I tiptoed through the halls. A familiar voice sounded from one of the rooms.
I pressed my ear against the door.
“Are you sad?” That unmistakable British accent. “Carrying a few regrets?”
“Remy’s a good man.” Ruby’s voice quavered. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“He might be well intentioned, yes, but he’s far from a good man. It’s the saviors that end up destroying the world. He’s deluded himself into thinking he can help everyone, but once he realizes it’s all a silly dream, he’ll descend into a self-destructive cynicism that’ll end up dragging this whole world down.”
That sounded rather specific. Was Adam projecting his own cynicism onto me?
“All I know is, he was sincere. He offered to help me. Make my dreams come true, even. It’s something you never did.”
I wanted to burst inside, but I was fearful of confronting Adam. Not for my own wellbeing, but for Ruby’s. I was afraid of what he might do to her to get to me. If I could wait until Adam left, it would be safer for Ruby.
“You know what you are. What you’ll always be,” Adam said. “You can take the girl out of the whorehouse, but you can’t take the whorehouse out of the girl.”
What a disgusting thing to say. He judged Ruby just like he judged me. This piece of shit was even worse than Saran.
“So what are you going to do?” Ruby asked, her voice full of trembles.
“Oh, I don’t know. The truth is, you’re not really worth saving. You’re deluded by a charlatan who drinks his own afternoon tea. But I am a man of my word, so consider it done.”
Was that the British version of Kool Aid? Lame. I hated this guy with every word that crawled out of his mouth.
Adam stepped toward the door. I pricked myself and went invisible as soon as he opened it. He looked in my direction, and didn’t notice me. Then he walked down the stairs.
I slipped into Ruby’s room as my invisibility wore off.
She looked at me with such utter relief. “Remy…” she said. “You’re all right.”
I hugged and kissed her, relieved that she was unhurt. “Let’s go. Now.”
I dropped the bridging orb on the floor. Mist seeped out and created the escape door.
“You came to get me.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I thought… I…”
“Of course I came for you. I’d never leave you to those vultures.”
“I… I’m not worth your—”
“You are as worthwhile as anyone else. Even more, since you’re a genuine soul. Now come on.”
“No, you don’t understand.” Her sadness was deeper than I realized.
Nevertheless, I took her hand, and we escaped through the door.
Esme was doing stretches when Ruby and I materialized near the fast travel point.
“Wow, she’s pretty,” Esme said while reaching for the sky. “And not a curseborn.”
“Thank you,” Ruby replied, her face going red. “You’re very beautiful, too.”
I teleported us back to the temple. To my shock, Miranda was standing near the door. Ayla held her wind hammer, her teeth gritted, as if she was about to smash her to pieces.
I butted between them. “Calm down, Ayla. There’s been no harm done, yet.”
“You can’t let this traitorous bitch off easy.”
“Oh, I won’t.” I turned to Miranda. “You told them I was coming, didn’t you?”
Miranda crossed her arms. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“To get what you were owed. And probably more.”
Esme conjured her ice katana and faced Miranda’s back. Everyone was ready to punish her, except me. I wanted to know why she’d done it, first.
“If I’d betrayed you, why would I still be here?” Miranda shook her head. “You think I’m some kind of idiot?”
True enough. Miranda wouldn’t be standing here if she’d betrayed us.
“If what you say is true, then how did they know?” I asked.
“It was me.” Ruby came forward, tears flowing down her cheeks. “I told them.”
I could not believe my ears. That made even less sense. Why would Ruby do that?
“I don’t understand,” I said.
Ruby wouldn’t stop crying. I knew that she wouldn’t have done it without a good reason, so I dried her tears and caressed her hair.
“Tell me,” I said.
Ruby sucked in a breath and nodded. “Adam came to visit me, shortly after I met you for the first time. He told me to tell him if I ever saw you again. He said if I didn’t, that he’d kill everyone in my village. And that if I obeyed him, he would pay for a new shield crystal, so the village would be protected.”
Of course she’d done it to save the people she loved. Adam had put her in an impossible position.
“If you want to kill me, it’s fine,” Ruby said.
“Kill you?” I scoffed. “What kind of man do you think I am?”
“I endangered you and your wives. I deserve no less.”
I glanced at Ayla and Esme. They weren’t angry, anymore. They seemed as sad as me.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” I said. “Is your village still in danger?”
Ruby shook her head. “Adam is many things, but he is also a man of his word. He always paid me. He believes in order and justice. His version of justice.”
“A version that includes threatening to massacre innocent villagers in order to manipulate someone who loves them.” I made a fist in anger. “How is that any sort of justice?”
“You’ll have to ask him.” Ruby sniffled. “But I don’t believe he’ll hurt them. People trust Adam to do what he says. He’s not a slime ball like Alfonso.”
“Oh, he’s a slime ball,” I said. “Just a different flavor.”
“Either way, I don’t deserve to be here. I don’t deserve to be among these gorgeous, loyal women. I came with you because I thought it only fair for me to face your justice.”
My justice? Of course, I believed in justice. Without justice, a society would break down into lawlessness. But I also believed in mercy. And Ruby was a good person. She carried the burdens of her entire village upon her shoulders.
“I forgive you, Ruby.” I turned to Ayla, who had put her hammer away. Sherry was now standing at the entrance, behind her, along with Maria and Tara. I looked to Esme, as well. “But it’s not just me she wronged. She put us all in danger. You each have the right to ask for punishment.”
Esme shook her head. “No. I won’t. But I wasn’t there with you on the mission.”
Sherry came forward. “I was there, but I won’t, either. We’ve all been under their boots. We’ve all faced impossible choices.”
“Agreed,” Tara said. “Saran manipulated me by threatening to hurt my sister. They always threaten to hurt those you love.”
“She should stay with us.” Maria came to Ruby’s side. Ruby was so tall, Maria seemed like a child compared to her.
“We could still use a seamstress.” I put my hand out for Ruby to take. “But I need your absolute loyalty. I need you to swear you’ll never put any of us in danger ever again.”
Tears bubbled in Ruby’s eyes. “How are you all so good? I don’t deserve any of this.”
“We’re curseborn,” Ayla said. “We were told all our lives that we deserved worse than death. We’ve learned to be forgiving.”
“Besides, you’re really hot,” Sherry said with a grin. “And Remy needs a new wife.”
I gave her a glare. “I don’t need a new wife. Believe me, five is plenty.”
“But you want one, don’t you, handsome?” Sherry giggled. “There’s no number too high for you.”
I suppose that was true. “You’re welcome to stay, Ruby.”
Ruby took my hand. “Thank you. You’re all so amazing.”
I kissed her on the cheek, then dried her tears. “You’ve had an eventful few hours. You should go rest.”
“But I want to make you clothes.” Ruby touched the collar of my shirt.
“Rest, first. Get adjusted to our little onsen. I’ll bring you materials for clothes, later.”
She nodded. I hugged her. The other girls hugged her, too. We showed her our forgiveness and love, things I hoped we could bring to the world above.
I spent the rest of the day farming with Esme and Sherry on the volcano floor. I got used to wielding the red sword. I put another point in strength to make it more powerful.
Afterward, I talked with Miranda at the outskirts of the hot spring. She was still wearing her white lab coat, though it looked dirtier than ever.
“Sorry for accusing you,” I said. “It was improper.”
“Well, I can see why you would. You probably view me as solely motivated by goldcores.”
“You haven’t really shown us any other side to you. But regardless, it was wrong of us to threaten you.”
She shrugged. “Oh, I’ve faced worse. It’s unfortunate that you weren’t able to complete the job.”
That was true. But killing Saran was a much sweeter victory than looting goldcores. “I’m still going to pay you what you’re owed.”
“I know you will.”
“But I have a question. One I probably should’ve asked sooner. Why does Alfonso keep his goldcores in his house and not in his soul storage?”
“Because he’s paranoid. Soul storages can be looted.”
Was I hearing her right? “Wait, how can a soul storage be looted? Doesn’t it exist in another dimension?”
“Exactly. There are people who can cross dimensions, and steal what’s in your soul storage. It does happen from time to time. Thankfully, those with such powers wouldn’t bother targeting small fry like you or me. They go after crazy wealthy folks like Alfonso.”
Crossing dimensions sounded like an awesome power. “Who are these dimension hoppers?”
Miranda bit her lip. It looked dry. When was the last time she’d been kissed? “I have no idea. Some people think they’re ghosts. Others believe they’re minions of the Outer Gods. The truth is probably much less interesting.”
Or perhaps even more interesting. “So what do you think Alfonso’s going to do? He knows I tried to go after his goldcores.”
“He’s going to increase security. We ought to forget about grabbing his goldcores, for now. Every rich man in Port City is going to be watching their wealth carefully.”
Everyone except Saran, who was now dead. I snapped my fingers. “I killed Saran. What’s going to happen to his stash?”
“It’ll be assessed and go to his heirs, if he has any. If not, the prince will claim it.”
“I’m sure assessing things takes time. Maybe I could slip in when no one’s looking.” I’d done that before when I’d rescued Maria, after all.
Miranda crossed her arms, making her huge tits all the tighter. “Don’t you think you ought to take it easy? You’re pushing your luck.”
That much was true. I was in a chess game with another man from Earth. He might be anticipating me to do exactly what I’d suggested to Miranda. He could even set a trap for me at Saran’s mansion, same as he’d done at Alfonso’s.
I decided against reentering Port City, for now. Instead, I would shift focus back to the Underground Forest. Farming the second floor was quite rewarding, and the third floor was likely even better.
I decided to spend that night with Esme. She would be instrumental in completing the second floor, since she was immune to heatstroke status, so long as she had mana.
We enjoyed jumping from the hot pool to the cold pool, just like we’d done on our first night in the onsen on the overworld. Esme’s body looked even more toned than before. She’d been working so hard. Not a hint of fat could be seen anywhere, aside from her ass and breasts, which had just the perfect amount. She was gifted with the most athletic, sculpted form. Her blue hair was now longer than before, reaching down past her tits toward her naval. Her skin remained pale from being in the Underground Forest for so long.
After enjoying the hot spring, we went into my little cottage. I so looked forward to what would follow.
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I tiptoed through the halls. A familiar voice sounded from one of the rooms.
I pressed my ear against the door.
“Are you sad?” That unmistakable British accent. “Carrying a few regrets?”
“Remy’s a good man.” Ruby’s voice quavered. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“He might be well intentioned, yes, but he’s far from a good man. It’s the saviors that end up destroying the world. He’s deluded himself into thinking he can help everyone, but once he realizes it’s all a silly dream, he’ll descend into a self-destructive cynicism that’ll end up dragging this whole world down.”
That sounded rather specific. Was Adam projecting his own cynicism onto me?
“All I know is, he was sincere. He offered to help me. Make my dreams come true, even. It’s something you never did.”
I wanted to burst inside, but I was fearful of confronting Adam. Not for my own wellbeing, but for Ruby’s. I was afraid of what he might do to her to get to me. If I could wait until Adam left, it would be safer for Ruby.
“You know what you are. What you’ll always be,” Adam said. “You can take the girl out of the whorehouse, but you can’t take the whorehouse out of the girl.”
What a disgusting thing to say. He judged Ruby just like he judged me. This piece of shit was even worse than Saran.
“So what are you going to do?” Ruby asked, her voice full of trembles.
“Oh, I don’t know. The truth is, you’re not really worth saving. You’re deluded by a charlatan who drinks his own afternoon tea. But I am a man of my word, so consider it done.”
Was that the British version of Kool Aid? Lame. I hated this guy with every word that crawled out of his mouth.
Adam stepped toward the door. I pricked myself and went invisible as soon as he opened it. He looked in my direction, and didn’t notice me. Then he walked down the stairs.
I slipped into Ruby’s room as my invisibility wore off.
She looked at me with such utter relief. “Remy…” she said. “You’re all right.”
I hugged and kissed her, relieved that she was unhurt. “Let’s go. Now.”
I dropped the bridging orb on the floor. Mist seeped out and created the escape door.
“You came to get me.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I thought… I…”
“Of course I came for you. I’d never leave you to those vultures.”
“I… I’m not worth your—”
“You are as worthwhile as anyone else. Even more, since you’re a genuine soul. Now come on.”
“No, you don’t understand.” Her sadness was deeper than I realized.
Nevertheless, I took her hand, and we escaped through the door.
Esme was doing stretches when Ruby and I materialized near the fast travel point.
“Wow, she’s pretty,” Esme said while reaching for the sky. “And not a curseborn.”
“Thank you,” Ruby replied, her face going red. “You’re very beautiful, too.”
I teleported us back to the temple. To my shock, Miranda was standing near the door. Ayla held her wind hammer, her teeth gritted, as if she was about to smash her to pieces.
I butted between them. “Calm down, Ayla. There’s been no harm done, yet.”
“You can’t let this traitorous bitch off easy.”
“Oh, I won’t.” I turned to Miranda. “You told them I was coming, didn’t you?”
Miranda crossed her arms. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“To get what you were owed. And probably more.”
Esme conjured her ice katana and faced Miranda’s back. Everyone was ready to punish her, except me. I wanted to know why she’d done it, first.
“If I’d betrayed you, why would I still be here?” Miranda shook her head. “You think I’m some kind of idiot?”
True enough. Miranda wouldn’t be standing here if she’d betrayed us.
“If what you say is true, then how did they know?” I asked.
“It was me.” Ruby came forward, tears flowing down her cheeks. “I told them.”
I could not believe my ears. That made even less sense. Why would Ruby do that?
“I don’t understand,” I said.
Ruby wouldn’t stop crying. I knew that she wouldn’t have done it without a good reason, so I dried her tears and caressed her hair.
“Tell me,” I said.
Ruby sucked in a breath and nodded. “Adam came to visit me, shortly after I met you for the first time. He told me to tell him if I ever saw you again. He said if I didn’t, that he’d kill everyone in my village. And that if I obeyed him, he would pay for a new shield crystal, so the village would be protected.”
Of course she’d done it to save the people she loved. Adam had put her in an impossible position.
“If you want to kill me, it’s fine,” Ruby said.
“Kill you?” I scoffed. “What kind of man do you think I am?”
“I endangered you and your wives. I deserve no less.”
I glanced at Ayla and Esme. They weren’t angry, anymore. They seemed as sad as me.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” I said. “Is your village still in danger?”
Ruby shook her head. “Adam is many things, but he is also a man of his word. He always paid me. He believes in order and justice. His version of justice.”
“A version that includes threatening to massacre innocent villagers in order to manipulate someone who loves them.” I made a fist in anger. “How is that any sort of justice?”
“You’ll have to ask him.” Ruby sniffled. “But I don’t believe he’ll hurt them. People trust Adam to do what he says. He’s not a slime ball like Alfonso.”
“Oh, he’s a slime ball,” I said. “Just a different flavor.”
“Either way, I don’t deserve to be here. I don’t deserve to be among these gorgeous, loyal women. I came with you because I thought it only fair for me to face your justice.”
My justice? Of course, I believed in justice. Without justice, a society would break down into lawlessness. But I also believed in mercy. And Ruby was a good person. She carried the burdens of her entire village upon her shoulders.
“I forgive you, Ruby.” I turned to Ayla, who had put her hammer away. Sherry was now standing at the entrance, behind her, along with Maria and Tara. I looked to Esme, as well. “But it’s not just me she wronged. She put us all in danger. You each have the right to ask for punishment.”
Esme shook her head. “No. I won’t. But I wasn’t there with you on the mission.”
Sherry came forward. “I was there, but I won’t, either. We’ve all been under their boots. We’ve all faced impossible choices.”
“Agreed,” Tara said. “Saran manipulated me by threatening to hurt my sister. They always threaten to hurt those you love.”
“She should stay with us.” Maria came to Ruby’s side. Ruby was so tall, Maria seemed like a child compared to her.
“We could still use a seamstress.” I put my hand out for Ruby to take. “But I need your absolute loyalty. I need you to swear you’ll never put any of us in danger ever again.”
Tears bubbled in Ruby’s eyes. “How are you all so good? I don’t deserve any of this.”
“We’re curseborn,” Ayla said. “We were told all our lives that we deserved worse than death. We’ve learned to be forgiving.”
“Besides, you’re really hot,” Sherry said with a grin. “And Remy needs a new wife.”
I gave her a glare. “I don’t need a new wife. Believe me, five is plenty.”
“But you want one, don’t you, handsome?” Sherry giggled. “There’s no number too high for you.”
I suppose that was true. “You’re welcome to stay, Ruby.”
Ruby took my hand. “Thank you. You’re all so amazing.”
I kissed her on the cheek, then dried her tears. “You’ve had an eventful few hours. You should go rest.”
“But I want to make you clothes.” Ruby touched the collar of my shirt.
“Rest, first. Get adjusted to our little onsen. I’ll bring you materials for clothes, later.”
She nodded. I hugged her. The other girls hugged her, too. We showed her our forgiveness and love, things I hoped we could bring to the world above.
I spent the rest of the day farming with Esme and Sherry on the volcano floor. I got used to wielding the red sword. I put another point in strength to make it more powerful.
Afterward, I talked with Miranda at the outskirts of the hot spring. She was still wearing her white lab coat, though it looked dirtier than ever.
“Sorry for accusing you,” I said. “It was improper.”
“Well, I can see why you would. You probably view me as solely motivated by goldcores.”
“You haven’t really shown us any other side to you. But regardless, it was wrong of us to threaten you.”
She shrugged. “Oh, I’ve faced worse. It’s unfortunate that you weren’t able to complete the job.”
That was true. But killing Saran was a much sweeter victory than looting goldcores. “I’m still going to pay you what you’re owed.”
“I know you will.”
“But I have a question. One I probably should’ve asked sooner. Why does Alfonso keep his goldcores in his house and not in his soul storage?”
“Because he’s paranoid. Soul storages can be looted.”
Was I hearing her right? “Wait, how can a soul storage be looted? Doesn’t it exist in another dimension?”
“Exactly. There are people who can cross dimensions, and steal what’s in your soul storage. It does happen from time to time. Thankfully, those with such powers wouldn’t bother targeting small fry like you or me. They go after crazy wealthy folks like Alfonso.”
Crossing dimensions sounded like an awesome power. “Who are these dimension hoppers?”
Miranda bit her lip. It looked dry. When was the last time she’d been kissed? “I have no idea. Some people think they’re ghosts. Others believe they’re minions of the Outer Gods. The truth is probably much less interesting.”
Or perhaps even more interesting. “So what do you think Alfonso’s going to do? He knows I tried to go after his goldcores.”
“He’s going to increase security. We ought to forget about grabbing his goldcores, for now. Every rich man in Port City is going to be watching their wealth carefully.”
Everyone except Saran, who was now dead. I snapped my fingers. “I killed Saran. What’s going to happen to his stash?”
“It’ll be assessed and go to his heirs, if he has any. If not, the prince will claim it.”
“I’m sure assessing things takes time. Maybe I could slip in when no one’s looking.” I’d done that before when I’d rescued Maria, after all.
Miranda crossed her arms, making her huge tits all the tighter. “Don’t you think you ought to take it easy? You’re pushing your luck.”
That much was true. I was in a chess game with another man from Earth. He might be anticipating me to do exactly what I’d suggested to Miranda. He could even set a trap for me at Saran’s mansion, same as he’d done at Alfonso’s.
I decided against reentering Port City, for now. Instead, I would shift focus back to the Underground Forest. Farming the second floor was quite rewarding, and the third floor was likely even better.
I decided to spend that night with Esme. She would be instrumental in completing the second floor, since she was immune to heatstroke status, so long as she had mana.
We enjoyed jumping from the hot pool to the cold pool, just like we’d done on our first night in the onsen on the overworld. Esme’s body looked even more toned than before. She’d been working so hard. Not a hint of fat could be seen anywhere, aside from her ass and breasts, which had just the perfect amount. She was gifted with the most athletic, sculpted form. Her blue hair was now longer than before, reaching down past her tits toward her naval. Her skin remained pale from being in the Underground Forest for so long.
After enjoying the hot spring, we went into my little cottage. I so looked forward to what would follow.
Announcement Hey there! Go up to 10 chapters ahead by joining my PATREON, and get clothed and nude art of the girls!