Chapter 26 – Promise and Pleasure

"Thank you so much Morus!" Afterwards almost like nothing had happened, she thanked me at the very bottom of her heart. 

"Is that really true dear?!" Leonon, who's completely oblivious as to what happened, asks Marina for confirmation. 

"Although I can't cast any sort of spells yet, I can feel my magic flowing back to me." Marina excitedly said as she looks at her hands, feeling the mana back into her.

"That makes sense." I told her in reassurance. [It's been 20 years since she last used her magic, so it makes perfect sense that she isn't able to use it immediately.] Even the best people in their field would need some time to relearn their arts if they were absent from it for a long time. 

"Still though..." Marina comes closer to me as she holds on to my hand. "Thank you so much Morus... Thank you." Then proceeds to hug me by the neck. 

We are still right next to each other sitting in bed but now there's a Leonon beside us as well. So I'm a bit worried so I look towards Leonon for confirmation but he instead gave me a thumbs up while smiling. [You're such a nice... I mean good guy Leonon.] Nice guys don't get good wives such as this, so I gave him a thumbs up in return as I proceed to hug her back. 

[The only reason he's so generous like this is probably because I'm a woman.] I'm a former guy after all, so I still feel a lingering feeling of cheating for my fellow men as I get to do this to women much more easily. 

[Fuck it there's no time for feeling pity towards them, I gotta take every opportunity I get.] Don't you dare feel jealous if the same were to happen to you, you are going to do the same right? That's why I despise those 'Not be a Virgin Forums' since they are too lazy to actually do anything and if they get a girl they would be crucified even though their whole purpose is to get a girl. Fucking hypocrites. 

But forget about those people back on Earth, the most important thing right now is... "Hey Morus, since you cured me of my curse. Mind if you teach me some magic?" Marina said to me looking a bit red right now. 

"Yeah sure, but why though..." I agree to do so, but the way she's acting and how she emphasize the word teach is a bit weird until she elaborated me to my ear. "...I know this is selfish but it felt so good Morus. I know I shouldn't be doing this but we're both girls right? So good that I may not let Mary come to this room for tonight." Marina continues even more feverishly red. "...My body will be your reward Morus so please... Train my mana so I can become a better mage to protect my children." She pauses. "...And my body so I could become a better woman." She finally let's go of me and look away embarrassingly.

"Hm? What you guys talking about?" Leonon ask as he scratches his head in confusion. He didn't hear Marina's whispers. 

"Of course." But I nodded at Marina's selfish demands. [You had the courage to admit that you like pleasure and also want to protect your family... Why would I not accept it?] I always found people shaming others for liking sex as stupid, I mean what's your business about it? They like something that makes them feel good, it's the same as liking sweets and games in my eyes. Of course being forced is a no-no but it shouldn't be a taboo for liking so, plus those people shaming usually have some skeletons behind them as well so they're hypocrites. 

"...Thank you Morus, for everything. Even my selfish request." Marina tries to wipe her eye sockets but realizes she isn't crying at all but in fact making a big smile. 

"Well you're a good woman Marina." I happily told her. I don't care about their lives in bed and women that admit to liking sex or 'sluts' is my type of women back on Earth, since they're usually fun to be around in both inside and outside the bed. And protecting your family is a no-brainer for me. [It'll also be my chance to see how magic works.] Knowledge and pleasure in one swoop, it's a win-win scenario for me. 

"Thank you so so much..." Marina is still thanking me. 

"Well let's start that training tomorrow okay?" I told her smiling. 

"Yeah it's getting kind of late you two." Leonon finally speaks up as he looks around the room. "We need to sleep soon and clean up the bed a bit, what did you two even do to make it smell like this?" The reason he's looking around the room is actually finding where the source of that sweet and  sweaty smell is. 

""..."" We are both silent. 

"Fufu..."

"Hmha."

But we couldn't help but laugh at Lennon's obliviousness. [But it's better this way.] I really don't want him finding out, since he's a friend of mine now. 

"Eh? What? What's so funny?" He's still oblivious to it. 

"Haha... Dear." Marina finishes laughing and grabs the wooden box with the wand and shuts it down. "Well I guess we should be going now." She then looks at me, indicating it's time. "Me and Leo here have a lot to do before before we sleep." She made a wink. 

"Oh... Yeah, I guess I should leave as well." Realizing what she meant I quickly and finally stood up and stretch my back as I finally felt the bones cracking from sitting and laying down this whole time. 

"...Eh, what?" Leonon still isn't in the loop and looks at Marina for an answer, but her coy smile indicates it all. "Oh okay!" He made a big grin. 

Marina looks back to me as I was leaving the room. "Thank you for everything Morus, without you I don't know what I'll..." She tries to thank me once again, "Hnmm, you should try your best tomorrow onwards." I told her as I made a face with a mischievous smirk as I touch the doorknob. 

"Yeah, I'll try my best." Marina seems satisfied as she smirks back to me and lays face down and legs swinging up, looking at me with a wink and opening a bit of her dress to let me see her cleavage. All the while the husband is at the back and edge of the bed so he can't see what's happening, although he's staring intently at her ass. 

"That's a promise." I secretly lick my lips to see Marina in a one piece dress she quickly wore after Leonon knocked, so there aren't any coverings at all and she still has the scent of sex and sweat from earlier. "I'll be going somewhere now." I told her. 

Feeling satisfied, I finally turned around and open the door. [Damn Marina your making me so horny right now.] It's probably due to my succubus body but I've been having a much stronger sex drive than I usually do, making me want to shag something soon. [Gabril just wait...] I wanna go there immediately. 

As I wonder Gabril I have also been wondering about the others as well. [Wonder what the three of them are doing?] Itia, Kumo, and Mary are all in the same room that I was in yesterday, wondering if they are sleeping or playing together. [I trust Kumo's judgment though.] Enough so that I can leave him alone with two young girls. 

But just as I was thinking about the three of them, opening the door all I could see is a bunch of gold in front of me. "Morus-sama!" It's just Kumo.

I'm shock for a second, [Kumo...?] I look as I see him unusually panicked and distressed, an abnormally from him, but I soon understand why. 

"It's Mary she's...!" Behind him is Itia, and behind her back is... "Couch! Cough! Mori-san..." It's Mary being carried by Itia's back. 

"Mary?!" I shouted in shock, as not only she is on her back, I see her in an incredibly horrible face with red all over, and not the good kind. 

"Wait Maria— what?!" Marina checks out the door and when she did she also screamed out loud.

"Maria... Seems to have caught a fever." Kumo told us the news with furrowed brows. 

"""What?!""" 

Me, Marina, and Leonon all shouted. It seems I won't be leaving anytime soon. 

•••

"Morus please you have somewhere to go right?" Marina encourages me to leave with concern in her eyes. 

But, "I can't just leave her like this!" I instantly rejected her offer. 

After Kumo had told us we immediately left the bed to make way for Mary as she is now on the bed with all of us surrounding her and giving treatment. 

But... "Please Morus, you have done enough." They seem to be rejecting my offer. 

[Why? I'm trying to help...] What I found concerning from asking Itia and the others is that Mary seems to have gotten sick about ten minutes ago, and that time corresponds with finally getting rid of the manasite, which means it's... "My fault." I have gotten her sick. 

I holds onto the bed sheets tightly. [Helping someone causes another one to suffer huh...] Just as I helped Marina get rid of her curse, Mary gets sick. These things, is there no way for good things to not come with something bad? I have caused so much trouble for her family now that I even affected her. 

[I'm scu—] Just as I began doubting myself more and more...

Slap! 

Someone had brought me out of that dark cycle. "Stupid!" I look up and it's Marina, tearing up once again. "Wha—" I was about to ask her. 

Slap! 

She slaps both of my cheeks. 

"What are you doing to Morus-sama!" Kumo is furious. "Human!" Itia is mad as well. 

But, "Stop blaming yourself for everything!" Marina didn't waver. 

"Stop that— humf?!" I was gonna try to talk to her but my voice is muffled by her... [Breast.] My mouth is stuffed with the soft touch of Marina's breast covering my face as she hugs me hard. 

Marina continues to talk to me in this captured state. "You're so stupid Morus!" Marina calls me out, with tears and snot coming out of her completely unbefitting for her age. "Do you realized how much you've done for us in the time you've spent with us?!" I was scolded, hard. 

"You saved my little Maria, brought us food when you first came here, you promised to protect my son Juno, protected Maria again, and now you've lifted my curse that's been put to me for 20 years!" Marina tells me all the achievements that I've done. "You did so much for us that I even consider you family now!" She admitted it, hugging me harder.

"Marina dear..." Leonon tries to intervene. "No dear!" But he was snuff out. 

"Listen Morus..." Marina releases me from her grasp but grabs my face and made me look straight into her eyes. "Even if this is your fault and wanted to fix this..." She bit her lips. "She is still my daughter." In a moment of clarity she looks at me straight. "She is still my cute little Maria, it's my responsibility to take care of her so it would be a disgrace for us as parents if you were the only one taking care of her." She looks at Mary. "And you've already did so much... Have you checked yourself right now?" Then she ask me, which allowed me to say something for once. 

"...Really?" But I was too intimidated by her. 

"Yes, look." Marina grabs a bowl of water and brings it to me, I stare down and see my reflection. 

"This... Is me?" Even I could not believe what I saw. Dark rings around my eyes and disheveled hair. Although I still look nice it is certainly not stunning. 

I look back and see her nodding, "Yes, that's you." She continues. "You have been thinking so much for me and the others that you haven't prioritize yourself at all." Marina explains as she opens up her arms. "So please, let me, the parents, be the one to save our little Mary this time around." She addresses her daughter with my nickname of her.

"...Okay." I finally accepted her call and, "Group hug... Cough!" Mary, who has woken up from the noise, looks at me and Marina hugging together and opens her hand up and down wanting to join in as well. 

"Haha you couldn't do that missy." Leonon, ever the doting father, decides to be the one to lay next to Mary and hug her little shoulder. 

"...M-me too!" Itia, who couldn't resist anymore lunge herself at us and now it's a three-way hug. 

"...What are you—" Kumo looks at Itia with dejection before I step in, "You can hug Leonon Kumo." I told him with a smile before he furrows his brows a bit and looks away. 

I look back at the whole room, like a sunglasses I remove the darkness and the result is that the area is a lot more light than what I thought earlier. [Why was I so...] Then I remember why. 

"...Sorry everyone, Marina, I guess it was just me doing all the work back then made me put all the responsibility on myself." I gave them the honest truth. 

[That's seems right.] I thought of what I said. 

Ever since that time my asshole of a father left us I became the only one able to provide my family with food on the table. Which meant that every shortcomings and fortunes we had all came from me doing my job, which is very heavy of a responsibility. I became the father that would come home late at night and when there's not enough food I would blame myself heavily back then. Even as my sisters got old enough and became able to work and played EWO that mentality stuck around like a necessary evil behind my head and caused me to overwork and be unwell as I blame myself. And this scenario was very similar to an episode I had when I just bought mother some medicine and then my sister became sick. 

[So even now it hasn't change...] Even with a whole new body in another another world my mentality is still that of a mid-30 year old Rin. 

"...I don't know what you went through Morus but just so you know, you're not alone anymore." Marina said to me in reassurance. 

"I will do any job that you, Mori-sama, order to us." Itia also said to me. "It is as Itia says." Kumo supported Itia's words with a smile. 

"Haha yeah we're family ya know!" Leonon happily said as he scratches Mary's head. 

To which she says, "...Hehe I wanna be able to... Cough! Be helpful too..." With a meek voice but filled with the same cheerful tone as before. 

"Thank you... All." I said to all of them, [I guess I can still change in this new world as well.] I might be a whole different person both physically and mentally in the future, then I wonder what will be of 'Rin' then now that me, Morus, finally let's go of my feelings back on Earth. [That's for future to decide.] I thought to myself with excitement. 

Then unexpectedly... "I will make Morus-sama feel good!" It's Gabril. 

[Oh right!] My original objective before I opened the door. 

I stood up, "You're right Marina, I should take a break." I told her. "But I can't just not do anything so here..." In my spare sack I grab a bottle. 

"Oh? What's this? It's red." Marina looks at wonder at the bottle I placed in her arms. 

"It's a potion." I explain. "It can help you to heal up wounds, I don't know about sickness but it's worth a try." I told Marina. 

"Of course I know potions! I just haven't seen a red one like this before." Marina clarifies. 

"Really..." That's surprising. 

But anyways, "Kumo, Itia, you two stay here okay and watch over Mary." I told the two of them. 

""Of course."" They both agreed. 

[Alrighty then.] I turn around and look at Gabril, who nodded immediately to prepare and get moving.

Destination, Succubus's Nest Brothel. 

•••

In a different place in a different time... 

"Alright Sir Soumis Fallós, if you don't give us your demis by night then we have no choice but to take... Drastic measures." I gaudy old man not too fat but not too thin, with multiple chins talks to the one on the other side of the desk. 

"...We will see about that Sir Pucki." Another man talks in response. 

It seems to be that the two of them are having a meeting or some sort. 

[So here he is...] This insect is the one that caused Morus-sama so much trouble, the slave trader Pucki.

"Pretty brave aren't cha? A lot more than your old man seems to be haha..." The slave trader Pucki let's go of appearances and mocks the person on the desk. "Well I'll be leaving now, I have some trouble finding a certain black-haired elf, you wouldn't know where she is are you?" He lets go of his smiling face and reveals one with bloodshot eyes. 

"...I do not know." It seems that he was taken a back and responded in kind. 

"...Useless." Are his last words before slamming the door shut. 

"...Sigh." He let's out a big sigh. "All for one elf..." He mutters as he stretches back on his chair and look up in the ceiling. 

Unfortunately for him he was unintentionally looking at me. [Another thing to add to Morus-sama's report I guess...] I hug my wings in anticipation for the two of us to walk together tonight.

"Hehehe...." I imagine our time together until I noticed that annoying bug coming by angel. "Crap, ruined my fun." I quickly left the ceiling. 

Chaaruzu_Corne