After the flop, or success, depending on who you ask, both Touya's family and Shadow Garden returned Brunhild. Touya was in a bad mood, and couldn't help but feel frustrated with Kagenou. But in the end, he decided that stepping aside and letting his lovely wives take care of the guests was the best option.
With that, Touya could focus on his work and the Duchy, and just wait for Tsubaki to inform him when they find a new base of the Cult so he could tell Kagenou and get rid of them as soon as possible.
In the meantime, Shadow Garden was killing time doing odd jobs at the Adventurers Guild to make some extra money. It was an arrangement that allowed everyone to mind their own business.
...
Takeru Mochizuki, God of Combat, was supervising Ende and Elsie's training. Thanks to his strict training regime, they have both surpassed the limits of a regular human being.
"Attention, you two! The loser of this fight will have to run a three-hundred-and-ten-mile marathon! Understood?"
Elsie smiled, excited about it. "I am ready, master!"
Ende sighed, annoyed, but he nodded.
Then the two of them stared at each other and started the fight, throwing punches and kicks without backing out.
Takeru crossed his arms and laughed, satisfied. "Ohohohoho! This is it! Show me your fighting spirit!"
The two of them intensified their efforts to make their opponent submit, when a figure in black jumped in the middle of the two.
"What are you doing? It looks like fun! Delta wants to participate!"
The beastkin woman was waving her tail excitedly as Elsie and Ende stopped their battle and turned to her.
"Are you sure you want to participate?" asked Ende. "It is very hard training."
Elsie was also hesitant. "I'm not sure, master?"
Takeru Mochizuki just stared at the beastkin and smiled.
"Hummmm, alright! You two now fight her. This will be interesting!"
Delta smiled confidently. "Delta is very strong because her boss trained her! Boss is the strongest in the world!"
Ende and Elsie prepared to fight.
"Ende-kun, be careful. She is not a normal opponent."
"I know, she is Kagenou's friend... none of his friends can be normal."
Then Takeru gave the sign, and they both charged at Delta.
Elsie had fought Delta already and knew her strength wasn't normal. Ended only looked at her, as she prepared her claw as she was waving her tail like an excited little puppy.
Elsie used her null spell, 'Boost' and threw a punch against the beastkin. Delta laughed as she stopped the punch with a hand and roared. Elsie was able to move backwards just in time to avoid a strike to her face. Ende then tried to attack her by the side, but Delta sent a kick just in time.
Ende crossed his arms to protect himself, but the kick sent him flying away.
The boy barely had enough time to recover, when Delta charged at him on fours, moving at great speed.
"Here I cooooooooome!!"
Ende decided to use Delta's own impulse against her, and moved forward, extending his fist so that it impacted Delta's face. A blow like that could knock out anyone, but not Delta. Her smile went wider, and she sent her own blow against Ende. Ende was sent to the ground and lifted her fists, ready to finish him off. But Elsie tackled her, and the beastkin rolled over the ground, but she quickly stood up, laughing as crazy.
"Ahahahaha! Yes! Delta likes this game!"
She jumped and sent a flying kick against Elsie, who could barely block her, and she was sent flying. Ende had already recovered and kicked Delta on the side, making her lose balance. Taking his chance, Ende kicked again, and this time it was Delta who was sent flying.
Delta rolled all over the floor, but once again she recovered very quickly and charged against Ende. Ende responded with a punch to the face, and Delta returned. Both punches connected with their opponents' faces, and they continued to exchange blows one after another.
The exchange continued for a while when Elsie came back for more and joined to keep Delta under control. Finally, the beastkin fell unconscious, not because of the attacks but because of exhaustion. She was beaten up very hard, but she had a smile of satisfaction on her face.
Ende and Elsie sighed in relief, breathing heavily and lying on each other's backs.
"How did we do it, master?" asked Ende.
Takeru shook his head. "Very bad. Being two against two, the fight should not have been that long."
"But we defeated her!" protested Elsie.
"You would have defeated her a lot earlier in the fight, but you held back, and she fought with all her might from the start. And only when you realized you had to fight with all you had in order to defeat her did you realize you had wasted way too much energy and could barely keep on with her. This girl is in her own league. And she will be your new sparring partner as long as she is here."
Then they realized that they had an audience. Several knights of Brunhild, Lu, Sue, and Alpha.
The blonde elf sighed after seeing Delta, went to a nearby food stand, and returned a few minutes later with a roasted rib.
Delta was immediately awakened by the scent, and she stood up with a quick flip and ran toward Alpha, waving her tail. "Alpha-Sama! Is that rib for Delta?"
Alpha threw the piece of rib to Delta, who caught it with her mouth, and she started eating happily. Then Alpha bowed before Takeru.
"Thank you so much for keeping Delta busy! I don't know how to thank you!"
Takeru laughed. "Ohohoho! No problem. As a matter of fact, I would love if she kept training with us while you were staying in Brunhild.
"It will be a pleasure. Is it a bit difficult to keep her in line, as she has too much energy and watching over her is like a full-time job."
Delta finished her rib. "Are you talking about Delta?"
"Don't worry about that." said Alpha. "Just to the inn to take a bath. Do not even think about running away."
"Yes, Aplha-Sama!" said Delta, who never dared to defy the second in command of Shadow Garden.
In the end, the crowd went their merry way, and Alpha continued her walk once she made sure Delta went straight to the inn. Then she went to the training field, where Brunhild knights were working hard under the watching eye of Moroha. The elf felt that she needed a bit of exercise, and since there weren't that many members of Shadow Garden to train, she may have a quick match with the knights.
Not only the knights, but also Hilde and Yae were in the middle of a fearless battle, when the woman in black walked into the field.
"I would like to join your training, if that's okay," said the elf, materializing her black slime sword. "I am a master of the Bushin Style, and I think I am getting rusty."
Moroha nodded. "As long as you don't start fooling around like Kagenou, You are more than welcome."
"The actions of Shadow-Sama are not easy to understand. But believe me when I tell you they do have a deeper meaning and are for the greater good. Even if is not always clear."
Moroha didn't say anything. She was aware of Kagenou's circumstances, so she wouldn't bother with correcting Alpha. Instead, she prepared her own sword and aimed it to Alpha.
"Okay then. I'll be your opponent."
Alpha started to attack Moroha, who blocked her with ease. They started to exchange blows at hyperspeed as everyone was watching. After a minute, Moroha had a good idea of Alpha's abilities, and stepped back.
"I like your style. Hildegarde, it's your turn to fight."
Hilde smiled and walked toward Alpha. "Are you ready, Miss Alpha?"
Alpha nodded, and they began to fight as the knights watched.
"She is powerful!" said Moroha. "She is not as strong as her master, but her sword is full of passion."
Hilde smiled, she had exchanged a few blows with Alpha back when they first arrived, and she knew she was an opponent she could not underestimate.
They began to fight. Hilde was fast, and the Lestian style was enough to overwhelm several opponents at once, but not Alpha. Alpha was as fast, if not faster, than Alpha, and she did not waste any moves, unlike her master. She moved with precision and grace as she wielded her sword, countering every move in Hilde's Lestian style.
Moroha stopped the fight.
"Miss Alpha, let me ask you something. Bushin style is basically charging your magic power in your arms and making your muscles stronger. This thing, what you do, is different."
"It was one of Shadow-Sama's observations. Bushin style is strong, but overlooks aspects. By releasing magic power equally over your body, it can make you faster, enough to overwhelm your opponent. Take your chance to attack non-vital parts so your opponent is no longer able to fight."
"This is why you were focusing on my sides and wrists. That's impressive!" said Hilde.
"I still have a long way to go before becoming as powerful as a Shadow-Sama. But I do my best."
"If he didn't waste so much time making his mob-gu moves, who knows how far he can go."
Alpha didn't say anything. She knew they did not understand their lord.
"Anyway, keep going!" commanded Moroha.
Alpha and Hilde restarted their fight, both showing great skill and speed. The fight was toe-to-toe, much to everyone's surprise.
"But how? Isn't Queen Hilde supposed to be the strongest of them all?"
"They are friends of the Great Duke. They must be exceptional."
The guards kept mumbling to themselves and watching the fight in silence until Moroha declared a draw.
"Excellent! Miss Alpha, would you like to train by your side a bit longer? I'm sure this experience will be helpful as everyone will be learning about a fighting style they are not familiar with."
Alpha bowed before him. "Of course, it will be a great honor. We are currently stuck until the Cult makes its move, so it will be great to have something to do in the meantime."
Moroha nodded, and at her sign, the training resumed. For Alpha, the sensation of having the authorities on her end and openly fighting against the Cult of Diabolos was new but gratifying. This was the bright future they could aim for once more countries got free from their evil influence, such as the kingdom of Oriana.
...
In the meantime, Lindsay was going through the library in the game room, looking for something new to read. She has read all of the book series in the room already, but she was ready to re-read the volumes of the Order of the Rose, as a new volume was about to be released and she needed to refresh her memory.
But she found out a lot of pieces of paper were spread all over the floor as a woman with silver hair, dressed all in black, was writing frantically as she was mumbling to herself.
Lindsay didn't know if she needed to intervene or not, as the girl was too focused on what she was writing. This was okay so far, but the girl was making Lindsay nervous.
"E-Ehem... Beta-San?"
The elf didn't pay attention to her; she just groaned in frustration, crumbled the paper she was working on, and threw it away. Lindsay picked up the crumbled piece of paper and decided to take a peek.
The beautiful fairy with beautiful and big breast turned into a blob of rotten flesh, looking everywhere with her eyes, but she couldn't scream. The Great Duke of Brunhild tried to use his powers to heal her, but he wasn't familiar with possession, and despite his great power, his efforts weren't enough.
The Duke couldn't do anything, which added to his frustrations as he couldn't help at the battle, and he didn't want to look bad before his old classmate. But then, a bright purple light surrounded the elf and turned her back to normal with ease. And not only her, but all the fairies who got infected by the possession.
The Great Duke of Brunhild looked in awe as the girls were saved right before his eyes. And then, he walked in. His brave figure, wrapped in black, is the one who has saved all the girls. The Great Duke couldn't help but lower his head in admiration.
"So that is Shadow's power!" said the Great Duke in admiration. "To think that he will become this powerful after we separate. I have to work hard to be as great as he is!"
At that moment, Mochizuki Touya made a vow that he would follow his old friend's steps and show him that he was worthy of calling himself his friend. In the meantime, Shadow took the beautiful fairy with the blue eyes and silver hair on his arms, and took her out of the room as a princess, as she was his treasure.
Lindsay crumbled the piece of paper in irritation. "What's the meaning of this?"
"It's a draft of the Shadow-Sama chronicles. No matter how much I redo it, I cannot get this right!"
"Yes, I do see that you have problems with characterization," said Lindsay.
"I know! The Great Duke character is easy to interpret, and I have a very good idea of how to do justice to his character in the chronicles. But as usual, I have problems with portraying Shadow-Sama's greatness, as it cannot be described by mere words. A fraction is not enough."
Lindsey frowned. "Look, I don't care what you do with Shadow, but you definitely need to fix Touya's character. Haven't you heard that he has the same power Kagenou has? He may haven't shown what he is made of in this battle, but he has done some amazing things in the past!"
"Oh really? I would love to listen!" says Beta, switching gears and turning a new page in her notebook.
"Seriously? I thought you didn't care about anyone else but Kagenou."
"Don't say that! We know that your husband comes from the same place as the master. As Alpha-Sama said, he is a man worthy of the highest admiration and respect. I am sorry I didn't portray his character correctly, but I can fix it. Tell me about Touya's adventures!"
Knowing that she needed to clear her husband's name, she started to tell Beta everything about Touya. Starting with how she saved her and her sister from a couple of con artists, he unraveled plots in several kingdoms and took down corrupt governments. On how he stopped a coup in the Regulus Empire and received some territory as a reward, resulting in the foundation of Brunhild."
"I see!" said Beta, sighing with sadness.
"Is something wrong?" asked Lindsay.
"I should have asked you about Touya's achievements from the very beginning. Thanks to Touya, your world hasn't been corrupted by the forces of darkness. When Shadow-Sama showed up in our world, it was already too late, and he had no choice but to become a figure who fights the darkness from the shadows. If he had come in time, just like your Touya, the master could have stopped the Cult before they could start corrupting their world. And perhaps he could have created his own nation."
She sighed, imagining a future that could never be. "You have been blessed, Lindsay-San. We have a long way to go to get the world Shadow-Sama wants. Good!"
She took all the crumbled pages as she started to rip them apart.
"Now what?" asked Lindsay.
"Now I understand the Great Duke better, so I have to start over this chapter of Shadow-Sama's chronicles. Thank you for telling me!"
With that, she started writing again.
Lindsay didn't know how to feel; this whole deal with Shadow and Shadow Garden was annoying, and Kagenou was an unlikable idiot they had to tolerate. But after speaking with Beta, she understood that, despite their boss, they were genuinely good people. They were following a mad man, but as Kamisama has said, he was the mad man his world needed.
But his followers were innocent. Lindsay couldn't help but pity them, trapped by this idiot's delusions.
"Be strong, okay?" said Lindsay, finally.
"Don't worry. I know that we will win."
...
Leen arrived at the Silver Moon Inn and greeted Micah happily.
"Good afternoon, Micah. I reserved the bath, remember?"
She nodded. "Oh, yeah, Leen-Sama. Ehem... I am so sorry, I made a mistake, and there is someone at the bath already."
"What? But I reserved the whole bath for myself for an hour!" protested Leen.
"Yes, my apologies, but someone else has also reserved the bath for an hour, and I accidentally confused your reservations."
"Really? Who?"
"One of the Great Duke's guests. Epsilon."
"Huh... interesting..."
"She just got into the dressing room; you may be on time to tell her that I confused your reservation."
"I will, thanks." said Leen. "Come on, Paula."
The animated teddy bear followed its owner to the dressing rooms, and she walked in right away.
"I am sorry, but Micah-San gave you my reservation. I am the one who reserved the bath at this time!" said Leen, getting into the dressing room.
But she just got quiet, looking at the elf's figure. She was flat, an almost childlike figure. Leen's jaw dropped, as she remembered that this elf had well-defined, beautiful curves. But now...
"Aaaaaaaah! Get out!" said Epsilon, covering herself.
"Wait! Micah got our reservations time switched over by accident, so I came to tell you that. sorry, I wasn't planning to witness this. Is this why you reserved the bathroom for yourself?"
"Even if I have to pay more, I won't allow the others to see me. The only ones who know my secret are my squad of Numbers, and Eta. You can't hide anything from Eta. But the one who can never know is my lord!"
"I get it, I get it! But how you do it? I mean, I am over five hundred years old, but I am stuck with this petite figure because I am a fairy. How you manage to make your curves look that natural?"
Epsilon tilted her head. "Oh, do you feel insecure?"
"Yes, I am five hundred years old but no feminine charm. How do you think I feel?" said Leen.
"I see, it sucks to be flat because of your own genetics. I hate it, but thanks to the master I realized that you could beat any enemy. Even nature itself."
"So, your curves are a trick that Kagenou showed you?"
"Yes and no. I took one of the tricks he showed me, and modified my own way."
Leen then entered the dressing room and she started to undress herself. "Suddenly I want to talk to you a bit more. Do you mind if we share our reservations as flat-chest comrades?"
Epsilon smiled, and soon enough, they both were relaxing and chatting happily in the hot tub.
"So, tell me, what is your secret? Your curves look so natural and perfect. They even move like the real ones?" asked Leen.
Epsilon giggled. "Isn't it obvious? Slime. I wear several layers of slime."
"And how did you make them look so natural when they move?" asked Leen.
"Beta has been with me since I have a memory. That busty bimbo gets under my skin, you don't know how. By observing her, I learned how natural curves move."
"Do you think I can use the slime technique myself?"
"Sure! Shadow-Sama has already given you the slime suit, so I can show you how to use it my way. But just add a bit every so often, so they look like they are growing naturally."
"You really know a lot of this subject."
Epsilon shrugged. "Years of experience."
Leen laughed happily, when Epsilon continued.
"Is my turn to ask, Why do you reserve the entire bath to yourself? If you are not lying about your figure, I don't see the point."
Leen sighed. "Let's just say I feel self-conscious when I'm bathing with the others, and I couldn't help but look at them, then to myself, stuck in this form. Do you realize how annoying it is to know that you are never going to change? One day even Sue will surpass me, and she is just a child!"
Epsilon patted her back, making Leen smile. "Oh, right! This is why you raise slime, right? To experiment with your fake curves?"
"Yes, but this is just between us. The official excuse is that I am experimenting to get the slime suit to the next level." explained Epsilon.
They both laughed, finished bathing, and shared some fruit-flavored milk as a celebration of their new friendship.