[TWS] Chapter 297 – A Parent’s Dream

After a short walk through the town, Asterios, Miria, and Selene reached the location of his family’s mansion. They’d chosen to take a casual stroll rather than move through the shadows as they weren’t in a great hurry. No matter how much they did it, observing the entirety of Glimmervale and its population just living their daily lives was an extremely entertaining sight.

Plus, none of the three could deny the tiny bits of happiness and pride at the polite and respectful greetings they very often received from the true residents.

With the beautiful residence in their sight, they appreciated the building for a few short minutes, just hanging out in the front yard amongst the pretty paths and floral compositions. They could easily spot a few similarities between this garden and the ones present in the vicinity of the Tyrienheim’s mansion as proof that Ast’s mother had already begun weaving her little, personal touch into things.

It was starting to feel more and more like home.

Deciding that they wasted enough time, they headed straight for Kindra’s main office. But, after knocking on the door, no one answered them, and it turned out that she wasn’t there even though Asterios had confirmed with Umbra that she was at the mansion. The Lord of Darkness checked again and located her in one of the lounges, informing Asterios and the girls that she was having a meeting with Tina’s parents.

Their timing was a bit unlucky, but that was fine. They decided to wait for the meeting to finish in the adjacent resting area while Asterios pondered in his mind how best to approach the subject. At least until Miria didn’t pull him out of his head with a sudden, unexpected question.

“Since Tina’s parents are already here, are you going to contract them too, Master?” The panthergirl tilted her head at him.

“Hm?” He met her curious, black eyes and they stared at each other for a few seconds as his thoughts caught up on the query. “I’m not sure. I didn’t really plan on it. Technically, my mom is more or less all the time near them so she can relay any information we might want to share relatively quickly.”

“I guess that’s true.” She nodded lightly.

“And, I think that’s something we should have first discussed with the person who is the most involved in such an arrangement,” Asterios added with a soft smile.

Just as he finished his sentence, a crimson gate arose from the floor next to their sofa and Tina stepped out of it to join them. Grea raised a single brow at her.

“Shortie? Aren’t you supposed to be playing with our scorching hot princess right now?” The demon woman smirked.

“We are in a library at this moment. It will be of no difference if I disappear for a minute or two,” Tina replied and trotted up to Asterios to plop herself down on his lap before the other girls made some space for her.

“And so you’ve been eavesdropping on your pretty little boyfriend instead of paying attention to the lecture. Oh, how the ace of the academy has fallen in such a short time.” Grea sighed dramatically, making the blue-haired Summoner girl flush a tiny bit.

“I wasn’t exactly listening in…” Tina murmured. “It was more like there was this little mental nudge when I heard you guys mention me and my parents… Though, I guess I had to be paying at least some attention to you to notice…”

“I know that feeling!” Miria bounced in her seat and beamed at her. “I’ve experienced it many times in the past! It’s real! I’m sure that’s thanks to being connected so deeply to Master! I mean, we share an amazing bond even when we aren’t focusing on it, right?”

Asterios shrugged as she turned to him. “Who knows? But I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true. Anyway, would you like to add something now that you are here, Tina?”

The person in question stroked his hands which were tenderly joined over her waist. “It’s just… A tiny bit awkward… I think…”

“How so?” Selene asked.

“Even if their connection won’t be as vast and deep as the one between the seven of us, and Umbra, of course, they will still be linked to Asterios and all of us nevertheless,” Tina answered with a sheepish smile. “The thought of Mom and Dad being able to hear all of us and talk to us at every possible moment is just… kind of embarrassing, honestly.”

“Ah.” Miria cocked her head back in understanding.

“That’s part of the reason why I’m still wondering if adding my mom to this is a good idea,” Asterios joined in. “I’m already having a hard time living with one incorrigible tease in my head. Perhaps even two.”

Grea flashed him a grin while innocently batting her eyelashes at him as Selene just smiled beautifully.

“But, I would really like to have this connection with her, to be able to check on her in an instant, know that she is safe and well, and so on,” he continued. “And perhaps later after I manage to grasp this draconic traversal thing, easily be able to bring her around the places we visited.”

“Well, we already added Suanori and Ellie to your entourage, my Lord. Does their presence bother you in any way?” Selene stroked her chin while looking at him. “Or the tens of slaves you currently have under your wing?”

“Not really.” He shook his head. “I guess I’ve been using our two friends as test subjects to see if it will be hard to keep mostly to ourselves over long periods of time. And it technically works. As for the slaves, they are slightly different. But, she is something else entirely and we all know that.”

Asterios chuckled lightly and they all joined him.

“I agree that the ability to check on my parents sounds unbelievably enticing, but… I still don’t know…” Tina admitted with a sigh. “Especially considering Dad…”

“Perhaps you could leave him out of it?” Grea suggested. “Your mom can be our contact within your household. She could share things with him. We should easily be able to come up with a myriad of reasons for this if we wanted to cover our asses, like the number of positions being limited since Ast is still growing.”

“Oh! And I bet Miss Kindra would love to be able to talk with Miss Luna telepathically!” Miria gasped in excitement. “That would definitely help them so much!”

“Yeah. Help them gossip privately from any distance.” Grea snickered.

“You are not wrong. Both of you.” Asterios smirked. “If they would even be able to do that without our assistance or attention. Maybe we should test that first.”

The girls nodded, having an idea about what he was thinking of.

~Suanori?~ he called out while focusing on their elf guildmaster friend.

~Yes?~ she responded right away.

~Is Ellie with you right now?~

~No, she’s already left my office. Do you need something from her?~

Asterios mentally shook his head. ~It’s alright. Just wait a second.~

~Huh. That’s trippy. I somehow know you shook your head.~ Suanori mused to herself. ~This is going to need some getting used to.~

~Ellie?~ He repeated his previous action with their receptionist friend.

~Ast. That surprised me.~ A gentle giggle rolled through his mind. ~I guess we can now talk like this whenever we want. Convenient.~

~Yeah.~ Asterios smiled and focused on both of them. ~Can you two hear each other?~

~Each other?~ Ellie asked with a small frown.

~Oh. I can,~ Suanori replied.

~Guildmaster?~

~Yes, that’s me.~

~Wow. This is going to make our work so much faster.~ Ellie laughed. ~We won’t have to bother with expensive communication artifacts anymore.~

~Great.~ Asterios slipped himself between the two surprised ladies. ~Would you mind trying to talk to each other without focusing on me or anyone else? Exchange a few words and then get back to me if you could.~

~Sure thing,~ Suanori answered.

A brief silence fell onto Asterios and the girls as they looked at each other with anticipation. Focusing deeply on his connection with the two distant women, he could tell that they were directing their focus at each other, but without pushing his attention further between that faint link, he couldn’t eavesdrop on their little chat. He knew he could if only he wanted. But, without specifically looking for anything in his head, he wasn’t bothered by any weird sensations like at any other moment during his daily life. Looking at the trio with him, Asterios could tell that they came to the same conclusion.

~We are back,~ Ellie announced and he could feel the guild’s duo focusing on him again. ~Did your test finish as intended?~

~Seems like it if you really talked between the two of you just earlier,~ he responded.

~We did,~ Suanori confirmed. ~We quickly discussed a certain commission I forgot to mention to Ellie so that she could ask someone to put it up.~

~That’s good. It looks like we can all comfortably exist and talk to each other without intruding on everyone else.~ Asterios nodded to himself. ~Just in case, Bryn, are you there?~

~Yes, Master,~ the Valkyrie responded immediately.

~And both of you can hear her just right?~ he asked.

~Yes,~ both women answered unanimously.

~Alright. That would be all. Thanks for your cooperation. You may now freely use our connection to converse with others whenever you need or want to,~ Asterios instructed them. ~I guess we’ll do a big introduction with everyone present after I finish adding people here so that you all are aware of who you can contact.~

~I think we do know,~ Ellie mused. ~When I focus, I can feel the others. Including a big group of people. But, they are somewhat harder for me to focus on, besides one person among them. Everyone else feels pretty much alright.~

“Those must be the slaves,” Miria said quietly.

~That’s good. Thanks for sharing. Even so, it’s only right to at least meet once with everyone above and including the rank of servant present. Mentally, of course,~ he replied. ~I’m not taking any more of your precious work time. Thanks once more and I’ll hear you later.~

The women’s presence faded out of his mind and Asterios returned his focus to the material world around him.

“That’s reassuring, at least.” Tina smiled at him. “We won’t have to listen to our moms discussing embarrassing things about us.”

He laughed a little. “Yeah.”

“But, just in case, maybe Grea’s plan isn’t so bad. Let’s just bring my mom into it,” she added.

“As you wish.” Asterios leaned in to peck her charming, rosy cheek.

~They seem to be finishing,~ Umbra reported just a moment later.

“That’s our cue,” Grea said and jumped off the sofa, followed by everyone else.

They moved out of the chamber and stopped near the entrance to the adjacent one, listening to the sound of closing footsteps coming from the other side. Soon, the double doors opened and revealed a surprised man, Tina’s father.

“Asti?” Kindra peeked over Thomas’ shoulder as she stood right next to Lady Luna.

“Hi, Mom.” Asterios waved at her. “Are you busy right now? We would like to have a quick chat with you. And with Lady Luna if it’s alright.”

The two mothers exchanged glances and then looked at Tina’s father, who stared back at them. The Summoner girl’s mother must have caught onto their intention of talking privately and stepped to her husband to place a chaste peck on the man’s lips.

“Don’t wait for me, dear. You can start preparing the things we discussed and I’ll join you in a moment,” she said lovingly.

Thomas answered with a gentle nod and continued on his way out. Everyone could tell he was fighting with himself not to turn around and curiously gaze at them, though, which looked slightly comedic.

Kindra ushered them all inside and locked the door. “So, what is this about? I hope you didn’t wait too long. You should have come in right away.”

“You don’t even know when we arrived here.” Asterios chuckled.

“I know you.” She smirked. “Spit it out. What use can these old ladies be to you?”

“Old?” He stared at her in mock disbelief, causing the girls to chuckle. “Anyway, remember our little presentation in the castle?”

“How could we forget something like that?” Lady Luna smiled at them gently.

“Well, there’s more to it,” Tina joined in, capturing their attention. “True Dragons build an entourage of subordinates, mostly to strengthen themselves by leeching off those people’s strength, but that part requires… a somewhat intimate element.”

“But, they can also connect with others without that element, which allows the linked parties to sense each other’s presence and speak mentally no matter the distance,” Asterios continued after her.

“And so, Master was wondering if the two of you wouldn’t be willing to become his servants!” Miria grinned excitedly. “Oh, but don’t mind that silly name! It’s just a dumb word the bad True Dragons use! It would be more like partners in Master’s eyes!”

“Remember our talk about me embracing my true identity when you mentioned my looks during your first visit here?” he asked and Kindra nodded softly. “This is another part of it. Someone much wiser than myself advised me to start making use of this ability and build strong ties with people I trust. And people I care about since this will allow me—allow all of us—to feel your presence and well-being.”

“So, what do you think about this?” Tina flashed the motherly duo an anxious smile.

“Let me get this straight.” Her mother raised her smooth hand as if to gather all the focus along with it. “You are offering us a chance to become linked to a True Dragon, which will grant us the ability to sense all of you and contact you telepathically, above all others, yes?”

She stared at her short daughter with a raised brow, who swallowed nervously while nodding faintly.

“Oh, Asti, do you even have to ask?” Kindra cooed at them and launched herself at Asterios with a gleeful giggle. “Of course, I would love to be connected even more deeply with you!”

“Don’t you need a moment longer to think about it?” He laughed too, hugging her close.

“Why? I’m your mother. It’s like a dream come true,” she answered.

“Maybe that’s why.” Asterios smirked. “I don’t think many Dragons take their mothers as their subordinates. It’s kind of awkward.”

“Eh, considering what we know about those bastards, I would honestly not be surprised to think they do.” Grea set her fists on her hips and wrinkled her nose.

Everyone glanced at the demon researcher, but only Ast’s group was familiar with True Dragons enough to catch the real meaning behind her words. And it definitely wasn’t pretty.

Asterios shook his head to shake off those disturbing thoughts and refocus on the moment. “And you, Lady Luna?”

Tina’s mother locked her gaze on her daughter and smiled even more brilliantly. “Just as Miss Kindra said, being able to be connected this intimately with one’s child would be like a dream come true for any parent.”

“You have no idea how much at ease would that put our hearts,” Kindra added while embracing Asterios. “Especially with you guys going away not just to other countries but even entire other worlds.”

“So, you would be okay with this?” Tina asked and shifted a little as her mom hugged her too.

“In no world would we not, sweetie.” Lady Luna stroked her long hair. “Plenty of mothers would sell their own soul to some devil just to gain such an incredible ability.”

“Well, instead, you can sell your souls to Dragon.” Grea snickered.

“Too bad we won’t be allowed to boast about it.” Kindra giggled.

“You better not.” Asterios squinted at her. “Yet, at least.”

She flashed him a grin and stepped back, followed by Lady Luna. They stood side by side with warm smiles.

“No more questions, then?” He glanced at either of them and the mothers shook their heads.

“Time to get this show started!” Grea rubbed her hands in anticipation.

But, before they jumped right into the ceremony, Asterios explained a few more details about how to conduct it and what they can expect from the connection. He introduced them to some bits regarding the ranks and history of True Dragons that they had learned previously, mentioning that the duo’s positions might someday change into that of an aide, but he and the girls want to first learn more about those things.

Nothing they said could make the women waver and they were as eager to go through with it as at the very beginning. They followed all the necessary steps and conducted the required ritual, with Kindra starting it off. Tina felt just a tiny bit awkward watching her beloved boyfriend kiss her mother’s forehead during the event and Grea couldn’t stop teasing her about it. Though, the demon lady then reasoned with her that boyfriends kissed their mothers-in-law all the time like this, which coincidentally made the timid Summoner girl even more flustered at her silly mind.

“This is it?” Kindra asked in wonder after they finished. “It worked, right?”

“I think I can already feel them,” Lady Luna sighed delightedly.

“Technically, you should be able to check since every rank receives a mark, but a servant’s one is located over one’s heart, so…” Asterios drawled.

But, his mother unceremoniously tugged on her collar and peered deep into her cleavage, forcing him to look away, to the amusement of a few sly ladies.

“Oh! I see it! It’s so pretty!” Kindra giggled. “It’s like a tattoo! We now have matching tattoos, Luna!”

“Yes, we have,” Tina’s mom replied, though without checking as her daughter leveled her with a glare.

They spent about fifteen minutes trying things out and discussing other various details related to Asterios and the girls. Nonetheless, the two mothers were thrilled to talk to their children in their heads. It most likely wouldn’t have ended if not for Asterios and the others finally choosing to excuse themselves to continue visiting people on their recruitment list and the group left them to their own machinations, sure that they would be hearing quite often from the excited women soon and often enough.

Their next stop was at Glimmervale’s castle, where they summoned Yumi to the master bedroom. Tina had returned to the Garden of Sinners and got back to Silvia so just the four of them conducted the interview with their favorite maid. After listening to the introduction, the kind elf girl was happy to become Ast’s servant as it meant that she could serve them even better that way. The girls made sure she knew that it could spell trouble for her employment after the lord would change one day but she countered by saying that many maids left with their lords on quite a common basis.

They briefly considered going after Radir next but Grea dismissed the idea, saying that one person at the castle was enough for them. It was clear that she didn’t want her father to be part of their connection and no one minded that, obviously. Selene mentioned Camille, but even if Silvia’s personal maid had already come around, Asterios still didn’t completely trust her yet. The maid’s mistress assured him that she was fine with that.

Thus, they traveled to the old enchanter’s abode and repeated the sales pitch with Endymion. As Grea expected, it wasn’t really necessary as the aged magician was enthralled just with the idea of being friends with a real Dragon, not to mention serving under one. He swore his eternal loyalty and immediately began wondering if he could perhaps make use of Ast’s scales and other aspects to boost his work even further.

Leaving the old man to his daydreaming, they wandered to the main plaza, where they sat down on a bench to relax a little.

“I think this should be everyone in Glimmervale, for now,” Asterios said as they snacked on some local market cuisine. “Where to next? I thought about Rosewind, but we kind of made all our friends and relatives move out of there with us. Except for Principal Teireshia, perhaps.”

A dark red portal surfaced in front of them for the second time that day and another woman walked out of it. Silvia threaded her fingers through her mesmerizing scarlet-amber hair with an enchanting wave.

“Someone trustworthy in the capital would be useful, no?” she asked with a faint smile.

Asterios dead-panned at her. “You can’t be thinking about turning a king into my servant.”

“Why not?” Grea grinned at him with a glint in her reddish eyes. “An emperor is above all the kings, no?”

He groaned at her tease.

“I think you are focusing on the wrong point,” Selene commented and they all turned to look at the impishly smiling fox lady. “Miss Kindra is part of this connection now.”

“Oh gods…”