“Sit!” May growled, Rhiney whining before gingerly sitting on the ground.
“Hmpth, good. Utarou give him some of your arm as a treat.” May huffed as Rhiney looked up pleadingly at Utarou.
“I don’t like how I’m being used as a free dragon food.” Utarou groaned, but a glare from the tired May shut him up quickly.
“I will say, I am enjoying this Monster Tamer skill.” May remarked, looking at her skill tree.
Under Utarou’s instruction and after 9 months of accumulated XP finally had the chance to be absorbed properly, she’d unlocked 3 new skills.
Tier 1, Calm Monsters. All monsters in her presence are now 50% more relaxed.
Tier 2, Monster Skill Viewer. May can open up any monster’s skill tree.
Tier 3, Command Monsters. May can get monsters to listen and understand her commands, whether they obey or not is another story.
Needless to say, Utarou was very pleased with these developments.
“UAWHHH, WAUHHHH!” Screamed little baby Barney Junior.
“Looks like BJ is hungry again.” Utarou smirked.
“Stop calling him that.” May hissed as she grabbed Barney Junior from his cradle.
He was a healthy 2 month old baby boy, had his fathers darker skin tone but his mothers eyes.
“Do ya mind?” May asked, motioning with her head for Utarou to leave.
“Hey you’re the one who asked me to come help train Rhinoplasty. I’m the duke of Dracons, remember? I have important things to do!” Utarou retorted, raising his hands in the air. May frowned.
“His name is Rhiney… and I’m pretty sure ya ‘ave just been bossin’ people around and sending out letters to stop trading with other folks.” May frowned.
“Yeah! That’s what Dukes do!” Utarou retorted as he left May and Barney’s new house.
Dryholm had been expanding rapidly, with the mass influx of people it’d been rough, but they’d been incredibly lucky with getting the people of Nihola first.
They were resilient, effective and most importantly, they were very used to hunting monsters, something which Dryholm was in no short supply of.
The previously forested village had been entirely felled, with new houses being constructed as compact and tall as Utarou could convince the people to go.
He had sent Henrek and Hope to enact his pregnant parents' poaching plan in the villages of Kolob and Wigga, and was expecting them to arrive any day now.
All trade had been directed to Dryholm 2 months ago, and migrants from that decree had been trickling in as news spread. Though it was clear most people took the opportunity to leave Dracons if they were able to.
“Hey! It’s the Mad Duke!” A teenager laughed as Utarou walked through the growing village of Dryholm. The boy's mother quickly grabbed him and pulled him into the half built home.
“Shush! Don’t let him see you.” The mother hushed, but Utarou began approaching.
“I-I’m so sorry my lord my son doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s just an idiot boy please don’t hurt him!” The mother begged, much to Utarou’s bemusement.
“Relax, hey kid, mind telling me why you called me that just then?” Utarou asked in a soft, gentle voice. The boy was suddenly petrified, his prior confidence shattered as he stood in front of the Mad Duke himself.
“T-t-those k-kids from Nihola said you uh… you… you had… plans… for the uh… babies and you were… going to… make them into uh… monsters…” The boy stammered, it was such a blatantly false playground rumor, right?
“And they call me mad because of a dream?” Utarou asked, suddenly looking up into the clear blue sky.
“Is it mad for a fish to look onto the shore and decide it will learn to breath!?”
“W-what?”
“Is it mad for that fish to become a frog and dream of bigger things! Going even further inland, up to taller heights!?”
“Frogs?”
“IS IT MAD FOR THAT LIZARD TO DECIDE THAT THE HEAVENS ITSELF ARE IT’S HOMES AND EVOLVE WINGS?!” Utarou asked, picking the kid up by the scruff of his shirt.
“N-No?!”
“THAT’S RIGHT! WE ALL DREAM OF THINGS WE CANNOT HAVE, BUT GIVEN ENOUGH TIME AND DEDICATION, THE GENERATIONS WILL EVENTUALLY BEND TO MY WILL! I WILL HAVE MY MONSTER GIRL HAREM BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY DAMNIT!” Utarou screamed to the heavens, most of the residents of Dryholm were used to this kind of outburst from Utarou, it’d become part of the ambiance.
Though the new arrivals were still freaked out by it still.
There was a reason the kids called him the Mad Monster Duke.
“I-I-I’m sorry?!” The teenager sobbed.
“No no, don’t be sorry boy, be proactive. Pick the most wild and extreme skills you can, that’s the only way we can shape the next generation, yes, yes we must push ourselves now our future children, well your future children, I’m pushing you for my sake still, yes, yes…” Utarou mumbled as he walked towards the village graveyard, having thoroughly traumatized the boy.
“My reputation is a problem that will solve itself in time. I've already solved Dryholm’s famine and Wyvern problem in one swoop with the residents of Nihola… But we’re overdue for a visit from the Avoisan Church and whatever merry men they’re bringing. Barney thinks he can handle them all on his own, even if that’s true we’ll have some major long term problems with the graveyard without the church.” Utarou pondered as she wandered to the graveyard, where Gertrude was sitting besides her husband's grave.
“You’re not planning on throwing us to the monsters like those Nihola savages are you?” Gertrude asked bitterly as she wiped moss away from the grave.
“Not if I can help it” Utarou sighed as he sat down on a nearby stump from one of the many felled trees in Dryholm.
“I couldn’t believe they’d forsake their families like that… unable to be laid to rest…” Gertrude spat.
She was rightfully worried about what would happen to her given that the town of Dryholm now primarily consisted of residents from Nihola. They’d already cut down the canopy of trees that had protected her since she was a little girl, changing the little valley town nearly overnight.
Though, they’d also brought food to fix the famine, food made from monsters as well.
It was very conflicting for the old woman.
“I’ve got a plan… Though I’ll need to find someone with the right set of skills…” Utarou sighed as he looked at the graves. As far as he knew, ghosts were a ubiquitous problem in this world, one which the Church had a monopoly.
One which Utarou would have to overthrow if he was to get a Ghost Girl for his harem.