Bonus Short Stories

The Good-for-Nothing Girls of the Liberators

Only a few days remained before the start of the final battle. Almost everyone had finished gathering at the Liberators’ headquarters. Situated in one corner of the massive warship was a synergist’s workshop where Oscar, Laus, Lyutillis, and Meiru currently were.

“All right, this should do it,” Oscar said, adjusting his glasses as he meticulously looked over the jewel set on the workbench.

“Okay, Meiru, would you mind leaving for a bit?”

“Why?! You can rely on me more, you know, Oscar-kun! I’ve got time!”

“You mean you’re bored and have nothing to do! I didn’t even call you here!”

“You good-for-nothing four-eyes. I hope Miledi-chan smashes your glasses.”

Oscar narrowed his eyes in anger, but before he could respond, Lyutillis cut in.

“Now, now, Onee-sama. I know you’re feeling lonely because any time you go anywhere to help out, people tell you you’re just getting in the way. Even Diene-chan chased you out of her room because she was busy trying to master her new artifact, but that doesn’t— Agaah! Thank youuuuuu!”

Annoyed, Meiru slapped Lyutillis across the face and sent the elven queen flying.

“Just sit tight in the corner there and don’t cause trouble, Meiru. Soul’s Repose,” Laus said, directing his magic toward Lyutillis, who immediately stopped panting in ecstasy.

“Why does everyone treat me like a nuisance? I hate all of you,” Meiru grumbled, sulking in the corner of the room she’d been relegated to.

With her out of the way, Oscar could finally begin crafting his artifact.

“Ngh... Is it impossible to make individualized pseudo-souls after all?” he muttered.

“If you keep practicing, I think you might be able to make it work...” Laus mused.

“We don’t have the time for that. I’m afraid you might have to give up on this project,” Lyutillis said sadly.

Laus’s obsidian mana and Lyutillis’s sunlight-yellow mana both failed to take root within the jewel.

I guess it was asking too much for success on my first attempt... Oscar thought to himself. He shrugged at his two companions, but of course when Meiru saw them struggling, she naturally butt in to “help.”

“Don’t worry, we just have to keep your magic active until the spells finally take root, right? Transient Eternity!”

“Wait, you can’t make artifacts through brute force like that!” Oscar shouted.

“Hm? Hey, Oscar! Something’s wrong!” Laus said, turning to him.

The jewel began to flicker intermittently before suddenly emitting a bright flash. Oscar and the others dropped to the floor, but they weren’t able to get down in time. A shockwave rippled through their consciousness...and after a few seconds, the light faded.

“Is everyone okay?!” Meiru asked, her panicked voice ringing out through the room.

“Y-Yeah, I think. But...” Lyutillis muttered, getting to her feet.

“Haaah... Haaah... Now this is a new sensation. It’s as if someone slapped my very soul!” Laus said, panting in ecstasy.

“This isn’t my fault, okay?” Oscar said in an oddly girlish tone, getting to his feet.

“W-We’ve swapped bodies...” Meiru—who was actually Oscar—muttered in surprise. He didn’t know what exactly had happened, but Meiru’s unneeded help had caused a huge mess. Everyone turned to Meiru—who was in Oscar’s body—and glared at her.

“Wh-What? I had good intentions, okay?!”

It was truly strange to see Oscar’s face wearing the expression of guilt that Meiru normally wore.

“Stop making that face! You’re defiling my body!”

“Oh my, Onee-sama’s turned into a man! How absolutely splendid!” Lyutillis squealed and writhed in pleasure while in Laus’ body, causing Laus himself to look away in disgust.

“Stop it, Lyu! I can’t bear to see myself acting like that!”

All the guys had been swapped into girls and vice versa. Oscar hurriedly checked the jewel to see how he could get everyone back to normal. Ultimately, he determined the best thing to do would be to wait out the hour for Transient Eternity to wear off. Despite the body swap, everyone could still use their own ancient magic. However, the new bodies they were in made it difficult to control properly, so Oscar decided it would be safest to wait.

“Sheesh. I hope you’ve learned your lesson, Meiru,” Oscar said, raising a hand to adjust his glasses before he remembered he was in Meiru’s body and thus not wearing any. He looked down and seemed taken aback by the fact that his own ample bosom blocked his line of sight.

“Are you kidding me? I can’t even see my own feet?”

“Oscar-kun. If you do anything lewd to my body, you’ll pay dearly, you hear?”

That snapped Oscar out of his stupor and he looked back up to see his own face glaring at him. But then, Meiru started fidgeting and looked down herself.

“For Miledi-chan’s sake, I should confirm the size, right?”

“Hey, what are you planning?” Oscar asked as he grabbed Meiru’s hands, which were about to unfasten his belt. It seemed she was seriously trying to inspect his dick.

“C-Come to think of it I’ve...haaah...haaah...never seen what a man’s nether regions look like either.”

“Don’t you dare, you pervert!” Laus exclaimed as he slapped Lyutillis, which felt unbelievably odd as she was in his body. Naturally, Lyutillis started moaning in pleasure, which reflexively caused him to step on her. Unfortunately, that only made her more excited, creating a vicious cycle.

Just then, Miledi poked her head into the room and said, “O-kun, you here? Wait, wh-what are you guys doing?”

She saw Meiru kneeling in front of Oscar, her hands gripping his belt, while Lyutillis trod on Laus with a cold gleam in her eyes. Meanwhile, Laus was moaning in ecstasy. Miledi took a few steps back, afraid she’d stepped into some alternate dimension.

“M-Miledi, this isn’t what it looks like!” Oscar—who looked like Meiru right now—said as he rose to his feet.

“H-Huh? Is that you, O-kun?” Miledi asked hesitantly. With just a few words, she’d immediately been able to tell it was him. Unfortunately, Meiru chose that moment to sidle in between the two of them.

“Hey, Miledi. It’s fine, Meiru just took one of her pranks too far. Anyway...”

“H-Huh? Wh-What?”

Sensing danger, Oscar stepped forward, but Meiru grabbed Miledi by the waist and drew her close.

“O-O-O-kun?!” Miledi exclaimed in surprise.

“You’re the cutest woman in the world, my beloved Miledi,” Meiru said in Oscar’s body.

Miledi went red from head to toe, too flustered to notice that Meiru was leaning in for a kiss. But just before their lips touched, Oscar suplexed Meiru, causing her to cry out and roll around the ground clutching her head.

“Are you okay, Miledi?” he asked.

“O-O-kun, you beeeeeeeeaaaast!” she shouted, sprinting out of the room.

Naturally, Oscar in Meiru’s body chased after her, shouting, “It’s all a misunderstanding, Milediiiiiiiiiiii!”

Reinheit, who’d come with Miledi, was staring in shock at how Laus—who was actually Lyutillis—was acting.

“Being stepped on by myself is quite a novel sensation! Please, continue!”

“Shut the fuck up, Lyu! Wait, Reinheit, this isn’t what it looks—!“

“I-I can’t believe my beloved master was a perverted beast all along! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Reinheit fled the room in a panic, forcing Laus to chase after him. Lyutillis’s skirt kept getting in the way, so he tore it off at the thighs, making him look more deranged. Confusion spread across the ship as everyone saw the bodyswapped Liberators, and one of the precious few days before the final battle was wasted as everyone tried to make sense of the insanity.

The Legendary Sword Born of Hatred and Confusion

“This is worthless, this is worthless, and this is worthless,” Oscar’s tired voice rang out through the forest. They were in the training grounds Miledi had picked out so they could work on mastering their respective ancient magic.

“U-Umm, O-kun, you don’t have to be that focused on making something unique, you know...?” Miledi said in a gentle voice.

Everyone’s training was mostly complete, but Oscar looked dissatisfied with all of the prototype weapons he’d developed.

“Yes, I do! What kind of craftsman would I be otherwise?!”

“Hyaaah!”

Oscar turned from his failed prototypes to glare at Miledi, who took a few stunned steps backward.

“Besides, I refuse to let that hack artist make fun of my creations any longer!”

Indeed, the true reason Oscar was so obsessed with getting his weapons perfect was related to Vandre. Vandre’s mastery of martial arts let him use all sorts of weapons, and he usually used his ice magic to create whatever he needed in the moment. That versatility was part of why his fighting style was so deadly. Oscar had figured if Vandre was using weapons anyway, it’d make more sense for him to use his artifacts rather than ice weapons. But Vandre found it easier to use the magic he’d practiced for decades to just make whatever he imagined in his head rather than use Oscar’s Treasure Trove to pull out the exact kind of weapon he needed, so he’d given up on using any of Oscar’s artifacts. But now that Oscar had reached new heights with his creation magic, he was once again trying to craft something Vandre would be willing to use.

“I guess Van-kun is pretty picky about his weapons...” Miledi mused.

“Even the ones he makes instantly have all sorts of artistic flourishes to them.”

“He criticized all the ones you made too, calling them ugly.”

“He even asked me to do the impossible and make a weapon that’ll always catch the enemy by surprise...”

“Look, O-kun, I get it. But I still think you shouldn’t let his comments get to you.”

Unfortunately, Oscar’s craftsman spirit wouldn’t let him rest until he made something that met Vandre’s expectations.

“All right, let’s use these.”

Oscar grabbed the weapons he thought were most likely to win Vandre’s approval, then ran over to where the young demon was strengthening his familiars.

Prepare to get your socks knocked off, you muffler fiend!

Miledi exchanged a glance with Naiz and the others, then followed after Oscar with a sigh.

“Behold, Van, I made new weapons for you! This time I know you’ll have nothing but praise for them!”

“Hmph, so you’re finally back, talentless four-eyes. All right, let’s take a look at what you’ve got.”

They get along so well... Miledi thought, a little excited to see what these new weapons of Oscar’s could do.

“First off, we have this!”

The first thing Oscar pulled out of his Treasure Trove was a big fish.

“Is it my eyesight that’s going...or your sanity?”

“It’s unique, right? Plus, it showcases the beauty of nature. Its true strength only reveals itself with the help of Meiru’s magic, but this is the autonomous swimming, oscillating fish club!”

“Don’t associate me with that awful thing!” Meiru exclaimed.

Vandre froze the flopping fish club with his ice magic and tossed it into the forest.

“Ngh, if that isn’t good enough, then how about this!” Oscar roared as he pulled out a warhammer decorated with feathers, ribbons, and colorful star and heart stickers.

“Every single time you hit someone with this, it emits hearts and stars to blind your foes. I’d originally planned on adding these functions to Laus’s warhammer, but...”

“You better not!” Laus said, clutching his hammer protectively.

“Think about how novel it would be for a moody guy like you to fight with a girly weapon like—“

“Do I look like a weirdo to you, moron?! I don’t want everyone thinking I’ve lost it!” Vandre exclaimed as he created a hammer of ice to smash Oscar’s fancy hammer.

Oscar continued to bring out more weapons, each one even stranger than the last: a mop that actually had a sword hidden inside it, a pair of tonfas with multiple gimmicks that could be activated via magic, a metal book wrapped in chains that could be used like a flail, and so on. Miledi and the others were thoroughly disillusioned by the end of the presentation.

“You’re the most worthless four-eyes I’ve ever met,” Vandre said in disgust. “How do you not have a single artistic bone in your body? I almost pity you.”

He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at Oscar, then continued, “You’re a third-rate craftsman with no naming sense. You don’t give a damn about anything except the functionality of what you make and—“

“C-Come on, Van-chan! That’s going too far!” Miledi exclaimed, coming to Oscar’s defense. For a moment, Oscar just looked down quietly, but then his Treasure Trove gleamed again and he pulled out a massive greatsword, planting it blade-first into the ground.

“Oho,” Vandre said, looking over the sword with great interest. The weapon was beautiful. The hilt’s design, the ornamentation on the guard, and the image of a rising dragon that ran along the length of the blade were all exquisite. Despite being a greatsword, the blade had the kind of wave-pattern that you only saw on thinner katanas. The magic circles engraved along the weapon’s length were artfully placed.

“Wow, I guess you really can do it if you try. You should have just shown me this in the first—“

“Truth is, I made this sword for myself. But if you like it, you can have it. It’s called the Dragon Slayer.”

Vandre stopped trying to pull the sword out, his hands still wrapped around the hilt. Oscar gave him a winsome smile and said, “It has anti-ice magic properties. I made it to get rid of pesky ice dragons!”

A gust of wind filled the silence that followed. Oscar and Vandre smiled at each other for a few seconds until finally, Vandre said, “Die, you shitty four-eyes!”

“Taste my wrath, you muffler freak!”

Another one of their fights ensued, which ironically did a wonderful job of showcasing the various features of Oscar’s Dragon Slayer. In the end, Vandre decided it was the sword he would take with him into the final battle, and it was the same sword resting on his shoulder when they invaded the theocracy’s capital.

In Search of My Beloved Synergist — Part 4

In Damdrak, the capital of Uldea and the beautiful city of water, was a small, unassuming restaurant.

“Welcome to the Water Fairy!” a cheerful young girl’s voice said as another group of customers walked in. You could tell she truly enjoyed her job.

“Asha-chan, can we order some more?”

“Seconds here as well, please!”

“He he he, you all eat so much! I’m impressed!”

The young waitress had her short indigo hair in a ponytail, which bobbed back and forth as she ran from table to table. Her large breasts also bounced up and down underneath her apron as she worked. This was, of course, the same Asha—age sixteen—who’d worked at a restaurant in Velnika that Oscar used to frequent. She’d left Velnika in search of Oscar, and her love for him was so great that she had begun calling herself his wife everywhere she went. Of course, the adventurers she’d once hired as guards—the broom-headed Bibitori and the bald Hetarei—were still with her as well.

“Man, I thought I’d have to close up shop, but business is booming again thanks to you, Asha. In fact, you should just take over the restaurant.”

“Do go on, Boss,” Bibitori said, suddenly interested.

“Give it up, Bibitori. Even if Asha takes over, there’s no way she’ll run the restaurant with and marry you. If you hope for too much, you’ll just be disappointed again,” Hetarei said.

“Shut up! What’s the point of being an adventurer if you don’t dream big?!”

Until recently, the group had been traveling with a certain pirate crew, but after they’d heard tales of Oscar’s various sexual exploits—none of which were true—from a bunny girl innkeeper who liked to fantasize a little too much, Asha had declared that this was no time to be having fun on the high seas and set off in search of Oscar once more. But by the time they reached Damdrak, the group had run out of money and were now working at this restaurant to earn some more.

“Now, now, Hetarei-kun, there’s no need to be so pessimistic. I’m getting on in years and Asha-chan really does know how to run a business, so I wouldn’t mind handing over the restaurant to her.”

“Well, she is the only daughter of a popular restaurant’s owner back home, so it stands to reason she’s a good manager.”

“Though back home, everyone talks about how she uses underhanded means to keep customers coming back.”

Those words had real weight coming from an adventurer Asha had tricked with her feminine wiles and who ended up joining her on a year-long trip around the world to find her crush. Still, Hetarei found it pathetic that Bibitori had gone back to pining for Asha after the pirate crew’s catgirl had turned him down. Though, he couldn’t deny that Asha had been born to wait tables.

Her smile had everyone, young and old, falling head over heels for her, and the way her skirt twirled as she danced between the tables bewitched the patrons. Even her voice made people like her, and just a short conversation was enough to make them think she cared about them. She was quite agile as well, catching cups before they fell off of tables and preventing spills ahead of time. She could also tell when someone was full and engaged them in conversation long enough for them to digest before they were ready to order more. In a way, she was also the ally of maidens in love everywhere. Whenever she heard a man badmouthing his girlfriend, she’d give him a squeeze of lemon in the eye and comfort their poor girlfriends. Last but not least, she made sure to win the patronage of everyone who was hesitant about whether or not they wanted to eat at this restaurant. She’d run outside at mach speed whenever an unsure customer passed by and used a variety of tricks to lure them inside.

“She’s become superhuman. I know they say journeys change people, but...”

“She’s evolved more than she’s changed.”

“Splendid! Absolutely splendid! I suppose leaving the restaurant to her is the right choice after all,” the owner said, tears of emotion streaming down his eyes. Asha walked over, looking perfectly content despite how busy she was.

“Boss, we’ve got another order.”

“That can wait! Asha-chan, please take over my store!”

The customers glared at him, as did Bibitori and Hetarei. Asha just looked at him in surprise. He took her hands and gave her a pleading look. Sensing that he was serious, Asha, too, put on a serious expression and shook her head.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

“But why not? Do you not like this restaurant? Or is the capital itself not to your liking?”

The customers gulped, waiting for her answer. It had been only half a month since Asha had started working here, but the regulars that had drifted away were all back now, and most of the new customers came here specifically for Asha. They cared a lot more about where Asha was going than the restaurant itself.

“Oh no, this city is wonderful. All the customers are good people and the restaurant is just adorable. That’s why I applied here in the first place, you know?”

The patrons blushed and the owner trembled with joy. Meanwhile, Bibitori and Hetarei shivered at how deftly she’d won everyone over.

“But I’m afraid I’ll have to leave soon,” Asha said.

“Why?! And where to?!”

Asha disentangled her hands from the owner’s and turned her back to him. She then looked wistfully out the door, making the customers watch on with even greater interest.

“Is it me or is she laying it on even thicker than usual?” Bibitori asked.

“I can easily tell where this is going,” Hetarei replied.

Asha flourished her skirt, then spread her arms out like a stage actor.

“I must go to him!”

There was a series of scrapes as the men in the restaurant slid back their chairs and fell to their knees in despair.

“I see. So there’s someone you’ve set your heart on, Asha-chan,” the owner muttered.

“That’s right. My husband is waiting for me.”

“He’s not your husband,” Bibitori retorted.

“Please don’t say his name, Asha-chan. I’m begging you,” Hetarei added.

They both knew how dangerous Oscar Orcus’s name had become. Hopefully, Asha remembered that as well.

“That’s why, Boss, I—“

“It’s fine, say no more. I understand completely.”

The owner went over to his safe and pulled out a heavy bag of gold, which he handed to Asha.

“Take it.”

“I could never take such a large sum!”

The male customers cheered her on through their tears, while the female ones talked excitedly about who her husband might be.

“Thank you so much, everyone. Your kindness makes me so happy.”

Bibitori and Hetarei stared off into the distance, their eyes dead. Just then, there was a loud rumbling, and the earth shook. Everyone ran outside to see a huge ship rising out of Ur Lake. Cascading waterfalls streamed from its deck as the black ship rose toward the heavens. The onlookers doubted their eyes.

After a few seconds of shocked silence, everyone, including Asha, shouted, “What the heck is thaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

The unbelievable sight brought the restaurant owner back to his senses, so he decided against giving his entire fortune to Asha, meaning she had to continue working there for a while longer, never realizing that she’d been this close to her beloved synergist.

A Change in the Two of Them

“Corrin-san, I’ll carry that!” Sharm said as he suddenly appeared next to Corrin and tried to take the laundry basket out of her hands.

“Fweh?”

“Leave the heavy lifting to me.”

“B-But, umm, this is my job, so...”

“I want to help you, Corrin-san.”

Sharm’s straightforward manner overwhelmed Corrin, leaving her at a loss for words. This was the first time in her life anyone had confessed to her. Initially, she’d used Oscar as a shield and run away from Sharm’s confession, but she was honestly a little happy that he kept at his efforts to win her love regardless. That being said, Corrin was still only eight years old. Sharm’s overbearing devotion scared her more than it pleased her. Fortunately, Oscar wasn’t the only older brother there to look out for her.

“Hey, Sharm, cut it out. You’re bothering Corrin,” Ruth said, standing protectively in front of her.

“Oh, hello, Ruth-onii-san! Fancy seeing you here,” Sharm replied cheerfully.

“Don’t call me Onii-san! I know what you’re trying to do!”

Corrin hurriedly hid behind Ruth. She poked her head out from behind his back, giving Sharm an apologetic look.

“You’re too cute!” Sharm exclaimed, staggering backward. Corrin’s expression had been right in his strike zone.

“I don’t understand you at all...” Corrin muttered, but at the same time, she did blush a little.

“Haaah...whatever. Anyway, what happened to your work, Sharm?”

“I’ve already finished peeling the vegetables and cleaning the kitchen, Onii-san.”

“I told you to stop calling me that! Also, holy crap, you’re fast. I mean, I knew you learned fast when I taught you how to do chores on the first day, but...”

“So you’ll approve of me dating Corrin-san, then?”

“I don’t even know how you connected those two... You’re scary, man.”

Well, I guess if you’ve finished your work, I can’t really tell you off.

Shrugging his shoulders, Ruth looked back at Corrin. Putting laundry out to dry was hard work, especially for a younger kid. Ruth figured Corrin might as well let Sharm help, but when he looked at her, she shook her head furiously. Apparently she wasn’t mentally prepared to be alone with Sharm. Just then, Yunfa ran over.

“Corrin! Miledi-onee-san’s back! Hurry or you’ll miss it!”

“Huh?! Yun-chan, wait for me!”

Ruth cocked his head in confusion. He could tell Yunfa was clearly in a hurry to take Corrin somewhere, but he didn’t know why. After a brief moment of hesitation, Corrin stepped out from behind Ruth and handed Sharm her laundry basket.

“So you’ve finally decided to accept my love, Co—“

“Take care of the rest for me please, Sharm-kun! Oh, and make sure you hang them up properly so they don’t get wrinkled!”

“Huh? Corrin-san, aren’t we—?“

Sharm looked down at the basket in his hands...and when he looked up, Corrin and Yunfa were skipping away, hand-in-hand. Ruth gave Sharm a pitying look.

“Heh heh, she’s already starting to rely on me. Don’t worry Corrin-san, I’ll dry these clothes perfectly just for you!” Sharm said to himself as he jogged off, leaving a dumbfounded Ruth behind.

“Maybe those two really are meant for each other,” he muttered, scratching his head. Putting the two of them out of his mind, he returned to his work.

Meanwhile, Corrin and Yunfa were—

“Hyaaah!”

—doing their best to keep their excited voices low while they stared into a certain room through the window.

“O-kun, you need to eat lunch or you won’t be able to keep up your strength.”

“I know.”

Inside the room, Miledi was floating a tray with a sandwich and some tea on it over to Oscar, who was sitting on the floor. Apparently, he’d been so focused on his work that he’d forgotten about food, so Miledi had brought him something. That, in itself, wasn’t anything special, but the two of them were way too close to each other. Miledi was close enough to Oscar that she could rest her head on his shoulder. Also, while it looked like she was just trying to catch a glimpse of his expression, from the right angle it looked like she was kissing his cheek. And that was precisely why Corrin and Yunfa were squealing to each other in hushed voices.

“Look, I know how you feel, but you’ll just tire yourself out if you don’t take a break.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

But despite Oscar’s reassurances, he didn’t take his eyes off his work. Though he’d gotten a prototype of the artifact working, his younger siblings’ lives were depending on him creating a perfect product. His concentration was unbreakable. Sighing, Miledi gave up on convincing him and sat down to watch him work. Her gaze was both intense and surprisingly gentle.

“Hyaaaaaah,” Corrin and Yunfa squealed, holding each other’s hands and blushing.

This scene had repeated itself every day for the past few days. Ever since Oscar had called Miledi out on the first day, the two of them looked like they’d returned to normal. But every now and again, you could see surefire signs that the two of them had grown closer. Naturally, Yunfa and Corrin had been perceptive enough to pick up on the change, and they now spied on Miledi and Oscar whenever they got the chance.

“God you’re hopeless,” Miledi muttered finally, picking up the sandwich and motioning for Oscar to open his mouth. Half on reflex, he did so, prompting Miledi to stuff the sandwich into it. He bit off a little, chewed, and swallowed, then opened his mouth so Miledi could do it again.

“Hyaaaaaaaaah!”

Even after she’d finished feeding him, Miledi didn’t leave. She sat back down, resting her back against Oscar’s.

“Hyaaaaaah!”

Miledi dozed off, looking utterly relaxed. Over the next few days, Corrin and Yunfa made sure to catch every single cute moment Miledi and Oscar shared. Eventually, Susha, Lyutillis, and even the women of the village joined in to watch as well. Naturally, when Miledi found out, she blushed to the tips of her ears and gave Corrin a long lecture about privacy.

The Reason Miledi Doesn’t Tell Anyone Her Birthday

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!” Salus shouted, stopping Oscar from activating his Dark Key. Laus had fully recovered, so they were just about to head off for Sainttown.

Miledi let out a surprised “Gah!” and hurriedly said, “O-kun! Open the gate now! Hurry up! Please!”

“O-Okay? Why are you in such a hurry?”

Is there some emergency announcement Salus just remembered or something? Oscar thought absently. Laus and Lyutillis were thinking something similar, and they all gave Miledi curious looks.

But then Salus arrived, clung to Miledi’s waist, and exclaimed, “Don’t go, my cute Milediiiiiiiii! Don’t leave me behind!”

“Stop clinging to me, Sal! Do you want me to make you go splat against the floor?!”

Salus was acting like an overprotective grandfather who couldn’t accept his granddaughter becoming independent. That being said, Salus had known for a few days now that they were going to Sainttown. No one could fathom why he’d decided to protest now, of all times. Fortunately, what he screamed next made that clear.

“We still haven’t celebrated your birthdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”

Meiru and the others gasped in surprise at this. Oscar looked especially shaken. None of them had known when Miledi’s birthday was. Oscar was usually good about these sorts of things, so he was mentally kicking himself for never asking. He’d had plenty of opportunities to do so, and in fact, he’d even tried a few times, but he’d always seemed to miss his chance. Eventually, he’d forgotten all about asking.

“I-I tell you every year, I really don’t need a birthday party!”

“Too bad! You’re getting one!”

It seemed Miledi didn’t want to celebrate her birthday for some reason, but Meiru and the others were all on Salus’s side. She pinned Miledi’s arms behind her back while Lyutillis nodded to Salus and said, “Absolutely!”

Cloris showed up a few seconds later and stated, “The party hall is ready! Come on, Mi-chan, just give it up and let us celebrate your birthday.”

“I refuse!”

“Meiru-san, Lyu. Dress Mi-chan up!”

“Aye aye, ma’am!”

Mieru and Lyu bundled Miledi up, and she looked like a lamb being taken to the slaughter. Oscar, Laus, and Sharm exchanged glances. It was clear to them that Miledi hated celebrating her birthday for reasons other than mere embarrassment, but what could possibly be so bad about a birthday party? With a little bit of trepidation, they followed after Salus. He led them to one of the holds, which had been fully decorated for the party.

“Happy Birthday, Miledi!” a group of Liberators shouted as she entered the room. Singing commenced, and Oscar looked at the giant, triple-layered cake with fifteen candles on it that sat in the center of the room.

Miledi trembled in embarrassment, her face beet-red. Meiru and Lyutillis had dressed her in a frilly white wedding dress and done her hair up in a very complicated, but also very beautiful, hairdo. They’d also put makeup on her. She looked like a princess. Meiru and Lyutillis smiled, proud of their handiwork. The guys loved Miledi’s new look, and Reinheit was so overcome by emotion he looked like he might faint. Miledi glanced over at Oscar, and after seeing how taken he was with her new look, started trembling even harder.

“Now then, I know it’s not much of a party, but happy fifteenth birthday, Miledi!”

There was a massive buffet in one corner of the room, and basically every Liberator on the ship was in attendance. There was a veritable mountain of presents, as even those who were still at the various support branches had sent something to her. If this was “not much of a party,” Oscar didn’t want to know what Salus considered a real party. His love for Miledi knew no bounds. Everyone wished Miledi a happy birthday, and while she thanked them, she looked like she was on guard.

“Now then, it’s time to change up your clothes,” Cloris said happily.

Miledi tried to sprint away upon hearing that, but Cloris tackled her before she’d even made it two steps.

“Come on, Miledi, it’s time to wear the outfit I made for you!” Salus said cheerfully.

“No, she has to wear mine next!”

“Wait, I made a traditional bunny girl outfit for her!”

The other members of the Liberators all shouted different ideas as they closed in on Miledi like a group of zombies.

“This is why I hate birthday partiiiiiiiiies! You guys treat me like a dress-up doll every single year!”

Not only did Salus and the others force her to dress up in all manner of outfits, they also forced her to sit still while people painted her portraits, and even force-fed her. Basically, her birthday party was an excuse for everyone to treat her like a pet. Oscar could see now why she had wanted to avoid it. He could also see why she’d never told him her birthday, despite being such a big attention-seeker all of the time. Miledi’s birthday was a day for everyone who loved her to mess around with her as much as they pleased.

He could hear Miledi weakly shouting “S-Stop it...” as the girls surrounded her and made her try on outfit after outfit.

Everyone let out a cheer when she came out dressed in a dragonman kimono. They cheered especially because it was loosely tied, leaving her shoulders bare. Then, of course, she was shuffled back into the crowd, and changed into a bunny girl outfit. It was quite revealing, and she fidgeted in embarrassment. Meiru and Lyutillis plied her with hair and face ornaments, while plenty of others presented their gifts directly to Miledi as well. Salus and the others also fed her so much her stomach began to expand, and she ran away so that Oscar wouldn’t see her looking bloated.

Eventually, the party began to wind down, and an exhausted Miledi could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just then, Lonely Wolf—aka Loman—showed up and said, “Whoops, sorry I’m late. Happy Birthday, Miledi.”

Someone had put him in a fish tank so he could take part in the festivities, apparently.

Miledi gave him a weak, “Shank youuu...”

“Hm? It’s her birthday, so where’s your gift? You’re a disgrace to men everywhere,” Loman said, looking up.

Miledi followed his gaze and saw Oscar a short distance away.

“Ain’t that right, Oscar?”

“Huh, me?”

Miledi jumped to her feet the moment Oscar opened his mouth. She tried to clamp Loman’s mouth shut, but unfortunately, the seamen used telepathy.

“Miledi here’s been wondering this whole time why you haven’t given her a gift. She’s worried you might hate her. In fact, this whole time she’s just been thinking about you—“

“Heavensfall!”

The tank exploded, and Loman flopped around on the dry ground. In the silence that followed, Miledi muttered, “I-I’m not worried at all” in a tiny voice.

Everyone turned to Oscar, a murderous glint in their eyes.

“Miledi,” he said plainly.

“...Yes?”

“Congratulations on turning fifteen. It’s the day you finally become an adult, so it might actually be the most important birthday of your life. But that’s precisely why I want to make sure my gift is suitably special. Can you wait a bit longer so I can finish making it?”

“I-I don’t need anything, really.”

“Just give me a few days. I’ll give you the greatest gift I can make.”

“Okay...”

Embarrassed, Miledi ran out of the room. Grinning, Laus gave Oscar a nod of approval, while also putting a wide berth between them. Oscar smiled as well. He’d already been prepared to face Salus and the others’ wrath the moment he’d addressed Miledi.

The Sadistic Princess and the Usshi of Ur Lake

The Liberators’ flagship was currently sitting thirty kilometers west of Damdrak, and a hundred meters under the water. Sunlight didn’t reach that far down, so normally it would have been pitch dark, but the light the ship emitted illuminated the surroundings up to a point. From the transparent crystal dome bridge, you could see out a good distance into the lake.

“Oooooh!” four voices exclaimed in unison. They were staring through the bridge window at a beautiful young woman who was swimming in the water in just a bikini, Meiru Melusine.

After leaving her pirate crew, Meiru had grown accustomed to traveling on land, but she was still a dagon, a creature of the water. While a lake wasn’t the same as the ocean, Meiru had still felt a desire to swim when she’d seen such a large body of water.

“Meru-nee seems to be having a lot of fun.”

“Onee-sama...you’re so beautiful... Haaah... Haaah...”

“She does have a certain grace in the water, but stop panting, Lyu. Imagine what your countrymen would say if they could see you now.”

Meiru’s swimming was like an underwater dance. Since she could control both the current and the surrounding water pressure with her water magic, she was even more mobile underwater than on land. This was her true element. Oscar actually felt bad that Laus, who was still unconscious, and Vandre and Naiz, who were out moving the demon army, were missing this spectacle. And he knew what Meiru was like normally.

Just then, Meiru seemed to notice something at the bottom of the lake and said through her communicator, “Hey, there’s this huge wave of cold coming from below. Do any of you know what might be causing it?”

Salus, who’d been staring at Meiru with lascivious eyes, pulled himself together and responded, “Hmm...if it’s emitting cold, it’s probably the ruler of the lake. Return to the ship, Meiru.”

Salus turned to the helmsman and ordered him to change course.

“The lake has a ruler?” Meiru asked.

“It does indeed. It’s a giant, turtle-shaped monster. It can control the water currents and possesses powerful ice-based special magic. It’s relatively docile, so as long as we don’t provoke it, it shouldn’t attack.”

“So it’s not aggressive, then?”

“H-Huh? Meiru, why do you have such a ferocious look on your—?”

“Old man Salus, does this ruler have a name?”

“W-We call it Ur Lake’s Usshi.”

Who gave it such a lame name? Oscar thought, staring at Salus.

Apparently, the Usshi was in a lot of Uldea’s old folk legends. According to the stories, the spirits of the lake protected a weak baby turtle, and after centuries it grew into the powerful monster that it was today. As thanks for the protection the spirits had offered it, that same turtle now protected the lake from invaders. Oscar’s main takeaway from this story was that the ancient Uldeans had a terrible naming sense.

“Hmm, so you’re called Usshi-kun, are you? Well, you’ve sure got guts, picking a fight with me,” Meiru said in a dangerously low voice.

“What?!” Oscar and the others shouted.

“Hold on a secooooooooond!” Salus exclaimed, but it seemed the ostensibly docile Usshi really was picking a fight with Meiru.

There was a loud roar from down below as a torrent of water rushed toward her. Their ship quickly made an evasive maneuver and released the safeties on all of its weapons just in case. Salus hailed Meiru again in an attempt to call her back, but she didn’t listen.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been able to enjoy a good swim. You’ll pay for interrupting it, Usshi-kun. He he he.”

Everyone could tell Meiru was ready to kill this poor monster.

“Lyu, power me up with your evolution magic! I need a full strength boost!”

“As you wish, Onee-sama.”

Don’t just do whatever she asks! everyone else on the deck thought simultaneously.

Meiru’s body began to glow, and she pushed the surging current back with an even stronger current of her own. The water began to freeze around her, but she used restoration magic to keep returning it to its natural temperature.

“All right, Usshi-kun! Let’s see just how loud you scream!”

Unsurprisingly, Meiru handily won the fight against the Usshi. Vandre turned it into a familiar afterward and discovered from reading its thoughts that Meiru had reminded it of the water sprites that used to bully it in the past, so it’d reflexively lashed out in self-defense. Whether its thoughts reflected the truth, however, was something lost to the annals of history.

Never Take the Forest Queen Out of the Forest

Miledi, Oscar, Meiru, and Lyutillis were en route to the Liberators’ main headquarters. They’d just split off from Vandre and Naiz, who’d gone to assist Laus after learning of his whereabouts. The group had already reached Damdrak and gone through the usual screening procedures. Now they were in an old waterway, waiting for the ship to show up.

“He he he, it’s so exciting, infiltrating a human city!” Lyutillis said, sounding like an excited little girl. She’d disguised her ears with an artifact Oscar had made and was wearing a traveler’s cloak instead of her usual regal dress.

“I had forgotten that she’s actually quite pretty...” Meiru muttered in awe.

“Normally, she’s just acting like a pervert, so you don’t notice... I’d forgotten as well. She’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen,” Oscar replied, similarly impressed.

Both of them looked rather exhausted. The reason for that was simple. Lyutillis stood out too much. Even in disguise, she was beautiful enough to draw stares. To make matters worse, Miledi was still in her dormant state.

“You think she’s beautiful, O-kun? Does that mean...you like Lyu-chan?” she asked worriedly.

“No, definitely not, so please don’t look so depressed, Miledi.”

“He he, I must say, though, my heart skipped a beat when I saw how you gallantly defended me from those brutish men, O-chan-san.”

“Please stop teasing me!”

“Mrr, you’re not allowed to like O-kun, Lyu-chan.”

Oscar had indeed worked quite hard to keep guys away from Lyutillis, which had made Miledi jealous and cling to him harder, and also apparently impressed Lyutillis.

“Liberator or not, you probably shouldn’t show your face in Damdrak again, Oscar-kun. Someone’ll definitely stab you in the back,” Meiru said sympathetically.

Meiru, Lyutillis, and Miledi were all beautiful, so naturally every guy they’d passed had been jealous of Oscar, since he was traveling with them. Oscar sighed despondently to himself as their ship finally got into position. A whirlpool formed in the center of the waterway, creating a tunnel leading down into the lake. The party followed it onto the deck of the ship and Lyutillis, who hadn’t been told of headquarters’ true nature ahead of time, looked around in amazement.

Meanwhile, the ship’s crew all flooded toward Miledi, glad to see her again. They tried to take advantage of her more docile state to cuddle up with her, but she ran away and clung to Oscar for safety. Naturally, that caused all the men around to glare daggers at him, but he was too tired to deal with any of their shit right now.

Salus tried to hug his beloved Miledi and almost attacked Oscar when she hid behind him to avoid his hug. A scuffle broke out which only compounded Oscar’s exhaustion even more. Finally, everyone calmed down and the group was invited to the bridge.

Salus turned to Lyutillis with a solemn expression befitting his station once they were inside. She met his gaze with a regal look of her own, looking nothing like the Lyutillis Oscar and the others were used to. The queen of the republic was loved and respected by all beastmen, so it wasn’t surprising that even the beastmen who’d lived with the Liberators for most of their lives were awed by her. Even the humans and demons who were part of the crew could tell she deserved the title of queen.

The two leaders finished off their serious conversation with a firm handshake and Cloris walked up to Lyutillis.

“I-I-If you would please follow me, Your Majesty, I’ll take you to your roomsh!” Though she was normally calm and collected, even she was tripping over her words in Lyutillis’s presence. Blushing, she added, “They may not be up to your usual standards, but—“

“I appreciate your hospitality, Cloris-san, but please treat me the same way you do Miledi and the others,” Lyutillis said, interrupting Cloris. “I made my greetings as a queen, but I am a Liberator first and foremost.”

“B-But we—“

Lyutillis sidled up to Cloris, who blushed even harder and took a faltering step backward. Meiru frowned; she had a bad feeling about what was coming next. Had Oscar not been so exhausted he probably would have looked worried as well, and Miledi was so focused on nursing Oscar that she wasn’t even paying attention to anyone or anything else.

“You know, I was prepared to be slapped by you and the rest of my brethren who were forced to live here in the outside world.”

The one unbreakable law of the Pale Forest was that anyone who left without explicit permission was considered dead to the republic, even if they were forcibly taken out of it by kidnappers or the like. It was the only way to preserve the last remaining sanctuary of the beastmen.

As a result, there were a few hidden beastmen villages outside of the forest and plenty of beastmen were born there. Cloris was one such individual who had never even seen the Pale Forest. Even though she was as much family to Lyutillis as her countrymen, the forest would never have been able to welcome her.

Lyutillis could scarcely imagine how painful that must be. But as queen, it was her duty to accept the hate and betrayal her fellow beastmen felt, then do whatever she could to assuage it. She explained as much to Cloris, which helped Cloris calm down and see Lyutillis for what she was, rather than just her lofty station.

“Your Majesty, that you feel that way is already more than enough for me. I understand that you did what you had to in order to protect your homeland.”

“Cloris-san...”

“The fact that you feel our pain is salvation enough for me.”

Cloris gave Lyutillis one of her rare smiles. Looking around, Lyutillis saw that all the other beastmen on the bridge were also either shrugging their shoulders, shedding tears of happiness, or just awkwardly scratching their cheeks. It seemed no one felt any resentment toward her, or if they did, that resentment had evaporated now.

“Oh no. Does that mean you won’t hit me?” Lyutillis asked sadly.

“Huh?” Cloris mumbled, looking confused by Lyutillis’s reaction.

“I was hoping I’d be beaten down by a violent mob in public.”

“What?!”

The hair on Cloris’ fox tail stood on end and she took a few steps back. But Lyutillis grabbed her hand, preventing her escape.

Cloris let out a small shriek, but Lyutillis just said, “Why did I bother leaving my country on my own, then?! I persuaded all of my guards to stay behind for this very moment!”

“Your Majesty, what are you saying?”

Looking disgusted, Meiru muttered, “This is why you left Craid-kun behind?”

“At the very least, please put me in the same room as Meiru-onee-sama instead of whatever lavish apartments you have prepared! And make it a room with only one bed, please!”

“What?! I didn’t realize you two had that kind of a relation—“

“We don’t!” Meiru exclaimed, spanking Lyutillis with her sheathed cutlass. Unsurprisingly, Lyutillis moaned in pleasure and stuck out her ass for more spanking.

“Thank you so much, Onee-sama!” she exclaimed. Her wide grin made it clear that she’d purposely taunted Meiru into hitting her.

“Shit, I ended up doing that on reflex! You tricked me, didn’t you?!”

“None of my countrymen are watching me now! And Parsha isn’t here to stop me!”

Now that she’d left her country, Lyutillis had taken the opportunity to let her masochistic nature out in full force. She was ready to bare herself to everyone in the hopes that they’d abuse her.

Honing in on her first target, Lyutillis turned to Cloris and said, “I can tell from a glance that you have the makings of a true sadist. Come, Cloris-san. Insult your queen to your heart’s content! Step on me all you want!”

“She’s terrifying!” Cloris, who wasn’t scared of anything, shouted.

On that day, she learned true fear from none other than the queen she’d respected so much. She could hardly be blamed, though. Everyone else looked even more scared than Cloris. Naturally, from this day forward, no one treated Lyutillis with respect...and she relished in the treatment she did receive.