Bittersweet victory

Your arrival in the capital that evening is greeted with cheers. As usual, word travels faster than people, somehow. You’re not sure if this victory is worth celebrating, but that’s the sort of thoughts best kept private. Hana is disguised again for your arrival, just to avoid causing too much uproar. Despite this effort, you still hear some talk.

“Who’s the new girl?”

“She looks cute, is she with them now?”

“Where did he find her?”

You shrug it off, it’s not exactly a big secret anyway. Hana seems to be a little overwhelmed, so you take her hand. She smiles at you gratefully, and kisses you on the cheek. Now you KNOW the rumor mill will go wild.

Shortly, you arrive at the palace, and you find Anna and Elys awaiting you at the doors. They both give you a hug, and look curiously at Hana.

You chuckle. “I’ll explain inside, we can all hear it together.”

As you walk inside, you tell Hana she can drop her disguise. She does so, surprising Anna and Elys. Elys recovers quickly, smiling at the slime girl. “Oh, I sssee. Are you one of the family now?”

Hana nods. “Josh rescued me and took me in. I’ve lost everyone else…”

Anna smiles. “A familiar story with our family. We trust master and Maya’s judgment , so welcome!”

You hear a happy squealing as Sadie bounces into the room. “Yay, you’re home! And with a new girl, oooh, a slime girl? Squishy squishy fun!”

You chuckle, smiling at Hana. “We did warn you about Sadie, right?”

Sadie pouts dramatically. “That’s so mean, Joshie, and here I was going to suggest a victory orgy!”

You laugh, shaking your head. “First things first. Family meeting, everyone come to the table so we can chat.”

Elys nods. “I’ll go grab the othersss.”

Once everyone is gathered, and Hana is introduced, you explain what happened in Humanitas. Rachel sighs and shakes her head. “Such a waste. And to think I thought Marcus was a friend.”

You nod. “I did too. Remember though, this is what the triumvirate is known for, manipulating people. The real problem is, he succeeded in damaging our power base. Even with the dwarves added in, we can’t take on the demon lord right now.”

Ruka speaks up. “We have other options though. With our civil war over, perhaps we could contact Koras. He seemed willing to help once we went up against the demon lord. With Ellon on our side we might have the upper hand.”

You nod. “That’s a good idea. Also, with the triumvirate active, the demon lord is stretched thinner defending his borders. We could strike fast and liberate some territory before they can react. Surely some of the people we free will help as well.”

Samara smiles. “That’s good, the people closest to our border are the least likely to be exclusively his creatures.”

Kali agrees. “Yes, and even in places overrun with demons there are slaves looking for a chance to escape. Anything that deprives him of workers is useful.”

You think for a moment, then smile. “These are all good ideas. And with general Ochiba watching the border for the moment, we can have him scout possible targets. For now though, I think we need a couple days to take a deep breath and relax. No need to dive directly into another fight.”

You hear agreements from everyone, and you look around. “Besides, I think it’s time we made some improvements around here as well. I don’t think anyone would begrudge us making our home more comfortable!”

This, of course, starts a big discussion about what to improve. You sit back and relax, enjoying a simpler problem for once.