Keyaruga and Freia, two heroes forsaken by their past selves, finally left the nameless city without any trouble. Even with a long road ahead of them, they still wouldn't use a carriage or any other similar means of transportation. Well, the Hero of Healing had decreed so, never wanting unnecessary attention on them both, and riding a carriage would mean being accompanied by Jioral's soldiers . He also had two other reasons: the first being the lack of a place to play with his new toy, and the second — all the potential flora and fauna sheltered under the trees. Herbs, fungi to take and monsters to be slain.
"Freia, don't you dare lose anything."
"Yes, Lord Keyaruga."
It took him a few seconds to realize he was being addressed. The new name was still somewhat unnatural to hear. Either way, with everything there was to buy already bought, the duo's baggage was everything but light. The healer correctly reasoned that they could only go so far without stocking up enough resources. His only regret was the lack of enchanted equipment, but it was okay. After all, Keyaruga could just carve all the necessary runes himself, as he already did with his saber. Runes of protection he hid behind the wraps of the hilt. He also thought about buying some metal armor, but even if it would grant him more protection, it had two cons. It was too heavy and would make his body overheat. Even with runes of featherweight, metal like this was too susceptible to sunlight. Either way, Keyaru made his way effortlessly, but Freia…
"Please, wait for me!.. Lord Keyaruga, it's so heavy, I... can't..." the sorceress lamented. Although with her physical stats, she should've been able to easily overcome her burden. In any case, it seems that stats and physique are not entirely the same thing. Flare most likely never did anything of the sort in her life before, which is understandable given that she was a princess. Either way, the lad decided to motivate his companion.
"Come on, Freia. I know you can do it. "
"I'm sorry… I just can't…"
"Look, if you fall exhausted in the middle of a fight, I might not be there to save you. Just give it a try, you'll handle it."
"Okay, I will try. For you, my lord." And finally, she got energized. Or was it just a short spark of enthusiasm? At least now she won't slack off that much. If she got tired, Keyaruga could always heal her a bit. At least until the girl builds up some endurance and muscles.
"Say, why are we heading to Ranalitta?" Oh yeah, this was their current destination. A city to the east.
"Because we need a vanguard. We need allies if we want to bring peace to these lands." Well, he had another reason as well.
"Can't we just hire someone? An adventurer or a mercenary? "Wouldn't they aid us in our good deeds?"
"No, we won't do such a thing. I'll tell you why when we get there." Actually, Keyaruga wished to buy a slave. And Ranalitta was the best place for it. If Capital was the heart of Jioral, then Ranalitta was the center of its slavery. Hundreds of demi-humans were brought there after raids on their settlements, especially women and children, who were the most valuable. The Hero of Healing was under no illusion of what would await his goods, but it still wouldn't be as bad as living with some mad sadistic noble. The risk was high; very often, slaves were held in terrible conditions. Many would die soon after the purchase. If not subjugated by their true name, demi-humans could be violent, and their talents could only be appraised when a slave was expensive enough to come with a scroll. But Keyaruga couldn't be bothered by these trivialities. After all, he was the divine healer with the jade eye.
During their travels, the man thought a lot. About the king, his pet priest, and the creature that attacked him that night. But this thought never stopped him from being productive. From time to time, he would stop by to pick up various plants and mushrooms. Many of them could be used for potions, some to sell and some to drink.
"Why are you picking this up?" — Freia inquired.
"This? This is our money!"
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking these to brew a few potions and sell them. I also know a trick or two for making them even pricier." — Keyaruga answered, after which the girl rewarded him with a glance filled with curiosity and respect, at which the man wryly smiled. He could pretend to be a simple alchemist to ward off suspicion. Although he swore to never again manufacture gold with alchemy for that same reason.
"We'll sell everything after we reach the city!" — the sorceress exclaimed.
"Sure. With your help. " The lad understood one thing — he wasn't all that attractive, not as a merchant. After all, he could sell apples, but valuable potions? Freia would handle it much better. After all, beauty is a weapon as well. Although… "No, forget it. Ranalitta is just too dangerous." The man just wouldn't like to put his own toy at risk.
After two more hours, the sun would almost hide behind the horizon. This is when the duo made a halt near a river. The healer was setting up a tent while the pink-haired beauty watched and learned. He had to give her credit. After a single explanation, she would catch up almost instantly. Assembly, disassembly, Freia would have no problems with it anymore. While setting everything up, Keyaru heard some rustling in the nearby foliage. He pulled out a throwing knife and tossed it forward at the source of the sound. And the monster in the form of a small horned rabbit quietly squealed and gave up the ghost.
"Hey, look, Freia. We're gonna have some meat tonight!" — Keyaruga exclaimed, holding his prey by its ears.
"But haven't you said that eating monsters is dangerous?" And the heroine wasn't too convinced about how she should feel about this. After all, this type was poisonous to everyone except monsters. One could try eating it, but it would cause vomiting and probably some nasty diseases. Yet, even this issue could be resolved with the immense knowledge of the healer. One of the prominent casters, Martin Charian to be precise, found a way to make monsters eatable, although the sage, raised to be one of the Three Champions, shared it with only one man. The latter wondered if he would ever meet the caster on some battlefield. Either way, if cooked properly, the duo could get even more than just nutrients.
"Don't be scared, we'll be fine, and it'll make us stronger." Truth be told, eating monsters properly could grant Keyaruga and Flare more power. Or, at least, a few points to their potential numbers.
"Heh, look here!" The hero made a few small cuts, after which he skinned the rabbit by ripping out its hide. It made him nostalgic for the times when his "friends" used to leave him with no food, alone in the wilderness. Oh, the young man was so grateful to the Spellbane from whom he learned this skill that he thought about sparing him if it came to a confrontation in the future, not knowing he was dead already. Either way, first the hero drained the blood, then he neutralized poison with his magic. And only then did he butcher his prey further.
"Don't worry, Freia. We'll have dinner soon enough." First, Keyaruga would cut two slices from the hips, the most delicious piece of the rabbit. Then, he sprinkled these pieces of meat with some spices before hanging them above the campfire. And to not waste the rest of the monster's body, he decided to preserve it by drying it. It wasn't that hard to remove all the moisture with the use of magic.
After that, he took some bread, tomatoes, cheese, and cabbage from the bag. The red-eyed man swiftly assembled all of it into a set of regular, unremarkable sandwiches before putting the juicy meat inside. In addition, the lad used some of the herbs to make some tea. How did he manage to make them dry enough? Well, same as with meat, magic.
"And here we go. Come on, take a bite." Finally, Keyaruga presented his masterpiece to his sorceress.
(https://preview.redd.it/3sib4esj02k91.png?width=1081&format=png&auto=webp&s=20a78b4fba63130f0edbf16404c12513b38272f4 - SFW illustration)
"I'm resourceful, get used to it." After all, wasn't it the main reason they now travelled together?
"But how do I eat it? Do we even have cutlery?" — the ex-princess asked. No wonder she was so unaccustomed to something like this. Although the extraordinary smell did arouse her appetite.
"Just take it with your hands and bite. Like this."
"That's so… vulgar. Let me try. " After the hero's demonstration, his attendant started munching a sandwich on her own. Initially, the bread was too stale to eat without grimacing, but with fat softening it, only one verdict remained. "M-m, that's pretty good!"
"Heh. Not so bad, huh?"
"I couldn't even guess you could…" — Freia said it, while chewing magnificent food.
"I'm not a royal cook, but even so, outdoor cooking is my element." And even indoors, this man was good.
"I'm so sorry. How could I forget your cooking? I'm such a terrible attendant. " Now the girl was sad, ignorant of the fact that she had nothing to remember of the sort in the first place.
"Just don't eat monsters on your own, understood? It'll get you killed." — the lad warned his companion, while simultaneously calling upon his jade eye. While he got it relatively easily with divine healing, Martin had to perform a set of mundane rituals to get the meat done. That was one and only reason he never published his work — too bothersome. It wasn't the first such beast the duo would eat, and with it, their potential would grow eventually. The grass tea that the heroes drank was supposed to help them with calming their nerves and improving their sleep, but…
"Freia, wash your hands, spread out our sheets and wait for me. Naked." Keyaruga had some vigor to spare. And while his toy prepared their bed, the man used his chance to light up a few candles, which would keep the insects away. Not the cheapest pleasure, even when he paid with gilded rubbish. Yes, the healer desired pleasure. So, in less than a minute, he leisurely undressed from his cape, vest, shirt, pants, and boots. Another reason to not wear heavy metal armor.
"Kneel." — Keyaruga said after entering the tent.
"I understand. Uhm, please, rewar…"
"No, not this time. Just start sucking." To be honest, making Freia speak dirty was fun, but only for the first time when memories of Flare were fresh. But now Keyaruga wanted some more action, not words.
"As you wish, my lord." And so it began. Even though it took the heroine a couple of moments to understand what to do. Her confusion was somewhat cute, as was her face; she was blushing with an awkward smile. That alone made Keyaruga a bit erect. The sorceress opened her mouth and started licking the tip. She struggled. Her movements were nothing but inept, but he had to give her credit — the magician tried her best. First was the glans, then the tip. And although the ex-princess was unable to take it whole, she did her best to put the phallus in her mouth.
"Let's raise the tempo." Now the man took her head and led the flow. Not very fast or deep, though. Only to the extent where he wouldn't get bored and where it wouldn't hurt her. And after a monotonous minute of such action, Keyaruga finally released his toy.
"Lay down." Now it was time for the main act. The man slowly pierced through Freia's tight hole before putting a hand on her cheek. He didn't even know what he was doing anymore, cuddling with his vis-à-vis. The woman he hated now felt so warm and kind; her sweet moans filled him with passion. Keyaruga got faster, bolder, rougher. The man grabbed the sorceress' breasts and started pinching her nipples.
"Aah!.. Lord… Keyaruga!.." And yet, the girl loved it. Her sweaty body would wriggle in pleasure while her arms closed around the hero's mighty back. He grinned, barely even holding back. Ramming again and again, he even had his pink-haired toy scratching his skin, which was surprisingly refreshing.
"Ah!.. AH! AAAH!!!" And finally, they both reached the peak of corporeal ecstasy. Keyaruga laid himself down next to the magician, and started petting her head.
"You are mine, Freia. Mine and mine alone." He had some plans for his further vengeance, but some of them the lad just threw out of the window. He closed his eyes, preparing to get asleep.
"Thank you, my lord." But before he did, his toy gently kissed his palm. Yet, this pleasant sensation was nothing but a prelude to a nightmare.