Winter has passed and spring has come to the Harvest Kingdom. For peasants, that means a return to the fields as the spring rains bless the land. For the nobles, the laidback winter socializing is over and it’s time to get into the more serious spring socializing. Along with a few unimportant details like managing their territories.
For me, spring means the next step of my new life as t...
2021-07-15 18:51:04 +0000 UTC View PostGeneva enters the room before us. I think it’s a little ridiculous but Kierra insists on it, practically forcing the practice onto me. Apparently, I need to start being aware of my safety and my contracted elemental is far more capable of defending herself than I can. Really though, who’s going to attack me in the capital? Inside the home of a marquis? There’s a limit.
Some...
2021-07-15 18:38:35 +0000 UTC View PostGeneva is seated on the bed when we enter the room. She points to the window just as I hear scratches against the glass. I open it up, hastily jumping back as something orange quickly darts inside. “What the—”
“Coo!”
Awwwww~ It startled me but now that I’m getting a closer look, this thing is adorable. At first glance, it looks like a miniature gargoyle from the Endless ...
2021-07-15 18:37:34 +0000 UTC View Post“Lou!”
I pause stepping off the hired carriage as Maxine waves to me at the entrance of the hotel. The hell is she doing here? She really must be spying on us. I suspected it but the only way she could be here is if she has ears inside the Tome manor. Kierra wants me to make use of Uncle who can’t even keep his own house secure? This is too much.
“Lou, Miss Kierra. Good to s...
2021-07-15 18:36:22 +0000 UTC View PostAfter arriving home, Uncle gathers everyone in the sitting room. With the heavy way he sighs plopping down, you’d think he just fought a war rather than sat in a chair while a man touched his head. I’m a lot more comfortable this time around as Kierra is with me, the two of us curled up in a sitting chair that’s way too small for it. Geneva stands just behind it, head slightly bowed but I...
2021-07-15 18:35:35 +0000 UTC View PostThe empty room becomes busy after Lightam’s announcement. Half a dozen royal knights take up positions throughout the room. Something about safety was mentioned but it’s to keep us from leaving as Lightam goes off to handle some business or other.
When he comes back, he’s accompanied by Marquis Guiness, a strange person’s whose features are hidden by their long black cloak, and a ...
2021-07-15 18:34:46 +0000 UTC View PostA few hours later, I’m in front of a full-length mirror with Kierra tying the strings of my vest for me. She’s humming as she does something I could easily do myself but I don’t dare interrupt. She’s in a great mood, face lightly flushed green with a small smile. No need to ruin her fun.
The door opens and Geneva steps in, slapping it closed with her tail. “Your uncle is ready t...
2021-07-15 18:33:59 +0000 UTC View PostI wince as a soldier punches Uncle in the gut, doubling him over. Then he and his partner cooperate to throw him out despite his struggles. The commotion continues in the hallway, growing in intensity until it all suddenly goes quiet. I can’t help the deep frown that comes to my face but Gordon doesn’t flinch.
His nose wrinkles. “It smells like a stable in here. I know the Tome fami...
2021-07-15 18:33:05 +0000 UTC View PostLike I thought, we broke the bed. Stupid mattress is too small for this humongous body of mine anyway. Stretched out, my feet hang off the end of it and the covers are too short to cover me completely.
Kierra is unconcerned. Sprawled out over my broad chest, she’s wearing a messy grin as she drifts through dreamland without a care in the world. It’s a rare thing for me to wake up befo...
2021-07-15 18:32:19 +0000 UTC View Post“Haah~”
I let out a deep sigh as Kierra falls with me onto the bed. After Junior’s meltdown, the other nobles took quite an interest in me and Geo. Add Kierra to the mix and we were irresistible. I spent the rest of the night being flattered and fawned over. I’m sure it won’t take long before it gets old but right now, my ego’s sudden inflation is very comfortable.
Now a...
2021-07-15 18:31:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe four of us move away and I hear Marquis Guiness engaging the rest of my family in conversation. I grab a drink for myself and Geo. Kierra is even more used to elven brew than I am and never bothers drinking. Unless it’s to play a trick on an unsuspecting merchant eager for information. “I hope you don’t mind me using you as an excuse. I needed to be alone.”
“I don’t mind. ...
2021-07-15 18:30:15 +0000 UTC View PostMy relaxation doesn’t last long. After a few moments, I hear rushing footsteps in the hall. Kierra moves to intercept them, standing outside the door and keeping anyone from coming inside. Sigh. That’s my cue to get back to work. “You’re going to help me clean this mess up. Some of these materials can be reused.”
I tap Geneva and she hops to her feet. Moving together, we put wha...
2021-07-15 18:13:28 +0000 UTC View Post“Please. Just a little more. One more bite.”
Hehe. I’ve got you now. With a thought, I put on my human skin. “If you are satisfied with my taste, you have a circle to get back into.”
She bites her bottom lip as she climbs off me, holding onto a hand. I walk with her back to the circle. Once she crosses the boundary, I let go, grinning as I watch her fidget in the middle as...
2021-07-15 18:12:30 +0000 UTC View Post“Thank you for answering my call.” I bow my head. Lots of controversy on that. Some say it can be mistaken as weakness but Father has instilled in me that whether the elemental is weak, strong, small, big, humanoid, or monster, you show them the utmost respect. “I am Lourianne Tome. May I have something to call you by?”
“Tome. I know that name. A few of your ancestors called on ...
2021-07-15 18:11:19 +0000 UTC View PostKierra and I are awake with the first rays of sunlight. I don’t know who’s more excited as we dress. Today, I’m going a little more formal than usual. You don’t ask a woman out wearing cheap threads.
I’m in the middle of pouring burning amber dust into the grooves of my circle when Kierra enters with a breakfast tray. She closes the door behind her firmly, engaging the rarely us...
2021-07-15 18:10:35 +0000 UTC View PostCrack!
I toss the broken leg of the bed into the corner with the rest of the furniture we’ve destroyed. Kierra is in the process of breaking down the rest of it. On the opposite side of the room, Father and Uncle are supervising the servants bringing in the materials I ordered from the Guiness family and our work with sour expressions.
“This is a bit…excessive,” Unc...
2021-07-15 18:09:50 +0000 UTC View Post“Of course. The Guiness Company is prepared to offer you 700 gold crowns for your map and guide with ownership and distribution rights.”
Hooh. Have to take a deep breath there. Seven hundred gold crowns. That’s enough money to make my head spin. But…compared to the vast ocean of the Guiness family funds, it’s nothing. More importantly, they’re offering it for complete ownershi...
2021-07-15 18:09:05 +0000 UTC View PostAs I thought, I slept through the party that night. I must have been really out of it because I didn’t even stir when Kierra slid in next to me.
My eyes open early the next morning and I feel better than I have for days. One of the downsides to my research is an irregular sleep schedule. There were several times when I’d be reading a book and then the next thing I knew, I was lifting ...
2021-07-15 18:07:29 +0000 UTC View PostA week later, I’m holed up in the Tome family library when the door opens. My face twists into a scowl as I ready to chase away my annoying Uncle for the umpteenth time but I relax when I recognize Kierra. She’s carrying a snack tray with a two large cups of steaming tea.
“Hey.” I quickly tidy up the books around me, creating space for the tray. She sets down her burden and drags ...
2021-07-15 18:06:04 +0000 UTC View PostWe don’t leave the room until the spell loses all its power. After all, it wouldn’t be good if the worker sent in after us to make sure we didn’t damage anything sees something they shouldn’t.
The streets are even busier as we leave. Kierra puts her arms over my shoulders and leans into me. She did this a lot in the forest. She’s lean and trim but dammit if she isn’t heavy. Th...
2021-07-15 18:05:15 +0000 UTC View PostWe move to the back of the large welcoming area. There are two halls branching off it and a wide spiraling staircase. We take it up and step into a plain looking hall with four doors.
I unlock door number 3 and lock it after she follows me in. The inside is dimly lit by softly glowing crystals stuck in the upper corners. There’s no furniture as the floor is dominated by a written spell....
2021-07-15 18:04:08 +0000 UTC View PostKierra thankfully let me sleep before the sun came up. She was satisfied when I not only forgot about Fen but could hardly remember my own name. It’s still late when I wake up. The fifth bell tolls as I slowly open my eyes.
My wife is still in bed, leaning against the headboard with a book in her hand. A large platter of cold cuts, cheese, and bowls of fruit sits atop her legs and she a...
2021-07-15 18:03:08 +0000 UTC View PostHours later, the party is over and I’m lying with my wife in a comfortable bed. This should be the best place in the world but I can’t fall asleep.
Why? Because I can still feel that saints damned thrall in my head. There’s almost a physical force trying to pull me from the sheets and toward her. My muscles have been tensed for so long resisting that it’s starting to hurt.
...
2021-07-15 18:01:54 +0000 UTC View PostMoments later, a hush comes over the crowd. The small sea of people parts as two men come walking towards us. They’re both tall, with distinctive red hair cut close to their heads, bright eyes, and exaggerated, prominent features that always makes me think of apes. The Grimoires.
But there’s also an unknown figure. A beautiful woman with blood red skin and violet hair with matching vi...
2021-07-15 18:01:07 +0000 UTC View Post“—u. Lou!”
I look up to see Jac standing over me, with a scowl on her face. Hmm. How long have I been in this chair? From my slightly numb legs, it’s been more than a few minutes.
Not my fault. It’s one thing hearing someone try to generalize the planes. It’s something else when a summoner records the exact words of the elemental. The first record only talks about Line o...
2021-07-15 18:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post“Oh!”
My eyes slowly blink open at the maid’s exclamation. Very reluctantly. Sprawled across Kierra’s chest with our legs intertwined, I’m incredibly comfortable. It’d be great if she just left but her shuffling feet tells me she’s not going to. Sigh. Probably getting an eyeful.
Another thing Kierra brought back from the elven continent are clothes made from this white...
2021-07-15 17:59:09 +0000 UTC View PostI realize that I never included my family in my loyalties. Nobility may be all about filiality but I won’t let the romanticism of the idea cloud reality.
As a subpar caster with a basic fire affinity and zero motivation to improve the family, I wasn’t held in high regards. You really get to know someone when they don’t need anything from you. I’ll never forget the snide looks aime...
2021-07-15 17:58:11 +0000 UTC View PostThe sound of pounding hooves wakes me shortly after dawn. Kierra is moving before my eyes fully open. As I step out of our small tent, I see her crouched in the shadow of the carriage.
A group is fast approaching. I wave her done when I spot the shiny armors and flying red-orange banner with a yellow sun displayed prominently in the middle. She ignores me as she smoothly notches an arrow....
2021-07-15 17:57:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe sun is starting to set when we come to a sudden stop. Father moves to brush aside the window’s shutters but is interrupted by Potter throwing open the door. I frown at the clear tension in his face. Something tells me that our peaceful ride is about to come to an end.
“If I could have your presence outside, my lord.”
Father sniffs, features creased in annoyance, but leaves...
2021-07-15 17:41:32 +0000 UTC View PostDespite our late start the next day, we make it to the tree marker before my father arrives. Kierra is hanging on me, our luggage at our feet. We’re in civilization now but she hasn’t lost the habit of clinging to me. Probably because she doesn’t go out much but then again, it’s not her fault. There really isn’t much for an overly aggressive, deviant elf to do in a remote area like th...
2021-07-15 17:40:38 +0000 UTC View Post