My Life with My Monster Wives

Chapter 2

Empty, weightless, that was what it felt like. Like my entire body was weightless and empty. I felt as if I didn't have a soul anymore, that the only thing that existed was my body floating around in a weightless environment where I couldn't move or do anything about my situation.

'Damn it.' Dante thought as his mind slipped away, 'I didn't think that my life would end this way. I never got to see the lands of my ancestors. The land of the rising sun or the beautiful highlands and beaches of Brazil. I didn't get to finish my cooking training under my dad and now he has no one to take over the family restaurant. I have no siblings so no one will ever know the teachings of my mother's family style. Damn it, Damn it, DAMN IT! I never wanted my life to end like this, I wanted to do so much more, see much more, love much more, and cook so much more. Hell, I even wanted to get into a lot more fights, show the world just how great the Igarashi-Ryu truly is. I wish there was some other way for me to live out my dreams and desires once more. I don't want my life to end before it was about to begin. I was able to save Talia and rid the world of someone evil but now that my life is ending what have I accomplished? I want to do more!'

"Correct young one! A life as bright as yours should be burned out so soon!"

'What? What voice was that? It was a woman but something in its tone feels different.'

"Indeed, this young warrior, so full of life and love should be ended so easily."

'Another one? Another woman but something different in its tone."

Another voice giggled, "This man has brought pleasure to so many women, despite his health defection he does not let it hold him back! He should be able to pleasure so many more women from our domain and his!"

'There's another one. Why am I hearing these voices? Are they women that I know? No, the way they speak, the tone in their voices, it is something different.'

"It seems we are all in agreement. This life shall be reborn once more. The life that was taken from him in his world shall be reignited in ours. Now go young lion, go and live the life you want!"

Dante couldn't comprehend anything that was happening around him. The only thing he felt was a warm, almost searing hot, feeling burst through his chest and spread throughout the rest of his body making all of his sense go into overdrive and the weightless, empty feeling in his body slowly faded and a white light came from above.

MMW

Dante's body felt heavy, like he was bench-pressing 500 pounds on every once of his body. He slowly began to open his eyes, the slight pain that he felt in his head faded bit by bit and his eyes opened. As his vision came back to him, Dante looked around as his eyes adjusted to the light. He saw the forms of two people hanging over his body but couldn't make out any features.

"Papa, papa, the big man is waking up!" two young voices shouted. Dante rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and slowly sat up, he then realized that he was lying in a bed. A rather comfortable one at that, the mattress felt softer than any bed he had ever slept on but still had firmness to it. The sheets and blankets that were on him felt handmade, the sheets had a silk like quality and were stark white that reminded Dante of the kind of sheets you would find in a hospital. The blanket on him felt like a quilt but thicker to provide more warmth with a beautiful flower like pattern to it. As Dante sat up and rested his body against the wooden bed frame, he looked around at the room he was in. It was a simple room with five other beds just the like the one he was lying on all lined up in two rows while various medical supplies and containers were sorted neatly on the countertops on the far side of the room. The room was like a doctor's office but seemed more homely and friendly than most hospitals were. It almost seemed like he was in a spare room of someone's house that had been converted into a medical room. The room itself was a mixture of wood and stone as the walls and ceilings were made from various layers of different types of brick while the floors were hardwood. As were the support beams and the roof that was overhead.

Dante placed his head in his left hand and tried to gather his thoughts. What had happened to him?

"Ah, it's nice to see you finally awake." Dante looked up at the source of the voice to see an older man, possibly in his late 40's or early 50's with dark brown hair that was combed on the back, but the front seemed slightly messy. He wore a pair of circular glasses on his face that covered a pair of stormy grey eyes that held a look of compassion and kindness. He had about a day's worth of beard on his face and was dressed in a simple pair of black pants with a white button up shirt and a stethoscope around his neck with a white lab coat on over it all with other medical instruments well placed in the pockets of his coat. He seemed to be wearing a pair of grey slippers and held a brown wooden cane in his right hand and judging by the way he limped when he walked over to Dante, the young man could assume that he had suffered some kind of injury during his past.

The older man pulled up a chair from one of the other beds and slowly sat down, due to his cane it was more than likely that he had trouble sitting down.

Dante looked at the man with a confused look, "Wha…w-where…" he tried to get words out, but his throat was so dry that he could barely speak at all.

The man smiled and poured Dante a glass of water from the metal pitcher beside his table, "Just stay calm, drink this. It will help you feel better" he said. Dante nodded and accepted the glass. The cool, clear liquid slid easily down Dante's throat, cooling his throat and giving the young man some much needed hydration.

Dante finished off the water and gasped for air, the water was nice, but he drank it a little too fast and needed to breathe.

The man chuckled, "Well considering that you were able to drink that in one sitting I would assume that you are feeling better." He said taking the glass from Dante.

Dante nodded and leaned his head back again, "Thank you, I needed that. So, what I was trying to say is who are you and where am I?" Dante asked.

The man chuckled once more before he looked at Dante, "Well in that order, my name is Samuel Cranston and you are currently in the medical room of my home. You see, my children and I, along with my wife, were out having a family picnic and my son found you floating in the river. Without even waiting for the rest of us; my son, who is only 8 mind you, struts into the river to try and pull you out. With a little help from my wife and daughter we were able to get you back here where I treated your wounds and let you rest. That pretty much sums it up, you've been unconscious for 3 days." Samuel said.

Dante's eyes widened in surprise, "3 days?! What the hell happened to me?" Dante asked but groaned slightly from some pain that surged through him.

Samuel nodded, "I would like to know that as well. More specifically how you got that very nasty wound on your stomach and did not die from blood loss almost immediately." He said pointing to Dante's stomach. Dante looked down and saw that most of his midsection and some of his torso were bandaged up with gauze and white linen wrappings keeping everything that was inside him still inside. That was when memories began to flood into Dante's mind.

Dante looked up, "I remember now. I was at school when a group of gangsters broke in and took one of my friend's hostage. I fought them off, thankfully they were a small group, so they weren't a threat, but after I took down the last one, I was stabbed by the ringleader. I remember taking him out but then everything goes black. I don't remember anything after that." He said. There was certainly more to the story, but Dante decided to keep some of the information back to keep himself from sounding insane.

Samuel nodded, "Wow, well that certainly would explain the wounds. Still fighting off an entire gang by yourself and still have enough energy to take the leader's life is just…"

"Amazing." A quiet voice said. Dante and Samuel both looked behind them at the doorway and saw two kids, no older than 8, standing there looking at them. Samuel chuckled and motioned for both kids to come towards him. There was a young boy and girl and from their similar features, Dante suspected that they were twins, they both had grey eyes like their father but the boy's hair was slightly messy and dark brown just like his father's while the girl's hair was pitch black and done up in twin tails that were held together by hair pins in the shape of black cats. The boy was dressed in a simple long sleeve white shirt with a bow tie around his neck and black shorts that were held up by suspenders on his shoulders and brown shoes. The girl however was dressed in a kind of interesting fashion.

She wore a black dress with matching shoes and a ribbon around her neck with white knee socks that had yellow ribbons on the knees. But the thing that caught Dante's attention was the enormous witches' hat that she had on her head; the hat was so big that it pretty much covered her entire body. It honestly shocked Dante that she could still move around easily as she did when she looked up at Dante with a curious look in her grey eyes.

Samuel patted the both kids on the shoulder and smiled, "Young man, allow me to introduce my children. This is Thomas and this is Mikayla, Thomas was actually the one that found you when you were unconscious." He said with Thomas nodding silently.

Dante smiled gently at the young boy who looked nervously at Dante, "Is that so? Well in that case I owe you my life Thomas. Thank you for helping me when you did." He said placing a hand on the boy's head and ruffling his hair a bit.

Thomas seemed to warm up to Dante slightly and smiled, "It was no problem. I'm glad I was able to help." He said with a small blush. Dante nodded and removed his hand before looking towards Mikayla who was still staring at him. Dante wasn't sure but for a quick second he thought that he saw her eyes flash purple.

Samuel seemed to notice this and lightly shook the young girl, "Mikayla stop that. It's not polite to stare." He scolded.

Mikayla shrunk slightly, "Sorry papa, this man just seems odd. I feel like he has a really weird aura about him." She said. Dante looked at the young girl like she was crazy. Maybe the whole witch persona that she had, based on her outfit, was a part of who she was. Not that it mattered to Dante, to each their own.

Samuel rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry about that. Mikayla has a unique ability that allows her to see the kind of integrity a person has. She basically means you are someone interesting." Samuel said like it was obvious.

Dante nodded slowly, "Okay, if you say so." He said scratching his neck. Right in the middle of doing that he noticed something. His chain was gone along with his earring.

Dante became slightly panicked at that and began looking around him, "Um, by any chance was a gold chain around my neck when you found me?" he asked the family.

Thomas' eye lit up like he remembered something important and ran out of the room. He came back a few moments late with Dante's chain in his hands.

Thomas presented the chain to the older boy with a smile, "I found this on you when papa brought you into the house. It looked like it had lost some of it shine so I took it off you and cleaned it and fixed a few chips that were around the edges. Sorry I took it without permission, but I wanted it to look nice when you woke up. I was also able to sew back the large rip in your long shirt, so it'll be ready when you need it." He said with a proud tone in his voice.

Dante let out a relived sigh and gently took the chain from the younger boy, Thomas was right. His chain had seen better days considering how much he would wear it but from the way it looked now, one would assume it just came out of a high-end Jewelry shop. Dante then placed the chain around his neck. Dante felt a little more comfortable now that it was around his neck once more. Dante then patted the boy on the head once more which made him smile again.

"Thank you, Thomas, really; thank you so much. This chain holds a lot of special meaning to me. It's a family heirloom that my father gave to me, who received it from his father, and so on. I guess it a little piece of my family that I love to keep with me. And I have to say, whatever you did to get this to shine again was some real skill" He said. Thomas beamed at the praise he was given and nodded but also blushed.

"Well, it looks like the patient has woken up." A female voice said.

Mikayla brightened up when she heard the voice, "Mama!" she shouted in joy as a female figure walked into the room. When Dante laid his eyes on her, he had to admit, this woman was fine as hell. She stood at a solid 6'0 and had curves in all the right places and had a shapely figure but she stood with an air of both lust and seriousness. Her breasts appeared to be a large sized D cup, along with the long flowing black hair, piercing violet eyes, and the tasteful, dark makeup that adorned her face, the woman in front of Dante looked like she could make any man drop to their knees in servitude with just one look. But then Dante got a good look at her attire, which kind of reminded him of the witch from the Goblin Slayer anime but her dress was a deep violet with silver trim and had a wide open v cut in the center that covered her breasts but showed her belly button and most of her midriff. The dress continued down the front of her body to where it stopped at her ankles which were covered in black high heels with thigh high pink stockings and two anklets that looked like they were made from rubies. On her arms she wore gloves that traveled up to just above her elbows with a similar ruby bracelet on her right wrist and a golden wedding ring on her left. And oddly enough, like her daughter the woman wore a large, wide brimmed, witch hat and carried a large wooden staff that looked like it was mad from bark and vines with a large green gem nestled on top of it.

When the woman strutted into the room, the air that was around her gave Dante a weird feeling. It felt like a mixture of arousal and fear but also a motherly feeling with it when she looked at her children. If Mikayla didn't call her Mama and Dante didn't notice the slight wrinkles that were on her face, he would have suspected that she was the kid's older sister.

Samuel looked up at the woman as she walked in and smiled, "That's right my love. Just this morning in fact. Young man, allow me to introduce my wife." He said.

The woman looked at Samuel and bent down and gave him a sweet kiss on his lips before straightening and looking at Dante.

She gave Dante a similar look like Mikayla did but with a sweet smile before curtsying, "Hello young man. I am pleased to see that you have awoken, my name is Georgina but feel free to call me Gina. Please, make yourself at home for as long you need." She said sweetly.

Dante blinked but then smiled, "Thank you very much ma'am. Oh, I guess I should introduce myself as well. Dante Igarashi, thank you all for looking after me." He said with a slight bow of his head.

Mikayla tilted her head in curiosity, "Igarashi? Are you from Zipangu? That sounds like a Zipangu name?" she asked.

Dante raised an eyebrow, "Zipangu? I don't think I've ever heard of that place. And as far as where I'm from I highly doubt you would have heard of it." He said.

Mikayla suddenly jumped up and got right into Dante's face with an excitable smile, "Really?! What's it called? Is it far from here? Does it look like the city outside? Are there any Mamono? Is your family still there?" she said as she continued to spout off different questions which eventually all seemed to run together.

Samuel came over and picked his daughter up to stop from speaking, "Now, now Mikayla. I think that a bit too much excitement for Dante, so try not to bother him with so many questions." He said placing his daughter on the ground.

Mikayla looked a bit deflated but nodded her head, "Yes papa." She said.

Gina giggled behind her hand, "I apologize for that, Mikayla is a very curious young woman so when something that she doesn't know about show itself she gets incredibly excited." She said.

Dante nodded, "No trouble at all." He said giving the young girl a kind smile who blushed in return. Samuel went over to Dante and instructed him to lean back so he could inspect his injuries. Dante did as he was instructed, and Samuel carefully removed the sets of bandages that were wrapped around Dante's midsection. After cleaning the area and checking the wound Samuel re-wrapped the wound with clean bandages.

Samuel leaned back and nodded, "Everything looks good. You're healing very well, and I estimate that in a few more days you should be moving around no problem."

Dante nodded, "Thank you sir, I really can't thank you enough for helping me. Not many people would do that." He said.

Samuel laughed, "Well, I believe in helping people whenever and wherever I can. Even after my injury left me with this cane, I still help people when I can. Besides, something told me that you were a good man, call it a gut feeling." He said patting Dante's shoulder. He then handed Dante a few small pills and some more water.

"These pills will help with the healing process, but they will make you drowsy, so I recommend getting as much rest as possible." He said. Dante nodded and thanked the man before swallowing the pills.

"Good, now let's all give Dante some time to rest." Samuel said as he ushered his kids out of the room. Thomas and Mikayla gave Dante one more look which Dante responded by giving the youngsters a kind wave. The kids smiled and left the room with their father. Gina was about to the same thing when Dante stopped her.

"Excuse me Gina, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" Dante asked the older woman.

Gina turned towards the young man, "What is it Dante?" she asked with a kind smile.

Dante took a deep breath, "What exactly are you? The moment I saw you I could tell you were different; you look human but the energy you radiate is something I haven't felt before. And given the fact that I woke up in a completely different place then when I passed out must mean something. So, can you help me?" he asked.

Gina gave him a kind smile, "I had a feeling you might be asking me something like that. To be honest I had the same feeling about you when I saw you. You have the largest amount of spiritual energy I have ever seen in my life and I have lived a long-time mind you. I have this feeling that you are someone special and to answer your earlier question I am a Dark Mage. A Mamono with a great magic reserve and capable of doing many kinds of magic but judging by the confused look on your face you may not even know what a Mamono is." She said causing Dante to nod his head.

Gina nodded, "Well let me give you a little lesson in what we are. Mamono are essentially monster girls. Once, we were creatures of terror and destruction, but we have since become beings of lust and love when the newest Demon Lord took her seat on her throne. Her demonic energy transformed all monsters that inhabited this land into creatures of pure lust. This is mainly because the Demon Lord, who is a succubus mind you, wanted to end the long and bloody history between humans and monsters. So, when she rose to power and spread her power throughout the world all monster became monster girls. We vary in many ways and species, everything from Dragons and Lizardman to the kinder creatures like Kikimora and Grizzlies. You will see many kinds of Mamono all over this world, mainly searching for a mate or raping a man they find interesting." She said resting on Dante's bed.

Dante blinked at all the information he had just received. This was not what he was expecting but at least now he had a general idea of what would happen when he set off in this land on his own.

"Wow, I have to say that is a lot of information to take in, but it certainly clears a lot of things up. So, are there more Mamono in this city?" Dante asked.

Gina nodded, "Oh very much so. The Baroness who rules over this city of Silgo is in fact a Mamono and she stresses the ideas of love and peace between all races since she married a human male. This is one of many establishments in the land that offer sanctuary for all races. Despite a few bad eggs here and there, this city is still one of the friendliest places for all races to live in peace. And due to us being surrounded by an enormous forest and having access to one of the largest rivers in the country, our city grows everyday" She said happily.

"That's incredible. This was not what I was expecting but I appreciate everything you've told me. I don't suppose you have any reading material on the various kinds of Mamono would you?" Dante asked.

Gina smiled, "Absolutely, it would be my pleasure to give it to you. But only if you tell me your story." She said leaning forward and pressing her arms together. Dante looked down and saw that her breasts were up in face and daring to pop out from her clothing. On any other man this would break them but not Dante. He had seen so many different seduction techniques in his life that there was nothing that could break him when it came to seduction.

Dante smiled and leaned back against the headboard again, "I guess it's only fair I tell you about me. You won't believe it though." He said smirking.

Gina raised an eyebrow before matching Dante's smirk with her own, "Try me." She said. And so, Dante told her everything, how he came from his world, how he died, the voices he heard, even a few details of his home and family.

When he was finished Gina looked slightly surprised but nodded, "It seems the Gods of this world have given you a new chance at life Dante. Your strong desire to live despite being fine with the way you died must have reached their ears and they gave you a second chance. I'm interested in seeing what you do with it but for now get some rest, you have had a rough few days I'm sure." She said getting up from the bed and headed for the door. Dante chuckled and moved slightly, instead of laying down he sat up and placed his legs in a lotus position.

He then proceeded to do some breathing exercises which ranged from quick short breathes to longer and slower ones in a certain order. When Dante was younger, his mother's teachings would often leave him battered and bruised so she taught him a series of breathing exercises that would allow the blood in his body to flow faster to allow for faster healing. This would let him get out of bed faster because staying in bed doing nothing would drive him crazy. Even crazier is that he could sleep in this position.

Gina turned and looked back at Dante doing his exercises and her breath caught in her throat, she was a happily married woman who only had eyes for her husband but seeing the body of this ripped young man marked in scars and tattoos set a certain fire to her baser instincts that she tried her absolute hardest to pin down.

Gina took a deep breath and fanned herself, "That young man will set a lot of women on fire." She said leaving to go find her husband so she could break this urge she was feeling.

Two Days Later

"I must say, I am totally surprised. Those breathing exercises that he was doing in his sleep seem to really have an incredible effect on his rehabilitation." Samuel said as he and Gina watched Dante perform several martial arts forms in their backyard dressed in just his jeans and boots which were clean as could be thanks to the family. Dante had all but been healed from the damage of his attack and his body was slowly getting back into its normal rhythms and when he wasn't resting, he was reading up on the new world he had been sent to. He had read about many kinds of Mamono and their personalities, attributes, strengths, etc. He had also found out that he had some high magical reserves, as Gina had told him, and he decided to read up on magic while his body healed and even got in some practice doing a few spells. It was a little weird when he performed spells, but it was cool when he got it right. But his strength was still in doing his martial arts. Dante was now able to perform many of his katas with ease and after another day of rehab he would be back to his old self with a few added additions.

Gina nodded, "It's nice to see him on his feet. And I'm happy to see that he has made quite the impression on Thomas." She said looking down and seeing her son trying to mimic Dante's actions in the doorstep. The younger boy doing his best to copy Dante's precise and ever flowing movements. Dante did a jumping spin kick before following with a sweep kick and a jumping knee. Thomas tried to copy the flying knee but ended up falling on his behind.

Thomas sat up and pouted in frustration, "How come he can do those cool moves, but I can't?" he asked crossing his arms in frustration. Mikayla came up and tilted her head.

"Maybe because you have no skill." She said smugly. Thomas gritted his teeth and moved to tackle his sister who ended up moving and laughing at her brother.

Thomas got back to his feet and glared at Mikayla who ended up running into the backyard with Thomas chasing her. The twins ended up playing a rather funny game of tag while Dante had shifted into doing movements that were like Tai Chi. While Thomas chased Mikayla, he ended up stopping to look at Dante practicing again. Dante looked down at the younger boy who seemed to have stars in his eyes as he admired the older boy's movements.

Dante smiled and stopped his kata for a moment to kneel to look Thomas in the eye, "You seem like you're interested in what I'm doing Tommy." He said getting the boy to nod his head vigorously.

Dante laughed, "Well how bout I teach you some basics. If that's okay with your dad." He said looking over to Samuel.

Thomas quickly ran over to his father and pulled on his coat, "Papa, can I please learn some fighting moves from Dante? PLEASE!" he practically begged.

Samuel scratched the back of his head, "Well, I'm not too keen on Thomas learning anything violent but I suppose it would be a good idea for him to know some good self-defense. I was hoping I could teach him a few things from my soldier days but sadly those days are behind me." He said rubbing his injured leg with a sad smile. Gina saw this and planted a gentle kiss on her husband's cheek.

Samuel smiled and nodded at Dante, "Go ahead Dante, I'm okay with Thomas knowing how to defend himself." He said getting his son to jump up and down in happiness.

"Yay! Yay, yay, yay! Thank you, papa!" Thomas shouted jumping up and down in happiness before he ran back over to Dante.

Dante chuckled at the boy's antics before he placed a large hand on head, "Okay there wild one, calm down." He said getting Thomas to stop and turn around to look at Dante while he stood at attention.

"I'm ready to learn Master!" he said with a serious look on his face.

Dante laughed, "Okay well first, you don't have to call me master little brother. And second just relax, my martial art is a bit strenuous but if you dedicate yourself to learning it and the exercises that come along with it, you'll do just fine." He said getting Thomas to nod his head and relax his body.

Dante nodded, "Good, so first I have to tell you about my family's style first. Our family martial art goes back centuries to the days when my ancestors were warriors for many years until the war in our homeland ended and they became assassins." Dante said getting Thomas to gasp in surprise and admiration. At this point Mikayla became interested and decided to hear what Dante was saying but instead of standing she was floating. Since she could use magic like her mother it made sense. Dante had even got their parents interested in his story.

"Now, after the wars in our homeland ended, my ancestors, who were a family of one mother and her four children; two sons and two daughters, had all left their home to study and perfect their combat styles. They were all already well known for having incredible combat skills and it turned out to be their passion as well. They each left on a personal journey to learn the various martial arts of the world to strengthen themselves. After almost two decades, they all returned to the land of their birth and combined their styles into one by swapping and adapting the moves of each other and even combining them to become even more powerful. These techniques later became the four main styles of the Igarashi-ryu or Igarashi style." He said before backing away a few feet. Dante then performed several quick and accurate punches and kicks along with elbows, knees, chops, and quick foot work.

"Igarashi-ryu, Honoo-no-kata. The Flame form of the Igarashi style focuses on powerful strikes from any part of the body to any part of the body. It was named the fire form due to its quick and flickering yet powerful and strong attacks like how a fire would be." Dante then switched from his quick strikes to a few forms like Chinese grappling which involved joint locks and bone breaking as well as pressure point strikes and acrobatic kicks and flips.

"Igarashi-ryu, Kaze-no-kata. The Wind Form of the Igarashi style focuses on grappling and crippling the opponent's joints, pressure spots, and bones. Almost like taking away the air from certain parts of their body. This form also incorporates high-flying flips and acrobatic kicks which are not only powerful but can also serve to disorient opponent. It was named the Wind Form due to its smooth yet devastating attacks and transitions." Dante then proceeded to performing several strong footed stances with his muscles contracting at various points of his form to strengthen his movements.

"Igarashi-ryu, Ji-no-kata. The Earth Form relies on various muscle movements to make each strike you use powerful, devastating, and if used in the right way, life ending. These techniques require control over your muscle contractions to emit various strikes with immense force behind them. This form is also ideal for takedowns and ground fighting and with enough training, making your body as unbreakable as steel." Dante continued as he moved into a more flowing and gentle style that seemed to captivate all those in attendance.

"Igarashi-ryu, Mizu-no-kata, the form of…" he started.

"Water, that's the water form!" Mikayla shouted out of nowhere. Dante looked over at her with a raised eyebrow while Thomas just shushed his sister.

Dante chuckled, "Yes Mikayla, the water form. Possibly the most difficult to master of all the four forms. Mainly because this form focuses on fluidity and flexibility as well as having the ability to adapt to certain attacks and situations that may occur when fighting. The main techniques this form uses focus on redirecting attack power and returning it on its user as well as grappling and holds." Dante said as he finished his forms.

He then walked up to Thomas and put a hand on his head, "I wanted to show you these forms in advance so you can know that while these techniques will be good to know they will also be very difficult and exhausting. Are you absolutely sure that you want to learn my style?" Dante asked the young man. Thomas looked down as if he was thinking about what this may mean for him. It would be long and hard, but it could also be very helpful for him down the long run when he needed to protect his family.

Thomas looked up and nodded at Dante, "I do! I want to learn this style to be able to protect my family! Me and Mikayla still get pushed around because we are Mamono children. Lots of other kids pick on us a lot and make fun of us because I can't use magic and Mikayla likes to learn about the outside world. I don't like that I can't do anything to help. So, if anything bad happens I want to be able to fight and protect her. And mama and papa too!" he said with a determined fire in his eyes. The sudden statement of his desires shocked his entire family but for his parents it made them extremely proud of their son for taking the extra mile to defend himself and them.

Mikayla giggled at her brother before she floated over and kissed his cheek, "Thank you Tom-Tom." She said before giving her brother a tight hug from her floating position.

Thomas blushed like crazy and looked away from his sister who kept her hold on him, "Don't call me that Kayla!" he said shoving his hands into his pockets. This caused all the older people to laugh at the sibling's antics before Dante clapped his hands and got their attention.

"Okay, now that I have seen you're serious about this I will teach you my family's style. Just be ready cause this will be difficult." Dante said before he got into a stance and motioned for Thomas to follow him. Thomas quickly got away from his sisters' grip and moved over next to Dante and copied his stance. Neither of the boys knew this but this was the beginning of a legacy that no one in either world could have seen coming.

MMW

Thomas fell onto his back and took several large gasps of air, "Gah, I'm so tired!" he said as he tried to get more air into his lungs. Dante had been teaching Thomas several of the beginning forms of the Fire Kata as that was the most basic of the four forms for a few hours now and to his surprise the young boy's desire to learn had been impressive. He was still a long way away from learning the more advanced styles of the Igarashi-ryu, but he was getting a good start. Thomas had since stripped off his shirt and his entire body was now covered in sweat and his hair had begun sticking to his face. The young boy had a deep desire to learn Dante's combat styles and if he kept learning, he could become a great fighter.

Dante walked over to the young boy and smiled, "Oh trust me, my mother was twice as hard on me when I first started learning, but each difficult moment I encountered just made the moments I succeeded even more special." He said as he sat down next to Thomas. Dante had taken a real shine to the young boy and had truly started seeing him as a younger brother. As an only child Dante never really knew what it was like to have siblings except for a few of his cousins on his father's side but in this new world he had started to really see what it was like to have siblings.

Thomas sat up and looked up at Dante, "Your mama was even tougher on you? Seems a little mean to do that to her own son." He said.

Dante laughed, "Well in some ways you might be right, but my mother wasn't really a mean person she was just strict when she needed to be and loving when she needed. She taught me many things about how to survive and protect myself in the world. Although she would also act like a doting mother most of the times when we went out which could be very embarrassing." He said as he remembered his mother showing off her son to many of the other people in town.

Thomas nodded, "So your mama taught you how to fight? Not your papa?" he asked.

"Women can fight too Thomas." Gina said as she and the rest of the family came over to where the boys were. She was holding a silver tray that had two glasses on it which were filled with a pinkish liquid.

Thomas pouted, "I know that Mama I just found it strange Dante's papa didn't teach him how to fight since that's how most of the guards in town were taught." He said as he and Dante stood up. Gina handed each boy a glass which Thomas downed in an instant, but Dante looked at the liquid for a minute and sniffed it as well. His father taught him to never ingest anything he couldn't identify but when he smelled he found no traces of anything life threatening. He took a small sip and a sweet and refreshing fruit flavor filled his mouth, different flavors that he could instantly identify all melded together to form a delicious taste that made him nearly down the entire glass in one swoop.

Dante took the glass away from his mouth and wiped his mouth, "This is delicious! Guava, banana, orange, mango, honey, and yogurt all blended together with no additional sugar which brings out the fruits natural sweetness yet still incredibly balanced." Dante summarized before he finished the entire drink.

Gina gave Dante a look of both shock and impressed, "Wow, I didn't even tell you what was in it but with one taste you found out what was in the drink. That was impressive." She said taking the glass away from him while Mikayla handed him and Thomas a towel.

Dante wiped his face and placed the towel over his shoulders before he smiled, "Well, while my mother taught me how to fight and defend myself on the streets my father taught me how to survive in the world of business. Everything from how to make money, to haggle prices, and everything I know about cooking."

Mikayla looked at Dante with an interested look, "Your papa was a cook?" she asked.

Dante nodded and smiled proudly, "Oh boy was he! His restaurant may have been small, but it was always filled to the brim with happy customers. People would come from all around just to have a taste of my father's cooking and to see the way it brought so many people together made me want to be a great chef just like him. So, from the time I was able to get into the kitchen without burning myself he began teaching me everything there was to know about the culinary world. I gained so much knowledge in my early years that by the time I was twelve I became my father's second in command at the restaurant." He said proudly.

Thomas smiled widely at the older boy, "That's awesome big brother, you learned so many things from your mama and papa that you can do anything!" He said.

Mikayla nodded as well, "That's right big brother, all the knowledge your parents passed to you, you could do anything you wanted! I bet your mama and papa are really proud of how much you've done in your life!" she said. That statement made Dante pause for a minute, he didn't want to tell the young kids about how his life ended in his own world so he couldn't really know if he made his parent proud. His mother and father would always praise him whenever he accomplished something, and he always felt loved whenever he was home he just wished that he could have seen his parent's faces when he made a name for himself in his old world.

Dante looked over to the younger kids and patted both their heads, "Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see what this big brother can accomplish while he's out on his own won't we?" he said smiling.

Samuel chuckled, "Well on that note, I suppose we should figure out what we plan on doing for dinner." He asked.

Dante perked up, "Well, if it's okay with you all I would love to make dinner." He said.

"Ooh, yes yes yes! I want to see how good of a cook Dante is!" Mikayla shouted in happiness.

Gina smiled while Samuel nodded, "Well the kids seem to be okay with it and so am I." Gina said.

Dante nodded in happiness and threw his shirt back on. The only clothes he had were the ones he had died in so he would have to buy some new ones when he had the chance. Dante took the liberty of looking through the cupboards where the family stored most of their food and saw that they had all the essentials like flour, sugar, salt, and pepper which were good. His father taught him the most skilled chefs could make something out of nothing. He also looked in the cold box. Since this world didn't have any of the modern appliances, save for certain bathroom appliances which were a good thing, most families used what they called a Cold Box. A large, refrigerator type box that kept certain ingredients at the right temperature, but it didn't run on electricity it ran on ice magic. There seemed to be a way that people could infuse certain crystals with various magical properties. Dante was glad he took a crash course on this world's history thanks to Gina. He was able to find out that many of the types of food, dishes, appliances, and even some of the more magically forward technology which again were very similar to what Dante had in his old world.

After looking at what the family had in their kitchen, Dante was able to decide on a menu for what he wanted to cook but he still needed a few things.

Dante looked back at the family and nodded, "It looks like I have a general idea of what I plan on making but I am going to need a few things. Is there a market nearby where I can pick up a few things?" he asked.

Samuel nodded, "You're actually in luck, there happens to be an entire shopping street where you can find pretty much find anything you need in terms of supplies and goods." He said as he walked over to a small drawer and pulled put a leather pouch that jingled as he walked towards Dante.

"There is about 30 bronze and 15 silver in here. It should be more than enough to get you everything you need." Samuel said as he passed Dante the pouch. Dante thanked the older man and took the pouch. It was a good thing that while he was resting up Samuel told Dante how the monetary system worked. Essentially bronze coins were the lowest amount of money that a person could have so basically like 1- and 5-dollar bills while the silver and gold coins were the higher value items. Gold was slightly more difficult to come by for the working class like Samuel, but silver was a lot more common, so they basically worked like 10 and 20 dollars and even $50 when needed to be. Thanks to the mini lessons Dante had learned from his new friends he was able to discern how to use the money of his new world.

Dante nodded as he looked over the contents of the pouch, "This should be perfect for what I need. Thank you, Samuel." He said thanking the older man.

Samuel laughed, "Don't mention it Dante. I'm also quite curious as to what you plan on making." He said causing Dante to laugh. Dante then went over to the front door and was about to leave when he felt a pull on his arms and looked down at Thomas and Mikayla looking at him.

"Can we go with you Dante?" they both asked. Dante was a bit taken back by this. While he normally would love to have the kids with him back in his old world but in this new world where things were different, he was a little nervous as to whether or not he would be able to look after them correctly.

Gina tried to shush the kids away from Dante, "Now kids, don't bother Dante. He's being nice by going through the trouble of making us dinner tonight so we shouldn't bother him with selfish requests." She said in a scolding mother tone. The kids groaned and pouted in the exact same manner which Dante had to admit was downright adorable. While he still had some reservations about taking the kids out with him, he knew that if he kept a close eye on them, he would be able to protect them well enough.

Dante smiled and placed a hand on the kids' heads, "If you two promise not to run off and listen to me while we're out then you can come with me." He said getting the kids to perk up immediately and start to put on their shoes.

Gina placed a hand on her cheek, "Are you sure Dante? I wouldn't want to bother you while you do shopping. The Market District can get pretty crazy at times and keeping an eye on the kids will be a bit of a handful." She said.

Dante nodded, "I'm sure Gina. I may have little experience looking after kids on my own but I have enough sense when it comes to shopping to know to keep an eye on them. I promise nothing will happen to them while I'm around." He said confidently.

Gina sighed but a look from her husband washed away the nervous feelings she had, "Okay Dante, we trust you." She said with a kind smile.

Dante nodded and he looked behind him. The kids seemed to be ready and were more than excited as they waited for Dante to finish talking.

Dante laughed, "Okay troops. Let's move out!" he said playfully. The kids shouted in agreement before opening the front door. Before the kids could rush out and into the streets, Dante grabbed the back of Thomas' shirt and Mikayla's dress and picked them both up and placed on each shoulder. The kids didn't weigh very much, and Dante had a lot of muscle training so he could handle them being on his shoulders. The kids were surprised at first, but they quickly became ecstatic at the new position and height that they shouted in happiness. The kids held onto Dante's head and shoulders before he took off running with them guiding his direction.

MMW

"Sugoi, this place is incredible!" Dante said as he and the kids arrived at Market street which was crawling with people. The entire place just brought an enormous smile to Dante's face. Market Street reminded him of a large outdoor farmer's market with several vendors selling several goods: everything from fresh baked bread and pastries to fresh and ripe fruits and vegetables. Dante walked around through the street as he looked on in joy, back in his old world his father would often bring him to the farmer's markets in town to see which places had the best prices and goods. This taught him a lot about how various farmers and agriculturalists crated and sold their produce and goods for the right price.

Mikayla giggled from Dante's shoulder, "You really like the market street huh big brother?" she asked as she held on to his head.

Dante giggled in slight embarrassment, "Yeah, I guess I do. Places like this make me happy, you never know what kinds of goods you can find in places like this." He said as he observed some juicy looking tomatoes. He was tempted to buy nearly everything that he saw but he had to remember that he was on a budget and the money was loaned to him.

Dante nodded, "Okay guys, we need to find cheese, corn, sour cream, limes, chilis, a few spices, and some herbs. Oh, and some apples, so keep your eyes out." He said as the kids began to look all over the market for what Dante needed. He was glad he had those two on his shoulders since they would be able to see a lot more than he would. As he walked through the market he was able to spy a few of the ingredients on his list and made his way over. He came across a vegetable stand that had some perfectly ripe limes and some beautiful stalks of corn. He decided on four limes and eight bundles of corn for what he was planning on making. He was even able to haggle the vendor down to five bronze for the whole lot. His skills at haggling prices were still as sharp as ever. He thanked the vendor and continued his journey to look for the rest of his ingredients.

Thomas tapped Dante's head which made the older boy look up at his young friend, "Dante over there, there's a Holstaur with a bunch of different cheeses!" Thomas said as he pointed over to where there was indeed and buxom Holstaur with an older male selling various dairy products at a simple yet welcoming tent across from where the trio was. Dante smile and made his way over to the stand where the Holstaur had finished selling several bottles of milk to a customer.

From what Dante had read about Mamono, Holstaur were a bovine race of Mamono who had a very placid disposition and were incredibly kind to others which is why they were common in many human settlements. They also had incredibly large breasts but that was mainly because they were able to produce an incredibly sweet and delicious variety of breast milk that was sought after by many. It made sense to Dante that a Mamono and her husband would be selling a variety of dairy products at a market. The Holstaur herself was a lovely woman with incredibly wide hips and bovine legs that had the main color of white with a few brown spots that decorated the legs and cloven hooves at the end where her feet would normally be. Her bovine half ended right at her hip area which led to a shapely hourglass figure with creamy white skin with long hair that fell to her shoulders that was the same color as the spots on her legs and warm brown eyes that shined with kindness. A pair of horns adorned both sides of her head and like Dante had suspected her breasts were enormous. Easily an F cup that strained against the tight sky blue and white blouse she was wearing that covered her chest and upper arms. She had detached sleeves on her forearms and her lower half was covered by a pair of white pants made of a silk like material with a sky blue and white sarong wrapped around her waist that was adorned with small gold jewels.

The man standing next to her who was doing what appeared to be an inventory count looked to be in his mid-30's with short black hair on top of his head, hazel colored eyes, tanned skin, with a small scar on the bottom of his chin. He was dressed in a sleeveless grey shirt with black pants and leather bracelets on each of his wrists and a golden earring in his left ear. The woman smiled at Dante and the kids as they walked towards their booth.

"Well hello there, young ones! Looking for anything specific or are you just browsing?" the Holstaur woman asked with a kind voice.

Dante returned her smile and let the kids off of his shoulders, "Hello ma'am, yes I actually am looking for a few specific types of cheese and from the looks of your booth here it seems as though you have every kind of cheese you could ask for." He said as he examined several types of cheeses that were cut into wheels and wedges.

The Holstaur giggled, "Well I would be lying if I didn't say that we had a little bit of everything but I'm sure that we can help you find whatever it is you're looking for." She said.

Dante nodded, "Why thank you ma'am. Do you mind if I sample a few of your cheeses to find what it is that I am looking for?" he asked.

The Holstaur was taken back by the request but it seemed to have gotten the attention of her husband, "Oh, well I don't know if I would be able to…" she started saying but she soon stopped when her husband placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked towards him and he nodded.

"Go ahead my man." The man said. Dante nodded and began sampling a few of their selections. Many of the cheeses he tasted were like the cheeses of his world but were smoother and their tastes were more refined.

'This must be due to the Holstaur milk added to the curdling process when the cheese is being made.' Dante thought as he sampled some more cheese.

"Darling, why did you let that young man sample the cheese? You almost never do that?" the Holstaur woman asked her husband.

The husband chuckled and crossed his arms, "True, but this boy, he knows. In order to make a great dish he needs to know what flavors he will be working with and to do that he needs to taste. Especially when he doesn't know what kind of foods we are selling. He has that look in his eyes." He said as he watched the boy sample his last selection of cheeses and nodded.

"Okay I think I have my choices" Dante said as he stood back up and pulled the kids back to him before they both headed out.

The man smiled, "What's it gonna be my man?" he asked.

Dante grabbed three wheels and two wedges along with a tub that tasted like sour cream from the selection in front of him, "I'd like these please." He said presenting the items to the Holstaur woman who placed the items into a paper bag.

The man nodded, "You got it. Hmm, since this is your first time visiting my stand and you clearly have a good sense to know what you need before you buy, I will make you a deal. These 5 items for 7 bronze." He said. Dante thought about it for a minute. The price itself was a steal and the fact that each item was incredibly good quality means that the man was knew how to deal in his products.

Dante smiled, "You have yourself a deal sir." Dante said shaking the man's hand and handing over the correct amount.

The man gave a laugh as he put away the money into a secured metal box and his wife handed over the items to Dante who gave the bag of cheeses to Thomas to hold.

"I have to say young man, you truly know your stuff when it comes to food. Are you by any chance a cook?" The man asked.

Mikayla grinned, "Yes he is! Big brother's father has a restaurant in his hometown which is where he learned how to cook. We're going to see how good his cooking is tonight!" she said as she jumped up and down excitedly.

Thomas nodded in agreement, "Big brother is also an amazing fighter! He's been teaching me how to defend myself!" he said as he demonstrated a few of the strikes Dante taught him.

Dante placed a hand on both of their heads to get them to stop, "Sorry about my siblings here. They tend to get a little overexcited." He said with a slight bit of embarrassment in his voice and gave a slight bow.

The Holstaur woman giggled behind her hand, "Don't worry about it. I find it quite adorable. But why do they call you big brother? You don't seem to be blood related to them." She asked.

Her husband's eyes widened, and he looked at his wife, "Rebecca, you can't say something like that. Some people might be offended by it." He said trying to scold his wife.

The Holstaur, now known as Rebecca, tilted her head in a confused yet somehow adorable action, "Really?" she questioned.

Her husband slapped his hand on his forehead at his wife's antics while Dante just smirked, "Please it's okay. You are correct ma'am I am not related to these two kids in any way, but their family has been kind enough to look after me after they found me injured. They helped nurse me back to health and the kids and I have grown quite close, so they call me big brother." He said as the kids hugged him on his sides.

The man nodded, "Well I can see how that makes sense. Must be a really good family to take in a stranger." He said.

Dante nodded, "I agree. Well, we better get going we still have a few more ingredients we need to pick up for tonight, but I have a feeling you'll be seeing me again." He said with a smile.

The man chuckled and held his hand out once more, "I look forward to it, my man. Carl Dunn and this is my lovely wife Rebecca."

Dante shook the man's hand, "Dante Igarashi." He said with a smile.

After bidding farewell to Carl and his wife, Dante and the kids continued through the market as they found everything they needed for Dante's dish and thanks to Dante's bartering skills he still had over half of his silver left.

Dante nodded as he looked through his list, since he had a decent amount of groceries with him, he couldn't carry the kids on his shoulders anymore but he instructed them to constantly stay close. The Market Street was still decently busy, but it had died down considerably since the time they had arrived.

"Okay guys, we have pretty much everything except for spices. If we can find those then we'll be finished here." Dante said as he walked with the kids next to him.

Mikayla jumped up and down, "Oh, oh, I know a place where we can find some spice." She said as she grabbed onto Dante's hand and pulled him in a certain direction, since she was tiny and didn't really have that much upper body strength Dante just let her pull him towards where she wanted to go but not before grabbing onto Thomas' hand and pulled him along with him. Mikayla had led them over to a small stand that was covered by a tarp overhead and had multiple shelves that displayed various types of spices that overwhelmed Dante's senses.

His eyes widened when he saw the multitude of colors and the various kinds of spices and raw chilis that the small stand had. Dante immediately led the kids over to the small stand as he observed the various kind of spices that were in front of him.

"This selection is incredible! I have been to several bazaars that sold several spices, but I have never seen this many in their raw form or this kind of quality with chilis. Mikayla how did you know about this place?" Dante asked the younger girl as he mulled over the different spices, trying to take in as many scents as he could.

Mikayla smirked and placed her hands on her hips, "When Mama and Papa would bring us here, I would sometimes drift off until I found something interesting to me! Then I found this stand and saw that they had a bunch of different types of foods that I have never seen before. I end up coming here every time we go shopping." She said rather proudly.

"And even though she never buys anything from us young Mikayla is always interested in learning what kinds of spices and chilis there are." A male voice said. The trio looked inside the stand to see a thin man with a decent amount of muscle on him walk out from behind a curtain that separated the front from the back of the stand. The man appeared to be in his late twenties with long black hair that was tied into a bun with warm brown eyes and a deep tan skin that would make Dante think the man was Indian. He was dressed in a simple long-sleeved white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of long grey pants and brown sandals on his feet. He also had a ring on his left hand and a beaded necklace around his neck made of a variety of colored stones.

Mikayla waved at the older man, "Hi Mr. Bera! My brothers and I are looking for some spices for a dish big brother wants to make." She said gesturing over to Dante.

Dante bowed slightly to the older man, "Hello sir, Dante Igarashi. Nice to meet you." He said respectfully.

Mr. Bera returned the gesture with his own bow before smiling at Dante, "A pleasure my good man. It is nice to see young people who have manners for once, Hassan Bera. At your service." He said as he and Dante shook hands.

Dante smiled, "I try my best sir. Now as my sister said I am looking for some good quality spices for a dish I want to make tonight. I need something that has a little bit of spice but isn't overpowering enough that it blows out a person's taste buds. Along with some garlic and red chilis." Dante explained to the man. Hassan rubbed his chin in thought.

"I think I have something that would work for you. Hold on one moment." He said as he went over to a small wooden container that held a few different colored ground spices and took a small, metal serving bowl and scooped up a small portion of a darker red spice before walking back over to Dante.

"I think this might be something you're looking for." He said as he held the dish out to Dante. Dante took the dish in his hand and gave the spice a quick sniff. The spice itself had a spicy undertone but Dante could tell that it while it had a spicy kick it wasn't enough to overpower any one dish. It almost reminded him of chili powder, where he would be able to find something like this was beyond Dante's knowledge, but he was happy he found something he needed.

Dante nodded, "This will be perfect." He said with a smile and handed the dish out to Hassan once more. Hassan nodded and took the dish from him, he then placed the spice in a small wooden container that he placed in a paper bag along with one row of red chilis and a handful of garlic.

Hassan held the bag out for Dante, "Here you are, everything you required. That comes to 10 bronze." He said.

Dante took the bag and hummed, "Any chance you could knock the price down to 8?" he said using his haggling skills to his advantage.

Hassan though for as moment then smiled, "That seems reasonable but don't expect a cheaper price the next time you visit my stand." He said jokingly. Dante laughed next to him and handed him the bronze coins. Hassan took the coins and place them in a secure lock box while Dante handed Mikayla the bag of spices for safe keeping.

"Make way, make way! Lord Tillian coming through!" a loud voice projected across the market. Dante and the others turned their heads towards the voice to see a rather portly looking man walking towards them with a four-guard escort. The man himself ha the obvious look of a nobleman with the amount of gaudy clothing he wore. Everything from the bright yellow silk pants, the bright red and gold silk shirt, to the golden, fur lined cloak that hung on his shoulders. Not to mention his feathered hat, black curled shoes, and a gemstone ring on each one of his fingers. The man himself stood at only 5'5 with short red hair tucked under his cap and a sneering grin was on his face as he strolled towards Hassan's stand like he was the king of the world. The four men acting as his guards wore what looked like hardened leather armor covering their chests, forearms, thighs, and shins over long black pants and long-sleeved black shirts. They also wore iron pauldrons on their shoulders and iron helmets. Each guard wielded a long iron spear with a blunt edge at the bottom and carried a short sword on their hips complete with long brown gloves and sturdy black boots.

Dante could tell that the guards were decent enough at combat by looking at the way they walked at the way their bodies were built but the man they were guarding seemed like he could walk all over the people in the market and no one could do anything about it. The first guard came up to Dante and roughly moved him away from Hassan's stand. Dante didn't move at first and gave the guard a glare full of murderous intent which made the guard back down slightly. Dante didn't want to cause any commotion with the kids near him so he calmly moved himself and the kids out of the way of Tillian and his entourage.

Hassan came out from behind the front counter in his stand and approached Tillian with a small smile, "Lord Tillian, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he said trying to stay on the rich man's good side.

Tillian grinned smugly, "Well you see Hassan, there seems to be a little problem with the loan that you took out with my agency." He said.

'Loan? That mean this Tillian guy is a loan shark? Or maybe a debt collector?' Dante though as he kept a safe distance from the scene that was unfolding in front of him. His protective instincts were at an all-time high as he kept the kids away from the guards. The heavy bustling that was aloud with the streets of the market had come to a stop as many onlookers began to observe what was unfolding.

Hassan seemed to be taken back by the statement, "I'm sorry Milord but I do not understand. It may have been on the very last day of the month, but I am sure that I paid the full amount." He said trying to appeal to the lord in front of him.

Tillian clicked his teeth in feigned disappointment, "While that may be true there was one thing that you did not account for and that the time," he said by pulling out what looked like a scroll and showed it to Hassan, "According to your loan agreement, if you did not pay before the middle of the day on the final day of the agreement then the entire agreement is considered null and void. And you paid at the end of the day." He said with a sadistic smile.

The color from Hassan's face drained as he heard the news, "But I was never told of such a thing." He said with a shaky voice.

Tillian shook his head, "You should have read the fine lines of the contract. And in accordance with the policy of the loan we now have the right to seize your property but as I am a decent man I will not take your home," he said which brought a small smile to Hassan's face, "So instead, we shall take this spice stand of yours." He said with sadistic glee in his smile. This statement caused many people in the market to raise a commotion but that was quickly silenced by one look from Tillian's guards.

Dante caught a glimpse of Carl and his wife running up to where they were, "Dante, what's going on?" Carl asked.

"We saw the guards walking in your direction and got worried something was happening." Rebecca told them.

Dante sighed, "Unfortunately you're right." Dante said as he caught the couple up on what had occurred before they arrived.

Carl growled slightly, "That fucking Tillian, even if he is employed by the Baroness that doesn't give him the right to use us as his personal money supply." He said with rage in his voice.

Dante looked to the older man but didn't bother calling him on the language he used, "Who is this guy anyway? He seems like a loan shark but if you say he is employed by the Baroness then he must be someone with power." He asked.

Rebecca sighed, "Malcolm Tillian, he is the royal loan official. He supplies loans to the townspeople when they fall on rough times with the country taxes, but he uses that position to squeeze people out of everything they have by changing the various laws to his advantage. I have seen so many good people lose their homes and businesses because of this awful man." She said with obvious sadness. Dante watched as Tillian's guards began taking everything that seemed of value in Hassan's stand including all the earnings he had.

Hassan pleased with Tillian, "Please Milord, this stand is all my family has to keep us afloat. My wife is expecting our second child and I need this to provide for them! Please sir!" He said as he got on his knees and bowed his head.

Tillian smirked, "You commoners are all the same but that is why you are all essential for the life I live." He said before he placed the heel of his shoe on Hassan's back and pressed the man into the ground.

"This is a lesson to you all! The only reason you all are here us because of the kindness and generosity I have given you! All of you have needed money one way or another and have come to me for it and that is the way things will stay! I have all the power and there is nothing any of you pieces of filth can do about it!" Tillian shouted with a terrifying laugh. This whole scene set Dante's blood ablaze, Hassan was a good man and all he was trying to do was make an honest living by selling goods to provide for his family. Dante had met many people like Hassan, and they were the hardworking people that made life great but now there was nothing he could do. And he hated himself for it. He quietly clenched his fists and ground his teeth, at this moment there was nothing he could do.

"Papa! What's going on?!" a quiet voice said. The people in attendance all looked to see a young girl around 14 with long black hair that reached her back and caramel colored skin with brown doe eyes. With a slender body, a modest chest, and from the looks of her height she came up to just about Dante's chest. She was dressed in a simple blue dress that fell to her ankles with her feet having black sandals on them, and what looked like a navy shawl wrapped around her neck and a wicker basket on her arms. The girl tried to move past the two guards that were blocking her to get to Hassan who was still on the ground.

Tillian looked at the girl and his smile seemed to grow wider as he took his foot off Hassan, "Now gentleman that is no way to treat such a lovely lady such as her. Let her through." He said. Hassan then stood back up and noticed the young lady coming up towards him. Hassan wrapped the girl in a tight hug and stroked her head.

He pulled the girl away from him and looked her in the eyes, "Sasha, what are you doing here?" he asked.

The girl, now named Sasha, presented the basket to her father, "Mama knew that you would be working long today so she wanted me to bring you some food. I was hoping we could have a quick bite before your day was over but when I got here, I saw you on your knees. What's going on?" she pleaded with her father. Hassan tried to form words to explain the situation but there was nothing he could really say for things to work in his favor right now.

Tillian walked up to the duo, "Well now, what an adorable young woman. You know Mr. Hassan I may have a way for this whole misunderstanding to be resolved quickly." He said with a lecherous grin.

"H-how milord?" he asked with a shaky voice.

Tillian licked his lips, "Why don't you let your daughter come and work for me in my home?" he said gleefully as the color drained from Hassan's face.

"W-what?" Hassan said while he covered his daughter with his body.

"Well I can promise that your debt will be cleared, and your daughter will receive a very generous payment per week but she will be coming home, very, very, late some nights." He said with a sick twisted look in his eyes.

That was what sent Dante over the edge, he knew that there could be some corrupt people in the government even in this new world but that was not going to keep him from letting an innocent family be taken advantage of by some greedy pig. That was when he noticed the loan agreement that was sticking out of Tillian's back pocket.

Dante turned to Carl and Rebecca, "Look after the kids. Do not let them out of your sight." He said. Before the couple or the kids could say anything, Dante left their side and headed over to where Tillian was harassing Hassan and quickly pulled the loan agreement out of his pocket.

Tillian was surprised by the sudden action and turned to Dante, "What the hell do you think you are doing you goddamn commoner scum?!" he shouted and lunged at Dante but the young man was too skilled and evaded the weak attack by spinning out of the way while he was reading the agreement word for word.

After he finished reading Dante smirked, "Wow, you really are a piece of shit aren't you Tillian?" Dante said spitefully.

Rage filled Tillian's gaze as he glared at Dante, "How dare you speak to me in such ways commoner!" he shouted as his guards surrounded Dante with their spears pointed at him.

Dante sighed, "Well I believe that I will speak to you however I wish you piece of shit. By looking at this agreement it does appear to state that if Mr. Hassan does not pay the full amount of his loan by the end of the month in which the loan was issued then the loan official would have the right to seize the collateral that Mr. Hassan used." He said getting everyone's attention.

Tillian grinned, "Exactly and since he did not repay the agreed amount upon the correct time then his collateral becomes mine." He said with a pompous attitude.

Dante smirked before he turned to Hassan, "Mr. Hassan, this is your signature correct? The one you signed when you paid the full amount of your loan right?" Dante asked avoiding the spears around him to show the older man the parchment.

Hassan looked at it and nodded, "Yes that's it. Lord Tillian has all the people he issues loans to sign when they repay so he can inform the royal banker of the completed agreement." He said while his daughter held onto him.

Dante nodded, "Perfect. Now while this agreement does include the issued statements that Tillian has said however, nowhere in this agreement does it specify time." He said causing the audience to gasp in surprise and Tillian to start sweating.

Dante showed the agreement to all in attendance, completely ignoring the spears in front of him, "Lord Tillian was trying to use this hardworking man's labor as a steppingstone for himself to gain more wealth! Mr. Hassan is an honest man doing his best to provide for his family and Tillian is taking advantage of that by making false statements and abusing his power that the Baroness entrusted him with! I have it on good reason that this is not the first time he has done something like this to the good people of this city and this cannot go unpunished!" Dante stated passionately with conviction in his voice. This seemed to rouse the people in attendance to agree with him. He even overheard someone saying they would go and report this to the Sentinels and saw three people leaving.

Carl smirked at the sight in front of him, "Well I'll be damned. No one has ever had the balls to stand up to Tillian or any of his guards and here comes this foreigner from another city and he stands his ground against this evil. That is a good man there." He said crossing his arms while he saw Thomas and Mikayla were cheering for their 'big brother'.

Tillian was outraged at what had just happened, he was a noble! A goddamn noble, he stood above everybody that was in this terrible slum and he was not going to let some insignificant speck turn him over!

"Guards kill that man! He has committed a grave crime by insulting a noble and for that he will pay with his life! Kill him!" he shouted as he guards raised their spears once more but closer to where Dante's neck was.

Dante quickly put his hands up in a feigned surrender, "Now gentleman, I understand that Tillian is your employer, but you have now seen the kind of man he is. Do you really want to end up injured just for protecting some scum like him?" he said. That seemed to get the guards' attention as they contemplated their options in what they were going to do.

Tillian saw this and his face became red as could be, not only was his name being dragged through the mud by some nameless commoner but now his own guards would not listen to him.

Tillian roared in frustration, "First man to kill him will get one hundred gold coins!" he shouted. Greed and opportunity shined in the guard's eyes as they now knew what they were going to do.

The first guard lunged at Dante and tried to throw an overhead strike with his spear but Dante merely smirked and raised his arm in an upward block. The wooden shaft of the spear broke upon contact, snapping the metal spear head off from the rest of the spear. The attacking guard and others surrounding them were shocked at the sudden sight of the spear and became too stunned to move.

Dante shrugged, "Suit yourself but just remember, I warned you." He said before delivering a snapping back fist to the guard's face and followed up with a side kick to the guard's ribs that knocked him onto his back. Dante cracked his neck and placed Hassan's loan agreement in his back pocket before turning to the rest of the guards.

"Next." He said before he jumped into the air and executed a flying Superman punch to another guard's face before any of them could react. The second guard he struck fell back slightly stunned and Dante turned his attention to the other two guards. The third one came back to his senses enough to try a thrust with his spear at Dante who sidestepped the strike and wrapped his arm around the shaft of the spear and broke it with a downward chop. Dante then tossed the spearhead in the air caught it before he threw it at the guard's foot, impaling the guard's foot. The guard screamed in pain but was silenced when Dante landed several fast punches to the guard's chest and face ended with a strong uppercut knocking the guard out. The final guard came at Dante with a few simple thrusts of his spear, but Dante was able to evade each one of them. The guard tried to do an overhead strike like the first one but Dante quickly moved past the guard's defenses and landed a quick jab to the guard's face and followed up with two elbows to the face and one to the stomach which caused the guard to cough up saliva. Dante followed up by placing his hand on the side of the guard's neck and used it as leverage when he swept his feet underneath him. Dante ended his combo by landing a strong downward punch to the guard's ribs as he fell.

The guard landed on the ground in a pained heap while he clutched his midsection. Dante thought that was the end of it, but he noticed that the first two guards that he fought were back on their feet with their short swords drawn. Dante smirked and raised his hands into a fighting stance, he then began bouncing on the balls of his feet. The two guards looked a little apprehensive as the considered their options before attacking. But their nerves ended up getting the better of them and they attacked at the same time. Dante evaded all the wild and inaccurate strikes before he ducked underneath the last two strikes and elbowed one guard in the stomach making him double over and followed up by striking the other guard with a cross to the face. The first guard tried to get back to his feet but he was still wobbling due to the first strike, so Dante followed up by kneeing the guard in the face and front kicking the second one causing them both to back away. Dante was now in the middle of both guards as they weakly circled him, the guards then raised their swords and tried a coordinated attack by swinging at Dante at the same time by Dante was prepared.

As the guards got closer Dante inhaled deeply and time seemed to slow around him, as the guards got closer one tried a downward slice while the other tried to step in and swing his sword at an arc Dante moved his feet in a circular motion and used his hands to lead the strikes away from him. The overhead strike hit the opposing guard in the shoulder and the slicing arc ended up slicing the other guard in the ribs while Dante moved in a flowing, circular movement.

"Igarashi-ryu, Mizu no kata. Ryuryu Mai. (Igarashi-style, water form. Flowing Dance)"

Dante uttered quietly as the swords hit the opposing guards causing them to open small but painful wounds to the guard's bodies, dropping them to the ground instantly. Dante stayed in the relaxed form he was in for a moment before exhaling and rising to his feet. He looked over at the fallen guards who were either unconscious or rolling on the ground in pain.

Dante cracked his neck, "I did warn you." He said before walking away towards Hassan.

"What is the meaning of this?!" a voice roared with authority. Dante and the others in attendance looked towards the source of the voice and saw a squadron of what looked like knights being led by a rather intimidating man. The man stood at around 6'5 with short buzz cut hair that was color of wine with a tanned complexion and deep violet colored eyes. He was broad shouldered and a very muscular body that covered from head to toe in deep red armor befitting of a knight captain complete with plated armor on his chest, arms, and legs with a cloth wrapped around his midsection with the image of a rearing white stallion on a field of black. Walking behind this man were four other knights dressed in the same manner but did not have the cloth around their waists meaning this man must have been highly ranked.

Tillian looked as if God himself had come to help him as he ran over to the large man and dropped to his knees in front of him, "Oh Captain Allister, thank the High God that you are here! You would not believe the gall of these commoners! They all but assaulted me and made baseless accusations as to the way I work and even attacked my personal guards. Just look at the damage!" he said dramatically as the captain looked over the street to see Tillian's guards defeated.

Shouts of protest began to form from the civilians as the wanted to reveal Tillian's lies and set the record straight of what he was really doing with his position but the unsatisfied look from the captain made many of them keep their opinions to themselves.

Dante was more worried about Hassan to focus on what was happening but when the kids came up to him and hid behind his back Dante thought he should do something, and it seemed as though he was getting his opportunity when the captain walked up to him. The captain looked Dante straight in the eye due to them being the same height and gave him a look as if he was sizing him up for some reason.

"I am Vincent Allister, Captain of the Silgo City Sentinels. 1st ranked knight and Protector of the Realm and its people." He said with authority in his voice as he waited for Dante to respond.

Dante looked at the man as he contemplated over what to say he couldn't just say he was honored to meet the man despite being impressed by his title but he needed to introduce himself in a way that showed he was a serious man and not just some lucky idiot who got in a fight.

Dante inhaled before he gave a small bow as a sign of respect, "Greetings Captain Allister, I am Dante Igarashi. Heir to the Igarashi School of Martial Arts, Master of its Style and Second in Command of the White Lion Restaurant." Dante said in a simple but respectful manner.

The Captain raised an eyebrow as he looked Dante over, "A Master Martial Artist at such a young age? Well, given the situation of Tillian's guards it doesn't seem so farfetched." He said crossing his arms.

Dante shrugged, "I began learning at a young age from my mother. I took a real interest in it and I quickly learned everything that was used in my style. As for the guards I did warn them but once Tillian used the promise of a reward they forgot everything and attacked wildly. I gave them fair warning, but they did not take heed of it." Dante said.

Tillian grew more flustered before he ran up towards the two men, "Captain, do not listen to this man! He does not know what he speaks of, he simply attacked my guards and myself all because I was trying to do my job!" he said trying to save face.

Captain Allister looked to Tillian and then at Dante, "Is that true Sir Dante?" the Captain asked.

Dante looked at the Captain before smirking, "Actually that is not the true story Captain. You see, Tillian here was trying to use his authority to squeeze Mr. Hassan out of everything he owns and even tried to get Mr. Hassan to sell his daughter into his custody to which Mr. Hassan refused so I intervened. I exposed the ridiculous accusations Tillian had placed on Mr. Hassan and Tillian began to get angry and he let loose his guards onto me. The results are as you see here." Dante said as he held a stoic gaze.

The Captain seemed to contemplate what Dante was saying before he looked over at Tillian who was sweating up a storm in fear before he looked at Dante once more.

The Captain placed his hand in the air a few inches away from Dante's face, "Truth Veil." He said quietly. An intricate, dark green magic circle depicting a bucking ram appeared in the Captain's hand before a mysterious blue aura surrounded Dante and stayed on his body for a quick minute to which many were concerned about, Dante included.

The aura soon vanished, and the Captain smirked, "That was one of my specialty truth magics, Truth Veil. The Aura of colors that appear on a person that I cast it on will vary depending on whatever truth they are telling. As blue is the color of truth I can see now that you speak no lies." He said as he extended a hand towards Dante, the young man smiled and placed his hand in the Captain's before they shook.

"It's nice to see young people with pure hearts like yours. If the day ever comes when you choose to take up the mantle of the Sentinels just know we will always have a place for you." Captain Allister said to Dante who bowed in appreciation.

"I appreciate the offer Captain." He said as the Captain gave a firm nod before tuning to Tillian.

"Malcom Tillian, in regards to the evidence that I have seen today and in combination to the other sorted rumors of how you abuse your power and rank I hereby place you under arrest where you are to stand before the Baroness herself and she will decide your punishment." The Captain said as he motioned for two of his fellow knights to come and take Tillian away while the rest of the soldiers checked on the fallen guards to check for any serious injuries.

"No! No! You cannot treat me this way! I am a noble! I have better rights than these maggots of commoners! No! Unhand me!" Tillian shouted as he was dragged away by the Captain's soldiers. Once he was gone and away from the crowd Captain and the other soldiers began to look after the guards Dante had fought. Dante hoped they wouldn't get a serious punishment; they were only human after all.

Dante felt a tug on the back of his leg and looked down to see Mikayla and Thomas looking at him, "Big brother can we go home now?" Mikayla asked.

Thomas nodded, "Yeah we're hungry." He whined slightly.

Dante chuckled at the kids, "Of course kids. Let's get some food in you." The kids cheered at Dante's announcement and began pulling out of the market but were quickly stopped when Hassan clasped the older boy's hands together.

"Young Dante, I cannot thank you enough for the help you have given me. You not only prevented me from becoming a bigger pawn of Tillian, but you freed myself and my family from the chains he had on us. You saved my business and my daughter. In truly cannot thank you enough." He said as he bowed his head with his daughter doing the same and it wasn't just him. Many of the other vendors and shop owners also conveyed their joy and happiness at the fact that they were now out from under the threat of Tillian. Dante accepted the gratitude, but he quickly broke away from the grateful crowd and bowed to everyone.

"I thank you for your gratitude everyone, but I am not someone who needs it. I am just happy that I was able to help you all. I can see that every vendor here is just trying to do their best to provide for themselves and their loved ones. All I ask is that you never let that desire die, you all make people happy with what you can provide and in a world like this that is something we all need." Dante said as he bowed once more with the kids following his example. After giving a few more thanks and saying his goodbyes to the new friends he made Dante and the kids headed for their home.

MGE

"You should have seen it papa! That Tillian guy came in and tried to make Mr. Hassan look like the bad guy and almost took his spice stand too!" Thomas said excitedly as he jumped up and down. After the whole ordeal at the market, Dante and the kids headed back to their home where Samuel and Gina were waiting at their dining table and the kids began telling their parents of the recent events while Dante prepped dinner.

"Yeah and when Tillian was going to take Mr. Bera's stand from him and even take his daughter, big brother stepped in and showed everyone just how wrong he was which made Tillian really, really mad!" Mikayla continued.

"Then Tillian made his guards attack Dante but he was too strong and fought all four of them off like it was no problem at all!" Thomas said as he shouted with immense pride in voice.

Samuel picked up his son and rested him on his knee, "Well it certainly sounds like you had an eventful day. I actually feel a lot better now that Tillian has gotten off the streets, that crooked coward always seemed to love breaking people down." He said clearly angry at what the former loan officer would often do.

Gina held Mikayla in her arms as she nodded, "Indeed, I have seen so many good people lose their jobs and homes to that cretin. But now thanks to Dante, maybe the Baroness will appoint someone who cares about the people in the city." She said with a smile as Mikayla nodded in agreement.

Dante smiled from their praise, it almost felt like his mom and dad were praising him form when he would win a tournament or cook a new dish.

"I just couldn't let a man like that walk over people the way he did. I was raised to stand up for those who needed it and even though I am in a new place than I was that will not change. Now let's get this dinner started." He said as he grabbed one of the plain white aprons from the counter and threw it over his waist. Dante first grabbed flour, 3 eggs, olive oil, and salt. He combined all the ingredients into a bowl and mixed them with his hands until they formed a dough. Dante then took some flour and sprinkled it out along the top of the countertop, he proceeded to take the dough and knead it onto the floured surface until it became a workable consistency. Since he didn't have any pasta sheeters in this world, he would have to do everything from scratch and by hand. Not that he minded, this was what he had trained to do.

Once the dough was at the consistency he wanted, Dante then put it inside a bowl to and put it to the side to rest. Now he had to start the filling. Dante quickly and efficiently peeled all the skin and strings off the corn before taking a knife and took off all the kernels before cutting the cobs in half and placing them in a pot of boiling water. Dante smiled as he took the kernels and began to chop them at a blazing speed to get them to a fine, puree like consistency. The kids and their parents seemed fascinated by what Dante was doing as none of them had ever seen this kind of cooking before. Dante smiled as they watched him and continued with his work. He quickly chopped the leafy, cilantro-like herb before doing the same with the red chilis but not too much as he didn't want the heat to overpower the dish. He just wanted a little bit of warmth to compliment the filling. He then mixed those in with the corn puree and added the various spices that Hassan had given him. After giving the entire mixture a good stir, he tasted it, added just a splash of salt and pepper before mixing again, tasting, then put the mixture into the Cold Box to keep chilled. He then turned his attention to the cobbs that had wilted just slightly but Dante could tell that the sweetness of the corn had been infused with the water which he would use as the base for his sauce. Dante removed the cobs and threw them in the trash, the water he saved. He then took some of the water and added it to the sour cream-like mixture that he had obtained and mashed it slightly to get the cream soft. Once it was at a spreadable consistency, Dante added lime juice and some spices and had his crema done. Once that was done Dante took a pan and heated it up with some fire, the appliance that Dante was using was kind of what he would have suspected in the world he was in. It was essentially a gas burning stove top that had four different burners on top, what set them apart from the ones from his previous world was that these ones just needed a simple wave of the hand in order to set them alight. This worked since the creator considered those that could and could not use magic would be able to use it.

Dante didn't know everything about how it worked but if it let him cook that was all that mattered to him. Once the pan was hot enough, Dante took the corn mixture and threw it into the pan with a little bit of butter which sizzled at the contact. The intoxicating smell of butter along with the spices and corn wafted through the house making the occupants salivate at the smell.

"W-what is this aroma?" Samuel wondered a loud.

Gina shook her head, "I have no idea. I have never smelled anything like this before. It's spicy yet mellow and sweet all at the same time." She said as a little bit of drool dripped down the corner of her mouth.

The kids were in the same boat, "Yummy!" the both said at the same time as drool began to fall from their mouths. Dante smiled at this, seeing the anticipation on his customers faces as he cooked always made him happy then when they tasted the food itself and smiles graced their faces with its deliciousness was just the cherry on top. Cooking for others was always an amazing feeling and whether it was this world or his previous one he would keep that passion alive no matter what.

Once the filling was warm enough, Dante took it off the heat and placed it to the side. Now that all his components were finished Dante could put everything together. Dante took the dough and placed it on a floured surface, he rolled it and kneaded it over and over until it was the shape of a long oval. Thankfully there was a rolling pin so Dante used that to roll the dough over and over while consistently flipping it as to not keep it stuck to the surface. Dante rolled it once more till the dough was as long as the table itself and then sliced it in half and cleaned up the edges a little bit by smoothing the dough out. Dante took one half of the dough and sliced it into 20 individual pieces and followed it by taking a dollop of his filling and placing it into the center of each piece of dough and folded them over into small triangular pieces. Satisfied with that he did the same thing with the other pieces of dough and folded them over as well. Once the pieces of pasta were completely sealed, Dante gently took them and placed them in the boiling water in order to cook the pasta itself.

While the pasta cooked Dante took the pan, he used earlier and added some butter, cream, salt, pepper, and just a little bit of parmesan in order to make a quick cream sauce. Dante let the cream sauce cook down slightly and once he saw that the pasta was cooked to the perfect al dente texture, he scooped out the pasta with a large spoon and placed it into the sauce in various batches. He also kept some of the pasta water in order to thin out some of the cream sauce so it would coat each piece of the pasta. Once he had finished the pasta, Dante served them onto plates with a few pieces of garlic bread he had made earlier and placed a simple garden salad onto the table to go along with it. As a finishing touch he added a drizzle of his lime crema and a sprinkle of the crumbly, feta-like cheese on top and a sprinkle of his spice mix and a splash of lime to just finish it off.

Dante served each member of the family as they sat around the table and anxiously waited for the food, once everyone was served Dante sat down himself.

"Thank you for waiting everyone, I present to you my spiced corn ravioli in a cream sauce with a lime crema. On the side a simple salad and fresh toasted garlic bread. Please enjoy." Dante said with a smile. The Cranston Family all looked at each other before each one took their forks and stabbed a piece of the pasta and placed it in their mouths. The minute the food entered their mouths, flavors that none of them had ever tasted had been released in a delicious explosion that covered their taste buds in every way imaginable. Even after swallowing the warming flavors stayed in their mouths with lingering satisfaction.

Samuel was the first to speak, "By the Gods! I have never tasted food this delicious before!" he said putting another piece into his mouth.

Thomas nodded and started shoving more pieces into his mouth, "This is so good! I didn't know you're food would be this good big brother." He said happily.

Mikayla nodded, "I want to eat so much more of big brother's food! It so yummy!" she said as she ate a bit more slowly than her brother.

Gina took a different route and took some of the bread and dipped it into the sauce, "Even the sauce by itself is amazing. Once the sauce is absorbed into the bread it makes the garlic flavors jump out all that more." She said.

Dante smiled, while he was worlds away from the people he grew up with and the very family that he shared blood with he knew that as long as he could have moments like this where he could see people happy and accept him for what he could he knew he would be happy and that he would make this new world his home.

So here is another chapter for My Life with my Monster Wives. This is a story inspired by Monster Girl Encyclopedia by Kenkou Cross. I wanted to do my own little spin on the creatures he created so I made this to throw my own little spin on it so all those that have favored it I hope you all enjoy it.