Time to Recruit New Companions
We needed to find new party members. The saga of heroes and demon lords had dragged on for quite some time. Even before the Demon King's army invaded, a previous Elf Khan had been mistaken for the Demon King, and far earlier still, a tyrant from the old empire had played the role. And for every such Demon King, there were always counterparts to the hero standing at the opposite end—the Four Heavenly Kings.
The four dukes who served that old empire's tyrant, the Four Shadow Demons who guarded the previous Elf Khan, and now the current Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings. They were all monsters, beings no one could defeat alone. In other words, Gratos the Four Heavenly King wasn't meant to be used as a flesh dildo.
"But right now, she's a meat dildo, isn't she?"
"Exactly. That's what's so puzzling about it."
Was this generation what people called a "golden generation"? Serianne the Archmage dated back a few hundred years, though no one knew how she was still alive. Past emperors had respectfully called her "Elder," though she hated the title.
"Kuh, guh♥ He, heooooh♥"
"That's the Archmage?"
"With heroes and saints acting like that, it's not all that weird."
"I'm gonna smash your womb."
Eli's eyes gleamed as she lunged at Karni, who bolted away, knocking over furniture in the room. Perhaps instinctively sensing that getting caught meant her womb would shatter regardless of pregnancy, it was the judgment of a duke's daughter and leader of a knight order.
"Kuh, kuoohp♥ Kuh, heuuuuh♥"
"Hm?"
"Ca, cake...! Ngh!"
Crash! With the shattering sound, the tentacles playing with Serianne's body froze solid and began to crack. In an instant, the room filled with biting cold, drawing all three gazes to Serianne.
Vast mana that overflowed the space. It was the kind of mana that made your skin crawl, proving the title of Archmage was no lie.
"Phew, sorry... I got a bit carried away enjoying it."
"That's how you dispel it?"
"Mm, no. Normally, it wears off on its own after a while, but I miscalculated the timing this time. So I hid it with an illusion."
"Heh, I see."
Serianne scratched her cheek at Eli's utterly distrustful expression, adding more excuses.
"It's true! I was supposed to take a slightly detourgy path to the Blue Tower... but coming with Nia must've dispelled it."
"...What? Dispelled?"
"Yeah, Nia came with me. My disciple."
Eli wore a baffled look at Serianne's words, and Kairan felt the same. Neither had deep knowledge of magic or illusions, but from pre-possession knowledge, she could imagine the Archmage's power. And breaking an illusion created by such a being would be incredibly difficult.
'Nia has that kind of power...?'
It felt like hearing the absurd rumor that the Demon King was chibi-sized. Unimaginable, nothing but lies.
"Nia's my prized disciple. A simple illusion twisting time and space senses is easy for her to unravel."
"That's simple?"
"At least for me or Nia."
"Eh...?"
Eli clutched her head and slumped into a nearby chair. Karni already had her forehead planted on the desk, while Kairan staggered, grabbing her throbbing head. To those clueless about magic, it was horrifying.
How do you even create an illusion that twists time and space, let alone dispel it? Slicing dimensions with a sword sounded more realistic.
"My head hurts..."
Kairan tuned out Eli's mutter and focused on Serianne, who tilted her head innocently, puzzled.
"Nia... I didn't see that level of talent in her."
"Ah, she's a bit special."
"Including how she looks like you?"
"Yeah, that too."
Serianne flashed a sly grin at Kairan's question, blatantly signaling she was hiding something.
"So... why are you using a Four Heavenly King as a dildo...?"
"Hm... just because?"
"Ha...?"
"Kidding. I was making adult toys from monster materials."
Serianne peeled off a bit of green slime and infused it with mana. It squelched and writhed, quickly shaping into a dildo.
"You're the only one who uses slime like that, Serianne."
"Am I?"
"Not a compliment."
"Ah..."
Kairan touched the slime dildo Serianne made. Infuse it with mana, and poof—it appeared anywhere. Quite firm too, so demand seemed likely. Pre-possession, she might've bought one. Portable cock and all.
"Can you adjust size and rigidity?"
"Yeah, of course?"
"Hnggg. You like it, huh? Hero-sama."
"Huh? Oh, just thinking of gifting it to Karni or No. 3."
"No. 3... Yeah, you're the only one calling Her Imperial Majesty that."
Eli sighed deeply, eyeing the slime dildo in Serianne's hand.
"Well, she'd probably like it."
"Right?"
"Sure, if it doesn't get confiscated before reaching her."
Adding that no one would deliver a dildo to the Empress anyway, Eli shook her head and approached Karni, still forehead-planted on the desk. She sat beside her and did the same.
"Iii..."
"Uuuugh..."
Kairan chuckled at the sight.
"Hero, your lovers' heads hurt."
"Nah, it's fine. She's a saint."
"Hng. If you say so."
Serianne nodded.
"Anyway, how'd you know? About us dating."
"With all that PDA right in front of me, it'd be weirder not to notice."
"That obvious?"
"Very."
Serianne clicked her tongue. On reflection, yeah, it probably was. While chatting with Serianne, Eli had stuck to Kairan's side, and Kairan had stroked her hair or kissed her forehead.
As Serianne said, not noticing would've been the odd part.
'Kinda embarrassing.'
Kairan flushed slightly, scratching her cheek. Her face heated with rising shame.
"Ugh."
Soon, Eli recovered and returned to her side. Head-planting on the desk was just a protest against the headache, after all. Even if it really hurt or tired her, as a saint, she'd heal in seconds.
"Your way of handling your wife is rough."
"Already my wife?"
"Or you gonna leave me and marry some other bitch?"
"As if. Who could compare to you, Eli?"
Kairan poked Eli's puffed cheeks. Eli's sharp glare softened into a curve, and she grinned, leaning her head on Kairan's shoulder.
"No salting in front of people... Go run an errand."
"Eh?"
"No way."
"What?"
Kairan and Eli both pouted.
"We came to recruit a mage, not run errands."
"Yeah, exactly!"
"Then get out."
"Well, a little."
"What first?"
Quick pivot from Kairan and Eli. Serianne let out a hollow laugh watching them.
"Heroes and saints with no pride?"
"Pride's a luxury in front of the Archmage."
"And we're the betas here right now?"
"You knew and said it anyway."
Kairan averted her eyes from Serianne's gaze. Then she spotted a flickering shadow by the door.
"Hm?"
"What? Something wrong?"
"...Someone's out front."
Serianne spread her mana at Kairan's words, probing the door. Cold mana swept the space, followed by a yelp from outside—"Eek!"
"...Hiding her mana? When'd she learn that...?"
"Nia?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
Serianne and Kairan questioned, but Eli opened the closed door instead.
And then—
"Gyauuuk?!"
With a crash and clatter, the woman at the door tumbled down.
"H-Hueeeeng...!"
"Nia...?"
"Hueeeeng...!"
Eli looked flustered at the girl collapsed in the hallway, tears streaming.
"Huaaaaang...!"
"I-It, it's o-okay? Y-Yeah?"