In case you’re wondering, we did it. It wasn’t sweet like our first time; and so I vow to never do a woman or a man.

However, it is exactly what was missing from my masturbation—the real thing.

The next morning when I initially believed Nillin have abandoned me, I learn he left to be with Cassiopeya alongside Trieu because grandmother refuses to let me travel to the land of the Kolarian Kingdom.

Upon her orders as well, I am to travel south on Aarthian land to find the last person related to me by blood.

(Somehow there is someone like that. Probably my prostitute mother.)

Accompanying me is the green cloak, Lord Griflet, his three subordinates, Caria, Borscht, and Kay, and Carcyne, a medical mage.

Yennenga and Asana give us a lift before returning to the Southeastern Sea of Paliciosa. Whereas Gozen and Joan return to the breach in the Northeastern Mountains in Galiaph, a country East of the grand Kalor.

Diana and her husband stay with grandmother, for it is rumored that Diana will succeed grandmother’s title, Queen of the Dragons.

“This is a far south your sister-in-law and I can take you before being spotted by ‘humans’,” Yennenga lands us in his dragon form.

His scales are as hard as steel and painted with the royal blood of deep violet. Yennenga’s body is perhaps thirty meters long and twenty four meters tall. Grandmother is much bigger than Yennenga in his dragon form when she’s in her dragon form.

“Thank you, Yennenga and Asana. Enjoy your honeymoon.”

He snarls and the air around us moves and carves accordingly to his control, “It’s not a honeymoon! Tsk. Let’s go Asana.”

And as soon as he said that, he and his wife take off into the gentle blue sky with cloud that sings in harmony to the melody of the wind.

“So easy to tease,” I chuckle to myself and I know Asana is probably thinking the same thing as well.

“Soo... Why are we here?” Kay asks Griflet in exhaustion.

“Bethany’s Hope,” I answer for Griflet. “I think we’re supposed to find my mother.”

Caria, Borscht, and Kay give each other weird looks. It’s understandable since ‘Bethany’s Hope’ is an infamous brothel filled with slaves.

What would they think of me if they knew I am the son of the big mama there? Well, why am I asking myself that?

Should I fucking care? My family is dubbed ‘bandits’ by them and yet they are okay with me.

“Bethany’s Hope?” Borscht murmurs to himself. He’s probably wondering why I say the name of a brothel if I’m looking for my mother.

Actually, I don’t even know why I’m looking for my mother. What are the benefits of it?

Is it to brag to her of who I have become? Or maybe to show her how disgusting I have become: a man marrying another man.

“Then that’s in the city of the Jackensons.” Griflet licks his index finger and then points to the southeast, “About a hundred kilometers that way.”

“Assuming we all walk in the same pace, it’ll take a little over eight hours to get there,” Caria proudly estimates the numbers for us.

However, Carcyne thinks otherwise, “I don’t think so. I’m a mage as we all know, so my physical strength won’t be on par with everyone here.”

“Then how fast do you think you can walk?” Kay examines the cute mage with us.

“I can walk about twenty minutes per kilometers and about six hours a day,” Carcyne nods her head with a smirk on her face.

Maybe she walks fast for a mage or something.

“That’ll take at the very least five days to get to the edge of Jackenson City,” Caria sighs. “How about I carry you on my back?”

Carcyne steps closer to my side—almost hiding, “There is no way I’m getting on the back of a female human! I rather walk.”

“But you walk super slow!”

“But are we in a rush?” Carcyne points out and everyone seems to be in an awkward silence. “I thought so.”

Well, I’m pretty sure I’m not in a rush. Furthermore, it’s not like I’m super excited or eager to meet the woman who never consider herself to be my mother since she sold me into prostitution.

“Alright. You can get on my back then,” Borscht suggests.

“No!” Carcyne out right denies him. “And I thought we establish that we aren’t in a rush.”

Borscht glances at Griflet, his leader, before answering, “We actually are. There is someone Lord Griflet has to meet up with before that person chooses to assist the present Aarthian King.”

Someone Griflet has to meet up with? Who the fuck is this important person?

“Then I can fly us there with—”

“I think there was a reason my brother didn’t take us there himself,” I say softly which I’m sure no one notice because they’re too busy telling Carcyne the same thing.

“You want Aarthians to start a war with the dragons as well? It is not until recently that ‘I’ see for myself that dragons exist,” Kay shakes his head in disappointment.

This makes Carcyne become quiet. I also don’t know how to reply to that as well.

If I really think about it. Aarth is truly a power hungry country, more than any other. As a matter of fact, the current Aarthian king is the most calm of all his preceders. I believe Nillin is also power hungry.

“How come you don’t want that?” I mumble, but again no one hears it because Griflet makes his decision.

“The mage gets on Kay’s back and that’s final. We will be there shortly after night falls.”

To this, no one responses and simply complies. Myself included. After all, why answer to the devil?

It’s a long journey and doing an all nighter the previous day wasn’t to my best interest. My hips hurt more than the feet that are carrying my whole weight.

What is truly interesting is that not once in our eight hours walk did we stop to have a leak or a breather.

Once I see Jackenson City in the distance, I finally understand the literal meaning to, ‘A city on a hill cannot be hidden.’

Truly a magnificent sight as the yellow lights twinkle in a elegant curve. I almost want to figure out the area under that curve.

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, and perhaps our senses are heightened because they hear me.

“Just wait until we enter the Capital,” Caria says softly as she catches her breaths.

Griflet giggles a little before revealing the meaning behind his subtle laughter, “I only been to Jge once, but when comparing it to the capital, the capital dulls in comparison. I don’t think any city is as beautiful as Jge.”

So normal humans have enter Jge, the city-state of the Jgeon mermen, also where Joan is from.

“But during the day, I think the capital is still much more beau—”

Griflet cuts Caria once more, “Then the day title goes to Asandria where the Hienzworths reside since forever.”

“Alright.” I think Caria rolls her eyes but it is too dark to be sure.

When we reach the edge of the city, which took us about ten minutes, Griflet orders, “Borscht and Caria, I want you two to find an inn for Lord Maeve and the mage, and stay with them. Kay and I will try to find Master Lexin of Asandria.”

Carcyne gets onto Borscht’s back.