Eventually, Lykos got tired from crying and fell asleep, clinging to Caim’s clothes with swollen eyes.
“Jeez, taking care of a kid is hard...”
“Good job, though, Master Caim,” Tea said as she watched him pat Lykos’s back.
“I’m pooped... Even though I should rest for tomorrow’s battle...”
“It doesn’t look like Lykos will let you go, so I suppose we won’t have sex tonight.”
“That was never in the plan. I just said we have to rest up for tomorrow’s battle.”
“What a shame...” Tea drooped her shoulders.
Even worse, Tea wasn’t the only one. Millicia, Lenka, and even Rozbeth looked pretty disappointed too.
“It is truly regrettable...”
“So I won’t be spanked tonight...”
“Well, I don’t mind.”
“You serious...?” If not for Lykos, the girls would have been totally up for having sex tonight. Caim was once again exasperated by how much his lovers resembled succubi. “We’ll be able to do it as much as you want after the war, so just rest for tonight.”
“But, Sir Caim... That won’t be true if we die,” Lenka said, looking down gloomily. “We are going to war, and our opponents are Prince Arthur and his elites. Nothing guarantees that we’ll all survive... So isn’t it natural that we want to be together one last time?”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Caim was truly exasperated. “If so, then just don’t participate and hide behind Lykos in the city. You’re being ridiculous.”
“What?! You don’t have to go that far!”
“Yes, this is very cruel, Caim!”
Lenka and Millicia were angry, but the same was true for Caim.
“Just don’t die,” Caim declared firmly, shutting the girls up. “Don’t get yourselves killed. Survive no matter what.” He looked at his lovers one after another. “If you think you’re gonna die, then run away. You’re not allowed to die without me.”
“Master Caim...”
“Caim...”
“Sir Caim...”
The girls were moved by Caim’s words. Even Rozbeth, who had stayed silent, blushed bashfully.
“Understood. That’s a promise!”
“Indeed... We shall not die.”
“Yes. I’ll survive and have you spank me again.”
“Fine. I hope you’ll make up for it after the war.”
The night before the decisive battle, Caim and his four lovers swore to survive no matter what. They connected three beds, and the six of them all slept together.
The night, however, was not yet over. If it were, the day would have ended on a moving note—but unfortunately, things never went as one wished.
An uninvited guest made their appearance in the middle of the night.
“You are a bad boy for making that child cry.”
“Huh...?” When he came to his senses, Caim was lying down in an unfamiliar plain. He was surrounded by tall grass, and the moon in the sky was shining a bright red. “Where am I...?”
“This is the entrance of the realm of the dead, the border between life and death. You may think of it as a dream if you wish, however.”
“And you are...?” Still lying on the ground, Caim looked up at the woman staring down at him. She was a beauty with strange hair that was a mix of black and red, and she was wearing a glamorous traditional dress. “Wait... Are you the Immortal Butterfly? The famous assassin.”
“Indeed. So you know me.”
“Yeah, heard about you from Rozbeth... Though you’re not as small as she said.”
Rozbeth had told him that, despite being the oldest assassin, the Immortal Butterfly looked just like a young girl. And yet, the woman before him looked like a mature woman in her late twenties.
“I am far older than you, and as this world is a dream, I can alter my form as I wish.”
“If you say so... But why am I even here in the first place?”
“Because I called you, of course. I wanted to meet the man that child chose.” The Immortal Butterfly suddenly brought her face close enough to Caim’s that their noses almost touched, which surprised him.
“Hey... What are you doing?” Caim asked.
“Hmm... You’re not bad-looking. You do not exactly have the face of a good person, but it doesn’t look like the face of a villain either. Your trained body proves that you are a martial artist, but I cannot sense much talent in terms of magic. What a shame, considering how much mana you have.”
“Who the hell gave you the right to appraise me like that?” Irritated, Caim tried to manipulate his mana to deal with the woman before him. He still wasn’t sure if she was the real Immortal Butterfly, but either way, she didn’t look like an ally, so he needed to be ready to fight. However...
“Huh?” He’d failed to control his mana. He could neither invoke Purple Poison Magic nor condense his mana like usual.
“You are wasting your time. Did I not tell you that this world was a dream?” The Immortal Butterfly spread her arms exaggeratedly. “I created this world, which means I control it. As long as I forbid it, you will not be able to use your mana—unless you have absurd magic skills like that insolent doctor.”
Caim narrowed his eyes.
“Be at ease. I cannot harm you either. At most, I can show you a nightmare so frightening that you will wet your bed.”
“Might as well kill myself if I’m gonna wet my bed at my age... Please don’t.”
While he didn’t understand how it worked, it seemed that Caim truly couldn’t do anything against the woman in this strange world. But even though she’d said that she couldn’t harm him, he just couldn’t bring himself to trust her completely.
“Do not worry. I shall leave once I am done appraising you. Just count the stars in the sky until then.”
“Mmph?!”
The Immortal Butterfly suddenly kissed Caim, not leaving him enough time to dodge. She immediately followed by pushing her tongue inside his mouth, invading it. She traced his gums and twined her tongue with Caim’s as she sucked on it.