The first rays of dawn filtered through the cracks in the wooden cabin, illuminating the floating dust motes in the air.
Lysander's eyes snapped open.
His internal clock woke him up at exactly. His Mind booted up instantly, ready for combat, ready to assess threats, ready to conquer the world.
But his body couldn't move.
He wasn't bound by chains or trapped by magic. It was something far heavier and much softer.
"System," Lysander thought, staring at the wooden ceiling. "Report status"
System: [Master You are currently functioning as a body pillow. Good luck, User]
Lysander slowly looked down.
On his left, Seraphina was clinging to him with a grip that defied her slender frame. She wasn't just sleeping next to him; she was trying to merge with him. Her silver hair was fanned out across his chest like a silk curtain. One of her legs was thrown completely over his waist, hooking him in place, while her face was buried in the crook of his neck.
He could feel the soft pressure of her chest pressed firmly against his side, her heartbeat rhythmic and slow.
"Zero..." Seraphina murmured in her sleep, her breath hot against his skin. She tightened her hug, her fingers digging into his shirt. "You are mine... don't go... you are my everything..."
A small, possessive smile played on her sleeping lips, as if she were dreaming of locking him in a tower where only she could visit.
Lysander sighed internally. 'She is heavy'
He turned his head to the right, hoping for an escape route. There was none.
Elara had occupied the right flank.
The Cat-Kin was sleeping in a wilder, more chaotic pose. She was curled into him, her head resting on his shoulder, while her left leg was thrown carelessly across his stomach, tangling with Seraphina's leg. Her tail was wrapped possessively around Lysander's thigh.
Like Seraphina, Elara was pressed tight against him, the soft curve of her body molded to his ribcage. But unlike the silent human, the cat was active.
Twitch. Twitch.
Elara's golden ear was flicking rhythmically, brushing directly against the tip of Lysander's nose. It was incredibly ticklish.
"Mmm... Zero..." Elara purred, a low, vibrating sound in her throat. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder, drooling slightly.
"Look..." she mumbled, lost in a deep, delusional fantasy. "Our children... they are so beautiful..."
Lysander froze. 'Children?'
"It's a girl..." Elara whispered, giggling in her sleep, her claws gently kneading his arm.
"Look at her dance... she has your eyes... and my ears..."
Flick. Flick.
Her ear hit his nose again. Lysander tried to blow air to move the ear away, but it just twitched back.
He was the terrifying Lord Zero. He had crushed a Hobgoblin's skull yesterday. He had ripped a man's arm off. And now, he was trapped beneath two S-Rank Yanderes who were using him as a mattress.
The combined heat from their bodies was suffocating. On one side, the obsession of the Void Empress. On the other side, the maternal delusions of the Apex Predator.
"If I move, they wake up," Lysander calculated. "If they wake up, they start fighting"
He stared at the ceiling, resigned to his fate, while Elara's ear continued to assault his nose and Seraphina mumbled about owning his soul.
"I should have slept in the tree," he thought.
As the sunlight grew brighter, filling the small cabin with warmth, the two women finally stirred.
They yawned in unison, raising their hands to rub the sleep from their eyes.
"Mmm..." Elara stretched her back, arching like a cat, her tail flicking lazily.
"Nngh..." Seraphina blinked groggily, her silver eyelashes fluttering.
They looked down and realized they were staring right at Lysander's mask.
"Good morning, Lord Zero," Elara purred, her voice raspy with sleep.
"Good morning, Zero," Seraphina whispered softy.
They smiled at him, comfortable and warm. They didn't move an inch.
Lysander stared at the ceiling, his patience finally hitting zero.
"Good morning," Lysander replied, his voice flat and sarcastic. "Now... will you two take the trouble to get up? Or do I have to carry you outside myself?"
The girls blinked, suddenly realizing just how tangled they were.
Elara sat up first, pulling her leg off his stomach. She looked to her left and saw Seraphina still clinging to Lysander's arm, her face practically buried in his chest.
Elara's eyes narrowed instantly. The sleepy atmosphere vanished.
"Hey," Elara hissed, pointing
a claw at the mage. "Seraphina... why were you sleeping so secretly? You are practically glued to him like a leech. Have some shame"
Seraphina sat up slowly, fixing her messy hair with an elegant, haughty motion. She looked down at Elara's leg, which had just been draped over Lysander's waist a second ago.
"I ask you the same question, Cat," Seraphina shot back coldly. "Why were you sleeping so close? Your leg was wrapped around him like a snake. Were you trying to strangle him in his sleep?"
"I was keeping him warm!" Elara argued, her ears flattening.
"And I was checking his heartbeat!" Seraphina lied smoothly.
They glared at each other over Lysander's prone body, the sparks of rivalry flying once again.
Lysander sighed, pushing himself up and forcing them to tumble off him to the sides.
"Out," Lysander commanded, pointing at the door. "Both of you"
The morning sun was bright, chasing away the chill of the night.
Seraphina and Elara stepped out of the hut first, still shooting glares at each other, their hair messy from sleep. A moment later, Lysander emerged, fully armored, his crimson cape flowing behind him like a banner of war.
He spotted Mira near the extinguished campfire.
"Mira," Lysander called out, his voice projecting clearly across the clearing. "Gather everyone. Now."
Mira's ears perked up. She didn't ask questions. She immediately ran to the makeshift tents, waking the others
Within minutes, the entire population of the village-28 Demihumans, including the children-stood in a semi-circle. They looked anxious. The sudden summons made them fear bad news.
Lysander stood before them, flanked by Seraphina and Elara.
"Listen closely," Lysander began. "I am leaving for the Human Kingdom today"
A gasp went through the crowd. Whispers erupted.
"Leaving?"
"Is he abandoning us?"
"Did we do something wrong?"
"Silence," Lysander commanded. The whispers died instantly. "I am not abandoning you. I am going to trade"
He gestured to the pile of goblin weapons and raw materials they had collected
"We have resources, but we have no way to use them. We have no Blacksmith. We have no armor. You are defenseless. I am going to the Human Kingdom to sell these materials and bring back Gold, weapons, and armor to turn this village into a Fortress"
"Take us with you!"
Seraphina and Elara stepped forward in unison, panic in their eyes.
"Lord Zero," Elara pleaded, grabbing his arm. "The Human Kingdom is dangerous for you. You need a guard. I can smell traps. I can fight!"
"I can use magic to cover your tracks," Seraphina added desperately. "Please, Zero. Don't leave us here"
Lysander looked at them. He saw their devotion, but he also saw their weakness.
"No," Lysander said firmly. "You cannot come."
"Why?!" Seraphina cried. "We are S-Rank! We are your Pillars!"
"You have S-Rank Potential," Lysander corrected her, his voice stern. "But right now? You are still Rank F. If we run into a Rank-C Knight or a Mage Squad in the city, you will be a liability"
He pulled his arm away from Elara.
"If I take you, I have to protect you. I cannot move freely"
Lysander stood before Elara and Seraphina.
The morning sun glinted off his armor, making him look like a deity of war.
"Listen closely," Lysander said, his voice firm. "I am leaving you with a mission. While I am gone, you are the Protectors of this Village"
He gestured toward the dense forest that surrounded them.
"Do not sit idle. You have S-Rank bodies, but F-Rank experience. To change that, you need blood and sweat"
He looked them deep in the eyes.
"It is your choice. Go to the Dungeon or hunt in the Stratified Domain of the forest. I leave the decision to you. But wherever you go-fight. Learn how to control your mana. Learn how to use your claws. Become strong enough that you don't need me to hold your hand"
Elara clenched her fists, her tail twitching with determination. Seraphina wiped the unshed tears from her eyes and nodded, her expression hardening into resolve.
"I am going to the Human Kingdom to sell our materials and buy the equipment we desperately need," Lysander continued, adjusting his crimson cape. "I cannot fight a war with naked soldiers. I will bring back
weapons worthy of your potential"
He took a step away, turning his back to the village.
"I will try to return as quickly as possible. Until then... guard our home"
With those final words, Lysander didn't look back. He vanished into the tree line, moving with the silent grace of a ghost, leaving his two Pillars behind to begin their own training arc.