Place to Take Root (2)
"You went to see Ariadd?"
"Yeah."
As I nodded, Lilith, who had been eyeing me with half-lidded eyes, spoke up.
"Why?"
Why, you ask.
"All the sap from Ariadd at home ran out."
"...That's it?"
"That's it. Why?"
At my words, Lilith let out a sigh, haah.
Wondering what was up with her, I looked at her, and she flushed red, going, eut.
"...Why are you staring like that?"
"No, you just sighed."
"...Shut up about it. Anyway, if it's for that, you don't need Ariadd's sap specifically."
We had potions and shit. Puffing out my chest confidently at Lilith, who said that, I replied.
"No money for potions."
"I do."
"That's true, but."
I was broke, but my wives had plenty of cash.
Well, technically I could get rich just by selling the Pedo Staff.
But it felt like a waste to sell it, so I'd been holding onto it as a keepsake.
According to Yustitia, even if I tried, no one would buy it anyway.
It was a cursed staff only necromancers could use, but after Karmine blasted it with her purification beam, it ended up as this weird in-between thing...
Basically, a necromancer-exclusive item that necromancers couldn't use anymore.
The materials were good, so I could disassemble and sell them separately, but I wouldn't get full value that way.
And even that "not full value" was an insane amount by Yustitia's standards.
But once I asked how much full price would be and heard the number, I lost all interest in selling.
It wasn't even half off—it was half of half. Way over the line.
So fuck it, I just kept it as a memento, decorating a corner of the house.
By the way, the other loot—the iron chains that sealed Karmine's divinity—went to Yustitia for research.
It was one of those things with zero market, in a different way from the staff, so I just handed it off to her.
She was thrilled, her usually half-closed eyes sparkling, which made me happy too.
Anyway, back to the point.
"Always asking you guys to buy stuff for me feels off."
I'd thought this earlier too—constantly mooching off my wives rubbed me the wrong way.
Didn't know I had this macho pride in me, but whatever.
At that, Lilith snorted, hng, and said,
"You took whatever I gave you just fine before."
"Back then, I was your son."
Things were different when Lilith was my sugar mama versus now that she was my wife.
"...Fucking pride on you."
Muttering that, Lilith sighed again, haah.
"Fine... whatever. So... you got something to offer Ariadd?"
"Offer...?"
Uh...
Did Ariadd charge money?
"...You forgot, didn't you? Last time you got sap, it wasn't free."
Thinking back, yeah, that sounded right.
I hadn't given Ariadd shit, but Lilith had promised her something in my place.
I still didn't know what it was, but...
It wasn't free...?
Stumped by Lilith's talk of payment, I just stared, and she frowned.
"...Knew it."
Another sigh, haah.
Third one today already, and each seemed to mean something different.
"I don't have much left to give her anymore... What a pain."
"Eh, you gave her stuff fine before."
"Back then..."
Lilith started to say something but clamped her mouth shut.
"Back then?"
"...Shut up."
Every time I asked, it was "shut up."
"What are you two whispering about, Hanjo?"
Just then, Hoaran came out of the bath and asked.
"Oh, thinking about payment for Ariadd."
"For Ariadd? Payment?"
Hoaran tilted her head, uum, pondered a bit, then said,
"A fitting payment for Ariadd would be a virgin's blood. The purer, the better she likes it. Her true body, the World Tree, grows only on pure, clean fertilizer."
"Hey!"
Lilith yelped, trying to cut her off, but too late.
I'd heard it.
"Hm? What's wrong, Lilith?"
Ah...
So that's why Lilith said she had nothing left to give Ariadd.
She wasn't a virgin anymore.
Her blood, deflowered by me, no longer the pure offering Ariadd craved.
"Uh. Yeah."
"...Spit it out if you got something to say, you bastard."
Seeing Lilith's ears turn red as she said that, I replied,
"Sorry for popping your cherry."
"You fucking psycho bastard, for real."
No, she told me to say it.
"What's this? What were you talking about?"
A wet, sticky body suddenly clung to me—Karmine.
"Whoa, done washing already?"
"Mm! Washing in my small form is quick!"
Sounded convenient.
But she'd be even better if she dried off first before glomping.
"Pharaoh, please..."
See.
Karura, who'd bathed with her, came with a towel and wiped the water from Karmine's hair.
Looking at them, it was impossible to believe Karmine—the former pharaoh who'd lived several times longer—was the older one.
She looked way younger.
"So, what were you saying? My hero."
As Karmine had Karura wrap and dry her hair with the towel, she asked casually like it was nothing. Was this the natural poise of an ex-pharaoh?
She had that air of expecting to be waited on hand and foot.
Whatever.
"Yeah, so."
Karmine probably didn't know much about Ariadd, so I just explained roughly: my usual sap was out, so to get more, I needed something pure and clean—like virgin blood, for example.
She pondered deeply, then said,
"As long as it's pure and clean, form doesn't matter?"
"Dunno... It's fertilizer, basically, so probably needs some substance?"
I was thinking of it like actual manure, so I said that. Karmine nodded, um, then replied,
"Tricky, then. A few weeks ago, I'd have given you mine freely... Ah."
"Ah?"
What was that about? Then Karmine said to me,
"Perfect! There's still a virgin around!"
A virgin?
No way.
That's what I thought, but she grinned wide.
"As far as I know, Ammut's female, and she's never been with a man, so she's a virgin."
"...Ammut?"
Why her out of nowhere?
Wait, more importantly, Ammut was female?
Female beast, technically?
Whatever.
"Come out, Ammut."
I called, and pong—out she popped.
As usual, the little white-furred cat form let out a ridiculous roar.
"I, Ammut who judges death! I answer my master's call!"
"You gotta do that every time you come out?"
She'd lost all her divinity and shit, wasn't judging death anymore, just my summon now.
"...Quiet, my master. Why did you call this time? If... you're gonna pet me wild like last time... mm, I'll forgive you just once more. You are my master, after all."
Her white tail swishing as she said that, I replied,
"Nah, not for that."
"...Not?"
"Nope."
"...Then why call me? Doesn't seem like trouble."
"Lemme ask one thing first."
"If I can answer, anything for you, my master."
She lifted her head high, letting out a proud nyang. I asked,
"You a virgin?"
Right after, Ammut's paw punch slammed into my face.
The payment issue for Ariadd got sorted with Ammut's help.
Though afterward, the properly pissed-off Ammut gave her blood then dove back in and wouldn't come out no matter what.
I'd apologize later.
Couldn't right now anyway—she was holed up inside me.
With payment settled, nothing else to worry about, so I got permission to head to Ariadd for sap.
Since it was just grabbing sap and coming back, I said I'd go alone quick, but there was some back-and-forth.
Karmine especially wanted to tag along—hardest to dissuade.
Managed to convince everyone by saying a whole crew for one sap run was overkill.
They gave me tons of warnings since I was solo.
Don't make promises with Ariadd lightly, ignore pranks from young fairies or spirits, shit like that.
Lilith and Hoaran drilled it into me.
Anyway.
"Let's go, Zoomy."
Rode Zoomy for once toward the Driad Botanical Garden where Ariadd was.