5-11 Before dawn

5-11 Before dawn

“Will that be everything, milady?” asked Cassius, the steward of the manor.

“Yes, this is everything,” Erin answered with a gentle smile. “Thank you, Cassius.”

“It is my honour and pleasure, Lady Erynthea.” The old head servant took a deep bow as he expressed his genuine gratitude. “Your presence in the Grove has been a wonderful blessing. His Grace has been so gleeful for the fifty years I have been in servitude.”

“Oh, truly?”

“Truly, milady.”

Erin tittered and glanced over to Aedan with a warm gaze.

Aedan, along with a few manservants, were busy loading the cart of the wagon with the much-needed supplies as they would be taking this wagon for the continuation of their journey.

Their trip this time would be harsher than before as the route they would be taking was littered with danger, so they were stockpiling their supplies. The reason they chose this route was to avoid the zealots that were targeting them and also the nobles that might send people after them for whatever reason of greed.

There were some protests but ultimately, a decision was made. However, there was still a window for last-minute changes as they had yet to set out on their journey.

Erin then cast her gaze to the other side, where the girls were gathered. They were discussing their trip and the treacherous route they would be taking.

Erin smiled wryly when her sight focused on Nivia, who was the one protesting vehemently about the journey. Erin’s gaze warped into a stare of intent without breaking away from Nivia. Just a few days ago, she had done the deed with Nivia along with Aedan.

But when the next day came, Nivia acted as if nothing had transpired the day before, although Erin could tell Nivia was feigning ignorance. Erin could hear Nivia’s heartbeat which always began beating fast whenever Erin or Aedan got close to her.

“I suppose I can give her a few more days to adjust to her new circumstances. Like it or not, she’s officially part of my harem now.”

Now that Nivia’s passion and love had been united with Erin’s, she considered Nivia to be her woman now and she would never let her go.

While Erin was staring at Nivia with a tender, loving, and somewhat yearning gaze, the Elf herself was oblivious to Erin’s intentful eyes.

“This is just a plain retarded plan,” Nivia scoffed with a disbelief expression, her gaze fixed on the map of the area around Sephrodia Valley that was spread out on a round table. “The monsters along this route are not to be underestimated. There was even a confirmed sighting of a level fifty Rock Thrasher there.”

Olivia, Siv, Lyra, Lilian, Aera, and Amyra were standing around the table and each of them wore solemn expressions as they listened to Nivia’s remarks.

“Am I the only one who sees death here? Disregarding the monsters, look at this path here.” Nivia tapped a certain area on the map. “It’s narrow and there’s a very steep cliff just beside it. If it rains or there’s a storm while we are crossing here, we are done for.”

“I certainly wouldn’t want that,” Lyra muttered in agreement. “Wouldn’t want a repeat of last time.”

“I agree,” Siv nodded, recalling the time she fell off a steep cliff with Erin while engaging in combat with the Razor Grizzly. “While the experience had been thrilling, I would rather not experience it again.”

“The wagon you are provided with will not be so easily broken,” said Olivia. Unlike Nivia’s frantic tone, Olivia was calm and composed as if the dangers Nivia mentioned weren’t registered in her mind. “At worst, there will be dents but I can assure you that it can still be ridden and driven like usual.”

“You forgot the horses,” Nivia shot. “What about the horses if the wagon overturned and tumbled down the cliff?”

“Spirit Summoning. You can use Familiars summoned through Spirit Magic, no?”

“I can, Lilian can, Erin can too, but do you expect us to use a Familiar for the entire journey?”

“Yes,” Olivia answered with a nod as if it was a matter of fact. “Her Ladyship is more than adequate for that kind of endeavour, I believe.”

Nivia was about to give her harsh retort when she remembered Erin’s evolution. Erin was now a Seven-tailed Fox-kin and her Spirit affinity was greater than ever. Sustaining a Familiar for the entire journey would not be out of the question and the journey was only less than a week’s time.

“Other than the harsh terrains and the dangerous beasts, I don’t see any other problems,” Lilian gave her thoughts with her usual ever-present smile that exuded warmth and calmness.

Nivia stared at Lilian as if she was betrayed. In a way, she was betrayed as she expected Lilian to support her objection.

Amyra nodded. “Aedan.”

“Just where does he get these ideas from?” Nivia questioned with her arms crossed.

“He’s someone who has probably wandered the entire continent,” Amyra said. “Who knows what he has encountered in his adventures?”

“Very true,” Lilian affirmed with a chuckle.

“I say he encountered far too much for his own good,” Nivia continued with her grumbling. Unbeknownst to herself, her gaze was drawn to Aedan, who was still in the middle of loading the supplies onto the wagon.

Heat began rising from her heart and below her belly which then spread to her entire body. When the heat reached her head, she realised she had been staring quite intently at Aedan. Memories of the time she lost her virtue started surfacing in her mind, which was only a few days ago.

The sensation was still clear as day to her body. She remembered how she surrendered her entire being to the pleasure of the flesh and simply let herself get ravaged with reckless abandon. Her many fervid kisses with Erin also flashed across her mind, bringing the heat in her body to a near-boiling point.

Nivia closed her legs instinctively when she felt a shiver crawling down her spine and reached her tainted holy cavern. She was getting wet from recalling her first time. She shook her head and turned her eyes away from Aedan.

“Is everything alright, Nivia?” Siv, who was just beside her, asked in a tone filled with genuine concern.

“O-of course,” Nivia responded in a hurry. “W-why wouldn’t I be?”

While everyone else was baffled by Nivia’s strange reaction, only Lilian was in the know of the reason for Nivia’s frantic reaction. After all, Lilian was closely acquainted with a few of the maids and they often gossiped to one another about the various affairs in the Grove. Naturally, Erin’s salacious escapade became one of the topics of the gossip.

When Lilian heard first about it, even she was dubious of the gossip’s credibility. It wasn’t until Lilian went around verifying the truth that she was able to ascertain that particular gossip’s veracity. Still, Lilian was shocked that Nivia had lost her virtue and in a threesome no less.

Due to the vast array of matters that needed to be taken care of, Lilian didn’t get a chance to question Nivia about her first-time, until now.

Lilian’s lip twisted into a playful grin. She was standing on Nivia’s left side. She leaned into the Elf’s ear and whispered, “Already dying for a repeat of the pleasure he could give?”

Nivia’s face immediately turned as red as a tomato. Steam could be seen rising from atop her head as if her brain was overheating. “W-what are you saying!?” she hissed but it came out a squeal.

Nivia’s abrupt cry of denial drew all of the girls’ gaze to her.

Nivia glared at Lilian hard. “Y-you...!”

“What? Good news should be shared amongst friends, no?”

“There’s time and place for everything!”

“Good news? What good news?” Lyra inquired.

“As of a few days ago, there’s no longer a vestal girl amidst us,” Lilian said proudly.

At the Dryad’s words, Lyra’s gaze hardened towards Nivia. “When was this?”

“What does it matter?” Nivia huffed. “Why are we moving away from the main topic here?”

“This is our main topic now,” Lyra said.

“It was Master Aedan, right?” Siv asked. “How was it when you... did it with him?”

“Come on, tell us. What was it like?” Lyra urged. “Was he rough or was he—”

“His Grace can be quite violent but also tender at the same time,” Amyra chimed in.

“I’m telling you all nothing!”