Chapter 7: When Did I Get Super Strength

To put it plainly, the teachings of the Goddess led to a mass surge in birthrates. That went on long enough to send the world into an economic depression. The religious patriarchs began spreading the word of chastity and purity, essentially shelving Celestia.

I sat in silence, reading further. Unable to find any more details, I placed the book back in its resting place. Nodding my goodbye as I walked past the slime woman, I noticed her bow slightly, her body quivering with each movement.

"I’ll have to ask her about it next time I see her," I muttered, joining the mid-morning traffic.

Every day since my arrival, without fail, the streets were full. From sunup until shortly after sundown. Like a clock with nuclear batteries: it just keeps going.

Walking up the stairs to the inn, I heard Damara yelling profanities. Hurriedly I entered the room to find her holding a large crate with what looked like her belongings. Tears running down her face.

"You can’t do this, Sir! I’ve worked and lived here so long... I... I don’t have anywhere else to go."

The man scoffed. "Think about that next time your boyfriend wants to put hands on a customer," He flashed me a glance. "And you! You’re banned from The Hearthworm Inn. For life!"

The veins on his scarlet red forehead bulged as he stormed to the door I was currently standing at. He grabbed me by the collar, roughing up my new clothes as he forced me back down the stairs.

The sound of something smashing into the floor erupted and Damara was behind the man in a blur. "Get your filthy hands off of him," she yelled, pulling at the man’s arms. "He didn’t do anything wrong!"

He shoved her off of him with vigor, sending her into the railing of the staircase. She let out a soft whimper as she fell to the ground, her legs sprawled.

"Hey! That was too far!" I fought back immediately. A surge of anger turned my vision red. "I can forgive the yelling but the second you put your hands on her it was game over."

The man’s momentum stopped dead. He tried shoving me a few times but I held firm, my body burning. Raising one hand into the air, I brought it down, brutally slapping the man. The force of my slap sent him flying into the inn, blowing through a few tables before crashing into the front counter.

"God damnit! What did you do to my body Celestia!"

I grabbed Damara and held her tightly to my chest like a princess as I made our escape. No way I wouldn’t end up on a list for that. Super strength! When did that happen?

The forest path was cooler than the village, the evening air carrying the scent of damp earth. The breeze felt nice as it cooled the sweat on my back.

By the time Damara regained consciousness, I had carried her to the entrance of my manor. Its large twin towers cast pointed shadows over the porch.

"Hey... are you okay?" I asked, placing her down on one of the cushioned couches. "Do you need anything? Water, food? Anything?" I walked to the kitchen area, pulling out my phone.

"A glass of water would be nice. Is this... your home?!" She asked, her voice growing louder by the syllable. "It’s fucking huge! You live here alone?!"

"Not alone... IGNIS!" Raising my hand to my mouth, I bowed my head. "Sorry, I hope that wasn’t too loud."

I ordered a bottle of water from the market, it materialized a second later. Filling a glass with the water before handing it to Damara. A few minutes passed in silence. I looked at her and the look she was giving me caused my lips to curl slightly.

"Are you fucking with me?"

"Give him a few. He walks kinda slow," I explained right as the tiny pitter-patter of Ignis’s footsteps became audible. "Ah. Here he comes now."

He entered the main living quarters painfully slowly, his mechanical eyes inspecting Damara. They widened as he looked at me. "Sire. There seems to be a demon-kin on the couch."

"It’s fine, Ignis. That’s Damara, my new friend." The word friend tasted wrong. "Ummm. I did get you fired. We are friends still, right?" My stomach tensed as I waited for an answer.

"Of course we are silly," she exclaimed with a soft laugh, her hair falling in front of her face. "You saved me and now you’ve even carried me to safety. Without a doubt I would be stupid to be mad at you. My housing issue is another thing. Nothing you have to worry about at all..."

I had been responsible if only partially for her current situation. And she’d been nothing but kind to me.

"I can help you look for a new place tomorrow if you’ll let me... I can’t help but feel the need to make up for what I’ve got you into," I said, waving my hands. "Tomorrow though. It’s already getting dark."

Damara looked out the window I had pointed at. The sunlight had dwindled down to a soft orange glow cast on the ground. The full moon lighting the sky further.

"Is that alright? I have plenty of empty rooms, I’m sure we could—"

"It’s perfect!" She interrupted, immediately covering her mouth. Her cheeks became slightly flush before she continued. "I mean... if you’ll have me. I’d love to stay the night."

My heart responded to her words and began to beat harder. I was going to have a sleepover with a real woman. Another first for me and completely out of character. But I can’t back down now!

I gulped. "Let’s find you a room to stay in," I said, gesturing for her to follow me up the wooden staircase. "There’s a second bathroom up here so you don’t have to use mine. Just up here and on the left. Across the hall you’ll find a pretty plain bedroom but for the night it should be fine."

Her eyes gleamed as she looked the area over. "You have more than one bathroom!?" She opened the door, revealing the same setup from downstairs. "Wow! This... this is fancy."