Harbingers of Change

Chapter 15

"So we can find this Vesta guy in the same club you want us to visit tonight?" Pero asked Kaijin after the dwarf had returned to his quarters with the good news. Kaijin had managed to sell some of his works and reintegrate a bit into dwarven society, along with meeting some new associates interested in cooperating with him due to his high status in Tempest.

With the official duties for the day done, he was lazily lying on the sofa and reading manga, exchanging small talk with the dwarf. Considering how busy his day-to-day life had become back home because of the growing Tempest's economy, the visit to Dwargon was akin to a mini vacation, and one he intended to enjoy.

Since Dwargon didn't want to do anything with the disgraced noble, it would not be hard to recruit him for the Tempest research department, which would be led by Kaijin under Pandora's supervision. With enough luck and some integration, his mostly okay record would bring benefits to Tempest and expedite some of their magitech research.

Obviously, the position came with a warning that no secrets could be reported back to Dwargon, even if both nations were allies. He would also be closely monitored by Demiurge's shadow demons until he had sufficiently proven his trust to Tempest and gained Kajin's approval.

"He's been drinking away the last of his fortune in the Butterflies of The Night almost every night. With any luck, we should find him there tonight, and the rest is on you." Kaijin reported his findings while sitting down and stretching his legs, reaching for a backscratcher.

Since Pero was adamant that in private there was no need to follow a strict hierarchy, and he preferred for his underlings to be casual, Kaijin acted as if talking to an old friend. And while he wasn't quite there yet, he could afford to relax a bit in the luxurious room provided by King Gazel.

"Did you get us a reservation? And I kinda forgot to ask, but what sort of club is it? I can't take Mare with me if there are strippers and other adult-only entertainment. If sis finds out I took my nephew to a place like that, we're going to get murdered." Pero put down the manga on the table, picking up a magazine article about the Butterflies of The Night.

"I can assure you nothing of the sort is offered there. In fact, the girls are more than capable of defending themselves if clients get the wrong idea about them." Kaijin stroked his beard, recalling how quickly a drunk adventurer hit the ground after trying to fondle the breasts of one of the elven hostesses.

"All you can expect from the girls is good drinking company. They can talk away all your worries in a heartbeat, and know where to stop and start."

"I see, as long as the booze is good I can enjoy the view. I wouldn't want Momonga to tear us a new one if we did something unsavory, even if it was free." Pero chuckled. Ever since the incident with the kijin siblings, the overlord had put a lot more attention on preventing any sort of workplace harassment, be it from his friends or anyone else.

'I surely hope Lord Pero can behave today. When the girls found out who would visit their establishment, they sure weren't calm about it.' The eight elven women hustled to perform a complete cleaning the moment he name-dropped Pero, having heard of his position and power.

Once even someone like Vesta was a big deal due to their nobility status, but the avian was considered a royal, and a very influential one at that, when it came to representing the face of Tempest. Everyone in Dwargon knew about the alliance between the two nations and the importance of the guest and knew the rumors of him inside and out. Not to mention that the steady stream of news and rumors coming from Tempest didn't fail to pass through the elven-run club, with merchant customers oftentimes commenting about the birdlike majin.

A few hours later Pero, Mare, and the four dwarves arrived at the club, followed by six hanzos as guards. Since the risk of the ambush was low, both Pero and Mare were dressed in more casual clothing, keeping their main gear in the inventory. The dwarves were armed with fairly little besides pocket daggers.

Pero wore a short-sleeved shirt, short loose pants, and a few rings on his fingers. Meanwhile, Mare was dressed in formal black pants, a white shirt, and a black vest, fully complying with his mother's new wishes to dress more like a boy.

The whole staff awaited them at the entrance, bowing the moment the doors were opened. And it was a sight to see for newcomers, especially for Mare.

A blonde elven woman dressed in a low-cut pinkish dress and a large golden belt that partly served as a corset spoke, "Esteemed Lord Peroroncino, welcome to Butterflies of the Night. We are honored to host you tonight."

"Kaijin has told me a lot about your establishment and I heard nothing but praise for your services. I have no doubt my visit will be unforgettable." He replied, glancing over at the girls, fully prepared to follow the rule 'You can look as much as you want, but don't touch.'

Most of the girls, save for the two who appeared barely in their teens, were dressed in somewhat revealing clothing, sporting mostly curvaceous figures. The teen-like elves were mostly covered in one-piece dresses, and all were decorated with simple jewelry.

"This way please," the blonde woman motioned for the group to follow, and led them deeper in once Pero nudged Mare forward.

Pero sat down in the middle of a half-circle sofa with two of the slimmest women sitting down by his sides. Mare took the left end of the sofa with the younger girls seated next to him, and the dwarves took the other end with three women between them.

The one who remained standing quickly brought over a few crystal bottles filled with the best spirits the club could offer and a platter full of large glasses. And just as quickly, she brought strawberry smoothies for Mare and the younger girls, the latter enthusiastically handing the drink to the nervous child.

Kaijin had given enough information beforehand, so they knew the preferences of each client, and could therefore cater as needed.

"Lord Peroroncino, should I bring Vesta over right away?" She asked once everyone had their refreshments.

"Sure, let's get the business part out of the way first." Pero nodded and turned his attention to the blonde woman sitting between Kaijin and Garm, the two dwarves shifting to give the lady some space. "You're the owner of this place, right?"

"Yes, Lord Peroroncino. Kaijin already explained beforehand that you wish to open similar clubs in Tempest. I could help train your staff for the right fee, if there is a written guarantee that you won't open any of your clubs in the capital of Dwargon." She replied, flashing him a confident smile and perhaps a few charm-related Skills.

"That sounds fair, but how about I offer you co-ownership of any club I open in the capital, that is if I open any near your club in the first place? I would need someone to run them anyway," He replied in the smoothest voice he could muster, trained by his dozens of concubines through the long nights, as he flashed a brilliant grin of his own in return as much as his avian face let him.

The elven woman was clearly smart and had done her homework, not only regarding the preferences in beverages, but women as well if the way his eyes were inadvertently flitting around was anything, Pero noted.

"My Lord, such an offer would be beyond generous, but I can't go on your word alone."

"How about I draw up a contract that is signed by me and approved by King Gazel? I'm sure that would be enough proof that I don't plan to just screw you over." Pero asked, taking a shot of brandy and placing the glass back on the table. The girl sitting to his left immediately moved to refill it, ensuring her presence was minimal before taking action as trained.

"I can't say no to such a bargain." She downed a glass of her own and leaned over to grab the bottle to pour another shot.

While Pero and the owner of the club talked about the details of their partnership, the two younger girls worked on Mare, whose face was flushed bright red for all to see.

"You are by far the cutest boy I've ever seen. I bet you're getting a lot of attention from girls." One of the girls gushed in a high-pitched voice.

Mare shyly nodded in response, sipping the smoothie through a bamboo straw, obviously trying not to think of the wrong things at the wrong time.

"Oh don't be so shy. Girls like confident boys. You can practice talking with us." The other elven girl giggled, inching slightly closer to the elven boy.

"S-sure," Mare replied, trying to not sound too disinterested in their obvious attempts at making him open up.

"So do you have a girl you like back home?" She continued her questioning while slowly downing her own smoothie, taking a jab at a common reason for nervousness.

"I do. We... she... She is my girlfriend." Mare's face twisted in a faint smile, before quickly resuming his practically guzzling of the smoothie. Safe to say, his smoothie was very quickly replaced with a new one, even topped with a cherry.

"A very energetic young lady," Kaijin commented with a nervous chuckle, the other dwarves nodding as well before returning to their respective ladies.

"What can you say, he's got his uncle's charms." Pero joined in with a laugh. "Girls just fall into his lap."

"My my, so young and such a ladies' man already. We'd better be careful." The club owner joined in as well on the fun, with the poor boy becoming redder with each comment as dwarf, elf, and majin alike joined in on the teasing.

Mercifully, the teasing stopped with the appearance of an unkempt man who was led towards the table by one of the elven women. With hair and beard that looked like it had not been combed for months, bloodshot sunken eyes, and a breath with a thick stench of cheap alcohol, Vesta looked like he slept on the street behind the club. His clothes were ragged, his skin covered in grease and smoke residue, he was no longer the haute ècole Vesta Kajin once knew.

"There he is. You can stuff him in a bag and haul him wherever you like, Lord Peroroncino. We'll tell everyone who asks that we don't know where he is. This bum hasn't paid his tab of dozens of gold coins for weeks." The owner spat, disdain flickering across her normally professional face, before sending off the new elf back to behind the bar.

The man, despite his appearance, immediately bowed as his unkept beard swayed. Then while placing a hand on his heart, began speaking with a hoarse voice, "I deeply apologize for my unsuitable appearance. If this is in regards to my transgressions against Kaijin, I am fully prepared to face the consequences of my actions."

"If you want to punch the guy's nervous points or kick him in the nuts a few times, better get it out of your system right now, so I don't have to deal with it later," Pero addressed Kaijin, who eyeballed the fallen noble with a mix of pity and disgust, even putting down his half-full glass of beer.

"He already looks miserable as is. If anything I should thank him; because of what he did I came into your service, Lord Pero." Kaijin shook his head. The trio followed moments later, displaying their lack of desire for revenge.

"Kaijin, I…" Vesta looked down. "I…" He grabbed his face with his right palm and let out a whimper, kneeling before the group. "I should have known better."

"Get a grip and listen to what my master offers you! You couldn't be more pathetic in my eyes even if you tried!" Kaijin raised his voice, throwing a hand in the air. The elves near the dwarves quietly moved away, knowing the pre-arranged cue from Kaijin. The other dwarves, knowing Kajin through the power of friendship, huddled together to avoid his movements.

"So, Kaijin told me you were a talented scientist who could have done great things if only your head wasn't so deep up in your own noble ass. Is that still the case?" Pero asked the tarnished noble, leaning back on the sofa and casually reaching for another drink. The display worked wonders, presenting himself as having better things to do unless Vesta kicked his ass-kissing gears into overdrive.

"I haven't done any research in years, having been busy with obtaining political power. But if you would have me, Lord, I will do my best, even if I must start from the bottom. The Vesta that Kaijin once knew is gone, burned to shambles with my inheritance. I have no titles, no home, nothing. Due to my arrogance, I lost everything." Vesta croaked, his voice breaking as he continued.

"Great. In that case, you're hired, but you'll be put through a trial. If you can't carry your own weight on the team, I won't keep you around. Gather your stuff and I'll send you off whenever you're ready."

"I am ready, my Lord. Everything of value I own is on me right now." Vesta bowed, standing up.

{ I'm sending you the dwarven scientist Kaijin told us about, the one who was involved in robots in the past. Heads up, the guy needs a deep, intense shower, a new set of clothes, and a meal plan designed for starving people, badly. } Pero messaged Pandora.

{ Wunderbar! } The doppelganger replied with clear excitement, likely imagining how he could incorporate the robotics of golems from this world with the current models he had from Nazrick's files.

"From now on you report to Pandora's Actor. Off you go." Pero addressed Vesta, and teleported him away with a flick of his wrist.

"Tha…" The surprised dwarf didn't manage to respond before disappearing.

"I certainly would find uses for such magic." The owner of the club remarked, many employees nodding in as well.

"It takes a lot of magicules to transport others, and I mean a lot. The average elf would be able to cast it like, once or twice, before collapsing from magicule deprivation." Pero grabbed the glass once again, refilled with fine wine. He almost put his arm around the nearest girl's waist but caught himself before it happened, not wanting to be a bad model for Mare.

Instead, he lifted the glass and announced, "To the successful recruitment of Vesta!"

The rest of the table joined in, but before anyone got to drinking the shots, the entrance door of the club exploded, parts narrowly missing Mare as Pero flexed his wings to protect the others.

The hanzo guards immediately came out of the stealth and surrounded the table, ready to defend their masters.

Everyone's eyes were on the newcomers; a pink-haired girl snarling like a bull, ready to charge, with a taller red-haired woman behind her, whose glare could kill even a legion of men.

"Ohh… shit!" Pero mumbled. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

Milim stamped towards the table, seemingly ready to murder everyone present, while Buku spoke in a tone that sent shivers down Pero's spine. "You brought Mare to a fucking club with these whores around!? I'm going to fucking mur-"

"Miss, that is out of line! We are a reputable establishment and no such thing is happening!" The owner of the club jumped to her feet and marched towards Buku, her heels clicking as her pride was on the line. She had carefully trained her establishment to offer the best of both worlds without crossing the line, and she would be damned if she failed to protect her lifetime's work.

'Just what I fucking needed today. A murder scene to clean up and a foreign scandal. I hope Momo won't murder us for what would happen.' Pero knew if he didn't intervene someone was about to get seriously hurt. The elven woman may have had the courage to stand up to his sister, but she sure as hell didn't have the power to do so.

He teleported right in front of his sister and grabbed Milim by the collar of her shirt at the same time before she could murder the two younger elven girls sitting next to Mare, who were shivering in fright as Mare moved forward in a defensive stance.

"Let go of me! Those two tramps are trying to take Mare away from me!" She shouted, winds storming across the room as the two elves found themselves assaulted by pure, unadulterated, rage. The room was torn up in seconds, chairs tossed left and right as windows shattered as Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.

"Everyone calm the fuck down! We're just having drinks and talking business! Nothing you have imagined is going on here. Mare is not drinking alcohol and sure as hell no one is taking him away from you! These are all professionals in relaxation, not prostitutes in a brothel!" Pero addressed both Milim and his sister, flaring his own aura to combat Milim's as he felt Milim enraged further, ignoring his words.

"Oh, really? You of all people chose the club full of elven women and don't plan to bang any of them? And you brought my precious and innocent boy to such a place, to ruin him!" Buku screamed in his face, the ring of false data audibly cracking as her aura joined Milim's.

"Yes, you twat! Do you have any idea how this looks? For a minister of foreign affairs, you're doing dumber shit than Lupus did with Suphia!" Pero retorted, casting a barrier over the elves.

Buku was about to wring her brother by the neck for his audacity when she suddenly realized that everything he had stated made perfect sense if viewed from an outsider's perspective. With an exhale, she calmed herself and observed the scene carefully, slipping away from Pero's grasp.

Mare indeed was just drinking a smoothie, and the two girls that were sitting near him were about his age, and weren't actively attempting to seduce him, but rather dressed conservatively and were, at most, sipping smoothies of the same flavor. She straightened out, snapped her fingers, and pointed at the remains of the doors on the ground. "Fix it."

Her guard immediately picked up the pieces and started to put them together with Creation, much to the surprise of the elves. The dwarves had seen this before, and continued making small talk with their respective elves for every party's sanity.

"Right. I may have overreacted a bit, but my point still stands. You brought Mare to a nightclub, and without my permission too. You could have sent him back to his room, or anywhere else, but you took him here." She replied in a much calmer tone, her aura dissipating as she replaced her ring of false data.

"You could at least apologize to the nice elven ladies for calling them whores. That… Hey!" He yelped, feeling the crushing force of Milim squeezing his hand to get out of his grip.

Ignoring his pained yell, she marched towards the table, Mare standing up and meeting her furious gaze.

"What were you doing?" She asked, her aura intensifying.

"I was having a smoothie," Mare replied with none of his stutter or usual shyness present.

"And those two?" She pointed at the elven girls that were looking around seeking a way out of the situation.

"So this is the boy's girlfriend?" The elven woman sitting next to Kaijin asked with a whisper.

Kaijin nodded with a gulp and whispered back. "That's Milim Nava. Trust me, that's her in the flesh."

"Demon Lord Milim!" The woman gasped, grabbing onto Kaijin's arm, and flashing a hand signal to the bartender. Milim chose to ignore it, having more pressing issues to address.

Kaijin nodded again as all eyes were on the young pair, one calm and one enraged, one sipping a smoothie and one not sipping a smoothie.

"They just sat next to me and asked a few questions. That's it." Mare replied, attempting to be calm and assertive just as his uncle taught him to be in a situation like this. And given how his uncle somehow kept a harem of wives without it devolving into chaos, he was inclined to believe it would work, and work it did.

Milim glanced at the two girls once again, both white as snow when it became clear the grave danger they were in. Every elf knew how dangerous Demon Lords could be. She then grabbed Mare's cheeks and glared into his eyes, activating her Dragon Eye.

Mare grabbed her hands to push them away, asking, "You don't trust me?" 'I-I hope Uncle Pero is right about this. M–Milim looks so angry.' He did his best to not shake in anxiety at how he was handling the situation.

Pero, on the other wing, was trying to calm Buku, offering her some rare wine he knew she had her eye on in Nazarick since pre-isekai days. It had a calming effect too, doubling on its effect.

Milim glanced at him, startled, and as her anger dissipated she mumbled, "Sorry."

Suddenly, she pushed his face close to hers and planted a small kiss on his lips. "I want a smoothie too. You should have called me to join you!"

"W-we c-can have an s-smoothie together." Mare stammered, his face reddening as he offered his to her.

"Okay!" Milim grabbed a straw from an empty glass on the bar with Law Domination, placed it into Mare's, and pushed Mare into the seat while sitting down next to him. The young boy wisely did not resist, hastily moving aside the two elves nearby him to another cushion with vines.

Pero, who had watched the scene in silence, glanced at his sister, who was standing with her mouth wide open and right eye twitching. He subtly motioned at his sister, and then at the bar. The nearest hostess, who instantly understood, rushed behind the bar. She placed a bottle and a glass on the counter saying, "They grow up so fast."

Buku just turned, grabbed the bottle, and gulped down the strong spirit in seconds like it was water. She slammed the empty bottle against the counter, almost shattering it, exclaiming. "Tell me about it!"

"Ohh, I remember when my son brought his first girl home." The bartender nodded in agreement while refilling the glass, noting its fine cracks, and motioning for Buku to take a seat on a bar stool.

Seeing that the situation, for now, was resolved without any violence, Pero approached the owner and whispered quietly in her ear. "Put everything on my tab, we're not in the clear just yet. Get your employees ready for a long night."

"Those two?"

"They'll behave if not provoked. Let me and my nephew handle them, you get your elves slowly out of here."

"Understood." The blonde woman nodded.

The whole evening turned from a relaxed drink with his nephew and subordinates to a potential powder keg ready to go off, but luckily it seemed that Buku was content just drinking away the pains of seeing her boy grow, having long forgotten about her rage towards her brother. As for Milim, Milim was happy to be drinking the delicious treat with Mare by her side, as she had wanted more interaction with her boyfriend the past few days. Some of the less experienced elves slowly slipped out, leaving behind the owner and two other elves to tend to their newfound, violence-prone customers.

'There goes my chance to kick back and relax with the bros. To hell with it, I'll just take a prolonged vacation with my girls when things calm down or when we all have time. Momonga isn't using his yacht anyway, and we've got a massive lake nearby the palace, he'll understand.' Pero made a promise to himself. The night was bound to be an eventful one, and he needed that light at the end of the tunnel.

X

The next morning both Buku and Milim were standing in Momonga's office, having been dragged there by Rubedo.

"Momo, why!? I know I kinda mess-" Buku half-yelled, half-mumbled sleepily.

"Silence!" Rubedo shouted in a full voice, startling both Buku and Milim and shocking both awake. She never spoke so loudly thus making even more impact.

Momonga paced back and forth in silence, waiting for the right moment to speak. Rubedo acting so aggressively only worked in his favor.

"I entrusted you with dealing with all external matters and you act like this."

"Momo, I-"

"I'm not done talking!" Momonga cut her off sharply, something that scared Buku since Momo seldom yelled at anyone. "You not only refused to listen when I clearly explained that you got your damn facts wrong, you publicly charged there, breaking and entering into a private institution, and almost killed innocent citizens of a foreign nation, in clear display to many witnesses I might add, which would create an international incident. Do you think I need a war with Dwargon because you can't do your job!?"

"Sorry-"

"From this moment onward, you are relieved of your duties and Rubedo will ensure you do not cause any more problems for Tempest!" Momonga raised his voice, raising his staff.

Milim glanced at Buku who was reduced to a shivering mess in less than a minute, and shot her head down as well, trying to look as small as possible. Momonga, in her eyes, was this calm administrator of the Nazarick who was always polite and understanding, if a bit busy at times. And now Buku, the person who could always make her shiver in her boots, was reduced to the same state by the same man.

"P-please don't send me away," Milim whispered under her breath, lip quivering.

"I'm not talking with you right now!" Momonga pointed his bony finger at her, making Milim shrink down even more.

To make matters even worse, Rubedo had reshaped her poleaxe into a paddle and was quietly slapping her hand with it in the same rhythm as Momonga's walk, armed with an unnerving smile as she stared at Milim.

"Momo- Momonga, please let me fix this. I know I messed up b-but you don't have to fire me, ok" Buku spoke in the highest pitch she could muster, appearing like a whipped puppy.

"Fix it? I warned you beforehand there would be consequences! If I cannot rely on you, if I need to monitor your every action, then I will find someone else! You should have been one to see how such actions reflect upon Tempest since it was your damn job to ensure nothing like that happens."

"I-I know. I messed up badly. I will fix everything. I won't do anything so stupid ever again. Please, Momo, give me another chance." Buku whimpered.

'I got her. I guess this is the point I soften up.' Momonga could only bless the fact that his skull had no expression and thus couldn't show a wide smirk he would surely have flooding his face.

"One last chance! And I want a full report by the end of the day on how this situation will be fixed! Additionally, I'm cutting your spending fund by seventy percent and that includes the bribes Pero is giving you!" Momonga pointed his undead finger at her and then turned towards Milim, "As for you, I expect you to think with your own head next time! I will let this slip for the last time, but no more chocolate for the next month! Both of you are dismissed!"

He waved his hands towards the door and both instantly bolted out of his office, Rubedo visibly disappointed that she didn't get to use her void-touched paddle.

'I should put my foot down more often. That felt freaking awesome.'

Edited by aidan_lo

AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (Link is in my profile) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).

Proofreading by aidan_lo, Visur Nyxan, SwissChocolatess, Alassandro, FantasyTroll, Aurodium, Cakeeight, Miracle of Gods, and Tophrel.