26th day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 12:15 AM

  Shion was panting, her arms felt heavy, and her legs were shaking. She was sweating, her secretary's uniform was stained with dirt, her hair was unkempt, and her mouth was bleeding. She was in a difficult position, but her gaze betrayed no desire to stop; in fact, she was ready to push further.

  On the other hand, Hirashi was clean and smelled like a flower: her hair was in order, her white kimono was spotless, and her muscular arms showed no sign of tiredness, despite the two having been training for more than four hours straight, without a break in the blows.

  For the pale giantess, that period of time was little more than a warm-up—the equivalent of a two-minute jog for a normal person. The same would have been true for Shion: under normal circumstances, she could have fought for days, but training with Hirashi was anything but normal. The amount of force she had to exert to parry even one of the giantess's weakest attacks was exorbitant, and even the parrying itself wasn't enough. The shockwave of her opponent's blows alone was enough to shake her internal organs, causing her to spit blood at irregular intervals.

  It might seem like excessive training, and Hirashi would wholeheartedly agree with that statement, but it was Shion herself who had requested the treatment. The giantess couldn't bring herself to refuse, but she still didn't appreciate hurting one of her own students.

  "Are you ready, Lady Hirashi? I'm coming!"

  Despite her visible exhaustion, Shion charged at her opponent again, leaping and somersaulting in the air, building momentum to strike with immense power. As their weapons clashed, the ground beneath Hirashi's feet shattered—proof of the Oni warrior's strength. However, the giantess remained firm and unwavering, like an immovable rock against the rushing water.

  "Not bad..."

  Hirashi pushed Shion away with a sweep, then attempted a lunge, only to be intercepted by the Oni. However, the move proved to be a feint—the giantess real goal was to expose Shion and strike her with a kick. Shion managed to block the blow with her arm, but the impact still sent her flying several meters. Needless to say, despite the effective parry, the Oni had taken considerable damage.

  "You've improved a lot these past few weeks, Shion. I'd say you're definitely past level 30. You're probably closer to 38."

  Hirashi commented, watching the other woman struggle to her feet. The Oni was still ready to fight, even though her body was screaming with exhaustion and blood was pouring from the wounds all over her face.

  "And you always prove yourself to be the strongest, Lady Hirashi! I haven't managed to hit you even once, and we've been training for hours every day for weeks!"

  She wiped some blood from her face and looked at the colossus before her. She admired Hirashi and even envied her a little. Shion had always been accustomed to being the strongest, yet the power gap between her and Hirashi was exorbitant. She wasn't sure she could match her with training alone.

  Is this the level of strength I need to protect Lady Almodea? It's an abyss , or rather a peak! How can I scale it?

  Shion shook her head forcefully. She shouldn't think about those things, at least not during training.

  "I remind you that you hit me a couple of times..."

  "Sorry, but it doesn't matter if the sword breaks against you! I count it as a tactical move!"

  She laughed to distract herself from her exhaustion. Shion was completely devastated, but she had to keep going; she had to be as strong as possible for Almodea. The meeting with her companions had left her feeling a thousand anxieties. She didn't want to be rejected by her mistress, so she had to become as strong as possible at all costs.

  "I think we can call it a day."

  "What? No!"

  Shion shook her head, walking closer to her teacher.

  “Let’s move on, please! I beg you, Lady Hirashi!”

  The colossus sheathed her sword and shook her head, remaining unperturbed.

  "No, that's enough for today. I don't think you can continue, anyway."

  "I can! Please! I don't-"

  She fell silent when he saw the tall woman raise her right hand. The aura of power and respect Hirashi exuded was enough to silence anyone with a simple gesture, even someone as stubborn as Shion.

  "I'm not questioning your ability or your will. When I say you can't continue, I mean you can't continue safely."

  "What? What do you mean?"

  "You're exhausted and can barely stand. Understandable, considering you've been taking my beatings for over four hours straight."

  "I'm not tired! I-"

  "I'm not calling you weak, on the contrary. You're one of the strongest I've ever met. However—as your teacher—I can't put your life in danger. The training you asked me to put you through is already far beyond what I would normally have you do. I remind you that you're here to improve, not to get killed..."

  Hirashi's cold words made her nod in agreement. Shion put down her wooden sword and bowed in respect. After all, she was just a mere Oni, and the pale woman was investing her time in her; she couldn't help but respect her for that.

  "I understand, Master. Thank you also for agreeing to train me according to my requests!"

  With that, Shion looked at the numerous wooden swords that had broken during training. She took a step to pick them up, but was stopped by Hirashi.

  "Stop. I'll take care of those ."

  “We trained together, it's only right that-"

  "Leave it alone. Answer me a question instead."

  Shion stopped and nodded, motioning for Hirashi to ask her question.

  "Why did you ask me to train you so hard? What drives you to continue, even though you're exhausted? It's not just the ambition to increase your strength, is it? There's something more, isn't there?"

  Hirashi had hit the nail on the head; Shion hadn't asked her to train her just to improve. She needed to be stronger not for herself, but for her mistress, especially since their bond had recently intensified. She brought her hand to her chest, trying to find the right words to express what she believed—what she felt for Almodea.

  It was a difficult thing for Shion. She was the woman whose beauty belied maturity, but in reality she was ditzy and whined when she couldn't do something, ultimately failing miserably, despite putting in all her effort. However, when she thought of Almodea, something inside her changed. In those weeks, she could no longer deny that she felt affection for her mistress that went far beyond mere loyalty.

  I'm a guard, but I look more like a concubine. Yes... I'm just a simple concubine for Lady Almodea. There's no way someone like her could love a simple Oni with nothing special.

  Shion took a deep breath and slumped her shoulders. She wanted to sit down because her legs hurt so much, but right now the image of Almodea was tainting her thoughts, and nothing else mattered.

  "I'm Lady Almodea's guard, and I must be in top shape to fulfill my role! I must be stronger, for her..."

  For a few seconds, Hirashi seemed to smile slightly. It lasted so briefly that Shion mistook it for fatigue, especially since it seemed to her that the other woman had become more stoic than usual after the supposed smile.

  "May I ask you another question?"

  "Certainly!"

  "You...would die for Almodea?"

  "Of course! Lady Almodea saved us all! I'm sure every single one of us Oni would give our lives for her! I especially would, as her guard and concu-hem...friend!"

  Shion's response was instantaneous. There was no doubt, no weakness, only blind love and loyalty to her mistress. Her only hesitation was about the ending, but Hirashi decided not to question her about it. Despite the strength and passion of her declaration, the white giantess seemed disappointed by the overall response of the Oni.

  "Don't do that, please."

  "What? I owe my life to Lady Almodea! I'll do everything I can to make her happy!"

  "Then don't die."

  Hirashi admonished her coldly. She put her hands on her hips and sighed, beginning to understand better.

  “Look...I can't know all the circumstances, but if you sacrifice yourself for Almodea, you'll only hurt her. If you lost your life to save her immortal one, she wouldn't forgive herself, trust me. I know Almodea better than anyone. If you were to die, you'd only make her cry for who knows how many days.”

  Shion's heart broke when she realized what she'd been told. Picturing Almodea weeping at her grave made her chest ache. A tear fell down her cheek, before being quickly wiped away. Shion felt so guilty even thinking about such a possibility.

  "But, I...I..."

  "Perhaps you haven't realized that you are the only thing stopping Almodea from destroying this forest..."

  "What do you mean?! There are others too and-"

  “Yes, but you are the most important one to her.”

  Hirashi raised a large finger and pointed it at the Oni, touching her forehead several times.

  "You're the only thing that keeps Almodea from exploding from stress or turning into a dragon and destroying everything the moment she gets a little angry. Plus, you're the reason Almodea is putting so much effort into the city. She wants to make all her friends happy, especially you."

  “I…didn’t see it that way.”

  Shion's heart softened under the flattery. She didn't think she was that important to Almodea and saw herself as a mere concubine at best. But if Hirashi said so, then it was true. When it came to the eighteen-year-old demoness, she was never wrong: she was truly the perfect older sister.

  "I'll tell you something else. Don't take this the wrong way, but your true usefulness as a bodyguard is more to fight in Almodea place, to prevent her from doing any damage. She definitely doesn't need protection."

  "No offense taken, I had guessed it myself, eh eh !"

  Shion laughed lightly, before suddenly turning serious.

  “But I still want to defend her! I will defend her and her smile!”

  "I admire your dedication. There's a strong bond between you two. I didn't expect such feelings to arise so quickly, but Almodea has always been an irresistible charmer."

  "Lady Hirashi, thank you for opening my eyes!"

  "You're welcome. Anyway, I have to ask you a favor."

  "Hm? Of course! All for Lady Almodea's sister, and my faithful teacher!"

  "Help her manage herself; she's only eighteen and has trouble controlling her will. Since you've been around, she's much more mature. Before, if she woke up feeling groggy, she'd destroy everything, but now... I have no idea what you two do at night, but it's working. Keep it up."

  "Um...thank you, Lady Hirashi."

  Shion blushed at the thought of her evening's activities with her mistress. A shiver of pleasure began to spread through her spine and lower abdomen. She wanted to continue enjoying the sensation, but she decided to compose herself and try to put on a serious front in front of her teacher.

  “I will try to help Lady Almodea to the best of my ability!”

  "Well."

  Hirashi raised her arm and cast a spell, completely restoring Shion's energy. Her muscles no longer ached, and she could feel the bindings, nerves, and bones strengthening. Her strength had certainly increased in the past few weeks, to the point where she could now cause small earthquakes with a blow of her mace.

  "I'll take care of cleaning up here. Go take a shower and then go to her place, she'll be waiting for you..."

  "Certainly, Lady Hirashi!"

  Shion smiled and nodded at the feigned order, then bowed and walked away smiling. Hirashi watched her walk away, her expression still stoic, but it was clear she was happy with the situation.

  “She has a lot of potential... Almodea chose her secretary well. She's always had a good eye for women.”

  Hirashi muttered under her breath as he set up her swords for practice.

  “Who knows where Ryu has gone? Now it's his turn to train.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Having no quarters of her own, since she was practically living at Almodea's house by now, Shion decided to go shower at Huna's. She could have easily gone to her mistress's house since she had the keys to access it, but she felt it disrespectful to do so without Almodea's knowledge or presence. Shion took a deep breath and knocked on the door of Huna's quarters, which were near the small temple created for Lord Almodeus and the one she was seeing built for Lady Almodea.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  "Hi, Shion! Let me guess...the usual?"

  The Sacred Priestess asked, ushering her friend in. It wasn't unusual for Shion to come to her to use the restroom, since Almodea usually worked until mid-afternoon. The little Oni didn't mind helping her friend. She admired how hard she worked to become stronger.

  “Exactly. Thanks again for your help, Huna.”

  “You’re welcome! Come in, please!”

  The Oni entered the bathroom and removed her clothes, then rinsed off while Huna prepared a change of clothes for her. Unlike the warrior, the little priestess was a prodigy at household chores. She was an excellent cook and had adapted perfectly to the new technologies introduced by their rulers.

  "Ah, Shion! I got you some perfume at the market. Lady Hirashi recommended it to me! Try it and tell me what you think!"

  "Okay! I'll let you know how it goes!"

  Among the innovations Almodea had introduced were perfumes, strange bottles containing liquid potions that were supposed to be sprayed on the body to make it smell better. The goblin market was full of such items, in addition to numerous other innovations such as skin creams and the most common household appliances.

  I wonder if Lady Almodea will like the smell...

  As she stood under the running water heated by a fire runestone, Shion began to think of her mistress. She missed her touch, the cuddles they shared, and the kisses on her lips. She couldn't resist the thought of seeing her again soon; there was no greater reward after a grueling training session with her master.

  How can I ask her that? Maybe I'd annoy her?

  Along with the joy came concern. According to Zed's request, Shion would have to ask Almodea some sensitive questions regarding her sexual and romantic preferences. These were very intimate conversations she'd never had with anyone, and Shion had no idea how the other girl might react. Almodea seemed stupid, but she was surprisingly intelligent when she applied herself. If she put two and two together, she would immediately understand the Oni's intentions, and there was no reason why she couldn't take the proposal of marrying Shen as an insult. If she got angry, that would be the worst possible outcome.

  Maybe I should tell Huna the truth. She's good at these feminine things and could advise me.

  Shion's heart was in a vice-like grip. The more she thought about Zed's proposal, the more uncomfortable she felt. She hadn't revealed to her companions that she was Almodea's concubine because she didn't understand what their relationship really was either. Shion wasn't a genius, but she didn't have to be one to see that her relationship with Almodea had evolved beyond the simple master-servant system. The young woman's sweet words, the constant kisses and affectionate touches—not to mention the wild lovemaking sessions they had in the evenings. They couldn't just be bodyguard and mistress anymore; they had to be more.

  Shion immediately ruled out the possibility of Almodea loving her: it would be impossible. The young demon was practically a goddess, and the Oni warrior could not consider herself her equal in any way. For that reason too, she disagreed with Zed's proposal. Shen was an excellent match, but Almodea was far beyond the Oni leader's capabilities.

  After showering, Shion dried herself, put her hair back in its usual ponytail, put on perfume, and got dressed. Huna had laid out the usual secretary uniform she always wore. The two usually argued, but underneath they were great friends. Even though they hadn't interacted often in the old village, Shion's strength had helped the priestess more than once. She could have talked to her about her doubts and her feelings for Almodea, but she wanted to avoid causing Huna trouble.

  I'll ask her advice later. First I need to figure out what I'm really feeling...

  After thanking her, she said goodbye to her friend and left the house. As she walked, Shion immediately returned to the question that had been nagging her for some time. Up until that point, her only love had been fighting; how could she have imagined she'd have such feelings for another woman? If someone had told her this a few weeks ago, she would have laughed heartily, believing it to be a joke.

  For now, it's best to see what Lady Almodea thinks about it—I want to avoid breaking our relationship. Perhaps she's already engaged to someone, since she's a princess.

  Shion knew the other girl well enough, but didn't know much about the behind-the-scenes situation. Almodea often spoke of her interests, but she never went into detail about her family or social background. Honestly, Shion was curious to learn more about her mistress, who seemed to be from another world with such prodigious power.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Shion soon reached the town hall and stopped to observe it. There was a lot of activity in the area; they were renovating the building with marble, having begun extracting that material from nearby quarries. The undead were excellent miners, as well as efficient builders.

  She approached the entrance, which had no door due to construction work, and entered without problems.

  "Good morning, Lady Shion!"

  Inside, she was immediately greeted by three Succubus Brides, who were supervising the work. They had been summoned by Lord Almodeus himself and had come all the way from his base to serve Almodea. They weren't particularly strong, but they performed various organizational tasks admirably.

  "Hello Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra! Is Lady Almodea in her office?"

  "Yes! She's eagerly waiting for you, Lady Shion!"

  "Perfect, good work then!"

  With that, Shion waved goodbye and began moving towards Almodea's office, which was temporarily located on the ground floor.

  "Today we had the honor of speaking with Lady Shion again!"

  "Yes, it's the Biggest Bride! "

  "Oh, yes! The biggest one!"

  The three began to laugh among themselves. At first, one might think that the three succubi saw Shion as a rival for Almodea's attentions, but instead they idolized her as a sort of role model, given her closeness to the demoness. When they spoke among themselves, they referred to Shion as the Biggest Bride, a name chosen primarily because of the various double entendres surrounding the Oni's curvaceous form.

  -Despite this, they had great respect for her.

  "Lady Almodea! I've arrived!"

  "Shion!!!!"

  As soon as the woman entered the office, the other girl immediately wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her. Almodea's dragon wings emerged and began to flap rapidly, a sign that the young demoness was happy.

  "How did training with Hirashi go? Was it tough?"

  "No, she's always very kind. Did I keep you waiting too long?"

  "Oh no! You're never late—Mh? Sniff Sniff... "

  Suddenly, Almodea began to sniff her, like a dog smelling its owner.

  “I smell the essence of another woman..."

  The comment made Shion's blood run cold.

  Is she…jealous?

  She felt the demoness's grip tighten—not enough to hurt, but it was obvious that a jealous and possessive side was coming out. It was extremely comical, but also slightly disturbing.

  "N-No! It's just a perfume Huna lent me! Do you like it?"

  "I love it! Not bad!"

  Shion breathed a sigh of relief at this playful response. It meant Almodea was calming down, as her grip loosened. The Oni didn't mind the other being so attached to her, but this side of her mistress sometimes unsettled her. Luckily, it all ended in laughter—since Almodea often overdid things on purpose just to have a laugh and emulate the behavior of certain manga characters.

  “I was reading while I waited for you. I didn't feel like sorting through the paperwork... There aren't many anyway—it won't take us long!”

  Almodea pulled away from Shion and brought her over to the desk, which was covered in various messy papers, manga, and loose documents.

  “You’ll help me, right?”

  "Certainly!"

  The Oni instinctively sat down in Almodea's chair, pulling the demoness over her thighs. It was her mistress's favorite position, allowing her to use Shion as a comfortable support and cuddle while they sorted through the documents. It was also the Oni's favorite position as well, as she adored the physical contact with the other girl. Needless to say, they often paused their work for long cuddling sessions.

  “I missed you so much! It's horrible being alone, you know? I even felt like I was being watched!”

  “Don’t worry, Lady Almodea! If anyone gets too close to you, I’ll squash them like a bug!”

  Shion declared proudly, slapping her chest.

  “You are so bold, my beautiful bodyguard!”

  “I have to be strong for you, after all.”

  “You've risen so many levels. You're already more than enough for me.”

  Those kind words warmed Shion's heart. She had been working incredibly hard and had indeed almost reached level 40. It was a height that no Oni in her village had ever achieved in history: it would be a great honor to be the first.

  “Listen, how about we get these paperwork sorted out first and then we can cuddle a little?”

  “It seems like a great idea to me! But...”

  Shion quickly glanced at the desk. As usual, it was a complete mess. In addition to the various loose documents, manga were scattered all over the table, as if Almodea had started rereading an entire saga just as she was waiting for her.

  “Ah, yes. I know what you’re about to say.”

  Almodea rose from the Oni's lap and began tidying up the various books. She stuffed some of them haphazardly into the second drawer of her desk, which quickly filled up. From the enormous mass of manga there, it was clear that the girl had conjured up more than could fit in the drawer, or even what was originally there.

  Did she use that weird ability of hers? I don't remember the name exactly... it was something that started with Pocket.

  Shion had never understood how her mistress could conjure things out of thin air so easily. When she'd asked about the mystery behind that strange magic, Almodea had replied that she kept a copy of all her belongings in a Pocket Dimension she'd created. Shion hadn't quite figured out what this mysterious Pocket Dimension was, but it was enough of an explanation to confirm once again how amazing Almodea was.

  Seeing that the manga no longer fit in the drawer, the demoness took a stack and began placing it in one of the empty filing cabinets in the office. The documents should have gone there, but for the moment there wasn't much space required. Almy City had grown significantly in that month, but it still couldn't match the size of human metropolises.

  Maybe I should ask her?

  As she gazed at the demoness's winged back, Shion began to wonder if this wasn't the right time to try gathering information as Zed had asked. For some reason, just talking about these things made her stomach churn. Yet she'd already had a more than intimate moment with Almodea—more than once—why did she feel this way now? Was she afraid of the girl's response? Or of repercussions? She had no idea; Shion just knew she wasn't at peace.

  “Um, Lady Almodea? May I ask you a question?”

  “Of course! Just ask— Huh? Sniff Sniff.”

  Oh, shit! She's smelling my anxiety!

  Shion had no idea how Almodea did it, but she seemed to be able to sense negative emotions like a bloodhound; she couldn't hide anything from her. The Oni swallowed and tried to force herself to ask the question. She had to do it for the sake of her people, her friends, and the only family she had left.

  “What...What do you think about marriage?”

  “About marriage? Do you want to know my opinion on the matter or if I have someone in mind to marry?”

  “B-Both, if possible.”

  Almodea turned to her with a raised eyebrow, clearly doubtful. However, she didn't voice these doubts and answered the question in a casual tone.

  "I'm not against marriage in general, but if those are political ones, then yes! They're something for weaklings, in my opinion."

  The demoness stated coldly, as she continued to put her manga away in the filing cabinet.

  “For now I don't have anyone I intend to marry, mostly because I can't.”

  “You can't?”

  “My mother was clear: no marriage before twenty-one. She forced me to do this so I couldn’t marry every woman I met, you know?”

  "I understand..."

  Shion could only nod at this news. She had never met Almodea's parents and certainly wouldn't question their choices. Still, she was curious to know what they looked like. Some had described the demoness's father—namely, Almodeus—but no one seemed to know what the other parent looked like. If the Absolute Lord was a mystery, his consort was even more so.

  “Why this question, Shion? You want to marry someone and you were scared I would be against it? Are you afraid I will remove you from your role as bodyguard for this?”

  “N-No, obviously not!”

  The Oni immediately panicked when she heard the other's question. She was absolutely sure that her mistress had done it just for the sake of it, as if she knew more than she was letting on. The disinterested tone was the definitive proof; Almodea was starting to question her strange behavior.

  I think it's best to come clean. I'm not good at this, and I don't want to upset Lady Almodea.

  She took a deep breath, thinking carefully about what to say before speaking.

  “W-Well, today we Oni had a little meeting...”

  Shion began, trying to figure out what to say to avoid making the situation worse.

  “...And, during one motion or another, the possibility of a marriage between you and Shen, our leader, was raised. O-Of course you mustn't consider that! It was just a stupid proposal from Zed's big mouth!”

  “No, it makes sense. A marriage between me and Shen would make you Oni immune to my father as long as everything goes well.”

  “Huh?”

  Almodea's response had left Shion speechless. The girl had seemed calm and composed, despite the news. Knowing her mistress's childish nature, she had expected some kind of indignant reaction. To be honest...Almodea was a Goddess- and any deity would have been outraged if a mortal had proposed a political marriage between her and another mortal.

  “M-My lady...Aren't you angry? Are you seriously considering this?”

  “Calm down for a moment, Shion.”

  Almodea stopped her, giving a little laugh.

  "I never said I'd consider the proposal. I've already told you that I don't like political marriages."

  “T-True, you said that. B-But you were so calm! I expected you to be furious at the news, to be honest.”

  “Normally I would be, but...I can understand your position.”

  Almodea declared calmly, before pausing briefly. She had become strangely serious and professional; Shion had never seen her act so maturely. She had to admit; she found her monstrously attractive.

  She's so...beautiful. Oh my God, what am I even thinking at a time like this?!

  "However..."

  The demoness continued, bringing Shion back to reality with her words.

  “I want to make it clear that I don't intend to marry Shen under any circumstances! It's not out of malice; he's just not my type.”

  “I can understand. May I ask what kind of man is your type, then?”

  “I don't have one. I like women! That's why a marriage whit Shen isn't an option.”

  “R-Really?”

  Almodea's curt response made Shion's eyes widen. She hadn't expected that revelation at all. It was the first time she'd met a girl who was completely uninterested in men.

  In their tribe, homosexuality wasn't viewed negatively, but the main problem was its impracticality. The duties of any Oni, regardless of gender, were twofold: to fight for their tribe in times of war and to support the common good. Unfortunately, having children fell into the latter category. The elders never consented to unions between members of the same gender, as it would not produce future warriors who would replace the veterans.

  However, love for another being was never discriminated against, regardless of the gender of the two lovers. Unlike some human societies, the Oni held those who sacrificed their own happiness for the good of the community in high regard and value. Simply put, the citizens were encouraged to admit they were interested in someone of the same sex, if that was the case when deciding to marry. They wouldn't be allowed to join a lover of the same gender of course, but they would be praised for their "sacrifice."

  This system, however dubious it might seem, had allowed the Oni tribe to reach a population of ten thousand. Occasionally, some young people were opposed to marriage, but they were made to understand that it was necessary for survival—by hook or by crook.

  “So I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can marry Shen.”

  Almodea continued, sitting back down on Shion's lap.

  “But you have no need to fear! As long as you are with me, my dear Shion, you Oni will be safe from Daddy’s wrath!”

  The Oni felt the demoness's slender arms around her neck, held in a warm embrace.

  She's always so kind. Wait! She likes women, does that mean...?!

  Smoke began to come out of Shion's ears. If the theory her brain was forming was correct, it would be a great shock. Almodea's admission perfectly explained how their relationship had evolved the way it had, but it didn't reveal what Shion meant to her mistress. She was no longer just a bodyguard, that much was clear to everyone. But then...what was she really? A mere concubine, used only for sexual pleasure—or a genuine love interest?

  That question was making the poor Oni's mind skitter. Shion was a warrior who resolved matters with her fists, not her head. Obviously, she wasn't going to punch her mistress in the face now; the most logical choice would be to ask, hoping Almodea would answer honestly.

  -But it was easier said than done.

  Shion had never been in this situation before. For her, life was on the battlefield; she'd never thought she'd fall in love, let alone with another woman. Every time her parents had offered her a male partner, she'd always rejected them—calling them weak. In her defense, that wasn't an excuse; compared to Shion, those men seemed like toothpicks ready to snap.

  Her father had died a few years earlier, and her mother had followed him to the grave that infamous night when they were attacked by orcs and trolls. She hadn't even had time to mourn them—Almodea had immediately filled the void that they had left with her kindness. However, Shion often wondered what her parents would think of her now.

  She had evolved; she had become stronger...but would they be happy to see her holding a mysterious demoness in her arms? Would they be okay with the two making wild love every night as if they had been lovers for years? Would they accept her?

  I can't let myself be influenced. I have to...do my best.

  Shion shook her head forcefully, trying to shake off those unnecessary worries. Her parents were dead; what they might think wasn't important in the present; the only thing that truly mattered right now was the survival of the Oni...and Almodea's happiness.

  “Shion, are you okay? I can feel your heart beating a thousand times, and I don’t think my beauty is the reason.”

  Her mistress's comment brought her back to reality. Shion was getting too lost in her thoughts and scolded herself internally. Now she was in Almodea's company; she had to give her every attention imaginable.

  “Excuse me, Lady Almodea. I was lost in useless thought for a moment.”

  “They are not useless if they are yours.”

  Shion felt the other girl's warm hands on her cheeks.

  “How about we change our plans? First we can cuddle a little, and then we can get to work. Are you up for it?”

  “As you wish.”

  She couldn't say anything else. The mere thought of receiving affection had ignited Shion's heart like a furnace filled with coal. She still had no idea whether Almodea saw her as a mere concubine or felt something deeper, but she didn't care at that moment. She just wanted to experience again the pleasure that had changed her life; Shion wanted to lose herself in it and stop thinking.

  -She was tired of creating inexistent problems and avoid the consequences of her actions- it wasn't her way of doing things.

  “Perfect! Then I'll start, okay?”

  Shion could only nod as she felt Almodea getting closer. Knowing the other girl, she would start by touching her stomach, then squeeze her breasts a little, and finally wait for the right moment to smother her with a powerful kiss. Almodea always did this when they were in bed. The warrior was already savoring what would be a moment she would regret once it was over. However...

  “Lady Almodea, sorry to disturb you.”

  ...Someone didn't seem to agree to even let the act begin.

  “We have some news.”