26th day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 5:15 AM

  “What a drag...”

  Almodea huffed as she headed alone to the town hall. Normally, she would have walked arm in arm with Shion, but the latter had an appointment that morning. She hadn't explicitly explained what it was, but it sounded like something important—that's why Almodea had let her.

  If I remember correctly, she mentioned going to Shen's house. I might pop over and see what they're doing...

  The girl immediately shook her head, trying to shake the thought. She and Shion were very close, but she didn't want to be intrusive or uncomfortable.

  No, I'd better go to the town hall. I'll take care of a few things and start reading manga while I wait for her.

  Almodea nodded at her own idea. She didn't have much to do that day and could use the excuse of work to cuddle with her bodyguard later. It was unorthodox and an unprofessional behavior, but Almodea didn't care. She couldn't do without the other woman's touch anymore. She'd always been a straightforward girl, but she'd never had someone like Shion to unleash her passions with.

  “Good morning, Lady Almodea!”

  “Morning, girls!”

  As she walked down the main street, she was greeted by some goblins. She had to admit...evolution had worked miracles on those females! The process had transformed young girls into mature women of enviable beauty. For Almodea, the city of Almy was a paradise for that reason too.

  They're all so beautiful! Not on my Shion's level, though.

  She couldn't help but think back to her bodyguard, or should she say girlfriend? Almodea didn't even know how to define their relationship, to be honest. She'd initially been attracted to the Oni because of her appearance. Shion fit Almodea's ideal type: tall, strong, muscular and confident. Her large breasts- perfect as pillows- were another plus. She'd been attracted to her at first sight.

  Even before evolution she was so beautiful!

  Almodea began to daydream as she walked. Shion's evolution had made her look slightly less beastly and her secretary clothes gave her a touch of class, but her personality remained the same. Almodea had seen plenty of women who were her type, but Shion was the first one she'd genuinely connected with. The warrior was certainly not the brightest of the group, but she still liked her naivety and simplicity. However, Shion was not a simple woman; she too had her emotions and weaknesses, but Almodea didn't care—she genuinely loved her.

  Yep, what had started as a relationship of interest soon became a friendship and then something more. The more time Almodea spent together, the more she fell in love with the Oni. She couldn't do without the cuddles and physical contact. At the mere thought, Almodea began to flap her wings rapidly, three times every few seconds, while her lower abdomen grew increasingly warm.

  I can't wait to see her again! Maybe I could sneak a peek at her training with Hirashi.

  The thought of seeing Shion sweating and training for her excited the girl even more. Almodea was so excited that she had to forcefully restrain her wings to avoid creating a storm. Honestly, she couldn't wait to tell her parents about her feelings for Shion. She didn't know how they'd take it, but she doubted they'd be against it.

  But...does Shion feel the same way about me?

  It was a question Almodea often asked herself, especially after that night. The two had always been very close, but they had taken things to another level less than a week ago. Almodea would never forget her first kiss with another woman, or her first sex session. Making love with Shion had been a fantastic experience. They had both enjoyed themselves and derived enormous pleasure from the act.

  Reading all those yuri manga has been so instructive! I still have so many things to try with Shion. But...

  As she walked through the courtyard of the town hall, under renovation, without paying attention to the details, Almodea began to have doubts. Those were silly worries, but also reasonable ones. She now considered herself and Shion a couple—girlfriends, basically. However, they had never said it explicitly, just as they had never said typical romantic phrases like "I love you" or "you are my life" and things on that line.

  Unfortunately, Almodea's knowledge of what happens after a love confession was quite sketchy. In many manga she'd read, the protagonists almost never directly said "I love you" to each other while making love; it was something implicit. Furthermore, after the typical first confession scene, the story usually jumped to a few days later with a time skip to advance the plot.

  In a way, Shion and I did the same thing...

  After that night of pleasure, the two had returned to their normal behavior. The only difference was that they now seemed much more direct with their displays of affection—not that Almodea hadn't been before on her part. They had begun touching each other more, kissing on the lips and, in the evening, it had become routine to make love before bed time. Shion was always exhausted in the morning, so Almodea had to heal her completely to give her the energy to start the day.

  However, Almodea had never had the courage to tell Shion "I love you", despite having had numerous opportunities. She wasn't holding back out of shyness, but out of fear of having misunderstood the situation. She feared the classic, poorly written romance manga cliché where one protagonist believes the other loves her back only to end up in a friend zone. Almodea didn't want Shion to reject her; she didn't want to ruin the relationship they’d built together.

  Was it a cowardly choice? Absolutely, but she didn't know what else to do. Her knowledge of intimacy between two women had come entirely from manga. She didn't even know who to ask for advice. Her father wasn't good at love and she didn't know how to talk to her mother about it without her making unwelcome comments. Besides, this was the first time she'd become so attached to another woman and she didn't want to get burned, just as she didn't want Shion to see her as just a fuck buddy.

  Decisions, decisions...

  With a sigh, Almodea sat down at her desk, sinking into her chair. She knew she was worrying to much, but at the same time she was happy to feel that way. It was frustrating, sure, but it also proved that her feelings for Shion were genuine. It was love, not mere sexual attraction; their relationship wasn't based solely on lust.

  I hope this applies to Shion too.

  Almodea leaned her chest on the table and glanced at the stack of papers she was supposed to fill out. She didn't feel like sorting them out, and she wasn't in the mood for it. She simply ignored them, her thoughts returning to the matter of Shion. She truly hoped the warrior wasn't just using her as a means to relieve some sexual frustration.

  That's the bad thing about being a lesbian: you can like a thousand different women, but if they're all straight, you're screwed...

  In the old world, she'd approached a few women who were her type, but Almodea had never done anything beyond establishing acquaintances because she'd quickly realized she wasn't an option for them. To be honest, she was someone anyone would want to marry. A marriage to the daughter of Almodeus—the Absolute Lord—would practically guarantee the groom a comfortable life for eternity. Wanting to capitalize on this, Almodea could had used her father's influence to marry any woman she desired, finally building the beautiful harem she'd ardently desired since she was twelve.

  But where's the fun if there's no love?

  Of course, Almodea wasn't stupid; she knew when someone was trying to manipulate her. None of the women she'd ever been interested in had ever had genuine feelings for her—Shion was the sole exception up until that moment. She had to be grateful that her title of princess meant nothing in the new world, other than being a mere name for an evolutionary step.

  Maybe I should talk to Hirashi about this. She doesn't know much about love, but she always gives me good advice...

  Almodea nodded at her own idea; talking to Hirashi about it would be great. Besides, she suspected her sister already knew something. She hadn't been at all discreet in showing interest in Shion, and they'd kissed in public several times. Only recently had they started doing it on the mouth, though.

  God...I wish I had Shion here!

  All her worries vanished as she thought about Shion's tongue tangling with hers, those strong arms holding her close, and those enormous, ample breasts she could use as a pillow at night. It was pure heaven for Almodea.

  “Hmm? I feel like I'm being watched...”

  She started looking around, but saw no one in the room with her.

  “Is it my imagination? Probably. Better to read a little.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  26th day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 5:23 AM

  I don't sense any evil intentions from that girl, but her energy is scary as hell!

  Mono swallowed as she watched Almodea from the window. She'd used dozens of different spells to hide her presence, yet as soon as Almodea's gaze moved toward her position, she couldn't help but move out of the window's visual glare. She was invisible, so she couldn't be detected by normal eyes, yet her heart was still pounding; she wasn't good at managing anxiety.

  Why did this task have to be given to me?

  When her sister Trinity had told her to keep an eye on the mistress of the city of Almy, she had accepted with joy and a sense of duty. But now that she was less than ten meters from Almodea, Mono was shaking with terror. She had only been able to see a fraction of the demoness's aura, and it was greater than any strength she had ever known.

  If she finds me out, I'm dead!

  Luckily, Almodea seemed to have gotten distracted by reading some black-and-white books she'd hidden in her drawer. This made little Mono breathe a sigh of relief, and she continued gathering information.

  Honestly, she liked that town. She hadn't seen the goblins so peaceful in decades. The dryads couldn't intervene in the fight for the strongest; that was the law of the forest. The damned law that had led those poor goblins and Oni to lose everything and suffer. Mono was the first to suggest helping the weaker races, but Trinity had been very clear in her refusal, and against her older sister's authority there was little the youngest dryad could do.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  However, now that they had evidence that the trolls' strength was fueled by demons from outside the forest, Trinity had begun to develop a strategy to counter them. She was essentially using these demons as an excuse to defend the smaller species. The problem had been the arrival of Almodeus, a demon believed to be as powerful as the Great Verdugo, the forest's deity.

  Trinity has gotten herself into a lot of trouble doing business with that devil. What will become of the forest?

  Under normal circumstances, the Great Verdugo would have destroyed any threat with his overwhelming might. However, the truth was that the dragon had been missing for centuries. Mono wasn't sure of the details, but the Twelve Heroes had once battled the Strong Wind Dragon, successfully defeating it. As one of the Five Primal Dragons, Verdugo could not die, and his soul would reincarnate if his main body were destroyed. For nearly seven centuries, the dryads of the forest had been trying to locate him, but to no avail.

  It was their obsession with finding their master that blinded them to what was happening right under their noses. Besides Verdugo, the forest boasted three other powerful creatures among its wards: the first was Renekton, the Sand Crocodile; the second was his brother Nasus, the Water Cerberus; and the third was a mystery even to the dryads themselves.

  Unfortunately, all three of these powerful creatures were somehow unreachable. For eight months now, Renekton had begun to grow more restless, causing increasingly more sandstorms in the orcs' desert area. At first, they hadn't paid it much attention, knowing the crocodile's fiery nature well enough, but in light of the new developments, he was becoming truly suspicious. As for Nasus, for some reason, it hadn't been possible to contact him, as if he had completely disappeared from the forest. And the final creature? It was out of the question. The dryads only knew that it had fallen asleep decades and centuries ago, and that the troll mountain had grown around it—nothing more. They had no means of awakening it, nor any knowledge of its true location.

  -Essentially, they were left alone against an enemy of unknown power.

  We can't do this alone. We need to figure out if this Almodea is someone we can trust...

  Mono started to peek out the window again, when a shadow rose behind her.

  “Huh? Has it already gotten to be evening? Oh, shit!”

  As soon as she turned to check, she found herself facing a gigantic woman dressed in a white kimono. Mono suddenly paled at the sight of that mountain of a being behind her, which had been staring at her for who knows how long with violet eyes that seemed capable of peering into anyone's soul.

  She is huuuuuuuuuge!

  Mono immediately began to tremble, shrinking. She would have teleported away instantly, but her terror was making it difficult for her to concentrate enough to activate the necessary skill.

  “What are you doing here?”

  The giantess asked, her voice as cold as ice. That was enough to make Mono's heart stop. She was the weakest of the three dryads, and the muscular giantess before her seemed like an expert fighter much stronger than her in every way possible. How could she beat her? She couldn't. Mono decided it was best to avoid conflict.

  “Don’t make me repeat myself, little one.”

  The giantess continued, crossing her huge arms.

  “Eeek!”

  Fear gave Mono wings, and she managed to concentrate enough to activate her teleportation skill. It was called Plant Move, and it allowed her to teleport to any location where there was a plant that met the right requirements—in this case, an ancient tree.

  “I’m safe now. Damn, she was scary as hell!”

  She cried out happily once she appeared next to the tree she had chosen as her target.

  “God, that was close! That woman was gigantic! What the hell kind of monsters does Almy’s town have?!”

  “It’s not nice to call me a monster just because of my height, you know?”

  “Eeeeeeeek!”

  Mono's heart skipped a beat when she realized the giant woman had somehow followed her. It was impossible for her to have gotten there on foot; she'd teleported more than three hundred meters from the city. How had she reached her? A spatial movement spell, followed by a magical detection spell? It was the only possibility.

  But...physically speaking, she seems more like a fighter for body-to-body attacks than for magic.

  The dryad shook her head, trying to think of a solution. She hadn't managed to escape the giantess, and that was a big problem.

  “You can talk, right? Who are you and why were you spying on my sister?”

  “Y-Your sister?”

  “I ask the questions here, okay?”

  The other girl declared coldly, in an authoritative tone no one could deny. She sounded like a stern teacher ready to scold a child who had spoken rudely to her. Without even meaning to, it was the kind of behavior Mono couldn't deny.

  “Eeeek! Y-Yes, ma’am!”

  How embarrassing. Mono, one of the three dryads of the forest, forced to obey someone she didn't know. In her defense, the woman before her could have killed her without a second thought, yet she'd been incredibly patient. Ultimately, it was Mono who'd been spying on Almy's city without introducing herself or anything. If the giantess was a guard, she was simply doing her job...a little too efficiently.

  “Bow your head…”

  “Huh?”

  Mono didn't have time to understand what the other meant before a stream of blood fell on her, staining her hair. She whirled around, noticing the corpse of a large, adult Thousand-Pierced Bear. The monster's head had exploded, as if struck by something devastatingly powerful.

  I didn't even have time to...

  “Are you okay? Sorry, I messed you up.”

  Mono turned to the giantess, who had a lot of blood on her right knuckles.

  When did she throw the punch?

  The dryad had no idea when the other had moved. Mono wasn't really in danger, given her passive ability, Mother of the Forest, which made her immune to attack by monsters born in the forest she was connected to. Still, she was grateful that the other had cared about her.

  “N-No problem.”

  “Keep this.”

  “T-Thank you.”

  Out of nowhere, the giantess conjured a large white towel, handing it to the little dryad. Mono took it and began to clean herself, while the other woman watched her with arms crossed, waiting for answers. There was no escape, so she might as well tell the truth and see how the situation would unfold. In the end, the other woman had helped her and hadn't been too aggressive.

  “I-I... My name is Mono. I am one of the dryads of the forest. I have received orders from my older sister Trinity to obtain information on the mistress of the city of Almy.”

  "I understand."

  “ I'm not a pervert who spies on people! I swear!”

  “I know. Anyway, I’m Hirashi. I essentially serve as a warrior and guard for the city of Almy.”

  “I noticed it…”

  Mono glanced quickly at the magical beast's corpse behind her as she cleaned herself. She knew of no one who could do what Hirashi had done with the same strength and speed. Eliminating the creature with a spell was one thing, but with a single punch was entirely another.

  “Rather than spying, you could try talking to Almodea. Do you think that would be okay?”

  “S-Sure.”

  "Perfect."

  A strange sense of comfort had settled over her. Now that Mono had calmed down, she could see that Hirashi wasn't as threatening as she'd initially thought. She remained a gigantic, intimidating woman, but not an aggressive monster that used her fists instead of her head.

  “I'll arrange a date with her this evening. That way you can discuss whatever you want and you won't have to spy.”

  “That's fine with me. I'll let my older sister know, thanks. H-Honestly, I'm not sure what I should tell her...I'll come back later. I-If that's okay with you.”

  “I have no objections.”

  "Good...I have to go now. If I find you spying on Almodea again, we'll have another chat. Have a good day."

  Without further ado, Hirashi disappeared into thin air.

  “Can I ask who the hell my sister Trinity made a pact with?!”

  Mono wondered aloud, before she too disappeared completely.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Hirashi reappeared near the temporary training ground she'd been using while the dojo was still under construction. It was a rather small area, located at the edge of town, right next to a small river. It wasn't terribly equipped; it had a few mannequins and a basket of wooden swords. Since it was only a temporary site, it would have been a waste to take away materials from the construction of Almy Town, which was growing larger every day.

  The dojo should be finished in a few days...

  She moved over to some mannequins and arranged them. Hirashi took great care with the little equipment she had—she didn't like to waste. She hadn't grown up with much, and even now that she could have it all, she was content with little.

  She conjured up a sheet of paper out of thin air, on which he'd written the day's schedule: from eight o'clock until noon, she was supposed to train Shion; from noon until two o'clock, it would be Ryu's turn; and, after a lunch break, she would teach some basic fencing techniques to the new recruits. Essentially, she'd finish everything by six o'clock.

  For now, I'm free, and it doesn't seem like anyone else is spying on Almodea. Maybe I can train until Shion arrives. She's a promising girl...

  Of all her students, Shion was the one who put in the most effort. Honestly, Hirashi still hadn't understood clearly why the Oni had asked her to undergo such intense training- that was more like torture, but it had paid off. In just two weeks, Shion had become much stronger and gained enough experience to level up.

  Unlike video games, where experience points accumulate to increase a character's level or rank, in real life, a character's level scaled with the power a creature possessed. Essentially, the stronger you were, the higher your level became. It was possible to determine it based on certain factors or by using certain types of revelation magic. Knowing your opponent's level wasn't essential, but it could help in certain cases.

  Using Almodea as an example would have been perfect. Hirashi knew her sister was immune to pain from physical attacks from beings below level 60, so anyone below that level would be almost completely incapable of harming Almodea. Hirashi possessed a different passive ability and significantly higher defenses than her younger sister. Simply put, seriously injuring either of them would be a miracle.

  Returning to Shion, she was nowhere near as strong as the beings of the Fear Tower, but she showed great promise. Hirashi had noted that her stats were far superior to the average of the other Oni. At the same level, Shion would have defeated any of her comrades in a physical fight. She didn't have Shen's speed or Hattori's technique, but the warrior woman made up for it with muscle.

  The problem was when she faced an enemy who outmatched her in physical strength, like Hirashi herself. In such a matchup, Shion would have been defeated if she just swung her sword haphazardly. That was what she and Hirashi were focusing on: increasing the Oni's stats while also allowing her to gain mastery of the technique to better handle tougher foes.

  From when have I loved coaching so much? I never would have imagined something like this...

  Hirashi stopped thinking about Shion's achievements and focused instead on her own situation. Training was almost pointless for her, as she was well over level 100, considered the maximum. She continued to do it as a hobby, and she enjoyed doing it with Almodea who, however, hated training. The giantess hadn't expected to find so much satisfaction in training beings weaker than her, like goblins or Shion.

  A teaching career...That wouldn't be bad. Humble and calm, I'd probably like it.

  Hirashi had already foreseen that Almy City would become more than just a conquered area. With Almodea's permission, she could use the dojo to train future allies. That future didn't displease her at all.

  -There was just one problem with all that...

  My mother would never approve.

  She didn't let her daydreams get the better of her and shook her head. Hirashi knew Nikusa wanted something else for her. She didn't know how long she'd be able to manage her independence and continue living that way, but she was certain that one day her mother would put her foot down and assert her parental authority.

  Hirashi would never say no to Nikusa. Ultimately, she was an inferior clone, undeserving of life, much less of an opinion. That was how she saw herself, and only Almodea's words made her doubt that inescapable truth.

  Better not think about it...

  Hirashi shook her head again and decided to begin her training while she waited for Shion to arrive. She moved forward and grabbed one of the wooden swords in the basket. Normally, she would begin a training session with a few hours of weight lifting or similar exercises, but given the time, she decided to do something different. Before training itself, she wanted to try one of her own techniques, one that had taken her years to master as a child.

  “Assassins's Queen Mercy.”

  Hirashi had drawn her sword, but she hadn't swung it—she had simply sheathed it. In fact, it hadn't moved at all. If there had been spectators, they would all have agreed that the warrior hadn't done anything.

  Hmm...I've achieved good control.

  Hirashi was satisfied with herself. Using only the strength of her muscles, she could strike a target without them even seeing her draw the sword. Add Void Magic to the equation, and the pale woman's advanced techniques were born.

  Moments earlier, she'd swung her sword at the tree in front of her, but she'd done it so quickly that even the tree hadn't noticed...literally. The blade of the giantess sword had pierced through the trunk, dealing no damage. Controlling her own muscle power—not to mention Void Magic—was an extremely difficult task. Hirashi had spent years mastering each of those techniques, and it had paid off handsomely. Not even Almodea could have seen such an attack, which surpassed any imaginable speed.

  Now it should...

  Just as she'd predicted, the wooden sword Hirashi had sheathed was already beginning to crumble. The speed at which it had been swung had been so rapid that it had rotted the cells within the matter. The fact that it had only now begun to disintegrate was a secondary effect of the Void Magic. Simply put, the wood hadn't realized it had been subjected to such force until several minutes later. Even controlling the timing was difficult and part of the Void Magic part. Describing how many impossibly difficult things Hirashi had accomplished in less than a second would be equally impossible.

  Almodea had asked me to teach her this technique years ago. But after seeing how difficult it was, she gave up right away.

  As she thought about the frightened look her sister had made when she realized how difficult it would be to copy her, Hirashi smiled slightly. It only lasted a second, and she hadn't even noticed it, but it happened. She stood there staring at the tree in front of her for a few minutes, her mind flashing back to the happy memories she'd been able to gain thanks to her sister.