DD 302 Ch 33

The next several weeks went by in the blink of an eye. We wrapped up our Chicago interviews and bounced all the way across the country, landing a few in Seattle as we trickled down the West Coast, then again at the northern heart of the country there wasn’t much of interest. We were essentially going around counterclockwise, at least until we hit Texas, and then we were going to vault all the way over to Europe for the next part of the PR tour.

I was relieved that a break was coming up in the next few days. During that time, we had an escort and we would be working on a trial monster as a class once again. This monster was down on the fifty-eighth floor, and everyone was doing their own research on the surrounding area. Those of us who were disinterested in the trial were more than ready to farm.

We’d all been held back from the dungeon due to the Threadspawn threat.

Meanwhile, I had only been called twice by Princess Xanthana to cleanse areas of Hell. Each time, I was given very strict instructions as to how many and where I was looking, and not to give them any freebies. Of course, said instruction was also given directly in front of the person purchasing my time, and was reminded of my demand no less than thrice by the princess and Lady Frey.

Overall, I felt like a show pony several times over. Though that was only fair. I was absolutely being used as one, after all.

But seeing all these demons continue to disappear only made me more interested in the information the UG was keeping from me. I had heard little more about the Threadspawn, and I was beginning to wonder if their research was even progressing forward.

After all, by now, I expected there to be some solution, especially considering how important this was for humanity and the dungeon as a whole. If the president of the UG found a solution, he would be able to trade that for untold value amongst the other races of the dungeon.

So hearing nothing yet was surprising and worrying. But it was also entirely possible he was waiting until he could find a way to sell them to the other races of the dungeon first, lest he lose all leverage by it becoming common knowledge among humans.

Either way, I could soon put that all behind me and spend time in the dungeon with my party and class.

“Ken, you did wonderful there,” Bellaire praised me as I finished another interview.

“Thanks. I was a little worried that they’d dive back into that whole conspiracy about New York, but I’m happy that it seems to have blown over.” I took Bellaire’s arm and walked with her.

Bellaire nodded and smiled at my comment. “Yes, it’s a good thing they’ve gotten over that and we can move on to far more important things. It also helped that I threatened them if they decided that was going to be the centerpiece of today’s interview.”

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. “Thank you,” I said, and I meant it. Bellaire was far more valuable than I had ever expected when going on this tour. Things were going far smoother than I’d expected and she oftentimes was the one smoothing the way before I even realized it. Only a few instances like this did she let me see just all the work she was doing behind the curtains.

“You are very welcome, Ken.” A sly smirk slid across her lips disappearing, before anyone else noticed. “I do hope that our work together will continue for a very long time. I do so preciously enjoy serving underneath you.”

I knew without a doubt that was an intended euphemism. I’d thought she was sexually charged as a selling point for her persona, but the more time I spent with her, the more I discovered it was genuine. The stoic version of her that she presented to the world was in fact the mask.

But none of that really mattered. At the end of the day, she did what she was supposed to, expertly and with nary a sign of secondary motives when she was doing it. She was the definition of a lady in the streets and, well, a freak in the sheets.

“Well, Bel, I think I have a little time before they drag me back into the dungeon,” I smirked, pausing and knowing that she always had plans for me after an interview now. It was a small chunk of my time that she’d firmly planted her flag into.

She pressed herself closer and walked with me out of the studio. “I would love a lunch. I do know a fantastic place not far from here.”

“Mmhmm,” I hummed, already suspecting she had planned to take me there even if I hadn’t offered. It was clear that she was staking her claim on me when we were out and about within her territory. And her territory was the PR tour. She firmly released any hold she had on me when I went into the dungeon. It was a slightly odd setup, but we were both happy with the situation.

“Why do I get this sneaking suspicion that Des portaled everyone away so you could have me to yourself?” I asked.

Bellaire smirked. “’Cause even if you are a dungeon-head, you still are smarter than your average adventurer. Besides, this place is fantastic, and who we got a recommendation from is going to mean that they roll out all the stops.”

Of course Bel knew someone who could give us the all-star treatment. Her network seemed impossibly vast and something I had nightmares about trying to replicate if we lost her to another guild.

“I mean, you had no need to convince me, but I am certainly convinced now,” I said, taking the time to enjoy the stroll with a beautiful woman on my arm. Yet even doing my best to relax, a small notion caught in the back of my head that we were being watched.

“Bel,” I spoke as calmly as I could, “if I needed you to, would you be able to portal away at a moment’s notice?”

She kept up the light smile on her face as she turned to me. “Unfortunately, I would not. I’ve been informed by both Des and Crimson that I need to learn to defend myself, and I am forbidden from letting you run off to fight on your own.”

I closed my eyes for a brief moment before opening them thinking about another argument to try.

Bel only smiled back at me with more than a little extra oomph, no doubt encouraged by Des. It was only… well more than a few times that I ran off and solved a problem on my own. It was just how Grandpa had taught me to sneak around and end problems swiftly with as few variables as possible.

“I see,” I hummed, checking over my shoulder as casually as possible before focusing back forward.

The look on Bellaire’s face told me she would certainly not run. But at least that was a known variable.

“Bel, I need you to do your best to disable them if required. I’m hoping it does not come to that.” I told her as I narrowed my eyes in annoyance.

It seemed I wasn’t going to be left alone anytime soon, though I wondered who would be stupid enough to stalk me down the street. My first thought was that the president of the UG had sent someone to spy on me. But even if that was the case, I would expect far less hostility and far more professional poise from somebody simply keeping tabs on me. Whoever this was needed to hide their bloodlust far better.

“Is it happening now?” Bellaire asked quietly.

“Someone’s following us,” I murmured. “Whether or not they intend to do anything remains to be seen. It’s best if we just put a smile on our face and continue on as if we don’t notice them.”

Bellaire laughed lightly and hid her nod in the gesture.

I felt confident that whoever this was, they’d be an idiot to risk everything and come at us so boldly. But it wouldn’t be the first time idiots defied my expectations.

“I don’t want them watching us to ruin our lunch,” Bellaire said softly.

“Right. I agree. If you can, just put it from your mind. They probably won’t do anything publicly.” I reassured her. Though, internally I was concerned with just how stupid they might be.

A faint smile playing across her lips as she worked to ignore any tension.

“So,” she began, “do you think if I continue to train with your grandfather, I’ll eventually be able to go after one of these trial monsters? According to Des and Felin, they’re a requirement to go past the hundreds.”

I blinked at her. “Do you intend to dive the dungeon? I thought that was mostly like… well, like you trying to stay fit for health reasons.”

Bellaire shook her head. “You can think of it as fitness. And maybe self-defense.” She added the last part after a brief pause. I understood well enough.

“Oh. Well then, yeah, that makes quite a lot of sense. I suppose with everything you’re doing for the Silverfangs, you’d want to make sure you’re able to keep up with that kind of crowd.”

“How can I represent the Silver Fangs if I’m not even strong enough to dive very deep into the dungeon?” she said with a small smile. “Everyone has very high expectations of anyone surrounding you.”

“Sorry about that,” I said with a smirk—one I didn’t necessarily mean.

In fact, I found myself somewhat happy that she wanted to keep up with us, even if it was mostly in name. I wanted the women around me to be strong. I wanted my harem to be able to support one another. They were my partners in all of this.

“Well, we’ll have to work on you. If you want to take on a trial monster, it’ll require quite a bit of physical conditioning.”

Bellaire slowed, her eyes fixing on a store’s hanging placard up ahead. That must be the place, but she was hesitating if we should go right in.

“I’ve gotten one of the gravity pads from the Orkai,” she explained, “and I’m doing a little work on the side for Crimson, specifically to get the resources I need to run it.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize Crimson was favoring you so much.” I teased.

Bellaire waved a hand. “I’m giving her a very fair rate. Really, she’s getting away with a steal because she’s helping me in more ways than crystals.”

I chuckled. “Well, knowing Crimson, she’s quite giddy to get such special treatment. She might not show it, but she loves when everyone treats her like she’s special.”

The smirk from Bellaire told me she knew as much and that she was getting whatever she wanted out of Crimson. When it came to those two, there was no concern that either might be shortchanging the other. Both were powerful women in their own right.

“This is the place,” Bellaire said, pausing and shifting, clearly asking if we should go in or do something else given our pursuer.

“Oh, wonderful.” I squeezed her hand and paused a long moment at the door, waiting to see if today’s fool would make their move. I’d rather test them and get this over with outside, rather than going in and having to deal with an idiot in a crowded space.

When they didn’t, I decided to push things further.

Catching Bellaire’s cheek, I pulled her close for a long, smoldering kiss. The kind that made the outside world disappear for a moment. Even Bellaire seemed completely lost in it.

To the point that she startled when I spun around, reaching with [Absorb] to snag the spell out of the air.

Of course, my pursuer didn’t care for that.

They rushed from their hiding spot to try and finish the job with a flash of steel. And they weren’t alone. Five other figures slipped from the shadows of various buildings, rushing me and Bellaire with weapons out.

It was one thing to be an idiot. It was another to be so brazen.

I didn’t expect them to throw themselves at me with such abandon. I blocked the first blow, surprised at their strength. It instantly reminded me of the Threadspawn I’d encountered in the skyscraper. An unknown low-level player shouldn’t be able to put up this much of a fight against me.

To make things worse, after the first block I realized it wasn’t a human at all.

I was fighting an elf in the street.

Another larger figure shot from the shadows, this one a male naga. Acting on his own practically confirmed he was infected with Threadspawn, but I couldn’t put much thought into that now, because the naga wasn’t coming for me.

He was coming for Bellaire with a sack in hand. As he tried to wrestle it over her head, Bellaire didn’t scream or cry out.

Instead, a blast of light erupted from her hands. I had to applaud the steady reaction. It took training to keep yourself from panicking, then again all that time on talk shows probably forged nerves of steel for her.

The naga screeched and reeled back long enough for me to slip away from my own opponent and throw a [Sword of Omens] into his chest.

I activated [Eyes of Wisdom], this time asking where the Threadspawn were and stabbed straight for the worm amidst the naga’s bulk.

Of course, the Threadspawn didn’t like that one bit, thrashing violently to try and escape even as my sword nicked it and two more elves tried to dog-pile me.

Meanwhile, the naga recovered long enough to try something else against Bellaire.

Who, despite her heels and dress, dodged two strikes swiftly before beams of light pierced several of the attackers in quick succession. Though they weren’t enough to cause more than a flinch as the Threadspawn pushed on.

Another hood fell and this one revealed a demon. I couldn’t help but wonder why a force of nonhumans had come, all trying to occupy me and bag Bellaire.

I scowled in frustration.

Batting weapons aside, I came in low to hamstring the elf and disable whomever I could with swift strikes of my own. After all, this wasn’t a situation in which I needed to win. I simply needed to find a way out of this encirclement for Bellaire.

My mind moved as fast as my blades as I grasped for options and a small curiosity crept in despite myself.

Why had the Threadspawn come for me? And possibly more importantly, why had they come for Bellaire?

I stuck a dagger into another attacker’s leg, bending them backward, and drew a fresh blade from my CID to block another. It was everything I could do to keep the fight going and keep Bellaire out of harm’s way.

Though she wasn’t helpless. Flashes of light blinded those who grew too close, and she aimed beams at their feet, forcing them to dance away and hindering their movement.

As the fighting continued, another form slipped out of the shadows.

This time, I had to give pause.

A massive Orkai stepped forward, this one clearly far stronger than the others. It must be the leader, only proven further when it spoke.

“Ken Nagato,” it rasped. “You will come with us, or we will make you come. It is not just this one”, it nodded toward Bellaire, “but all whom you have shown affection. We will kidnap them from the streets and drag them to the depths, never to be seen again. Unless, of course, you give in.”

I hesitated, the brief thought of them going after everyone horrifying me. But even in that breath, I knew giving in to violent demands never ended well.

“Oh yeah? And who are you?” I asked.

“We are we,” it said and I had the unsettling feeling it wasn’t using the royal we, but speaking for all Threadspawn at once.

Wonderful and gross that they were so united.

“We want your eyes,” the Orkai said, “we want your sight.”

Well, that was pretty damning. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they wanted to pluck out my eyes and end my ability to use [Eyes of Wisdom] entirely. Or perhaps even worse, they wanted me to use the ability for their own ends.

“I’ll pass on that.” I chuckled, only to find the Threadspawn to be a tough crowd.

“This is not an offer you can refuse,” the Orkai added, stepping forward threateningly, only to freeze in place.

A presence, a damningly powerful one, washed over the whole street making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Whoever it was, happily announced their presence.

A petite pink-haired succubus sat perched on the restaurant roof, tail swaying back and forth mischievously. “Took you long enough,” she yawned, flouncing off the roof and landing neatly behind the Orkai. There was a small dusting of powdered sugar in the corner of her mouth.

He collapsed to a knee, his arms bulging with effort of keeping himself from face planting.

Princess Xanthana leaned over him, in this position she was barely taller than the Orkai. “You know, we wondered if you’d retaliate once we showed our hand at Sloth’s Palace.” She clicked her tongue, then looked up at me. “I hope you don’t mind if I run off with him.” It wasn’t really a question.

I shook my head quickly. “No. Please. You’re more than welcome to him. And any of them.” I gestured at the other Threadspawn sprawled across the ground. I was still recovering from the new fact that Xanthana had been wandering around earth.

“Honestly, they’re good practice for you. I wouldn’t dare take them. But this one…” She tapped the Orkai’s skull.

It visibly caved in from the light tap. She was freaky strong and liked to remind me.

“This one needs to be taught that I don’t like people trying to touch what’s mine. Really, how stupid can you get?” She reached down, grabbed the Orkai by the skull, and squeezed tightly enough that he started to squirm in her grasp.

“Oh, now you want to get away?” she mused. “Well, that’s rather unfortunate, because I’ve taken a firm interest in you.”

Xanthana lifted the Nekorian effortlessly, tutting. “You let them get a few wins and they think they’re something special. Really, it’s quite disappointing.”

“You’re welcome to take them away,” I said with a quick smile and encouraging her to stop playing around.

“Oh, I think I will.” And with that, Princess Xanthana vanished, leaving me with half a dozen recovering Threadspawn and a Bellaire who didn’t look remotely ready to give up.

Thankfully, her pressure had flattened the rest to the ground and they weren’t going to be quite the ‘practice’ she’d indicated. All but the elf appeared to be unconscious and the way his legs were sticking out unnaturally told me that walking was a far step away for him.

“So. Takeout?” Bellaire asked far too casually as I stood over the bleeding and unconscious forms.

“Takeout sounds wonderful. Please ask them to make it quick,” I muttered, glancing at the store window where dozens of faces were plastered against the glass and even more phones pressed between them, desperate to record the fight.

The UG should be rushing this way soon enough. I didn’t need to contact the president again and I had a certain reluctance now.

I had my CID out, contacting everyone I could, asking where they were and making sure they were safe. That was far more important to me, even as I pulled out a spear and stuck it in the legs of several of the unconscious forms to ensure they didn’t wake up and run.

Penny got back first. They were already en route to the trial monster the class would be working on.

I told her to be careful and that I’d join shortly. I didn’t want them to worry, but I still mentioned that I’d been attacked by Threadspawn.

By the time I sent off just a handful of messages, Bellaire was already walking out with a to-go bag in hand.

“Turns out they’re really polite to me after they see you slice and dice a dozen people in front of their restaurant,” she said cheerfully. “I’m fairly certain these were made for someone else, but they gave me what I ordered.” She chuckled and held the bag up.

“Well, let’s get down into the dungeon. We can make it a picnic,” I said. If the Threadspawn threat was remotely true, I wanted to be on-site as soon as possible. But honestly? Without that particular Orkai, they were going to have a much harder time trying to kidnap any of the powerful women I loved.

Bellaire was likely the one at highest risk. At least, that’s how I justified it as I took the takeout bag from her and ripped open a portal back to the Nagato estate as an unmarked van pulled up and several green-vested UG personnel popped out.

“We will have some damage control to do,” Bellaire cautioned as she stepped through. “After all, you did just kill friendly and enemy races out on the street.”

I shrugged. “Sounds like a problem for the UG.”

My tone was perhaps a tad harsher than needed, because Bellaire paused, turning with a carefully manicured eyebrow raised.

“The UG and I aren’t getting along very well anymore,” I said. Then I smiled faintly. “It’s really their fault.”