44 The Tavern Girl

"My goodness! I had no idea witches were so… ahem, open."

"Aha… The Elder Board at the academy believe it has something to do with our mana lines. Sexual relations are actually encouraged as a way of freeing our senses," I explain, recalling the lessons I learned years back.

However, unlike most students, I started exploring my sexuality much earlier. Manipulating mana into volatile energies was a cinch, and I soared past the entrance assessments thanks to my appetite.

"I don't know if I could treat my body the same way. Do you think I can become a witch, too?" Eileen's eyes are filled with a subdued passion, stifled over years of being disenchanted by her mundane life.

"There are plenty of capable witches who are chaste." I grab her hand and detect a faint mana signature pulsing within her. Many of her lines are shut, but proper training can open them as wide as my own. "Even you can become one if you put your mind to it."

Seeing Eileen bounce joyfully reminds me of myself when I first entered the Witch's Academy. A new world was waiting to be explored. Alchemy made farming more than just harvesting crops. Ancient tomes and grimoires painted history with brighter colors than paintings and murals ever could.

"Nyaauu~" Rio rolls over onto his belly in Eileen's lap.

"Nya-nya," she mimics back, giggling.

Cammy belches like a sailor, her tummy full from eating a healthy helping of vegetables Eileen whipped up. Eileen grabs a napkin to wipe Cammy's mouth, struggling against the playful roots and tendrils that were unraveled from the dryad's arms. It's an adorable sight. By her suggestion, we grinded up a few magic crystals which made the meal that much more appealing to the dryad. I would never have thought of doing that until she mentioned it.

The tavern girl became less apprehensive after I stepped in to help her. Since her shift ended in the evening and the innkeeper Barco returned to take over, I invited her to my room on a whim. Once she took the plunge to get over her fears of demihumans, she and Cammy became fast friends.

"Maybe I should go for it," she says, psyching herself up. "Not that I have anything to lose anyway."

"No family to share your newfound goal with?"

"They passed away in High Saquin. I came here to live with an aunt, but she has also since passed," Eileen says, distracted while playing with Cammy.

From High Saquin? She couldn't possibly be—

"Thank you for inviting me to speak with you. It was really eye-opening, especially your… bedside escapades. I should be turning in early."

Becoming a witch at a time like this might not be a great idea, but I can at least point her in the right direction for now.

"Not at all. I'll be here for a few days if you'd like to talk more," I offer.

"I'd love that! Thank you, Ellori, and good night."

Cammy falls asleep not long after Eileen leaves. With the girl passed out, I can spend the evening touring Lotherain without her causing panic to the city. Rio hops onto my shoulder and we set out.

Lotherain is different at night. Bioluminescent insects cling onto the side of trees and buildings, lighting up the city with a radiance to rival the stars. Branching lamps, inactive during the day but come to life at night along the many avenues, illuminate where fireflies are few.

Some residents of Parthun's capital have taken to the streets to witness the spectacle, others are out for a stroll to bask in the tender, summer night warmth. I'm being avoided for the most part. The sight of a witch, as foreign as seeing a demihuman, is a strange thing to them.

They know only from their king that I'm here to protect their lives and lands. Beyond that, witchcraft's history is illustrated with power-hungry tyrants. If Eudora and Headmaster Anora have their way, they will add to that tally.

The lower wards are much more lively than the affluent folk who would rather spend their evening behind closed doors. Street vendors sell food at every corner, peddlers with unique odds and ends holler at passersby, even children scamper about not wasting a minute of the night.

I come into the store with shelves stocked high with a myriad of items. From tattered books to jewelry resonating with magic, the place is more a storage of things scavenged over a lifetime of hoarding than curated goods to be sold. It's probably why this place isn't seeing any patronage.

A stumpy old man sits behind a counter where an open door appears to lead to another room. His store might have been an actual house that was later converted to fund the remainder of his life. Our eyes meet briefly before his gaze settles on my chest.

I'm drawn to a pair of earrings beset with blue magic crystals that are almost pure at first glance. Rio leans in to sniff it, attracted by its high quality. There's a good chance it's enchanted.

"What do you think," I ask Rio, "would they look good on me?"

"Nyaa."

"Don't get many witches here," the old storekeeper calls out.

"Well, you typically won't see more than one per kingdom unless you're in Grathir." I take the earrings to the counter, "I'd like to purchase this."

"Five-hundred gold."

"Five— I don't have nearly enough. How about a trade? Certainly someone your age could use a potion or two to rejuvenate those old bones."

He scoffs, "I live alone, these legs barely carry me to the front door, and I can hardly hear myself. What makes you think I want to extend my life? 'Sides, I trust gold more than I trust a witch's shady potion."

I guess I walked into the store of a stubborn old man. Curiosity keeps me from leaving the earrings sitting in this rickety place. For all I know, it might have belonged to a witch at one point. They're better in my possession than collecting dust or falling into naive hands. That's a disaster waiting.

He couldn't make it anymore obvious that he's checking me out. If he won't budge to a witch's favor, then maybe a woman's charm will convince him. I can make his night, and have some fun while I'm at it.

I lean over and lay my chest over the counter to give him a full view of my cleavage. Tugging my finger against the robes' bust, I ask, "How about free, and I give you something to brag to your drinking buddies about?"

***

I smoke from my pipe while letting the cum leak out of me. The old man whose name I still don't even know, lies asleep with a blissful expression on his wrinkled face. Not my best lay, but I did orgasm once or twice. It was definitely more fun for him than it was for me. I reach over to give the still-erect cock a rub to pass the time, but he ejaculates pretty quickly even in his sleep.

After having sex with so many different people and demihumans, I've lost my bias for any one particular race or age. A good fuck is a good fuck, and there are perks to having different partners.

My being a witch made him cautious about my wares, but he threw caution to the wind to sate his libido. I put on my clothes and pocket the questionably earned earrings before leaving. Stretching on my way out, I flip the open sign over to close for the shopkeeper's benefit.

"Nngh! Men are men no matter where you go," I remark, blowing a kiss into the store.

"Mrau! Mraauu!"

Rio, who I had sent away while I was doing the deed, comes running back to me from across the plaza. A disorderly crowd that wasn't here earlier has gathered around the fountain.

"What's going on? Guards!" A patrolling pair who was about to ignore the situation sees me calling and hurries to intervene.

I push my way to the front and see two children being pelted by various debris. But upon closer inspection, my anger reaches a fever high when I realize that they are not unknown to me. Rotten fruits and vegetables coat the ground leading up to none other than Eileen and Cammy.

"Monster!"

"Why are you protecting it?"

"Get out of here!"

The crowd has them surrounded screaming obscenities, not giving either of them a chance to leave.

"That's enough," I slam my staff to the ground, conjuring a gust of wind that blows back the stones and rotten food back. "You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Between my magic and more guards pouring into the city square, the swarm disperses in no time. Cammy buries her tear-stained face into my chest, she has hardly a scratch or stain on her.

"Mama!"

"What are you doing out here? Eileen, what happened?"

"I found Cammy wandering the square looking for you." Eileen clutches her forehead, wincing in pain. Blood trickles down the side of her cheek. I pull her hand away to see a bad hit, likely from a rock being thrown at her.

"Drink this," I say, pulling out a restoration potion for her.

She hesitates to drink the unknown substance, but does so anyway at my request. The wound heals right up, only the dried blood remains caking strands of her brunette hair.

I wouldn't have left Cammy alone if I knew this was going to happen. I hold the dryad close, and bring Eileen into my arms, too.

"Thank you for protecting her," I whisper.

Eileen swallows hard and through quivering lips, she says, "It was nothing."

***

The square returns to a tenuous calm by the time the guards depart. I helped them clean the mess with magic, and do the same for the girls. Cammy ends up falling asleep on my back. Though she was the reason this happened in the first place, I'm pleasantly surprised by her restraint. She could have easily protected herself and Eileen, but didn't lash out at Lotherain's citizens.

"I can't believe they attacked you two like that."

Eileen shakes her head in defense of her fellow citizens. "It's alright. If only I had explained myself better, it would have been fine. I'm just glad Cammy is okay."

I pat the girl on the head. In another lifetime we might have been attending the Witch's Academy together. Mira would've taken a liking to her selfless nature.

"Can I walk you home, Eileen?"

"No! No, I know my way back. It isn't far." She turns me down quickly, but I suspect there's something she isn't telling me.

"A young girl such as yourself shouldn't be walking alone at night. Even if you are familiar with the streets." I put my hands on my waist, but since Cammy is on my back and Rio is on my shoulder, it just looks awkward.

Eileen stares at the ground, chewing on her lip. "I don't actually have a home. I live in an abandoned farm in the outskirts of the city."

Seeing her on the brink of tears makes me regret asking.

"Come back with me then. I'm not paying for the room anyway."

"Barco won't like that—"

"I'll talk to him if it comes to that, but I am definitely not letting you sleep out in a barn.

We returned to the tavern, and Eileen proved herself right about Barco. He threw a tantrum about letting one of his tavern wenches get free lodging. I wasn't having any of it, and invoking King Marcus' name shut him up real fast.

I lay Cammy gently on the bed and tuck her in. Eileen stands in the corner of the room, more awkward now than when she was here earlier.

"The bed is large enough for all of us and then some," I tell her.

Eileen crawls onto the bed and begins bawling her eyes out.

"I can't remember the last time I slept on a bed," she chokes out.

Cammy, stirred awake by the commotion, reaches for Eileen and envelopes her in an embrace. A tendril wipes a tear from her eyes before the liquid is absorbed.

"Bleh. Salty water." Cammy sticks her tongue out, earning laughter from Eileen as she returns the embrace.

The heartwarming scene reminds me why I fight. Even if there are people who reject demihumans like Cammy, humanity is still a race worth saving for these moments.

I have to be stronger not just for myself, but for kind souls like Eileen.