Chapter 101: Love and Other Delusions

In the forest, there were very few nocturnal creatures.

So at night, it wasn’t uncommon for large predators to sneak in from the ravine and go on the hunt.

A salamander was one such opportunist predator.

The creature was as large as a bison, with scales of a sickly mottled green and nostrils that casually exuded flame.

It begins to crawl up a tree in search of prey when suddenly, it hears a sound approaching in the distance.

The noise became louder, and the salamander turns it’s head in its direction.

The last thing it sees is a large horse with what looks to be three individuals on it’s back.

Before it can even move a muscle, a projectile of water, no larger than a rock, pierces the creature between the eyes.

It falls over with a heavy thud, twitching as the light slowly leaves it’s eyes.

Yari slowly puts her hand down once the creature has been dealt with.

In one swift motion, she slides down the horse’s back.

Fixing her dress, she looks up at the other two riders and finds them staring at her with wide eyes.

“…What?”

“That was…” Jiaoying begins.

“Immensely attractive.” Solomon finishes.

“Indeed.”

Yari rolls her eyes as she fights the urge to blush. “Would the two of you stop gawking and come down here? I’m sure our new friend is tired of carrying all three of us.”

At her behest, Solomon and Jiaoying slide down from the horse’s back while Yari goes to find a spot that won’t be ruined by the sight of a salamander carcass.

Solomon helps Jiaoying get down from the horse, and she blushes slightly.

“How very chivalrous of you.”

“I can’t tell if that’s your attempt to tease me or not.”

Jiaoying smiles as he places her on the ground. “Only a little. There is more to come, though. I hope you’re prepared for it~.”

She slips out of Solomon’s grasp as his ears warm up.

Gracefully, she steps around to the front of the horse and admires him like a work of art.

Gently, she takes the horse’s muzzle into her hands and smiles at him.

“Quite a majestic beast… Even the war horses we raise back home don’t have this sort of luster in their coats.”

She glances at Solomon. “Have you named him?”

He shakes his head. “We were in the middle of trying to escape from a hostile realm, so we didn’t exactly have time to name them.”

That wasn’t completely true. Nila had dubbed her horse SkullCrusher after choosing over the names BoneBreaker, BloodDrinker, and SoulEater.

Jiaoying stares into the glowing red eyes of Solomon’s horse. “…Do you mind if I name him then?”

“I was hoping that one of you would.” Solomon admits. “Apparently, I’m bad at naming animals.”

“Bansha is a fine name.”

“…Her name was almost Fluffy.”

Jiaoying and Yari snort in unison.

“How very… original.” Jiaoying chuckles. “I can’t imagine how you possibly could have come up with it.”

She turns back to the horse and strokes the bridge of his snout softly.

“…Mercy.”

The horse’s ears twitch.

“Like it, do you? I think it fits your docile nature.”

She turns to Solomon with a proud smile. “Though I suppose it matters more what your owner thinks.”

The horse also turns to Solomon, as if to ask whether or not he approves.

“…I think it’s a fine name.”

Solomon places a hand on the horse’s back.

“It is an honor to meet you, Mercy.”

Suddenly, the flames on the horse’s hooves and tail become even brighter. Red streaks line his short mane, and for a moment, Solomon thinks the beast has become even larger.

’…Mercy.’

Solomon hears a deep, guttural voice in his head that almost alarms him.

He steps back abruptly.

“What’s wrong??” Jiaoying asks worriedly.

“It… talked.”

“…It is well known that spirit horses can learn to speak when they bond with a rider. It’s a bit on the rarer side, though, but not that strange.”

Jiaoying smiles teasingly. “Don’t tell me… Were you frightened of the big bad-”

“I was scared of nothing. It simply caught me unawares.”

“Oh, really?” She smirks. “My mistake then.”

Mercy turns to Solomon and blinks slowly.

’…Scared.’

“…You’re only two days old, and already learning some bad habits.”

*Ahem!*

Solomon and Jiaoying look back to find Yari waiting for them impatiently.

A blanket is laid out over the grass. Sitting on top of it is a simple wicker basket from which the elf removes small, simple food items.

“If you’re both done playing with our new friend.. then I would like it if youwould come and join me.”

Yari sits on the blanket, and gradually, the veil of her disguise comes undone.

“Next time I’ll think to bring carrots…” She murmurs.

As if lulled in by her beauty, Solomon and Jiaoying naturally drift towards Yari.

They join her on the blanket, sitting in a close-knit circle.

As they began to eat their picnic, Yari finally decided to speak up.

“Is this a …date?”

Solomon rubs the back of his neck as he looks down. It suddenly occurs to him that he has never had a real date before.

“Well, I should hope so.” Jiaoying leans back as she tosses a strawberry into her mouth. “I don’t just share meals with people I kiss.”

“…You’ve kissed many then?” Solomon said abruptly.

Jiaoying turns to stare at him, as if slightly amused. “And if I told you I had? Would the green-eyed monster rear it’s ugly head?”

Solomon thought she was referring to his armor. “Those eyes are orange.”

“No, not that, boy. I mean jealousy.”

In that moment, Solomon’s mind goes back to his conversation with Raizel in the hallway.

If this was what jealousy was like, he could surely see the danger. He wanted to string up every man who even breathed near Jiaoying by their intestines.

She laughs beautifully as if she can hear his thoughts. She picks up a strawberry and pushes it past his lips.

“Don’t be. I fear you may outshine me in terms of romantic experience. I have only ever had one partner.”

Solomon raises his brow. “As have I.”

“…Really?”

“Indeed. Were you expecting differently?”

Jiaoying was. She knew already that around the school, Solomon had attracted quite a bit of attention from members of the opposite sex.

His being handsome was fine, but it was his competency and abnormal powers that made women wish for his courtship. Nothing else in the academy mattered other than the potential for a brighter future.

If that had to be through marriage connections, it would make achieving wealth and status all the easier.

For a while, Yari looks back and forth between Someon and Jiaoying with a calculating gaze.

“You two seem to have gotten… closer.”

Her lovers look at each other before blushing shyly.

“We… had a moment in the savage lands.” Solomon shared.

“A moment? Oh, do tell…”

– 5 minutes later…

Yari was slightly annoyed.

She didn’t know what bothered her more. The fact that Jiaoying had almost died and didn’t even mention it, or the fact that she and Solomon had sex again without her.

“I… I don’t even know where to begin.” Yari holds her head in her hands.

When she looks up again, she releases a deeply held sigh.

“So… you two are now an item? A couple?”

Both Solomon and Jiaoying looked uncomfortable with her terminology.

“We’re… something.” Jiaoying admits. “Though our circumstances haven’t actually changed very much…”

She still had to leave next week. This sweet moment, together with the two of them, was one of the last she would get to experience for quite a while.

That simple fact hung over all of them like a dark cloud. They tried hard to push it out of their minds.

“But I think… If we were to become something… I would like us all to be involved together.” Solomon says.

He shifts his position so that he can take Jiaoying and Yari by their hands and look into their eyes.

Jiaoying smiles at him nervously. “Slow down a bit, Solomon… We’re still-”

“I am aware it is still new. I simply wanted you both to be aware of my intentions.”

Yari pauses for a moment before taking a shaky breath. “I… feel the same. I desire the company of both of you, and I… I could not choose one without the other.”

Jiaoying’s face is nearly as red as her hair. She has no more flirtatious deflections or snide remarks left to save her.

“…This is insane. I’m insane.”

“I did not hear a refusal.”

“Neither did I.”

Solomon pulls both girls into his embrace. Both women rest their heads on each of his shoulders and close their eyes.

Silently, they hold on to everything about this moment.

Jiaoying hugs Solomon, her eyes stinging and her voice shaky.

“Gods, you’re like a bear… I’m going to miss this when-”

“Leave those thoughts for a later time.” Yari says sweetly. “Dwelling on it does us no good.”

“…You’re right.”

The trio slowly transitions from hugging to lying on the blanket.

Solomon holds both of them in his arms while their fingers are interlocked.

As he stares up into the night’s sky, a sudden wave of guilt seizes him.

“There’s… something I have to tell you both.”

“Do you have a secret child?” Jiaoying asks without opening her eyes.

“What? No.”

Yari was nearly asleep when they began talking again. “If you’re about to speak of another woman I will murder you. This isn’t a harem. ”

“It is neither of those things.” Solomon sighs.

“Is it going to upset us..?” Jiaoying releases a yawn of her own.

“…Most likely.”

Both women crack open their eyes.

They stare at each other for just a moment before shutting them once again.

“”Tell us tomorrow.””

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