The Monster King's Legacy

"It's done," Zarra said. "The spies have been caught, the network dismantled. We found their handlers' escape routes and cut them off. The operation was a success."

Lance allowed a faint smile. "Good work."

"Hah, it was so tiring…" She complained, jumping on Lance. "You've been so busy with the others, I haven't had my chance yet. How about today?" She said, her tongue playing over Lance's ear, her expression barely restrained.

"Zarra… we're not alone, you know?" Lance said, looking at the two who had accompanied her and their flustered expressions.

"Who cares? I'm sure they dream of this too." She said.

"Hah… you're impossible sometimes." Lance said.

Without needing to be told, the two other female scouts bowed in an excessive manner and left immediately, their faces almost red with both embarrassment and other emotions unknown.

…

As the night settled over the city, Lance's quiet moment was interrupted by a familiar voice as Rikka approached him with a bow.

"Lord Lance," she said firmly, her expression resolute. "We are ready to resume training. The wyvern incident slowed us down, but we're back on track."

Lance nodded approvingly a light smile on his face as he approached her, ruffling her hair roughly. "Look at this little brat that used to bully me back then, you're all grown up now!" he said, laughing lightly.

"A-Ah! Lord Lance! Don't!" Rikka said, flustered, as she wasn't expecting it.

"What? It's not like you arrange your hair to begin with."

"N-no… As the Lord, you can't be doing this, I'm…" Rikka said, her voice cutting off towards the end.

"Hmm? Come on, you're one of the people I consider closest to me in this entire kingdom, don't even think of saying such words." Lance said, pulling her cheeks.

Listening to what he just said, as though he could read her thoughts to tell exactly what she was about to say, Rikka was a bit shocked. 'Lord Lance.'

Lance let go of her cheeks, placing an arm around her shoulder as he pulled her away. "You're so thin, though your muscles are firm. Are you eating well? You won't grow as strong as you wish if you starve yourself." Lance said.

"A-are you sure? I started getting fat in certain areas, so I had to stop, if not, it will affect me during battle." Rikka said.

"Hmm? Certain areas? Haven' you seen Rynne? She's not restricted at all." Lance said, understanding well what she was talking about.

"R-right… Lord Lance…"

"Hmm?"

"Do you prefer bigger assets?"

"Hmm? Where did that come from?"

"No-Nowhere… I was just curious. It's just a useless question."

"I prefer those I like." Lance said without much thought.

"Oh… I understand."

"Well then, let's visit the bath house, I haven't gone there yet. Have you?" Lance asked.

Hearing what Lance had just said, the usually sturdy Rikka was visibly shaken and flustered. "T-t-the bath house? I haven't, not yet, but why are we going together?" She asked, it appeared that she would be show all her extreme expressions for the year that day.

"Oh come on. It's just a bath, this might as well be your last warm water for a while." Lance said.

"B-but…" Rikka stumbled on her words.

"Come on, you aren't embarrassed now, are you? Haven't you grown used to seeing me without clothes by now? It won't matter, it's the same thing." Lance said with little care.

The reason he could feel so close with Rikka after all, was because they not only shared a rather close bond in sparring and other areas, but also in another aspect of life. Rikka, being the one, basically acting as something similar Lance's assistant back then, had run into him countless times when she would go to wake him in the morning, naked and not under sheets, with wither Rynne, Lia, Mira, Zarra, or Kaeli. She had grown numb to it, even enough to wake Lance up in very important instances.

This time however, it was different. Not only had it been a long time since all those days, Lance had also changed a lot and didn't feel exactly like the same person, she had never been in this kind of situation either.

Their time together was filled with a lot of unexpected situations, but Rikka turned out to be the most concerned. She quickly understood that to Lance, she wasn't the picture of a mate. Though it was a little comforting enough to calm her nerves, it didn't feel exactly fulfilling either.

Before they split up that night, Lance gave her an answer to the question she asked. "I want every warrior prepared by tomorrow morning, we'll get back to training."

Hearing this, Rikka's face hardened. "Understood. I'll make sure they're ready."

…

One month had passed since then, and Lance found the time perfect to visit the human nations.

The rising sun cast a warm glow over the monster capital as Lance stood before a gathering. His journey to the human kingdom of Valtheris, the seat of King Aldric, otherwise known as the Godkig, the strongest of human king, was no simple visit. That was made so even further, as it would be his first ever visit to any human kingdom.

Surprisingly, Valtheris was almost within the forests of the wild land, and truly, could be considered the closest kingdom to the wild lands and Lance's Monster kingdom. It would appear, that earlier information wasn't too accurate, but it was hard to say, after all, while the location of the human territory was northwest of the continent, the exact location of the two human kingdoms along those lines wasn't all that certain.

One could be said to encroach into the wild lands, but it could also be farther.

Facing those before him, Lance continued. "While I'm gone, the kingdom must remain strong," Lance declared. His tone left no room for question as his sharp gaze swept over those gathered.

Amongst those present, Rikka was among them, ever composed and resolute, and Maric, the demon with perpetually lidded eyes and a demeanor bordering on irreverent, stood beside her.

"You two will oversee the training while I'm gone," Lance continued, addressing them directly.

Rikka nodded respectfully. "I will not fail you, Lord Lance."

Maric smiled faintly. "Sounds like fun. Lord, I'll handle it… in my way."

Lance's eyes narrowed. "Your way better deliver results, Maric. Don't test me."

The demon chuckled. "Understood, Lord." Many considered him too carefree to be safe.

Satisfied, Lance turned to his small escort party. Aelyndra was part of it, wanting to meet the Godking, she volunteered to tag along, after all.

Apart from her, a group of elite goblin warriors and scouts accompanied them, their weapons secured and expressions steely. At the center of the entourage knelt the thief who had dared to steal the wyvern eggs. Lance had decided to give him to the humans, perhaps, a way of showing good will.