The next few days in the wilderness passed with a rhythmic, fruitful simplicity. The low-circle monsters that crossed their path were minor nuisances at best, easily dispatched, but the true triumph of the expedition lay in the foliage.
Loki had discovered a devastatingly efficient application for his newly acquired <Minor Life Utility> spell. By channeling the ambient magic, he could bypass modern gathering tools entirely, using the spell to instantly harvest, mature, and perfectly preserve delicate magical herbs on the spot. He even managed to locate a patch of wild grapes, using a combination of <Minor Air & Life Utility> to isolate and culture airborne yeasts, effectively setting up a mobile fermentation process for alcohol on the go.
As the days bled together, Taki Tsuki gradually stepped out of the canopy’s deep shadows. She began following the party openly along the sturdy tree branches, occasionally dropping down to exchange brief, measured words with Thorin. Loki watched her with a knowing amusement; he possessed the <Espionage> skill himself, and he could recognize the subtle art of intelligence-gathering when he saw it. She was digging into his past, piece by piece.
Yet, despite her analytical nature, the Dark Elf kunoichi found distinct ways to bridge the distance between them every evening. Her nightly routines varied, but they always narrowed the gap: she would ask curious questions about her dream-self from Earth, offer firm shoulder rubs to ease his traveling tension, share lore about her Dark Elf clans, or subtly steal a brief, tame kiss before disappearing into the dark.
From what Loki could gather, Elven courtship was highly stratified. High Elves viewed romance as a light, airy, and strictly poetic affair. Dark Elves, by contrast, were brutally direct—the men expected absolute submission, favoring a primal, canine style of mating during intimacy. Given that Loki had never once asked about Elven biology, he strongly suspected Taki was dropping none-too-subtle hints about exactly what she expected from him in the future.
With their packs full and their objectives thoroughly met, the trio decided to break camp and head back to the capital a day ahead of schedule. Deep down, Loki was feeling the ache of separation; he missed Sylvia and Shade terribly.
He found himself wondering why his heart only yearned for his silver- and white-haired wives, momentarily forgetting his snake lady. The realization hit him with a laugh: the day after he attained the rank of 2nd Circle Summoner, he had called Shehuang to his side and immediately ushered her into his newly manifested <Summons Space>. She wasn't miles away; she was coiled comfortably inside his very magical core, always present. Of course, the fiercely territorial and clingy Lamia had immediately dragged him into the brush for a thoroughly exhausting "appreciation award" before letting him pack.
Achieving the 2nd Circle had fundamentally rewritten Loki’s magical repertoire, granting him three distinct tools:
<Minor Air & Life Utility>: The Swiss Army knife of his current build, proving indispensable for environmental manipulation and resource gathering.
<Strong-Heal Summons>: A potent burst of restoration equivalent to a dedicated Healer's <Large Heal>, restoring up to 50% of a target's vitality. Its single caveat was that it only affected the Summoner's contracted beasts—though, in a brilliant loophole, Shehuang could cast her version of the spell directly on Loki.
<Summons Space>: The ultimate quality-of-life upgrade for any serious Summoner. It provided a safe, practical pocket dimension to feed, shelter, and grow summons within the caster's core. Furthermore, if a summon was forcefully banished by enemy magic, they would snap back to this sanctuary rather than being hurled into the volatile elemental planes they originated from. Loki had spared no imagination crafting Shehuang's domain, molding it into a sweeping, grand Chinese-style imperial palace complete with lush gardens, rivers, specialized fauna, and—per her explicit demands—several dozen naked statues of himself carved in heroic poses. Whenever she grew lonely, she could send an emotional tug through the bond, signaling her desire to be summoned.
When the intrepid trio finally broke through the tree line and exited the dense forest, they halted dead in their tracks.
Their two massive Clydesdales were exactly where they had left them, unharmed and resting by the trail. But as Loki rubbed his eyes to check if he was hallucinating, Thorin turned pale, his jaw dropping as he stuttered in pure betrayal.
"Is... is your horse mating my Brown Sugar?!"
Sleipnir, Loki’s imposing, charcoal-grey Demonic Beast, was currently in the middle of giving the mare a thorough, enthusiastic cream filling. As Loki’s gaze locked onto the beast, the stallion turned its dark, intelligent eyes toward him. Loki could swear the damn horse was grinning, radiating a smug energy that screamed revenge with benefits.
The two men stood there, feeling an awkward mix of shame and secondhand embarrassment, looking exactly like parents who had walked in on their teenagers.
Taki Tsuki adjusted her gear, her voice entirely deadpan as she broke the silence. "Don't worry, Thorin. A stallion and a mare require only a short while to copulate. We can leave shortly."
Thorin stared at the scene, visualized the grim reality of riding a cream-filled horse back to the city, and immediately turned on his heel. He began walking down the dirt road on foot.
"Just... just make Brown Sugar follow you guys," Thorin muttered, staring straight ahead. "I need some alone time."
As a superhuman, a long-distance march on foot wouldn't physically tire him, but the spiritual damage was absolute.
Loki turned to his kunoichi partner, clearing his throat. "That isn't my fault, right?"
The Dark Elf offered a slow, deliberate nod. "Sleipnir is definitely doing it on purpose, my Lord. Perhaps he is merely demonstrating the proper Dark Elf style for you?"
Loki stared at the increasingly scandalous elf, letting out a long, silent sigh in his heart. Seeing his proud horse finally finish its business and step away, he shook his head. "Do you want to ride on Brown Sugar, or with me?"
"With you," Taki replied instantly, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Or I will walk... Let us go, my Lord."
They saddled the insufferably pleased demonic stallion, took Brown Sugar’s lead, and began the trek home.
Upon arriving at the soaring spires of the Sky City capital, they dropped the heavily coated Brown Sugar off at the estate of one of Thorin’s wives and promptly fled the scene to avoid questions. After stabling Sleipnir, Loki practically sprinted toward the manor, eager to locate Sylvia.
He approached the double doors of the main duchy office and gave a polite knock, knock. He waited for her acknowledgement before turning the brass handle.
"The door is open, please come in," her clear voice echoed from within.
The heavy oak door creaked open. Normally, only high-ranking maids and trusted confidants like Shade had access to this wing, allowing Sylvia to drop her strict, formal guard. When she looked up from the mountain of morning paperwork and intelligence reports, her striking blue eyes flared with instant warmth.
"Loki! You’re a day early," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she sensed his aura. "And oh! You’ve reached the 2nd Circle already?"
High-tier Knights and Mages could easily discern the power levels of monsters and individuals, provided the target was at least one full Circle below them. Because Sylvia was a powerhouse of the 9th Circle, anyone whose magical depths she couldn't immediately pierce was assumed to be a master of the 9th Circle by default—unless they wore specialized, high-grade artifacts to mask their output.
Loki held up a hand, cutting off her motion to stand. "Don't get up, you're pregnant! Let me come to you, Wife."
He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around the silver-haired woman. Sylvia leaned into the embrace, a teasing smirk tugging at her lips. "Loki, don't be ridiculous. I am of the 9th Circle. Unless our child is struck by a direct, catastrophic blow from a master, I cannot lose this baby. Haha~!"
Mwah!
Loki effectively sealed her mouth with a deep, lingering kiss. When he finally released her lips, he gave her a mock-stern look. "Hey, don't tease me. I'm completely new to this whole fatherhood thing, alright? Just let me dote on you, jeez."
A wave of genuine affection washed over Sylvia. She softened, resting her forehead against his. "Sleep in our bed tonight. I missed you very much."
Loki tightened his hug, grinning. "Got it, Duchess. This Mage-Knight shall personally protect you from perverted husbands all night long."
She opened her mouth to retort, but the memory of a pressing matter cut her off. "Oh, before I forget—our father, the former Duke Sky, is traveling here to meet you. We will be hosting a formal family dinner before you leave for the royal capital."
Loki stiffened, a sudden cold sweat breaking out on his neck. Between the wilderness trials and the harem management, he had completely forgotten that Sylvia had an actual family—one that had been too far away to attend their sudden wedding.
Sensing his sudden panic, Sylvia patted his cheek reassuringly. "Relax. Our father is a good man, and he is genuinely excited to meet you. Honestly, he is just thrilled about the child. He spent years worried I would never marry in his lifetime, let alone grant him a grandchild. Believe me, you already have a passing grade."
"Um... suddenly, I feel entirely unworthy of you," Loki joked, letting out a theatrical sigh.
Mwah!
She gave his lips a parting peck and gently shoved him away from her desk. "Stop joking and get out of here, I have work to finish. I’ll see you at dinner tonight. Now go find Shade down at the military installation; she’s currently prepping the airship for the flight in two weeks."
Loki smirked at the commanding, regal aura she radiated—looking every bit like a powerful, corporate CEO from Earth—and left her to her ledgers.
The central military base of the duchy was a bustling hub of iron and magic. Loki found Shade out on the expansive airfield, standing near the massive mooring towers.
She was in the middle of directing a specialized team of mages as they carefully refueled the vessel's massive, glowing magical cores. The moment she spotted him walking across the tarmac, a flash of pure joy crossed her blue eyes, though her stoic, military-hardened demeanor kept her expression carefully guarded in public.
Knowing better than to throw his arms around her while she was commanding troops in plain view, Loki halted a few paces back and snapped into a crisp, rigid military salute—the classic variant utilized by the United States Navy on Earth: right hand raised to the brow, palm facing downward to conceal the thumb, forearm locked at a precise forty-five-degree angle.
He had learned recently that King Owen himself had introduced this exact salute to the Kingdom's standing military forces. The nobility, however, were strictly excluded from the custom; the crown still demanded they drop to one knee in the royal presence.
Shade looked him up and down. "You're back."
"I'm back!" Loki grinned.
"Do you want a tour of my one-thousand-foot airship?" she asked, her voice flat but her eyes dancing.
"I guess?"
"Or would you rather see my private captain's quarters and the bed?"
Loki didn't hesitate. "Next time, lead with that one. Let’s hurry!"
A rare, genuine smile cracked Shade’s icy exterior as she turned to lead the way, clearly thrilled by his eagerness to be alone with her.
Half an hour later, the interior of the private captain's quarters was filled with the rhythmic, heavy creak, creak of a heavy box-spring framework, masking the low hum of the airfield outside.
"Slow down... there's no rush... Mmm~!" Shade breathed, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
Loki was operating on pure, unadulterated instinct, driving deep and slow, unable to contain the pent-up energy of the last week. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck, leaving dark love-marks across her collarbone and the swell of her breasts, pacing himself like a teenager caught in the throes of absolute lust.
"Ah, I can't help it," Loki groaned against her skin, his chest heaving. "I love you the most~!"
He knew he was technically still in the doghouse for sleeping with Sylvia first, making it vital to keep Shade on a VIP pedestal, but in truth, her body and fierce, loyal heart were completely intoxicating.
Hearing his breathless declaration, Shade's entire body trembled. A sudden, violent climax rippled through her core, her inner muscles clamping down tight. Sensing her release, Loki completely lost his grip on his own control.
"Um~! Captain, permission to cum aboard?!" he panted, a wild grin on his face.
As the waves of her orgasm began to fade, Shade rolled her eyes at the terrible pun, but she locked her long, toned legs firmly around his waist, pulling him flush against her. "Permission granted, ha~!"
Loki drove forward, filling her completely just as the word left her lips, earning a breathless, triumphant smile from the captain.
Once the frantic pacing slowed and their breathing synchronized, Shade rested her head on his chest, her tone turning grounded and serious. "In two weeks, I am scheduled to fly you, your brother, and a dozen other selected students from the northern duchy to the royal capital. After a few days of layover there, I'll have to pilot the vessel back north... unless, of course, you want me to retire early?"
"Don't be ridiculous, you absolutely love your job," Loki said softly, running a hand through her white hair. "Just do whatever brings you happiness, Wife. You have my full support. Besides, I'm going to be buried in academy work and capital politics for a while anyway. Plus, there's always the summer—Sylvia mentioned she has to travel to the royal court to hold official sessions a few times a year, right?"
Shade shifted slightly, a dangerous, knowing glint entering her eyes. "Good. You know me well... inside and out."
The deliberate, ambiguous wording sent a physical jolt straight through Loki, and his erection—still resting deep inside her—instantly surged back to full attention. Shade gave him a challenging, fiercely seductive look, entirely aware of the reaction she had provoked.
Loki grinned, rolling them over until he pinned her beneath him against the pillows. "Captain, prepare to be boarded! I'm seizing this ship and taking all the booty!"
Mwah!
Shade pulled his head down, claiming his lips in a fierce, demanding kiss as the second great sea battle of the afternoon commenced.
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