Tensei Skill Shop Chapter 26

Tensei Skill Shop

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 26:

Social battery, drained. No energy. None. 

Uzume’s giggling reached my ears, but I was too burnt out to care. “Surely it’s not that bad.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but the only thing that came out was, “Ugggghhh…”

“There, there, Rick-tan, you did well getting through it,” Another voice said, its owner petting me on my head. 

I felt a mental link start up.

<Once we’re back in our room, I’ll reward you, okay?> Matsu hinted mischievously.

My body twinged in a way that I knew she could tell, and sure enough, there was an accompanying feeling of amusement through our bond.

My parents had been surprised when they realized the friends I brought back home were female, and naturally had some reservations about letting me sleep in the same room as them, but we managed to persuade them into it. Sleeping space aside, there were the issues of shared laundry and other stuff, but we were able to handle it somehow. My two Sekireis could understand English, though their pronunciation was still a bit rough, and I made use of that to my advantage.

My brother and his family also stayed there during the weekdays, so we had our share of interactions as well; engaging with my nephew and niece, telling him and my sister-in-law about what we did in Japan… I appreciated the distance he was keeping, though I caught him staring suspiciously at Matsu a few times, since I did have a Sekirei bromide poster in my room. Thankfully, he didn’t bring up the similarity.

The embarrassment of having my collection of adult goods found by Matsu and Uzume was another thing. Reading material, darkimakuras and tools of pleasure, all uncovered by those two. Even now, the memory of their teasing made me cringe. Especially when Uzume found the commissioned dakimakura cover of her.

It was after that, that the situation got exhausting. 

Questions about our relationship, how we met, what were their job duties in the company, and so on. With Sano’s work contract forbidding the reveal of the extraordinary details, we did our best to provide technically true answers. 

The family dinner turned that up several times more, as aunts and uncles turned up for the visit, and I had to make introductions and mingle with the guests. The instant leap to assuming that we were dating, follow-up questions about marriage plans, potential in-laws… 

Let’s not think about it any more… I’ve gotten through that ordeal already. It’s past now. I turned my head to rest my forehead against the cool surface of the window. They got along well, and that’s the important thing.

I felt Matsu grab my hand, but didn’t bother looking, even when she moved it to press against a large and soft shape that was very familiar, one that I had touched many times before in the privacy of our room.

<Hope this makes you feel better first.> She told me.

[4500 LP]

I flexed my fingers a little, eliciting a cute little moan out of her. <It does.>

We were currently on the plane flying back to Japan, and there was a blanket to conceal what we were up to, so I wasn’t too worried about getting called out.

When it landed at Narita Airport, I turned on my phone’s data and messaged my dad.

‘Just landed. Heading to the dorm now.’

His reply came as we were getting off the plane. ‘Ok, nice that you were able to come back. Thanks for introducing your friends to us. Send pics you take with them next time.’

I smiled slightly after reading that. It was an indication of his approval.

“Finally cheered up?” Uzume asked me, linking her arm with mine.

“Yeah, I guess.” 

“Good! By the way, I want to try having that hotpot with the three of us!” She said cheerfully.

While our time together in my childhood home was largely stressful, it was still a pleasant experience for my Sekireis, and that was something to be happy about.

After collecting our luggage, the three of us headed for the train platform, using Sano’s reserved tickets to pass through the gate.

“Oh,” Matsu muttered as we went through, “How did I miss it before?”

Uzume looked at her. “What is it?”

Now that I had grown more attuned to dimensional shenanigans, I could tell that we had been shifted slightly away from the plane of reality, which was what Matsu had sensed as well. And the trigger was most likely the ticket. It did explain how we went to and fro the shop so quickly just by stepping onto the train. Sure enough, we found ourselves back in the shop the next instant after doing so, with the unpacking all already done for us.

“We’re back!” Uzume cheered

“Yup, we’re back,” I agreed with her, “So first, we’ll-”

“Do something about this… heat in our bodies…”

I turned to look at Matsu and Uzume, who were both stripping off their clothes with deep blushes on their faces. That whole time we were living in my parents’ house, we didn’t have the time or freedom for sex, and it looked like that dry spell had built up their libido.

Then they leapt onto me and pushed me down onto the couch. Matsu said it was a reward, but it ended up being a shared benefit for all three of us.

Much, much later, I lay there staring up at the ceiling as my two Sekireis cuddled against me. As far as homecomings went, I would say I preferred this one over the one my parents gave me. We explored and took pleasure in each others’ body so much that my LP nearly doubled, as I could see by the numerical value in my mind.

[8800 LP]

“Mmm…” A hand drifted down to caress my crotch. “Again?”

“As nice as that sounds… we should go collect Leafeon.”

“Yeah,” Uzume agreed tiredly, “We should. But… my legs need to rest first…”

“Sure… as long as we only rest…” I continued to stare upwards, “That means stop licking, Matsu.”

“Ehehehe…”

I handled the post-sex cleanup with [Clean], but when Uzume returned with Leafeon, the Pokemon gave us knowing looks, making exaggerated sniffs around the couch as she wandered the room. Still, she greeted each of us warmly, accepting our hugs and nuzzling our faces in return.

The next day, we assembled in Sano’s office, standing in front of the god’s desk like we usually did.

“It’s been a while,” I greeted him, “You’re looking much better now.”

“Thank you,” Sano nodded, “I hope you all had a good rest as well?”

“Yes, we did,” Matsu answered.

“Good. Because there have been a few changes around the shop.”

I had been prepared for that announcement, so I paid close attention as Sano began explaining the changes.

Work duties were still largely the same, with me handling sales, Matsu doing analysis and modifications, and Uzume handling testing and support. The job persona I made use of would be updated with the required knowledge to maintain service standards. However, the altered standards of the multiverse cluster meant that more adjustments were needed, in order to keep up with the requirements of the worlds the sold skills were meant for. Matsu was able to handle things at her current level, but it was doubtful if she could juggle that with her independent experimentations with the changing circumstances.

At the same time, some of the previous worlds that were using skills from the shops had gone through some changes, which resulted in compatibility issues. At this point of time, they weren’t anything serious, as the gods in those worlds could handle them. However, since those changes were still ongoing, there was a possibility of more such errors appearing, possibly at a higher severity. And that was what Sano hoped to stop before they happened.

“So to sum up,” Matsu said, “Our immediate aim is to either hire a new staff member to support my side of the job, or to upgrade our abilities to handle the increased load. And in the longer term, we might be going on more trips outside of the shop, so there’s also a need to account for the manpower requirements of that.”

Sano nodded. “Precisely.”

“So who are we hiring?” Uzume inquired. 

“I’ll come to that later, but there’s also the new spheretech you’ve brought for me,” The god continued, speaking with more enthusiasm, “They’ve shown a considerable amount of stability, and some of the other gods I’ve consulted with believe that it can help greatly in maintaining their worlds’ functions.”

As I listened to Sano go on about what his experimenting had discovered, I couldn’t help but feel that this must have been how those sudden game-ified worlds must have started in some of those fiction series I had read. 

A system patch to counter an externally-induced instability, I guess? If something like that happened in my normal world… I fought down the worry that I felt. It should be okay.

As such, Sano would also be making the occasional request for us to visit other worlds, in order to analyze their world system and adopt certain functions from them. Fortunately, there wasn’t any issue of patents and copyrights when it came to that.

“Any questions?”

I exchanged glances with my Sekireis, before shaking my head. “As long as the worlds you’re sending us to aren’t extremely dangerous.”

“I will endeavor to avoid that. Now, as to who to hire…” Sano pulled out several files from a drawer and placed them on his desk, “You all have submitted certain suggestions before, and I have reviewed them to narrow down to these three.”

I could see the names and the profile pictures on the front, and was pleased to see two of my selections were included there. 

“However, since our immediate need is for a support staff, that only leaves this particular choice.” He withdrew two of them, leaving the one file with a redhead on the front.

That girl was one of my top picks, though the plan that I wrote for recruiting her was aimed at an earlier point in her timeline, trading skill for increased receptiveness. 

“There’s no issue going to the world she’s from?” I asked, “Weren’t there some really tough gods in that world?”

Sano looked off to the side, somehow appearing slightly shifty for a moment. “I’ve… made arrangements. In addition to recruiting this new hire, you should also be able to get multiple skills from it.”

Next to me, Matsu frowned slightly, but she didn’t say anything.

“If there are no other problems, then I request that you all quickly prepare for the recruitment.”

“Yes, boss!”

As we headed back to our room to collect the stuff we needed, Uzume approached me more closely. 

“That world is one of those with a lot of skills to grab, isn’t it?

“It is. Why?”

“Nothing. Just asking. But the one he chose, that’s another girl you picked, right?”

“Yes.” I stopped and looked at her. “Hey, are you worried that this is me trying to add her to the harem?”

“Nope! Because we’re already bonded as Sekirei and Ashikabi!” Uzume grinned at me, then darted in for a quick peck on the lips. 

This girl… I shook my head and proceeded with the rest of the preparations.

Once we were ready, the three of us plus Leafeon gathered at the dimensional door, and stepped through into yet another new world.

…

He walked on and on, searching for something, anything, that could put an end to his unending journey. Always alone, to avoid causing harm whenever his curse triggered. At the same time, his path took him towards the places with the most danger. Where no one would be around when it inevitably happened, and where there might be a possibility of finding the solution that eluded him for centuries.

His senses detected a burst of magic power, one that shouldn’t be present in this inhospitable area, and he decided to investigate.

“Ultima doesn’t do enough damage to these guys?! That’s tough!”

“They’re magically resistant! Physical damage is the way to go!”

Observing from afar, he saw the trio fighting against a pair of Nullshell Beasts. Just as the last one said, their thick shells dispersed magical energy, making them difficult opponents for mages. There was also a strange fox-like beast that had plant-like features fighting alongside them.

“Uzume,” The lone male of the group ordered, “Shift to Gun Mage, use Shell Cracker shots! Matsu, give me buffs!”

As he watched, the two females acknowledged the man’s commands, one using an interesting form of Requip magic to alter her clothing, pulling out an odd handheld device to go along with it, while the other cast enhancement magic he was unfamiliar with. 

Interesting…

“[Shell Cracker]!” 

The device turned out to be some kind of magic launcher, dealing magic specialized for a certain type of enemy. The Beasts roared as the projectiles pierced through their shells, wounding them greatly. After that, it didn’t take too long before they were slain, with the final blow dealt by the leaf-like tail of the vulpine creature.

“Haa… haa… That was… tough…” The brunette was breathing heavily.

“Good job, you two,” The man praised the two women, performing some manner of first aid on them, “Anyway, it seems we have a guest.”

He had been noticed? That was a surprise to him, but since his presence was revealed already, he saw no point in hiding himself further. He would approach them and introduce himself, but keep a respectful distance just in case.

“Hello,” He greeted them as he stepped out into the open, “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in a place like this…”

“That’s a reasonable expectation, but we’re…” The man’s expression changed as he looked at him. “I’m sorry.”

He tilted his head curiously. “What is there to be sorry about?” 

“Your curse. It’s a terrible one, and I can’t remove it. Not without a heavy price.”

That statement shook him. This strange man knew he was cursed at a glance? But he quickly regained control over himself.

He gave them a melancholic smile. “That’s alright. You shouldn’t approach me anyway. I’ll just continue looking.” I have the time after all.

“Wait,” The man stopped him as he turned to leave, “I might not be able to remove the curse, but I can at least adjust some things about it.”

“What?”

Minutes later, he was weeping hopeful tears as he saw the result of the man’s work; whereas before his curse would inflict death on everyone in a large distance around him, now that effect was restricted to a short distance. It wasn’t the cure that he dreamed of, but it was a huge improvement nonetheless. 

“Thank you… thank you… thank you…” He repeated several times as he gazed at the lone living flower just beyond the range of his curse. 

It was still active, triggering several times as he beheld the wonder of life, but it no longer threatened everything around him. No matter how many times the aura of death poured out from him, it never went beyond the new range of restriction. The flower remained alive.

“Is that okay? Didn’t that cost a lot of your LP?” One of the women asked the man.

“I think it’s a good price to pay. Besides, as long as I don’t hit zero, I can regain it over time.”

Hearing them snapped him out of it, and he looked up at the trio watching him. “I’m sorry, I was too focused on myself...”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Anyway, how about some introductions? I’m Rick, and these two are Matsu and Uzume.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m… my name is…” How long had it been since he introduced himself to someone? “Zeref. Zeref Dragneel.”

And so, he found himself with companions on his journey into the depths of the mountain. It was an eye-opening experience for him, learning about a whole new paradigm of magic that he had never experienced before in his centuries of life. Perhaps skills might hold the secret to dispelling his curse, but for now, he just enjoyed the experience of being in the company of people who wouldn’t die when he lost control of his emotions. 

Even if it left an odd trail of death behind him. While the fox creature, whose name he learned was Leafeon, never dared to approach close to him, it didn’t object to helping heal the damage his curse caused, even if it was only a little bit.

The ability to convert one’s enjoyment of life into skills was an interesting one, and Rick didn’t mind answering whatever questions he asked about how it worked. Though some parts of it were a bit awkward to deal with, such as them working on replenishing what the other man spent on altering his curse. Zeref ended up going off on his own to give them some privacy at night, only returning in the morning.

In exchange, Zeref told them more about himself and the lands they were in. They listened to his accounts of the history he had witnessed, and asked all sorts of questions that he was happy to answer. The land of Ishgar was a huge one, and even he hadn’t fully explored every part of it yet. Plus with the passing of time, some of the places he had visited before changed so much that he couldn’t recognize them when he passed through them a second time. 

But that was a different thing compared to where they were, in the untamed wilderness. Nearly every day, they fought against ferocious beasts that either wanted to eat them, or to expel them from their territory. The trio defended themselves quite well with their unique abilities, but Zeref could tell that the entire journey was wearing on their stamina. However, against his expectations of them giving up, they seemed determined to carry on. 

“May I ask what it is you’re searching for?” He asked them, one night as they were camping out under the stars.

They exchanged looks, before Rick answered, “We’re trying to find a certain person, in order to hire her for her abilities.”

That answer surprised him. “Hire? Someone is actually living in a place like this?” 

Rick nodded. “That’s what my search skill tells me.”

Now Zeref was even more curious. What sort of person would be able to live in the wilderness like this? 

The next day, they found her, and Zeref understood the reason why.

“Now this is a rare sight. To think a dragon still existed…” He said to himself.

“Who are you?!” The drake roared, showing wariness at their approach.

His magical senses led him to realize the truth. “Ah, pardon me… you are human… are you not?”

“She was…” Matsu murmured, pushing up her glasses.

“I am human! Human! I detest this body!” The dragon roared.

“Then let me help you.” It was a small bit of kindness he could afford to show.

His great experience with magic had taught him how to manipulate it against the inherent resistance of a dragon’s form, and it was a matter of moments to simply call upon the form it used to have, and reproduce it in place of its current one. The dragon vanished, replaced by a human’s body with long red hair, naked apart from a scrap of cloth covering her front.

She stared down at her hands, eyes tearing up with relief in the same manner he had when Rick had adjusted his curse. 

“I’m… human! I’ve regained my human form…!” She cried out, “Aaaah! I…I’ve finally…!”

“It’s only in appearance,” Zeref cautioned her, “It’s regrettable, but you’ve long since-”

“NO! Not at all! I…” She covered her face with her hands, sobbing as she touched a face she must not have had for many years.

“Zeref,” Rick called out to him, “I think you need to be clearer.”

They looked at the woman, who was now looking at her reflection in the nearby pond, incredible happiness in her expression. He had granted her wish, but ultimately it was just a lie, one that she would realize for herself eventually. Even so…

“I can’t find it in me to interrupt her now,” He admitted.

From the looks the trio had, they felt the same. In an unspoken agreement, they decided to stay with her for a while longer. It was a shared responsibility.

And so, their group of four became five, as they continued their travels. The woman Uzume had a talent for making clothes, and used it to make a simple outfit for their new companion.

The dragon-turned-woman introduced herself as Irene, a survivor of a kingdom long lost to the ravages of time, one that existed during the first Dragon King Festival. According to her, she was the one to discover enchantment magic, and the creator of dragon slaying magic. However, the latter had a side effect that she discovered too late; it created a dragon seed within its user, resulting in their eventual transformation into a dragon.

Zeref was surprised to learn that this was how his foe Acnologia had arisen, but he kept that to himself. 

It didn’t take long before she discovered the reality of her new body. The woman Uzume had an ability to prepare food very fast, and while Zeref had no need to eat, his traveling companions weren’t the same.

“I cannot… taste anything,” Irene said, taken aback after having had a mouthful of the meal prepared. 

No matter how much she ate, even to the point of choking, flavor was a sense denied to her. And it wasn’t the only downside, as she also couldn’t sleep even with Leafeon’s scent, and her dragon senses conflicted with the form Zeref had forced upon her body. It didn’t take long before the stress began to overwhelm her, the initial relief replaced by hard-eyed mania.

“I’m sorry, but like I said, it’s only in appearance-” He tried to console her.

“Shut up… shut up SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!” Irene screamed, “I AM A HUMAN! HUMAN! I’M HUMAN!”

The next thing Zeref knew, he was crashing through several hard objects, ending in a crater formed by the force of the blow he took. The magic power of a dragon, concentrated into a human fist; he hadn’t been hit that hard in a long time, but it still wasn’t enough to end his life. It was only a few moments before his wounds healed, and upon making his way back to where Irene was, he found the trio there instead, with a separate trail of destruction to show where Irene had gone off to.

“Isn’t there something you can do?” He asked Rick, “The way you did for me?”

“There is.”

“Then why haven’t you?” He asked, a little irritated. Especially when every night you three were…

“Because I lacked the LP to do so,” Rick answered, looking a little apologetic, “But now, I should have enough.”

Zeref looked down as he realized that all those nightly activities had a purpose, one that wouldn’t have been necessary if not for him. “I see.”

He already knew what was going to happen, having put the pieces together some time ago from the clues they dropped.

“I suppose this will be the last time we see each other?” He found himself asking a question he hadn’t intended to. 

“Yeah, probably.”

In the distance, he could still hear Irene’s rampage as she vented her emotions. 

“When she calms down, tell her I’m sorry.”

Matsu smiled at him. “You did a lot already. I’m sure someday, she’ll be thankful for what you did. Also, Zeref…”

He looked at her quizzically.

“I’ve analyzed your curse, and I think I might have found a way for you to break it.”

Zeref’s eyes widened as she explained the theory she had. Her words called to mind a memory from nearly a century ago, when he met a small barefooted girl. That girl had died years later, but it still represented a small hope. His curse flashed again, but none of those still living were affected by it.

“Thank you, all of you.” Zeref turned and began to walk away. “I truly hope we won’t ever meet again. Also, could you tell Irene for me…”

Much, much later, he came to a certain spot that seemed familiar, and it took him a while before he realized why. With a smile, Zeref stepped off to the side, carefully avoiding the main feature of it as his curse activated again, and continued onwards towards the spot of light in the future his black path led towards.

Behind him, a pair of flowers bloomed, a patch of life untouched by the barren trails of death.

…

Irene had been muttering over and over about how she was a human, clutching her head as she did so. Yet as we drew closer, she went back into a rampage, heedless of our attempts to talk her down. That left only one choice, as loath as I was to choose it.

Then again, that might be this world’s setting at work. So many things just have to be resolved through combat. 

“Are you sure about this?” Uzume asked me.

“I’m starting to have second thoughts,” I admitted, “But after coming this far, I’m not going to turn back now.”

“We only have one chance though,” Matsu reminded me, “You don’t have enough LP to try again right away.”

“Then let’s do it.”

As one, we faced the mad-eyed redhead before us.

“DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT! I’M HUMAN! HUMAN!” Irene screamed as she charged at us. “STOP LOOKING AT MEEEEE!”

“[Speed Break]!” Uzume fired off a debuff.

Likewise, Matsu boosted the three of us. “[Haste]!” 

We dodged out of the way as she swung down with a clawing strike, shattering the ground where it landed. Contrary to its appearance, that tiny limb contained a great deal of strength.

“What the-?!” Uzume yelped. “That’s dangerous!”

“She’s unconsciously enhancing herself!” Matsu analyzed. “Careful! [Shell]!”

Irene thrust her hand out at me, releasing a burst of magic from it, one that was wild and uncontrolled, but still destructive. Most of it scattered off the magic barrier Matsu raised around me, but some bled through. 

But I was ready.

Murasame clicked back into its sheath, and they shredded into harmless sparks.

“FEE!” Leafeon screeched, firing off several glowing leaves.

Irene stumbled as they struck her body, but her skin was unwounded. With another scream, she swung again, this time tearing a crevasse in the ground, but the Pokemon avoided it cleanly.

“Irene-san!” Uzume called out, “Please calm down! We’re trying to help!”

Streamers of cloth lashed out, wrapping around the redhead’s limbs and body, binding her momentarily. We didn’t miss that chance, hitting her with more magic in order to try and put an end to her rampage, but it appeared to have no effect. Part of it was due to us avoiding targeting her abdomen, since that was where her unborn baby was.

“Her resistance as a dragon is still high! We need to tire her out more!”

“I’M NOT A DRAGON! I’M NOT!” The cloth ripped apart as Irene’s power overwhelmed its durability. “I… AM… HUMAN!”

Matsu blushed as she noticed the look I was giving her for saying those words. Nice going, Matsu.

“Sorry!”

“Don’t apologize, focus on her instead!” My other Sekirei scolded.

Gritting my teeth, I charged in to meet the rampaging woman. “I’m going in close! Cover me!”

“[Protect]!”

If it was Nord, he’d be using his LP to [Bestow] debuffs on her, more permanent ones instead of what she’s shrugging off! I parried the unarmed slash, avoiding its damage as it gouged out the earth. “Irene! Listen to us!”

“You’re human! We’re trying to help!” Uzume called out as well.

“We can do it! Trust us, please!”

“Leafeeee!” Leafeon added her voice to ours.

It was a struggle, trying to wear out her stamina without dealing too much damage to her body. In fact, it seemed to be having no effect, as her thrashing grew increasingly powerful, dealing heavy damage to our surroundings.Matsu had to cast a few healing spells on us, as the damage stacked up from the shockwaves even if we avoided any direct strikes.

“It hurts… it hurts it hurts ithurtsitshurtsithurtsithurts…!” Irene’s eyes were open, but unseeing as she continued to wreck her surroundings.

“Is it enough yet!?” 

“I think so! Rick-kun, now!”

Once again, Uzume sent out her cloth, binding Irene’s limbs to hold her still. From my inventory, I extracted the item we had prepared to convince her to join us, the Dragon Soul used by Morphers in Ivalice. As its name suggested, it allowed one to take the form of a dragon.

Our initial plan was to reverse its effect and implant it into Irene to grant her the ability to transform fully into a human, then to lock her into that form, but the LP cost had been more expensive than expected when we finally met her, more than what I had left after [Editing] Zeref’s curse. So we had kept it a secret first, not wanting to give her false hope… 

Except that plan had backfired, as we weren’t expecting a rampage like this.

“Irene! This will let you change back to human! Just let us-”

CHOMP

For a moment, it felt like everything went silent.

“Seriously…?” Uzume said weakly.

The cloth binding had kept Irene from moving her limbs, but it hadn’t accounted for her neck, which she could still move. Just as I was about to insert the soul into her, Irene had stretched forward and ate it in one gulp. 

Dragon slayers could eat their accompanying element of magic to empower themselves, but they could eat other forms as well when the situation was critical.

And this appeared to be one of those.

Irene’s magic power surged, once again tearing Uzume’s cloth, and sending me stumbling backwards from the physical force pulsing out from her. Even as I watched, scales began to form on the redhead’s skin.

“Rick-tan! This is bad!” Matsu warned. 

I felt her initiate a mental link, clearly in order to keep things private instead of saying it out loud. 

<Her dragon power is rampaging! We need to stop her before it breaks out of the spell Zeref-san cast! You have to use that skill!>

<But if I do that, then I won’t have enough LP to do what we planned!> I protested, defending myself against another magical burst, and reapplying another power debuff.

<Then we’ll have to use Plan B!>

It felt like everything slowed down. Plan B was another option Matsu came up with in case the initial one I proposed didn’t work, but it carried a big risk. 

<...are you sure?> I asked with trepidation. <Matsu? Uzume?>

“Do it, Rick-kun.” My brunette Sekirei grunted out loud, shielding herself from the erupting magic power.

“This world is about friendship and bonds, right?” Matsu smiled at me confidently, “Nothing’s stronger than the bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi.”

“Alright.” I swapped Murasame for a new weapon, drawing it out from its sheath and laying my other hand on its blade, spending more of my LP.

[Bestow: Draconic Seal] 

The rapier Colichemarde had a special effect meant to counter the Berserk status. While that was meant for its holder, the skill I added to it would carry that effect over as well.

<Good thing we prepared this backup as well, right?> Matsu changed her weapon as well, exchanging her magic gun for a bell.

She swung it, sending out a dull, earthy chime. This specific Beastmaster skill was meant to control dragons, but even if it didn’t work as it ought to in its original world, the effect was still useful.

As the sound echoed around the area, Irene’s erupting energy weakened considerably, causing a faint semblance of reason to return to her eyes.

<NOW!> 

For the third time, Uzume bound Irene’s body, but this time, she pulled harder, yanking the woman off her feet and onto her back. The white cloth pierced into the ground like threads, locking her limbs to the earth. To that, Leafeon added a few Leech Seeds, growing several green shoots over Irene’s body to further drain off her stamina.

My determination steeled, I lunged forward, piercing Irene’s shoulder with the rapier.

“AAAAAH!” Her scream of pain was piercing, both to my ears and in my chest. 

But I didn’t pull back, as much as I wanted to. My fingers clenched around the handle, even as the flow of draconic power ceased. At the same time, her blind rage was forcibly halted.

“Irene… please stop. We’re trying to help,” I said to her, breathing heavily from the exertion of the battle.

“Please…” She whispered, her eyes locking onto my face, “Kill… me…”

That’s not right. Something inside me whispered. She shouldn’t be asking for that. “No.”

“Let me die…” Irene begged, tears pouring from her eyes, “Not as a dragon… but as a human… I don’t want to… live like this…”

“Irene-san,” Uzume approached, still maintaining a cautious grip on her cloth, “Don’t give up hope. We’ve got a way to help, but you have to let us try.”

“Please… trust us.” Matsu added, still ringing the bell at a slower pace.

“...Uuuu…” Irene let out a sob, looking up at me, “...can you really…?”

She sounded so broken I was nearly tearing up in empathy. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried recruiting her like this… not when it’s causing her so much pain…

Matsu laid a hand on my shoulder. “Do it now, Rick-tan. See it through.”

“Alright.” I looked back down at Irene. “I will help you.”

Saying those words reinforced my desire, and I activated my skills, laying one hand on Irene’s chest. 

“Wisdom of my pledge… bestow the teachings of the world to my Ashikabi!”
“Veil of my pledge… dispel the nightmares of my Ashikabi!”

Near us, my two Sekireis activated their Noritos with their chants, not to power the conventional form of their skills, but instead funneling the power of their Sekirei cores, through our bond and into me.

Irene jerked slightly as the foreign power poured into her. “Ah… Aaah… AAAAAAH!” 

Within the metaphysical space inside of her, I could sense the digesting core of the Dragon Soul she had eaten earlier, being broken down within the draconic form that her being had been reshaped into over centuries. Left alone, it would eventually be consumed and reinforce her existence as a dragon.

I didn’t intend to let that happen.

<<We don’t intend to let that happen.>> My Sekireis echoed my feelings.

The bell dulled the dragon’s nature, the rapier suppressed it even further, and all the other effects we had applied over the course of the battle… the drake we faced was much diminished. And so, as one, we struck.

<Talking with Zeref really helped…> Matsu muttered.

<Focus,> Uzume chided, <We can’t make any mistakes now.>

Our combined wills whittled the draconic magic down, until it was too weak to resist what we did next.

My LP rapidly dwindled as [Bestow] consumed more of my stockpile, more than [Creation] had used. The main reason was making all the adjustments to stabilize the new skill’s presence within Irene. After all, it wouldn’t do her any good for her dragon nature to reassert itself. 

It felt longer than it should have, but eventually it was done.

The Dragon Soul was being used as a virus; as her dragon slayer magic consumed it, the changes we made would transform her from the inside out, making it so that she would no longer be a full dragon. Not the initial plan we had, but better than leaving her as she was.

<Rick-kun/Rick-tan…> My Sekireis whispered through the mental link as they pulled away, drained by the process. 

<I’ll take care of the rest,> I assured them.

[Bestow: Sekirei]

My LP was even more diminished than it was after modifying Zeref’s curse, but I still had some left.

“W…what…?” Irene murmured, staring up at me. “What’s this… feeling…?”

“Congratulations… Irene-san…” Uzume panted, slumped down on her knees near us, “You’re not a… well, not a full dragon anymore…”

The cloth bindings began unraveling, freeing the redhead’s limbs. 

“Rick-tan…” Matsu was similarly exhausted, but she wore an encouraging grin on her face, “You better stabilize her quickly.”

“Stabilize…?” Irene repeated, confused. “Ugh!”

“Sorry,” I apologized as I slid the rapier out of her shoulder, laying a glowing hand over the wound to heal it. 

“What did you… do to me…? What’s this… warmth I feel?” The woman laid a hand over her chest, on the spot my hand had touched earlier.

“That’s your Sekirei core, and it’s reacting to your Ashikabi,” Matsu explained.

“Sekirei? Ashikabi?” She stared at us uncomprehendingly.

“What Rick-tan did was to place a different… seed within you, one that will override the dragon part of you,” Matsu explained, “But it needs something to activate it.”

“What if it doesn’t activate?” Irene asked fearfully, “What do I need to activate it?”

“I dunno, but the way to activate it,” Her fellow redhead grinned, “Is by a kiss!” 

Irene stared at her, then turned to me. The next moment, she seized me by the shoulders, her eyes staring into mine with hopeful desperation.

“Am I… Can I… really not… be a dragon…?”

“You can,” I told her.

“...thank you.” She closed her eyes.

Then her lips met mine, and giant wings of light burst out from her back. At the same time, I felt a new Sekirei bond form, one much stronger than the ones I had with Matsu or Uzume. It was probably carried over from Irene’s dragon power.

“Woah… is this how a Sekirei’s full power actually is?” I heard Uzume wonder. “Without adjustments?”

“Ufufufu… I’m getting ideas for experiments~”

The wings finally faded away, and Irene pulled back, still holding onto my shoulders. 

“It’s… strange,” She murmured with her eyes still shut, “I can feel so much… much more than I did before… This strange warmth in my chest, it feels… nice…”

“That’s because you’re now a Sekirei,” Matsu explained, “Anyway, I don’t think this is a good place to explain everything.”

“Yeah… especially not with Irene-san pregnant,” Uzume nodded.

“...huh?”

I made a sound of agreement. “Mmhmm, it was tough not being able to use Silence because we were worried it might affect the fetus.”

“Eh?”

“Anyway, now that she’s not a dragon, she’ll be more sensitive, so let’s get her into a less stressful environment.”

“Sorry, but… what are you three talking about?” Irene asked, utterly lost.

We looked at her questioningly.

“I’ve had relationships with a man before, but… I’ve never been pregnant.”

Once again, there was a brief moment of silence.

“““HUUUUUUUUH!?!!!?””” 

Afterword: Whew! I tried my hand at writing an action scene once again, and I think I managed to pull it off pretty well! Though that strange twist at the end will definitely leave some people wondering the reason why. Anyway, as you can probably tell, the new addition to the shop is Irene Belserion from Fairy Tail. In terms of magic ability, Zeref would definitely be better at it, but in terms of canon & fate, Irene is easier to extract from the storyline than he is. It’s a difference from my usual ‘mysterious new character’ schtick to make my readers guess who I’m trying to introduce, and I hope it piques your curiosity.

I had some reservations about the whole emotional aspect of it, considering what they’re doing is emotionally blackmailing a character into abandoning their former life for a new one in a different world, but I hope I pulled it off well. Rick’s experiences in other worlds have changed him quite a bit, but at the same time, he’s unconsciously trying to retain some of his original morals. Perhaps that’s why Matsu and Uzume still go along with his decisions. Or maybe that’s the Sekirei bond compelling them to do so. Who knows? 

Do leave your comments to express your thoughts on this chapter!