The town of Luminos, a small settlement named after a great sage who'd invented a simple spell to create light amidst darkness. 'Lead us in the dark, O'small flame of the bruised heart', the very incantation was a homage to the sage's wisdom, who, despite his many ailments, brought light to a dark world. Even to this day, the street lamps and magic lanterns had his name etched onto them. Without it, the apparatus was often prone to failure, leading many to wonder if the sage was still watching over this world, ensuring that his name remained illuminated by its creation.
Upon their arrival in the town, the horses drew the carriage until they reached the largest building. A two-story inn with twelve rooms on both floors. The entrance had quite the traffic with armed adventurers, mercenaries, and all manner of people coming in and heading out the door. But the horses were too big to get in, and so they found a way to the stables, where plenty of other horses and carriers rested.
Coming to a halt with a neigh, the bicorns broke their master's slumber. A male handler approached them to unhook them from the wagon, but with a swift jerk of their head, they slapped him away. No man was allowed to touch them, for their handlers thus far had been centaurian women back at the mansion. They tended to their needs, brushed their fur, and fed them plenty.
"Haaaa~" Yawning with her hands stretched, Aura twisted her body and turned a little to crack her spine. As a succubus, her body was as flexible as a lizard, and so the cracking of every bone in her body freaked out the resting horses. "Finally~ It took a while."
Smacking her lips, she looked around and noticed the handler standing by the bicorns. For a moment, she felt the urge to reach out and poke her fingers into his eyes for even looking at her. But then, the reminder that she was shapeshifting drew her from her demonic senses.
"I'll handle the horses, you just stay back," she ordered, and after being slapped by the horses, the man was done, and so he did as he was asked.
Waking up beside her, Zephyr silently soaked in the surroundings. The sun was still a big obstacle after staying holed up underground for so long, and as for the nature of his surroundings themselves, they bothered him not. After all, he'd been in more hostile territories than a mere inn.
"Aur–" Stopping himself from using her real name, the fiend closed his eyes and opened them again. "Cecilia, get the horses in the stable. I'll go get us a room, and you can meet me inside when you're done."
"As you say," unbuckling the horses, Aura hopped from the wagon to the back of one of the bicons. Holding the reins to them both, she led them to the stables while her husband made his way into the inn from the back door.
While passing the many rows of caged horses, she saw a chance to create some harmless chaos.
"Ahaha~ This will be fun."
With a snap, she undid all the locks by the female horses and rode the bicorns into an empty spot. Keeping the doors from swinging open, she kept up the facade that they were still locked shut. Then, with a brush of her hands across the mane of her bicorns, she leaned into their ears and whispered.
"Have fun, the ladies are waiting, boys~" Laughing out loud, she walked down the rows of horses with a sadistic smile on her face. Thankfully for her, even if the bicorns were to mate, which they most certainly would, the offspring from such a union were mostly–if not always, regular horses. "There will be more horses soon, I can't wait to pet them~"
Hopping along, she decided to look around a while longer in the backyard before heading indoors. In the meantime, Zephyr was just about to reach the reception after having to walk through a dark corridor with cobwebs. While walking through the rest of the darkness, he could sense about a dozen people on the other end. Four women and the rest of them men. Each with varied level differences, but none of them were above level ten.
'A starter town.' He remembered such a place. A place meant to be surrounded by forest and dungeons. Not necessarily dangerous ones, just enough to help the adventurers grow before they move somewhere else. 'Nothing but weaklings here. I could sneeze and they'll rip to shreds.'
Putting that thought out of his mind, he walked into the open hall. Illuminated by dim blue lights with a silver glow, the entire inn was bright. Having now adjusted to the light, however, Zephyr looked around some more, soaking in the people around him and checking their skills and memories.
With but a glance, he saw their lives flashing before his eyes. None was too impressive, but one of those four women drew his attention. Not only because she was a widow with curves rivalling a goddess, but also because in her thoughts she had a son named Rudeia–the alleged hero chosen by the goddess, Hestia.
Looking over at her standing behind the reception table, the fiend soaked in every detail about her. From the exact hue of her long blue hair, the number of hairs tied in her ponytail, the size of her breasts, the slight dip to her belly button and the melon-sized pair of cheeks on her rear end. Beyond that, many other pieces of information also entered his head. The number of hair she had downstairs, the number of men she'd slept with, and everything she liked and disliked about her town, the people and absolutely everyone and everything.
In an instant, he knew this place better than most locals. His mind was quick on the pickup, a habit he'd gained while trying to assess an opponent during a fight. However, one person still managed to catch him off guard.
"Hmm?"
"Still didn't make it to the reception?" It was none other than Aura, standing beside him with a smile on her face and a sadistic glint in her eyes. "Let me talk to her, okay?"
And with that, the wife of the fiend was off to add another beauty to her husband's harem.