Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 82 – The influence of top-level powerhouses.

After they picked up the corpse of the other adventurer and arrived near Droham, they left their horses at the stables, entrusted the remains of the adventurers to the city gate guards after explaining the situation, and headed to the Adventuerer's Guild to give their report.

At the Guild Master's office, the A-rank Guild Master, Vigilius the Dauntless Shield, listened to the explanation and saw the items they brought back. His complexion became ugly when he heard three B-rank adventurers died, but he quickly accepted it. Being an Adventurer was a dangerous line of work, and many don't die peacefully in bed.

"Thank you for bringing their corpses back. I will inform the temple and their families to arrange proper funerary rites." Vigilius sincerely thanked them. "As for the bounty items, it is a royal bounty issued by the royal family and shall be rewarded by them. I have no jurisdiction over this, but I shall inform the main branch of your deeds."

"Thank you, Sir Vigilius." Hope gave him a warm smile, taking back their loot.

"Please, just call me Vigilius. I should be the one to address you respectfully." Vigilius warily said.

When he sat in front of the four individuals and listened to the narration of the B-rank Earth Magician, Gratian, he already understood that the four were top-notch S-rank powerhouses more mighty than the king. And their leader was an SS-rank legend. They could do whatever they wanted and were above the law in their middling kingdom. With that said, as long as they were sane, they wouldn't cross that line because they didn't need to. People would come to their door to offer gifts to get on their good side. And even if they crossed the bottom line, the kingdom could invite powerhouses to deal with them. With that said, Vigilius, an A-rank without growth potential, had to be careful of his actions and words when facing such experts, or they might casually hurt him badly.

"Thank you for your time, Vigilius. Can you please arrange proper accommodations?" Hope requested without changing her expression, not denying Vigilius's hinting remark.

"I will contact Duke Kerularios and request the highest level accommodations, Miss Hope. I am sure he will warmly accommodate you." Vigilius respectfully said.

The best accommodations were not in the luxurious inns but in the castles, manors, and mansions, especially for highborns. They even had rooms reserved for honorable guests, fit for royalty. To have such rooms was a symbol of status and a way to stay in the good graces of important guests.

"Thank you for troubling you on such a short notice. We plan to stay here until the day after tomorrow before returning to the capital." Hope said.

"No, no. It is the Duke's honor to house you. I only wish his accommodations would live up to your expectations." Vigilius shook his head.

He wasn't flattering them. S-rank powerhouses were top-level guests as noteworthy as the king, not to mention a suspected SS-rank. The Duke would even thank him for the opportunity to house them!

"Would you like me to spread you are here to the others in the city? Or would you like to remain unbothered? If you choose the former, you might meet many guests carrying gifts." Vigilius asked.

All the influential figures in the city would come to greet them, presenting gifts of goodwill. It also doubled as a bribe so they wouldn't come to their door and make trouble for them.

"No, thank you. We wish to remain unbothered." Hope shook her head.

Gerhart, To-Meri, and Ray remained silent, feeling overwhelmed. Although somewhat prepared, they still underestimated the level of influence they had as top-level powerhouses. A lofty guild master bent like an unpretentious subordinate when facing them. A highborn duke would be honored to house them. Influential guests would line up to deliver gifts if they hinted at it!

"From a disposable slave reincarnated as a poor orphan casually killed, I am now standing at the peak of a kingdom." Gerhart thought.

To-Meri and Ray, a slave and a serf, were equally shocked. A day came when the roles switched. In theory, they could do whatever they wanted in this kingdom. Of course, that was only possible thanks to Gerhart's overly generous attitude.

Only Hope was unmoved in this situation. Although she was a slave for a short time, she enjoyed status and luxury for most of her life.

With that, Vigilius personally escorted them to the massive mansion of Duke Kerularios. After explaining the ins and outs to the Duke, the proud Duke became excessively friendly immediately.

"Heroes from afar! Please, let me accommodate you in our humble home." The Duke, a balding yet refined middle-aged man wearing posh attire, said while rubbing his hands together, his forehead sweating.

"Master. The 1st son of Duke Staurakius is staying in the royal suite for the marriage discussions." A butler whispered in the Duke's ear, reminding him.

"Then respectfully tell him to vacate the room and arrange him a noble guest room. Say a party of S-rank adventurers is here for two nights. After he leaves, arrange for someone to move his luggage and clean the room." The Duke instructed.

"Yes, master." The butler bowed and left.

Gerhart overheard it and was almost baffled. He just wanted a good room with some privacy for the night and good food, not kick someone out of their room. But when he was about to say something, Hope held his hand and lightly shook her head. Gerhart understood that it might be better not to meddle in this.

The Duke hosted them personally with his wife, concubines, and over a dozen children and offered expensive desserts and drinks in the guest room.

True enough, ten minutes later, a young man in equally flamboyant clothes arrived. On regular days, this proud scion wouldn't bend to anyone except for dukes and royalty, but today, he became a bootlicker, happy to lap Gerhart's boot.

"Oh, heroes! It is such an honor to meet you. I am Donus Staurakius, eldest son of Duke-"

The proud scion started singing praises in Gerhart's ears until he thought his eardrums would bleed, even glad to give his room.

After chatting for two hours, they had a sumptuous dinner. While eating, Gerhart noticed four of six beautiful unmarried daughters of Duke Staurakius giving flirtatious glances at Ray, from as young as 16 to as old as 24, and their cute handmaidens. Of course, they would also look at him- If two women more beautiful and powerful than them didn't sit on both his sides. The Duke also conveniently asked about Ray's marital status, and when he heard he was single, he was even more enthusiastic toward him.

After the dinner, the Duke found an opportunity to talk with Ray alone. Shortly after, Ray came to Gerhart, having a troubled look.

"My lord, the Duke asked me if I-I would like to spend the night with one of his daughters and their handmaidens, with no strings attached." Ray stuttered, a wild blush on his face.

Gerhart knew what the noble was angling for. It was Ray's bloodline. Although the Duke likely wanted one of the daughters to get pregnant, the chances were too low after one or two nights, so he wanted him to sleep with several women to increase the odds. Of course, he couldn't offer all his daughters since he still needed to form political ties, so he presented the daughters of his subordinates working as high-class servants.

As for Gerhart- the Duke didn't have the guts. He didn't want to offend the two scary women by Gerhart's side.

Gerhart could only pat Ray's shoulder and say seriously, "Ray, you are a bachelor and can do whatever you want. If they don't demand marriage and you find them attractive, go wild."

After receiving this advice, Ray didn't hesitate and chose the youngest sixth daughter, 16, because she was around his age, and it made him more comfortable. This choice also relieved the Duke and Donus since they feared Ray would choose the daughter meant for the marriage. If he did choose her, they would need to pick another daughter.

And soon, night came. After receiving a bath, they retired to their rooms.

Ray stayed in the sixth daughter's room for the night. Meanwhile, Gerhart, Hope, and To-Meri, wearing bathrobes, had the Royal Suite to themselves, purposely or not attended by two cute maids of lesser noble birth.

"Please ring the bell if you need anything, masters. Please enjoy your stay." The two maids deeply bowed.

"Thank you. We will call on you when we need your help." Hope had a meaningful smile. However, the two maids didn't notice it.

Once confirmed they left, Gerhart sighed, mentally exhausted.

"Hah... fucking nobles," Gerhart muttered and sat on the bed.

He started to understand why many powerhouses stayed away from nobility and royalty. They were deeply disgusted by this farce and chose a simpler life where they were left unbothered. He even heard stories of some who picked ascetic lives, living like beggars.

"Mya... That was stressful. Can I change back?" To-Meri, who was in the form of a brown-haired beauty, asked.

"It is fine. The Duke didn't try to monitor us." Hope, in the form of a cute black-haired girl, smiled and changed her form.

She had two cute mouse ears, a mouse tail, and furry arms and legs. Her hair color became more silvery, and her pink eyes had heterochromia, changing to red and purple. There were also blue tattoos doting her body and hair in the shapes of the sun, moon, and stars. Her pretty face became dazzlingly stunning, like a radiant star.

"Uwa... big sis Hope, you're so pretty!" To-Meri couldn't help but exclaim.

"Hehe. I am sure you are no less stunning yourself." Hope confidently said.

"You flatter me." To-Meri awkwardly scratched her cheek and returned to her natural look.

Cat ears and tail sprouted from her as her arms and legs became furry again. Her hair and eye colors remained unchanged, but her body gained golden tattoos, appearing as seductive as they were erotic. Her skin was also more lustrous, and her facial features subtly changed, giving an air of sacred beauty and seductiveness.

"Hehe~. I said so. You are truly a rare beauty." Hope smiled.

"Geez, you are going to make me blush." To-Meri shyly replied.

"I am not complimenting you. I am stating facts. Why not ask Gerhart for his opinion?" Hope looked at Gerhart, who eyed both of them hungrily.

"Yes, you are both beautiful." Gerhart nodded repeatedly, getting excited.

"See?" Hope said to To-Meri.

"But is it okay for someone like me to serve master? I am impure..." To-Meri uneasily rubbed her hand.

"Gerhart isn't that picky. As long as he likes you, he likes you. There is nothing to worry about. See?" Hope said as she lightly grabbed To-Meri's face, pointing it at Gerhart's fiery eyes and his pitched tent, threatening to undo the bathrobe.

"Oh..." To-Meri bit her lips. "You won't get jealous?"

"I am afraid that both of us won't be enough to satisfy him, so why should I be jealous?" Hope said and turned to Gerhart. "Gerhart, why not undo your transformation? Let her see what she is dealing with."

"Er... Are you sure? It might be a bit too much." Gerhart became hesitant, remembering Havre's incident.

"Don't worry, I am sure. Do it." Hope implored.

"She asked for it." Gerhart thought as he undid his transformation.

Slowly, he grew bigger by several inches, and his length swelled. And more than that-

"I-I-I-I-I-I..." To-Meri became speechless, looking at Gerhart's body and face.

"It is more overwhelming than I predicted..." Hope shook as she looked at Gerhart.

Gerhart transformed into a male adonis, perfect in every way. His muscles were perfectly chiseled, complementing his equally perfectly masculine face. They felt an unnatural attraction to him.

"Did Gerhart become a sex monster or an incubus?" Hope asked herself, but she knew the answer was no. He gained a talent that would make most male sex monsters envious to death.

The two women didn't even hesitate as they undid their bathrobes.