Day 19:

  "Were the pns discovered ahead of time?" A pelt merchant's guard muttered.

  A river of refugees evacuated toward the west, away from the coming war, while the combatants joined the city to become defenders. Some refugees also temporarily camped near the city walls but were not allowed inside. After all, taking more people meant needing more food and a higher risk of a pgue breaking out. And having time to evacuate, they preferred heading further west and not joining the fighting.

  "Having spy networks within Osnines and Steorus was predicted as a possibility. They must have caught wind of trouble. But reinforcements wouldn't make it in time to help them." The other guard added.

  "Regardless, it wouldn't change the outcome. It would only make the coming bloodbath more satisfying to the ancient and barbaric war god." The pelt merchant said, imagining the flood of blood seeping from the battlements and city wall, and licked his lips with a thin, forked tongue. "It would be glorious."

  The three disguised assassins of Ludiron used the refugees as cover, joining their camp until nightfall. While wearing disguises, they jumped over the walls during curfew, merging into the shadows like fish in muddy water and heading toward the City Lord's mansion to survey the situation.

  They entered the mansion, effortlessly bypassing the guards, mentally mapping its yout, and noting the inhabitants and guests. However, there were no guests, and security was x. The mansion was empty except for several guards, and the family members and servants were missing. Only Varkas's room had signs of life, and their sharp ears picked up his peaceful snoring sounds.

  The three assassins looked at each other and communicated in sign nguage.

  "Where is everyone? Is this a City Lord's mansion before a battle? It doesn't make sense."

  "The family members are gone, and there are no guests. Did he evacuate the family somewhere else, thinking the city might colpse?"

  "Perhaps he is paranoid or has sharper intuition than we gave him credit for. But Varkas is no coward and will stay and die to defend the city. Remember our objective."

  "Should we check the other wealthy houses? The report said Varkas purged our patrons, so he must have housed them there."

  "Good point. Let us go."

  But just when they were about to leave-

  Woosh*

  They heard the sound of an object thrown in the air.

  "Hah?"

  Subconsciously, the three assassins looked to the side, seeing the silhouette of a woman, and a bottle filled with white fluid drawing an arc. Immediately, they understood they were discovered.

  "SHIT—"

  Crash*

  As soon as the fsk broke on the floor, the liquid inside released a burning bright light and a loud bang.

  BANG*

  FLASH*

  "AHHHH!!!!!" The three assassins screamed, their eyes burning and ears ringing.

  CRASH*

  Suddenly, the door to Varkas's room crashed open, and a mountain of a man rushed through with a malicious grin.

  "VARKAS IS HERE!!!" Varkas yelled so loudly that even the three assassins heard it through their damaged eardrums, instilling horror in them.

  "SCATTER!" The leader ordered, gritting his teeth as he pnned to stall Varkas and allow his two brothers to escape, before finding a chance to run away.

  But soon, he realized the folly of it when he sensed the terrifying aura coming out of Varkas.

  "LEGENDARY?! SHIT!" The assassin mentally cursed, his arms growing snake scales and covered in a shadowy aura for added defense.

  Without any fancy technique, Varkas grinned and punched with his bare hand, and the assassin hurriedly blocked.

  BANG*

  The punch was blocked, but the assassin's body ached all over from the raw, brutal force of the impact. The scales on his arms broke, and he suspected he had fractured a bone. His organs were also shaken, and he felt a sweet taste in his mouth.

  "YOU BROKE THROUGH?!" The assassin growled.

  "Say your prayers, SNAKE!" Varkas didn't give the assassin time to think as he pressed on the attack.

  Meanwhile-

  One assassin was blocked by an aged, white-bearded armored knight with a thick broadsword.

  "OUT OF THE WAY!" The assassin yelled, his senses still hurting as he fought and tried to escape.

  "Not while I still breathe, heathen!" Knight Captain Enderson, Varkas's strongest fighter, engaged the Intermediate tier 5 assassin, his defense and attack daunting and fierce, deying the assassin's escape.

  On the other side-

  Cng* Cng* Cng* Cng*

  "Who are you?! How did you know we were here?!" The weakest assassin asked while having a wild dagger fight with a buxom beauty.

  "Haha! You have traitors in your ranks!" Madam Riveria's eyes glowed purple in sadistic glee.

  "You lie, wench! You're just deying me!" The assassin yelled back in anger.

  "Oh! Someone isn't an idiot~! But too bad! My big strong man seems to have already finished your leader!" Madam Riveria grinned.

  "WHAT?!" The assassin widened his eyes in horror.

  BANG* SPLAT*

  Varkas crushed the leader's head with his bare hands before rushing to aid Madam Riveria, knowing his Knight Captain was capable enough to battle the assassin on equal terms, not to mention now.

  Soon, Varkas sughtered the second assassin and then killed the other one. The entire process was so smooth that it was hard to believe.

  "Hahaha! That was fun! I didn't let loose like that in a long time!" Riveria ughed.

  "My lord, where did you find this woman? Is she a retired adventurer?" The Knight Captain warily asked Varkas.

  "You don't want to know," Varkas warily replied.

  "Ahn~ So cold! Varky Warky~. After all the things we did together~." Riveria grabbed Varkas's arm and openly flirted.

  "Pft... I understand now. I will call the guards to clean the corpses, so take your time." Enderson held back a chuckle and left.

  "I... Hah..." Varkas gave up on expining himself.

  Riveria grinned and whispered in Varkas's ear, "Don't forget what you promised me... dear~."

  "... I know." Varkas pursed his lips.

  Riveria, wanting to stay close to her favorite food(Human) and live a more luxurious life, agreed to help if he took her as a concubine. Concubinage was widely accepted, and powerful men often had several spouses. Varkas was wealthy and powerful, so adding one more concubine wouldn't matter. It was just that he felt uncomfortable with inviting a succubus into his house. He would never have accepted it if he hadn't had assurance from Rilden that Riveria genuinely didn't want to harm anyone.

  "But what about your brothel?" Varkas asked.

  "My daughters will run it. I didn't raise them for decades for nothing." Riveria grinned.

  "You keep saying they are your daughters, but are they?" Varkas curiously asked.

  "I adopted them. The poor girls were struggling, so I picked them up, fed them, and taught them. They called me mother, so I called them my daughters. And we stuck with each other for survival." Riveria smiled.

  "That is nice of you," Varkas said.

  "Hmhmhm~. They are sweet girls, but I should let them be independent of their mommy. But after meeting you, I started wanting a real child. Tell me, honey, are you man enough to put a half-succubus in my oven~?" Riveria whispered in Varaks's ear, carrying a provocative teasing that would make most men try and take up the challenge.

  "..." Varkas refused to reply.

  "Tsk, boring man." Riveria clicked her tongue before looking at the broken vial on the floor. "But my new scary son-in-w has terrifying information-gathering abilities. He first learns my name, and now this. Are you sure he isn't a prophet?"

  "Not a word of it." Varkas frowned and sternly warned.

  "I know, I stand to lose more than gain by going against him, and I will make my Varky Warky angry~. I don't want that~." The obsessed succubus said while affectionately rubbing Varkas's chin, like scratching a cat.

  "Hah... Let's go and pick up the kids." Varkas shook his head.

  "Hmhmhm. They must be waiting. By the way, are you sure you are fine hiding them in a brothel?" Riveria weirdly asked.

  Rilden and Erose hid in The Hidden Orchid in the morning and stayed there until now.

  "Hah... Yes, I am fine with it. The d wouldn't do anything next to my daughter, and she is... hah." Varkas sighed.

  "Frigid and infertile, right?" Riveria pursed her lips.

  "You could tell?" Varkas asked.

  "My kind has a smell to these things. I fear she was born without ovaries. Shame, to such a beautiful girl." Riveria shook her head.

  "Hah... The doctors said her case was only curable by the grace of a fertility goddess or a legendary priestess of such a goddess." Varkas sighed.

  "That would be difficult." Riveria closed her eyes, knowing it was a long shot.

  The gods only blessed mortals on special occasions, and restoring fertility was a well-documented possibility, but the occasion and sacrifice had to satisfy the gods. Even the priests had difficulty interpreting their patrons, and gaining their blessing was even more difficult. It was different than becoming a padin or priest, as it required direct divine intervention instead of merely attuning to their power.

  A legendary priestess, on the other hand, was usually enshrined in the main temple and seldom others on request, instead enacting their god's will. Donations and political power didn't move them, and even if Erose pleaded with them, they were unlikely to help even if they felt pity for her.

  "Maybe that d could help her one day." Varkas had such a wishful thought.

  With that, he and Riveria secretly headed to the brothel to retrieve Rilden and Erose. But when they got there, they were stunned at the wild scene.

  "Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!"

  "Come on! Beat that girly!"

  "I bet 6 pieces on you! Don't you dare lose!"

  The once-elegant and lustful gentlemen's clubhouse now resembled a loud and noisy pub. The prostitutes had amused looks while serving customers and pying townfolk music, while the high-css wealthy men cheered and booed like lowly hooligans.

  In the middle of a crowd, a petite 1.5m tall beautiful girl was calmly chugging cups of expensive beer and wine like nothing. Meanwhile, a heavyweight 1.9m tall man with a beer belly in his 30s struggled to drink his next cup.

  "U-Ugh... No more... Plop*"

  The heavyweight man colpsed, marking the unlikely winner.

  "Wow! She won for the 4th time in a row!"

  "How can she fit all of that in that tiny body?!"

  "My money!"

  "Oh, suck it up! You would have wasted it tonight anyway."

  "But I could have gotten an overnight service with Izelia for an entire week!"

  "Thank you!" Rilden grinned while counting his winnings.

  "Rascal! You are corrupting my daughter!" Varkas was furious.

  "Hehehe! What a naughty boy!" Riveria chuckled.

  "He better get prepared for the spanking of his life..." Varkas said with gritted teeth.

  "Hold your horses there, hon. Look at your girl." Riveria patted Varkas's shoulder, directing his gaze to Erose.

  "Here's your share!" Rilden grinned, giving half of the winning to Erose.

  "Hehe! This is fun!" Erose smiled, giving Rilden a high-five while taking the money.

  "She is... having fun?" Varkas had a dazed look.

  "It has been so long since my little girl had fun like this. She never had fun after Rosmelia died. Perhaps it is because she sensed how gloomy I was, and that I became more strict?" Varkas thought.

  "Hon, just let them have their fun. You are only young once." Riveria smiled while leaning against Varkas's shoulder.

  "I... hah. Fine." Varkas sighed in defeat.

  "As long as she is happy." Varkas thought.

  "Ah! My partner! Are you here to fetch us?" Rilden asked with a smile.

  "Sir!" Erose stood up. She called him Sir instead of Father to avoid exposing his identity.

  "Pack your things and let's go," Varkas said, having given up on scolding them.

  "Sure! Just a moment." Rilden grinned and brought his winning to one of the prostitutes. "Use this to cover the drinks! Also, use the reminder to give these gentlemen a good time."

  "Thank you for your patronage!" The prostitute brightly smiled.

  "WOOHOO!" The men, who lost much of their spending money, immediately cheered, forgetting they had lost dozens of gold coins.

  Erose also went to Varkas, handing him her winnings with a bright smile, like a child seeking praise, "Here! This should help with the budget."

  "She is such a considerate child!" Varkas felt emotional and returned the money, "No, this is yours. Keep it and use it to buy whatever you want."

  "Okay! Thank you, Sir!" Erose's smile widened.

  "Aw, that's a sweet moment right there." Riveria grinned.

  "So you are the dy-friend I heard about." Erose curiously looked at Riveria.

  "Why yes, is there a problem?" Riveria raised a provocative eyebrow.

  "No, I just hope you treat him well." Erose smiled.

  "Oh, we will get along just fine." Riveria's smile widened.

  On the side, Rilden joined Varkas's side and whispered, "So, happy you got a beautiful and seductive concubine?"

  "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Varkas bitterly said.

  "You don't look like you are compining about it," Rilden replied.

  "... Whatever you are doing with my daughter, keep doing it," Varkas said, patting Rilden's shoulder with a deep look.

  "I know." Rilden turned serious and looked at Erose chatting with Riveria, "As long as she is happy."