessible to outsiders. Thatâs why we came to ask Soleil and the others for guidance.
âThat⊠is an easy task. In that case, could you spare us a day? We will procure our provisions. We appreciate your consideration. Since we are also using such a splendid room, we will prepare what we need ourselves.â
âOh, no problem. You probably wonât need provisions, though.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âHalf a day will be more than enough. Letâs go from here.â
âFr-From here?â
âYes, from here.â
Both of them widened their eyes in surprise. Rico and I moved to the next room with Soleil and the others.
âAlright, Iâll set up a barrier here. Oh, please keep this a secret, okay? It would be troublesome if it gets exposed to the publicâŠâ
I quickly set up a teleportation barrier, and the four of us stood on it. The scenery around us instantly changed. We had teleported to the middle of the Lunoa Forest, and in front of us was Mei.
âMaster, Iâve been waiting for you.â
âAllow me to introduce her. This is my wife, Merias. She will conduct the soil investigation in the village.â
âIâm Merias. Nice to meet you.â
âN-Nice to meet you. Um⊠where is thisâŠ?â
âWeâre in the Lunoa Forest, located north of the capital of the Kingdom of Juka.â
âHuh? Huh? WhyâŠ?â
Soleil and Astes looked around nervously.
âWe teleported here from the hotel room.â
âT-TeleportedâŠ?â
âMy main occupation is a barrier mage. With a higher level in my barrier skill, I can set up teleportation barriers.â
âTo come here in an instant⊠This explains why Matokalâs unit was defeated. It all makes sense now.â
Soleil murmured with wide eyes.
âBasically, this skill is a secret. Apart from my family and subordinates, the only one within the Hideita Empire who knows about it is His Majesty the Emperor.â
âU-⊠Understood.â
With a brief explanation of the skill, we headed towards the settlement of Sairius.
The settlement was nearby. All we could see was a dense forest, but the miasma lingering there was far from ordinary. My instincts warned me that if we proceeded, we would have to be prepared for significant sacrifices.
âThis is the entrance. Please wait a moment.â
Soleil began chanting something. As a result, the scenery in front of us started opening up rapidly. And what appeared was a small settlement that had been carved out of the forest.
A blazing fire stood in the center of the settlement, resembling a campfire. And beyond that, a slightly larger pond could be seen.
âSoleil-sama!â
As I surveyed the settlement, a voice suddenly called out. Looking around, Sairius creatures descended from the treetops using their wings.
âWelcome back!â
âI have returned. Sactos, Aisel, was there anything unusual while I was away?â
âWe detected a strong scent of blood coming from the capital, but other than thatâŠâ
âI see, thatâs good. I apologize for the abruptness, but could you gather everyone? I have brought Basam-sama with me.â
âWell⊠that is⊠understood. Please wait.â
One of the Sairius creatures chanted something, and small winged beings with greenish skin and dark green hair appeared around her. They flew off to various parts of the forest.
âShe is Sactos. She can manipulate the spirits of the forest.â
âI am Sactos. Pleased to make your acquaintance.â
âSpirits of the forestâŠ?â
âThe spirits of the forest can communicate with the trees. Thanks to having them as allies, we are somehow protected.â
âThis is Aisel, she is skilled in manipulating water spirits. We also have others who can control the spirits of wind and earth.â
âI see. With this environment, you can manage to survive somehow.â
As we were having that conversation, Sairius creatures continued to descend from the trees one after another.
âSoleil-sama, welcome back!â
There were 30 Sairius creatures with wings on their backs, and to make matters worse, they were all erotic. They wore outfits that seemed to be wrapped in white cloth, but everyone had large breasts. Moreover, the lighting made their breasts appear transparent. What a deviously alluring display, hitting the right spot. And they seemed completely unaware of the effect they had, as if they were in their natural state. Being shown such defenseless beauty without any consciousness made their eroticism even more striking.
My rationality was about to fly out the window, and I instinctively grabbed Ricoâs hand. Rico responded by gripping my hand with tremendous force. Amidst this, one Sairius creature stepped forward in front of us. She exuded an elegant atmosphere and possessed a dignified intelligence. She didnât have huge breasts; rather, she could be classified as having beautiful breasts. How did I know? It was because I caught glimpses of them peeking through!
âWelcome, Basam-sama. I am Vivar, the chieftain, representing the Sairius clan. On behalf of the Sairius, I extend my warmest welcome.â
âT-Thank you. I donât know how much help I can be, but I will gladly listen to your story.â
âPlease come this way.â
Vivar turned around and guided me, but since her buttocks were also transparent, they were fully visible. However, I endured it. The hand Rico was gripping was screaming in agony. Bones were making a creaking sound.
We were led to the bonfire located right in the center of the settlement. Vivar and the other Sairius creatures surrounded us.
âWe express our gratitude for granting my daughter Soleilâs wish and coming here. We would like to seek your wisdom on how to make our crops bear fruit in the fields we cultivate. We currently rely on the energy of the forest, but even that is reaching its limit. We humbly ask for your assistance.â
I could see through the bodies of Vivar and those around her perfectly, illuminated by the fire. Moreover, since everyone bowed down and lowered their heads to me, their insides were completely exposed. Ah⊠such beautiful bodies⊠everyone possesses something incredible⊠No, I canât take it anymore.
âIn that case, IâŠâ
Suddenly, Mei stood up and confidently entered the field. The Sairius creatures, enticed by her, followed Mei. Finally, I was able to escape from the torment.
âRico⊠IâŠâ
âI wonât be pacified!â
She replied with a fierce hunger.
âI wonât lose to those women!â
âThatâs right. No woman can match Ricoâs skin⊠butâŠâ
âBut what?â
âWell⊠the Sairius creatures⊠they donât have any fur at all.â
ââŠWhen we get back to the mansion, Iâll⊠make sure Iâm⊠flawless!â
Ricoâs grip on my hand tightened even more. Ouch! It hurts! Itâs going to break! Itâs going to break! Itâs okay⊠Rico, you can stay the way you are⊠I desperately fought against the pain, just one step away from my bones breaking, and strained my voice.