Wonder

Though she went above and beyond what was expected for someone her Level, Chelsea was soundly defeated by Kaia. The latter possessed more than three times Chelsea's Agility, so while the spunky blonde surpassed the limitations of her stats, she couldn't bridge the gap between them, not when Kaia was using a shield.

"Haaaa...haaaa...haaaa..."

Staring up at the ceiling with her arms and legs sprawled out, Chelsea, covered in sweat, had what could best be described as a 'refreshed' look. It wasn't like she hated Kaia, though that might change if she learned the former was sleeping with Cairn, so once the fight had officially ended, all the hostility she had exhibited disappeared.

"You performed exceptionally, Sister Chelsea," said Kaia, approaching the downed Neophyte, sitting on her knees, and smiling as she added, "Had the gap in our ages and cumulative experience been smaller, our present positions might have been reversed."

"One day, they will be..." Chelsea asserted. Then, rising to a seated position with some effort, she directed her gaze at Cairn, a tense silence permeating the air before she said, "I heard you're the Champion..."

"Not that I have any intention of using that title in the near future," said Cairn, adopting a smile as he leaned against a stone column with his arms crossed.

"Even so..." muttered Chelsea, raising her right hand and forming into a fist as she added, "I recently began receiving Cardinal Benedictus's guidance. She was once known throughout Cliabhaan as the Sword-wielding Saintness, so I plan to follow in her footsteps and succeed where she failed. Then, when the world needs you, and you require allies...I might consider accepting if you bow your head and ask nicely..."

"Let's hope that day doesn't come," said Cairn, smiling cheekily and causing Chelsea to frown slightly before he added, "But, if it does, I'm sure I won't need to ask for you to lend a hand. If you become the kind of person you're aspiring to be, it's only natural that I'll have your back and vice-versa."

Inhaling and exhaling audibly through her nose, Chelsea's pouty expression gave way to a smile as she said, "I suppose you're right. But, until you apologize for breaking my heart, I'll keep getting stronger and more beautiful until you can't help feeling regret."

Though he was tempted to point out he hadn't done anything overtly to break Chelsea's heart, Cairn nodded and teased, "Well, you're definitely headed in the right direction. If you can-"

Seeing Chelsea become statuesque, her face turning bright red from her neck to her head, Cairn's words trailed off. He intended to compliment her strength and rapid growth, but based on Chelsea's reaction, it was fairly obvious she thought he was referencing the changes in her appearance.

'Man, this girl is a landmine...' thought Cairn, his smile cramping slightly. Fortunately for Chelsea, she wasn't the only one that had changed over the past few months. He still had no interest in brats, but if Chelsea sought him out once she matured, Cairn doubted he would be able to turn her away as easily as he had before...

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"It's open," said the voice of Andrika, emanating from the door Cairn was about to knock on.

"Never hurts to be safe," said Cairn, opening the door and pausing for a moment when he caught Andrika in the midst of brushing and braiding Sera's hair. He actually liked her somewhat unkempt, bookish look, but he would be lying if he said she didn't clean up remarkably well.

"See? I told you he would like it," mused Andrika, punctuating her words by tying a bow to the end of Sera's braid.

"I'm glad," chimed Sera, meeting Cairn's gaze with narrowed eyes as she adopted one of her weapon-grade smiles.

Recovering his senses, Cairn returned a smile and said, "To be fair, you look great no matter how your hair is styled. The apple didn't fall far from the tree in that regard."

"Hear that?" asked Andrika. "Despite the differences in our age, he still deigns to pay me a compliment. Quite considerate, isn't it~?"

"It's because Mother is very beautiful," Sera assured, rising from the chair she was seated on and giving Andrika a warm hug. The latter readily reciprocated, but the moment didn't last as Sera promptly drew back, holding Andrika's arms and smiling as she expressed, "May the Light of the Goddess guide us both..."

"Lady Restia may guide us, but the strength to walk the path is found within..." countered Andrika, ending the exchange by kissing her daughter on the forehead and whispering, "Be well, my beautiful baby girl..."

Separating from her mother, Sera turned and approached Cairn, seizing the initiative to grasp his hands as she said, "I'm ready," with a confident smile and a decisive tone. As such, Cairn let her back into the Interspatial Pouch. Before he could wish Andrika well and turn to leave, however, the buxom Cardinal said, "A moment, please."

"Sure..." replied Cairn, turning to face Andrika with some trepidation. He had calmed down thanks to Reine, but their previous encounter was still fresh in his mind. After all, it had barely been an hour since she had him backed against the wall with more than just her breasts pressed against him...

"Your thoughts and actions never cease to amuse me," remarked Andrika, opening her sightless eyes ever-so-slightly and licking her lips. It was her ability to read people's minds and hearts that resulted in her being rather promiscuous throughout her prolonged life, so she couldn't help getting a little excited when Cairn's 'imaginings' appeared in her mind.

"It's not why I asked you to stay, but there's still time before the Southern Gate opens..." said Andrika, turning around to provide Cairn a view of her immaculate backside before raising the hem of her nightgown and adding, "It would be my pleasure to herald your departure on a high note..."

Expecting Andrika to be pantiless, like most of the women he associated with, Cairn's eyes widened when he saw her sporting a pure white, tulle lace thong patterned to resemble flowers. What he didn't know was that Andrika had donned the beautifully 'accentuating' garment specifically because of what had transpired between them in the hallway. Her switch had been flipped, so while she would get over it fairly quickly, she felt it would be remiss of her to let him depart so easily...

While burning the image of Andrika's round, heart-shaped ass in his mind, Cairn thought to himself, 'I did promise Elle and Kaia I wouldn't restrain myself. And I would definitely regret it if I just turned and walked away...'

Raising his gaze to the ceiling, Cairn imagined meeting Restia's as he thought, 'This world is wrought with degeneracy...'. Then, returning his gaze to Andrika's perfectly sculpted ass, a wolfish grin developed across his face as he thought, 'But I'll be damned if it isn't a wonder to behold...'

Making up his mind, Cairn approached Andrika and guided her forward until she had her hands against the wall. The buxom Cardinal's brows perked in response, but she made no efforts to stop him. Instead, she braced herself, smiled, and hummed, "I suppose it makes sense that a Champion would want to take the lead. I'm fairly confident in my techniques, but it's nice to be on the receiving end of such youthful passion..."

"Do me a favor," said Cairn, lining his dick up with Andrika's awaiting entrance, her warmth permeating the tip of his cock as he added, "Cut the casual act, even if you have to fake it. I get enough of that creepy composure from Vira..."

"As you will," replied Andrika, seizing the initiative to push against Cairn, a hot, sonorous sigh escaping her throat as his length and girth satisfactorily pried her insides. She had thought he would be a bit bigger, but he was definitely up there. Once he matured fully, she was certain he would reach even greater heights and depths. 

'It's a shame this will probably be the last time I'll get to experience it...' thought Andrika, understanding that once Cairn invariably crossed the line with her daughter, he would avoid her on principle. She also felt it wasn't very 'proper' for her to be interfering with the matters of the younger generation, but since Cairn wasn't at all deterred by her age, Andrika couldn't help wanting to 'sample' him at least once...

Fortunately for Andrika, once Cairn crossed the line, he held little back. Thus, even though it would probably require him to explain himself, he spent nearly an hour and a half fucking her in various positions, blowing his load inside of her twice and ending things off by painting her face and tits with his semen. She was more than willing to swallow it, but the temptation of seeing a holy woman wipe his semen from her face and body with her fingers before licking them clean was too tantalizing a notion to resist. What he didn't anticipate was how hard the 'presentation' would make him, resulting in an additional half-hour delay before Cairn hastily departed the Cathedral with a perceptible skip in his step...

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'Wow, this brings back memories...' thought Cairn, exiting the southern gate to find a vast array of tents, some spreading as far as the hill a few kilometers away. The situation with the supplies had been resolved, but with an even larger influx of refugees arriving to escape the migrating monster hordes, the number of people seeking to enter Cliabhaan had exploded to more than a hundred thousand. Things had gotten so bad, in fact, that a second, much smaller wall had been erected as a stop-gap to prevent monsters from assailing the refugees.

Fortunately, while Cairn drew a considerable amount of attention while walking through the encampment, the quality of his equipment and the distinctiveness of his mask caused people to give him a wide berth. It also helped that he was being escorted through the region by ten fully armed guards, their eyes having nearly popped out of their sockets when he presented them with the Holy Writ Andrika had lent him before his departure. It basically granted him the status and authority of a Cardinal, so there was no way in hell the guards would let him be accosted or robbed before he moved well outside their jurisdiction.

'Hmmm...I half-expected to see Rubena and her sister. Guess they already moved on to the Capital...' thought Cairn, his gaze passing over the approximate location of where their tent had been pitched. Another massive tent had been erected in its place, but the markings and style were completely different. There was even a series of four watchtowers that had been erected, manned by a group of people that resembled children from afar, but Cairn assumed they were Hearthlings, Plainaire's version of Halflings/Hobbits. Cairn had only ever seen the diminutive, pointy-eared race in books, but he couldn't imagine a bunch of children wearing fur-lined armor and toting around hammers and axes larger than they were tall.

Recalling what he had learned about Hearthlings, Cairn momentarily stopped, confusing the soldiers escorting him. Hearthlings, despite their size, were renowned monster hunters who frequently ventured into the Frontier on long expeditions. They weren't very welcoming to outsiders, but so long as you had the coin, they were willing to take on drakes, wyverns, and even true dragons. Combine that with the fact they were second only to the Dwarves when it came to craftsmanship, and they were a powerful ally to have...

'It's definitely worth looking into, but I doubt I would be able to keep my identity a secret if I keep recruiting people...' thought Cairn. The Hearthlings' setup also indicated they had 'dug in' in preparation for a battle, so he doubted they would be willing to pack up and accompany him unless he offered them a King's Ransom. With that in mind, Cairn ultimately turned away from the encampment, unaware that one of the Hearthlings in the tower had been observing him from afar...

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