Chapter 29: Studying for the Event

As I was thinking about the future at the academy, the door slid open.

Looking towards the door, I could see both the Countess and Jahi enter, slight smiles on their faces. Getting out of the bath, I walked over to Jahi, who had taken a seat in front of the shower.

Washing her off, she looked over at me, asking "What were you and mom doing?"

"Lady Presa and the academy..."

Hearing that, the Countess chuckled slightly, sending a shiver down my spine. Deciding to ignore that, I looked towards Jahi, who was smiling at me.

"Oh? And why were you two talking about her?"

Seeing her slightly cold gaze, I flinched slightly before sighing.

"I was asking the Marquess what she was like, hoping to figure out what Leone might be like..."

Hearing that, she pursed her lips, before sighing.

"So, what did you 'figure out'?"

"Not much... the Marquess says that Leone will be a mystery, since the Empress is one of her parents."

Chuckling, the Countess looked over at us, saying "That is indeed the case. Even when Chordeva and I worked by her side we couldn't get a read on the woman. Even when we met her other children, they were all very different."

Getting up, the Countess made her way to the bath, sitting next to the Marquess, who flinched slightly when she felt the Countess lean into her.

Rinsing Jahi off, I followed her into the bath. Pulling me into her, she wrapped her arm around me. Looking towards the Marquess, Jahi asked "What are the plans for when the Empress and Sultana get here?"

Leaning away from the Countess, the Marquess said "The first day they are here is a day of rest. They could show up first thing in the morning or just after dusk. Either way, we will be waiting for them to show up, and after greeting them and showing them to their rooms, we will not have anything extravagant planned for that day.

The second day will be spent outside, touring the gardens and simply discussing anything. We start in the around noon, and will first eat lunch outside. Then we tour the gardens, before having dinner outside as well. After that, we either remain outside to discuss things or retire inside.

The third day will be an outing into the town, showing them what the March Asmodia has to offer. We leave around noon, and come back after dusk. Anything could happen when we tour the town, so we will be bringing a few Banshee's as guards...

The fourth and fifth day will be dedicated to the cultures of the Empire and Sultanate respectively. We will do the things that the nobility of both sides tend to do, and end the days with a small dance.

The sixth and seventh days are just days of relaxation, with nothing really planned. By that point, you both should have a decent understanding of our guests, and should be deepening your relationships with them."

Sighing at the end of that, the Marquess leaned back, closing her eyes. However, when the Countess chuckled lightly and leaned into her, she stiffened again.

Looking at Jahi, we exchanged glances before deciding to ignore them.

Enjoying the heat of the water and the sloshing of the bath, we eventually decided to get out.

Drying Jahi off, I helped her get dressed, before she did the same for me. Looking over to the married couple, I shrugged when I saw the Marquess' pleading gaze. Exiting the bath, I could hear a shout as the Marquess quickly flew from the bathroom, before throwing on her clothes and leaving our room.

Looking at the door, I watched as the Countess exited the bath with a chilly gaze. Drying herself off, she calmly and methodically dressed herself, before giving Jahi and I a pat on the head. When she walked out of the room, both of us sighed in relief.

Turning to Jahi, I said "The Countess can be quite... scary..."

Nodding, she smiled at me, saying "Both of them can be quite scary, though I think Mother is much worse..."

Grabbing my hand, Jahi led me towards the Library. Confused, I followed her, wondering why we were returning.

Dragging me towards the section dedicated to the various races of the world, she started searching the shelves, before pulling out a book dedicated to Vampires. Handing it to me, she continued to search the shelves, pulling out a book dedicated to canine beastmen as well as one about elves.

Holding the three thick tomes, we made our way to a table. Placing the books on the table, Jahi opened the book about Vampires.

Leaning into her, I skimmed the book, reading keywords and determining which part of the page was worth reading.

Seeing that they were similar to the vampires from my world, minus the whole burning in sunlight thing, I pursed my lips, wondering how Lorelei Presa and Leone Presa-Ash will act.

Considering they still feed on mainly blood, though they are capable of eating normal foods, as well as the small aversion to bright things, it seems like Jahi and Leone will have some difficulty getting along, as Jahi absolutely hates bleeding and has light magic.

Remembering the slight scratches she received when training with the Marquess, paired with her begging me to give her the sequence dedicated to healing oneself, I chuckled slightly.

Closing the book, Jahi opened the next book, the one dedicated to canine beastmen. Flipping to the section dedicated to dogkin, we read through it, though I blushed slightly when it mentioned the various sensitive points that dogkin have, specifically the ears, tail, and how our stomachs are more sensitive then the rest of our skin. Seeing that, Jahi grinned, turning towards me.

Her hands shot forwards, grabbing either side of my midriff. Gently tracing her fingers over my stomach, I doubled over to prevent her from attempting to tickle me, though this just made it easier for her to move her target to my ears, blowing lightly into my ears while also ruffling around them, I scowled at her, before giggling as she blew more into my ears.

Eventually she stopped, though I could still see the mischievous light in her eyes. Glaring at her, she smirked at me, before turning back towards the book.

Like I had expected and seen when I chose to be a dogkin, they have enhanced senses and reflexes, as well as strength. The book continued, saying dogkin are better warriors then mages, adding that this is due to the enhanced physical senses. Scoffing, I reaffirmed my conviction to learn stupidly powerful spells.

Ruffling my ears, Jahi flipped through the book again, turning towards the Jackalkin.

The passage was similar to dogkin, the only difference being that jackalkin were faster and more agile, as well as having a better sense of smell. Seeing this, I contemplated what that would mean for Anput. Would she have the best of both worlds then? Or would she simply take after one of her parents, being either a dogkin or jackalkin?

Shrugging, I looked towards the last book, curious as to why Jahi grabbed it.

Looking at me, she gave a small smile, saying "Although I am mainly demon, I am still part elf. I never really looked into what elves were like, so..."

Squeezing her hand, she smiled wider, before opening the book. While it was much smaller than the books for Vampires and Canine Beastmen, it still had useful information.

Elves had larger cores than the other races, allowing them to hold more mana. Additionally, because of this, they lived much longer as well. Due to their higher mana, they also innately had better control over it, and when they used a spell, it was always much stronger than other races. However, like most things, these amazing things came with some drawbacks.

They had much lower reproductive ability, and a weak body, at least for people with cores. They relied on their magics to remain strong, and it wasn't odd to see them become reclusive, hoping to live their lives in peace, away from others in a hope to simply stay alive.

Seeing that, Jahi scoffed, before looking towards me. Furrowing my brow, she looked away, muttering something. Sadly, I couldn't make it out, but when she turned back she had a wide smile on her face, so it must have been something about the book being wrong.

Closing the books, we put them away before going to our room.

Flopping into the bed, I lay there in Jahi's arms, clinging to her. Ignoring her roaming hands, I looked at the changes in my level, smiling a bit. These last three days have been quite fruitful...

[Level 10 - (2260.5/3843) -> (5135.5/3843)]

[Level 10 -> Level 11 (1292.5/5764.5)]

Assigning my stat points, my stats now looked like:

[STR - 5(10) -> 6(12)

CON - 7(14)

AGI - 6(12)

DEX - 7(14)

CHA - 8(16)

WIS - 7(14)

INT - 7(14)]

Smiling wider, I snuggled into Jahi, falling asleep to the rhythmic beat of her heart.