The twin boys have a completely different air from before. The scared and needy children are gone, and now there are only two young warriors in front of us, trying to look imposing. Though, considering that their elven looks make them seem rather cute, they aren't really accomplishing that very well.
I pull out the golems, and the twins observe them with curiosity but don't actually ask anything. I believe that Yunia might've already talked to the twins about them, so they know what to expect. Though, once they notice that Jarn's face resembles Yunia's, they frown and whisper between each other.
Yunia comes to my side and hugs my arm, then interlaces her fingers with mine. Her sudden action makes my heart flutter, then I smirk alongside her as we see the twins' faces cramp.
"Arturus, Antares, it's good to see you," Yunia gently says.
"It's kind of Mr. Ryder to allow our sister to visit us," Antares responds with a perfectly calm tone.
"I've heard that you have [Gate]. You must've been quite busy inside the dungeon that you weren't able to come to visit us sooner," Arturus says, a hint of flippancy in his voice.
"Can I spank their asses for being little shits?" Hana casually asks.
Yunia purses her lips in displeasure, then closes her eyes in tiredness and responds, "If it's you, they might enjoy it. Let Wolfy do it."
"I'm not going to touch a man's ass, no matter how cute they are," I protest and give them an annoyed look.
"You don't even drink your own cum. I'm starting to think that you have some real problems with 'gayness,'" Hana comments.
I roll my eyes and respond, "I have principles and a very well-defined set of rules that defines my sexuality."
Ciel sighs and takes a few steps forward, then she smiles diplomatically at the horrified twins, claps her hands, and says, "I apologize for my husband's and sister-wives' lack of consideration. The dungeon Legado is not an average dungeon, and it gave us a challenge that impeded us from leaving it to come to visit."
"Why are you apologizing? They're being bratty; they need a spanking," Yunia sternly states.
"Sister! We just want them to treat you better!" Arturus suddenly yells.
"And I don't need your childish consideration! I've been treated as well as I deserve!" Yunia shoots back.
"You couldn't even visit once when you have [Gate] at your disposal?" Antares asks incredulously as he glares at me.
"If you want to shock them, mention Wolfy's sexual prowess," Alissa whispers to Yunia.
"No! We couldn't!" Yunia suddenly shouts, then walks forward, taking me with her. She stops in front of the brothers, who are slightly taller than me, and glares down at them for a moment, then she purses her lips, and her voice trembles with embarrassment as she says, "I'm the happiest I've ever been. I have an insatiable Sex God that makes me orgasm multiple times every night, and six ravenous, bisexual women whose greatest desire seems to be to make love to me. I'm being treated even better than if I'd had an army of servants to fulfill my every need and hole."
The faces of both twins warp in disgust, and Arturus makes a gagging noise, then Antares realizes something and asks, "Wait, 'six'?"
Yunia points her chin up snobbishly and walks past the dry heaving twins, ignoring Antares' question.
"I can't believe you've done this," I whisper.
Her [Mask] breaks, and her face flushes. "W-what? Alissa's advice worked," she whispers back.
"You didn't need to listen to her. Alissa is a deviant, so her advice is… 'biased.'"
Her fingers twitch in annoyance. "So are you."
"Yes, but I don't find delight in embarrassing you," I reply and kiss her hand, calming her down a little.
The mansion ahead of us appears as if it had been abandoned and reclaimed by nature, but knowing the elves, the design is definitely intentional. The beams that make up its frame have been fused with vines, flowers, and grass; the stone of the walls has darkened and become covered in moss; the roof has been removed and replaced by heart-shaped leaves with a washed-out green color. It even has the adorable crookedness that makes it seem as if it came straight out of a children's fantasy tale, strikingly similar to Rabanara's houses.
"This place is rather adorable," I comment.
"I know, right?" Yunia chirps happily and squeezes my hand. "The Overgrown style makes for the most comfortable houses in Glorampina."
I guess that's what this architectural style is called.
We cross through a curtain of purple, fragrant flowers, and enter the mansion itself. The air is much, much cooler in here, making me shiver slightly because these elven clothes I'm wearing expose a lot of my skin. The floor is carpeted and fluffy, massaging my feet and awakening the foot fetishist inside me. We've only been walking in our boots and always sleeping in our armor lately, so we'd forgotten how it is to be truly comfortable.
A silver elven maid and a butler, both wearing skimpy clothing, bow to us, and the butler says, "Welcome, Dame Yunia, Sir Ryder. It's been a while since we'd last met."
"Indeed. We're tired from our journey through the dungeon, prepare the massage tub for us," Yunia responds with a sweet tone.
They both straighten their postures, and the maid walks away into the mansion.
The golems come in behind us, and the butler freezes since his training didn't prepare him to deal with a decidedly female Living Armor and two floating dolls.
"They're our golems, just ignore them," Yunia states, and the butler lowers his head respectfully.
The girls come in behind us, and the butler greets them too, which surprises them since he knows all their names despite them never having met him before. He even greets Aoi, who's the last to enter, and she waves her tail about in happiness, which scares the twins behind her.
"Anything to eat, drink, or 'special needs'?" The butler asks.
"No, thank you. We'll be waiting in the relaxation room," Yunia responds.
He bows again and leaves the room, then Yunia guides me to the right wing of the mansion.
We enter a room where the floor is covered with a fluffy, cotton-like grass. There are a few sofas made of the same material surrounding a low tea table, and actual springs at the four corners of the room, giving it a relaxing ambiance of running water.
We take off our shoes at the entrance, then step on the cottony carpet, and a moan slips out of Ciel's mouth. The twins frown and give her an odd look as she blushes heavily.
I feel like my feet are getting gently tickled by the hundreds of little grass-hairs. It's not intense enough to itch, but it still manages to stimulate my skin as if it were being massaged.
We sit down on the sofas with a sigh of satisfaction, then Yunia activates an enchantment on them, and they start rumbling. Large spheres protrude through the upholstery, pressing against our backs, then they move in circular motions, kneading our tense muscles.
I enjoy giving massages more than receiving them, so I'm finding this sofa to be interesting, but not anything special; Alissa loves getting massages, so she's greatly enjoying it, though she keeps repeating inside her mind that my hands are better; Roxanne wants to strip and get lewd against this sofa; surprisingly, Hana has the least intense reaction since this stimulation is far too tame for her; Ciel's trying to contain her voice because she's loving it; Lina is wishing very hard that she could fall asleep right now; Aoi's scales tinkle as the spheres massage her, and she seems to be enjoying it the most; Gify is a bit too small to properly enjoy the massage, so she just stays on my shoulder, enjoying it through me.
The twins sit on the last free sofa, but they don't activate it. Arturus leans forward and casts [Fireball], then holds the ping-pong-sized ball at the tip of an incense stick until it starts to burn, and the room quickly gets filled with a faint, flowery smell.
"Dame Alissa, your senses are much more sensitive than ours, correct?" He asks.
Alissa comes back from her zoning out and nods, hiding her confusion.
He smiles faintly and continues, "This incense was mixed much weaker than the usual blend specifically for people like you."
"Oh, thank you," Alissa replies and smiles warmly.
Even with [Sense Soul], I'm having difficulty differentiating between them because of how their names are so similar to each other.
"Where was that consideration just a minute ago?" Yunia asks sternly.
Arturus goes red with embarrassment, but Antares calmly answers, "We were just too worried about you, Yu. You could've at least sent a message through [Gate] to tell us that you were okay."
Yunia narrows her eyes and holds back a smile. "Hm… yes, we could've, and for that, I apologize, but that doesn't justify you greeting us so coldly."
"I'm sorry, sister," Antares apologizes and lowers his head, then Arturus copies him a second later.
Yunia clears her throat loudly and gives them a stern look. They both lift their heads just enough to look at her expression, then they grimace and look down again.
"Tutu, tata," Yunia whispers, menacingly.
They both sigh together, then they raise their heads and look at us. "We apologize for our rudeness to each of you, Ryders," they say in unison, which seems a bit creepy.
Ciel giggles softly and replies, "Apologies accepted. We also apologize for not informing you of our progress inside the dungeon."
"Things were rather intense, and we were solely focused on surviving the dangers, so we ended up forgetting about everything going on outside," I say.
Antares frowns and turns to Yunia. "Sister, you told us to be careful, but are you being careful?"
Yunia smiles smugly and replies, "Of course. You just have no idea how 'peculiar' this dungeon is."
--
We start telling them about the dungeon, and they become increasingly bewildered with our adventures.
"S-spirits of Chimeras?" Arturus asks, his striking blue eyes open wide.
Yunia gently nods. "Yes. And it's rather frightening how their memories are being manipulated so that they believe they're still alive," she comments, and her stern expression softens as she enjoys the look of horror in her brothers' eyes.
"Here's food for thought, wh-…"
"'Food for thought'?" Alissa interrupts me.
I wring my wrists around until I come up with another expression, "Here's something to keep you awake at night: the Chimeras believe that they're still alive, and their town hasn't completely collapsed so far, so what if we're all the same, just on a larger scale?"
"You mean, as if our lives were a lie?" Antares asks, slightly disconcerted.
I nod and continue, "Everything around you is a fake, a mana solidification, and there's someone controlling everything so that you can't escape this fake life."
"Is there a way to know the truth?" Arturus asks with a stern stare, looking strikingly similar to Yunia.
I shrug. "Maybe, but it's highly unlikely that you'd ever be able to confirm it."
He snorts snobbishly. "Then why should we care? If life is good, then there's no need to change it, so you should live on in ignorance."
"That 'fake life' you described is also very similar to what 'real life' already is," Ciel comments with a slight smirk.
"What do you mean?" Hana asks.
"People forget that everything comes from mana. What you call 'matter,' is just 'ultra-stable' mana," Ciel points out.
"And our Gods are the equivalent of the Dungeon Master for the Chimeras," Lina adds.
Roxanne giggles and finishes, "We pity the Chimeras and fear receiving the same fate, but we're already like them, just with different labels."
Aoi and Antares seem to be going through a mindfuck, while Alissa is almost dozing off on the sofa.
Arturus shrugs and persists with, "Again, why should we care if it's true? As long as we aren't suffering, then there's no reason to worry about it."
I calmly respond, "You're ignoring the nature of the humanoids. We'd never accept living in gilded cages. If there's something out there to explore, we'll find a way to get to it."
Ciel happily adds, "Remember, the God of Creation specifically made us with the potential to go beyond the Gods. It's predicted that one day, the Old Gods and even the Humanoid Gods will become obsolete, and at that point, the Age of Apotheosis will be brought forth by the Overseer."
"So, humanoids are never satisfied?" Aoi innocently asks, her deep dual voice slightly unnerving the twins.
"Are monsters ever satisfied?" Ciel returns the question.
"I don't know. I'm not like normal monsters," Aoi responds and tilts her head.
Ciel turns to me and asks wryly, "What would you say? Uh… 'touche'?"
"Touche," I reply with a nod, then I turn to Aoi. "I think that as long as there's a hill to climb, humanoids will never be satisfied."
"Therefore, it's better to not push the boundaries so that we may live happily in ignorance," Arturus adds smugly.
"That's easy to say, but our curiosity will inevitably lead us to find a new horizon to pursue," I respond.
"And it's possible that the Overseer won't let us simply wallow in ignorance," Ciel adds.
"So, humanoids will never rest…" Aoi states and taps a claw against her chin in thought.
"Rupegia isn't Paradise, so yes, we'll never rest, only while we're alive," Ciel replies.
Aoi tilts her head to the other side and mumbles, "Endless suffering…"
Ciel chuckles and says, "I wouldn't say that we're always in pain or feeling something negative, but rather, that we're in a constant struggle."
"We've strayed pretty far from the original topic," Hana comments a little annoyedly.
She wants to keep boasting, so she'd rather not continue with a philosophical discussion.
--
Before we're finished with our story about the Chimeras, the maid appears, and tells us that the massage tub is ready for us.
I pick up Alissa and carry her, then she gradually wakes up while we make our way to the baths. Once we reach the dressing rooms, I let her stand on her own again, then the twins enter the male's dressing room while I go with the girls into the female one and watch as they all put on bikinis. They put on a cute and sexy show for me and for the thirsty ones in our group. It regretfully only lasts for a short while, then I put on my swimming trunks.
A squad of Goddesses in bikinis emerges from the dressing room, which makes for an imposing sight, but the twins don't see any of it since Yunia's stern look diverts their gazes away.
The massage tub is a very large Jacuzzi, which also has magical skincare products added in, making it the superior version when compared to Earth's. Since the twins changed first, they're already waiting for us in the water.
This time, when Ciel enters the tub, I hold back her moan with [Bind] because she, Yunia, and I aren't interested in behaving like degenerates in front of the twins. Though, I can't stop myself from squeezing her ass and thighs when she sits down beside me.
Now, this massage feels really good. I can even feel the magical skincare products being absorbed by my body and affecting my inner organs. I have no idea what exactly it's doing to us, but it makes me feel good, so hooray hedonism. As long as it's pleasant, I don't care.
The seats are adjustable, so all the breasts sink beneath the bubbling water, making our conversation much less awkward than it would otherwise be.
Gify jumps onto the surface of the water and simply goes to sleep. The turbulence takes her to the middle of the tub, then it makes her spin in place adorably.
The golems stand behind us, unmoving and always vigilant. The twins seem more concerned about Jarn than the dolls, but they quickly learn to ignore them since they don't even twitch.
Hana and Ciel continue talking about the Chimeras, and we get to the part about "Pua," the Gaping Maw, and how it threw me into the portal.
"A monster… helped you?" Arturus asks, skeptical.
"I'm a monster," Aoi responds innocently.
"Well, you're a 'tamable' monster. Aberrants are just 'different,' so it's unusual to find one that's so friendly," Antares responds.
The twins seem to be relaxing a bit more and becoming friendlier, especially to Hana and Ciel. It's hard for them not to when the barbarian and the angel have such receptive and sympathetic personalities.
"It's rather impressive that… 'Pua' immediately decided to help you when it saw the crystal fly," Yunia comments.
"It knew that the portal was vulnerable to that type of mana, but it also hates that Chimeric mana and would never use it on its own, which means that it must have seen the Chimeras test it on the portal before," I conclude.
"The Chimeras betrayed us, well, some of them did," Ciel adds.
"Why didn't you inspect the Gull while you were flying it?" Antares asks me.
"We got complacent, again," Yunia answers and purses her lips.
"They didn't stop their Spirit mana pulses, so we couldn't spy, and we thought that after the Albino, Hihiriwa was warming up to us… but he clearly had other plans," I add with a wry smile.
"I don't think he wanted to hurt us. Maybe he just wanted to stop us from leaving," Roxanne suggests.
"Perhaps… the catapult was only activated after that whole 'distraction' became unnecessary, after all," I reluctantly agree.
"Could it have been a malfunction?" Arturus asks.
"An extremely convenient malfunction," Alissa points out, and Arturus shrugs.
"Assuming they were betrayed fits the best with all the information they have," Antares says.
"Dead or alive, noble or aristocrat, they never change," Yunia comments with a sigh.
We don't tell them about Ozymandias and how the Dungeon Master is playing with my memories, so our story ends there.
"So, what have you two been doing while we were in the dungeon?" Yunia asks.
Antares smiles proudly and answers, "Riding Rontis and hunting down goblin nests. Their burrows started appearing around Glorampina, so Crown Lord Varze assigned us and a few of his knights to deal with them."
"Oh? Confiel is working with Varze?" Yunia asks.
"Not exactly. The Elder Council told him that we couldn't work for him directly, but he could provide us with shelter. Varze volunteered to give us work, and Confiel gave us this retreat, temporarily."
"They're paying you, correct?" She asks sternly.
"More than we deserve," Arturus answers bitterly.
"It's not charity, Tutu," Antares chides.
Arturus purses his lip, both in annoyance from being addressed by his nickname, and because he disagrees with his brother. "They want us complacent and feeling indebted to them so that they can manipulate us, and then perhaps manipulate sister through us, too," he replies.
"That's not really a good plan since there's little chance that you two would ever go against me," Yunia smugly states.
"It would've been easier to just let her die as the Chosen Descendant instead of doing all of this just to manipulate her," Antares says, and his brother clearly disagrees, but he doesn't have a good enough argument to keep the discussion going.
--
The conversations die off, and the twins leave the bath since they aren't as tired as we are. Because of the magical cleaning products mixed into the water, we don't need to wash ourselves, which leaves us with plenty of time to enjoy each others' bodies.
--
--
Hall of Fame of Patrons
The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:
Oracle Maximillian Hübner.
Prince PreownedFIN.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
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Lord DJ.
Lord Ashadun.
Lord Michale Erwin.
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Lord Bakerdea.
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Lord Markus.
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Lord Cidant.
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