64 Chapter 064

[Congratulations on defeating your first Nargacuga! As a first-kill reward, your Endurance, Agility, and Spirit all increase by 10!]

"Tough bastard..." mused Leon, removing a spear with a long, sword-like blade from the Nargacuga's neck, causing a pressurized stream of steamy crimson blood to flow out of it.

Though it broke free from his possession several times, Leon managed to tire the Nargacuga out by persistently chasing it down and repossessing it thirteen times. It took nearly two hours, but since the Nargacuga couldn't sense Leon or Latia when they were concealed or invisible, there was little it could do but stay on high alert until it was simply too exhausted to keep resisting.

Seeing the Nargacuga's body remain intact, Leon remarked, "I guess they don't disappear? Or is it like the game, and they only disappear after a set amount of time...?"

Just in case it was the latter, Leon attempted to place the Nargacuga's corpse in his Storage, but he received a message telling him it was too large. That left him with little choice but to pull out a knife and attempt to disassemble it, but since its scales and tendons were incredibly tough, he only succeeded in cutting it open a bit before it began to dissolve, leaving behind a Red Crystal, a beautiful fur pelt, a neatly detached blade from its wing, a blue gemstone that resembled a summoning crystal but was less refined, and what looked like a crystalized tear.

"So we have three minutes to salvage what we can before it disappears and leaves behind drop items..." noted Leon, pulling out a leatherbound pocketbook from his Storage to write it down. In the process, Latia, tired after the lengthy pursuit, hugged him from behind and dangled her head over his shoulder, whining, "Hungry and tired..." before rubbing her cheek against his and asking, "Can we go home now...?"

Though he had hoped to complete a basic map of the Floor by doing a flyover, Leon didn't hesitate to respond, "Of course," while affectionately caressing Latia's head. He wouldn't say he had slacked off, but she had definitely done most of the work taking down the Nargacuga. She would also be the one flying them around, so Leon had no qualms about pulling back and letting her rest. Pushing her when she was already saving him a substantial amount of time would be senseless...

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Reaching his estate with the invisible Latia floating behind him, Leon was surprised when he entered the courtyard and found Mordred brushing her Arcanine. Kisara and Presea were also present, sitting on the steps of the manor's entrance and playing with Puck, but when they noticed him, they all stopped what they were doing and immediately rose to greet him.

"At ease," mused Leon, making a stand-down gesture with his right hand and sporting a smile as he made his way over. Months of behaving like a Lord was slowly making it second nature to him, so while he didn't really 'feel' like a Noble, Leon did his best to play the part.

"I'm guessing you succeeded in opening our path to the Sixth Floor...?" asked Mordred, having been apprised of Leon's intentions that morning.

Nodding in affirmation, Leon replied, "I did. And anyone exploring it will need to bring their A-game, as the monsters there are no joke. The Floor is based on a game franchise called Monster Hunter, and even with our combined efforts, it took Latia and me nearly two hours to take one of the bigger monsters down."

Blinking in surprise, Kisara, standing cross-armed, questioned, "Seriously? What the hell were the two of you fighting, a dragon...?"

"It's funny you should mention that..." mused Leon, causing Mordred's eyes to glisten with excitement as he revealed, "Most of the monsters in the Monster Hunter franchise are a type of dragon or wyvern. The one we fought was nearly twenty meters long, possessed bladed wings, and was as agile as you would expect from a cat-dragon hybrid capable of leaping hundreds of meters in a single bound."

"Enough with the sweet talk!" exclaimed Mordred, punching her right fist into the palm of her left hand as she excitedly bellowed, "We should head there right this instant...!"

"Calm your tits," said Leon, plopping his left hand atop Mordred's head as he added, "If these were ordinary monsters, I would kiss you, smack you on your perky ass, and tell you to have fun. But, one of the key features of monsters on the Sixth Floor is that they won't go down, even if you land a beheading blow or slice them across the neck. So, for now, finish brushing your Arcanine and go about your business as usual. We'll talk this evening once I've had a chance to conduct some research and all the members of the Crimson Valkyries are assembled."

Swatting Leon's hand away and snorting, Mordred sported a smile as she said, "You've become a lot more confident..." before directing her gaze to Kisara, ordering, "Spread the word. All members of the Crimson Valkyries are to assemble in the conference room at..."

With Mordred looking back at him, Leon took over, stating, "7 PM. And since we won't be entering the Tower immediately, have them come in casual clothes. Seeing everyone wear their uniforms, even when they're not planning to enter the Tower, makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong by not wearing my armor twenty-four-seven..."

"Yeah, it does get to be a pain..." acknowledged Kisara, earning herself a slightly narrow-eyed stare from Mordred before Leon lightly smacked her bottom and whispered, "Hey, lighten up...one of the best things about this Floor is that the monster parts can be used to craft a plethora of powerful weapons and armor. I'm looking forward to having you and everyone else model some of my favorite outfits from the games..."

"As long as they're practical..." conceded Mordred, her voice as faint as she and Leon surprised everyone present by exchanging a kiss. Mordred was usually against public displays of affection, especially during the day, so it was weird seeing her behave in such a way, even if the other person was Leon.

Noticing Kisara's slackjawed expression, Presea's slight pout, and Puck's cross-armed grin, Mordred frowned and asked, "What the hell are you all gawking at? And Vice-Captain Kisara, I'm pretty sure I gave you an order. Why are you still here?"

Snapping back to her senses, Kisara stood at attention and thumped her breastplate in a Knightly salute, responding, "Understood, Ma'am!" before quickly departing. The proper protocol would have been to request Leon's permission before departing, but since she was the one who asked Kisara why she hadn't already left, Mordred let it be...

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"This is a peculiar arrangement..." remarked Leon, referring to the fact that Beatrice was seated atop his lap and reclining against him with the book he had just purchased resting on her belly and propped up against her thighs for support. More notably, he was lying atop the makeshift bed she typically used instead of her actual bed and room, its base a massive beanbag with several cushions, throw pillows, and a comfortable maroon blanket.

"This is your reward, I suppose..." said Beatrice, absentmindedly playing with a stuffed animal version of Puck, hand-made by Rem several months prior.

"My reward for what...?" asked Leon, suppressing the urge to ask why she believed he would be happy with her, in particular, using him as a recliner. She was actually taller than Daetta and Narmaya, the latter of which Leon had nearly fucked when she came onto him while drunk, but while female Draphs were baffling short, they weren't lacking when it came to feminine appeal and charm, particularly around their breast and ass area...

"You kept your promise, helped Subaru, and reunited me with Bubby..." replied Beatrice, tilting her head back to stare up at Leon with her usual apathetic expression as she added, "And since Subaru no longer resides in the manor...you have to take responsibility, I suppose..."

Raising his right brow, Leon asked, "Did you and Subaru sit and read like this...?"

"Only once..." answered Beatrice, a lengthy silence permeating the air as she lowered her gaze and revealed a bit about Subaru by muttering, "You are much calmer than he was, I suppose. Do you not want to sniff my hair or rub my stomach...?"

"No offense to you, Beatrice, but my preference for women is markedly more mature..." replied Leon. However, to ensure she didn't feel too bad, he planted a chaste kiss atop her head.

"Is that all...?" asked Beatrice, leaving Leon speechless as she abruptly began to grow. Leon knew that Spirits, at least Great Spirits, could alter their size and shape after he witnessed Puck brushing Mordred's hair at the size of a human, but it never occurred to him that Beatrice could also change as she never did so in the anime.

"There, now it's a proper reward, I suppose..." stated Beatrice, now a lot heavier, around 158cm tall, and sporting D-Cup breasts, a plump ass, and toned thighs. If Leon closed his eyes, he could easily visualize Miu in her place, and for good reason, as that was who Beatrice decided to emulate, knowing the two of them spent a fair amount of time together.

"Hmmm..."

Though he got the sense that Beatrice was encouraging him to do as he pleased, Leon decided to focus on the book he had purchased, feeling it would be wrong to do so since she was a loli literal seconds prior. It was probably a little silly of him, as Beatrice was at least 400 years old, but as she still had the mentality of a child, albeit a very knowledgeable one, he felt it wouldn't be appropriate to do more than cuddle.

Exhaling a faint, exasperated sigh, Beatrice muttered, "You're hopeless, I suppose..." before shrinking back to her original, Mana-efficient form. She and Puck weren't authentic Great Spirits, so when they used their powers to do things such as cast Magic or transform, they basically hemorrhaged Mana. Beatrice's contract with Leon allowed her to draw Mana from the estate grounds, which had become saturated after the arrival of so many Psychic-type Pokemon, but it was still taxing to maintain her mature form for extended periods.

"You're better this way..." said Leon, planting a second kiss atop Beatrice's head as he appended, "Besides, you're like a little sister to me, someone I feel obligated to take care of. Let's not complicate things..."

"I suppose..." responded Beatrice, but though her tone was as flat as it usually was, Leon noticed her fidgeting nervously, compelling him to ask, "What's wrong...?"

Tilting her head back to look at Leon, Beatrice asked, "Do you really see me as a younger sibling, even though I'm much, much, much older than you...?"

"Am I not allowed to...?" asked Leon, skillfully sidestepping the landmine topics of her appearance and child-like behavior.

"You are, I suppose..." replied Beatrice, lowering her head and remaining silent for a considerable period, allowing Leon to begin skimming the 493-page Monster Hunter: Monster Manual he had acquired, a literal strategy guide detailing the various games' monsters, what they dropped, and the requirements for their weapons and armor, images included.

"Big brother..." muttered Beatrice, her voice faint, causing Leon to blink in surprise and ask, "What was that...?"

Regaining her usual apathetic tone, Beatrice asserted, "If Betty is your younger sister, that makes you my big brother, I suppose. Call Betty by Betty from now on..."

"Sure, and I'm happy to have you, Betty," replied Leon, adopting a wry but affectionate smile. Fortunately, while it would undoubtedly feel strange to have a 400-year-old loli referring to him as 'big brother,' it was better than her calling him 'Onii-chan.' Leon still didn't understand how everyone was able to understand each other, but as he was never very good at learning new languages, he was grateful to whichever Transdimensional Fairy was in charge of 'localization'...

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