—Next Morning—
“Watch ya little shites!! If ya drop it, you’ll blow our hard work to kingdom come!!”, Bolton spat as his men hauled special, magic fireworks into the capital from the Special Region, “Anyone that does drop it better hope they die. Survivin' means feelin' my forgin’ hammer go straight up yer ass!!”
“Yes sir!!”, the men replied steadying their loads.
Standing beside my father-in-law, as I surveyed the work as well, the city was already a buzz with life. Children of all different races ran around the streets playing games with one another while their parents causally browsed the markets. Merchants from the Special Region and all over this world had come together in the Grand Market eager to test out this new marketplace. With the lowest taxes in both worlds, citizens of my territories had lots of coin to spend today at the festival.
‘Some of the Melromarc Families must be overwhelmed with joy today. Just over six months ago they barely scraped by, and now they lived in comfort with excess left over.’, I thought with a smile, ‘Reminds me a lot of-”
“Are you almost done!?”, Cis asked for the tenth time in the past five minutes, “There is a lot of good smelling food over there, and I want to go get some!”
Glancing over at Bolton, I asked if he needed me for anything else or if I was free to go. Assuring me that he could handle it, Bolton apologized for keeping me here so long. Apologizing to my family as started walking away, the old man had to throw a jab in for giggles.
“Make sure the wee lad has a tiny bottle of ale!”, he shouted with a big grin on his face, “He is a Dwarf, we need alcohol to keep the furnace running right.”
“I told you the answer was fucking no!!”, Gearnia huffed in anger without looking at him, “Your grandson is too young for alcohol, I don’t want him to become a scruffy old Dwarf like you one day! He will become a respectable Dwarf, not a drunk bastard!”
“Oh piss off, I’m not that scruffy!!”, Bolton retorted as he stroked his beard, “I brushed my beard this morning since it’s a special day!”
Tuning his comment out, everyone was more focused on the various food stalls that lined the roadway. Smelling all sorts of different foods being prepared around us, it was hard to keep track of where each scent was coming from. Handing the women pocket money to buy food, all of them ran off in different directions to buy whatever caught their fancy. I was tasked with regulating how much they got because, during special occasions like this, they’d easily go through several platinum coins each in the first hour or so.
“Lord Cole!!”, Yasaka called out as she ran over to me, “Your capital city is simply breathtaking!! Thank you for the generous meal last night, we are forever in your debt!!”
“It is no big deal, I am happy all of you enjoyed yourselves last night.”, I said quickly looking her over, “That is a beautiful kimono.”
Currently wearing an ornate, blue kimono with a white cloud print, Yasaka looked fantastic. Imagining how my wives would look in similar outfits, I decided then and there that I needed to make that happen. After all, unwrapping them afterward would be like Christmas all over again. Quickly pushing the thought to the back of my mind, as I was starting to grin, I quickly continued the conversation.
“Where are the rest of your people?”, I inquired looking around for other people in traditional Japanese attire.
“They are taking advantage of this generous opportunity you have provided us with. As you are aware, the Great War severely hampered our ability to trade normally so we are out of many items that would would usually have. Pair that with our inability to farm properly during that time, if not for your care package, we would be picking and choosing who would go hungry right now. I can never truly thank you enough for saving my people from the brink.”, Yasaka stated as she bowed her head.
Returning to me with meals in hand, several of my wives asked who the Kitsune was in front of me. Telling them that this was Yasaka, the Leader of the Youkai Faction, they cautiously looked her over for a few moments. Seeing something that I must have missed, Aria and Luna narrowed their eyes at her suspiciously. I was about to ask what was wrong, but they beat me to the answer.
“Firstly, allow me to introduce myself…my name is Aria Bolt, I am one of Cole’s many wives.”, Aria said with a smug smile as her tails wagged happily, “Now then…I hear you know how to make Mystic Sake, can you teach me? My grandmother knew how to make it, but she sadly passed before I was old enough to memorize the recipe.”
“That is correct, all of my people can make it.”, Yasaka replied with a smile, “I heard from Lord Cole that you are interested in the process we use. As our benefactor’s wife and a fellow Youkai, I would love to share this information with you. If you have free time this upcoming week, we can set up a time so I can show you.”
“Lord Cole huh?”, Mirko remarked looking at me with a wry smile, “Is this a newly awakened fetish, or is she from Feudal Era Japan?”
“Feudal Era Japan?”, Yasaka repeated with confusion, “What do you mean by that?”
“I guess Cole hasn’t mentioned that then, we are from a world a few thousand years ahead of yours. We live just south of Toyko in one of the many bedroom communities around the capital.”, Ryuko answered keeping things vague.
Opening her eyes wide, Yasaka looked at me in disbelief and asked if this was true. Nodding my head, I apologized for not mentioning that fact sooner to her. Asking me all sorts of questions about Japan’s future, the Kitsune unconsciously got really close to me causing her enormous chest to press against me. Noticing that my wives were smirking at me in a playful manner, they could tell I liked her for sure.
“It would be easier to show you in person sometime, how about after showing Aria how to make the Sake I show you around Japan?”, I suggested looking her in the eyes.
“That would be lovely!”, Yasaka said with a radiant smile, “I assure you that I will teach Aria how to make the best Sake possible.”
“Haha, thank you very much. She has wanted to make it with me for the longest time now, it will make her very happy.”, I chuckled, “So I have to ask, where are the other guests that came with you? I know Eri invited Gabriel who in turn brought several people with her.”
“Lady Gabriel would be…”, Yasaka replied as she looked behind her, “she is over at that Confectionary Stall.”
Pointing out where the Archangel was, I saw her looking intently into the glass display case at several different candies. Excusing myself to take Eri over to her, she eagerly pulled me along calling out to her friend as we approached. Turning back to look at us, Gabriel quickly wiped the drool off her face and greeted us with open arms. Embracing Eri in a tight hug, poor Eri squirmed around suffocating in her chest.
“Gabriel…”, I said as I tapped her shoulder, “What candy are you going to buy?”
Releasing Eri immediately, the Archangel shot up and gave me a saddened expression. Telling me that she had forgotten to bring money today, she said that she could only look today. Since she was Eri’s friend, I offered to buy her the candies she wanted as a thank you for coming today. Immediately pointing to several different candies, the chef and I chuckled as he bagged everything for her. Paying her bill, Gabriel immediately began eating the sweets with a childlike smile on her face.
“Gabriel, use your manners please.”, the Biblical God scolded her, “He may be your friend’s father, but that doesn’t mean you treat him without respect.”
“Yes Father…”, she said bowing her head, “Thank you Lord Cole for the candy, can I please get other sweets too?”
“HAHAHA!”, Azazel laughed loudly at her bold request, “You better be careful Old Man, she may fall because of candy!!”
Looking back at the former Angel with an exhausted look, I could tell he hoped that would happen. I knew that God had a soft spot for Gabriel and her childlike innocence so I decided to help him out a bit.
“How about this, I will give Eri and you pocket money to go around the capital with. In exchange, you need to watch over her while you are together today. Do you agree?”, I offered.
Knowing better than to make deals without a second opinion, Gabriel looked to her father for approval. Nodding his head with approval, the Archangel accepted my offer with an excited look. Making sure Eri had her Panic Button on her, one that would teleport me to her instantly, I sent the two girls on their way.
Even though Gabriel was a bit immature, she was a full fledge Archangel so I was certain she could handle herself if push came to shove. In the event she couldn’t, Eri could summon me and I would deal with any troublemakers swiftly. Watching them carefully until they were out of sight, I turned back to the two men to talk with them.
“I apologize for my daughter’s behavior, she can get a bit carried away sometimes. It is a consequence of me keeping her in Heaven, and away from entertainment. My concern is that she will fall, ending up in the same group as him.”, God jabbed pointing at Azazel.
“Hey now, what’s that supposed to mean?”, Azazel remarked knowing full well what was being implied.
“It’s not a big deal, if she happens to Fall here, Eri or I can Rewind her back to a state prior to her Fall. Believe me, I thought ahead for that possibility before agreeing to let you guys come.”, I chuckled, “By the way, where are Michael, Odin, and Thor at? I thought they were tagging along as well.”
“Odin is off chasing single ladies like I would love to be doing right now.”, Azazel replied with a smirk, “Michael is off talking with another group of Angels we ran into, and Thor…well that meathead is off signing up for an Arm Wrestling competition. On our way over here, he saw some red-headed man with a Lion head tattoo on his back and felt the need to challenge him to a fight.”
Knowing that he was referring to Escanor, I was happy I had the forethought to reinforce the arena where the competition was being held. Having seen firsthand how badly Ban and Meliodas had destroyed L’Arc’s castle, there was no way I would allow that to happen here. Suggesting that we grab some drinks and chat for a bit longer, I bought us some delicious Dwarven Ale to get the conversation flowing.
“I would like to personally thank you for addressing the Devil problem.”, God said as we walked into the market, “They have been growing to arrogant of their power recently, and I haven’t been able to bring myself to severely punish them. Call me softhearted, but they are still my children at the end of the day.”
“It would be more reasonable to say that you are too weak at the moment to deal with them as you once did.”, I corrected him, “Things like that happen when you seal away a being like Trihexa. “
Stopping where he was, God turned to look at me with a serious expression. Realizing that his secret was known to me, he didn’t bother trying to hide it anymore.
“Old Man, is he telling the truth?”, Azazel inquired with a nervous look.
“He is right…my battle with Trihexa has effectively left me a few centuries away from dying now.”, God answered truthfully, “I expended far too much power in that fight, and ultimately I was only barely able to seal it. If not for Cole’s intervention at the Ceasefire Talks, I may have conceded a bit to secure peace.”
“It would have been for nothing if you had, once the Devils found out they would restart the war knowing you couldn’t stop them. In a last ditch effort to save your creation, you would use the remaining power you have to take out the Four Devil Kings to free creation from their threat. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen…Heaven was thrown into chaos trying to maintain the systems you had in place and the Underworld would be plunged into a Civil War.”, I explained, “The Peace and War Factions would fight each other till eventually the Peace Faction won out, though it would be a shallow victory. At the end of the war, they would have to rely heavily on other races to help rebuild their population through reincarnation.”
Even though it sounded horrible that I killed several thousand Devils, the alternative was millions dying in the Civil War. It might take them some time, but eventually, the Devils would realize I saved them from a very bleak outlook for their future.
“Anyways, let us put this heavy subject to the side for now. Today is meant to be a celebration for the people of my territories. Let’s partake of the festivities and enjoy ourselves.”, I suggested.
“About time, where are all those beautiful curvy women at?”, Azazel proclaimed shamelessly.
Laughing at his joke, I began showing the men around while my family and Yasaka followed a short distance behind.
—Next Morning—
“Watch ya little shites!! If ya drop it, you’ll blow our hard work to kingdom come!!”, Bolton spat as his men hauled special, magic fireworks into the capital from the Special Region, “Anyone that does drop it better hope they die. Survivin' means feelin' my forgin’ hammer go straight up yer ass!!”
“Yes sir!!”, the men replied steadying their loads.
Standing beside my father-in-law, as I surveyed the work as well, the city was already a buzz with life. Children of all different races ran around the streets playing games with one another while their parents causally browsed the markets. Merchants from the Special Region and all over this world had come together in the Grand Market eager to test out this new marketplace. With the lowest taxes in both worlds, citizens of my territories had lots of coin to spend today at the festival.
‘Some of the Melromarc Families must be overwhelmed with joy today. Just over six months ago they barely scraped by, and now they lived in comfort with excess left over.’, I thought with a smile, ‘Reminds me a lot of-”
“Are you almost done!?”, Cis asked for the tenth time in the past five minutes, “There is a lot of good smelling food over there, and I want to go get some!”
Glancing over at Bolton, I asked if he needed me for anything else or if I was free to go. Assuring me that he could handle it, Bolton apologized for keeping me here so long. Apologizing to my family as started walking away, the old man had to throw a jab in for giggles.
“Make sure the wee lad has a tiny bottle of ale!”, he shouted with a big grin on his face, “He is a Dwarf, we need alcohol to keep the furnace running right.”
“I told you the answer was fucking no!!”, Gearnia huffed in anger without looking at him, “Your grandson is too young for alcohol, I don’t want him to become a scruffy old Dwarf like you one day! He will become a respectable Dwarf, not a drunk bastard!”
“Oh piss off, I’m not that scruffy!!”, Bolton retorted as he stroked his beard, “I brushed my beard this morning since it’s a special day!”
Tuning his comment out, everyone was more focused on the various food stalls that lined the roadway. Smelling all sorts of different foods being prepared around us, it was hard to keep track of where each scent was coming from. Handing the women pocket money to buy food, all of them ran off in different directions to buy whatever caught their fancy. I was tasked with regulating how much they got because, during special occasions like this, they’d easily go through several platinum coins each in the first hour or so.
“Lord Cole!!”, Yasaka called out as she ran over to me, “Your capital city is simply breathtaking!! Thank you for the generous meal last night, we are forever in your debt!!”
“It is no big deal, I am happy all of you enjoyed yourselves last night.”, I said quickly looking her over, “That is a beautiful kimono.”
Currently wearing an ornate, blue kimono with a white cloud print, Yasaka looked fantastic. Imagining how my wives would look in similar outfits, I decided then and there that I needed to make that happen. After all, unwrapping them afterward would be like Christmas all over again. Quickly pushing the thought to the back of my mind, as I was starting to grin, I quickly continued the conversation.
“Where are the rest of your people?”, I inquired looking around for other people in traditional Japanese attire.
“They are taking advantage of this generous opportunity you have provided us with. As you are aware, the Great War severely hampered our ability to trade normally so we are out of many items that would would usually have. Pair that with our inability to farm properly during that time, if not for your care package, we would be picking and choosing who would go hungry right now. I can never truly thank you enough for saving my people from the brink.”, Yasaka stated as she bowed her head.
Returning to me with meals in hand, several of my wives asked who the Kitsune was in front of me. Telling them that this was Yasaka, the Leader of the Youkai Faction, they cautiously looked her over for a few moments. Seeing something that I must have missed, Aria and Luna narrowed their eyes at her suspiciously. I was about to ask what was wrong, but they beat me to the answer.
“Firstly, allow me to introduce myself…my name is Aria Bolt, I am one of Cole’s many wives.”, Aria said with a smug smile as her tails wagged happily, “Now then…I hear you know how to make Mystic Sake, can you teach me? My grandmother knew how to make it, but she sadly passed before I was old enough to memorize the recipe.”
“That is correct, all of my people can make it.”, Yasaka replied with a smile, “I heard from Lord Cole that you are interested in the process we use. As our benefactor’s wife and a fellow Youkai, I would love to share this information with you. If you have free time this upcoming week, we can set up a time so I can show you.”
“Lord Cole huh?”, Mirko remarked looking at me with a wry smile, “Is this a newly awakened fetish, or is she from Feudal Era Japan?”
“Feudal Era Japan?”, Yasaka repeated with confusion, “What do you mean by that?”
“I guess Cole hasn’t mentioned that then, we are from a world a few thousand years ahead of yours. We live just south of Toyko in one of the many bedroom communities around the capital.”, Ryuko answered keeping things vague.
Opening her eyes wide, Yasaka looked at me in disbelief and asked if this was true. Nodding my head, I apologized for not mentioning that fact sooner to her. Asking me all sorts of questions about Japan’s future, the Kitsune unconsciously got really close to me causing her enormous chest to press against me. Noticing that my wives were smirking at me in a playful manner, they could tell I liked her for sure.
“It would be easier to show you in person sometime, how about after showing Aria how to make the Sake I show you around Japan?”, I suggested looking her in the eyes.
“That would be lovely!”, Yasaka said with a radiant smile, “I assure you that I will teach Aria how to make the best Sake possible.”
“Haha, thank you very much. She has wanted to make it with me for the longest time now, it will make her very happy.”, I chuckled, “So I have to ask, where are the other guests that came with you? I know Eri invited Gabriel who in turn brought several people with her.”
“Lady Gabriel would be…”, Yasaka replied as she looked behind her, “she is over at that Confectionary Stall.”
Pointing out where the Archangel was, I saw her looking intently into the glass display case at several different candies. Excusing myself to take Eri over to her, she eagerly pulled me along calling out to her friend as we approached. Turning back to look at us, Gabriel quickly wiped the drool off her face and greeted us with open arms. Embracing Eri in a tight hug, poor Eri squirmed around suffocating in her chest.
“Gabriel…”, I said as I tapped her shoulder, “What candy are you going to buy?”
Releasing Eri immediately, the Archangel shot up and gave me a saddened expression. Telling me that she had forgotten to bring money today, she said that she could only look today. Since she was Eri’s friend, I offered to buy her the candies she wanted as a thank you for coming today. Immediately pointing to several different candies, the chef and I chuckled as he bagged everything for her. Paying her bill, Gabriel immediately began eating the sweets with a childlike smile on her face.
“Gabriel, use your manners please.”, the Biblical God scolded her, “He may be your friend’s father, but that doesn’t mean you treat him without respect.”
“Yes Father…”, she said bowing her head, “Thank you Lord Cole for the candy, can I please get other sweets too?”
“HAHAHA!”, Azazel laughed loudly at her bold request, “You better be careful Old Man, she may fall because of candy!!”
Looking back at the former Angel with an exhausted look, I could tell he hoped that would happen. I knew that God had a soft spot for Gabriel and her childlike innocence so I decided to help him out a bit.
“How about this, I will give Eri and you pocket money to go around the capital with. In exchange, you need to watch over her while you are together today. Do you agree?”, I offered.
Knowing better than to make deals without a second opinion, Gabriel looked to her father for approval. Nodding his head with approval, the Archangel accepted my offer with an excited look. Making sure Eri had her Panic Button on her, one that would teleport me to her instantly, I sent the two girls on their way.
Even though Gabriel was a bit immature, she was a full fledge Archangel so I was certain she could handle herself if push came to shove. In the event she couldn’t, Eri could summon me and I would deal with any troublemakers swiftly. Watching them carefully until they were out of sight, I turned back to the two men to talk with them.
“I apologize for my daughter’s behavior, she can get a bit carried away sometimes. It is a consequence of me keeping her in Heaven, and away from entertainment. My concern is that she will fall, ending up in the same group as him.”, God jabbed pointing at Azazel.
“Hey now, what’s that supposed to mean?”, Azazel remarked knowing full well what was being implied.
“It’s not a big deal, if she happens to Fall here, Eri or I can Rewind her back to a state prior to her Fall. Believe me, I thought ahead for that possibility before agreeing to let you guys come.”, I chuckled, “By the way, where are Michael, Odin, and Thor at? I thought they were tagging along as well.”
“Odin is off chasing single ladies like I would love to be doing right now.”, Azazel replied with a smirk, “Michael is off talking with another group of Angels we ran into, and Thor…well that meathead is off signing up for an Arm Wrestling competition. On our way over here, he saw some red-headed man with a Lion head tattoo on his back and felt the need to challenge him to a fight.”
Knowing that he was referring to Escanor, I was happy I had the forethought to reinforce the arena where the competition was being held. Having seen firsthand how badly Ban and Meliodas had destroyed L’Arc’s castle, there was no way I would allow that to happen here. Suggesting that we grab some drinks and chat for a bit longer, I bought us some delicious Dwarven Ale to get the conversation flowing.
“I would like to personally thank you for addressing the Devil problem.”, God said as we walked into the market, “They have been growing to arrogant of their power recently, and I haven’t been able to bring myself to severely punish them. Call me softhearted, but they are still my children at the end of the day.”
“It would be more reasonable to say that you are too weak at the moment to deal with them as you once did.”, I corrected him, “Things like that happen when you seal away a being like Trihexa. “
Stopping where he was, God turned to look at me with a serious expression. Realizing that his secret was known to me, he didn’t bother trying to hide it anymore.
“Old Man, is he telling the truth?”, Azazel inquired with a nervous look.
“He is right…my battle with Trihexa has effectively left me a few centuries away from dying now.”, God answered truthfully, “I expended far too much power in that fight, and ultimately I was only barely able to seal it. If not for Cole’s intervention at the Ceasefire Talks, I may have conceded a bit to secure peace.”
“It would have been for nothing if you had, once the Devils found out they would restart the war knowing you couldn’t stop them. In a last ditch effort to save your creation, you would use the remaining power you have to take out the Four Devil Kings to free creation from their threat. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen…Heaven was thrown into chaos trying to maintain the systems you had in place and the Underworld would be plunged into a Civil War.”, I explained, “The Peace and War Factions would fight each other till eventually the Peace Faction won out, though it would be a shallow victory. At the end of the war, they would have to rely heavily on other races to help rebuild their population through reincarnation.”
Even though it sounded horrible that I killed several thousand Devils, the alternative was millions dying in the Civil War. It might take them some time, but eventually, the Devils would realize I saved them from a very bleak outlook for their future.
“Anyways, let us put this heavy subject to the side for now. Today is meant to be a celebration for the people of my territories. Let’s partake of the festivities and enjoy ourselves.”, I suggested.
“About time, where are all those beautiful curvy women at?”, Azazel proclaimed shamelessly.
Laughing at his joke, I began showing the men around while my family and Yasaka followed a short distance behind.
