Chapter 46: Naughty Boys

“What are you even doing here?! May is going to be so worried about you!” Hope shouted as she paced around the fire, Junior sitting slumped against Rhiney’s side.

“You guys were taking Rhiney…” Junior mumbled.

“Oh my goodness! We have to go back in the morning.” Hope exclaimed, sitting down with an exasperated grunt.

“Woah woah woah, no way, we’re on a time limit. “ Penelope said seriously.

“What time limit?! Henrek’s not going to start anything until we get back.” Hope exasperatedly asked.

“Uhm, well… we did kinda fly right over Lolcons, remember?” Pinklia added quietly.

“So?! We can fly back over!” Hope scoffed.

“Hope, do you really think that we’d be able to fly over three times in three days without losing the one advantage we still have?” Penelope asked sarcastically.

“SO?! HE’S 7 YEARS OLD!” Hope said, throwing her hands up in the air.

“I already went somewhere dangerous with dad…” Junior mumbled quietly.

“Hope, Penelope, you’re both correct.” Utarou said diplomatically, getting everyone’s attention.

“Woah, thanks.” Penelope sneered.

“Not helpful right now.” Hope grumbled.

“We knew that…” Pinklia mumbled.

“Hold on! Let me say what I was going to say first!” Utarou whined as he walked over to Junior and Rhiney, kneeling in front of the boy.

“Now, Junior, why’d you hide in the barrel?” Utarou asked bluntly.

“IT DOESN’T MATTER WHY! This is far too dangerous for him!” Hope barked.

“Can we let him talk?” Utaoru asked sincerely. Hope relaxed a little and sighed.

“Fine…” Hope muttered.

“So, Junior, why did you do it?” Utarou asked.

“Didn’t wanna leave Rhiney… He’s all stressed…” Junior mumbled.

Penelope perked up as she heard that and quickly scootched over.

“You knew a monster was stressed oh~?” Penelope cooed, with Utarou shoving her back.

“Okay, and you wanted to keep him calm?” Utarou asked with a smirk, glancing back at Hope as he saw her face soften.

“Yeah… He didn’t like the harness… It’s itchy see…” Junior mumbled as he scratched at the dragon's scale, causing the creature to let out an audible grunt.

“Oh my gosh you were concerned about your pet…” Hope cooed remorsefully as she saw the tears forming in his eyes.

“You’re not… gonna take him away…?” Junior sniffed.

Hope let out a pained motherly groan as she rubbed her temples.

“Well? Are you?” Utarou asked with a smirk.

“Oh don’t you start.” Hope hissed as she walked past Utarou and gave the boy a hug.

“Fine, you can stay, but you’re going to listen to us and not get into any trouble, okay?” Hope requested sternly.

“You could also tell me about how you knew the dragon was stressed. It'd be really useful for my research and-” Penelope was dragged away by Pinklia.

“They’re having a moment.” Pinklia sighed.

…

“I’m surprised he didn’t have your head, you know.” Adam laughed jovially, walking through the tall grass that made up much of the former heartland of Dracons.

“It makes sense, ultimately the garrison is loyal to me. I’m just a useful asset for him.” Henrek mumbled, the pair were searching for any stray bands of goblinoids that hadn’t been annihilated by Adam already.

Adam paused and scratched his chin.

“What?”

“Well, Utarou doesn’t seem machiavellian enough to think like that.” Adam explained, combing back his golden hair with his hand.

“Heh, despite his antics his schemes have worked out… More or less. Maybe you’re just not giving him enough credit.” Henrek countered melancholically.

“I think I’m giving him just the right amount of caution. Look at it this way, he’s not a man who filters his emotion through logic.”

“Meaning?”

“His mind and his heart are one, unified in a singular goal and pursuit of these so-called ‘monster girls’.”

“Well I could’ve told you that much.” Henrek sighed as he grabbed some wild flowers for his daughter.

“But I believe you miss the implications of it.” Adam smirked as he unsheathed his sword for a moment, before returning it to its hilt. Before Henrek had even stood up fully, the head of a goblin that had been hiding in the trees had smacked into the ground in front of him.

“You sure do like implications…” Henrek grimaced, watching as monsters blood pooled around the wild lilies.

“That I do, but perhaps you need it laid a bit more bare.”

Henrek said nothing as he placed the flowers in his satchel.

“Utarou is a man of pure passion, intelligent but foolish, raised in a world entirely different from ours and he seeks to change our world into something that suits his vision.”

“Right…”

“You and your family are a part of that new world, whether you like it or not.” Adam laughed as he walked off. Henrek stood still for a moment, letting the words sit with him for a moment.

Forgetting himself, Henrek smiled for a moment.

“Could be worse I suppose. I could be stuck under the church's vision.” Henrek snided.

In a moment Adam closed the distance between the two of them, eyes intense as they stared into Henrek’s soul.

“Watch your mouth.” Adam spat, quickly regaining his composure.

“Come! We haven’t investigated that fire by the lake yet.” Adam exclaimed, returning to his usual chipper attitude as if nothing happened.

“Despite everything he’s right. I can absolutely whole heartedly trust Utarou will do everything in his power to achieve his perverted fantasies. But I cannot trust this man of the church.” Henrek thought as he said something or rather to Adam while they walked.

If Utarou was driven by a lust for Monster Girls, Henrek was driven by a love for his family.

And as loath as Henrek was to admit it, these two desires had now become inseparable.