“Gajin?” I guess as we go out the front door.

“He can wait. Master is seeing to his education. He is already very grateful to you for the opportunity to do what he loves and I don’t expect the gardener to be entertaining. Nomad won’t be awake until the afternoon either.”

“So…Anna.” The little girl well on her way to becoming a lunatic. “How is she?”

“Very well. She shows remarkable potential in the arts of tracking and hunting. A natural inclination as well. I purchased a clutch of rabbits and set them loose in the garden. She amuses herself by chasing them about.”

…I have so many questions.

“Children should be active.”

And she’s just going to gloss right over them.

Now that she’s mentioned the rabbits, I guess that’s the reason for the fence around the vegetables. Anna is on the outside of it, prowling around while hunched as she examines the ground.

She looks a lot better. With a haircut, a uniform, and a clean face, there is no trace of the bloodthirsty bandit from before.

“Anna.”

Big, green eyes snap up to us. Like her brother, she comes to attention, spine straight with her arms crossed over her lower back.

Geneva stretches out a palm. “Hand.”

My jaw drops as she obediently puts a hand in her palm.

“Shake. Good. Sit. Lie Down. Stand. Good girl.”

It continues dropping as Anna continues to execute the demands like a, oh saints there’s no way around it, like a well-trained dog. I can’t let this one go, can I? I’ve got to say something. But a kind of horrified fascination keeps me from intervening.

Anna’s lesson doesn’t last nearly as long. After a few more orders, Geneva pulls out a small piece of honey-colored something and hands it to the girl. Anna immediately pops it into her mouth. Her smile and wide-eyed enjoyment heals me. Heh, who knew she was so cute under all that growling and stabbing?

This is still highly questionable.

Once she’s finished her treat, she waits at attention until Geneva dismisses her. My succubus turns to me with a grin. “Before you can say anything, Lou, this is perfectly fine. I have no idea what has happened to that girl but her mind is very…simple. I’m afraid standard teaching wouldn’t be at all effective and I dislike using my abilities on the young. There’s a chance it can damage underdeveloped minds.”

“You make it all sound so reasonable.” That’s what has me worried. I feel like she’s feeding me platitudes. “Tell me if that’s the complete truth.”

“Of course, my summoner. There are other ways to go about her education but they would have to wait until she is older. Now, she gets to practice useful skills and learns obedience with a little positive reinforcement.”

“Alright. You’ve done a great job.” Really. I had grabbed the bandits without thinking much about it. The saints know how that would have turned out if she weren’t here to take charge. She’s even taking it a step further, not just making them capable servants but quite possibly the pinnacle. “I should get a few more for you to try your hand with.”

“Might I make a few suggestions? Certain minds are easier to train to certain roles.”

“Sure, sure. Just as long as it’s nothing crazy like sourcing newborns from an orphanage.”

“Ah. A shame.”

Oi, you were seriously thinking that!?

“I’m joking, Lou.”

…are you?

“Yes. Remember, my powers can damage young minds. Newborns are like spun glass, I wouldn’t dare.”

“Right, okay.” Phew.

We do visit Gajin. He is tidying up his little shack when we arrive and gives us an enthusiastic greeting. A quick word and he happily jammers on about his projects in the garden and gives us a quick tour of his home. If it weren’t for the walls around us, I wouldn’t be able to differentiate it from the outside. I don’t know if it’s healthy sleeping on a bed with vines growing over it but he’s seems fine with it so, I guess?

But our visit leaves me with a problem. I’m out of servants to visit, er, check-up on.

Gah, come on. What are the usual things rich people do? Spend money. Party. Harass beautiful peasants into their beds. Gambling.

Ugh, I’m drawing blanks here.

“Those all sound like fine ideas.”

“Don’t you start,” I hiss at the succubus following me as I head back to the house. Leave it to her to goad me into temptation, terrible woman.

“Have you ever been to a red-light district, Lou? From what I know of your father’s territory, the local village was too small to accommodate more than an enterprising woman or two with an empty barn.”

“Pfft. Uh, yeah. Basically. Not that I’d know. Wouldn’t have dared back then.”

“I imagine a small-town girl who’s spent her entire life on a farm would be just as scandalized. Quest is a very large city with all kinds of mischief available.”

“I couldn’t. Married. Kierra is a lot of things but I doubt she’s one for casual flings with, ehem, women of the night.”

“How poetic, my summoner. And I think we both know exactly how Master would react.”

She has a good point. As if that deviant would have any objections. She’d probably pay for everything and take a front row seat. “It’s not exactly a good place to be. I’d likely get myself into more trouble than I’m already in.”

“High-class establishments aren’t the same as seedy bars. The worst trouble you might run into is losing track of time.”

I’m running out of arguments. “It’s the middle of the day,” I continue weakly.

“Better to have the amenities all to yourself.”

She has an answer for everything! “Ah, nope, nope! I’m not doing it! Hear me? Nope!” Stronger wills than me have broken to those temptations. And really, if I’m being honest, I have zero will at all when it comes to pleasure. They’d love to get their hands on me. “We’re going to do something harmless, productive, and not morally questionable.”

“Of course, Lou.”

She must have copied that smile from Kierra because it’s exactly the same. Showing too many teeth with slightly narrowed eyes. A look that’s filled with amusement but still predatory. It’s a look that says she’s waiting for me to break down, anticipating it like a hunter stalking a kill.

Daring me.

“…at least not now.” And as usual, I fold. “Maybe take Kierra with me once all this crap is over with. It’s been a while since we’ve had a night off.”

Absolutely no restraint, that’s me.

“Today, I’ll, uh, oh! I can head over to the Summoning Building. Been awhile since I’ve talked to Kristoff.” Hopefully, the rumor of my innocence has spread as far as my made-up guilt. If the summoners avoid me, I can still access the public summoning records. I have so many projects to prep for.

“I’ll prepare a lunch.”