Chapter 122

Zoe shuffled on top of me, her head resting on my chest, her hot breath washing over my bare skin. Still on the grass next to the lake, we were relaxing after intense fucking.

“And what do we have here?” a male voice suddenly said from the direction away from the lake.

We all immediately jumped to our feet. Except Azura, who shifted, growling at the three men that were standing a bit away from us, their gazes moving over the naked women around me.

“Put your clothes on,” I said to Zoe. Julia was already doing that, but Zoe, still naked, seemed to be preparing for a fight, standing low on her legs, her tail slowly trailing behind as shadows swirled in her hand.

All three men had daggers by their belts, and while they shouldn’t have caused us any problems under normal circumstances, we were caught a bit off guard. But their appearance didn’t necessarily mean we had to fight.

Zoe listened to my order, but she didn’t drop her gaze from those men, watching carefully for any movement.

“A rich asshole making an orgy with his slaves,” the man, clearly the leader of the group, said as I grabbed my pants and pulled them on. “That doesn't even surprise me. But Julia, you’re here with him? Naked? You pretend to be so proper and saint, and here you are, fucking outdoors with him and his slaves like a slut.”

“Fuck off from her,” I said, stepping in between him and Julia. He clearly knew her, which meant they were from Ortas. Then they shouldn’t really be looking for trouble.

“Or maybe you are a whore? Maybe that’s why you rejected me. Rather than asking you out, I should ask how much you take,” the guy said, ignoring me.

“Fuck off, Dan!” Julia gasped, her clothes messily on, her whole face red, but from shame rather than the sex we just had.

“How much are you taking for an hour?” Dan asked. “Maybe the three of us can afford an expensive whore like you.”

“I told you something,” I said. “Better go away if you don’t want to get in trouble.”

“You better chill out, idiot,” Dan replied, finally addressing me. “Maybe it's close to Ortas, but coming here without any weapons? That’s not the smartest. But you know what? We can protect you. Let us have some fun with your two slaves, and we’ll make sure that nothing bad happens to you. Unless, Julia, you want to join too.”

“He’s not going to do anything,” Julia said, standing behind me, peeking her head around to look at the three guys. “He’s a coward that likes to act tough. He’s only good at talking.”

“I have other talents too,” Dan replied. “I’m quite good with a dagger,” he added, tapping the weapon at his waist. “And I can show you what a real man can do, not like this rich idiot who needs to pay for sex.”

Julia snorted with dismissal. “You can’t even compare to him. He just fucked three women into complete oblivion, and I heard from Bella how long you lasted with her.”

“That bitch is lying!” Dan gasped.

“Sure,” Julia snorted, amused. “She told me it was hard to tell what was shorter - your dick or how long you lasted.”

“You bitch!” Dan growled, as his friends chuckled at him. He stepped toward us, putting his hand on his dagger.

“Fuck off from here,” I said. “And Julia, stop taunting him,” I added, glancing at her.

“He’s not going to do anything,” she protested.

“Yeah? I’ll show you what I can do,” Dan said, pulling his dagger out and stepping forward.

“Please, I’ll tell your father about everything, and you will be dead,” Julia said, and Dan immediately stopped in place.

“Just go away,” I said. “Julia knows you. You’ll get in trouble, but more importantly, first you’ll end up in a hospital. Just leave while you still have a chance.”

“Dude, you are a complete moron. You’re barely clothed, without any weapon.”

“I’m his weapon,” Zoe growled, the shadow in her hands forming into her class dagger, as she looked like she was ready to jump at them at any moment. Add to that Azura in her wolf form, who was growling the whole time, and I really don’t know what those guys thought they were going to do.

Unfortunately, my class weapons, or rather, items, weren’t really that useful. I could probably hit that idiot in the head with a dildo, but it wouldn’t be the best weapon and would reveal that I have a class in the first place.

Dan’s confidence seemed to falter, his gaze shifting over Zoe before he looked at me again. “One hot **** against the three of us? I like our chances.”

“You dumb fuck!” Julia gasped. “Can you already fuck off from here? We all know that you’re not going to do anything. Even those bastards behind you didn’t move. And can’t you tell that she’s a succubus? That dagger is her mercy on you, because she can kill you with her touch, moron. You saw her naked, maybe her magic already fucked up your mind.”

“That doesn’t work like that,” Dan protested.

“How many succubi have you met in your life?” Julia asked. “Because I just fucked one. I know better!”

“Fuck it,” one of the guys behind said and started to run away.

“Patrick, get lost! Now!” Julia gasped, addressing the other guy. He flicked his gaze to Dan, to Zoe, and then headed away, at least not running.

“Cowards!” Dan screamed after them, but then he turned toward us. “You cheap slut, you’ll regret this.”

Zoe flicked her tail toward him, and he quickly moved away too, chasing his so-called friends. I followed them with my gaze until they were out of eyesight, before I turned toward Julia.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

Julia sighed deeply, staring at the ground between us, then she frowned and started to cry.

“Hey, it's okay. They are gone,” I said, trying to hug her, but she pushed me away.

“No, it's fucking not!” she gasped. “He’s going to tell everyone that I’m a whore!” She sobbed, hiding her face in her hands.

“But that’s a lie.”

“It doesn't matter!” Julia gasped. “Do you have any idea how long I was getting offers for sex from clients at the tavern before they understood that I’m not going to agree?! He will tell them that I’m a whore, and they won’t stop bothering me!”

“Tell them it’s a lie,” I replied.

“Sure, a bunch of drunks would understand,” Julia sobbed.

“Tell them that you didn't want to sleep with Dan because he has a small dick and lasts twenty seconds, and it's his **** now,” Zoe suggested.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I sighed, with a frown.

“But it's true,” Julia mumbled while sitting down.

I sighed, sitting next to her. “It will make him even angrier.”

“And what’s he going to do?” Julia asked. “He’s a coward, and spreading lies about me is the most he can do.”

“How do you know him?” I asked.

“We are around the same age. We weren’t friends, but kids meet up sometimes. Here for example. When we grew up, he was drinking at the tavern and asked me out a few times. After he slept with another waitress that was working there at the time.”

“It’s going to be okay. He’s just an idiot who can’t accept rejection,” I said, hugging Julia from the side, and this time she didn’t push me away, leaning slightly into my arm. She was crying for a moment, and I just hugged her, waiting for her to calm down.

“It’s just so unfair…” Julia murmured. “I wanted to have some fun, and I did something like that for the first time ever, and of course he had to show up here.”

“That was unlucky… What was he doing here?” I asked.

“Why would I know? Maybe he wanted to swim in the lake. He knows about this spot too.”

I remained silent, just hugging her, wondering if it really could be just an accident.

“I’m sorry,” Julia mumbled. “It's not your fault.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. And nothing to be ashamed of,” I replied. “Whatever he says, it’s not true.”

“But people will gossip,” Julia sighed.

“Didn't they gossip already?”

“Maybe, but it was without reason.”

“And there’s still no reason.”

“Well… I had sex with three people at once outdoors.”

“That doesn't make you a slut or whore. And you liked it, so don’t let people destroy that.”

“Liked it?” Julia snorted. “That was… god… succubi really are dangerous.”

“Thanks,” I said, chuckling.

“You were amazing too, but that skill… hitting just the right spot. It felt like she did an injection of pure pleasure straight into my pussy.”

“Zoe is amazing and can be overwhelming,” I said with a smirk, glancing at the succubus.

“In a good way, right?” Zoe asked, a bit shyly.

“The best,” I replied, and Julia nodded.

“Will we… do it again?” Julia asked quietly, looking at me.

“Already?”

“No!” she gasped. “I don't think I would survive it. But another day… Soon?”

“I would love to meet again,” I replied.

“But…” Julia said, trailing off and waiting for me to continue.

“There’s no but,” I replied. “I mean… You work in the evenings, and I’m busy most of the time during the day, but we’ll find time.”

“Yeah…” Julia sighed, then she flustered, her cheeks quickly turning red. “D-Do I still have your… stuff on my face?”

“No,” I replied with a chuckle. “Azura cleaned you completely.”

“That would be terrible,” Julia replied. “Thanks,” she added, looking at the wolf.

Azura barked in response, sitting close to us.

“Let’s go swimming again to wash,” I suggested.

Julia seemed a bit hesitant to take off her clothes this time, but in the end, she did it. We spent more time swimming and playing again before Julia realized she should head back to Ortas, as her job was starting soon. We picked up our things and headed to the city. The walk was short, and soon we stopped in front of the tavern.

“Do you want to come in?” Julia asked. “For a beer?”

“Don’t you need to work?” I asked.

“Yeah, but we can talk while you drink. Maybe there won’t be that many people yet.”

“I need to go,” I replied. “But thanks for the offer,” I added, shifting closer. “And for the date,” I murmured, grabbing her chin and pulling her in for a kiss. She returned it passionately but broke it off shortly.

“I really need to go,” she explained. “See you soon,” she added, heading into the tavern, and the rest of us moved away too.

“Where are we going?” Zoe asked, when she realized we weren’t heading toward Sage’s house.

“To the library,” I replied.

“To tease Selira?” the succubus asked.

“To read books.”

“Teasing is more fun,” she pouted with a smile.

I chuckled, shaking my head as we were getting closer to our destination. It was getting late, and I wasn't even sure if it would still be open, but Selira should be there anyway. When we reached it, we were able to walk in, but there was no sea nymph in sight.

I wondered if she was having a break, and in that case, there was no one to keep an eye on the books and help someone if they entered. There really should be someone else working there, not leaving her alone with everything.

“She’s somewhere there,” Zoe said, pointing further into the library. I couldn't hear anything, but Zoe had a skill that sharpened her senses during the night, and apparently, it was already working. Or maybe, as a demon, she just had better hearing than me.

We found Selira in one of the aisles with a few books in her hands, searching for a spot to put them away.

“Do you need help?” I asked, getting closer.

“Oh, hi,” she said, glancing at me. “Sure,” she replied, as I took the books from her hands, leaving her only the one she was trying to put on the shelf at the moment, which became much easier to do with both hands free.

“Sorry that I wasn't at the entrance,” the sea nymph said. “In the evening, there aren’t so many people here, so I put returned books in their place.”

“Aren’t you worried that someone would steal books?” I asked, following her as she looked for where to put the next book.

“They are all traceable and protected. It’s not that easy to just take them away from here,” Selira replied. “I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on everyone to make sure that nothing is missing. They still can try, but more expensive books are behind closed doors, so they are safe. And in years of working here, no one has really tried to steal anything. Well, there were a few cases when someone took a book away and claimed it was an accident when they were caught, but as far as I can tell, no book has gone missing from here. I might be wrong, maybe someone stole something. With so many books here, it’s hard to tell if one or two go missing. They would need to breach the security, and while it's hard, it’s possible. But if I haven't realized it yet, it’s probably something not important, and in that case, why would they even steal it?”

The whole time she was speaking, she was putting books away on shelves and was able to find a spot for all of them, so the last part she spoke was directed toward me as we stood between the bookshelves.

“Thanks for your help. Do you need something? What do you want to read today?” Selira asked, but then she leaned a bit closer, scrunching her nose, as she took two sharp inhales.

“Did you just sniff me?” I asked, with a smirk.

“Oh my god,” Selira gasped softly, her cheeks quickly taking on a deep dark green shade. “It’s just that you smell… I’m sorry, I wasn't thinking. It just happened, because of your smell. And I’m so ashamed, I'm so sorry.”

“It’s because I smell of a lake?”

“Ugh… You should know that we demons have our… quirks,” she replied, her gaze quickly flicking between me and Zoe.

“I’m quite aware. Yours is that you smell people?”

“No!” Selira gasped. “You-” She huffed, finally realizing that I was teasing her. “Besides, I’m a sea nymph, not a lake one.”

“I wonder what you would do if I smelled like the sea.”

“I wouldn't do anything,” Selira protested quickly. “I was just surprised and… Ugh… Any new adventures lately?”

“I helped to take down illegal **** fights, capturing the biggest organizer of them in all of Torania.”

“You helped to capture the Dragon?” Selira asked, her mouth wide open.

“You read about her?”

“Yes, I mean no!” Selira replied. “I didn't read about her at all!”

“Oh, did you read something you shouldn't?" I asked.

Selira hushed me, shifting closer, looking around, even though there was no one around beyond us, Zoe and Azura. “Can you promise not to tell anyone? We have archives here. Old reports and letters, stuff like that. I’m forbidden from reading it. But sometimes, when I get really bored, I just can’t help myself.”

“You, breaking the library rules?” I asked. “You surprise me, Selira.”

“They gave me a box to put in the archives and it was so tempting, and I just took a peek.”

“And you read about the Dragon?”

“Ugh… A peek might have turned into a page, a box, and a bit more. Promise not to tell anyone, I could lose my job,” Selira said, her green eyes pleading.

“Of course, I promise that your naughty side will stay a secret,” I replied.

“I don’t have a naughty side,” Selira protested. “I’m just curious sometimes, and when they tell me that I can't read something, it only makes it worse. But you must tell me everything. How did you stop the Dragon?”

“I only helped to find her,” I replied.

“She was responsible for the **** of hundreds of people,” Selira said. “Your heroic acts are growing in scale. From saving a princess to saving a world.”

“I didn't exactly save a world, nor a princess,” I replied. “But Amber seems to like being called that.”

“You helped to catch the Dragon and probably free the slaves she was holding, and stop the next events. You made the world a bit better place to live. For me, it counts as saving it, even if it seems small in the scale of the whole world. You are a hero,” the sea nymph stated.

“A hero should do it for free,” I replied.

“It doesn't matter,” Selira said. “You need to eat something to save the world. You should be rewarded for it. But how did it happen? You need to tell me everything!”

“Everything?” I asked, with a smirk.

“With the tiniest details,” she replied.

I snorted, wondering how she would react to the details on how exactly I handled the Dragon, and Zoe must have thought the same as she giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Selira asked, with a frown.

“I think you are really going to like that story,” Zoe replied. “Especially if you liked the book you lent Azura.”

“But it’s about a love triangle, and romantic stuff,” Selira replied. “Not fighting criminals.”

“Master has unconventional ways of fighting crime,” Zoe replied.

“You seduced her?” the sea nymph asked, glancing at me with a frown.

“I needed to find her place,” I replied. “And occupy her a bit. Do you still want details?”

“Yes,” Selira replied. “How did you find her? And how did you beat her? She must have fought.”

“Let’s find a place to sit,” I said, heading toward one of the tables so we could sit as I explained the plan and the event. Selira really wanted details, stopping me all the time, asking about more things, wanting to know everything.

I skipped the part about using my blood to lure Whitney, but I described the whole tournament I had taken part in, and how Whitney had put me to sleep and our short talk on the road.

Selira was super excited to find out why the Dragon was actually called that, but then I reached the point in the story where I had sex with Whitney, and despite Selira clearly loving all the details, I skipped over it to the end of the whole operation.

“You skipped the best part, Master,” Zoe pouted. “Don’t you want to know all the details?” she asked the sea nymph.

Selira was looking at me with awe, and her cheeks darkened. “Maybe another time. But that was amazing. Did you free all the slaves?”

“The people I was working for did. And they captured Whitney.”

“You are like a hero from a book,” Selira replied. “There are even romantic plots with Zoe and Azura.”

“And what would be your plot in my book?” I asked.

Selira opened her mouth, but no words came out this time.

“You can be my treasure trove of knowledge,” I replied on my own. “I have a few questions.”

“Oh, of course. What do you need?” Selira asked, but the blush remained on her cheeks.

“Have you ever heard about the Black Lotus?”

“Yes,” Selira replied, perking up. “It was a criminal organization of mercenaries. It operated for a really long time before Gemma Ardenvale stopped them. It was a few hundred years ago. Why are you asking?”

“Someone mentioned it, and I had no idea what it was. Do you know anything more about it?”

“Not really, there isn't a lot about them in books. Unless you want to know about their crimes, but there isn’t a book that summarizes it all. It’s mentioned sometimes, but you can’t even be sure if they really were responsible. It was easy to blame them for all the crimes if you couldn’t find who did it. They were really good, but fortunately, Ardenvale stopped them.”

“She seems like a really good guild leader,” I said.

“She’s amazing,” Selira replied. “There’s a reason why she has ruled for so long, without anyone even having a chance to take her place. She fought a lot of crime, but not like previous leaders, catching a few bandit groups or individual criminals. She’s fighting whole organizations, saving Torania. Actually, the Dragon’s illegal fights were one of the groups that she couldn’t take down for a really long time and…” Selira trailed off, tilting her head, her eyes focused on me. “Do you work for Ardenvale?”

“Do you think that if I worked for her, I could just tell you?” I asked.

“You didn't deny it,” Selira said.

“I have never met her in person,” I added.

“You work for her! That makes so much sense. You see! I said that you are a hero, and you are saving the world. Helping her counts because she makes really big changes.”

“I’m still not confirming that I work for anyone,” I said, but I had a hard time stopping myself from smiling. “But in case that’s true, it would be better if we kept each other’s secrets, right?”

“Yes, I promise not to tell anyone. Why would I? And who would I tell? Beyond you, I only talk with people who come here for books.”

“That’s not good. When was the last time you did something for fun?” I asked.

“I don't have time for that, unless you count reading books as fun,” Selira replied.

“When was the last time you did something beyond work or reading books?”

“Ugh… I talk with you sometimes. But… Otherwise, I can’t. The library is open every day of the year, so working here, I don't get free days.”

“Not at all?”

“Sometimes it's open for shorter hours, but there is always something to do here anyway.”

“We must go out then. We could go to the lake, swim, and relax.”

“I just told you that I work every day, from morning till evening. I don't have time for that.”

“But you don't work during the night,” I replied. “We could swim in the moonlight, that would be quite romantic.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Selira asked.

“I was asking a friend to hang out and relax, but if you are asking me out on a date, then I accept.”

“Ugh… I wasn't…”

“Can I come too?” Zoe asked the sea nymph. “Pretty please,” she pouted sweetly.

“Zoe could make sure that we are safe when we are busy,” I suggested.

“B-Busy?” Selira stammered.

“You know… swimming in the lake.”

“Oh… Right… Ugh…”

“What about tomorrow?” I asked. “I can come around the same time as today, help you with whatever you need to do, and we could head out,” I offered.

“I could…”

“Perfect,” I replied happily.

“But I don't have a swimsuit,” she replied.

“That’s not a problem,” I said, a bit surprised she wouldn't have one. “We were swimming naked today.”

Selira’s eyes widened as she stared at me.

“Well… We were in our underwear, but it's almost the same as naked,” I added.

“Oh… Yeah, that can work,” the sea nymph replied.

“Do you mind if someone else joins us too?” I asked.

“No,” Selira replied quickly. “W-Why would I? It's just friends hanging out together, right? You can invite whoever you want. Amber?”

“She’s quite moody, but maybe she will join us. I was thinking about different friends,” I replied, thinking about Terra and Mia, who might want to join us too.

“Okay,” Selira replied.

“There’s one more thing I want to ask you about,” I said. “Have you heard about Sage? She works for Gemma.”

“Gemma?” Selira asked with a smile. “I thought you never met her?”

“I’m not confirming anything.”

“Sage…” Selira murmured. “I don't know that much about recent history, especially about stuff that happens in the capital. I only know that Sage is close to Ardenvale. She’s a very mysterious person. You can learn a lot about people working for Ardenvale, but not about Sage.”

“Sage is actually quite old. I mean, old enough to be part of history. Maybe there’s something in the books about her?”

“I don't remember anything like that,” Selira replied with a frown. “Not every old person is part of history. Maybe she didn't do anything important. Or maybe she was using a different name. And perhaps in a different guild. I read about people who changed their identity completely. Their name, looks, and place they lived in, pretty much starting a new life.”

“So one of those people could be Sage?” I asked. “In one of her previous lives?”

“Maybe, but it's hard to tell,” Selira replied.

“Do you know what class Sage has?” I asked.

“No, my only source of recent stuff is from… you know, but those are only from Ortas, and the more important things are stored in the library in the capital. I don't think I ever saw a report or letter written by Sage, but she doesn't work here, so it's not surprising.”

I doubted Sage was writing them at all, having a hard time imagining her writing an official document.

“Okay… thanks anyway,” I replied, a bit disappointed that I didn't really learn anything about Sage.

“I should close the library,” Selira said, glancing toward the door.

“And we should head back home,” I replied. “Thanks for talking and helping. Don’t forget about tomorrow,” I added, pulling Selira in for a hug when we got up. It was friendly, although it lasted a second or two too long.

“I won’t,” she murmured, looking a bit stunned, as I parted with her and headed out of the library, back home.