After quite some time, Alice finally let go of Lloyd's shoulders. Her composure was gone, replaced with a faintly disheveled look.
She hadn't accounted for this.
From their earlier interactions, she'd already noticed Lloyd had extreme tendencies—the type who either wouldn't touch at all or, once he did, would never let go. But the reality turned out to be even more intense than she had imagined.
At first, when she made the suggestion, he'd seemed hesitant, needing her to take the initiative. But once she tried, the situation flipped completely.
And it wasn't simply about being passive or not. The sheer intensity and aggressiveness made Alice briefly wonder if she'd overstimulated him—if he might literally eat her alive. Not in name, but in the physical sense.
The reason they'd separated now wasn't that Lloyd had finished, but simply because Alice couldn't endure it any longer.
"Um, just now..."
Seeing Alice looking so disheveled, Lloyd realized he might have gone too far.
"It's fine. Just give me time to recover."
What Alice meant by "recover" wasn't catching her breath. She needed to rebuild that "sweetness"—the substance that stabilized Lloyd, soothed his hunger, and allowed him to regain sensation, albeit at an incredibly slow pace. It wasn't something that could be restored with a few breaths, but required time to accumulate.
"I should be the one apologizing, for not preparing enough and leaving you stuck like this..."
Seeing Lloyd suppressing his hunger while still worrying about her, Alice steadied herself, then reached up to caress his face. With that small gesture she eased his craving, before warning him seriously.
"By the way, when you do this with others, make sure to prepare beforehand.
Because they're not me. If you play with them like this, someone could die..."
Lloyd didn't need the reminder. He already knew.
If it hadn't been Alice in his arms just now, he'd probably be figuring out how to resurrect the other person.
...
After holding her a little longer, giving her time to recover, Alice finally kissed him on the cheek. Then she rose and returned to her work, as there were still many tasks waiting for her.
When she was finished, Lloyd also prepared to resume his own journey.
But before pushing ahead, he had a few matters to deal with first.
He traveled to Caelid to check on the mare-girls. After confirming everything was fine, he spoke briefly about Ranni. He told him that the issue with the Two Fingers had been resolved, that Ranni had obtained a new body, and that she hadn't left the Lands Between for now.
"Where is she, then?"
"Well..."
"General Radahn, that's not something you need to concern yourself with."
The red-haired pony cut the topic off immediately.
They talked for a while longer. Since the Crucible Fragment had just been used to shape Ranni's body, it was still cooling down and couldn't be used to make more mare-girls. Once Lloyd confirmed there was nothing else, he prepared to leave.
Before departing, he left Radahn a golden branch, so he could reach Lloyd whenever necessary.
Then...
['My Beloved Steed' has sent you a friend request]
Seeing that name, the red-haired pony fell silent for a moment before snatching the golden branch straight from Radahn's hand.
"Hey, my golden—"
"I'll be holding onto this for now."
With that, the red-haired pony turned toward Lloyd, hesitating.
"Um, Lord Lloyd, how do I change this name..."
"That feature isn't available yet."
Lloyd answered honestly.
"But Alice said she'll add that module later—it'll just take some time."
"...Then I'll leave it to you."
After parting with the sulky little pony, Lloyd fast traveled to the academy.
The moment he arrived, he immediately noticed how different the place was compared to his last visit.
First, the academy's decor had changed. In addition to the usual heaps of Glintstone blocks scattered everywhere, there were now piles of scrapped mechanical debris. Among the sorcerers, aside from the usual few types, there was now a new sort—sorcerers who looked like they'd survived explosions, wearing strange, smoke-stained Glintstone Crowns. They huddled over blueprints, tinkering with machines.
A short walk later, Lloyd came across a crowd of sorcerers gathered together. Peeking closer, he saw two of them seated before a Magic Engine–powered device, each holding peculiar cards inscribed with Glintstone patterns.
By slotting the cards into the device, the engraved patterns projected outward, manifesting as monsters and constructs that attacked one another.
Since it was only an early prototype, the machine was still crude, its projections rough—like pixelated 3D figures from an old game. Even so, the moment it was released, it became wildly popular among the sorcerers. Beyond the main designers, countless enthusiasts joined in, creating new rules and plugins. Progress was rapid, and the future looked promising.
Moongrum really pulled it off.
Lloyd stayed to watch one Glintstone Monster Duel and discovered that the sorcerers marked "damage" not with numbers but by hurling actual Glintstone spells at their opponent's face.
He sighed at the reckless nature of these creatures called sorcerers, then went to find the Queen of the Full Moon to inform her about Ranni.
Unlike Radahn, the Queen of the Full Moon didn't ask why Ranni hadn't come herself. Instead, after a moment's thought, she asked a peculiar question.
"Did she give you a greatsword?"
"She gave me the Dark Moon Greatsword. Why?"
"...Nothing."
The Queen of the Full Moon shook her head slightly.
"I just thought she'd hesitate a little longer. Didn't expect her to act sooner than I imagined..."
While Lloyd was speaking with her, a certain petite figure stirred in his arms, perhaps sensing a familiar aura. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
And then, she saw it.
A small head, not touching her but leaning close, peered curiously at her face—like some preserved egg spirit come to life.
Silence.
Then, a sharp shriek split the air.
"What the hell is this thing—!"
To be fair, as a rebellious Witch, Ranni was not fainthearted. But even the boldest would find it hard to stay calm waking up to an Elden Beast staring at them.
Moments later, the tiny figure climbed out from Lloyd's chest and locked eyes with the Queen of the Full Moon.
It was over.
The instant their gazes met, Ranni knew she was finished.
And sure enough, upon seeing her current form, the Queen of the Full Moon's lips curved into a crescent smile.
"Oh my, and who might this be? Far too adorable..."
She bent down and poked Ranni's cheek with a finger.
But to Ranni's surprise, that was all. The Queen of the Full Moon didn't pull her out, nor did she insist she stay.
Ranni didn't know why the old woman was so restrained today, but since things hadn't escalated into the worst-case scenario, she let out a quiet breath of relief.
Even though she was exposed, Ranni couldn't openly show herself in the academy with so many around, so she stayed peeking from Lloyd's robes and chatted with her like that.
Afterward, Lloyd handed the Queen of the Full Moon a golden branch for easier contact.
And since he had already given golden branches to three members of the "La" family, Lloyd decided to simply make them a family group chat.
Then...
['Lunar Princess' has joined the group chat]
['Queen of the Full Moon' has joined the group chat]
['My Beloved Steed' has joined the group chat]
[Lunar Princess: ?]
[Queen of the Full Moon: ¿]
Both the elder and the younger lifted their heads toward Lloyd at the same time.
He nodded.
"Yes, it's him."
...
[Acquired Sorcery: 'Caria Great Whirl!']
[Caria Great Whirl!]
[A sorcery unique to the Queen of the Full Moon, Rennala]
[Spins the staff like a vortex, driven by magic power]
[Allows movement while casting, sustained casting]
[Spell power scales with the staff's physical damage]
"This is a sorcery I've recently developed. I'd very much like to show it to Radahn."
The Queen of the Full Moon smiled.
"So, whenever you have the time, bring him to me...
Let me demonstrate it to him personally."
After scheduling Radahn's "execution date" with Lloyd, the Queen of the Full Moon spoke with him a little longer. Once she confirmed there was nothing else, she dismissed him and Ranni.
When they left, she thought back to how Ranni had hidden inside Lloyd's robes, and she smacked her lips before shaking her head.
"Your Majesty, what is it?"
Moongrum, who had just entered to report, froze for a moment.
"Nothing."
The Queen of the Full Moon shook her head again.
"Just thinking... young people these days play far more extravagantly than we ever did..."
…
After leaving the Grand Library, Lloyd went to check on Sellen.
As usual, he gave her a physical examination and chatted for a while. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he handed her a golden branch so she could contact him if needed.
['Graven Witch' has sent you a friend request]
Afterward, Lloyd visited Renna. Once he confirmed everything was fine there as well, he left her a golden branch.
['Snow Witch' has sent you a friend request]
With most of his academy contacts settled, Lloyd considered his next move. He then went to Stormveil, found the girl group, and left them a golden branch. From there, he headed to the Roundtable Hold, where he slipped one to the All-Knowing—making it easier to interrogate him whenever necessary. Finally, he returned to the capital and gave one to Morgott, ensuring he could be informed immediately when news arose.
Storm Warrior. The All-Knowing. Grace-Given King.
Scanning the list of newly added names, Lloyd paused, then Fast Traveled to Volcano Manor.
This time, however, his golden branch didn't end up with Rykard.
It wasn't that Lloyd refused him—Rykard simply had only a head left, which made handling a golden branch inconvenient. And besides, the moment he heard there was a family group, he realized something terrifying and became even more unwilling to take it.
"Then give it to your wife?"
But Tanith refused as well.
"I only wish to devote myself fully to serving Lord Rykard."
The woman with her peculiar inclinations nestled against Rykard's lone head, utterly intoxicated.
Well, neither of them was reliable.
In the end, after passing it around, the golden branch landed in the hands of a certain little Serpent.
"Lord Lloyd, this is so fun..."
The adorable little Man-Serpent played with the branch, beaming with delight.
And it wasn't just about the branch.
After Rykard was reduced to a head and Tanith became obsessed with her snake worship, the entire Volcano Manor fell into disarray from the loss of leadership. But unlike the original course of events, the manor's people didn't scatter after Rykard's defeat. Instead, under new guidance, they reorganized into a fresh force.
The Lawbreaker, Bernahl.
The Unyielding Patches.
One was the former would-be Lord, thoroughly confused by Lloyd's words. The other was his old friend.
After Lloyd left, the two took charge of the remnants of Volcano Manor. Once Morgott's forces halted their advance, they began overseeing the manor's recovery.
But despite their strength and reputation, neither had any intention of becoming Volcano Manor's master.
"Rykard was once my comrade. I'm only helping stabilize things out of respect for our old friendship."—Bernahl.
"No, mate, I'm just looking after your future estate. I've no plans to pull overtime like that white dragon or that blob of goo—you wouldn't want that, right?"—Patches.
With the two original leaders crippled by late-stage love brain and the new pair unwilling to take the role, it seemed there was only one person—or rather, one snake—left to shoulder the responsibility.
['Master of the Volcano Manor' has sent you a friend request]
[Master of the Volcano Manor: Lord Lloyd, it's Rya! Did you see my message?]
[Ashen One: Seen]
Yes, Rya had become the new Master of Volcano Manor, seated where her mother once ruled. She was doing her best to adapt to the role.
Watching the earnest little snake working so hard, Lloyd couldn't resist feeding her some fresh shrimp he'd picked up, giving her a few affectionate strokes.
With the skill he'd honed through teasing with his fingers, it wasn't long before Rya curled up happily in his lap, enjoying the gentle petting.
After playing with her for a while, Lloyd finally parted ways under her reluctant gaze and returned to the capital to wrap up one final matter.
"Um, Melina, the burn on your neck has disappeared too. Next..."
Silence.
For a long moment, nothing. Just as Lloyd was about to turn and head straight into the field, Melina pressed her lips together and reached for her collar.
"...Turn your head first."
Lloyd turned away.
After the familiar sound of rustling clothes, a flustered voice reached his ears.
"Y-you can look now..."
When he turned back, Melina was lying on the bed, her outer robe removed. Her face burned crimson as she crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side, unable to meet his eyes.
"...Continue."
With that, she closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and accepted her fate.
"But please... be quick.
I... I'm not used to this..."
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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