[TWS] Chapter 57 - Girls Talk (Patreon)

After Tina calmed down from the unexpected revelation, Miria turned back to her humanoid form and everyone sat back around the table again. Naturally, both she and Selene took Ast’s sides.

Surprisingly, Miria was showing a bit more closeness than usual, even though Ast could feel her embarrassment through their connection as she leant her body against his and rested her head on his shoulder with a blissful smile. Her tail made slow, charming dances as she displayed her affection.

Asterios cleared his throat to bring Tina out of her slightly dazed state as she kept staring between the two women in turns while having a very thoughtful expression. She jumped very slightly and returned her gaze to Ast, showing him a soft smile.

“So… They are really your summons?” she asked.

“They are. I can show you the Brand if you want.”

“No need. I believe you. It’s just… quite shocking…”

“Trust me. It was and is as shocking to me as it is to you. It’s not every day you get saved by a person that also is somehow able to enter the Summoner’s Contract as a familiar.”

“Maybe it’s because I can change into a panther?” Miria asked by the side of her face.

“Selene can’t and was still able to join us,” he answered.

“Then… Maybe because we are Beastfolk? Or because we have beast or monster-like blood or origins or something? You also once said that Summoners can contract Dragons and they can take humanoid form too, so maybe it’s not really about being a humanoid race and something else?” She continued pondering out loud.

“Who knows what’s the exact principle here. We’ll hopefully see with time as we try to recruit more companions in the future. For now, we didn’t come here to solve the mysteries behind Summoning Magic, but to thank Tina for her help.”

“Ah. I’m sorry, Master.”

He moved his hand to her head and stroked Miria’s ears for a bit while she released a few quiet purrs. Tina couldn’t stop staring at them with slightly tightened lips. She would love to be in the panthergirl’s place. Maybe she could ask him for some pats as a show of gratitude? Wouldn’t that be really weird?

She hastily fixed her expression back to a casual smile when Ast turned to her again. A soft chuckle arrived from his other side. She completely forgot about the other woman for a moment, which had a knowing and mischievous smirk on her face, causing Tina’s cheeks to get slightly rosy for being caught by her.

Tina coughed to cool herself down again. “Umm… There’s no need for this. I did it because I wanted to and just couldn’t leave Miss Kindra alone when faced with issues coming from that jerk.”

“No can do. You were even going to lend my mom money. And I bet it’s your own allowance you were usually using on supplies and other things, right?”

She nodded faintly.

“I really appreciate it. Thank you. I’m sure you’d keep supporting her if I didn’t come back yesterday. This might not be much, but I want you to have it as a small token of my gratitude.”

Tina curiously observed Asterios as he brought out a small, rectangular box made out of deep blue material with silver etchings. Her eyes widened a little when she thought about the possible implications of such a gesture. If that box contained a certain piece of jewellery… Then…

She softly shook her head and extended her hand to receive the box. It definitely wasn’t it. There was no reason for Ast to do something like that and she shouldn’t let her thoughts run wild so far ahead. She very carefully lifted the fleece-covered lid and took a peek inside.

Lying on a soft, black, material cushion was a silvery, metallic hair ornament in the shape of a Sea Serpent. It was of the size of a thumb and had a lot of details, ranging from the masterfully engraved, tiny scales over its whole body, to dazzling eyes filled with small, carved sapphires.

As she was admiring the lovely hairpin, a small, light blue gate opened by Tina’s head and a Shearwater jumped out of it, landing on her shoulder. She glanced at it and the bird reached with its beak towards the ornament, picking it up. The next moment, it skillfully held it by the side of her forehead, announcing its intention.

Tina quickly helped it and put the clip on her hair. She grazed the hairpin with her fingers once more before looking at Asterios with a dazzling smile. He could swear the little bird winked at him as it plopped itself on her lap.

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.” She bowed her head a little. “Ah. This is Ori, my first familiar. He is a Shearwater.” She patted the bird’s head as she introduced her friend.

Asterios nodded his head at it and Ori also lowered his beak in response. He was now sure the animal was highly intelligent. Even if Shearwaters weren’t strong beasts, Tina was very lucky to summon and contract a smart one such as it. And some of its Wind-type abilities were pretty useful.

After the short introduction, silence filled the room. Tina just sat there slightly blushing while brushing her familiar’s feathers and Ast wasn’t really sure what to talk about with her without it sounding forced. It was quite different than with Miria or Selene. He only knew a few things about Tina and her family.

He decided to move on instead of prolonging this awkward state. “Well then. I’m glad you like it. It looks as perfect on you as I imagined when I first saw it.”

Tina dropped her gaze and Ori squeaked quietly, most likely from having her squeeze him a bit too hard. Asterios smiled wryly and continued.

“I’m planning on visiting the Guild after this, so if you want and have nothing better to do, we could go together.”

She immediately lifted her eyes. “Really?”

Ast nodded and smiled, seeing her so energetic. Tina squirmed internally. Even if he didn’t mean it, it was pretty much an invitation for a date! And even if the other girls would come with them, she couldn’t waste this chance to get closer to him!

Sensing his mistress’s rising excitement, Ori quickly jumped off Tina’s lap shortly before she stood up in a flash, barely avoiding getting thrown into the air. He shook his head. She always kept forgetting about everything else when it came to that man.

“I’d love to accompany you!”

Tina agreed and they slowly made their way back to the main lobby. Arriving there, they found her parents also preparing to leave somewhere together.

Lady Luna’s husband, Viscount Thomas Nobelle, was exactly as Ast heard. A tall man with a handsome face and shoulder-long black hair. He looked quite young for someone in his forties. His grey eyes were giving vibes of a very inquisitive and smart person. He was only slightly taller than his wife.

They obviously noticed Ast and Tina coming. Miria and Selene returned to their realm earlier since it would be a bit surprising to have them leave when they didn’t enter the premises in the first place. Lady Luna glanced at Tina, who came closer to change her shoes.

“I’ll be going out with Asterios, mom. I’ll return before our scheduled meeting.”

“To where, if I could know?”

Ast moved closer to answer. “I have to pay a visit to the Guild to submit an escort request so that I can officially accompany my mother to Tyrienheim.”

Tina’s father turned his way. “Oh? Is perhaps Miss Kindra moving out? I heard there was some trouble at her store recently. I quite liked the jewellery there.”

He nodded. “Yes, she is. Although, the issue is close to being resolved, so the shop will be fine in a day or two. There might be a new manager, but it shouldn’t affect the customers much, sir.”

“Wait! Doesn’t that mean you are moving out too?” Tina asked, knowing well how much did Ast’s mother mean to him and that the probability of him staying was close to zero.

“Yes. I planned on telling you during our little trip to the Guild.”

Tina’s expression turned dejected as her shoulders slumped down. Just as things were starting to look a little better, another obstacle appeared in front of her. The first was the appearance of the two girls, and now, the distance and inability to see him even sporadically joined the fray.

Seeing her almost heartbroken expression, Asterios sighed. He glanced at Tina’s mother and smiled wryly.

“I apologize, Lady Luna,” he said, earning himself a confused raise of an eyebrow from the woman. “I hope you can pardon me this once.”

Then, he turned back to Tina and gently lifted her chin up. She looked at him slightly surprised.

“I wanted to save the second part of my thank you gift for later, but I guess now is a better time.”

Her eyes widened seeing him closing the distance between their faces. A moment later, Ast’s lips left a soft peck on her forehead before departing quickly. An amused ‘Oh my!’ reached their ears, coming from her mother.

~Good job!~ Miria’s voice echoed in Ast’s head.

He hastily checked for Tina’s parents' reactions. Her mother was hiding a smile behind her petite hand and her father was slightly squinting his eyes at him, but there was no malice or anger behind it. He internally exhaled in relief.

Moving his eyes back onto Tina, who still had her chin held upwards by him, he found her staring at him with an almost steaming-red face and quickly took his hand away. A giggle from her mother brought Tina back to reality and she grabbed Ast’s wrist, pulling him towards the entrance while avoiding making eye contact with her parents.

“W-we’ll be off then!”

Asterios didn’t resist and got led outside while Lady Luna waved her hand at them. Tina didn’t stop behind the door and kept walking further with him in tow, staring intently into the ground. The guard barely managed to open the gate before she crashed right into it.

They covered quite the distance and found themselves in the middle of a major street when she finally realized she spaced out and didn’t notice where and for how long she dragged Ast by hand. She quickly stepped away and glanced to the side.

Asterios chuckled and started walking towards the Guild. “Come on, let’s go.”

She ran after him to walk by his side and they ventured forward together. They stopped by a food stall on their way and picked up a few pieces of garlic bread. Tina knew Ast liked it very much and wanted to share this meal together. She also grew to enjoy it after trying it out about a year ago when she learned it was one of his favourite foods.

They didn’t talk much. Either of them didn’t know what to ask or say, except anything related to summoning or the academy as it was their most common connection, and neither of them wanted to make it feel like a forced, empty talk.

Tina was more bothered by it than Asterios as he wasn’t used to talking much and walking in silence was quite normal to him. He also didn’t really have to worry about making a good impression on the love of his life.

Arriving at the Guild, the duo waited in the queue for Ellie. Their turn came pretty quickly and the receptionist smiled widely seeing her friend visiting again.

“Welcome back, Ast! And… Lady Tina, if I’m not mistaken.” She bowed her head a bit.

Even if social status didn’t mean much in the Adventurer’s Guild, Ellie still felt like being a little respectful didn’t hurt anyone. Tina skipped while holding the hem of her skirt and also greeted the receptionist.

“Hello. Just Tina is fine. I’m pretty much Ast’s colleague, so there’s no need for excessive formalities.”

“Alright. Nice to meet you, Tina. Then, how can I help you today, Ast?”

“Another escort quest. But, this time, to Tyrienheim, and as a personal escort. Is it possible for me to tackle it alone?”

“Uhhh… Sorry, but for this, I’m pretty sure we ca—”

“It’s up to discussion.”

A woman’s voice reached their ears and everyone turned towards the stairs located near Ellie’s post. Guildmaster Suanori was leaning over the wooden railing.

“I’d like to have a word with you. We can talk about the request while at it,” she continued.

Asterios nodded. “That’s fine with me.”

A dark crimson gate arose from the ground and Miria walked out of it. “I’ll keep Tina company while you take care of your business, Master.” She flashed him a smile.

He agreed but felt like something was weird. Miria was behaving slightly differently today. She was much more active for some reason, from the moment they met with Tina earlier. He shrugged it off and walked up with Ellie and the Guildmaster after confirming that Tina didn’t mind.

The trio sat down in one of the meeting rooms on the second floor and Ellie served everyone a cup of tea. Suanori took a sip and glanced at Asterios.

“I’ll get straight to the point. It was you, wasn’t it?”

“Depends on what you are asking about.” Ast raised one of his brows.

“Richtensteins’ mansion.”

There was no point in trying to lie if the Guildmaster had already made her assumption. Ast believed someone of her position wouldn’t just trust a gut feeling and had to have some verified information on hand.

“Yeah, it was. I did not bring up the Guild nor the token though. Is there some problem?” he asked.

Suanori sighed while Ellie stared at Ast with slight surprise in her eyes. “I thought so. No, you are not in trouble. Even though attacking a Marquess’s residence is something I’m not really for when it comes from one of our adventurers, something must have been going on to make Richtensteins come up with such an elaborate cover.”

“Oh? What’s the official version then? I did not hear it yet.”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me why you almost turned over a noble’s home in return.”

Asterios nodded. He didn’t need to go into much detail there.

“Supposedly, some young lord was wronged by someone who pretended to be closely affiliated with the Richtenstein’s family, losing a lot of wealth in the process. He used up whatever funds he had left and bought the strongest combat slaves he could, and walked into the mansion straight through the front gate. Even though the discussion was quite heated, resulting in the Marquess’s office getting blown almost into bits, they managed to figure out it was a setup and reached a consensus, clearing the misunderstanding. The Marquess joined hands with him in an attempt to take down the perpetrator and the man left, leaving his servants behind, by the side of someone he knew, so he could pass a message to them in case something happened.”

Ast laughed and shook his head. They did well. He knew they would come up with something for his mother’s issue, but they even crafted a story to cover him in case of someone recognizing Miria or Selene on the streets. He must have left a much more impactful mark on the man than he thought.

“So, what was the real deal?” Suanori asked.

“I guess it was quite close to the fake story. Wilhelm’s son was often coming after me in the academy and Miria kind of made him piss himself in front of a huge crowd as I was leaving. When I was out of the town, that guy went after my mother, faking evidence of smuggling to take down her shop and get her jailed. At least. I got a little angry when I came back and went to the family head to clear things up. A little bit of force was necessary, but everyone ended up fine. Uhhh… Maybe not everyone. I’m not sure about his son.”

Suanori sighed and rubbed her temples. “At least you are smart enough to not kill them. If anything went any worse, expelling you and banning from other guilds would be just the beginning.”

“That’s why I didn’t want to bring your token into this. I can imagine how much trouble it would spell for you, having a trusted adventurer mass murder a noble family in broad daylight.”

“And I’m thankful for that. Now, to not waste more of our time, since you have someone waiting for you, I could make an exemption for the quest, but personally, I don’t want to do it. Tyrienheim is far. Judging by the recent performance, I can assume you are even stronger than I first thought, but still, you shouldn’t overestimate yourself. Especially when you are escorting a relative. If you really don’t want random people joining, I can pick one adventurer personally. It will both match the rules and my advice.”

Asterios pondered for a moment and decided to trust the Guildmaster. He could also not put a request up, but he wanted to have the Guild’s protection just in case. If they were attacked by bandits or something while going just alone, that would be it, no one would know.

But, if it was an official quest, the Guild would have to at least send a notice to other branches about the assailants, or even dispatch a pursuit party if any of them escaped after getting defeated. And in the case of the group not arriving at their destination in a calculated, average travelling period, they would send a search party after them. All in all, it was much better than going without the quest.

He accepted the suggestion and Suanori promised to pick someone in a day or two at most. After bidding farewell to the Guildmaster, he followed Ellie back to the main lobby, chatting with her about the incident as she was very curious and worried about what he got himself into again.

They found Tina and Miria by one of the tables in the corner. The former was staring at the latter with wide eyes while eagerly listening to something the panthergirl was talking about with a joyful expression.

The moment he approached them, Tina glanced at him for a moment and instantly blushed, running away with her gaze from him. Miria smiled at Ast and disappeared into the crimson portal.

The blue-haired girl stood up and slowly walked towards the exit. He followed her, slightly confused. A giggle resounded in his mind.

~What did you do to her?~ he asked Miria.

~Nothing. We just talked a little bit.~

~About what?~

~Us.~

Asterios frowned. He was getting a slightly bad feeling about this.

~What exactly did you tell her?~

~Not much. Just that I was really happy you let me stay with you, and how we spent a lot of time together, and how you saved me, and how I fell for you, and how you were a bit reluctant but still decided to accept my feelings, and then how you became my mate, making me the happiest Pantherkin in the world.~

He sighed inwardly. ~Why?~

~I believe it’s better to tell her sooner than later, Master. I know you were planning on doing so at some point. I told her how amazing you are and how kind you can be to the people you consider close, and that you would definitely be able to make your partners happy, no matter how many would be there. We both know she has feelings for you. She will be able to use the time when we will be away to think if she is fine with not being the only one embraced by you.~

Miria’s behaviour from today made a bit more sense to him now. She must have been gauging her reactions. She noticed Tina’s feelings for him earlier than he did and also stated previously that she did not mind him having more girls around.

The two of them were fine with that, but he did not know what Tina’s stance on these things was. She could very well hate the idea of polygamy with her all. And she came from a noble family. Her parents could have a say in this too. Miria was right. He could have potentially hurt her by giving her hope while hiding the fact that he had someone already.

Miria noticed his thoughts. ~Saying all that, I don’t think you have much to worry about, Master.~

He sent her some mental pats. Ast knew it wasn’t easy for Miria to act like this in the open, but she still tried her best for him to avoid possible misunderstandings and trouble. The only problem now was the slightly blushing, blue-haired girl, walking in front of him while occasionally sending him glances before quickly turning to the front again.

Asterios caught up to her and put a hand on Tina’s shoulder.

“If there will be anything you’d want to ask about, don’t hold yourself back.”

She forced herself to look him in the eyes and nodded after a moment. “Uhn.”

Tina appeared to be getting lost in thought a lot while they walked, so they didn’t visit any more stalls or places and headed back towards her home. He didn’t want to make her feel even more awkward after the conversation she had with Miria.