Rem entered the inn and Celestine Baudelaire and her two guards followed her. They had met in the market square and the head of the Mage's Association had asked to speak to her in private. She wasn't sure what this was about, though. Hadn't they already settled her other guard attacking her? Her friends had taken the stupid bribe quest, too.

The cat-girl felt her insides warm at that thought as she sat down at a table in the dining area. Her friends. She had actual friends after all this time and Atlas had already dealt with her most dire situation. It had been such a relief that she still hadn't come to grips with it. She knew the evil soul inside of her was gone and she was healed right afterwards. She had actual breasts now, too!

“Rem, I have... concerns. About Atlas.” Celestine said, her voice grave. “He is much too powerful to be what he claims he is.”

“What? An adventurer?” Rem asked.

“No, human.” Celestine said with a sigh. “I think... he might be a disguised Fallen.”

Rem stared at her like she was an idiot, then she barked a laugh and kept chuckling between her words. “You... you really think... he's a Fallen... and wants to release the Demon Lord... and exterminate humanity?”

“It's a valid observation.” Celestine said. “That oppressive aura...”

“He revealed a zealot and a bigot that hated demi-humans in the Mage's Association. Galluk wanted us dead because he had been embarrassed by Atlas!” Rem hissed out.

Celestine sighed at that being thrown back in her face. “Rem...”

The door was kicked open and a skinny dog-man stumbled in. “P-please... I need... help.”

“Sit down and I'll get you a drink.” Mei the innkeeper said.

“No... only...” The man stumbled towards Celestine and pulled out a ritual dagger that emitted a dark aura. “...mage...”

The two guards stepped in front of Celestine and raised their staffs to defend her.

“Stay back!” One of them ordered as Rem and Celetine stood.

“...promised... help.” He said and stabbed himself with the dagger. “N-n-no! Not like... like this... noooooOOO!”

Rem, Celestine, the two guards, and Mei stood there doing nothing as the man was covered in a dark aura and then he grew large muscles and expanded out to form a weird purple-skinned monster that was part lizard.

“Heh! Heheheheh! It worked!” The thing laughed and flexed his muscles.

“It's a Fallen!” The guards shouted.

The creature stopped flexing when he saw his target was right in front of him. He grinned and revealed many teeth, which was odd for a lizard to have. “So, you are Celestine Baudelaire.” He said and cracked his knuckles as he prepared to fight. “Why don't you go ahead and die?”

“You first, monster.” A strong male voice said from behind him.

A fist slammed into the back of the large creature's head and drove it down into the floor, through the wood, and into the packed stone foundation underneath. The blow shook the entire building and the guards used a magic shield to stop the debris from hitting them and the two women behind them.

“ATLAS!” Rem exclaimed.

“Still alive with your head caved in?” Atlas asked and had to put Shera down. “I need both arms for this, Shera.”

“Aww.” Shera pouted and walked over to where Rem stood.

“Massive regeneration won't save you.” Atlas said and grabbed the creature by the neck and lifted it up.

“...killll... yoooou...” It mumbled as its mouth reformed.

“Black Hole.” Atlas said and a strong wind appeared and tried to pull everything towards where he and the creature stood.

“Everyone hold on!” Celestine said and conjured a rope, which they all grabbed onto as she anchored it to the wall, with Mei being the last one on the end among the civilians. Their clothing flapped in the strong wind and it lifted them all as Mei hung onto the end with a death grip as her claws dug into the rope and her leopard tail flapped angrily.

The monster screamed as it was literally torn apart and shrunk down into a tiny dot, then he disappeared completely. The sucking wind stopped as suddenly as it started and everyone dropped to the floor, a little stunned.

Mei fell the hardest, since she had been the closest to the source and had been stretched out a little. After a moment to recover, she hopped up and started shouting at Atlas for scaring her and waved her arms and fists as she stated that she had every right to kick him out of her inn because of it.

Instead of responding to the very irate little woman, he picked the tiny leopard girl up and kissed her. Her angrily flicking tail slowed down and started swishing happily instead. She let out a soft purr after a moment as he petted her hair and she kissed him back. Rem, Shera, and Celestine stared at him and all three of them felt conflicting feelings for different reasons.

Atlas broke the kiss and set Mei down on her feet. “I'm sorry I scared you so much, Mei. I wouldn't have let you come to harm.”

“My cycle isn't for another three months.” Mei said playfully, then mock glared at him. “You will treat me right when it's time or I will kick you out.”

“Understood.” Atlas said and gave her hair another pet before he looked over at Rem. “Are you all right? We came back here right after I finished dealing with the Fallen Army at the Bridge Fort.”

Rem had a pale face after hearing that and the kiss she just witnessed was temporarily forgotten. “Wh-what Fallen a-army?” She asked, her voice shaky.

“It was a planned assault.” Atlas said and noticed Celestine didn't seemed surprised. “That's why the Man-Eating Woods didn't have any of the larger Fallen monsters in them. Over a hundred of them had gathered in another spot after sending that one to infiltrate the city.” Atlas explained. “If they attacked Celestine or the Lightning Tower...”

“...the barrier would break and leave the city and the people completely unprotected.” Celestine said and gave him a look that was a mix of sorrow and apology. “Atlas, I...”

“I don't want to hear it.” Atlas cut her off. “You made sure I was out of the way and approached Rem to convince her to distrust me, even though she and Shera were the ones that summoned me here and we created a bond together.” He walked forward and her two guards held up their staffs to block his approach. “If there's one thing I hate, it's betrayal.”

“I didn't betray her!” Celestine exclaimed. “I only want what's best for her and warning her about you and the danger you represent is the least I can do! She refuses any other help and I had to convince her!”

“And getting rid of me helps her, does it?” Atlas asked.

“If you're a threat to her and what she holds inside herself, then yes! I'll use all my strength to save her from you!” Celestine loudly shouted.

“Then congratulations! Because of your plan, I almost died!” Atlas shouted right back.

It was deathly quiet in the room after his response. Everyone but Atlas felt awkward about it, too. He looked at Rem and she blushed from embarrassment, because she knew he was asking her to admit the truth about not having the demon lord inside of her anymore.

“You know they'll keep coming for you.” Atlas prompted her before he looked at Celestine. “Because only one other person was supposed to know, you also know how the Fallen knew about where to look for you.”

“No! I didn't tell anyone about...” Celestine started to argue.

“You talk freely in front of your guards!” Atlas interrupted her. “The last discussion about it happened right here during a crowded mealtime. Do you really think you've kept it a secret with so many witnesses overhearing what you two talked about?”

Celestine closed her mouth and didn't respond. The small crowd of civilians looked uncomfortable, too.

“The problem you have now is that the secret seems to be out. Who else did Galluk and the dog-man tell? Did they tell a few people or a lot? How many lieutenants, generals, and underlings or whatever are there from the old Demon Lord's armies know and want to return to the good old days of death and destruction?” Atlas asked.

Celestine didn't have any answers to those questions and stayed quiet.

“I think if you can't trust Rem to know who to have stand by her side, then you need to rethink exactly why you are trying to protect her by isolating her. Is it for her benefit or is it for your own?” Atlas asked her. “Or will you claim it's for the greater good and her own feelings don't matter?”

Celestine ducked her head, because she didn't know what to say about that. Her thoughts were conflicted about her recent actions and she admitted to herself that she really did have to think about why she was so adamant about keeping Rem safe from everyone. Then again, was she doing that or was she keeping everyone else safe from Rem?

“Atlas, that's enough.” Rem said, her face expressionless. She hadn't missed that Celestine must have known about the Fallen gathering and it was only the numbers that had been a surprise. Rem felt guilty for letting them go without her, since they faced immense danger on her behalf. She also felt really guilty that Atlas almost died, just so Celes could talk to her alone to warn her about him.

“Atlas? We should turn in the quest, too.” Shera reminded him.

Atlas nodded at her. “That's a good idea. We can come back here afterwards and have a midday meal, too.”

Shera beamed a smile at him and took Rem's hand. “Let's go! The sooner we claim it, the sooner we can eat!”

Rem didn't fight against her as Shera pulled her across the room to where Atlas stood. He gave the both of them a quick hug, which Rem used to glare at head mage, then she walked with Atlas and Shera out of the dining area and out of the inn without looking back.

Mei admired his backside and wondered why he had changed his outfit, then mentally shrugged. It showed his body off a lot more than the last one did and she wasn't going to complain about it or point that out. She went back to the reception desk to wait for more customers to feed and licked her lips as her thoughts lingered on how great of a kisser he was.

Celestine motioned to her guards to follow her and she walked out of the dining area and then outside. She didn't see the trio and sighed as she walked back towards the Mage's Association building. There was a lot for her to think about and she wondered what she was going to do if Rem decided that she wasn't going to confide in her like she used to.

She also knew her scheme to bribe Rem to keep quiet didn't work like it was supposed to and it also didn't remove the distractions Shera and Atlas were to her mission to protect the vessel of the Demon Lord. Instead of accepting the money and forgetting about the incident her guard caused, Rem's friends had gone on the quest alone as planned, only they had survived their encounter with the Fallen.

It was a failure on Celestine's part for not anticipating so many Fallen, not to mention how insulting and hurtful it was to Rem to set her friends up to die. Until now, that is. The cat-girl's glare at the end made her wilt a little inside.

*

Sylvie the rabbit-girl, that was the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild, stated outright that any monstrous Fallen had a standard bounty posted throughout the entire kingdom. As long as proof was provided that they were killed, they would pay them out... and then I took out the many bags I needed to store all the pieces of the hundred or so giant monsters I killed and she dropped her head into her hands.

“I'll need a week to send for the gold from the capital.” Sylvie said with a sigh. “You can leave the sacks here if you want. I wouldn't dare cheat you over this.”

“I know you won't.” I said and set the bags at the side of her office, then added the pile of bags I had gathered from the demon beast breeding pits in High School DxD when I had returned there after my death. Free money was free money. “I'll even stay at the inn and won't try to complete any quests to give the other adventurers a chance at them.”

“Thank you sooo much.” Sylvie said with sarcasm and lifted her head to look at me. “Is there anything else?”

“No, unless anything happens, we'll stay out of your way.” I promised.

Sylvie sighed and then smiled at me. “Thank you.” She said without being sarcastic.

“We'll be at the inn if you do need us for anything.” I said and both Rem and Shera nodded. I was about to leave when I remembered something the Guildmaster wanted. “Sylvie? Would you like to join us for a midday meal? We're heading back to the inn for it, so it's not that far for someone as speedy as you to get back here quickly if you have to.”

Sylvie's smile changed to a happy one. “You're right! I can run really fast.” She said and stood. “It's been a while since I had a meal anywhere but here inside the Guild Hall.”

“You're gonna love it!” Shera said and started going on about the best food she's ever eaten and how I paid lots of silver and gold coins to keep her stuffed and happy.

Sylvie looked really happy herself that Shera talked to her like she was a normal person and not the head of a powerful organization. She even laughed as Shera did her boob shake thing at me to try and get my attention. Her eyes dropped to her own small chest and she looked up at me as she remembered how I ogled her when I registered and told her I had no problems taking orders from women.

I winked at her and she blushed a little, then she smirked and gave her chest a small shake and the white cloth fluttered out enough for me to glimpse her perky little nipples. They were the same brown as her ears and tail, which made me wonder if her pink hair on her head matched what was between her legs or if it was brown, too. By the amused look on her face, Sylvie knew exactly what I was thinking about.

We arrived back at the inn and entered the dining area. There was already a small crowd gathered, so we moved off to the back of the room and sat at the corner table. Mei came by with our food and was quite obviously affectionate to me. It earned quite pointed looks from both Rem and Shera and a soft laugh from Silvie.

“You share his bed every night, so you know I have to settle for this much.” Mei said shamelessly and pet my hair like I had pet hers earlier before she walked off to serve more ale and food to the other customers.

“What? Really?” Sylvie asked and her long bunny ears perked up in surprise.

Rem and Shera blushed at being called out about it, then they remembered what they did to me the other morning and their faces went really red.

“I thought you would pick one or the other, honestly.” Sylvie commented and her eyes went right to Shera's large breasts as the blonde elf did her best to shake them to gain attention while she ate.

“A woman's chest doesn't denote her worth.” I said and started eating as well. “The heart that beats underneath it does.”

All three of them looked pleased to hear that and both Rem and Sylvie started eating, too. I asked Sylvie what she did during the day and that set her off on describing what running a huge organization was like. She was animated as she gestured, ate, and talked, so she liked being the one in charge. I could also tell that she enjoyed her work by the smile she kept on her face during the entire meal.

Sylvie was the last to finish eating, even with how much Shera ate, because she had talked so much. She also looked really happy to have company for once that didn't treat her differently because she was so important.

“I really need to get back to work.” Sylvie said and stood up as she smiled at each of us. “Thanks for inviting me to share a meal with you.”

“Anytime! We eat three times a day, so come back whenever you want.” Shera said happily and stood, making her chest jiggle a lot. She took a sniff and grimaced. “Ugh! I really need a bath.”

“Me, too.” Rem said and stood as well. “Atlas, could you refill the tub for us?”

“Sure.” I said and stood. “I need to sleep for a little while to fully recover, too.”

“Oh! I'm going to sleep for a long time, too.” Shera said and almost skipped out of the dining area. “Rem, you need to make sure I don't fall asleep in the bath.”

Rem followed her and huffed. “You don't need to worry. Those big fat things will keep you afloat.”

“Hey! They're not fat!” Shera turned and grabbed them and shook them at her. “Look! They're firm and keep their shape, no matter how much I squeeze them!”

Every pair of eyes in the dining room stared at her as she proved her breasts were superior.

Sylvie laughed and followed us. “You're a lucky one, aren't you?”

“I am.” I said and motioned towards the stairs and she shook her head, politely refusing the silent offer. “Have a good afternoon, Sylvie.”

“Thank you.” Sylvie said and her eyes darted to the stairs, so she meant it for the offer, too. She walked over to the exit and looked back at me. “I know you'll have a good afternoon, too.”

I laughed with a shake of my head and waved before I followed Rem and Shera up the stairs to our room. I knew there wouldn't be much happening, since Rem wasn't in her cycle and Shera was reluctant to do more than she already did. I wouldn't forget my promise to play with her tonight, though.

Thankfully, none of her playing around with me reminded her of her brother wanting her to bear his children. Maybe it was a beast-kin's mentality that made something like that more acceptable? It wasn't really considered taboo here and that was as good of an explanation than anything else I could come up with.

I set up the bath for them and stored my hero suit before I climbed into bed. A spell was used to clean myself and I didn't bother with a blanket as I collapsed. I really was tired in a way I hadn't felt in a long time. Almost dying so stupidly was exhausting, apparently. My brief laugh was muffled by the pillow and I fell asleep a moment later.