Ethan took Grace under her arms and pulled her up to his chest. She squealed softly as he did. She did not look him in the eye as she lay her head on his chest as he pulled the blanket over her. Maple and Lara lifted their heads half asleep and lay back down, hugging him from the sides as they cuddled to his warm body.
"Alas, you might have noticed that the academy set the body-enhancement magus up to fail from the start."
Lara lifted her head.
"What do you mean they set them up to fail."
"Alas, in their guide, they recommend bow staff or spears for them. But yesterday, when we fought, all of you used knives to fight and do your role in the group."
Maple turned on her side; moving closer, she lay her head on his shoulder, her naked breasts pressing into Ethan's side as they enveloped his arm. Lara did the same, and Ethan focused on the conversation.
"T-T-T, those bastards planned this from the academy's inception."
Grace made herself comfortable, putting her hands between Ethan's and the woman's bodies for heat.
"We have never noticed it before. Dropping out of the academy had always been the demi-human way. You would always be a steel plate adventurer, which meant you had to register as a steel plate adventurer and take on work, which meant little to no pay."
"Alas, Lara, you must discuss this with the dean. The curriculum should be changed for the following year. This was done on purpose to suppress you and the demi-humans, making them a slave class. Have the students that remain take on monster-hunting quests for the week. They will grow more doing that and earn coins, and then we will see what the test at the end of the week turns into. We need to pass the first trial to earn copper plate status."
Lara propped herself up on her elbow.
"Eldin will not be happy. He was putting up this farse because we would keep to the training with the spears. He knew it would be useless training but still made a big scene about us training there."
Ethan concentrated not to stare too much at her naked upper body as her peaches swayed before his eyes. Her toned stomach and muscles almost made his lower part salute her beauty.
"Alas, the people behind this have been doing it for a long time. We must be careful, as they may lash out at any moment."
The door opened, and Wendy walked in, towel wrapped around her body. Grace whistled, her attention on Wendy as she dropped the towel. Wendy started to get dressed, ensuring Ethan looked at her body well. She had subtle changes to her skin; it was flawless, smooth, and like cream as if she had not seen the sun. Her hair shined with health, and her movements were soft and sensual. She had gone through a transformation. As she turned, it was evident. Ethan noticed the pubic and fine hair on her legs and forearms were gone. Sophia spoke in his mind.
"Alas, she will not be able to train with anyone anymore. She will kill them slowly as she drains their lives from them with each strike. Her skill will work with a stick, fists, or body parts. Do not worry; her skill will go dormant as soon as you penetrate her."
"Alas, that's a relief. I could see complications arise in the future."
Lucy walked in, throwing her towel over a chair. She glanced at Ethan to make sure he was watching her. Lucy's body had changed, as well. Her skin was flawless, light pink, and smooth as silk. Lucy's muscle tone had upgraded, her muscles were well-defined, and her six-pack was visible. Lucy had undergone a complete transformation, and Ethan could see the three women had noticed.
Lucy's movements were steady and solid, as if she would not be moved. Ethan noticed all the hair had vanished from her body, and the beautiful pink patch between her legs was gone. Grace and her companions stared at her clean flower, the change noticeable. Wendy brushed Lucy's hair, and soon, they changed positions. It was their morning ritual. Ethan remembered he still had to buy them hairpins for their long hair.
"Squee. Do not go into the toilet right now. Give it time to clear the air. I have opened a window."
Ethan had his arms under his head as the trio put on nighties that barely covered anything. Ethan's lower part saluted them, luckily hidden under the blankets. He could not understand why, but they opted to sleep in the nude. They had decided to sleep in the nude as they did, saving on the amount of clothes they had to wash. He saw they wanted to ask Wendy and Lucy how they had changed but stayed silent. Wendy stood by the door. Her arms folded while waiting for the three to leave for the bath. After a minute, she closed the door. As she rushed to the bed, her panties came off.
"Hail, I ride first. Thank you, Ethan. My body feels and looks amazing. You did something to us again."
Lucy threw her panty on the chair and lay next to Ethan.
"Squee, make it quick. We do not have much time. Thank you, Ethan. My body has changed; I feel powerful."
Ethan could not speak as they kissed him. After each had their turn, they pulled on their underwear and lay next to him. No words were necessary; they just held each other. Ethan could feel that he had made the right choices for them. He could only imagine that Wendy would wake up and find her skin had turned charcoal black. She wanted to look good, and she loved underwear and clothes. She tried to buy sexy underwear to wear for him but had not had the opportunity yet.
Ethan could hear Grace and the others walk downstairs. He gathered his things, passionately kissed each of the girls, and then went to do his morning ablutions. In the bath, he spent time with the women on the mountain. Lilly and Mei were up to their old tricks, and he enjoyed their ministrations.
Ting-Ting had a ride on him. She was jealous of Wendy and Lucy and wanted the same treatment. The rest joined in, and the water had gone cold after an hour in the bath. Ethan washed quickly and dressed. The others were waiting for him, deep in discussion with Penny and Shaw. They discussed the revelation that the training program was fixed to make some students fail. Shaw clenched his fist.
"There must be nobles behind this. Some nobles still believe the feast of purging should be held this year. I will kill anyone who comes near my family."
Ethan sat next to Wendy, and Lucy moved to his other side. Shaw also excused himself and Penny, and the mood had turned sour. Ethan took a sip of his coffee as the breakfast came. It was an omelette filled with flaked meat and pepper sauce. Warm steaming croissants were brought to the table. The women used their contract skills and were talking to each other. Wendy and Lucy were busy eating and had not noticed at all. The fact that the threat of a festival of purging could still come to pass disturbed Ethan.
"Alas, what is this feast? Should anyone come to purge my friends, they will be killed on sight with no dual announcement. Maple and Lara, I would ask for your help. We could set traps for them. We should do this at night to ensure nobody knows about it. Grace, see if we can get quests from other guilds that pertain to our area. The more adventurers we draw to this area, the better."
Grace perked up as she took a big bite of her croissant with a piece of omelette inside.
"I see we will have adventurers at hand to help with a defence should this terrible feast come to pass."
Maple took a big sip of her coffee and then ate her omelette. She happily moaned, the sound sensual and arousing. Her face was tranquil as she chewed. She then wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"T-T-T the nobles will do first and ask for forgiveness afterwards. They will threaten the nobles that stand against them."
"Alas, I have a plan, my friends. We will work hard to make it a reality. Here is what we will do."