Hiro had braced himself to deal with another bratty princess like Rebecca, but Luna was nothing like that. She was far from arrogant, more like an energetic girl—much like Cecile. Except Luna was even more graceful in her movements, almost hydrodynamic. Hiro was elated. *The king gave her to me for free?* Hiro once again thanked King Angus from the bottom of his heart. He was already in love with this kingdom and vowed to stay loyal.
He wanted to rub those fluffy ears and tail, but he was currently inside Marissa's body. Besides, he didn't know if Luna would even want to be with him.
"You came so soon. Are you that excited to meet our symbiote?" Marissa asked.
"Not really," Luna replied with a forced smile smile. "I just wanted to visit a new place. This place is so remote they don't even have a proper inn."
"With royal knights around, I'm sure that will change," Marissa said. "I shall take you to your room. Once you're ready, let's meet the symbiote."
Rebecca and Cecile spotted Luna hopping around Marissa's estate. Curious, Cecile asked who she was. Marissa responded with a smile.
"Greetings, this is Luna, daughter of King Angus of Litmus."
"Hello!" Luna waved her hand cheerfully.
"Are you here to take the scales?" Marissa asked Rebecca.
"No, we just came by to hang out. It's so much livelier here now!"
"Yes, with the addition of these fifty royal guards in training, we can expect a lot more scales," Marissa replied.
"They aren't here just to hunt pangolins, are they?" Rebecca whispered to Marissa.
"Of course not. They're here to protect Hiro. And by extension, you. See? We're keeping our word." Marissa smiled warmly.
Rebecca was taken aback. Royal knights were supposed to be the elite of the elite, and the fact that the king had sent fifty of them, albeit new recruits, to protect the trio was proof of how much he valued them. Rebecca felt a mixture of emotions. She didn't know whether to feel grateful or upset, knowing it was Hiro they were protecting, not her.
"Thank you!" Rebecca said, though the conflict still stirred within her.
"Hey, Father said your symbiote can produce iron ore. Can you show me? All the other symbiotes are usually battle-oriented. I wanna see!" Luna said, waving at Marissa. "Tell my maid to put my things in the room."
Rebecca then called Nana, and the team set out for pangolin hunting. Luna was fast and deadly with her saber. When a pangolin rushed at her, she bisected it with her sword in one swift motion. Hiro was amazed at her speed.
"Here!" Luna threw the pangolin carcass to Cecile. Hiro immediately extended himself from Cecile and began descaling the pangolin.
As Hiro ate the scales, a blue window appeared, asking whether he wanted to extract calcium, iron, or another mineral. There were other minerals like zinc, copper, aluminum, and carbon mixed with the scales. Thanks to his material analysis, Hiro could choose which mineral to extract, and he chose iron.
However, instead of spitting out iron ore like usual, he decided to make a javelin for Nana. Luna eagerly grabbed it. Stealing it from her.
"Hm... this spear is rather unique. The connection between the metal and the wood is perfect, but the wood itself isn't very high quality. The overall quality is a bit subpar, but the fact that you could make it on the fly is awesome!" Luna moved around with the javelin and threw it on trees before giving it back to Nana.
"Hiro could do better if he leveled up and practiced!" Cecile pouted.
"Well, if he spends more time crafting, I'm sure he will," one of the royal knights who accompanied them added. "Maybe if we gave him a standard javelin or spear made for the royal knights, he could copy it?"
*poke poke*
Luna, the energetic girl, couldn't focus on the discussion and was busy poking Hiro's tentacle as it extended from Cecile. Hiro found her amusing, like a curious cat. As he moved his tentacle, Luna's eyes followed. He extended it further, and Luna continued to follow.
"Princess!" The royal guard raised her voice, and Luna immediately straightened herself.
"Eek! Sorry," she said, quickly pulling her hand back.
"Hm… if I'm not mistaken, King Angus is human, right? So, how is Princess Luna a demi-human?" Rebecca asked, curiosity evident in her voice. Hiro was also intrigued. He hadn't expected a kemonomimi princess to appear before him, let alone such a cute and hydrodynamic one, even more so than Rebecca.
"I got this trait from my grandmother," Luna explained with a playful smile.
"Let's hunt some more!" Luna said excitedly as they ventured further into the forest. They hunted a few more pangolins and returned to the village by twilight.
Later, as Cecile slept on Hiro's bed, she had a nightmare.
In her dream, she found herself in a world dominated by tentacles. As her bare feet stepped onto the ground, a tentacle immediately caressed her, sending shivers up her spine. She crawled forward, licking one of Hiro's tentacles like a dog. A collar made of flesh was fastened around her neck. A tentacle slapped her butt, but instead of pain, she felt pleasure.
Stepping outside her cottage, she saw Nana, Rebecca, and Marissa. They rode Hiro's tentacles, moving their hips seductively. Like animals, they were all naked, but none of them felt any shame. Cecile knew—they were all consumed by thoughts of Hiro's tentacles. Nana was the first to climax, and afterward, Cecile obediently followed to the fleshbed made by Hiro. She straddled Hiro's tentacle, rubbing her hips against him.
As the pleasure built, Hiro abruptly stopped. Frustrated, Cecile found herself begging to be allowed to climax. Her tongue extended like a dog as she begged and licked Hiro's tentacle. Hiro, without words, commanded her to keel like a dog—wagging her tail and showing her belly. She understood perfectly, even though he hadn't spoken. After all, it was her dream.
Hiro began caressing her stomach and stimulating her crotch again. The pleasure intensified, and soon, he penetrated her most sensitive areas, making her climax instantly. But Hiro wasn't finished. Cecile realized that Hiro could make her orgasm as many times as he wanted. With reason leaving her, Hiro led her like a dog, using the collar as a leash.
As Cecile approached a tree, Hiro bound her to it and began caressing her supple breasts. Cecile accepted it, even smiling. She then peed herself. Hiro, angry, smacked her butt, but instead of feeling ashamed, she felt pleasure and licked his tentacle. He laid her down on the dirt, punishing her by denying her the release she craved. Cecile felt as if she was in both heaven and hell at once.
She screamed, begging for forgiveness and promising to do whatever Hiro asked. But Hiro wasn't convinced and continued his torment until evening. He then focused on caressing her breasts, intending for her to climax from this external stimulation alone.
Cecile complied, managing to climax just from his touch. As Hiro continued, he began denying her again, making it clear she could only orgasm when he allowed it. Cecile could do nothing but whimper and beg.
Days passed, and Cecile's mind was filled with Hiro's commands. Whenever he ordered her to climax, she would, even if nothing was being done to her. Pleasure was granted without reason—when she was eating, bathing, or even sleeping.
Eventually, Cecile followed Hiro's every command like Nana and Rebecca did. She behaved like obedient cattle, fed and controlled by Hiro. Strangely, this made her ecstatic—the fact that Hiro took care of her like a pet excited her. But as this realization hit her, a surge of horror washed over her all at once.
"AHH!" Cecile woke up with a start. The sun had yet to rise. She scanned her surroundings—nothing had changed, and Hiro wasn't doing anything lewd to her. She was just lying on his bed as usual.
"As usual?" she thought. Since when did she think sleeping on a bed made of tentacles was normal? A sudden fear seized her. She looked around—everything seemed fine. Yet, the realization that Hiro was always with her, attached to her, sank in. Cecile dressed hurriedly and went outside for a walk. Hiro retracted into her body, and the bed returned to a clean state as if no one had ever slept on it.
The night was chilly—a fact Cecile only realized now, as Hiro had always wrapped her like a blanket. Was she just being paranoid? Hiro had never done anything harmful to her, apart from the intimate moments. She owed him her life, yet fear lingered. She was terrified that her nightmare might come true. That she would lose all reason as she surrendered her mind and body to him.
She returned to her bed, and Hiro quickly fashioned it for her. It was warm and soft, as usual.
"Please, don't change me. I'll do as you say, just... please, don't make me lose myself," Cecile whispered, drifting off to sleep.
Hiro had no idea why she whispered that. Sense-sharing only connected their physical sensations, not their thoughts. Cecile's fears and dreams were her own. Hiro had no intention of breaking the girls, so in a sense, her wish had already been granted. Hiro was confused as to why Cecile seemed so distraught.
Meanwhile, Rebecca couldn't sleep. She kept reading the letter her father had sent her.
---
Rebecca, I am sorry. I was forced to do this because I love you. Having a symbiote is dangerous for your body. Please let it go, and I will ensure that you receive the best care from the Evesys family. You may hate me, but your mother loves you dearly, and she wants to see you.
Our family is declining. Only you can help us. With your symbiote, we can achieve great things together. Remember when you were angry because people looked down on you? With your symbiote, nobody will look down on you ever again. But not now, Rebecca. Your symbiote is still a newborn; it needs fuel. No country but Latvin has the resources it needs.
Latvin has medicine to enhance symbiotes. It also helped the user to use symbiotes better. Without this medicine, your symbiote will remain a lesser symbiote. Moreover, it could engulf and take over your body. If you don't have these tools, you will never master your symbiote. Please, come back. It is vital.
Best regards,
Viscount Evesys.
Rebecca wanted to crumple the letter, but her hand stopped. She looked at Hiro, torn between trusting her father again or not. If what her father said was true, she would need that medicine sooner rather than later. Tears filled her eyes. She wanted to use Hiro properly, but she felt it—she felt that Hiro hated her. She felt that Hiro didn't understand her, and that she hadn't paid proper tribute to him. That's why she lagged behind Nana and Cecile.
Even Marissa was able to walk, thanks to Hiro, after only a day of being with him. Rebecca had been with Hiro from the beginning, along with Nana, yet Nana had grown into a strong warrior. Nana was no longer just an archer—she could wield spears, her movements sharp, and her strikes fast. She couldn't use spears before as she lacked the strength. However, she is now a hybrid warrior, while Cecile has proven to be a solid frontliner.
Rebecca wanted to be like that. But all she could do was provide fire and water during their rest days. She was a noble, yet she acted like a scullery maid. It broke her heart. She was a mage! She was supposed to be the ace of the team.
"Papa, Hiro... I promise I will use you well." Rebecca whispered as she hugged Hiro's tentacle in her sleep. She wanted to achieve something. She wanted to grow with everyone. She wanted to be respected.
All of this desire culminated inside her as she slept.