“Pepper...” Mei-Mei begins, rubbing her temples in annoyance. “Can I ask you a very serious question?”

  “Fweh?” I pause my workout mid-squat to address the tiny dead dwarf who seems to be troubled by something important. “Ah, sure. What’s up?”

  “Why are you so stupid?”

  With a dismissive snort and a poke of the tongue, I continue with my morning workout. I guess it wasn’t that important after all.

  “I’m not as stupid as you seem to think I am,” I reply. “I think the problem is that you’re just too smart.”

  “That might well be the case if I was referring to your regular idiot like Bran, but your particular brand of stupid goes far beyond what could be considered reasonable.”

  “Yeah?” I switch over to the next toe in my set of one-toed squats. “Why’s that?”

  “I just don’t understand how somebody can escape from the Surstrom Spire prison, break free from the chains of slavery, and then after all that...”

  “After all that...?”

  “End up back in jail again!”

  Mei-Mei screams up at me from the other side of the metal bars separating the two of us. With her on the side of freedom, and me trapped in yet another cell.

  “It wasn’t my fault!” I reply, pausing my workout to complain back down at her. “I didn’t do anything wrong this time!”

  Sighing, Mei-Mei clicks her fingers at a nearby guard, calling him over. “You there, Mr. Guard. I’m already positive of the answer to this question, but I’m going to ask it anyway in hopes that it might help bore through the impenetrably thick skull of this brainless ape who seems to be perpetually drawn to squatting inside a tiny cage. What exactly did she do to be put in here?”

  “Well...” The guard in charge of my cell scratches awkwardly at his helmet. “None of us really wanted to throw her in there after all her help with Lust the other day, but we were getting too many complaints around the city...”

  “Complaints about what exactly?”

  “About her walking around in public with no clothes on...”

  “Well, it can’t be helped,” I interject, standing stark naked inside the confines of my new cell. “They got too torn up in the fight with Lust that they ended up falling apart at some point.”

  “And let me guess,” Mei-Mei continues, still addressing the guard. “You offered her another exchange of clothes but she refused to wear them because they apparently weren’t ‘cute’ enough, right?”

  “That’s right!” the guard answers back. “We’d be happy to let her out, just as soon as she puts on some clothes! I mean, with the sudden collapse of the Spire and the Queen having us crack down on any lingering dregs of the slave trade, we’ve been spread pretty thin lately. It’d be ideal for everyone if she at least just put on some pants or something, but...”

  Like I said, it can’t be helped. I got really attached to that cute sailor uniform, and I haven’t been able to throw up anything to rival its cuteness yet.

  “Exactly as I thought.” With a shake of her head, Mei-Mei sighs once again, before slipping a large package out from beneath her oversized coat and throwing it to me through the bars. “Here. Put these on so we can get out of here already.”

  “Hm?” Peeking into the package, I spy the soft fabrics of a familiar-looking outfit I’ve come to know and love over these past few months. “Fwah! Sailor uniform!”

  I instantly tear into the paper, taking the cute uniform and quickly putting it on. Just like the last one, the cloth is too tight against my muscles, the shirt doesn’t extend past the abs, and the skirt won’t fit around my waist without a belt to set it in place. Just as I like it!

  “Fortunately, I was able to find a skilled tailor who watched your fight in the Krumbledome and was able to recreate your clothes mostly from memory, alongside my own. They asked if they wanted this set to actually fit you this time, but I figured an idiot like you might reject such a reasonable change, so I opted for the same as last time.”

  “Fwahaha!” I laugh, giving my muscles a light flex beneath the tight fabric. “It’s perfect! Thanks!”

  Tearing open the bars of my cell as easy as the paper bag, I step outside and give the cute dwarf’s pink hair a light ruffle, making sure not to accidentally rip her head off like that one time when we first met...

  With a click of her tongue, Mei-Mei swipes my hand away.

  “Don’t thank me, idiot. Those clothes cost money. Money that I no longer have and am expecting you to pay back. With interest. Now,” she begins, addressing the guard once again. “I’m assuming everything’s fine and she’s free to leave, right?”

  “H-huh? Ah...” The guard stares blankly at the torn cage, before giving a resigned shrug. “Sure, whatever. You’re free to go. Just don’t cause any more trouble out there...”

  Leaving the jail, me and Mei-Mei step out into the sunlit stone paving of one of Gran Torte’s main roads. All around us, the street is bustling with passing people and carriages, all going about their own busy lives. Occasionally, they give us a passing glance, but nothing more than that. The city is already teeming with people of all different types, sizes, and races, that a dead dwarf and demon duo isn’t something anyone would even give a second glance to. Granted, none of them would know I’m a demon, or that Mei-Mei is actually dead though...

  Leading the way, Mei-Mei plods her little legs down the street, making sure to keep a hand gripped tightly on the hem of my skirt. Whether it’s so she doesn’t get swept away by the crowds, or so I don’t wander off on my own and get in trouble again, it seems to be working either way.

  The day after the Krumbledome tournament ended, everybody seemed to be busy with their own stuff—with Mei-Mei, Bran and the little goblin girl taking care of Lust, Mash going house-hunting for a place in the city with his new tournament winnings, and Buttercup leaving the city with a bunch of her friends to help ‘spread the good news’. I don’t know what ‘good news’ she was talking about but I sent her off with a wave like usual, and went to wander around the city on my own. I was hoping to pick up some cute slaves for free, but apparently slavery is over now. I don’t know how that happened, but if I had known it was going to, I would have definitely picked a different reward from the Queen...

  “So,” I begin, still tagging behind. “How’s Lust doing?”

  “Better than she should be,” Mei-Mei sighs. “Though not as good as you. It seems you weren’t kidding when you said you were fine back then. The fact that you’ve already fully healed is beyond unreasonable... Anyway, we’re going to see her now. She refused to stay in bed, so we’re heading to the Adventurers Guild instead.”

  Oh, I’ve heard about the Adventurers Guild! We would sometimes get these adventurer-types poking around back home underground and, more often than not, they’d end up attacking us and becoming a part of the next family stew once Mom got a hold of them. When I asked my sisters where they came from, they told me about the ‘Adventurers Guild’, where strong people gathered and went out on quests to fight monsters and stuff. I guess that explains why Lust was drawn there.

  “Fweh? Is it okay to just let her wander around on her own?”

  “No. That’s why I left Bran and the goblin to watch her.”

  That sounds less like she’s having those two watch Lust, and more like she’s just bullying Bran. I suppose it doesn’t matter either way.

  After a short walk, we soon find ourselves approaching a large building on the corner of the busy street. Made of wood and stone, it somehow manages to simultaneously look old but new at the same time, as well as rough yet grand. As if it’s been torn down and stubbornly rebuilt using the remaining foundations time and time again. I notice a lot of armed and armoured people coming in and out, but unlike the knights and guards I’ve come to be familiar with lately, these guys seem less like orderly soldiers and more like...

  “Fwah! Adventurers! This must be the place!”

  As we near the doorway to the Adventurers Guild, the sounds of some kind of commotion inside become clearer and clearer. Before we can even reach the entrance—

  “Gyahahaha!”

  A familiar booming laugh echoes out from within, followed by a loud crash and the body of an armoured adventurer bursting through the wall and onto the bustling street in a shower of splinters. With a groan, the man picks himself up, dusts himself off, and climbs back through the hole he had just been launched through. Following him, I take my first steps into the guild of adventurers.

  Inside is a large hall, filled with long benches and tables. Kind of like the main room back at the Curse Ward, except less bleak and metallic, and a lot more lively. The walls are adorned with odd weapons and armours, as well as bits and pieces of various different monsters, hanging up like trophies. The place is also filled with many armed adventurers—of all ages, races, and levels of experience—outfitted in their own individual questing and monster-killing styles of comfort. All of which seem to be crowded around the centre of the room where all the commotion is coming from.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Stealing the focus of everybody’s attention, a smiling Lust sits at one of the benches with her elbow on the table and a single pinky finger stuck out into the air. On the other side, a strong-looking adventurer grips her large pinky with both hands, the veins practically bursting from his reddened forehead as he struggles to budge it from its position.

  They’re... arm wrestling, I guess? Though it seems all the usual rules of arm wrestling have been thrown out the window as two more adventurers join in, attempting in vain to assist their fellow adventurer in pinning Lust’s arm to the table. Or even budge it, for that matter.

  “Gyahahaha!” Lust laughs, slamming the man’s hand against the table with enough force to launch him through the floorboards while the other two are swept off their feet, with one barrelling through the crowd of onlookers, and the other flung out a nearby window and into the street. “’Tis another win for me!”

  From how beaten and bruised they all are, it’s clear that Lust has already made her way through most of the adventurers in the room.

  “Damn, this is Lust, huh...?”

  “Man, I heard the Seven were strong, but this is ridiculous...”

  “I heard she fought Greed in the arena the other day. Does that mean Queen Kokoro is actually super strong too...?”

  “Of course she is, dumbass! How else do you think she chased the demons out of this city all those years ago?”

  “Yeah! And she was only a kid back then! Imagine how strong our Queen is now!”

  Unbothered by the presence of Lust in their place of gathering, the adventurers chat amongst themselves over feats of strength and how cool their Queen is. I mean, I think Greed is strong too, but I feel like they have a base misunderstanding of the unique kind of strength she actually holds. And what was that about chasing demons out of the city...? I’ll have to ask around about that later...

  Lust visibly perks up when she notices my approach, and the smile on her face widens.

  “Gyahaha! Pepper Black, Daughter of Gluttony! Have you come to challenge me too?”

  “Fwahaha! I have!”

  As I go to sit at the table across from Lust, I’m immediately yanked back by an angry dwarf still gripping the hem of my skirt.

  “No, you have not!” Mei-Mei complains at me, before redirecting her ire to Lust instead. “And I told you to rest, idiot! If I have to redo all of your damn stitches... Dammit, where is Bran?! I told him to make sure you didn’t move around so much!”

  “How?!” a cowering Bran complains, peeking his head out from beneath a nearby table. “How am I supposed to make sure of that?! It’s hard enough trying to stop your stupid goblin from tearing the place apart! How do you expect me to stop Lust?!”

  “Kiiikiiii!” Clambering across the guild hall’s furniture, the little goblin girl in question scampers from table to table, snatching the cutlery from people’s plates and tucking them securely amongst the shredded remnants of torn clothing hanging off her body—a reminder of my previous failed efforts to put a cute dress on her.

  Curious chatter begins to spread across the Adventurers Guild at my arrival.

  “Huh? Daughter of Gluttony?” a younger adventurer questions, looking somewhat concerned. “What’s she talking about...?”

  “Ah, don’t worry about it,” an older one answers, giving the man a reassuring slap on the back. “This happens all the time. There’s always some new upstart using the Seven to try and make a name for themselves. I mean, just the other day we had someone in here claiming to be a ‘Disciple of Envy’ or something, remember? And every day we get at least four different people claiming to be ‘Greed’s Biggest Fan’. It’s all just talk.”

  “O-okay, but this is Lust calling her that. Like, the actual Lust is calling somebody the ‘Daughter of Gluttony’ in this case...”

  “I told you, it’s all talk! What, you really think an actual living demon is just casually wandering around the city like that? A daughter of the Wandering Calamity no less? And in that goofy getup to top it all off? Get real!”

  “Yeah, it does sound pretty unbelievable when you put it like that. I guess you’re right...”

  Annoying comments aside, it doesn’t look like the adventurers particularly mind all the commotion our little gang of troublemakers is causing. I imagine a gathering place for people who venture into unknown territory and hunt dangerous monsters for a living is bound to get a little rowdy at times.

  Compared to the other day, Lust is looking a lot better than she was back at the stadium. No longer riddled with leaky open wounds, most of her body is covered in bandages, with patches of scarred and burnt flesh peeking out from in-between. It’s hard to tell just how much better she actually is due to her energetic personality, but the fact that she isn’t vomiting up blood anymore is probably a good sign.

  “Gyahaha! Do not worry, little doctor!” Lust laughs. “As you can see, I have been properly following your instruction and am currently at rest!”

  “This isn’t rest!” Mei-Mei snaps back. “This is no different to your regular idiocy! Go rest in a bed, idiot!”

  “Hoh...? ‘Twould be difficult to arm wrestle from bed, would it not...?”

  “You should be finding it difficult to get out of bed in the first place! Let alone arm wrestle!”

  “’Tis of no difficulty. Such a trivial level of rough-housing comes as easily as breathing!”

  “I had to replace one of your lungs with a troll’s bladder! You should be finding breathing very difficult too!”

  Mei-Mei may not be happy with it, but I’m glad Lust is back to her usual energetic self. At the end of the tournament when she was convinced to give up, it was the first time I’ve ever seen her not smiling, so it’s reassuring to see her laughing away like usual.

  “Gyahahaha! The concerns of the little doctor are very amusing! However, there is no need to worry! After all, I did promise not to start any fights until I was fully healed. ‘Twould be rude to my opponent to do so. Isn’t that right, small one?” Lust lifts her arm to reveal the small, white-haired wolfgirl standing beside her, carefully tending to one of her bandages.

  “Mm!” Biscuit nods, her fluffy tail wagging happily behind her. “You’re n-not allowed to get hurt until then or that would be rude, so you have to s-stay here with me instead.”

  It looks like Lust still doesn’t realize Biscuit is her kid, but Biscuit is making sure to take full advantage of their time together until Lust’s eventual recovery.

  “Gyahaha! Very well!” Lust laughs. “After I return to the city, I will be sure to do so!”

  “... Huh?” Biscuit blinks back at her. “Return...? What do you mean? A-are you going somewhere...?”

  “I am!” Lust gives a short grunt as she stands from the table, giving her bandaged limbs a stretch and scattering the adventurers gathered around her. “I was waiting for the little doctor to return so I could inform her, but there is something I feel I must do, and I fear that it may slip from my mind again if I don’t see to it immediately.”

  “O-oh...” Biscuit’s tail comes to a stop. “What is it you wanted to do...?”

  “I plan on seeking out Pride of the Seven! Though, ‘tis not Pride I am interested in, but the child I forced him to bear me with those nineteen years ago. The Son of Lust! ‘Tis something I feel is important, but continues to slip from my memory for some reason. Unfamiliar feelings have begun to cloud my mind as of late, and I feel as though I must act on this strange whim while I can still remember to do so!”

  “Is that so...?” Biscuit looks somewhat conflicted about her answer. “You w-will come back though, right?”

  “Gyahaha! Of course! Do not worry! ‘Twill not take very long to find Pride. He seems to harbour a very strong intent to kill me, making it a simple task to track his feelings of bloodlust from miles away! Gyahahaha!”

  “Keh!” Mei-Mei scoffs. “So you are going to pick a fight after all!”

  “’Tis not my intent to do so, but should Pride initiate, I suppose I would have no choice! Gyahaha!”

  With a smile on her face, Lust makes her way to the Adventurers Guild entrance, giving the adventurers she had been throwing around the room a few moments ago a passing nod as she makes her leave.

  “You have my thanks, little doctor!” Lust says, beaming down at the small dwarf. “I will continue to heed your advice for a speedy recovery! Do not worry!”

  “Keh. Whatever,” Mei-mei scoffs with a dismissive wave of the hand. “Just don’t come back with another missing lung. Because I’m not performing that operation again. If that happens, you’re just going to have to live without from now on.”

  “And you, Daughter of Gluttony!” Lust turns to me with a short bow. “I promise we will continue our fight to the death once I have returned and made a full recovery!”

  “Mm!” I give her a thumbs up in return. “Looking forward to it!”

  “You have my thanks too, green screeching one!”

  “Kikikiki!”

  “As well as the one cowering beneath the table who often says amusing things!”

  “H-huh? Me? Ah... S-sure...”

  “And for the small one beneath the stadium...” Lust places a large hand atop Biscuit’s head and gives her hair a gentle ruffle. “’Tis been a most amusing few days, has it not? You have my thanks for that, Biscuit.”

  And with that, Lust steps out into the bustling streets of Gran Torte and makes her leave, the cautious passers-by giving her a wide berth as she moves past the crowds and disappears into the distance.

  “Is this... Is this really okay?” Bran asks, crawling out from beneath his table once more to come and stand beside Biscuit as she stares longingly out the door. “You didn’t want to tell her? That the one she’s looking for is you...?”

  Biscuit hesitates for a moment, before shaking her head. “I think just this much is fine for the both of us. For now, I’m happy.” Tearing her eyes from the doorway, Biscuit turns to face us, a genuine smile on her face.

  In the distance, the sound of screaming and destruction can be heard gradually working its way out of the city, accompanied by a familiar booming laughter. Pillars of black smoke and clouds of dusted rubble rise into the air, marking a certain elf’s inability to use roads or go around things as she makes a direct beeline towards the city’s edge.

  “Is this okay?! Is this really okay?!” Bran complains, crawling back beneath his table at the distant sight of destruction.

  I tilt my head in thought.

  Hm? Come to think it, Lust’s only mentioned a ‘Son of Lust’ so far. It was the same when she brought up having a kid back during our final encounter at the Spire. Is that like Biscuit’s brother or something?

  Before I can ask her about it, the small wolfgirl in question begins to sniff the air, her head titled to the side in mild curiosity. Pulling herself away from the door, she takes a few quick glances around the room, her little nose twitching all the while.

  “Oh? What’s up?” I ask. “You smell something? Is it Bran? Is Bran peeing in bottles and carrying them around with him again?”

  “Ah, it’s n-nothing,” she says with a shrug. “I kept smelling something weird, but it looks like it’s gone now.”

  “Fweh? Something weird? And it wasn’t Bran? What was it then?”

  “I don’t know. It was just a little d-different is all. And maybe a little like...”

  “A little like...?”

  “It smelled a little bit like rabbit, I think.”