[S3] Chapter 45: Visitor

“You don't need to make the restraints so tight. I could break free anyway.”

“You should keep your mouth shut.”

“I get it.”

“And yet you're babbling again.”

When I watch the two of them like this, there is no physical resemblance whatsoever, but they still have something of siblings. What kind of creature is she? Her snout, her big ears, tail, and fur-covered body are very animal-like, resembling those of a dog or wolf. But her hair, hands, feet, and the fact that she wears clothes make her look almost human.

“What are you staring at?”

Miko gives her a slap on the back of the head, although the creature's question is quite legitimate. Without breaking eye contact with her, Miko comes over to me so that we are now both facing our uninvited visitor. The restraints that Miko has shaped from her magical metal fix the beast's body to the chair on which she is sitting.

Her legs, which have been left free, are spread wide so that you can peek under her relatively short skirt if you want. I have my doubts as to whether this creature has learned any etiquette or is simply trying to provoke us. After all, her fur looks very clean and fluffy, so I have to restrain myself from petting her.

“Just answer my questions,” Miko says in an annoyed tone and receives a silent nod in response.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Surako, your first and only retainer, my princess.”

“What are you?”

“A wolf-man. The only one in our kingdom.”

She doesn't seem like she's telling lies, though my judgment of people has let me down before. I notice how Surako's breathing gets heavier.

“What do you want?”

“Bring you home.”

“How did you get here? Did Lilith send you?”

"Lilith?" she snarls, baring her teeth and furrowing her eyebrows. “I got here through a portal. And no one sent me. I've been looking for a way to find you for years.”

“How did you become Miko's retainer?” I ask a little reluctantly, somehow feeling out of place in this line of questioning.

“Her father bought me after I was born so she could have a partner by her side. After all, her life as a princess was destined to be lonely. Everything was fine until Lilith showed up and snatched Miko away when we were in the middle of a war.”

“She saved me.”

“Bullshit! She was powerful enough to win this war for us, but she ran away instead. That witch played with your brain; otherwise, you would never have... you would never have forgotten me!” Surako is visibly close to tears, and without knowing her, it stings my heart to see her suffer like this.

“Stop shouting,” Miko says unusually calmly. My gaze wanders over to her, and I see a few tears slowly running down her cheeks. Her look is serious, almost angry.

“It's not your fault, Miko. I'm sure we can get your memories back. You just have to come home with me."

“This is my new home. Where Kayla is is my home.”

My cheeks turn a little red, and I look down at the floor.

“Then take her with you, make her your queen. I don't care as long as you come back.”

“No, thank you.”

I can't tell what's going on inside Miko. On the one hand, she wanted to find a way to see Lilith again, but then we met someone who was partially responsible for the creation of the dungeons, only to have a former childhood companion from another world turn up on the same day.

“How did you even find us?”

Surako averts her eyes and says nothing.

“Reena helped you, didn't she? You came to this island through one of her dungeons. Was that a coincidence, or were you two in touch? Answer the truth, or I'll end your life here and now.” Within a second, the ring of magical metal slips from my finger and forms into a sword in Miko's hand, the tip of which she holds to Surako's throat.

“I landed here over a year ago. Reena found me by chance and took me in. Contrary to what I first suspected, she ended up detaining me instead of welcoming me into her guild. Her reasoning was that I would cause too much commotion. But more than once, I could smell Lilith on the premises, and then I realized that there was another reason why I wasn't allowed to leave my room.”

“You expect me to believe that you just sat in your room for a year?”

“Ever heard of magical contracts? If you sign one with a mage who is more powerful than you, they can theoretically force things on you without you realizing it."

My employment contract with the guild wasn't a magical one, was it? I don't think my behavior changed much after I joined the guild. I already had a crush on Miko before and wanted to be with her. It was only natural that I started going into dungeons. What are these doubts anyway? It's all nonsense.

“And why did she let you go?”

“Because Lilith is gone, and you're here. Reena is dangerous, but she's not a monster.”

“Kayla?”

“Yes?”

“Is it okay if we leave the island? I want to get away from here.”

“Sure. I understand.” I want to leave this place, too. It's not the solution to the problem to run away, but staying here right now is anything but helpful.

“Thank you. I'll sort it out with the landlord in the morning, and then we'll take the next ferry.”

“Sounds good.”

“Hey. And what about me?”

“You're staying here, of course.”

“Miko... we're like sisters.”

“I want to believe you. I don't think you mean any harm to me, either. But put yourself in my shoes. I know absolutely nothing about this other world. About you.”

Both the sword and the shackles that hold Surako in place melt and form back into our rings, of which Miko hands me one. Surako gets up from the chair, walks the few steps towards us, and takes Miko in her arms, which allows this without resistance.

“You may have forgotten me, but I can remember every single moment. So please forgive me if I don't give up. We'll meet again.”

She then walks towards the entrance, turning around just before she leaves, and bows deeply to us. Then, she disappeared just as quickly as she had arrived.

"Dude, what a day." Miko says and starts chuckling, "What about the pizza? Am I still getting one?" If she immediately thinks about food, she can't be feeling too bad, right?

“I still have the app open. What do you want?”

"What's on the menu?"

“Everything.”

“I want lasagna.”

“I thought you wanted pizza.”

“Yeah, that too.”

I hand her my phone without further comment and let her throw everything she wants into the cart today. I will treat her like the princess she is supposed to be. I just need to be careful to never call her like that again.

◇◇◇

“Does healing magic help with stomach pain?”

“Never tried it, but it might... Should I?”

“Yes, please.”

Miko and I sit on the sofa, where she is now leaning back against the backrest and pulling up the T-shirt she has on. A noticeable bulge has formed under her firm abs, on which I carefully place my hands as I start to work my magic.

“You look pregnant.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“Just a food baby, don't worry.”

"A real baby might be difficult."

We don't want to talk about having children now, do we? Let's move on to another topic.

“And is it helping?”

“At least I don't feel the pain anymore.”

"Goal achieved, I'd say," I comment and take my hands off her belly. It's a bit sad that our vacation will be over tomorrow, but there's nothing to stop us from looking for a new place to relax. Somehow, it's Miko's own fault that she chose Reena's location for our trip.

“Who else was on the list? The one you found Reena on.”

“No one interesting. We already knew most of them, which is why Reena was the only one left.”

“Yes? Who do we know?”

“Luna was on it; Jora was on it, and even Wace was.”

“Makes sense.”

“You think so?”

“All pretty strong mages. Plus, Jora and Wace are both from your world.”

“Then what's Luna doing on the list?”

“She can use the mana from the dungeons better than any witch I've met so far. Plus, she's pretty knowledgeable with the forbidden spells and magic circles.”

"Sometimes, your ability to grasp things still surprises me."

“Wow, thanks. I don't know why you always assumed that I am stupid.”

"I guess it's because you so rarely think before you speak. But I must have had a good influence on you."

"Right, thank you for making me a good person."

“Not a thing. And it's really okay that we're leaving tomorrow?”

“Sure, where did you come up with that?”

“We're just having so much fun, I don't know, I don't want to ruin it.”

“And I'm the one who doesn't think before she speaks? Has it ever occurred to you that it's us and not this place that we're having fun?”

"We haven't talked this much nonsense and laughed like this at home for ages."

She's right. And I have no explanation or excuse for not behaving like this earlier. We spent every night together and woke up next to each other every single morning.

"We just need to talk things over. No secrets, no self-doubt. We're always there for each other."

"That almost sounds like a marriage vow," Miko says, grinning at me.

"First, the baby talk. Now, we are getting married. What's going on? Do you want to tell me something?" I laugh a little nervously. It's not that these topics are forbidden, but they're definitely not part of my mindset.

“This dog is to blame. She said I could make you my queen.”

“But you'd have to become a princess first. I thought that wasn't for you.”

Miko sighs loudly and groans in annoyance. “I've just been thinking about what I want to do in the future for a while now. Of course, I could continue to work as a witch, earn money, and spend my free time with you. That sounds really nice, too, don't get me wrong. But I'm missing something. I'm missing a sense of justification and purpose.”

I understand her. As a child, my goal was always to be like my mother. After she died, I began my endless search for the answer to the question of who I wanted to be what I could be. I have found comfort in living from day to day, but now and then, I am also caught up wondering what my future should look like what I have to do to be happy. Miko coming into my life was like winning the lottery, but when I think about it, life has just given me someone to lean on and look up to again.

"So, you think becoming a princess or queen gives you that purpose?"

“I can't say without trying it. What do you think I should do?”

“I think I've told you that more than once. I can't make any decisions for you, but you should know that I will always stay by your side and support you in everything you do."

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“You know it's not good that you always encourage me like this.”

“I can't help it. I just love you too much.”

“Is that so? Since when did you know that you love me? Not that you have a crush on me or anything. I could see that in your eyes when we first met."

“I don't think there's a single moment.”

“Try to pick one.”

“Huh? Do it yourself, since when did you think you loved me?”

“I'm not telling you.”

“What? That's unfair, why not? I'm not going to laugh, I swear."

Miko grabs a cushion from the sofa, hugs it tightly, and turns away from me. I can see her ears glowing red... as if I'm letting go now.

“Come on, please.”

“I think pretty early on...”

“What do you mean?”

"I fell in love with you ages ago, but do you think I realized that? My head was full of you. I closed my eyes and saw your smile. When you weren't with me, I wondered what you were doing. When I could see you again, I felt at peace. Your presence made me feel so at ease right from the start."

I don't quite understand. What does she mean by from the beginning?

“You remember my first confession, don't you?”

“Yes...”

“How did you feel then?”

“I was annoyed. This addiction to you irritated me so much that I was ready to ruin what we had. But deep down, I knew that you wouldn't give up.”

"So I was suffering until you finally understood that a romantic partnership with me might not be so bad after all? Do you remember how you started our relationship on a trial basis? Demanded that you decide when we get closer?”

“I'm sorry.”

“All good. I understand how you felt.”

“Do you?”

“This addiction to you has felt unhealthy and a little scary, even for me. I never thought I needed to be in a relationship. But when I met you, I knew I wanted you.”

“Stop saying things like that.” Oh gosh, she is blushing so beautifully.

“Shall we go to bed?” I put one hand on hers and scratch her skin a little with my nails.

I can see goosebumps spreading over her arm. “Yes,” she says, breathing heavily.

The power I have over her with my words and actions alone is giving me the wildest fantasies right now. It's our last night here. Why don't I play with her just a little?

◇◇◇

I was so exhausted that I had the deepest sleep imaginable. I hope Miko is doing well. The noises she was making at times worried me, but certainly not so much that I stopped having my way with her. Just the memory of last night makes a heat spread through my body again. I take a deep breath to calm down before slowly opening my eyes.

Miko is not there. No idea what time it is. The sun definitely rose hours ago. I want to check on her, but my body doesn't feel like getting up yet. With what little strength I already have, I lift myself up to sit in the bed.

While my eyes are slowly coming back into focus, Miko walks into the bedroom. She radiates a coldness and tension that immediately makes me wide awake.

“What happened?”

“We can't get off the island. Check your phone." Miko goes to the closet and pulls out some clothes. I look around for my cell phone in a slight panic before I finally find it. My display has never been so cluttered. There are endless messages from different private chats, but what makes my heart skip a beat is an emergency notification from the government, which is normally used for potential natural disasters.

I unlock my phone with shaky hands and read the notification. Dungeon gates have appeared all over the country, and various life forms, both dangerous and aggressive as well as harmless ones, are escaping. The population is asked to stay within their own homes and await further instructions from the authorities. Mages are requested to assist in containing this outbreak.

“What do we do now?”

"I don't know what you're doing, but I'm having a word with Reena. The timing seems suspicious, after all. I don't know what she's up to, but dragging the whole country into this is going too far."

“You think she conjured up so many dungeons? That doesn't make any sense.”

“It doesn't. That's why I just want to talk to her first.”

“You don't seem like you want to use words.”

“Can you tell?”

“Miko, calm down. We'd better think about how we can help.” I just hope that everyone is all right. Especially Eliza and my father, who wouldn't be able to defend themselves against a dungeon monster.

“I am calm. Get dressed if you want to come with me.”

I get a really queasy feeling. But I do as she tells me, get dressed and freshen up. We leave the house and walk with fairly quick steps towards the guild building. It feels like it only takes a moment before we are standing in front of a closed gate. But that's not the only thing that stands out. The people on the island also seem to go about their daily lives as normal, there are no emergency announcements or anything like that. Apparently, this island has been spared from the dungeon outbreak.

“A closed gate. Can you use a detection spell?”

"Yes." I don't question and simply do as she says. I shape my ring into a wand once more and draw a simple but very useful magic circle with it, which tells me how many people are in the area a second later. I can't help but clench my free hand into a fist and bite my lower lip slightly. The fact that, apparently, the whole guild is waiting for us on the other side unfortunately reinforces the suspicion that Reena has something to do with all of this.

“You don't have to say anything. I understand.”

“Please don't kill anyone.”

“I'm trying to.”

Miko pounds her left fist against the closed gate several times while a sword forms in her right hand.

"Hello, anyone home? I think you have a visitor."